#seriously what’s up with the Celtic pronunciations?? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

margridarnauds · 1 month

Note

What's your opinion on Mad Sweeney in American Gods TV series?

He seems like a good starting point to many things about Irish mythology and history and its perception and I'd love to know your opinion, if you're willing to share.

Oh, god, so this is going to be complicated (I'm having another rough evening, so I'm finally getting to the backlog.)

First off, let me be honest about this: My standards for medieval Irish lit adaptations are high. Potentially too high. I try to acknowledge what any adaptation is trying to do, whether the execution lives up to the intent, what I think they do that's innovative, and what they do that isn't, but the truth is that I have very, very high standards for this. Especially for Lugh and CMT, because even though Bres is my baby, Lugh is too. I make fun of him, but he's almost as much a part of me at this point as Bres is. I've had over a decade to form a close attachment to him and think about what I'd like to do with him. This is important because...I distinctly remember being a teenager on here, seeing a bunch of adult academics on here act like they were the supreme authorities and objectively right on how to adapt these things, and getting very intimidated about...doing anything with these things. (Also see: The reason why I stopped interacting with Arthuriana and Greek Mythology after I was, like, 20 -- it got very exhausting to make sure that all your headcanons followed other people's headcanons.) And I don't want to do that. I am going to try very hard to not repeat the sins of the past.

Let me be honest with a second thing: In my opinion, it is nigh impossible to adapt medieval Irish lit. Or, rather, to adapt it in a way that's both relatively accurate to the cultural nuances while also being satisfying. Any of the Mythological Cycle, Ulster Cycle, or Fenian Cycle, because there's a whole cultural context to these things that isn't always immediately obvious, and unless you have an intricate understanding of it, you're going to fail. And I'm not just saying it as an elitist academic: I'm saying it as someone who once SWORE I was going to create the Most Accurate Irish Mythology Adaptation...and then ended up getting three degrees and working on a fourth in order to achieve it, STILL not feeling like I can do the source material justice. Medieval Irish texts aren't long, but they are DENSE, and it's very easy to end up tangled in them if you aren't careful. Rick Riordan did an online MA in Celtic Civilisation at UCC and spent time in the Gaeltacht learning the Irish language, got accepted into a PhD program at Harvard before he had to pull out. Like...that's what this material demands. Not requests, demands. All this to say...I wouldn't say it's a value judgement, on a whole, if a given adaptation stumbles.

So, onto the actual question:

Here are the cons, as I'm rewatching his flashback scene. On the record: I don't like it.

Let's go into why I don't like it, so we can see whether this is me being Me or not. First of all: Sweeney/Lugh blames " Mother Church" for turning them into "fairies and saints and dead kings" -- this is a popular misconception, especially if you run around in pagan circles, and it enjoyed a level of popularity in the field itself up until the 1980s. That being said, current research in the field generally focuses on reminding people that literally *all the material we have about the Tuatha Dé from medieval Ireland was written by Christians*. Christians who CARED about reconciling their own traditions with the doctrine that they loved dearly. In other words...Mother Church saved Lugh's ass. Also, the idea that Leprechauns are descended from Lugh, which...no one seriously believes in the field and is kind of embarrassing in there considering how widely debunked it is.

As a side note, it's understandable why they use the modern Irish pronunciation for both "Lugh" and "Tuatha Dé Danann" (never a term I use, btw), but it throws me off.

Then, the voiceover from Thoth.

"You were the god of the sun, of luck, of craft, art, of everything valuable to civilization. 'The Shining One', they called you. You saved your people from their old enemy, the Fomorians. 'Lamfhada' they called you, 'long hand', for your skill with your spear...but the Tuatha Dé Danann were scientists and artists. The Fomorians were madmen. Monstrous beings that came from under the sea, under the ground, under the surface of things. Nightmares. The madness. It came from him. Your father's father. One eyed Balor of the Fomorians...He tried to kill you. He heard prophecy that his grandson would kill him so he rounded up all his grandchildren and drowned them all in the lake but, you survived, like you always do."

