#reap the wild wind

[summertimenoir]

Paulette Goddard in Reap The Wild Wind (1942) - dir. Cecil B. DeMille

[whydotheheathenrage]

Enjoy the wild wind. RIP

[my-chaos-radio]

Release: September 17, 1982

Lyrics:

Reap the wild wind

A finger points to show a scene. (Take my hand. Take my hand.)

Another face where mine had been. (Take my hand. Take my hand.)

Another footstep where I once walked. (Take my hand)

Take it all.

Reap the wild wind.

You take my hand and give me your friendship.

I'll take my time and send you my slow reply.

Give me an inch and I'll make the best of it.

Take all you want and leave all the rest to die.

A footprint haunts an empty floor. (Take my hand. Take my hand.)

A fading coat that I once wore. (Take my hand. Take my hand.)

Oh, desolation where I once lived.

I have seen in times gone by.

I have felt a different shadow on the wall,

A stranglehold on a certain feeling.

Reap the wild wind.

You take my hand and give me your friendship.

I'll take my time and send you my slow reply.

Give me an inch and I'll make the best of it.

Take all you want and leave all the rest to die.

Reap the wild wind.

You take my hand and give me your friendship.

I'll take my time and send you my slow reply.

Give me an inch and I'll make the best of it.

Take all you want and leave all the rest to die.

Songwriter:

Christopher Thomas Allen / Midge Ure / Warren Reginald Cann / William Currie

SongFacts:

👉📖

Homepage:

Ultravox

[paddyfitz]

writing is fun because you open google docs then decide to compose a hypothetical drag race verse for no reason instead of the fanfic that is now 6 months overdue an update

[unbury-the-gays]

Hello, hi! I have some thoughts!

I'd like to point out that this elven heritage in the Cat's School is a bit of an exaggerated theme. It is true that this half of the witches, led by Gezras (the half-elf), survived after the Cat School schism. And it is true that this group fraternized with the elves, even adopting some of their weapons and fighting techniques. But in the end, most of the witchers of the Cat School were still human. All the witchers of the Cat School that Geralt meets are human. If they had some elven genes in them, it was not enough to manifest in their appearance. Brehen, Jad, Gaetan - everything in their physicality points to humans.

Also: in the Polish comic Betrayal, which can be considered at least partially canon because it was created based on Sapkowski's unused idea and the author's notes, all the witchers from the School of the Cat are also human.

Granted, Ireneus (mage who kidnapped Kiyan) mentions in his notes that Kiyan revealed the secrets of his school under torture, and there are many references to the school's ties to elves, but Ireneus doesn't note that Kiyan himself is of elven origin. And we know that he kept his disgusting diary very meticulously. He focused on Kiyan's endurance, and I believe that if Kiyan had elven blood in him, Ireneus would have taken note.

All in all I think it's reasonable to assume that the Cat School didn't mind turning elves into witchers, but the elves were in the minority anyway. So when it comes to the instability of cats, I don't think it's the species that matters. I think it was just their formulas and potions that were bad.

Despite the fall of the Witcher Order, other schools continued to maintain a certain tradition, working with mages on the trials. The Cats, on the other hand, not only murdered their mages, but also accepted badly mutated witchers from other schools into their ranks. Simply put, they didn't care about the technical side of the Trials. They transformed into witchers and accepted anyone, and they did so in a careless manner, without full knowledge of potions of the Grasses.

Anyway, despite my conclusion, I think the Cat School consisting largely of elves is an interesting concept. And I think it can be accepted as canon that they, of all the Witcher schools, probably had the most elves in their ranks, even if I personally believe that elves were not in the majority. Nor even half.

As for Kiyan, he is my beloved son. @gavilansblog and I have written some fix-it fic to save him from the hands of Ireneus. If you're interested, welcome!

Below are some of our works:

Unbury The Gays by Advena87, Gavilan :

Still Here - complete - The first time his friends disappeared, Kiyan was too young to understand.

Decision - complete - Kiyan, a young witcher on the Path, survivor of the pogrom, has a routine contract in a small and inhospitable town. Nevertheless, he decides to visit a local brothel in the hope that he will find nice company there and relax. He finds something completely different.

Who sows the wind, reaps the storm - main story, work in progress - The ruins of the elven palace Est Tayiar in Redania were mentioned several times in the records of the oldest cat school masters as a potential source of exquisite weapons and diagrams, but the records didn’t specify the exact location of the palace or what it had been, exactly, in its heyday. Either way, Kiyan had nothing better to do, except avoid headhunters, so he planned on spending this year on the path searching for treasures.

Mirror - complete - Witcher Kiyan has been saved from the hands of a sadistic mage, but this marks only the beginning of his journey to regain himself.

Dream - complete - Two years after Kiyan's rescue, the nightmares weren’t as vivid and painful as they had been in the beginning, especially with Adrien’s calming, familiar scent and warmth beside him. Calming, that is, except the nights that Adrien also suffered nightmares of his own.

Kadiz - work in progress - Kiyan was counting on a quiet afternoon, but his unpredictable prince decided to surprise him with an extraordinary gift. The witcher immediately sensed trouble, but as usual with Adrien's romantic ideas, it was definitely too late to stop the series of unfortunate events.

Gift - complete - Four years after being kidnapped by the mage, witcher Kiyan tries to lead a normal life on the Path. However, in the middle of the season, an unexpected meeting thwarted his plans.

Persimmons- complete - Kiyan does not need aphrodisiacs, thank you very much, Adrien.

Rendezvous in the woods - complete - The erratic prince insisted on rendezvous in the woods, and Kiyan reluctantly followed him to a secret place. And while Kiyan expected this date to be a dud, he hadn't anticipated the extent to which things could get out of hand.

We also have two fics in Modern AU.

