#now that's how you properly discuss a mythological figure or event!

[deathlessathanasia]

“Next are the Moirai. Homer mentions them just once by their collective name, at Iliad 24.49, when they are described as giving enduring hearts to men, but lliad 24.209–10 also gives us a singular Moira who spins with her thread a particular fate for Hektor at his birth, and Aisa substitutes for Moira in a similar phrase at Iliad 18.20.127-28. For its part, Odyssey 7.197-98 speaks of both Aisa and the stern Klothes (Spinners) jointly in this same role; these latter are surely the Moirai under a descriptive epithet (the form Klothes is elsewhere unattested). Finally, even Zeus (Od 4.207–8), or the gods as a whole (Od 1.17–18), can do the spinning at times. Moira as a singular noun is, of course, quite common in both epics, but except forthe above instances never clearly personified.

In Hesiod we first find the goddesses' number and individual names: Klotho (the Spinner), Lachesis (the Apportioner), and Atropos (the Unavoidable), who give good and evil to men at their birth (Th 217–19, 904–6). In the earlier of these two passages, where they and the Keres are children of Nyx, these individual names follow awkwardly in 218 after the mention of the Keres, as does the subsequent task of pursuing wrongdoers in 219: very likely both these lines (West brackets them) are in fact intruders, with the wrongdoers originally hunted down by the Keres. The later passage at 904 revises their genealogy in accordance with the new order and makes them the offspring of Themis and Zeus, who is the source of their power. In the Hesiodic Aspis, the three resurface (on the shield itself), with Atropos the shortest and oldest (258–63), but these lines too are probably interpolated; certainly the following reference to a role in battle, if genuine, indicates again the preceding Keres.

Elsewhere the Moirai are not much in evidence. Klotho appears in Pindar's Olympian 1 as the goddess supervising the rebirth of Pelops (Ol 1.26: a rare story of bringing the dead to life, in seeming violation of moira, and perhaps invented by Pindar), and Lachesis is present in the same author's Paian 12 at the birth of Artemis and Apollo to Leto, as well as at the allotment of honors to the Olympians in Olympian 7 (Pa 12.16–17; 01 7.64-67). In Olympian 6 all three attend (with Eileithuia) the birth of Iamos (Ol6.41-42: cf. Nem 7.1), and likewise in Olympian 10 they are present at Herakles' founding of the Olympian games (Ol 10.51–52). More unusually, in a fragment of Pindar they bring Themis as wife to Zeus, thus suggesting that they cannot here be his children by her (fr 30.3 SM). Another fragment, which may be simply poetic recasting, calls Tyche the most powerful Moira (fr 41 SM). In this connection we may also note an unassigned lyric fragment (Simonides?) with a prayer to Aisa, Klotho, and Lachesis, the daughters of Nyx (1018 PMG).

Turning to Aischylos, we find Apollo accused of deceiving and persuading the Moirai (in the matter of Admetos) with the help of wine-a most surprising notion of which no other trace exists (Eum 723–28: one wonders what Phrynichos' Alkestis might have said on the matter). The Prometheus Desmotes mentions them in a more respectful vein, as helmsmen (with the Erinyes) of necessity (PD 515-16); to Io's query whether they are stronger than Zeus there is, alas, no direct answer.

One other story in which we might have expected to encounter them is that of Althaia and the brand given to her at Meleagros' birth. Bakchylides tells this tale in his Ode 5 (140–44), but names simply moira as weaving such a fate for Meleagros; how Althaia learned of the brand's significance, or who created such a situation, we are not told. Phrynichos dramatized the myth in his Pleuroniai, and there the Moirai may have played a greater role, though presumably not on stage, since the action surely revolved around Meleagros' death years later. As matters stand we must turn to Ovid, Apollodoros, and Hyginus for accounts of their involvement in this tale (Met 8.451–57; ApB 1.8.1; Fab 171). Of the three, Hyginus has the most interesting feature, that when they appeared to Althaia Klotho promised that the child would be magnanimous (or noble?), Lachesis that he would be strong, and Atropos that he would live as long as the brand on the hearth lasted, conceivably a gift rather than a curse. Whatever the details, it is an odd story — not fully in accord with other early accounts of Meleagros' fate, and the only preserved suggestion that the Moirai ever communicate directly with mortals regarding their lot. In art they are virtually unknown, but they do appear as three women (inscribed "Moirai') among the guests at Thetis' wedding on both the François Krater (Florence 4209) and the Erskine Dinos (London 1971.11-1.1).”

 - Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources by Timothy Gantz

[broomsick]

Hi! I’m an agnostic with an interest in learning more about Norse polytheism, and I have a question about the way that the sagas and myths are interpreted.

Are the sagas (and other Norse myths) viewed as having actually happened at some point, or are they viewed more as symbolic/metaphorical, like a fable or an allegory?

Hi there! Thank you for the ask! This a topic I very much enjoy discussing, and I'll be glad to give you my thoughts on the matter.

Before I can properly explain what the sagas are, I'll determine what they aren't. They aren't to be confused with myths, such as the ones that make up nordic mythology. They are not part of that mythology for a plethora of reasons. While mythology pertains to deities we know have been worshipped as such at some point in time, the sagas are stories of human beings. More often than not, they mean to tell historical events, which represents a major difference with the myths. A saga often recounts the history of a particular dynasty, or family, and a lot of the characters who appear in them are either: 1. folk heroes, such as Wayland the Smith, who appears in the Þiðreks saga, or Sigurðr Sigmundsson, who appears in the Völsunga saga; Or 2. famous, historically attested figures, such as Erik the Red, whose story is told in the Eiríks saga rauða, or Harald Fairhair, who appears in Snorri's Haralds saga hárfagra.

This is another parrticularity which differentiates a myth and saga: the latter often brings to life real life historical figures, or even attested events. Still, these stories are steeped in folklore. They mix magic and history, and the line quickly blurs between reality and fiction. And considering that many of the sagas' authors remain unknown to this day (that is the case for the Icelanders' sagas), there is a limit to how much we can trust their writings. In fact, there is very little historical fact to be found in the sagas. However, some of the events they describe seem to hold some amout of truth! For example, it's speculated that the viking remains found in Dorset could have been the bodies of captured men who appear in the Jómsvíkinga saga. And Eirik the Red did in fact sail from Norway to Greenland and North America, making him and his crew the first Europpeans to land in the Americas. And when it comes to the stories of famous Scandinavian dynasties, the sagas serve to explain, using both fact and fiction, how this or that famous king has earned a throne.

Now, what makes these stories interesting to us as pagans? Well, as is often the case, the answer varies from one practionner to the next. To read the sagas is not a necessary part of the nordic pagan path. But to me, it helps to get to know the faith a little better. It allows us to better understand the cultural and historical context behind certain beliefs ad practices. They often showcase the very last accounts of ancient festivals, rituals, or famous temples. They are a tool of choice for many scholars, who, of course, are still forced to try and tell truth from fiction. But they're a fun read overall, and I highly recommend looking into them!

As for the myths, by which we mean the stories which compose what's called norse mythology, they are generally viewed as metaphors. They're a way for us to see our Gods come to life, and to find out some of their most prominent characteristics. The amount of credit you choose to put into mythology is entirely up to you, but I can confidently say that most pagans don't take them at face value. They're a fun way to help us imagine what the Gods might be like! For example, most agree that Týr is brave, Freyja, headstrong, and Frigg, caring. These are examples of details we can try to figure out if we read between the lines of these myths. What's most important to keep in mind, however, is the fact that many of these myths were heavily influenced by their authors. For example, Snorri, famously a Christian priest and Icelandic politician, would manipulate certain stories to better serve his political goals. It's widely accepted for example, that elements of the myths such as Angrboða and some other such lovers of the Gods were most likely invented during the 12th century, era during which a lot of the myths we know today were being compiled by priests. These changes often served to fill in the gaps left by a tradition of exclusively transmitting folklore orally. We can only speculate as to how much of the myths were truly part of pre-Christian oral tradition, which makes it even more relevant to exercise skepticism around mythology.

[mimik-u]

Fragments III, 1-100

300 drabbles about Steven Universe/Future, 100 words each! These are the first 100 prompts and writer’s choices that have been fulfilled.

Asterisks are placed next to my personal favorites that I’ve written.

Baggage* — Steven meets his new therapist!

Eternity —How about a Bellow interaction you've always wanted to see in canon but didn't get to?

Foe —Jasper is simultaneously satisfied and yet left deeply empty inside by her self-isolation on Earth, and doesn't understand how to even begin to process this dichotomy. (So she doesn’t.)

Letter — Young Greg's POV when he wrote those letters to his parents Steven found on Mr. Universe episode.

Sword —Connie interacting with someone she doesn't usually talk to by herself (ex Jasper, Bismuth, Lapis, etc.).

Reconciliation — Idk about you but I wanna see more Mega Pearl. The others have not met Mega Pearl.

Marks —How about... Spinel, and the tiny, everyday baby steps towards healing?

Tangled — Peridot finds out/is told about PD/RQ? (And is confirmed in her guess that Pearl is fancy...?)

Challenge* — How is Steven’s TubeTube channel doing?

Bruises — Priyanka tends to Connie's wounds after training sessions with Pearl. [Writer’s Choice]

Rest* — Yellow Diamond gets to relax. (She's the one who most expresses regret and real understanding. Let her take a nap! She deserves it!)

Barbecue* — Post-movie, during cleanup, Steven and Lars talk and plan the BBQ we got a glimpse at during the final song.

Ghost — Yellowtail and Greg talk about fatherhood and how it can be ruined (mentioning Marty and Greg's father subtly).

UNO* — Date between Pearls (platonic or otherwise).

Height — The pebbles!!! They're so small???? Where are they? *Sobs, points at the Heaven and Earth Beetles.*

Embrace — Steven gets a well-deserved cuddle pile from family and friends.

Constructs — Bismuth and Peridot have a lot more in common than they think.

Horns — Amethyst makes an unexpected new friend at Little Homeschool. (Whichever other character you feel would fit best!)

Garden — Pre-show scene. While having a funny chat, Greg mentions something that reminds Rose about her abandoning Spinel, which makes her regret more of her choices.

Advice — Garnet can tell when Stevonnie has a lot on their mind. [Writer’s Choice.]

Hum — Yellow and her relationship with music.

Love* — Pearl considering her romantic feelings towards someone and thinking about how she's finally moving on from Rose. (Doesn't mean she'll ever forget her.)

Kid — A glimpse into “Sadie Killer.” Maybe when they played their first show, while Steven was still in the band. Celebrating afterward or a discussion on why Steven didn't stay IN the band?

Troubleshooting* — Integration of gem communication networks and Earth Internet and phone lines and the resulting inevitable disaster.

Fairytale — Connie gets a tour of Little Homeworld.

Hope — Jasper finally starting to let her guard down and realize her self worth.

Song* — As for prompts... Steg? Like, him in general, just being himself. It's a bummer we only got to see him in the movie.

Mistakes* — Steven talking to someone (not a therapist, just another character) about his trauma?

Forgiveness — The Topaz fusion reconnects with the Crystal Gems at Little Homeschool and apologizes for her role in the kidnapping all those years ago.

Visions — Sapphire and Ruby reflect on the events of "Together Forever." [Writer’s Choice]

Reunited — Maybe a scene where Yellow comes home from a long escapade and is reunited with a worried Spinel?

Beginnings — After CYM, Lapis and Peridot discuss where to live since the barn is destroyed.

Pet* — White Diamond happily announces one day that she has decided to take in a small creature (of your choosing) as a pet.

Together — What were Doc, Army, Navy, and Leggy doing during Future?

Desert — Steven meeting Lion from Lion's perspective. I dunno, I think it could be neat.

Freedom — For a post-CYM/SU:F prompt, what do you think about the exact moment it hit either Blue or Yellow Pearl that they were completely free to follow their whims?

Apologies — Greg apologizes to Steven due to the incident in “Mr. Universe” and both have the talk they should've had in that episode.

Change — Blue and Yellow Zircon's relationship has improved even if they are now rivals in the new democratic Homeworld. This last tiny bit is related to the “Homeworld Bound” episode.

Hug — Bellow cuddling. Yellow has no idea what to do, but Blue is loving it.

Valentine* — Steven gives Peridot a Valentine's Day gift. [Writer’s Choice]

Spite — Aquamarine and Eyeball are distraught at knowing they won't be rewarded for their actions because their worst enemy, Steven Universe, has been labeled a hero and royalty by the Diamonds.

Reevaluation — How about more Peedee and Steven friendship? Like, Peedee noticing Steven’s change in demeanor the farther along the show we get?

Camp — Connie kicking ass at space camp.

Family — The night after the events of the movie, Steven gets some quality family time.

Homestretch — Peridot, Lapis, and Bismuth spend time together while preparing Little Homeworld.

Enough — We know what Jenny, Sour Cream, and Buck are gonna do for their futures, but what's Kiki been up to? Is she gonna take over the pizzeria?

Spillage — Vidalia and Amethyst catch up after Steven's monster episode.

Reformation — White Diamond has learned how to be so extremely empathetic to the point that she literally becomes another person, but has she really begun to understand others?

Comment* — Sardonyx makes some Internet videos.

Unicorn — While traveling through California, Steven encounters two fishermen arguing about unicorns. [SU/GF crossover.] [Writer’s Choice]

Worry — Andy and Greg stay in touch.

Homerun* — I hopal for Opal—perhaps she will attempt some baseball.

Skydancer — Post-CYM, Pearl getting to “truly” take Steven out for a joy ride through the cosmos in a properly operational ship of her design.

Mercy* — The shattering-is-wrong discussion between Rose and Bismuth that led to Bis being bubbled.

Happy — Smoky Quartz hasn't made a self deprecating joke in a while—is it Steven's therapy?

Electric* — Yellow’s gloves—I feel like they’re covering something up, maybe.

Cake — Fusion Cuisine 2: Electric Boogaloo.

Belonging — The Rose Quartz sisters visit again.

Transcendence — Fluorite offers someone wise caterpillar grandma advice.

March — Connie and Steven reflect on changes in life after the pandemic. Not canon compliant. [Writer’s Choice.]

Understanding — Onion be doing Onion things.

Ocean* — Andy and Steven post-”I Am My Monster”? I love their relationship, lol.

Ignorance* — Does Lapis even realize Bismuth was probably the one who poofed her?

Reflection — Did I already say more Mega Pearl? ‘Cause there can never be enough Mega Pearl.

Possibility* — Yellow deciding she should try putting shattered gems back together. (She probably broke the most.)

Storyboard — Peridot’s budding career as a storyboarder.

Fall — Lapis and Steven talk about trauma and recovery. Pre-The Future.

Limbo — How the dismantled gempire has affected the lives of noble gems like Emerald, Holly Blue Agate, and others.

Now — Garnet reminds herself to live in the present.

Grief* — Alexandrite forms for the first time. [Writer’s Choice]

Inauguration — Wait, did Connie's parents ever meet Stevonnie?

Please — Did Kevin ever learn anything? Naaaaaah....unless...

Friend — General prompt? A sequel/prequel to this, please [White D’s panther].