Overall...I don't love it. It's a very generic look at Lugh and a very generic look at the Fomoiri, which really focuses on the idea of the Fomoiri as an Evil Race, while the Tuatha Dé are the Ideal Logical Aryans, with the Fomoiri being the one to "infect" the Tuatha Dé with their evil, evil genes which cause everything wrong. It ignores the nuances that actually exist in CMT (Tethra isn't Indech isn't Balor isn't Bres). The reference to Balor killing his grandchildren is in the later folk tradition, not from the medieval text. Most importantly, the notion of Lugh as a "sun god" is something that's not GENERALLY believed, or at least not something that's taken for granted as true anymore. In general, if I was to assign Lugh to a FUNCTION, and this is something that I feel like is a CRUCIAL thing to miss, is that Lugh Is Social Order. He is the barometer that you can use to judge how a given writer views Irish society. He is a savior, he's pragmatic, he's ruthless. He's striking, like a cut diamond that, every single time you look at him, you see a new facet of him, catching the light just so.

All that aside, the flashback is really unfortunately racially coded in a way I really don't like.

The Fomoiri being depicted as dark to the Tuatha Dé being fair skinned is one of my LEAST favorite adaptation decisions, and it's one I see unfortunately frequently. (The one detailed description we get of a Fomorian, in CMT? IS BLOND. AND HOT.) While Lugh is depicted as a stereotypical Celtic warrior, with the red hair (which...there is no depiction of the TDD that is WRONG, but redhaired Lugh bores me), torque and the woad body paint (which is NOT something that we have any record of the Irish doing.) There are some later descriptions of the Fomoiri coming from Africa, but...if we DO make that decision? WHY IS LUGH WHITE? (Also it annoys me that Balor is described as "Lugh's father's father" -- like, it's a petty complaint, but it's erasing Lugh's mother and his heritage from her, especially when the battlefield is all men in the flashback. It's a very macho version of CMT that I don't like and, again, misses that Lugh isn't (just) a Macho Warrior -- he's also society. That includes the part of society that includes women.) (Lugh is not a misogynist...even though he has a bad history with his wives cheating on him...he IS a classist. He hates all poor people equally.)

Anyway:

Here are the pros:

So, I've just said that this depiction was simplistic, racist, and not particularly accurate to the spirit of Lugh from the medieval texts, even if it technically gets the overall details (Lugh Defends TDD From Grandfather) right. What DO I like about it?

...I do like that it actually sheds a spotlight on Lugh. I like seeing my funny little guy around. And, really...as picky as I am...I HAVE to be grateful for what we get, because that IS the state the field's in, even as I resent that we can't ASK for more. Lugh has never become RIDICULOUSLY popular in Ireland, or anywhere else in the world, with the Nationalist movement skipping over him almost entirely, in contrast to figures like Cú Chulainn and Fionn who are recognizable. I think it's good to get people interested in this sort of thing, though I think the issue is that it doesn't really encourage people to do more, since it's...the same old misconceptions as always, the same things I was reading fifteen years ago, the same simplistic binaries, in an era where we have a lot more material that IS publicly available and, frankly, they had the budget to consult an actual Celticist. It feels like, for a series that, overall, was praised for going beyond the stereotypes of these mythical figures, it's kind of a letdown. I think they could have definitely done better tbh.

#long post #lugh mac ethlenn

9 notes · View notes

johannestevans · 4 years

Text

Books To Return

The head librarian at the magical library in Llandeilio has a new admirer.

Just a cute pair of trans dudes flirting! Little bit of humour, little bit of slice-of-life, side of magical realism. Rated T, 4k. For Tinybroccoli11.

Please reblog if you enjoy it!

Jay Henderson walked into the library for the first time at five minutes past five o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon. He walked very stiffly, holding his shoulders squarely, dragging his feet slightly as he moved. He was a large man with a rounded, barrel chest and belly, a wide waist, short, and although a green flannel shirt was tied around his waist, he wore a black vest, and his bare arms, which were trunk thick, fat layered over muscle, and the left was covered over with an intricate sleeve, black ink showing a complicated design of trees in blossom.

That was the first thought Andras had, when he first looked at him, that his arms looked good, strong – sexy.

The second thought he had was that they were both smeared with a dark, rusty red substance he was fairly certain was blood.