Stray Cat - complete - "If a cat runs away, you should tie a bell around his neck. Then you will always know where he is."

Adrien doesn't know what's going on in Kiyan's life that keeps him running away, but he's determined to keep trying to build something with his mysterious stranger.

Golden Hour - complete - A really difficult client shows up at Kiyan's door. Little does Kiyan know that what seems to be a minor inconvenience will change his life.

98% of our work focuses on the Kiyan/Adrien rare pairing, but you might find something for you here! Either way, if you want to shower Kiyan with love, we are here to cooperate!

Advena (@advena87)

So we know from TW3 storyline with the Mad Witcher Kiyan that a lot of the cat school is made up of Witchers with Elven origins. But I’ve never seen anyone mention that this could be the reason they tend to be more unstable? Essentially they use mutations meant for humans (presumably) on descendants of elves and it’s probably a bit fucked. We know elven and human ancestry can physically mess up a person, like is shown with Yennefer, so were most of these trainees physically disabled in some capacity when they were brought to the Cat School? Is that why more schools didn’t adopt this method? Does it have to do with them being slightly closer to the Source and having a bit of chaos themselves which makes them more prone to mental illness? Thinking of Eskel being shown to have proficiency in signs due to his inclination to magic, it seems unlikely. So it must be something more physical/emotional. I don’t know, just pondering. Also, we under appreciate Kiyan as a fandom, please give this poor lad some love, I beg you.

[little-fae-hero]

Linked Universe, Hero of the Four Swords

My headcanons/au ideas

Art by Atro Avis

Colored Version

Long talk/ideas under the cut. Warning for general violence, soul ripping and death. (Note: I may add stuff overtime but I will never delete from the list).

Twilight. Sky. Legend. Hyrule. Wind. Time. War. Wild.

Four (Minish Cap/Four swords). Other Nicknames: The Smithy, Blacksmith, Short stack, Minish, The Child (hates this), Smith.

Hero Titles: Hero of Hyrule, Hero of the Minish, Hero of the Four Swords, Friend of Shadows, Savor of the Minish Vaati.

God who has claim over his soul: Demise (his hold of the four swords and not breaking his mind shows his power)(Deal with Shadow).

Part of First’s soul: Wisdom/ability to adapt.

History:

Link is just a small boy, his father is a knight, and his grandfather is a blacksmith, the boy is training to be a blacksmith but has learned how to fight by his father. With the festival he and his grandfather are making a special sword for the winner. Meanwhile a little minish named Vaati is corrupted by a dark malice and becomes the villain, turning Ezro into a talking hat and turning Zelda to stone. Link takes his sword and uses Ezro magic to shrink down into the size of a minish to help get into old temples. Link is able to go through the temples and figure out how to stop Vaati and save Zelda. However, he doesn’t kill Vaati, instead it pushes the darkness out of him and locks the darkness away. Minish Vaati is extremely regretful for what happens, crying and everything, it takes Link begging Ezro to not blame the minish.

However the lock on the corrupted doesn’t stay locked for very long. With the help of a dark spirit known as Ganon, Vaati broke out, kidnapping princess Zelda. Link in desperation, pulled the fabled four sword, however the sword broke him into five different pieces, Green, Blue, Red, Vio and the undesirable dark parts, Shadow.

The four are sent on an adventure to rescue their friend Zelda, meanwhile Shadow is taken in by Vaati, slowly being coached into being a monster, one who helps turn Hyrule against the heroes. Vio, playing with his knowledge, joins Shadow's side, mainly to get Shadow to realize what’s going on. However, when Vio realized he didn’t have an option he tried to kill Shadow. Shadow eventually turned against Vaati and Ganon, holding them off for a bit but it eventually ‘killed’ him. They defeated these dark monsters and put the four swords back, but Link was never the same after that. Link made a replica of the four swords, to try and figure out what is wrong with him.

Death: Four knows he will die if he doesn’t fix his soul and ends up hunting for an answer, ending up in an old palace with Shadow. Four’s fractured soul is killing him, Shadow is scared and when a dark voice offers support for one so powerful he survived pulling the four swords, Shadow agrees. With dark magic, Four and Shadow lived but are bound to a dark palace, staying there their soul safe for the one causing it to burn.

Adult timeline: The palace is destroyed in the great flood; the magic being washed away and the soul moves on.

Child timeline: Time takes notice of the Palace but only checks out the front room, however Kishin notices the soul and quickly takes his persona of Oni and reaped them, allowing them to move on.

Downfall timeline: Because of Ganon’s magic takeover of the Palace, feeding deeper the dark magic that protects Four and Shadow. Eventually Legend finds his way to the Palace of the Four Swords. Shadow makes monsters attack Legend and Four is the boss of the dungeon, Legend does win and frees their souls. 

Interesting stuff/Headcanons:

Four was gifted a little minish feather after his adventure, he wears it as an earring.

Becoming minish size through magic allowed him to easily understand and speak their language.

Link was only about 10 years old when he went on this adventure, however the minish magic cursed him, mainly his height. After 6 years he looks like he hasn't grown a day. 

Link forgave the small minish Vaati, he was a bullied minish and was confused by the whispers of dark magic.

However, because of his time as a dark wizard, Vaati was left alone, so he stays with Four. 

Because of this, it doesn’t matter how much of his childhood and innocence is taken away, Four can always see the minish.

When he grabbed the Four sword it actually split him into five parts.

Green was the leadership, thinking cool in battle, the core of Link.

Blue is the courage, bravery, his temper and empathy for friends.

Red is his kindness, compassion, his empathy for strangers.

Vio is his wisdom, logic and just his ability for power.

Shadow is all the negative parts, bitterness, his jealousy and envy, the hatred for having to do these quests. It’s why the magic of the four swords wanted to get rid of him.