Treatment — Greg starting to learn more about gem stuff to be more involved in Steven's life if something ugly happens.

Numbers — Pearl, please do something with all those phone numbers in your head.

Generations — Rose continues to discover the wonders of Earth, even after all this time. (No angst allowed in this one, just pure wonder.)

Survival — The Off-Colors used to have more members in the past.

Acting — How did Rainbow 2.0 even get invited to babysit Onion?

Kindness* — Former Mayor Dewey coming to terms with his new position in town.

Play — The Gems and Greg try to capture Steven's first moments on a bike. [Writer’s Choice]

Documentary — Ronaldo makes a real actually informative documentary about Little Homeworld.

Rain — Blue Diamond still cries sometimes.

Zoophobia — Also, I saw Z and my immediate thought was "Zoophobia.”

Echo* — Why does the tiny floating whale have Rose's voice before Steven ever heard it in the tape?

Sketch — Steven and Connie discover an anime character/mythological figure who bears an awfully similar resemblance to Obsidian.

Unironically — Why does Buck wanna be a doctor?

Club — How did Bismuth, Lapis, and Peri become such tight friends?

Nostalgia — Greg considers a comeback tour.

Pressure* — The creation of the Diamonds, maybe?

Coping — Amethyst and Pearl grapple with Rose's pregnancy. [Writer’s Choice]

Theatre — Sugilite, meet Rainbow 2.0.

Dadhood* — Whatever happened to Mrs. Fryman? IS there a Mrs. Fryman, or was it only a passing on-and-off thing that resulted in kids?

Lingering — Jasper finally lets Malachite go.

Human — Steven talks to his therapist about his mom, the feelings of before and the now. (It was left open-ended—his relationship with his mother.)

Words — Kofi is proud of his daughters.

Quest — [Letter prompt] Quest.

Picture — Sour Cream and Steven talking about absent parents and bad parenting. Post-The Future.

Bittersweet* — Shep finally gets to meet the notorious Lars.

Gemini — Spinel discovers memes and we're all doomed.

Weird — When he's younger, Steven doesn't quite know how to label the Gems.

[zerogate]

The Italian researcher Felice Vinci has also taken up the question of the location of the events related by Homer. He presents his case in a book called The Baltic Origins of Homer's Epic Tales and in an article entitled “The Nordic Origins of the Iliad and Odyssey” in the Athens Journal of Mediterranean Studies. Vinci's ultimate conclusion is that there was a big migration from Scandinavia in prehistoric times, the migrants eventually settled in what is now Greece and became the Mycenaeans, and they brought with them their epic narratives and reassigned them to the Mediterranean region.

Vinci's argument, conveniently summarized in his journal article, rests on a careful comparison of the world described in Homer's texts with that of the Baltic and North Atlantic in about the second millennium BCE. For example, the climatic conditions described by Homer are a far cry from those of the sunny eastern Mediterranean. The Iliad describes violent storms, fog, and snow, but rarely mentions the sun. Homer's characters wear thick cloaks, sometimes lined with fur, similar to those found in northern Bronze Age tombs. Their diet does not include the olives, figs, and other staples of the Mediterranean, but rather large quantities of meat, as with the Vikings. They drink from beakers of metal or, in the case of poor people, wood, but not from pottery vessels, as would have been usual in the ancient Greek world. There is also abundant support for Vinci's theory from mythology. For example, the story of the abduction of Helen to Troy has a parallel in a Norse myth about how Snion, son of the Danish king, abducts the beautiful queen of Sweden and precipitates a war as related by the medieval chronicler Saxo Grammaticus in his Gesta Danorum...

The most powerful evidence adduced by Vinci is geographical. Homer's description of the lands visited by Ulysses does not correspond to any places in the Mediterranean, whereas they fit perfectly when shifted to the north. Calypso's island was already identified by the Greek author Plutarch (c. 44–120 CE) as lying in the North Atlantic, and Vinci identifies it as Nolsoy in the Faroe Islands. The Peloponnese, described as a plain in both the Iliad and the Odyssey, is, of course, mountainous, while Ulysses's own island of Ithaca fits exactly the Baltic island of Lyø.

What of Troy itself? Vinci writes that “100 km west of Helsinki there is a village, Toija, whose characteristics correspond exactly to those Homer passes down to us: a hilly ground dominating the valley with the two rivers, a plain stretching to the coast and a mountainous area . . .” Equally striking is the passage in the Odyssey referring to a people called the Ciconians or, in Greek, Kíkones, who attacked Ulysses and his men shortly after the Trojan campaign had ended. Vinci has discovered that, at the corresponding spot, about fifty kilometers inland from the coast of Finland is a town called Kíikoinen.

Then there is the figure of Ulysses himself, whom Vinci links with the Nordic god Ull, a warrior, hunter, and, like Ulysses, a skilled archer. Vinci also discusses a highly important aspect of Ulysses, namely his shamanic characteristics. He draws attention to a passage in the Odyssey that describes how Ulysses constructed his bedroom around an olive trunk: “I built my bedroom around it with thick stones / till I finished it, then I suitably covered it above properly / and built sturdy doors” (Odyssey 23, 192–94). Mircea Eliade states that a central pillar in a dwelling is a common feature in communities where shamanism is practiced and represents the axis of the world. He writes: “This pole is sacred; it is regarded almost as a god. At its foot stands a small stone altar, on which offerings are placed...”

Joramo, like Vinci, believes that an advanced people lived in the north in ancient times and were forced to migrate to other parts of the world because of climatic changes. This would mean, he says, that “contrary to all accepted dogma on the matter, important roots of our Western Civilization could be in the north and not in the Mediterranean”

Let us for a moment consider one of the arts that might have been transmitted to the Hellenic world from the North, namely the art of poetry. As we know from the Edda and the sagas, the figure of the bard played an enormously important role in Nordic society, and to become one involved acquiring complicated skills. One had to master several different poetic meters and know which one to use for a particular subject matter. One had to know how to chant the different meters. One also had to master elaborate metaphors called kennings. This is when, for example, you describe sunlight as the sword of the gods or a warrior as the feeder of the ravens, referring to the ravens scavenging among the corpses after a battle. And sometimes you would replace one word of the kenning with another kenning, creating elaborate layers of metaphor. All this had to be painstakingly acquired, so to be a bard carried great prestige. This is reflected in the fact that Odin, the father of the Nordic pantheon, is also the god of poetry. Poets had a similar prestige in Homeric Greece, and many of the same kennings appear in both traditions. For example we find in Homer the term “sea horses” (Odyssey IV: 780), meaning ships, identical to the Norse v´gmarr (“horse of the waves”). And Vinci suggests, intriguingly, that the famous “wooden horse” is probably actually a kenning indicating a ship.

- Christopher McIntosh, Beyond the North Wind

[puppetwritings]

To Heaven and Back || Pt. 1 || Junhui

Pt. 1 // Pt. 2 // Pt. 3 // Pt. 4 // Pt. 5 // Pt. 6 // Pt. 7 //

➢ Word Count: 6121

➢ Genre: chinese mythology, fantasy, angst, fluff

➢ Summary: You had been a martial god, sitting at the helm of Heaven’s armies, for a very long time. So long, that you had began to forget what your human life was like but for some reason, recently, you were dreaming of past events again. 

---------

You felt something soft and fuzzy nudge itself against your hand. Despite the pain coursing through your body, you slowly opened your eyes and smiled at the small white fox. You brushed your hand over his fur, making sure you didn’t use the one that was stained with blood. The fox looked up at you with worry in his eyes. Before finding this small fox, you never thought that animals could be so human and now, seeing the fox’s dark eyes and listening to his tentative whine, you didn’t think about your own pain—you thought about what might happen to this little fox once you died.

“I’ll be fine,” you assured him, but the weakness in your voice gave away the lie. The fox crawled closer, curling beside you. You pursed your lips. “No…no, you can’t stay here…if you stay here then—”

It was just then that the doors to the old temple slammed open. Your vision was starting to fade but you heard the heavy footsteps of soldiers as they surrounded you. You could make out a dark, burly figure stomping towards you and when he spoke, you could see the disgusting and twisted smirk on his face.

“So, even you can meet a day like this.”

You wanted to speak. You wanted to make a snarky response. You wanted to do something that would save you a little face but in reality, you couldn’t. What was face and dignity when you were already at death’s door?

The man stepped forward again, his rough hands outstretched and about to pull you up when the white fox beside you launched itself at him and bit down hard onto the man’s hand. You gasped and you wanted to reach out, to save your small companion but you could only watch as he was ruthlessly flung aside, slamming hard into the pole. A few worried soldiers circled the general.

“Take that little rat outside and gut it!” the general shouted. He ferociously turned back to you. “As for this girl—tie her up. We’ll see how the Wulian Kingdom feels seeing their beloved general’s head on a stake.”

When you woke, your forehead was coated with sweat. Your sleepwear clung to your figure and your bedsheets were moist from perspiration. You sat up, your heart hammering against your chest. You closed your eyes as you let out a shaky breath and tried to calm yourself.

“Another bad dream?”

Your hand instinctively flew to your sword but your fingers loosened around its scabbard when you realized who your uninvited guest was. You stood, pulling the robe from its hanger and slipped into it. “How rude, entering a woman’s room uninvited.”

Minghao let out a melodic laugh—one that would send most fairies, mortals, and even some lesser gods fawning over him. Instead of fawning, you stared and waited for an answer. “I knocked, did I not? That’s how you woke up.”

“So, not only did you come into my room uninvited, you also woke me up.”

“You were struggling, General, I think I have done a good deed,” Minghao replied, turning politely as you headed to the clothes that had already been laid out by your servant in order to change. “Thinking back on it, it has been about seven hundred years since you’ve ascended yet you’re still thinking about such a petty little event.”

“It wasn’t petty,” you spat, glaring at him as you shed your first layer of perspiration-soaked clothing. You paused a moment before adding, “Lord Xu.”

“Right, right,” Minghao nodded, tapping his fan against his chin as he listened to the shifting of cloth. “How insensitive of me. That was the event that caused your ascension! Your death didn’t break down the morale of your people but instead raised it—you become a martyr and after the war they erected temples in your name and burned incense to you. It was definitely not petty. Definitely not.”

You strapped the belt around your waist and slipped your sword into its strap before walking past Minghao. Minghao followed briskly.

“If you have no business here, then leave.”

“I have business,” Minghao said. “Of course, I have business. I wouldn’t wander into a martial god’s palace without business. I still value my little life.”

“Then say it, Lord Xu.”

The god of art and literature smiled his charmingly and looked as if he might begin reciting age old poetry but instead he simply said, “The Emperor has a job for you.”

“For me?”

Minghao nodded.

“Why have you come to tell me?”

“Because I play weiqi with the Emperor every Sunday and he knew of our relations so he asked me to pass on this message.”

“Our relations?” your eyebrow twitched when you looked at Minghao.

Minghao smiled, tapping his fan into his hand. “We are good friends.”

“When have we ever been?”

“In life and in death.”

“I never knew you in life,” you replied coldly.

“But you know me now in death,” Minghao spread out his arms, his sleeves lightly bumping against your leg. He smiled and retracted them when you glared at him. Your patience always hung by a loose thread, especially after a night of restless sleep, and Minghao knew this, but sometimes he couldn’t help teasing you. Through your years in heaven, you had developed the appearance of a young fragile maiden but your words were still that of a battle hardened general. It was amusing seeing and hearing the contrast. Disappointed that Minghao couldn’t hear you curse today without receiving a blow, he stepped back. “I will send one of my underlings to hand over the details later this evening. I still need to properly recount the details.”

“Why me?” you asked, stopping Minghao in his tracks.

Minghao’s fan spread out with a snap and he smiled, “Because the Emperor feels that you shouldn’t be cooped up in your palace for too long. Even a chicken would have lost all its feathers by now.”

“That—”

“See you, General,” Minghao waved his fan, not turning around to discuss whether his metaphor made sense or not.

You scoffed and shook your head. Still. Why you?

Your question was never answered and the timid underling of Minghao’s came late in the evening, like he said he would. You took the scroll from his hand and glanced at the hunched young boy who shivered despite there not being any cold air.

“Are you alright?”

“Y-yes! Yes, General,” the boy stood straighter, but still did not look you in the eyes.

You let out a hm before turning back to the scroll after skimming it you waved a hand. “You may leave.”

“Y-yes, General,” the bow bowed several more times than he needed to and almost tripped on his way out.

You frowned at the boy. Were literary people always so fragile and on the verge of getting sick? Look at his pale face, one would think that Minghao never fed the little deities under him.

You turned back to the scroll. The details made you realize why the Emperor had chosen you for the job. You weren’t so powerful that you would cause the mortal realm to shake with your descendance but you were strong enough to take care of this type of job—an extermination of some vicious rogue demon. The scroll documented minor gods and stronger deities who had failed this job and that was why the Emperor now turned to you for help. You weren’t sure whether you felt elated or offended that the Emperor chose you. Minor gods and strong deities failed and now it was you? Does that you mean you were the bottom of the greats? Was he secretly giving you a chance to work harder with this new mission? You couldn’t help but feel your pride suffer a small chip.

Even when you were human, the people around you had always said you were sensitive about people discrediting your hard work. It was hard not to be. You had to strive and make great leaps and bounds to get to where you had been and you had to go further than that to keep your spot. If someone doubted you and slandered you, your progress would be set back. It had been a habit that developed. If someone pointed this out to you, you would have told them that you were a very sweet and humble child but it was just society that made you this much of a jaded grouch. And it wouldn’t have been a lie.

You sighed, tossing the scroll off to the side before leaning back in your chair and sighing. You looked up at the enchanted ceiling that twinkled like the night sky, mirroring the time of day outside. You felt a calm wash over you, but your fingers still tapped the arm of your chair restlessly. A mission. This would be the first time you stepped out of Heaven and into the mortal realm. The real mortal realm. Not just a place that was full of cultivation and strong spiritual energy.

You shook your head. You didn’t want to think about that right now. All you wanted to think about now was sleep. You prayed that you would actually get a good night’s sleep this time. Not one of those restless, nightmare ridden sleeps that you had been having the past few weeks. You wanted those dreams to fade off again like they finally had two hundred years ago.

As you got ready for bed, you wondered if this was some sort of ill omen. Why was it that suddenly, after two hundred years, your nightmares came floating back to you clearer than before? Was this trip going to be your demise? Were you going to get killed and have your soul crushed and grinded into fine dust?

No, that couldn’t be true.

Somehow, you stop thinking about the little white fox either. It wasn’t that you had forgotten about your animal companion completely, but it wasn’t until recently that he had resurfaced in your memories.

In every dream, he was there. Instead of focusing on battles, like you had in the later years of your nightmares, you found yourself making sure that he was okay. Of course, that was what it had been when you were alive but in dreams, the battles were usually the focus.

You slipped under the covers and stared up, your hands folded on your chest like a corpse ready to be buried. No, no, no. You shouldn’t think like that. Still, you turned on to your side your arm tucked under your head. The creepy feeling crawling up your back disappeared and you hoped, one last time, that you wouldn’t get any nightmares, before you cautiously fell asleep.

  ---------

Sleep had been sparse but at least you weren’t faced with the disgusting face of the enemy general, nor did you feel the soft fur of the little white fox against your hand. When you woke up, there had been a sense of longing for the soft fur under your hand but you pushed the ideas aside as you got ready for your journey.

“Would you like me to come along?” Minghao asked, following your brisk pace with elegance and ease. It almost annoyed you how he could keep up appearances while he was practically going at a jog.

“No, I would not. Lord Xu, I would very much like it if you stayed in your palace and busied yourself with poetry or art.”

“Ah, I see. You would like me to paint your gallant journey and write poems about your heroic feats,” Minghao said with a serious nod. s

You faltered in your steps and glared at him but Minghao only smiled politely, rendering you speechless. “You…you must have a lot of time on your hands, don’t you, Lord Xu.”

“I have enough time on my hands to be an idler,” Minghao agreed as his fan spread apart with a snap and as he flashed another charming smile.

“How did you manage to ascend,” you grumbled under your breath before stepping over to Heaven’s Gate.

“I will be here, General,” Minghao called over, your face reddening as the guards at the gates bit back a snicker. “If you need my assistance, just call for me. I’ll be watching your progress and painting glorious pictures of you.”

“Please, do not,” you said, loud enough for him to hear but soft enough to be considered speaking to yourself. You accepted the badge that the guard gave you—the badge that would allow you to come back up to Heaven when the time came—and took one step out the gates.

Behind you, the gates shimmered and slowly became clouded. You looked down and gulped. Despite being a god for more than seven hundred years, heights still frightened you. You were used to horses and used to even boats perhaps. But heights? No. Flying humans were anything but natural. However, you were no longer a human. And so, you closed your eyes and took one more step, allowing yourself to gracefully fall down to the mortal world.

But, maybe, “graceful” wasn’t the correct word.

Falling from Heaven wasn’t as terrifying as it sounded but one couldn’t be graceful if they had never done it before. You had never done it before. Normally, when a god or a deity descended to earth they would hop on a cloud and they would slowly, peacefully descend.

You missed your step, thus fell through the cloud and after what felt like hours, finally made it to the ground. Did your fall create an impact? Yes. Was it loud? No. However, there were two footprint shaped holes in the ground now that you had trouble covering up.

You coughed awkwardly, your ears burning at the thought of your disciples, underlings, or possibly even that stupid art and literature god watching you from above. You awkwardly brushed your sword over the footprints and dusted yourself off before you started walking. Thank goodness you had landed in a forest and not in the middle of a city.

You pulled out the map from your sleeve and unraveled it, looking around in confusion. You allowed your hand to pass over it and you stared intently until the map glowed a tiny spot, revealing your location. You were currently in the Ren Ning Forest and only need to walk out a little to get to the town of Ren Ning. You smiled cockily, happy for your success. You nodded a few times, mentally patting yourself on the back before you tucked the map away again.

You let out a sigh and your hand instinctively drifted to the hilt of your sword. Only then did you frown. You grappled for it, but it wasn’t there. You looked down and thought to yourself. You brought it down, hadn’t you? Of course, you had. You never left your room without your sword. Then why—no. No, you just needed to calm down. For now, it was safer to just go back to Heaven and…the badge. Where had the badge gone? Had Minghao somehow snatched it from you before you left? Impossible, you would have caught him…then…then where did your belongings go?

You slowly drifted over to a tree and leaned against it, your hand massaging the bridge of your nose. Where…? Just…had they fallen? You had fallen so there would be no reason that they wouldn’t have fallen either.

You pushed yourself off the tree and began to wander once you made a mark on the ground, making sure to know where to come back to. You walked a long way to the east then a long way to the west, the south, and the north. You came back to your footprint but still. Nothing. Your sword and your badge had just disappeared.

A feeling of panic began to wash over you. Now what? Without your sword you couldn’t fight the demons or monsters but without a badge you couldn’t even return to Heaven to retrieve another one of your weapons. There was no way to declare a mission success or a mission failure!

Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in your head. Aha! That freak, Xu Minghao. He said he’d be around to help you, right? He was an idler. There was no way this idler would have such bad timing as to choose now to have some business. You nodded, satisfied and happy with your smart solution. You can just tell Minghao to descend and hand you a new weapon. After fighting the demon, then you would find that badge. It wouldn’t be good to just leave the badge in the mortal realm anyway. Good, good, this was a good plan.

You sat on the ground in the lotus position and closed your eyes. You called out to him once. Then again. And then again. And several more times, but the god of art and literature didn’t answer. You frowned. Was he…upset with you? He might be. He was considered one of the top five most dashing gods and no one would dare to refuse something like poetry or art created by him but you had…no, no. Minghao might be frivolous and annoying, but he wasn’t petty. If he saw you, a friend, in this situation, there was no way for him to turn a blind eye.

You called out to him desperately again. Perhaps he was busy. Perhaps—oh. You just remembered something. The Heavenly Meeting. It was to take place for four mortal weeks starting today. Four mortal weeks was nothing for the celestial beings and sometimes nothing would even get done in that short period. But that also meant that Heaven (other than the guards that protected it) was out of commission. It would not be accepting wishes or complaints and the ones inside the Heavenly Hall were not to have any outside communication.

To put it simply? You were on your own.

You let out a sigh and leaned back against the tree. No sword, no badge—only your clothes and a pouch of money for emergencies. You didn’t need to eat and if you found one of your own temples, you wouldn’t have to pay for lodging…even then, you might just be able to camp out in the woods. You pursed your lips. This wasn’t the worst thing you encountered in your life time but you thought maybe after dying and ascending to godship, you wouldn’t have to deal with this anymore.

You sighed again and stood, brushing off the dirt. Some measly little spirit must be playing a trick on you. There has to be. Otherwise where would your sword and badge have gone! You looked all over and couldn’t find one damn—

Your thoughts were interrupted by the sound of giggling. Not just any giggling but the kind of giggle that echoed and rang all around you. That was never good.

You saw something run past you on the left and you frowned before chasing after it. You doubled your speed but still couldn’t catch the creature. You used a bit of your powers and yet you couldn’t reach it. It seemed the closer you got, the further away it travelled. Finally, you stopped. You let out a small huff in indignation. You looked around, knowing full well that giggly monster got away from you but your anger and irritation melted away to surprise when you realized where you were.

Ren Ning. This was the place that was experiencing the rank four demon. You pulled out the map again, just in case and scoffed. It really was this place.

You folded up the map and tucked it away. Had that little monster been leading you to town? Or had that thing been the one to steal your belongings? Either way, you realized you shouldn’t be dwelling on these details any longer. You sighed and walked into the city, the eyes of the townspeople naturally drifted to someone new.

Now, it wasn’t that you had the appearance of a god with twelve arms or had a snake head but it was obvious you were from out of town. Clothed in white, bathed in an almost ethereal light despite taking on the appearance of being a human. It wasn’t that you were a stranger and they were attracted to you but because you were beautiful. A beautiful maiden dressed in white. Nonetheless you continued forward before stopping at a street vendor and politely clearing your throat.

“Excuse me, where is the nearest in?”

“T-the nearest…” the woman running the stall stuttered a moment before pointing. “That way.”

“Thank you,” you frowned as you continued waling. Maybe taking on the appearance and energy of a mortal wasn’t enough. Perhaps you had to dull your appearance a little. This wasn’t a problem up in Heaven. In fact, you weren’t even ranked top fifty in terms of female goddesses. But why would that matter to you? You were a martial goddess, not the goddess of marriage or love.

Still, having learned your lesson you “dulled” your appearance before approaching the innkeeper. You asked for a room, paid the money, and was given the number. Only after you had checked your room for suspicious activities that you came back down to the restaurant and sat down.

Restaurants were nice in the mortal world because mortals liked gossiping. In a world where there was little entertainment, all there was to entertain was word of mouth. You sat silently, eating your lunch and sipping at the tea as you listened to the townspeople whisper and gasp over the details of the demon that had started haunting the outskirts of town.

This demon (according to villagers) was ugly. It was tall, had skin tight against its skeleton, and its mouth drooped open and drool dripped from it. The drool was naturally red, having been mixed with the blood of its prey. It also stank. It let out a putrid smell. And worst of all, it only ate virgins—male or female.

You choked a little at this detail. What was with demons liking eating virgins? Was this true or had this always just been a lore?

“Oh, gosh, I hope those Taoist cultivators would come and exterminate all of these terrible demons,” a frightened young woman moaned.

“Those Taoist cultivators won’t come unless we shouted loud enough for the Emperor of the Heavens to hear.”

Well, you thought, lucky them. He had heard. You took another sip of your tea before you sat down on a seat next to them and scooted forward. “Excuse me, I heard you guys talking about…about a demon?”

The men looked at her with raised eyebrows, but the previously frightened young woman nodded her head. “Oh yes, it’s quite terrible! This has been plaguing our town for two hundred years. The demon comes back once every ten years and the reign of terror starts all over again.”

“Oh, really?” you gasped.

“You don’t know of this legend? You must be a stranger,” one man noted, looking you up and down.

You gave him a polite, but mirthless, smile, “I am. I’m travelling through town to see my uncle. But if it’s so dangerous here, it would probably be safer that I take the longer path, right?”

The young woman nodded. “It truly would. It’s better to be delayed than lose your life, miss.”

You nodded, taking it into consideration. “Ah, but, hasn’t anyone tried to catch it? There are so many strong men in this town.”

One man spoke up, “Of course some fool has! But do you think they lived to tell the tale? Of course not.”

“I heard a rumor that they didn’t even see the thing and they were eaten.”

“Does that mean they were all virgins?”

A slight giggle passed through the group. But after a moment you spoke up again. “Why virgins?”

“Because they taste good?” a man shrugged giving you a weird look.

“Right,” you mumbled. You frowned. What other information grabbing questions could you ask? Well, even if you didn’t ask, the topic continued.

“I heard Luo and his gang are going to take a few guys to go and try to kill the demon tomorrow.”

“That crook? Good riddance to him then.”

You felt that these mortals were cruel but curiosity prickled at you. “Who’s Luo?”

“Luo is the town’s bully. He goes around and picks on people just because he has a bit more money than the rest of us,” the previous young woman told you quietly. You nodded in understanding. What an odd town this was.

Once you felt you had gathered enough information, you dragged yourself back up to your room and sat down. You laid on your bed. As the scroll had said, it was a demon that ate humans. But a demon that specifically ate virgin humans? How were you going to lull that sort of thing out? Unless you grabbed a handful of virgin villagers…would a virgin god work?

You laid on the bed in silence, pondering this for a very long time. Say, even if a virgin god worked—how would you kill it once you lured it out? You had no sword. You had no badge to send up an emergency flare if things did go awry. You could use your spiritual energy, definitely, but in the end would that be enough? Perhaps some talismans…you turned to your bag and shuffled through. You let out a small sigh. Thankfully, your servant had been smart enough to pack a few for you. Of course, you could draw them out but you weren’t the most skilled at using talismans, as embarrassing as it was to say. But alas, you were a warrior not some great Taoist cultivator.

Once you had checked your inventory, you decided to spend the rest of the day planning. It was early in the morning when you decided. You would tag along with Luo and his crew but first, you needed a sword.

You stopped by the blacksmith with your new appearance—a handsome young man. Men, somehow, were more respected so you only did what you had to do. The blacksmith was skeptical at first because of your flowery appearance but after seeing how you handled a cheap sword, he willingly handed over one of the better ones. And it was a good sword. You made a mental note to not lose this one. When you got home, you would add it to your collection.

Once equipped, you went off to find this Luo and his group. They weren’t difficult to find. A bunch of bumbling, burly men who were too loud and obnoxious for their own good. Luo was a talker, you could tell as you joined them. He was giving the crew a pep talk. It reminded you of the soccer games back in Heaven when each individual team would have a huddle up before the actual game. It was ridiculous to the point that it made you smile.

“Hey,” one man glanced to his side and pulled you over by the collar of your shirt. “Who is this shrimp?”

You cupped your hands in front of you and bowed (as best you could with your current predicament). “My name is Wei Jialong, sirs. I have heard about the demon and I have come to offer my assistance.”

“You? You’re just a puny pretty boy!” the man grabbing you by the collar of your shirt laughed. The others followed.

You smiled politely, “But I am skilled.”

“Oh yeah? Prove it!” the man released you and took up a stance. He was on the ground in a second.

There was a stunned moment of silence as you put your sword, still sheathed, back in its holster. Luo stepped forward, “Fine, kid, you can come with us.”

You smiled, pretending to be grateful when in reality they should be the grateful ones. Who were they to act so high and mighty around you? But alas, puny humans didn’t know better.

The woods…felt normal. Compared to what you were expecting, there were only slight traces of demonic energy here and there. And on top of that, they were very weak. It was comparable to that of an ant trying to cultivate into a demon. It was threatening, but with one step that ant would do. That was how weak the demonic energy was.

You began to wonder if you had come to the right place. The energy level was the same as everywhere else. Contrary to popular believe, not every place could be completely clean—unless it was sacred places like Heaven or Kunlun Mountain. But down in the mortal realm? If there wasn’t demonic energy, then it would be fishy.

However, the further the group walked, the eerier the forest got. It was like those stories that you spent most of your time reading nowadays. The group huddled closer, their eyes darted in every direction. It was entertaining but you couldn’t be too relaxed, after all you didn’t have your personal sword with you.

Suddenly, there was a crunch. The group stopped. Everyone looked around and after a moment you frowned, “Is anyone here actually a virgin?”

“What?” Luo asked, glaring at you.

“I mean, the monster likes virgins, right? If there’s not virgins here why would it come out?”

“Are you not a virgin kiddo?”

You scoffed and put on your best cocky look, almost asking “with this face?”

Luo cleared his throat. “There is one among us. I won’t tell you though.”

Of course, of course. The most important thing to a man was his pride. How could he out his comrades?

With the assurance that there was in fact a virgin on board, you silently continued to follow the men, your instincts on high alert as your own eyes began to flutter around. There was something ominous about this place. This one area…

One of the man inhaled sharply and his friends looked at him. “You guys…you guys don’t hear that?”

You didn’t hear it. His friends didn’t hear it. Ah, you thought, this was the virgin. “What is it?”

“There’s…there’s a kid singing…” the man looked exponentially more frightened upon hearing that his comrades couldn’t hear this child.

“What’s it singing?”

“Just a nursery rhyme…any old nursery rhyme on the streets,” the man said.

You frowned, his eyes had glazed over and he stepped forward. His friends stepped back, afraid about this sudden development, but you followed him, your hand on the hilt of your sword.

Suddenly, there were echoing screeches from all around and the men drew out their weapons. You remained calm and slowly breathed in; the demonic energy was strong. Where had it come from that you hadn’t noticed?

“Everyone be careful,” you warned, unsheathing your own sword as a four-legged creature approached.

“W-what is that thing?!” one of the man asked, stepping back as the moonlight revealed its gnarled form.