When Shadow destroys the dark mirror, it not only ‘destroys’ his form and weakens monster Vaati but makes all the colors scream out in pain.

Four once he puts the sword back is never quite fully right, only realizing the damage after he talks to Minish Vaati.

He’s horrified and tries to look for a way to find or bring back Shadow. Red is hopeful, Vio feels like it’s just wishful thinking.

Shadow is still alive, but now hiding out in four’s shadow, nowhere near enough energy to make a physical form, especially with Four using magic that mirrors the four swords. But using the sword help’s Four have some sense of control.

Missing Shadow, Four cannot feel those missing emotions (like jealousy or bitterness), once where he could feel those, now it’s just empty. Often causing sadness or anger to take its place.

Four is still a blacksmith, after all the bs that he went through, he’s given up any thoughts about being a knight.

Four sometimes stares into mirrors as that is what allowed Shadow to enter the light world, so he hopes that maybe one will allow Shadow to come back.

Because he didn’t spend either of his adventures alone, Four doesn’t like to be alone, generally he will always be around someone.

He’s also a naturally cuddler because of this, so be careful if you fall asleep by him, you may become his teddy bear.

Four seemingly has this weird ability to find small things, like keys or money.

He’s excellent at solving problems between the group, always getting them to talk to each other and hug them out.

Sky once looked at him and started crying, saying he’s sorry about his soul. It very much confused Four, but he knows something up with skyloftan.

Because he can be small, Four also finds out a lot of secrets, he learned about Twi’s secret early on and they decided to keep it between themselves.

Four did tell Time about his ability to split, mainly because some days are bad, and he needs to split and needs someone to cover for him.

Four will typically slip into using We/they pronouns for himself unknowingly. Eventually Time and Twi will say something, and he’ll correct himself.

Four main goal is to find Shadow once again.

---

And my my, who is this very similar looking fellow

[jennamoran]

And Domhnall, famed even in the west, has passed; his grey, war-weary son rules now

Governs a land of teeming beasts and rich black soil Where his vegetables grow;

Ei-eye ei-eye oh

And wandering that place, a thick-tusked boar With thunder-bearing feet,

Gimlet eye, and ancient tread; A monstrous rooting sound

Precedes it; echoes, through that shaded realm; And follows, where that great beast goes;

Ei-eye ei-eye oh

Ah! Domhnall, famed even in the west, has passed! His grey, war-weary son rules now

O’er fields of grain and forests wild Where twisted ranks of brambles grow;

Ei-eye ei-eye oh

And writhing in some jewel-like pond a drake Lifts up its head, and snaps its jaws,

And shakes the earth; and rumbling quake Precedes and follows as it goes;

Ei-eye ei-eye oh.

And monstrous rooting sounds still ring Out here, and there, and everywhere;

Past Domhnall’s grave, across rich land Where yet his willow-bent and stiff-limbed son endures

To reap; to rule; to, of the fates of beasts and men, dispose;

Ei-eye ei-eye oh

The sun has set. Domhnall has passed. His grey, war-weary son rules now

A land of sprawling hills; great-walled paddocks Wherein his silvered cattle low

And groan, to fill the moon-touched air. —there is no end to them

But where night’s grieving edge bears down And silent, eerie deepness grows:

Ei-eye ei-eye oh.

In the dusty wind, the sound of boar fades out.

The drake’s last call rings out, and falls Away; and so it goes:

Ei-eye ei-eye oh.

The light is lost. Domhnall has passed His grey, war-weary son rules now O’er field and drake and boar and cow (with bludgeon, boar-spear, gun, and plough)

And brambled chair to be his throne:

Ah! Ei-eye ei-eye oh.

[tamfana]

Frau Holle

Frau Holle is perhaps one of the most documented and recognizable Continental Deities. There's a lot to cover so you're going to appreciate the Read More link here, but for the uninitiated Frau Holle is in charge of:

The weather, the fae, the wild hunt, death, the milling of souls, beauty, babies, the home, spinning, chores, labor, and a slew of animals like cows and sheep.

In her most popular myth from the Grimm Brothers, she's known for guiding a girl, Marie, through the otherworld. She asks her to do some chores, of which includes shaking out a feather bed to create snow back on earth. Marie is sent home to a shower of gold and riches for her hard work. In some editions of the story, there is another girl who is lazy, and at the end of her journey in the otherworld she's dumped in pitch (sewage).

This is only one of the stories that cements her place as a goddess of weather. Her hair is sunbeams, her laundry is rain, her loom is the rainbow, she breathes the wind, her hearth creates the fog, and her sweeping causes dusty storms.

Her place as a psychopomp- reaping the souls of her dead during the Wild Hunt, causes another story of hers. As she mills the souls, separating their pieces, freeing the consciousness and reusing the soul parts of the ancestors, she also assigns jobs to the dead. In Germanic Paganism, death is not stagnant- the only few who live a lazy afterlife are those who go to Valhof. Her favorite children, her closest devotees, are chosen to cut stars out from the sky. Some hold ladders, some cut and trim with scissors, some sweep the frayed fabric.

The etymology of her name means either "loud, cheery", or "sweet". This is backed up by two things; 1, shes quite a nice lady, and 2, her month is the windy March when her breaths howl through the nights.

In another Myth, Emperor Louis the Pious (Charlemagne's son) Was hunting a white buck when he lost his troupe. He came across a grove where a wild rose bush bloomed. He knelt and prayed to the Virgin Mary that he’d find rescue, and fell asleep doing so. When he woke, there was snow all around him, despite the trees being lush and green. He took this as a sign that Frau Holle was blessing him to build a church to the Virgin Mary there, and the rose bush still stands today as it grows against the chapel in Hildesheim.