The four legs were twisted and black and where paws might have been were human hands with skin taught to the bones. It had a face, yet it didn’t have a face. There were vague outlines of where its features might have been but instead there were two milky white eyes, set one above the other. Just the sight of one was enough to cause grown men to pee their pants, much less the crowd that slowly began emerging along with this first one. From the trees or on the ground, more pairs of milky eyes blinked open. You guys were surrounded.

“Th-this—”

“I have three words of advice for you all,” you said, your sword suddenly levitating, “Stay behind me.”

The men watched in absolute awe as your sword (though shaky) soared through the air and cut down ten of the gnarled monsters at once. It swerved back around and did the same. The monsters hesitated a moment, reluctant to come closer but eventually they bolted forward at an inhuman pace.

You quickly pulled out one of the talismans you had tucked against your chest and held it up. You muttered a quick spell before tossing up the paper. It formed a glowing ring above your heads which quickly dispersed and the men cowered as the first monster jumped on top. To their surprise, it burst into black ash and disappeared.

Although you had many fancy tricks up your sleeve, they continued to come in waves and waves. As this newly bought sword hadn’t yet completely absorbed your energy, it was shaky and you had to expert yourself more in order for it to levitate like this. After a moment, it flew back into your hand and one of the men gulped. “W-what’s wrong?”

“You guys stay in this circle.”

Honestly, these were low-level monsters that you normally would just walk away from. They never bothered gods but they always ate humans. You were human and one that seemed to have a high spiritual power, thus they were attracted to you. It was only until you released the seal you had put on yourself a little that the monsters realized their mistake. But the realization was too late.

With three more talismans, you conjured up the fire spell and threw them. Yes, it was a forest and yes it was prone to catching on fire. But what other choice did you have?

Fortunately, none of the trees caught fire and only the monsters did. Once there was a thin sprinkle of monster ash all around the area, you released the protection spell and the men stumbled forward.

“It’s best if you go back,” you advised calmly.

“Go...go back? Alone? What if the monsters—”

“There won’t be any. If you leave, they won’t attack you. They’re concentrated on this area and since they’ve received a warning already, nothing will happen to you if you turn back now.”

There was a moment of deliberation. Or pretended deliberation. As soon as the word “now” left your lips, several men had already started leaving and the rest only hurriedly followed. You let out a sigh. Of course, heroes were plentiful like trees in the forest up in Heaven, but on Earth? Thinking about accidentally running into a hero now made you laugh. A ridiculous idea.

You let out a sigh and continued onward, your sword held to your side. It was just then that there was a commotion to your left. At first, you thought that the humans had returned but to your horror it was more of those low-level monsters. A wall of them to be exact, crawling all over each other to get to you. What was happening? Weren’t they supposed to be afraid of gods?

You braced yourself but all movement stopped at the strum of four strings…four strings? Why would there be strumming in the middle of the forest?

You and your enemies halted—stupefied by the sudden, haunting sound. Each individual string was plucked and you suddenly recognized the sound. It was the sound of the guqin. Was it Minghao coming to your rescue? No, he specialized in flute playing. Aside from that, he wouldn’t be able to be here because of the meeting. Then…

As you searched your brain for who could possibly be lending a helping hand, you watched as the leaves swirled around your feet, piercing a few of the monsters. You heard a distant howling but it was not the howling of wolves. You looked back to the monsters. Their eyes squinted and their faces scrunched, they screeched in anger and displeasure.

The guqin’s sound grew louder until it echoed, like the monsters’ screeches had previously. You frowned and circled around, hand tight around the hilt of your sword as you searched for the source of the music. Detering monsters from interacting with you was one thing but frightening them into retracting was completely another.

The high-pitched howling sounds only grew in number and you turned back to watch the monsters slowly shrink away. In their milky eyes, you saw confusion but also fear. A copious amount of fear. That sent shivers down your spine. These monsters were supposed to be brainless—they only struck and ate and grew but now they were afraid? Who was the person playing the guqin?