Her name bears some resemblance to the Nordic 'huldr', which relates to forest nymphs with cow tails and great beauty, which they hide with veils. Frau Holle is said to be very beautiful, her chief animal is the cow, and her maiden form is typically shown with a veil. However, there is no proof that these two are the same. I take it into consideration because Frau Holle is also a queen of the Fae and Wild Spirits.

Her sacred plant is the elderflower/elderberry bush. It's because of this that Urglaawers and some Hexe are forbidden from cutting the branches of it in fear of offending her. (and because it would rid itself of a very medicinal plant). In fact, the name for Elderflower Bush in German is 'Holunderblute'. Elderberry is just "holunder.'

The colors Blue, White, Red and Gold are chief to her. Blue and White for the snow, Red and Gold for apples (which are a preferred fruit for her, if you wish to give her an offering.) Her feast day is December 24, or Modranicht (mothers night in Germany), but she's also celebrated on Walpurgisnacht or Hexennacht, April 30 evening and morning May 1st, when she takes off for the wild hunt for the Summer. She comes back to stay for the wintertime after Alleleweizel, which is Okt 30-Nov 12.

[mangle-my-mind]

hey could you explain who jack fairy is im stupid and cant figure out why hes such a big character in the fandom

Omg yes absolutely! Thanks for the ask Anon!

Jack Fairy is the fictional originator of glam rock in the VG universe. He's the one who discovers Oscar Wilde's pin (aka the gay alien sex brooch) as a child. The pin is meant to represent an "instinctive need to camp it up", or owning queerness authentically. As an adult, Jack is considered a "true original", the one who inspires the rest of the glam scene.

Jack Fairy is technically a minor character in the film in terms of screentime, but he's very important to the narrative itself. He's at the Sombrero club when Brian and Mandy meet, and where Brian steals the emerald pin from him. While Brian has a meteoric rise, partially on the strength of stealing from/being inspired by Jack, it's implied that Jack never sees that same level of fame. Later, he's living in Berlin and finds Curt there after Curt and Brian break up. The two of them make an album together a la Bowie and Iggy. At the end of the film, Jack performs at the Death of Glitter concert, closing the chapter on the scene which he originated. That's also the pivotal show where Mandy and Curt have a moment, Brian shows up and leaves, and Arthur and Curt get it on on the roof.

I can't speak on behalf of all of fandom, but some of the reasons Jack Fairy is so beloved to me are:

He's one of the most authentic characters in the film. MUCH more authentic than Brian ever is. We see Jack making art out of his pain from childhood. We recognize his constant struggle and need to express himself truly.

He doesn't get the flowers he deserves, which is typical to first movers in pretty much any art form. He's the one who paved the way for glam to flourish, and others stand on his shoulders and claim the accolades.

He falls victim to Brian's ruthless theft multiple times over. (Sorry not sorry, I'm a Brian hater). The pin, the Sombrero club, Mandy, the glitter entourage, his music (I have a headcanon that "2HB" is a Jack Fairy song that Brian covers), etc. I wrote a fic about this concept specifically if you're interested!

He basically helps Curt get over Brian. This is more of a personal headcanon, but at this point I am in too deep to think otherwise. The fact that Curt meets Jack and then they make an album and put on a concert together is an incredible story in and of itself (and as a matter of fact I wrote that too!)

I think in general, smaller characters with a lot of space for exploration are the most fun ones to latch onto in fandom. Jack's storyline has so much potential for further analysis/art/etc. But more specifically to Jack, he is someone deeply rooted in their authenticity who doesn't get to reap the rewards of being himself, compared to those who reap the rewards of putting on an elaborate image (cough cough Brian). It's a tragic arc, which is always fun to fawn over.

Todd Haynes obviously has some great things to say about Jack Fairy, and I made a post last year pulling that together:

I'd also love to tag in Number One Jack Fairy Fan @silverfactory - maybe you have anything you'd like to add?

Sorry that this is so long-winded! I got overly excited :p

[thealmightyemprex]

Watch List-Movie Stars

I recently asked for favorite movie stars and got some interesting answers .....Then got to thinking why not add some of these stars movies to my watch list ,so I added a film each

Vincent Price -Baron of Arizona

Joseph Cotten Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte

Boris Karloff in the Haunted Strangler

Paulette Goddard in Reap the Wild Wind

Marlene Dietrich in Scarlett Empress

Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face

Sidney Poitier in Lilies in the Field

Cary Grant in Suspicion

Buster Keaton in the Camera Man

Special thanks to @the-blue-fairie @alexa-santi-author @edtype @women-in-writing @grctw

@punster-2319 @themousefromfantasyland @amalthea9

@ariel-seagull-wings @theancientvaleofsoulmaking @filmcityworld1

@princesssarisa @florals-cardigan @geeky92

[wearingpants]

"It's Different for her, No one depends on Lenore Dove for their livelihood. She can run as wild as the wind"

Listening to the audiobook of "sunrise on the reaping" and I cannot help but fall in love with Lenore Dove.

As she sings I picture another girl, one with a beautiful tattered dress singing for all the world to hear. If she makes it past reaping age, I hope Lenore Dove learns to sing like her ancestors.

this is the base I used for the poses. I'm getting better on doing them on my own but I am not quite there yet and just wanted to make a quick drawing of her.

[rosegardendeprofundis]

Introduction & Book Review Index

Welcome to my blog! I mostly use this as a reading journal to motivate me to write down my thoughts about the books I read (mostly literary fiction, but I try to branch out as well). That way, in the future, I will remember what I liked/disliked about them. I’ll keep updating this post throughout the year whenever I post a new review to keep things easy to navigate (mostly for myself but also for anyone who has any interest in my thoughts). I am always happy to chat about books I’ve read or get recommendations for books I should read!