The monsters retreated further until you could barely hear their whimpering screeches. You turned around a few more times, finally finding the source of the sound. But as soon as you laid eyes on this figure, it disappeared. A swirl of leaves replaced where they had been standing and the forest was quiet again.

~~~

(A/N: check out the description or the thb ff tag on my blog for new chapters!)

[realityhelixcreates]

Lasabrjotr Chaper 16: First Steps

Chapters: 16/? Fandom: Thor (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: Teen And Up Warnings: Mentions of war, mentions of past death Relationships: Loki x Reader (But not yet) Characters: Loki (Marvel), Reader Additional Tags: Post-Endgame: Best Possible Ending (Canon-Divergent), Art Thou Ready For More Worldbuilding, Here Have Some Headcanons, Loki Is Still Keeping Some Secrets, What Else Is New, Loki Might Be Inflating His Accomplishments, Just A Bit, And Loki’s Like: Hey I Like You, Have A Knife As A Sign Of My Affection, Reader Likes To MUNCH, Reader Needs To Pay Attention. Summary:  Loki may prefer words over action, but some things can only be conveyed by deeds.

Loki entered your room to find you pacing back and forth, frazzled and anxious. He noticed the knife bundle sitting on the desk, and the tear tracks on your cheeks as you turned to confront him.

“Your Highness, I might have been out of line before, but you just keep-“

“Sh-sh.” He interrupted, pressing a long finger to your lips. You pulled away with an irritated growl. “I have come to make up for Surtr.” He explained, and handed you a plate of bread, slathered with your favorite jams. So, he had finally recognized your fixation on food, and thought he could bribe you with it.

Well…he might be right. You accepted the plate, but said nothing.

“There are some things I would like to discuss with you. Sit. Rest. You’ll wear a rut in the floor.”

He sat you down on the bed, and took a place next to you, rubbing your back lightly. Why did he think that was okay? Why did you never have the courage to tell him otherwise?

“This is a Frost Giant.” He said, and the image of a tall, long limbed person with powder blue skin and bright red eyes sprung into being, next to an image of himself, for comparison. The giant would easily be around ten feet tall in life, somewhere between his previous images of Gerd and Ran. It had raised markings on its skin, a little like cracks in ice, and its features were sharp and chiseled.

“They live on a planet that is entirely frozen over. It has deep oceans, and no actual land, just ice all over the surface. I believe there is a moon in your planetary system that is extremely similar to Jotunheim, and it is speculated that the planet may have once been a moon itself, torn from its former orbit, and flung out into a new one. Jotunheim is as small as a moon, and rotates retrograde. That is, backwards, compared to all the other planets in its system. It’s also situated in a part of the system where no other terrestrial planets formed, held in place by the orbital resonances of two gas giants.”

A wave of his hand brought forth a beautiful blue-white orb, crossed with blue cracks. There was a terrible blackened scar partway around the equator, like an enormous canyon.

“What happened there?”

He paused, appearing to be thinking his words over carefully.

“There are some tremendous destructive forces in the universe. Jotunheim was unfortunate enough to find itself in the path of such a thing.”

Your astronomy book had mentioned things like solar flares and gamma ray bursts. And even Earth hadn’t been spared from things like giant meteor strikes.

“As you may already know, Jotnar like to colonize worlds just as much as Asgard did, and we encountered many kinds in many places. Some were hostile, some were not, often within the same group. However, the Frost Giants were entirely hostile to us, and we’ve never known anything but war with them. My father…” He shifted next to you. “My father thought to broker peace with them, but his plans…backfired.”

The illusory Frost Giant returned, as Loki continued on about the ecology of Jotunheim, but you found yourself wondering if this individual, with his sharp, craggy features, actually represented a real person.

“Does he have a name?” You wondered aloud.

“What?” Loki asked. You hadn’t actually meant to interrupt him, but so many of his little illusions represented real people: Freyr, Ran, Surtr.

“Is this a real person? Does he have a name?”

Loki paused. “He…was a real person. His name was Laufey. He was the king of Jotunheim.”

“The whole planet? How does one guy rule a whole planet?”

“Ruthlessly.”

“Sounds like he’s maybe not around anymore.” He’d said ‘was’ quite a few times.

“He is not. He attempted to murder the Allfather in his sleep, and I…I slew him.”

“Oh.” It was hard to think of. You knew, of course, that Loki had killed people. He’d done so on Earth, so naturally, he’d surely done so on other planets. Asgard had influenced the old Norse cultures for eons, and those cultures had become famous for their great warriors. As a warrior himself, it only made sense that Loki would have seen battle.

But with the tender way he handled you, it was just hard to think of. Like the Loki who came to Earth those years ago was a different person. Like the Loki in your mythology book was a different person. How many different people could exist inside the same man?

“Just as I slew Surtr. I dislike threats to Asgard.”

“What? That fire giant? He must’ve been as big as a mountain, how did you even begin to go about killing that?”

“Surtr was extremely full of himself and the importance of fulfilling his ‘destiny’. He didn’t seem to realize that his supposed destiny would end his life. Or perhaps he didn’t care. I simply set into motion the series of events that would lead to his death. You see, not every confrontation can be solved by a hammer to the face. Sometimes, finesse is the only real weapon you have. Sometimes the right word at the right time is far more effective than a frontal assault. And sometimes it is best to let your enemy destroy himself.”

Loki left your side briefly, to retrieve the little bundle from the desk. A gift? He’d said before that he wanted to present it properly, but you hadn’t thought much about it since, moments later, he had summoned a fire monster to wreck up the room.

So this was how Loki apologized. Not with words, but with capitulation. Every time he had done something that he later realized had wronged you, he then gave you something he thought you wanted or needed.

After kidnapping you, he gave you a room within his own quarters. How many Asgardians might jump for such an honor? After inflicting you with a magical bond that made you weak and sick, he gave you his own living energy. You had no idea if it was draining him, or if it was uncomfortable; he never once complained about it. After interrupting your lesson on Svartalfheim in the library, and arguing with you he gave you a private lesson on the subject, and after unleashing an illusory monster upon your room, he was giving you the information on the Frost Giants that you had originally wanted.

Now he had a gift for you, which he unwrapped and lay down in your lap. On the cloth was a knife in a black sheath. A weapon. He was actually giving you a weapon?

The book was wrong. It had to be.

But what if it wasn’t?

You drew the knife from its sheath. The leather that made it up was worn, and seemed a little mismatched, but the blade itself was shiny and clean, as if it were new. It felt a little big for you, a little heavy in your hand.

“This is the blade that failed to slay you. It is a cultural treasure, so I expect you to care for it well. It’s yours now, and I will teach you how to use it.”

This was the same knife? If it was a treasure, should you even have it?

“I shouldn’t keep something if it’s precious. And do you even have time to teach me anything else?”

You hadn’t had a lesson in magic for a while now. How could he tutor you in two subjects when he didn’t even have time for one?

“I will make time. Things keep coming up, but I will make time. Are you feeling well enough to accompany me to another meeting?”

“I don’t know.” He made it sound like a date or some kind of formal occasion. “It’s so boring that it hurts.”

“Oh yes, sometimes. That is one of the many burdens of my job. What if I promised a nice dinner afterwards? Something a little fancy?”

“What kind of fancy?” Everything you had eaten so far had been delicious, and, while simple, it was still miles above the ramen, processed cheese sandwiches, and condensed soup that made up your usual diet. What was fancier than that?

You hoped it wasn’t anything too weird. There were some foods associated with the rich that simply sounded unappetizing, like caviar or foie gras.

“Lamb is common here, and the first harvest of laukas should be served up tonight as well. Want to be the first Midgardian ever to taste an Asgardian vegetable? I’m sure you will like them.”

Yes, he had you figured out all right. Food had always been a weakness of yours; even moreso after the Event.

“Okay…” He was giving you choices, which would have been a good sign, except that he only seemed to give you choices that he knew you would agree too. He was obviously trying to make it easier for you to say ‘yes’ to him, than ‘no’.

Loki is a master manipulator, seeing everyone and everything as a game to be played. So clever is he, that he can maneuver anyone into the position he wants them to be in, and many might just thank him for the opportunity to be used. Or so the book said.

“Then come along. Here.” He helped you fasten the knife to your braided belt, then offered his arm to lead you out into the hallway. “Your interest in the other races of the universe is commendable, _____. You seem to have such an easy time accepting it all. But I want a promise from you. In the unlikely event that you ever cross paths with a Jotun of any kind, I want you to stay away from them and hide. At least until someone can confirm that they are safe. It’s true that many Jotnar are non-hostile or even friendly to Asgardians, but you are not Asgardian. And if you know what differences to look for, your humanity is obvious, no matter how much like us you may appear. Will you promise me this? You don’t have to hate anybody, just show proper caution. A Jotun might crush you without even knowing you were there.”

“I…I guess that sounds reasonable.” You conceded. “I mean, when am I ever going to meet one? They probably don’t even know Earth exists.”

“Would that that were true.” He said, leading you into a slightly different meeting room than the one you’d been in before. This one seemed prepared for large groups or presentations, with a horseshoe-shaped table setup, and an old projector, like the ones used when you were in school. You glanced up at him, waiting for an explanation. He sighed.

“You’re probably not going to like this. You’ve made your opinions on colonization rather clear, and I’m inclined to agree with you to a certain extent, however…”

“Oh. Oh, were we…?”

“No. But we did try. And we weren’t the only ones. All the nine realms know of Midgard, and most of them have tried to colonize this world at some point. It is a most tempting realm. And yet, all have failed. Humans are so numerous, and reproduce so quickly. You go to war eagerly, for any reason. And you adapt to nearly any situation, even though you are weak and fragile compared to all of the rest of the peoples of the Nine Realms. Eight. Eight Realms.”

“The way you describe us sometimes…Are we scary to the rest of you?”

He scoffed. “I have no fear of you, if that’s what you’re asking. But it rather depends on how you look at things, doesn’t it? Longer lived races have fewer numbers, by necessity. But humans come in hordes, always. The sheer number of you is nearly unfathomable. You progress quickly. A mere eight thousand years from copper tools to space travel? Unheard of. That’s barely three Asgardian generations. It would be like you learning how to flake obsidian into blades with no idea what a planet even is…and then your grandchildren are sending robots to Mars.

“I sometimes think Odin claimed this place as one of the Realms, just to keep you contained. You might take this amiss, but if I try to think from his point of view, the notion of humans colonizing other worlds would be terrifying. You move so quickly. You adapt to so many living conditions. You would spread so fast. You know, the Frost Giants were the last to try to colonize this place?”

He pulled a chair out for you, right at the head of the table, next to him. Were you going to be involved in something here? You didn’t belong in that chair.

You sat down.

“They used a very powerful device to alter the landscape around them into ice. Didn’t slow the humans down at all. Multiple human civilizations continue to live in frozen lands. Your entire species developed and spread during a glacial period. Humans caused the Frost Giants so much difficulty that it allowed the Asgardian armies to not only drive them back, but to invade Jotunheim itself. They stole some important things from the Frost Giants, including the device, and that allowed us to force a peace with them, as well as declare Midgard as off limits. And so the races of the Eight Realms just sort of ignored the place. Until now, of course.”

He took his seat next to you, riffling through a small stack of papers on the table in front of him.

“Were you there?”

He paused. “…Yes…Barely. I was no more than an infant at the time. I have no recollection.”

“Oh. Um, should I do anything while I’m sitting here? I shouldn’t talk to anyone, should I?”

“You just watch and perhaps learn something. Our first guest won’t cause you any real trouble.”

The first guest turned out to be Beli, the old skaldic teacher you had seen a few days ago. He hailed you both with an elegant bow, and launched into speech. To your surprise, Loki began to translate for you.

“There’s an Asgardian holiday coming up soon; Buridag, held in honor of my great-grandfather, who built Asgard. Normally, the royal family throws a celebration for it, but we are going to have to do things a little differently this decade. Beli here is suggesting that Thor and I align ourselves to that cause, since we too, are building Asgard. I think it’s a good idea. The people need pride, and a reason to celebrate the future, as well as the past. What do you think?”

He was asking you? You had no idea. You had just now heard of this holiday; you couldn’t really understand its cultural significance.

“That sounds like a good idea, to start with.” You said. “I’m assuming you can’t throw the customary celebration because of the costs?”

“Unfortunately.” Loki said. “Our finances are limited for now. We aren’t suffering on a day-to-day basis or anything, but supporting a nation-wide holiday is a bit beyond us currently.”

“Right. So maybe everybody has to pitch in, right? You could…you could make a special kind of participation event. It’s building Asgard right? So pick a building that needs to get finished. Everybody works on it. Everyone puts up one board, or lays one tile, or one shingle, or something. The whole community builds one building, and that’s the main holiday event.”

Loki stared at you like he’d never seen you before, subdued delight spreading across his features.

“You…treasure! I am never letting you go!” You flinched back from the words, but he was already relaying your idea to Beli, who took it up with enthusiasm.

“Yes, of course, with the supervision of the engineers.” Loki was saying. “Even someone with no building experience should be able to put a nail in a board with their oversight. My brother and I can do the foundations, yes that seems appropriate…”

You were never going home. You would never, ever get to leave this place again. Had he even planned to let you leave in the first place, or had he decided, somewhere along the way, that he wouldn’t allow you to go?

The flow of excited planning faded away as you drew further into yourself.   Could you really be sure he hadn’t put this mark on you on purpose? How could you possibly know that he hadn’t lied about everything? You didn’t feel as though you had a handle on anything in your life right now; it was all just him leading you along. He had never meant for you to go back to your home, your own life. He’d taken it all.

“-Would that be alright?” He was asking. You jerked your head to look at him, seeing his expectant expression. You hadn’t heard a word he had said.

“Uh, yeah. That would be fine.” Well, you had to say something!

“Excellent!” The delight remained on his face, suffused with pride. In you? In himself, most likely. “We will arrange something proper for you, something spectacular, don’t you worry.”

Crap, what had you just agreed to?

Beli tried once again to schedule his class appointment, but was interrupted by a stern Einherjar. He said something in a quiet, terse manner, staring directly at you.

Loki sat up very straight. “Unfortunately, esteemed teacher, this will have to wait a little longer. Our guest’s attacker may have just been found.”

[khstoryanalysis]

Chapter 12: The Importance of Female Characters

NOTE: The following discussions you are about to read are only assumptions and theories. Only take them with a grain of salt for the time being.

A common theme of mythology is that the gods or goddesses choose their families from beyond the mortal realm. The common mythic image of a goddess is a mother and a spouse, which plays the major role in guiding the chosen hero. In the Kingdom Hearts series, the “goddess” is a female friend or at times a mother figure.

Kingdom Hearts is believed to be once on the sky, and how it connects with everyone through the saying “one sky, one destiny”. Since Keyblades are used to find their wielders based on the strength of their hearts, it is believed that the chosen one shall be related to the air or sky. The names of Sora, Roxas, Ventus and Vanitas have such connections. Sora means “sky”, Roxas means “red dawn of day” or “twilight”, Ventus means “wind”, and Vanitas means “vanity” or “void”.

Water or sea is pretty relevant as well in the series. Since oceans and bodies of water represent the power of creation, it is connected to femininity as women have the ability to bear and nurture children. The main female characters Kairi, Namine, Xion and Aqua all have their names related to that. Kairi means “ocean”, Aqua means “water”, Namine means “ocean wave” and Xion means “tide”.

Just like the sky, the ocean also connects all the worlds. In Kingdom Hearts 2, Kairi sends her letter to Sora in a glass bottle by letting it float across the ocean. The bottle ended up in the Realm of Darkness, where Sora and Riku are after their final battle with Xemnas. King Mickey later sends a letter to Sora using the same method as Kairi’s, and the bottle ends up in Destiny Islands where Sora receives it. These prove that the ocean connects the worlds as well.

This makes sense since the sea or ocean (or generally water) reflects the sky, making the sky and the ocean to have similar abilities when it comes to connections. Furthermore, the horizon is where the sky and the sea meet, symbolizing their inseparable connection. Since Kingdom Hearts has the power of creation, it makes sense as to why oceans and bodies of water represent power of creation as they reflect the sky.

Water plays an extremely important role for a long time. It is used as a tool for guidance as it reflects the sun, helping us to pinpoint our whereabouts without having to look directly at the sun. The presence of water indicates that the land is fertile and life can be sustained. Rain is a cycle that requires the sea and the sky. The rain nourishes and cools the land, forming bodies of water like ponds, swamps, lakes and rivers. This means that major female characters in Kingdom Hearts not just guide the chosen heroes, but other heroes as well.

The land or earth serves as dwellings and battlefields of mortals. Riku and Terra, whose names mean “land” and “earth”, are related to that. Axel or Lea may be an addition since he can control fire, which is something that can bring warmth and destruction.

In mythology, islands are typically the dwellings of mortals. On land, humans have been facing the constant battle of light and darkness. Riku, Terra and Axel/Lea all experience this battle as well. Like the chosen heroes, they need guidance as well.

The chosen heroes, Sora Roxas and Ventus all have female characters to guide and motivate them to do good. Ventus has three characters: Ava who invites him to join the Dandelions and makes him a Union Leader; Skuld who is one of his first friends; and Aqua.

Sora has three as well: Kairi who motivates him throughout his journey and is his strongest memory; Namine who guides Sora to defeat the Organization members in Castle Oblivion and teaches Sora how to overcome pain; and Aqua who reminds Sora to save Riku if he falls into the darkness.

Roxas has two characters: Xion who helps him to discover the truth and defects from Organization XIII; and Namine who helps him to know who he really is and guides him back to Sora.

Vanitas is the only one who does not have anyone to guide him properly. This is why he turns evil and is “the fallen hero”. Moreover, the Badlands, the place he lives before the events of Birth by Sleep, represents his lack of proper nurturing, like the barren wasteland.