2025 Reading Goal: 55/100

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende

Andromeda by Therese Bohman

The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis

Fluids by May Leitz

Educated by Tara Westover

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk

Momo by Michael Ende

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

Definitely Better Now by Ava Robinson

Factotum by Charles Bukowski

Penitence by Kristin Koval

Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer

Meet Kirsten by Janet Beeler Shaw

Kirsten Learns a Lesson by Janet Beeler Shaw

Kirsten’s Surprise by Janet Beeler Shaw

Happy Birthday, Kirsten by Janet Beeler Shaw

Kirsten Saves the Day by Janet Beeler Shaw

Changes for Kirsten by Janet Beeler Shaw

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

MaXXXine by Tim Waggoner

Leading by Example by Kelsey Quinn

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

Child Star: An Autobiography by Shirley Temple Black

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

Poker by Tomaž Šalamun

Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

The Sun Was Electric Light by Rachel Morton

A Hero Born by Jin Yong

A Bond Undone by Jin Yong

Meet Addy by Connie Porter

Addy Learns a Lesson by Connie Porter

Addy’s Surprise by Connie Porter

Happy Birthday, Addy by Connie Porter

Addy Saves the Day by Connie Porter

Changes for Addy by Connie Porter

A Snake Lies Waiting by Jin Yong

Don’t Call it a Cult by Sarah Berman

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Master of Me by Keke Palmer

Alive Day by Karie Fugett

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn

Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid

A Heart Divided by Jin Yong

Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Night of Wishes by Michael Ende

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg

Add me on Goodreads and StoryGraph!

[talonabraxas]

Full Moon in Taurus Talon Abraxas

Super Full Moon in Taurus: Winds of Change

On November 15, 4:28 PM EST, just a few hours after Saturn stationed direct in Pisces, a Super Full Moon at 24º00’ Taurus lights up the night sky. The winds of change are blowing, and this event brings revolutionary energy into our lives, as the Moon is tightly conjunct with Uranus.

This is a Super Full Moon as it happens closer to Earth than usual: besides appearing bigger and brighter than a regular Full Moon, her gravitational pull is stronger then usual and tends to be felt more intensely. This is the last Super Full Moon of the calendar year, and we won’t experience another one until November 5, 2025.

The Taurus Super Full Moon will be particularly relevant for those of us born with planets or angles around the 24º of Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius). The individuals more strongly impacted by the Taurus Full Moon are more likely to experience significant shifts of plans, unexpected changes, and turning points. They will have opportunities to let go of their attachment to something that holds them back from growing and make room for the new and the unfamiliar.

Super Full Moon in Taurus: Revelations and Moments of Clarity

Once a month, when the Moon is fully illuminated by the Sun, we have an opportunity to gain awareness of something we normally can’t see with such clarity. Full Moons are the peak of the lunar cycle, they are a time of culmination and completion, and they offer us chances to reap the rewards of our work and enjoy the fruits of our efforts.

When the Moon is Full, we are more likely to experience some sort of revelation and a-ha moments and come across information that was previously unavailable or unclear. Full Moons always involve an opposition between the Sun and the Moon: oppositions are 180º angles that activate two opposing and complementary signs, exacerbating the polarization and the tension between them.

This month, the Taurus-Scorpio axis is in the spotlight, and this brings our attention to the need to accept the inherent impermanence of life and learn to understand when it is time to hold on to the known and when instead it is time to welcome change and take a leap into the unknown.

Exploring our Resistance to Change

During Scorpio season, a time of the year centered around embracing the cycles of life, transforming from the inside out, and diving into the depths of our unconscious fears, taboos, and complexes, the Taurus Full Moon shines a light on the value of simplicity. This event invites us to stay grounded and connected with our physical bodies and emphasizes our need for comfort, stability, and security.

In Taurus, the Moon is traditionally said to be exalted, as this sign is deeply attuned to the survival instinct and aware of the body’s rhythms, sensations, and needs on a moment-to-moment basis. Taurean qualities such as the need for stability and the tendency to resist change become heightened when the Moon is here. Since the Moon has to do with our basic security needs, when she travels through the sign of the Bull we feel a stronger desire to protect and maintain the structures that make us feel safe and secure.

The current Full Moon in Taurus amplifies the inherent tension of the Taurus-Scorpio polarity, the neverending push and pull between the impulse to evolve and the instinct to resist change, between the drive to transform and the need to preserve, between building foundations and destroying them to make room for growth. Uranus’ prominence in this configuration adds a unique element of surprise and unpredictability to the mix.

Full Moon conjunct Uranus: Wild Card

A lot is going on in the heavens these days and just a few days before Pluto’s final ingress into Aquarius, a Full Moon in Taurus conjunct Aquarius’ ruler Uranus shakes up our lives and revolutionizes our reality, pushing us past our resistance to change.

This Taurus Full Moon is a wild card, likely to come with a fair share of surprises, shifts of plans, and unexpected turns of events. While Taurus can be considered the most stability-oriented sign of the Zodiac, Uranus, also referred to as the Great Awakener, is all about change, innovation, progress, and rebellion from the status quo.

When Uranus is conjunct with the Moon, the winds of change are blowing in unpredictable ways. We tend to experience sudden disruptions to our comfort zone, erratic and volatile emotions, and a significant surge in our need for freedom, independence, and authentic living. This configuration emphasizes the desire to rebel from constriction, injustice, andstagnation, and pushes us to leave behind our attachment to comfort zones that no longer allow us to grow and progress.

Many of us are likely to experience sudden flashes of genius, downloads, and access insights and a-ha moments that mark a before and after in our lives. Many will experience breakthroughs and turning points, many will feel drawn to make radical changes in their reality and revolutionize their lives according to what is true for them.

Uranus is all about rebellion from conditioning and from the status quo: because of Uranus’ prominence, this Full Moon will inspire us to follow our unique path even when it differs from the majority, even when it doesn’t conform to what is expected of us.

Full Moon trine Pluto and sextile Neptune

The Full Moon in Taurus is harmonically aligned with both Pluto, at 29º Capricorn, and Neptune, at 27º Pisces. The activation of all three transpersonal planets (Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) suggests that this Full Moon is likely to have a significant impact on global affairs and collective issues.

The Full Moon’s trine to Pluto and sextile to Neptune both support our ability to tap into our intuition, access our sixth sense, and open the doors of perception. Pluto’s influence motivates us to explore the shadow aspects of our psyche and the world around us and challenges us to recognize collective shadows in ourselves. The Moon-Pluto trine helps us access a deeper understanding of our and others’ underlying motives, desires, and needs.

Neptune’s subtle, mystical, dreamlike energy enhances our capacity for empathy and compassion while increasing our awareness of our interconnectedness as well as our ability to feel the collective emotional body and the emotions of the people around us.

Venus is squaring the Moon’s Nodes

Venus is the planetary ruler of Taurus, hence she rules this Full Moon: studying her condition gives us more information about the energy of this event and how it will manifest. Venus is in Capricorn, a sign where she is reminding us of the value of commitment, reliability, and integrity. In Capricorn, Venus is not particularly romantic but, since Capricorn is an Earth sign, she is strongly connected with the physical body and the five senses.

Venus is currently squaring the Nodes of the Moon in Libra and Aries. When planets square the Lunar Nodes, they are also referred to as “skipped steps”, which means they highlight developmental wounds from our childhood or karmic issues we carry from past lives that are keeping us from further growth. Around the time of this Full Moon, we experience the push and pull between the familiar ways of relating to others and the desire to establish new patterns and evolve.

This configuration is an opportunity for us to gain awareness of the root of repetitive cycles that we tend to get trapped in over and over again and understand in what ways we need to mature. In Capricorn, Venus squaring the Nodes can highlight the need to heal from a disconnection from pleasure and the body linked to societal and familial conditioning. Financial issues can also come into the spotlight around this time, offering us opportunities to work on deep-seated beliefs about abundance, scarcity, and our worth.

Super Full Moon in Taurus: Staying Grounded Amidst Turbulence

As the Full Moon in Taurus peaks, Mars and Pluto are still opposing each other. Mars is now in Leo but moving slightly slower than usual due to his upcoming retrograde, starting on December 6. The Mars-Pluto opposition keeps highlightingthe tension between our egoic urges, desires, and needs and the evolutionary impulses and desires coming directly from our Soul. We are traversing a collective evolutionary threshold, and Uranus’ activation on this Full Moon can bring shocking and unforeseen turns of events that push us to evolve and change before we feel ready for it.

The pace of events and of our collective evolution will dramatically accelerate with Pluto’s ingress into Aquarius, and this Full Moon is preparing the stage for it. These days, something may shake us from complacency and challenge us to adapt quickly.

The Taurus Full Moon invites us to refine our ability to stay grounded amidst turbulence and connect with a feeling of inner steadiness and calm even when everything around us is changing rapidly and unexpectedly. This event highlights the need to practice staying present and in our bodies regardless of what is going on in our external reality. -Moon Omens

[bestsynthpop]

Synthpop B-Sides tournament

B-Sides Bracket 2

[godsofhumanity]

BOOKS IX | HOMER'S ODYSSEY | LITERATURE REVIEW

SUMMARY: In Book IX, Odysseus reveals his name and recounts his recent turmoils to King Alcinous. He begins with his travels to Ismarus, and then his visit to the land of the Lotus-Eaters. In the land of the Cyclopes, Odysseus outsmarts Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, thereby incurring Poseidon's wrath.

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OKAY. so in the last book, King Alcinous of the Phaecians is entertaining Odysseus, and now, in Book IX, the meal draws to an end and it is FINALLY time for Alcinous to enquire who exactly Odysseus is... remembering, of course, that until this time, Alcinous has blindly served Odysseus without knowing his name, as the laws of xenia demand.

so.. Book IX begins with Odysseus saying, "yep, i am ODYSSEUS!" and he immediately launches into a huge story about what happened after Troy.

REPETITION: Number 9

i think the number one thing that stood out to me about Odysseus' odyssey (hee hee) is the repeated mentioning of the number 9.

when Odysseus leaves Ismarus, his crew is lost at sea for 9 days:

"I was driven thence by foul winds for a space of nine days upon the sea, but on the tenth day we reached the land of the Lotus-eaters..." (Odysseus, Book IX)

later, when Odysseus leaves Aeolus' island, again, he travels for 9 days:

"Nine days and nine nights did we sail, and on the tenth day our native land [Ithaca] showed on the horizon." (Odysseus, Book X)

and again, when Odysseus goes through the whirlpool of Charybdis, he is stranded for 9 days:

"Hence I was carried along for nine days till on the tenth night the gods stranded me on the Ogygian island..." (Odysseus, Book XII)

now, obviously, not ALL of Odysseus' inter-island travels took 9 days-- when he leaves Aeolus for the second time, it only takes him 6 days to get to the city of Telepylus.

but i still find it fascinating that at least three times, Odysseus is stranded for 9 days. we KNOW that the number 3 = the fates, so i feel the repetition of the number 9 three times here also sort of represents that this journey really was fated for Odysseus.