As for Terra, Riku and Axel or Lea, they are also guided by the female characters. Riku has three: Kairi; Namine who helps him to control the darkness; and Xion who telepathically tells Riku to stop Roxas from reaching Xemnas. On the other hand, Terra has two characters: Aqua; and Namine who helps him to reach out to Aqua in the Realm of Darkness. Axel has two characters: Xion who nurtures his heart through friendship and Namine who moves his heart. Now as Lea, he is helped by Kairi to remember about Xion.

In many mythological stories, female principle teachings are being mentioned to allow the story narratives to move on. These principle teachings are applied in the Kingdom Hearts series as well. The female principle teachings are unconditional love, boundless compassion, willingness to fight for others who cannot fight for themselves, and the ability to differentiate right from wrong. The main female characters Kairi, Namine, Xion and Aqua all have demonstrated these principle teachings. They are the driving force of the heroes. They motivate them to do good and they act like mirrors to reflect on their actions and decisions. That is why they are important.

[greener-books]

Why Is It Important To Study The Best Art History Books?

What are the benefits of reading the Best Art History Books? One of the most significant intellectual endeavours in a child's education is history. We discuss the value of learning art history books and provide study tips for students in this article.

We all live in the now and make plans for the future, but how do we know where we're heading and how far we've come? To grasp where you're going, you must first comprehend where you've come from. You'll need a sense of history for that.

Your child will learn history, one of the most regarded and valuable academic courses available. This post delves into the necessity of learning history in school and a few pointers on studying it properly.

The Benefits Of Studying Art History Books

Gaining a better understanding of history benefits the entire culture and the people inside them. Here are six advantages to having your child study history in school.

Gain A Better Understanding Of The World

We can learn about the construction, operation, and evolution of past communities, institutions, ideologies, governments, cultures, and technology by studying history. The world's rich past aids us in painting a detailed picture of where we are now.

Developing your historical knowledge entails gaining a better understanding of all of these distinct facets of existence. Children can learn about the pillars that different civilisations, including cultures and individuals separate from their own, were built upon.

This knowledge allows students to become more well-rounded individuals who are better prepared to learn in their academic disciplines.

Develop A More Well-Rounded Personality

There are many stories in used or new history books. Some are uplifting and motivating, while others are disorderly and immoral. If you look into the fascinating world of history, you'll find many vital lessons for your child to learn. They'll look at periods of hardship and times of joy, and the lessons they gain can be applied to their own lives.

History also encourages a more in-depth appreciation of diversity. There are lessons to be learned from our forefathers' interactions with individuals who live in other ways, both good and bad. 

In a modern world where everyone is welcome regardless of their origin, understanding how past societies integrated is critical to humanity's future progress.

Recognise Your Own Identity

Nations are formed out of a jumble of mythology and stories. These narratives influence how we view our country and our place within it. We may learn about how great institutions are established and how they have contributed to where we are today by studying history.

Looking back at outstanding fellow citizens is a method for many of us to construct our own identity. Childhood is spent figuring out who we are and what impact we can have on the world. Allowing children to learn about their country's identity is one approach to help them do so.

Get Motivated

Those historical accounts might also serve to motivate others to achieve greatness. Brilliant people and their courageous acts that transformed the shape of nations are remembered throughout history—learning about the inspirational experiences that have led us to where we now provide a great deal of motivation.

It only takes one unique story from history to ignite a child's imagination and inspire them to achieve greatness.

Make Mistakes And Learn From Them

"Those who cannot recall the past are doomed to repeat it." George Santayana's comment is one of the most widely quoted and paraphrased in academia, and it eloquently describes why everyone should study history. 

There have been numerous warning flags in the past. We must be able to reflect on the events that led up to them, learn from our mistakes, and reject and question similar patterns if we notice them arising.

If your child learns history, they will be able to see when society is heading down dangerous paths and will be able to help get it back on track.

Develop Skills That Can Be Transferred

History is a well-respected academic discipline that tests our reasoning abilities. Before reaching a balanced conclusion, students must analyse evidence that may not have a single clear meaning. Every complex intellectual effort necessitates critical thinking.

The capacity to question and assess information is a skill that can be applied to various industries. Greener Books is here to help all of our students develop these transferrable skills. One of the best subjects to stimulate and enhance this talent is history!

Article Source: https://greenerbooks.co.uk/blog/post/why-is-it-important-to-study-the-best-art-history-books 

[aion-rsa]

Could a Walking Dead Negan Sequel Happen?

https://ift.tt/3hdhAPD

If there’s a clear theme permeating the early, Alexandria-focused episodes of The Walking Dead’s extended eleventh and final season, it’s that Negan seems to be a dead man walking. While proving useful since he was freed from years of incarceration, his survival seemingly hinges on sticking with a group whose leadership still carries traumatic memories of his many sins, notably the night he—with a cruel comedic flair—brutally bludgeoned their loved ones to death with a barbed-wire baseball bat. However, Jeffrey Dean Morgan seems intent on continuing to play the character beyond the show’s endpoint, despite his diminishing chances.

Morgan has been playing the sardonic Svengali survivor for over five years, having debuted in a most impactful way—figuratively and literally—in The Walking Dead’s Season 6 finale for a cliffhanger moment that became a cynically controversial waypoint for a significant population of the show’s viewers. Yet, despite being the character embodiment of a divisive moment, Negan’s arc has made quite the evolutionary curve over the years, going from the powerfully villainous leader of the Saviors to downtrodden-but-dangerous prisoner to his current status as an alienated group member who, despite his best efforts to gain acceptance—notably killing enemy leader Alpha—remains a pariah. In fact, his abrupt execution remains firmly on the table by leader figures like Maggie and Daryl, especially in the wake of a recent moment of recidivism, in which Negan left Maggie to a herd of walkers (she survived). Yet, Morgan expressed to TV Line that he still sees a substantive future with Negan.

“I do love Negan,” says Morgan. “There’s an amazing opportunity to dive a lot deeper into this man who I think has become very interesting the last few years. I’m certainly not opposed to keeping him alive for a bit longer and finding out more about him.”

Of course, said opportunities potentially lie with the lofty plans that AMC revealed last year for content beyond the endpoint of The Walking Dead mothership series, which ends its legendary, decade-plus run sometime in 2022 with Season 11, Episode 24. Most pertinent among them is the planned anthology series, Tales of the Walking Dead, which will not be chronologically bound by the events of the final season, thereby facilitating episodes centered on long-dead characters, one of whom by that point could be Negan himself. However, Morgan also teases the possibility that Negan could even get his own spinoff, a move that would mirror the still-untitled Daryl & Carol sequel series. That show will chronicle the post-series-finale exploits of the franchise OG characters, who are expected to ride a motorcycle across unexplored areas of the contiguous post-apocalyptic United States; a move that essentially endows them with plot armor for the duration of the final season.  

Read more

TV

The Walking Dead is Basically Little House on the Prairie Now

By Alec Bojalad

TV

Could The Walking Dead: World Beyond Jadis Casting Set Up the Rick Grimes Movies?

By Alec Bojalad

“There’ve been things discussed with me and network people,” teases Morgan ever so carefully on the potential of a Negan spinoff sequel. “We’ll see. I mean, Negan could still find his way six feet under [before Season 11 concludes], so that could be a problem unless it’s a prequel.” Indeed, with AMC’s airing (not counting AMC+ advance releases) of The Walking Dead’s final season currently only three episodes into its grand total of 24, the task of survival will especially become a marathon-like haul for Negan, given his current status.

Yet, notwithstanding the possibility that these interview comments are a red herring for Negan’s imminent death in Season 11, something seems to be motivating Morgan’s clear desire for a prospective future past the main series, lending the comments a sense of earnestness. Indeed, he makes a minor disclosure about the extent of his knowledge for The Walking Dead’s future events. “[T]here are still stories to be told with Negan,” he states. “I kind of know how the season has worked itself so far, and we’re cracking open windows here and there that would lend themselves to more [of] Negan story.”

Tellingly, the alleged discussions that Morgan had about Negan’s future don’t seem to center on the character’s past, which was showcased prominently—albeit in an incomplete manner—in this past April’s Season 10 finale, “Here’s Negan,” which was an adaptation of creator Robert Kirkman’s 2016 comic book miniseries of the same name. That’s because Morgan is more interested in Negan’s future—at least, in the event that he actually has one—rather than the open-book nature of his past. “I’ll be very honest with you, if I was to do more, I would like to move forward with the story and not backward,” he states with frankness. “We’ve shown these different sides of Negan over the past few years. Now, I’d like to see, after this ends, what happens to him next. I find that possibility to be a lot more interesting than going back in time.”

Preference aside, Morgan isn’t entirely dismissing the idea of revisiting Negan’s past for a post-series reprisal of some kind, seeing as “Here’s Negan” left an open field for most of his early apocalypse activities. With the contemporary-set plot of Negan’s temporary escape from his Alexandria imprisonment as its center, the episode delved into flashbacks about his life during the onset of the undead apocalypse. Here, we saw the heretofore non-existent priorities of the loud-mouthed philandering gym teacher abruptly change into to a desperate attempt to keep his beloved cancer-stricken wife, Lucille (Morgan’s real-life wife, Hilarie Burton), alive as the supply of life-saving chemotherapy drugs dried up. Thusly, when a group of bikers extorted Negan over the last supply, thereby leading to Lucille’s death, a Heisenberg-like metamorphosis ensued, first via the revenge he extracted, and also by his incidental rescue of Laura (Lindsley Register), which gave him the misbegotten entitlement of being a savior, to whom tributes are owed, thusly serving as the basis for his eventual group’s name and methodology. Interestingly, showrunner Angela Kang has expressed a desire to properly showcase the origin story of the Saviors at some point, be it as a run on Tales of the Walking Dead or some other method.  

AMC

While the story retroactively remade Negan into a tragic figure, it’s doubtful that Maggie, Rosita or Daryl—each of whom experienced his past big-bad-era firsthand in uniquely personal ways—will be able to conjure any sympathy for the man. In fact, the same could be said of segments of the fandom who—akin to Morgan—prefer to see the mythology move past plot points for which we already know the ending. “I loved what we showed [of his history] in ‘Here’s Negan,’ but now we’ve done a lot of that story,” he says. “We could do a short series on how the Saviors came to be, which would be kind of interesting, but I’m more looking forward.”

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

For now, fans will have to follow along with The Walking Dead Season 11‘s weekly Sunday night run on AMC, and its advance premieres on AMC+, building toward a mid-October hiatus. Subsequently, limited series spinoff The Walking Dead: World Beyond will start its second and final season on Oct. 3. Shortly after that, veteran spinoff series Fear the Walking Dead will shift focus to the Geiger-Counter-clicking literal fallout of its explosive season finale when Season 7 commences on Oct. 17.  

The post Could a Walking Dead Negan Sequel Happen? appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3n9Z6Dc

[pancoleon]

Baccano Rewatch Rambling Commentary

So. due to having a long and fun talk about Baccano at MCM Manchester, I felt like rewatching the anime and OH BOY I forgot how the first episode goes, so I decided I might as well do (spoilery) commentary on here as I rewatch. Don’t expect anything written nicely or concisely, I do the numberwang, not the wordidoo.

This is the first 3 episodes and because I ramble like hell and I do reference the books, it’s a “Read More”. I apologize in advance, but “Short Form” has never been a thing I can manage. This is me essentially writing down what I say to myself while watching it. I added the formatting later, but I want to keep the rambling as in tact as possible, partly out of laziness and partly out of interest in looking back later and seeing what was going through my head.

Episode 1

I forgot just how much time is spent with the discussion between (Christ me, you literally saw this half an hour ago, how have you already forgotten her name!?) *Carol* (Thanks Baccano wiki, and by extension most likely thanks Rev) and Gustav St Germain. Looking back after reading the books, I like the fact that they used the paper explosion scene and would have loved to see that reappear later had they continued the anime. That would’ve been a nice scene of the anime doing a foreshadow of a scene to come while not making it blatantly so, and that final context would’ve probably put an extra spin on things. (Oh boy, it’s really clear I can’t write short sentences…)

The scenes foreshadowing Book 6 (Was it? I lose track. Either way, the Mist Wall book.) really hurt me. I’d have loved to see Christopher, Adele, (Heck, ALL THE HOMUNCULI) and Maria, along with seeing Ronnie just be Ronnie and fuckin’ be extra as hell with the help of essentially Omnipotent powers.

The sequence initially showing Firo... Y'know, I remember this properly, but I have to say I prefer the book version? In the books, it’s before he becomes immortal and he avoids getting hit by the knife in the first place. I feel that while how this scene was rewritten means it’s good for revealing his immortality, the books help show that he is rather suspicious as a character, which works well considering his discomfort from the fact that even after becoming immortal he is careful due to the knowledge that there *is* a way to kill him. Then again, I’m not a literary master and the change probably works considering the more carefree Firo you see in the show.

I like the setup for the Flying Pussyfoot (even if I’m sad the stuff being called in doesn’t pay off due to them not using Vino in the 1932 arc that *should* be Drugs and Dominoes). What you know from the first episode is:

that the train’s been swapped out do to an “accident”

there’s an assassin on there,

there’s immortals on there,

there’s bombs on there,

a bunch of corpses and a murderous guy with no arm and a woman he’s talking of killing litter the tracks (On an off hand note, I thought that Ladd actually killed Lua there when I initially watched Baccano),

and that the people that are leaving the train are the thieves mentioned earlier (who if you pay attention are probably immortal),

the immortal child (Funny how early it’s revealed that Czes is immortal in comparison to the books),

and a group of people of which the middle one seems to be in great pain.

You also know of an unknown figure reading an unknown message about finding someone, but that’s rather late in the story.

Point is, you are swiftly shown a lot of information you probably won’t piece everything together from, but will help give you one specific idea: Something bad happened on the Flying Pussyfoot and that (probably) included the supernatural.

Episode 2

Okay, I’ll now be writing as things happen, so I might remember names this time! And before I start, let me say this at least once. “Hah! Flying Pussyfoot is a silly name!”

I like the fact they left in the couple where the woman just calls stuff in advance.

I have to say, I am love with Isaac and Miria’s logic. “If we mine, we’re stealing from the earth!”. Along with that, the story of them being shouted at for panning for gold in other people’s land is something I want to hear more about. I’m being reminded that I damn well wish I knew more about Japanese Mythology to be able to directly pinpoint where Isaac went wrong.

Oh, and the letter from Ennis. I like how this directly implies than Ennis is not actually human without going “SHE’S A HUMONCULUS, NOT HUMAN” and then quickly makes you forget about that by having I&M start talking about this clearly means she wants a brother, rather than there having been previous people before her who were destroyed before she was created.

(Oh shit, this is gonna get looooooooong, I haven’t got past the I&M scene yet). This is followed by perfectly showing what I&M are like, by having them figure out how do to a train robbery. i.e not how you actually do one. And then I&M go to the train station, move past the Lemures, and then as they talk about the “Orchestra”, the camera zooms in on Rachel. If only the Dub hadn’t specified Vino’s gender, people might’ve thought she was Vino, that’s how the books spun it anyway. And then we get to Claire, who starts talking before coming on screen and has a conversation with Tony just before Tony gets murdered. It would have been nice if the other conductor got a couple lines here, but this does set up Claire’s anger at Tony being dead later on nicely.

Meanwhile, best panicking wreck of a leader, Jacuzzi Splot, explains what his group are doing on the train, namely stealing something. Then the anime moves focus from Nice to Czes, nicely implying that their aims/jobs are related. I’ll stop listing what happens now, but OH JEEZ I LOVE THE CUTS AND PANS AND FOCUS CHANGES. I don’t know much about cinematography, but this feels good to me. 

So to abridge a conversation: Nice: Why don’t you ask them? You might make some new friends. Jacuzzi: (Panics a bit) I don’t wanna. Nice then persuades Jacuzzi to go talk to Isaac and Miria. Not much meaning, but I just wanted to say, SAAAAAAME Jacuzzi. If not for @thingsarenotwholesome taking the place of Nice, I wouldn’t talk to a lot of people. but yeah, then Jacuzzi starts crying because he thinks he’s nothing but some delinquent. Props to I&M for supporting him in the only way they know: By being lovely, funny and acting ridiculously.

Some day Narita, I’d like to see how much of this is them faking it to avoid a bad topic and how much of it is their own joy in insanity. I just can’t accept “They’re a bit mad” with no other details, because even if Isaac routinely gets stuff wrong, he’s weirdly well read. I also love the fact that Jon and Fang spend their time calling out bullshit and commenting on what’s happening. It gives a nice contrast of the straight man, while not overpowering I&M and also properly showing what their influence on Jacuzzi is.

I like that the voice acting makes it clear that Czes struggled to say his own name. Clearly from the immortal thing. Good Dub there.

The Lemures in general feel much cultier than when I was reading the books. Perhaps because in the books the individual greed for immortality in the members is made clear before the operation starts, whereas this has them speak of their unwavering loyalty (yeah fucking right) to Huey Laforet, while the Conductor preaches about how this is all for the sake of freeing their “Glorious Leader”. Shame there’s a Claire on board.

Episode 3

And we start with poor Eve Genoard looking for Dallas, too bad some other poor person has him. [Edit Note: Look, you can’t expect me to remember every detail of the books perfectly, I barely remember what I had to eat most days]

 I love the Daily Days and their information based business model. The Runorata Goons just got to experience information based capitalism.

Well, I might have to source the music playing while Lua and Ladd are dancing. This is also the first scene where Lua doesn’t seem to only be some poor girl who was forced into something by Ladd, but someone who actually wants to be with Ladd.

I love Randy and Pecho, those glove burning fools. I’m also starting to realise how damn good this show is at giving you information in off-hand comments. From their short conversation we know they’re friends with Firo and that there’ll be a party, while also starting the fire that kickstarts the events of the Rolling Bootlegs.