METAPHORS: Lotus-eaters, Memory & Loyalty

another interesting thing to note is Odysseus' encounter with the Lotus-eaters.

the Lotus-eaters are probably referring to inhabits of the island of Djerba, which is where modern-day Tunisia (in N. Africa) is.

now, i've written many times previously about the role of memory in helping to maintain "loyalty"... specifically, Penelope tries to shut the bard up so that she won't be reminded of Odysseus, but Telemachus forces her to listen so that she will think of Odysseus and be true to him.

here, the lotus fruit/flower that Odysseus' men eat takes away memory. it represents the same temptation that Penelope had with the bard, but this time, it's a temptation for Odysseus-- a chance for him to forget his troubles (and therefore his home).

but Odysseus, luckily, sees through the appeal of the flower and refuses it, and doing so, he saves many of his men and gets a little bit closer to Ithaca.

CONTRAST: Civilised Men vs. Wild Cyclopes

Book 9 ends with the infamous tale of Odysseus and Polyphemus.

we get a really nice description of the "untamed" cyclopes:

"...we came to the land of the lawless and inhuman Cyclopes. Now the Cyclopes neither plant nor plow, but trust in providence, and live on such wheat, barley, and grapes as grow wild without any kind of tillage... They have no laws or assemblies of the people, but live in caves... they take no account of their neighbors." (Odysseus, Book IX)

anyone who has read Hesiod's Theogony will recall that Zeus' lightning bolts were forged by Arges, Brontes, and Steropes, the three Cyclope-sons of Ouranos and Gaia. in Hesiod's version, the Cyclopes are highly intelligent AND respected by Zeus and the other gods...

but here, Homer offers a picture of the Cyclopes as wild and savage. they're not intelligent (suggested by the absence of agricultural practices like sowing and reaping, and then confirmed later by Polyphemus' folly in falling for Odysseus' trick).

interestingly, Homer also suggests that one of the reasons why the Cyclopes are so wild is because they don't have any sense of community:

"...each is lord and master in his family, and they take no account of their neighbors." (Odysseus about the Cyclopes, Book IX)

this is further supported later on; when Polyphemus realises Odysseus' trick, he even wails to the other Cyclopes and they simply laugh... they don't rally together to try and fight the intruders.

something i find contradicting is that, when Odysseus enters Polyphemus' cave, Polyphemus is actually quite organised and neat:

"His cheese-racks were loaded with cheeses... [the lambs and kids] were kept in separate flocks... As for his dairy, all the vessels, bowls, and milk pails into which he milked were swimming with whey..." (Odysseus describing Polyphemus' cave, Book IX)

now, i don't really know what Odysseus was expecting to find,, but the picture painted here seems quite neat and... civilised to me. there is a storage area for the food, the animals are kept in proper pens, and they're even segregated according to sex and maturity.

we don't get a description of the other Cyclopes' homes, but my guess is that, being the son of Poseidon, having godly blood in him, i think that Polyphemus is a little different to the other Cyclopes... i think there is a feeling that perhaps he is a little more intelligent and crafty than his brethren owing to his divine ancestry.

but of course, it is not greater than Odysseus' own boon.

CONTRAST: Differences between the Iliad and the Odyssey

another interesting thing in Book 9 is the wine that Odysseus takes to Polyphemus' cave... well, not the wine itself, but the story of how Odysseus got it.

back in Ismarus, when Odysseus sacks the city, he comes upon a priest of Apollo and he respects him and does NOT kill either him, his wife, or his child. he steers CLEAR. in return, Marus gives him some gifts.

now, take a moment to go back to Book 1 of the Iliad:

"[Apollo] was angry with [Agamemnon] and sent a pestilence... because the son of Atreus had dishonoured Chryses, his priest." (Book I, the Iliad)

Agamemnon's men, when face-to-face with the priest of Apollo, pay no heed to his holy status and sack him, taking his daughter away from him. swiftly, Apollo responds in full, plaguing the men with severe pestilence.

Odysseus, in the Odyssey, demonstrates his intelligence and cunning but learning from Agamemnon's mistake. he sees Marus, priest of Apollo, and leaves him well alone!!

Odysseus' knowing when to fight and when not to fight is something that really sets him apart from the rashness and ego of the other heroes.

of course, this is not always true of Odysseus' character. like all the other heroes before him, he's not infallible. with Polyphemus' story, Odysseus it seems that Polyphemus' curse that he should have a very difficult time getting back to Ithaca on himself-- his men beg him not to taunt Polyphemus, but Odysseus, full of pride and ego, ignores them:

"'Do not,' they exclaimed, 'be mad enough to provoke this savage creature further.' But I would not listen to them, and shouted out to [Polyphemus] in my rage [more taunts]. ... On this he lifted up his hands to the firmament... and prayed, saying: 'Hear me, great Poseidon! ... if [Odysseus] must get back to his friends at last, let him do so late and in sore plight after losing all his men. Let him reach his home in another man's ship and find trouble in his house.'" (Book IX)

now, a new question is raised-- is Odysseus' journey fated? is he just doing exactly what the gods always intended? or was Odysseus' journey a product of free-will exercised? was it Odysseus' actions that caused Polyphemus' curse which resulted in things going the way they did?

i personally think that Homer is keeping the idea of predetermination vs. free will intentionally vague. i think he doesn't really ascribe to any one notion-- both are important, and both come up in their own time during the story.

in Book X, we'll see Odysseus visiting Aeolus and receiving the bag of winds that SHOULD, if all goes to plan, send Odysseus and crew straight back home to Ithaca (spoiler: things do NOT go to plan!).

[burins]

@mengyao and @bao3bei4 did a 20 questions meme and y'all know I love a meme.

1. How many works on AO3?

72! a wild number. I thought about stopping at 69 but the lure of posting is too great.

2. Total word count on AO3?

334,157. which frankly also feels surreal. at some point I have to recognize that I've been in fandom for almost 15 years and thus have amassed a pretty substantial word count despite almost never writing longfic!

3. Top five fics by kudos?

unfurl

mission parameters

everybody says

flash in the pan 

field research 

shocking no one, these are all DC fics, but they're not all the ones I would assume would be the most popular (field research is straight up sex club idfic porn!) I try very hard not to write with a capital-A audience in the back of my head aside from like, a handful of friends I know will yell at me about certain lines because a) that's a surefire way for writing to not be fun anymore and b) you simply can't know what is gonna get recced on some massive server you've never heard of and what is going to be the sleeper fave of like five really dedicated commenters.

this wasn't asked but it feels important: as of right now 666 people are subscribed to me. great number everyone can pack up and go home!

4. What fandoms do you primarily write for?

DC at this point, aside from my yearly excursion back into Friends at the Table for the Secret Samol exchange. I have to be careful enough with how and when I write that I don't know when I'll be able to answer the call of a new fandom. I'd like to write more HxH stuff, though! 

5. Do you respond to comments?

if it's a substantial comment I really try to! comments bring me a tremendous amount of joy and I love to talk about my own writing (clearly.) I usually do in batches so it takes quite a while.

6. Angstiest ending?

one time I wrote a fic where one half of the pairing asked her wife to murder her, and her wife did <3 

7. Fic with the happiest ending?

god. I feel like I so rarely write a completely uncomplicated happy ending, because all the characters I like to write are kind of miserable people. actually if we're not counting fluff or porn, which don't so much have a happy ending as start there and stay there, the answer to this one in terms of biggest distance from beginning to end is breath hot blood red. this is the fic where Bruce makes a deal with a Creature and reaps the consequences. you might think a fic with these particular tags could not possibly have a happy ending but it does! I think Bruce setting aside the cowl is actually the happiest ending he is ever going to get. I really waffled on whether to give him one tbh. in an alternate universe Dick dies on that rooftop and Batman eats Bruce alive :)

8. Do you get hate?

not particularly! I was worried when I started posting jaydick but tbh I've gotten weirder comments about how I characterize superbat lol. sorry I do not believe that two men with this many neuroses are always nice to each other. I'm including Clark in that too if you think that man escaped growing up an alien in small town Kansas with no psychological damage in how he treats himself and others I don't know what to tell you. yes he's superman yes self sacrifice and caring are at the very core of his being and yes that causes problems! it is difficult to be in love with someone who will always put the world's needs above your own even if you know they're right to do so; it's also difficult, in a very mundane way, to be in love with someone who would rather chew their own arm off than ask for something.

9. Do you write smut?

do I ever! I love writing porn. I think it's a great way to get at the root of how characters relate to each other and a fun writing exercise for me, who at this point has written a lot of porn, to figure out how to make this one feel fresh and new and also still be hot. sometimes when this happens you wind up writing chair kink. I can talk about character relationships all day long but at the end of the day it has to be hot!

10. Do you write crossovers?

aside from my one mdzs locked tomb au, which is more of a sci fi fusion that riffs off of one specific premise in that series, no! it's not usually something I'm super interested in - the reason I write fic for any canon is the juice in the existing character relationships, so I don't generally feel the need to pull in anyone else. 

11. Ever had a fic stolen?

not to my knowledge! I mean I'm sure they've all been scraped but. :(

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes! itsuki_minatsu did a Mandarin translation of take a pic, strike a pose and I only wish I could read it because I bet the translations of the group chat are really funny. 

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

also yes! not in years though. I cowrote an ungodly amount of porn about ttrpg OCS in the process of getting together with my spouse (and also meeting many beloved friends.) I do often get inspiration from riffing off of things with friends on social media or in group chats, which has some of the same juice to me!

14. All time favorite ship?

truly not a question I can answer. I go back and read for a lot of old fandoms!

15. WiPs you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

this is a bit of a depressing question at this juncture so I am skipping it ✌️

16. Writing strengths?

due to my years in the Twitter mines making my friends sad via 140 characters or less I can create atmosphere quite quickly! I'm proud of my prose in general, and I put a lot of thought into creating meaty characters that bounce off each other in satisfying ways.

17. Writing weaknesses?

plot. oh my god. you want me to keep track of these people's emotions AND make up things to happen? there's a reason I've written a grand total of five fics that broke 10k and it's not just because I have chronic pain in my arms.

18. Thoughts on mixed language dialogue?

I know enough about how being multilingual works to know I won't be attempting it. The exception is I don't tend to translate titles or words that normally wouldn't be translated in an English sentence. I'm not out here making Lan Wangji play the zither.

I did have to go kind of the opposite direction in from the inside of the wound when Clark and Kara are speaking in Kryptonian, though, because a) I wanted their conversation to be entirely in Kryptonian but English for the reader because b) I can't be going into the conlang mines. I have utmost respect for folks like blorb-el who are out here doing the work! but once I cross that Rubicon I never come back and I need to save my language learning juice for languages that will help me out at work. I think I managed it with a minimum of awkwardness!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

warrior cats baybee! I was a proboards forum kid.

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

impossible question, I answer it differently every time. I think how cleanly how quietly might be one of my faves because Tim has historically been difficult for me to write and I wanted to make Bruce an unreliable narrator who's clearly in the wrong here while still making him not totally unsympathetic. (the comments section to that one kind of bears up my suspicion that your reaction to that fic is a litmus test for how you feel about your dad.) also I got to throw in a ton of Easter eggs which was simply so fun for me, a person who adores coming up with silly little details. 

also tbh I think every year I do a secret Samol it comes out better than the last. some of my absolute best writing has been read by several dozen very dedicated people who are still into hieron six years after it ended. and for that I say thank you!!! friends at the table is your favorite writer's favorite writing. they're starting a new season now you can get in on the ground floor- 

tagging: if you want to do this, you should tag me in it. for real, I mean that, I want to hear how you think about writing! even if we aren't mutuals!!!!