Similarly, the anime then goes on to show that Firo is joining the Camorra as a Capo and that I&M are in town at the time. This is also why I’m writing so much, BECAUSE THEY MAKE SUCH GOOD USE OF THE TIME GIVEN. This reminds me though. Narratively, in the books, the hobo attempting to stab Firo happens just before the hat shop. I damn well wish we could properly place that scene somewhere chronologically in the show.  It could literally any time still during the depression after Firo becomes immortal.

The fight between Firo and Dallas' Gang really does show the fighting talent Firo has in an impressive way, which again makes Firo getting cut in episode 1 more frustrating.

And here is the first big change to Rolling Bootlegs! Firo does not have the time nor the bottles to swap about his wine with the immortality potion for the heck of it. I'm not sure how I feel about this change, but I will commend the 2016 Manga for keeping to the books on this. 

And then Jacuzzi finds the two corpses in the Conductors Wagon, which is surprising when you’re first watching considering we *know* the murderous conductor was using a gun, not sawing off people's faces.(Goddammit it Claire, kill cleaner) You could explain the second corpse as being the white suit we see get the uniform in the second episode, but if you’re looking at the corpses, the body with the face torn off is the one that looks like the Young Conductor, not the Lemure Conductor. This isn’t exactly important considering it’s revealed later, but i like that the detail can be seen. Hey, this anime is doing a better job at the Mystery genre than BBC’s Sherlock!

And at the end, with the faceoff in the Dinner Wagon, I'm calling it a night.

Well, I'll be posting this in the morning evening after as I'll be doing some formatting at my PC tomorrow, but it's midnight and I'm rather tired after MCM Manchester.

[moriganstrongheart]

World of Warcraft Chronicle: Volume 1 – Review

by Blizzard Entertainment 2016, Dark Horse Books Hardcover, 184 pages, $39.99 USD

Rating: ★★★★☆

Good: Good presentation, well written Bad: Inaccurate maps, outdated or missing lore

​I was rather ambivalent when the first World of Warcraft Chronicle volume was release two years ago. I had wanted for so long for Blizzard to codify their Warcraft lore in a way that brought order and sense to the sprawling story they’d built over twenty five years. However, it was released as I was leaving the game and I didn’t have the spending money to purchase it. Now that I’m playing again and I have some spending money, I decided to buy all three volumes currently available. As of writing this review, I have not read the second or third volume; I wanted my opinion to be restricted to this volume for the time being. The first volume in the Chronicle does a good job at what it sets out to do: it tells the lore of Warcraft in a storybook-esque format, allowing fans of the universe to experience Warcraft lore from beginning to end as a narrative. However, there are few issues with it that I can’t ignore. Most of these issues I can attribute to a lack of quality control as they could have been easily resolved with rigourous revisions, or at least with some more solid decision making from the creative team in charge of Warcraft lore.

The most obvious failings in the volume are its maps. I can forgive that they have already become outdated as of me writing this review. Blizzard will inevitable release new locations in upcoming expansions that will change the layout of the world map. What I can’t excuse is how confusing some are and how some maps are missing from key moments in the lore. If the purpose of these maps is to give a visual representation of the world, then it misses some steps. Most readers will be familiar with the current World of Warcraft world map (pictured below). The pangea-esque pre-Sundering Kalimdor included in the books is just too different from the modern map for it to be recognizable as a map of Azeroth (also pictured below). I would have preferred that each iteration of the map pre-Sundering had lines drawn to mirror the modern Azerothian world map to allow the reader a point of reference. Legends would have also helped to properly identify elements on the map, instead of relying on labels and color-coded territories. I would have also liked to see more maps; Warcraft lore relies a lot on visualizing peoples and armies travelling the world. And considering that Azeroth itself has been touted as a character in the story of Warcraft, I think more maps would have helped to drive home how important the world is to the lore.

Map of Ordered Azeroth, pre-Sundering

World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth world map

As I’m currently world-building my own world, I know how difficult it can be. When world-building, you are trying to explain a fictional world as if it were real, using academic terminology to describe something that is meant to be enjoyed fantastically. World of Warcraft Chronicle: Volume 1 unfortunately falls into the trap I’ve fallen for repeatedly in which they use the literary trope “no one really knows” when describing ambiguous moments in history. Sometimes it’s not as obvious, such as when an important turning point in lore is treated as inevitable and not worth explaining. My gut reaction when I encounter this trope is to respond: “Well, you should know. You’re the writers.” I consider this kind of writing lazy, a way to avoid explaining what could be construed as boring or controversial. In my opinion, these kinds of shortcuts should be avoided. Figure out a way to explain it, or don’t include the information at all. The fact that the writers resorted to this literary trope adds to my confusion as to what the Chronicle is supposed to be–the lack of detail in its maps being another factor. The volume is structured like a history textbook, with events told in chronological order and even has annotations in certain sections. However, the majority of the volume is also written like a storybook; each section is its own distinct narrative told as if it were a mythological legend. The alternating tone can be jarring at times, especially when it occurs within the confines of a single narrative. One moment the author is giving detailed descriptions of the actors in the narrative and provides insights that the persons living the events could not know, followed by a “no one really knows why” passage as if the story is being told from an actor’s perspective in the world. And so I can only assume that either the writers were aware of this flipping tone and were okay with it, or their quality control is lacking. Either way, I can’t excuse the misstep on Blizzard’s part.

It’s a shame, because I did enjoy how the volume is written. I don’t know how much involvement Chris Metzen actually had in the writing of this particular volume, though I know he wrote many of the original stories that would eventually be adapted here and his style of writing shines through in certain stories. I read the whole volume in one sitting, feeling rushes of memory as I remembered events from the books, short stories, comics and in-game events that the Chronicle makes reference to. It’s obvious that the volume is a labour of love as it shines with descriptions of people and places that have never existed, but somehow make it feel real. The size of the book is also nice, making it feel like a textbook rather than a work of fiction. The art is amazing as always, though I wish they would have used exclusively original art as I recognized some of it from short stories from previous products. I have debated with myself whether the World of Warcraft Chronicle could have easily been available online, similar to the existing WoWpedia and WoWWiki fansites. In the end, I don’t think that the intent of the Chronicle is to make a lore database or a textbook, but to provide fans with a hardcopy of the story they’ve grown to love over twenty five years; something to share with others, to read to their kids, or to revisit their time fighting alongside Thrall or saving the world with Varian by their side.

So far, the World of Warcraft Chronicle is worth adding to your collection if you have an interest in either Warcraft lore or world-building. It allows fans of the series to experience the narrative of Warcraft in a sensible, chronological order. Long-time fans invested in the story will also be able to reminisce about their time in Azeroth or their first time reading Warcraft lore in secondary media. For world-builders, Chronicle is a learning opportunity on how to build a vibrant, breathing world with history and interesting characters; there are some hiccups along the way, but none so damaging that we can’t learn from Blizzard’s twenty-five years of experience. I’m excited to read the following two volumes in the Chronicle, and would even be interested in revised versions as new lore is added to the World of Warcraft.

Personal Rant

The following includes my own personal observations based on my experience with Warcraft lore. These observations don’t impact the quality of World of Warcraft Chronicle: Volume 1, but as I have a long history with World of Warcraft, I want to spend some time discussing them. If interested in purchasing the Chronicle, reading this section is not necessary. Also, there are some mild spoilers for the Chronicle and for events not mentioned in the Chronicle.

I was happy to read the forewords from Chris Metzen and Christie Golden. Metzen is the closest thing I have to a hero within the game development industry, and his words to the reader is made all the more potent following his retirement later the same year. I can almost hear his deep, gravelly “I voice every other male character in Warcraft” voice as I remember how invested and influential Metzen has been to Warcraft. As for Golden’s foreword, I’m always happy to hear from her as she is my favorite Warcraft author, penning such stories as Rise of the Horde and Jaina: Tides of War, and has even been helping the World of Warcraft writing team with Battle for Azeroth. She reminds us that we are as much a part of the world as its characters. Also included in the foreword is Knaak. I have never been a fan of Knaak’s contributions to the universe–I consider Stormrage the worst World of Warcraft novel, Rhonin is my most disliked character (I was happy to see him removed in Jaina: Tides of War), the dragon aspects lore (which he helped to construct) is the most boring element in Warcraft lore and he always came off as a self-absorbed writer who constantly had to show how good he was. His foreword only reinforces his vanity as he boasts his writing credits from other book series I have no interest in, and he barely shows any interest in Warcraft itself. I can only hope we don’t see another writing credit from him in the near future. I was also happy to see that his time-travelling additions to the War of the Ancients weren’t so much as hinted throughout the Chronicle.

I ended up accepting most of the changes Blizzard inevitably had to make for the Chronicle. After twenty-five years of world-building and narrative, retcons and re-imaginings are bound to happen. I was never really interested in Titan lore, seeing them more as scientists than gods. The Chronicle still does not identify them as gods, though they have heavily reinforced the inspiration the Titans take from Norse mythology with new lore added in the recent Legion expansion. Because of my disinterest in the Titans, I am equally apathetic about the reveal that Azeroth itself is an undeveloped Titan. However, I am interested to see what will happen if the world-soul awakens or gets destroyed, as I imagine it would spell the end of the world either way. A diagram showing how each elemental, magical force and concept interacts is a nice addition, and it’s nice to see certain concepts like necromancy and the Void given concrete definitions. Legion seemed to give the Void a larger role, but it wasn’t until this volume that everything is given a tangible place within the universe. I’m not a fan of Blizzard shifting the big baddy to the Void now that Sargeras is gone, but I can understand the need. It makes sense given the changes they’ve made to Titan lore within the Chronicle, though I almost think it would have been better if they had never explained the Old Gods, the Void, the Light and so on. Mystery can improve the experience more than a detailed explanation. One thing I wish they would explain is Elune; apart from some conversations between Tyrande and Velen, there has been no concrete explanation as to what Elune is. Is she a titan? A naaru? A wild god? A “light lord”? To use a familiar expression, no one seems to know.

Finally, I wish they had spent more time on the titan-forged and the curse of flesh, as this was always one of the most interesting parts of the Old God-Titan lore. However, they spend more time on the contrived Loken narrative, which I felt was put together to force events to go down a specific path. In fact, a lot of the lore midway through World of Warcraft Chronicle: Volume 1 feels forced, as entities act out of character in an apparent effort to move the plot forward. Thankfully, the latter portion of the ​Chronicle makes up for it by detailing early to mid Eastern Kingdoms history, which I have more interest in.

Official Book Website

[danielphowley]

'God of War' could be 2018's first must-have game

Kratos returns in ‘God of War’ for the PlayStation 4.

The God of War has returned. Kratos, the Ghost of Sparta who destroyed all of the gods of Olympus in his quest for revenge for the deaths of his wife and daughter, is making his first appearance on Sony’s (SEN) PlayStation 4 next month, and it’s going to be huge.

But the living embodiment of a nuclear-powered buzzsaw isn’t what he once was. “God of War,” which comes out April 20, sees the once vengeance-driven son of Zeus and a mortal man take on a more subdued demeanor.

He’s older and wiser, and it certainly shows. From the way the ashes, which he was cursed to wear, have begun to fade from his skin, to how he approaches combat, this is a more deliberate Kratos than the killing machine that battled his way to the top of Mount Olympus in the original “God of War” trilogy.

I played the first two and a half hours of “God of War” during a preview event hosted by Sony, and left more excited to play the final game than ever before.

Aging gracefully

The aged Kratos we meet in “God of War” has the weather look of a man nearing the twilight of his days. His face now sports a long, grey beard and his trademark tattoo is fading with age. My first impression of the Spartan was that he had the kind of vibe I got from the aged Wolverine in “Logan.”

A tremendous amount of time has passed between ‘God of War III’ and the new ‘God of War,’ and it shows on Kratos’ aged face.

“There was a first kind of discussion we had where I said it was kind of like an athlete in the off season,” explained “God of War” creative director Cory Barlog. “There were versions of Kratos where he let himself go a little bit.”

That’s not to say he’s weak and feeble. This Kratos still packs one heck of a punch. And his brutality is still well intact when he needs to unleash it. But he’s also not the walking vial of nitroglycerin he once was.

Much of that has to do with the fact that Kratos is once again a husband and father. At least, he was prior to this game’s opening scenes where we find Kratos laying his wife to rest. His son, Atreaus is still young and inexperienced, and Kratos, now a single parent, is tasked with teaching him everything from how to properly hunt for food to how to defend himself properly.

It’s clear that Kratos isn’t exactly comfortable in his role as a loving caregiver. Moments like his initial anger at his son over a missed shot at a deer the two were hunting show the Spartan’s rage nearly boil over, only to subside into instructions punctuated through his gritted teeth. The love, though, is certainly there. In another scene, Atreaus tells Kratos not to leave him behind again following a fight, to which Kratos replies, “I won’t.”

The lessons Kratos is imparting on his son, are especially important in “God of War’s” new setting among the frozen Scandinavian forests of Midgard where the Norse gods reign. The change is a welcome one from the previous “God of War” trilogy, which revolved around the mythology and locations of the Greek gods. And Sony Santa Monica Studios has, based on my brief time with the game, done an excellent job bringing this new game world to life.

As a father, Kratos has to work to teach his son how to handle himself in the dangers of Midgard.

The forest and cliffs surrounding the game’s opening hours feel alive with animal life and look stunning, particularly when viewed with the PlayStation 4 Pro and a 4K, HDR television. At one point during my demo playthrough I stood still and just listened to the sound of birds and the wind whipping through the trees.

Old man strength

Of course, this wouldn’t be a “God of War” game without some satisfyingly, ferocious combat, and the latest title in a franchise known for its over-the-top battles delivers. The new-look old Kratos doesn’t have his trademark blades chained to his forearms anymore. In its place the Spartan now uses his Leviathan Axe, which lets him cut through foes using both weak and strong attacks.

Strong attacks bounce your enemies into the air allowing you to juggle them and leaving them stunned, while you beat them down. Weak hits let you deal out damage and keep your opponents off balance so they can’t retaliate against you.

Kratos now uses his Leviathan Axe instead of his trademark chain blades.

You can also throw the Leviathan Axe at enemies and then recall it similar to Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. Throw the axe at certain objects and you can even freeze them in place. As you can imagine, that skill also comes in handy when solving “God of War’s” puzzles.

Interestingly, the first hours of “God of War” don’t feature the series’ usual massive set pieces. At the outset of “God of War III,” for instance, you’re climbing Mount Olympus alongside Titans the size of skyscrapers.

By contrast, this new “God of War” has you scrambling up hills and taking on the occasional troll. I have no doubt those “Oh my God!” moments will happen later in the game, though.

Everything about this “God of War” has a more intimate feel than the series’ prior entries. Even the camera angle, which has you up close to Kratos looking over his shoulder, helps ground the action more than ever.

Atreaus will help Kratos in battle, but the demigod still does the heavy lifting.

This older Kratos is a far more thoughtful demigod than before, and it shows in the way he evaluates situations, whether it’s trying to protect his son Atreaus from having to fight other living humans to how he mourns his wife.

Barlog says that the Kratos from the first trilogy felt like he was the digital personification of the developers’ college days. He was impulsive, wanted to stick it to authority figures and was all for going for bigger and crazier battles.

An enormous amount of time has passed since his days of fighting the Greek gods. Barlog explains that Kratos now feels more like a man who understands what’s important in life and explores the world through the lens of someone who wants to hold on to those things.

And yet, he’s still Kratos, the demigod who destroyed Olympus. Which means we’re sure to see flickers of the Ghost of Sparta when “God of War” hits store shelves next month. And I can’t wait.

More games converage:

‘Kirby Star Allies’ review: How to make friends and eat them

Despite Trump’s meeting, video games and violence still don’t add up

‘Far Cry 5’ preview: Exploring cults and terror in the American West

The 10 best iPhone and Android games of the month

Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.

Follow Yahoo Finance on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn

[how2to18]

“If you can dream it, you can do it.”

— Walt Disney

  “Dreams have started wars.”

— Walter Benjamin

  “It is the manner in which the U.S. dreams and redeems itself, and then imposes that dream upon others for its own salvation”

       — Ariel Dorfman and Armand Mattelart

¤

HOW TO READ Donald Duck: Imperialist Ideology in The Disney Comic landed in the United States in 1975. Printed in Hungary, the underground screed against Disney’s Donald Duck comics was immediately detained by the Imports Compliance Branch of the US Customs Department. Disney sued the book’s publisher for “piratical” use of characters.

Written by Chilean radicals Ariel Dorfman and Armand Mattelart in 1971, How to Read Donald Duck analyzed decades of postwar Disney comics designed to indoctrinate the children of Latin America with pro-capitalist propaganda. In 1973, after the bloodiest coup in the continent’s history — a coup that ended Salvador Allende’s Popular Unity government, his life, and the lives of thousands — General Augusto Pinochet’s junta had the book burned, along with many other books deemed subversive.

Sill penning sharp critiques, Ariel Dorfman sees Donald Trump as Donald Duck: “We are clearly in a moment,” he writes, “when a yearning to regress to the supposedly uncomplicated, spotless, and innocent America of those Disney cartoons, the sort of America that Walt once imagined as eternal, fills Trump and so many of his followers with an inchoate nostalgia.” Today, Donald Duck lags in its appeal to consumers. Star Wars is a more effective vehicle to influence the young, whose culture has already been colonized, with ideals of freedom as well as to capitalize on our collective distress. Like Donald Duck, Star Wars is an invisible disguise, in which, as Dorfman and Mattelart put it, “protest is converted into imposture” and radical energy is digested to eliminate its power. If that means riffing on revolution or including women and people of color in the plot, the underlying logic is the same.

More Americans will see Star Wars in 2020 than will vote. The Star Wars Universe is slated to include two more films between now and then, and its latest movie, The Last Jedi, premiered last week. What we need in response is an extensive analysis of how the Star Wars films, comics, and merchandise are distributed in other countries, as well as our own. Star Wars is sacred to millions, and millions are blind to Star Wars. Inspired by Dorfman and Mattelart, here are 13 ways to read it.

  1. Disney, the Guardian of the Universe

It was a movie, then a franchise, and as it grew into a cinematic universe, a black hole opened up, sucking away the popcorn and leaving something ideologically opposed to cinema itself. The Star Wars Expanded Universe — what we now call its constellation of media satellites — is made up of screenplays, films, TV shows, novels, picture books, video games, board games, comics, and so much more. By 2000, Star Wars intellectual properties were so expansive that Lucas Licensing’s Publishing Department devised a “continuity database” to keep track of the gospel of Star Wars.

Twelve individuals oversee the archive as guardians of the Star Wars canon. It is known to them — and to Star Wars superfans — as the Holocron, a self-referenced story term for a fortified library of wisdom that “contain[s] the most closely guarded secrets of the Jedi Order.” Holo, meaning holographic; cronos, meaning a personification of time; or perhaps Cronus, the Greek god who castrated his father Uranus. Unlike the Jedi archive introduced in Attack of the Clones (2002), the Licensing Department’s Holocron exists on Planet Earth and contains the most lucrative story ever copywritten. It is made up of “55,000 entries for franchise characters, locations, species, and vehicles.” What it doesn’t include is the miniscule merchandise seeping into daily life — the key fobs, tote bags, gel pens, socks, and soda — branded in the name of the Holocron.

In 2012, when Walt Disney Company acquired the rights of the Star Wars Expanded Universe for $4.05 billion — including all of Lucasfilm’s lesser holdings like Indiana Jones — Hollywood was still reeling from Disney’s acquisition of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for $4 billion three years earlier. To single out Disney, however, is not the point. In the age of corporate consolidation, sucking up intellectual property weaponizes story. Disney is perhaps the most aggressive in this regard — vertically integrating production, distribution, and exhibition wherever it can — but they are in the middle of an arms race. In 2016, Dreamworks sold for $3.8 billion to NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast, which wrestled Harry Potter away from Disney. In the fog of The Last Jedi’s opening weekend, Team Disney has merged with rival 21st Century Fox, purchased for a whopping $52.4 billion from Rupert Murdoch. In this corporate cold war, the Disney Empire has retooled Star Wars into its own Death Star, capable of destroying other movie studios and their parent companies.

  2. The Force

Back in 2015, opening weekend for The Force Awakens racked in $582 million worldwide. In the lead up to that opening, the cross-market saturation of Star Wars ads overlapped every medium. These ads didn’t have to advertise the movie; simply the scent of Star Wars was sufficient. Public service announcements exhorted listeners to “Avoid the Dark Side.” Tiny Star Wars–branded stickers appeared on tangerines. Facebook changed its status update prompt, which usually reads “What’s on your mind,” to “Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens today! Are you excited to see it? Let your friends know.” Hillary Clinton mentioned “the Force” in a presidential debate.

The Force is not, as Yoda would have you believe, “an energy field created by all living things.” The Force that Star Wars speaks for is capitalism. Disney roused this giant, conjured its spell, and put it to work. Money is the Force that balances good and evil. If used for good, money can save freedom and democracy. When properly invested, money moves us closer to class equality and racial harmony. If used for evil, fear and violence will reign. But money is rarely mentioned in Star Wars. The Universe is organized around a murky barter economy, where the cost of fuel or the construction of military-industrial starfleets is rarely discussed. Since the Empire would be an incorporated entity (granted a lax corporate charter from Wilmington, Delaware), why don’t its commanders talk like corporate leaders? Imperial commanders ought to discuss which old crony will get the bid to rebuild the planet they just destroyed. Or do these commanders represent a Cuban-style bureaucracy projected into outer space?

The Force Awakens was a game-changer, demonstrating how deeply a marketing campaign can penetrate society. Adweek has called this “relentless, but also masterful.” “Star Wars inspired product integration between brands and Hollywood at an unprecedented scale,” said the American Marketing Association. But Disney only amplified what Star Wars had already been doing. From the beginning in 1977, Burger King hawked Darth Vader special edition drinking glasses, and Kenner (a subsidiary of General Mills) manufactured Star Wars action figures. These relationships seem quaint because hundreds of other companies have since hitched themselves to Disney’s shining Star Wars and gladly pay for the host body’s advertising. Or perhaps Disney is the parasite with many host bodies. Disney’s allegiance to capitalism is a case study of the Force used for the Dark Side.

  3. The Star Wars Liberation Movement

George Lucas says that he sold Lucasfilm to Disney in order to protect the mythology he created — to protect his creation from generational obscurity and to protect it from himself. Producer Kathleen Kennedy commands the liberation of Lucasfilm from Lucas. She marshaled the expanding revitalization of the Star Wars franchise with The Force Awakens (2015), Rogue One (2016), and now The Last Jedi (2017). These are the big floats in the parade that we will experience as massive cultural events — they are no longer cult events — for the rest of our lives.

Disney’s stewardship of Star Wars is seen, by some, as a decolonization of the franchise, or its liberation in the way the United States “liberated” Japan and Germany in 1945. But it’s more akin to the delusion known as “the liberation of Iraq” in 2003. In Iraq, the United States was determined to open untapped markets in the name of freedom. In Star Wars, Rian Johnson will direct a new trilogy with so-called “complete creative freedom” in the name of better movies. Supposedly, George Lucas wanted Disney to be the studio to produce the original Star Wars when the films were a twinkle in his eye. This is why Disney’s liberation of Star Wars also functions as a Bismarckian unification, a match made in the boardroom.

  4. Memory in the US Star Wars Political Universe

Star Wars inverts historical context and political movements, minimizing the gravity of American aggression at home and abroad. In a 2016 New York Times op-ed, US Army Veteran Roy Scranton described the irony of watching Star Wars while deployed in Iraq: “I was the faceless stormtrooper, and the scrappy rebels were the Iraqis,” Scranton wrote. Ten years earlier, Italy’s RAI Television reported a completely brutal account of “experimental laser weapons being used against Iraqi civilians.” “Star Wars in Iraq,” headlines read. There’s continuity between historical events and the Star Wars Political Universe, but there’s also a mash-up, a reversal of meaning. “Ever since Star Wars, Americans love and consider themselves these great anti-authoritarians and we look to identify with the rebels across the globe,” punk essayist Ian F. Svenonius writes. The movies remake history and as history is told and retold, the movies must be remade. In this recurring remakequel, the audience has the privilege to cheerlead for whichever side they feel.

Back in 1977, Star Wars was already a simplification of the American military intervention in Vietnam. In Episode IV: A New Hope, only one side (the Empire) has the H-bomb, which in the movie is known as the Death Star, a spherical space station that can destroy an entire planet with its super laser. By 2017, the Rebels fighting the Empire have been re-labeled as the Resistance, evoking the French Resistance, not to be confused with Yemen’s Houthi rebels of 2017. The Empire has “means of mass destruction,” says some a rebel in Rogue One, a decade after American media convinced the United States that Iraq (the Rogue State) had weapons of mass destruction which began the “Forever War.” Precisely because Star Wars exists “A long time ago in a galaxy, far, far away,” it is free to mix and match political reality: to distort, confuse, and ultimately deny history.

Despite this scrambling of history, the truth is that the Empire and the Resistance are on the same side, battling on behalf of Disney in what is known as the Content Wars. In these wars, the Big Six Studios are each beating back the streaming rebellion of Netflix, Amazon Studios, and, in the case of Hulu, which was a 21st Century Fox asset, sucking it inside the Disney machine.

  5. Star Wars and Trump’s War on Journalists

The Star Wars Cinematic Universe is a universe much like ours — life-sustaining and technologically advanced — but it’s a universe importantly without a public sphere. No news, journalism, entertainment media, or even advertising. Disney reportedly banned Los Angeles Times film critics from pre-screenings of The Last Jedi. It was retaliation for the newspaper’s two-part story exposing that the City of Anaheim rents a 10,241-space parking structure (that cost taxpayers $108 million) to Disney for one dollar a year. The story also revealed that Disney financially supported pro-Disney city council members during local elections. (Disney’s punitive action was probably further incited because of another review, “How to Read El Pato Pascual: Disney’s Latin America and Latin America’s Disney,” an art show currently open at the MAK Center for Art and Architecture inspired by Dorfman and Mattelart.) When the Trump White House bans certain members of the press corps from official briefings, Disney’s tendencies and actions are dismally familiar. On-screen and off, the Empire rejects the Fourth Estate.

  6. Robots

A press corps, of course, isn’t the Universe’s only convenient omission. There are no tech giants or interplanetary corporations in its galaxy far, far away. Droids are open source, secure, and possibly encrypted. All techno-utopian potential with none of technology’s risks, droids are something a normal person can fix and trust. On Earth, where Star Wars is a multinational corporation, droids are still called robots and they are the horizon. They will be manufactured by Apple, Google, Amazon. It’s easy to imagine Star Wars licensing its brand to a company manufacturing consumer robots — or even acquiring a robotics startup to develop a consumer R2-D2. This is how R2-D2, a lovable droid, and its cousin the BB-8 unit will come to be. Bloomberg reported that when, in 2015, Sphero released the BB-8 droid toy — which can be controlled with a smart phone — it sold 22,000 units in 12 hours.

Drones are another market. The Star Wars brand will manufacture larger, more capable versions of the prophesied machines protected under proprietary intellectual property laws. Unlike in the films, the droid hardware will not be interchangeable, but rather soldered in place. The popular R2 unit will be a Trojan Horse. Around the house, the R2-shaped trash collector that supposedly serves you will also collect your family’s biometric data, record your conversations, and order toilet paper for you via your digital wallet. All the while, R2 will be profiling you on behalf of Disney, the Evil Empire. What a difference a universe can make.

  7. “Progressivism”

Since becoming head of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy has kept her promises: she has released a film every year, pushing strong female leads and characters of color into a generally white, male Star Wars Universe. Many fans like the direction the new movies are taking. They don’t want their sense of wonder dashed. But what is the subtext of Kennedy’s new direction? Andre Seewood wrote a three-part essay in IndieWire about the “hyper-tokenism” of the new Star Wars, writing that Rogue One presented a “marked increase in screen time, dramatic involvement and promotional images of a Black character in a White film, while simultaneously reserving full dramatic agency as the providence of White characters by the end of the film.”

Meanwhile, the alt-right reacted to the newly inclusive Universe by staging a weak-sauce boycott of Rogue One. “By now, getting angry about stuff that’s progressive and inclusive is kind of the alt-right’s schtick,” Wired Magazine reported, presupposing that a multi-billion dollar movie could ever be progressive. Isn’t a movie that big, by its very nature, guilty of co-opting “inclusiveness” for financial gain?

  8. Jedi as Lifestyle, Lifestyle as Copyright Infringement

To read Star Wars, you might follow the money. You might also follow the lawsuits. Disney’s battalion of lawyers, who doggedly protect Disney IP, have synchronized with Lucasfilm’s legal team. Get ready for an enlivened pace of copyright infringement suits to unfold on behalf of the Star Wars Universe, a place where there are no logos or brands. But for us, Star Wars is a brand. It does not have to be Star Wars Day, which is May 4, to don a Star Wars T-shirt because wearing a Star Wars shirt is as innocuous as wearing a Rolling Stones tee — both, by the way, are sold at Target.

The exploitation of the Jedi Knight “lifestyle,” however, goes deeper than T-shirts. If Star Wars helped to commodify a certain nerd culture as cool, Luke Skywalker embodies the nerd who became a Jedi. He’s the messianic front man of a pseudo-gypsy rock group with exotic, Orientalist undertones. He is at once Burning Man, hippy, wabi-sabi, and swordsmen. Americans consume this persona as people across the world who actually live in cultures on which the Jedi is loosely based are uprooted and saturated with Mickey Mouse tees, only to become collateral damage in the slipping grip of US global hegemony.

  9. The Tea Party

In a 2006 sketch, British comedians Mitchell and Webb play two SS Officers, skull patches ironed onto their gray uniforms. They ask, “Are we are the Baddies?” Star Wars operates by a similar logic: a political system based on obvious good and obvious evil. Characters fight on the side they fight on based on psychology — often quite Freudian — inspired by a childhood trauma. By psychologizing the forces of good and evil, political debate is displaced and made apolitical in the Star Wars Universe. In our lived experience, wars are fought over access to capital, labor, over ethnic tensions and land disputes. If the Dark Side isn’t doing what they’re doing in order to advance resource extraction to secure energy for a “superior race,” what exactly are they doing?

If the United States is the Empire in the films, fans say, “So what, it’s just a movie.” George Lucas is a liberal who allegedly expressed his criticism of George Bush with a film whose budget rivaled the Battle of Fallujah. But in the homeland of the warmongers, audiences dressed in Darth Vader costumes root for the Rebels, the Terrorists. Gray-haired adults accept the franchise’s black-and-white message through the haze of nostalgia — demonstrating how one era’s defenders of freedom might allow the next era to be destroyed.

Disney’s latest purchase of 21st Century Fox further scrambles the political allegiances of the franchise. After all, Disney didn’t buy out the Rupert Murdoch–owned production company with cash; it was a quid pro quo merger. The $52.4 million is payment in Disney stock, elevating Murdoch to the second largest cardholder in Disney with a 4.4 percent stake in the company. Future Star Wars installments will therefore continue to enrich Rupert Murdoch — the man who owns the right-wing media outlet Fox News, the man who helped bring Donald Trump to power.

  10. License the Myth

Will Star Wars supersede our own history? In the future, Star Wars will serve as our Greek epic. As The Economist put it, Star Wars has already “cemented its position as the market leader in the industrialization of mythology.” Disney understood the primal seduction of storytelling and based his business model on bottling fairy tales and folklore that once belonged to the commons. Walt Disney’s genius wasn’t creating Mickey Mouse; it was licensing the rights to Mickey Mouse. Not only is Mickey the most recognizable character in the world, but Mickey dictates copyright law in the United States of America. Mickey is the colonizer of storytelling. And the power in owning the fantasy and make-believe world of children’s imaginations only expands with new digital technologies.

The greatest betrayal Lucas lofted against his generation of filmmaking is his overuse of Joseph Campbell’s mono-myth theories and writings. The hero’s journey follows certain stages; the most important stage is monetizing the hero’s journey. The hero sucks away financing from different stories — stories of unsung heroes who speak up and defend the rights of people they may not even know. It blots out small stories, slow stories. Next time you imagine how a hereditary hero (somehow related to the last hero) is capable of saving whole planets from evil, think about why are we being told that there was always (even “long ago”) an evil lording over us. There always will be. Does that story give us hope to change this or reaffirm our place in the universe, conditioning us to accept such oppression?

  11. George Lucas

Once a film nerd at the University of Southern California, George Lucas came of age in the 1960s, when a new wave of young white male film studs transformed the studio model of Hollywood. Suspicious of on-the-lot theatricality and big heroic budgets, these films experimented with cheaper, slower styles and morally ambiguous themes. A freaky underground film scene (16mm and 8mm) stewed in New York and San Francisco. Of this milieu, Lucas made THX 1138 (1971), a sci-fi yarn about freeing your mind and body, and American Graffiti (1973), the Sha Na Na of anti–Vietnam War messages. Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope umbrella produced both.

Coppola commented at the Marrakech International Film Festival in 2015, “I think Star Wars, it’s a pity, because George Lucas was a very experimental crazy guy and he got lost in this big production and never got out of it.” Lucas, his protégé, had sold him up the river. The young rebel George Lucas has turned himself (or we have turned him) into Darth Vader.

  12. Darth Vader versus Mickey Mouse

Disney is the Empire. The Star Wars franchise is the Death Star. George Lucas is Vader. Who — or what — is Luke Skywalker in this allegorical Universe? Luke Skywalker, with his self-exiled father, is a human embodiment of Mickey Mouse.

In 1931, Walter Benjamin wrote, “All Mickey Mouse Films are founded on the motif of leaving home in order to learn what fear is,” a concept based on a story from the Grimm Brothers. Benjamin saw Mickey Mouse films as popular not because of the mass appeal inherent in the film medium, but because the public sees themselves in Mickey. Skywalker, too, leaves home to conquer that deep fear. In the marketing of Star Wars, Skywalker is deficient as an icon. But Darth Vader, who incarnates a genocidal maniac and fear itself, with his black-helmeted mask, becomes the Mickey Mouse of Star Wars. In a simple twist of brand awareness, fear now eats the soul.

  13. Star Wars in the Public Domain

In a 2015 interview with Charlie Rose, George Lucas likened Disney to “white slavers” who took his intellectual property and mucked it up. But his official public apology assured us all that Disney folk were loyal “custodians of Star Wars.” Despite this apology, Lucas knows the mistakes he’s made. Wouldn’t it be nice if he could wrest back his franchise from the Empire, liberating his myth to be consumed by the people in the public domain? How far can a fair use legal defense get us? This remixed trailer imagines Star Wars as a grindhouse flick from the 1970s and gives us a glimmer of the popular mythologies and glorious camp that we’re missing. The people, free to make their own Star Wars episodes, web series, novels, and comics, may socialize the myth — or ratchet up the clichéd lines, talk over it, and piss on it. Wouldn’t it be great if Jean-Luc Godard was hired to direct the next Star Wars? Stormtroopers being interviewed in their masks about labor abuses and equal pay straight out of the factory-worker interviews of Tout va bien? If that doesn’t inspire you, imagine a Star Wars installment directed by Eric Andre, Dee Rees, or John Waters.

¤

Featured image courtesy of Josh Hallett.

¤

M. W. Lipschutz is a writer, filmmaker, and visual artist who lives and works in Los Angeles.

The post How to Read Star Wars appeared first on Los Angeles Review of Books.

from Los Angeles Review of Books http://ift.tt/2BSK9fm via IFTTT