Jay walked up to the desk – at that moment, Andras didn’t even know his name was Jay, wasn’t sure of his pronouns either, actually, because he didn’t wear a badge, didn’t have anything visible to give much of a hint. He wore his hair cut very short, shaved to a four, had a stretcher through one ear and a ring through the opposite eyebrow, had round, plump cheeks that were a healthy pink and scattered with freckles, had a round jaw.

But he walked up to the desk.

“Good afternoon,” Andras said quietly, and Jay – the person, as yet unidentified – put his hands on the front of the desk, looked at Andras seriously, leaned on the surface as though it were the only thing holding him up. “How may I help?”

“Good afternoon,” Jay said. His voice was pitched low, but came from the throat, and lacked resonance: there was a natural huskiness to it that Andras hoped didn’t come from cigarettes, even though it was none of his business, because he couldn’t help but wonder, in the moment, what this person’s mouth tasted like.

Professionalism at its finest.

Andras waited patiently as the person turned over one of his hands, which were plump and somewhat smaller than Andras would have expected, and squinted at his palm. Andras saw the ink smudged on the skin, and after a moment of staring at it, his lips moving, Jay said, “Do you have any books on… goy-ber?”

Jay had an English accent, and it was plain he struggled with the pronunciation, but it was close enough for someone trying their best.

“Gwybr?” Andras offered.

Jay nodded.

It was quiet in the library – the stream of children after school had already come in, and most of them had left again now. There’d be another little boost of foot traffic in the next twenty or thirty minutes, but for the time being, it would remain as quiet as this.

“Let me show you,” Andras said, and stepped out from behind the central information desk. For a moment, Jay didn’t move, just stayed there, eye-level as he was with Andras’ chest, and stared, sight-unseeing, forward at him. “This way,” Andras prompted, feeling the back of his neck prickle with uncomfortable heat even though there was nothing to look at anymore, and Jay looked up at his face.

“Yeah,” he said, and followed dumbly behind as Andras led him through magical fauna, to dragonology, to dragons of Cymru-Loegr.

“Most of the reference material will show the gwybr under G – the gwybr is not the same as the common white dragon, but a subspecies of the Celtic water dragon, if that helps any.”

Jay stared at him for a moment. He had nice eyes, a sort of dirty, mottled green colour, like pears rotting in long grass. For a moment, Andras wondered if perhaps he hadn’t heard, but then he said, in the tone of one exhausted, “Right. Thanks,” and Andras gave a curt nod, and stepped away.

There was reshelving still to be done, but by the time he’d gotten back to the desk, one of the other librarians – Becca – had already taken off the rolling shelf to reshelve from, and so Andras sat back down at the desk, answering a few administrative emails in between answering queries as people dripped into the building from the rain outside.

At six-twenty-six, Jay shuffled to the desk, and placed six books on the counter.

“I’m afraid I can’t loan these to you,” Andras said, sliding his fingers over the two books at the base of the pile, heavy books with hard backs. “They’re reference books, and need to remain in the library. Both of them, however, are on our website, and can be perused at your leisure if you log in with your library ID.”

“Right,” was the response. “Um, I don’t have a… I moved out here last week, I don’t have a library card. Could I, uh, could I sign up?”

“Of course,” Andras said, and took the form out.

His name was Jay Henderson, and he lived on Coral Avenue, in Blodwyn’s Arcade. His proof of address was a letter notifying him of his appointment to the Llandeilo Magical Wildlife Centre. He was unmarried and unattached: he lived alone, and had two cats.

“Thank you, Andras,” he said, when he had been given his library card, and had his books safely nestled under his coat, to protect them from the rain as he walked out to his car. “Um. Dylch.”

The single syllable, incorrect as it was, pronounced with inordinate effort, charmed without meaning to, and Andras felt himself smile. “Diolch yn fawr,” he said mildly. “A croeso.”

Jay stared at him, but then gave a stout nod of his head, and buttoned his coat closed.

Andras stared after him, and permitted himself precisely three seconds to glance down at the wide curve of Jay Henderson’s arse, wrapped tightly as it was in plum-coloured trousers.

Then, Mrs Evans – their final patron of the evening – came to take home her latest three torrid romance novels, and Andras smiled at her, and put the books on her card.

Jay Henderson returned on the following Tuesday, directly from work: the cut under his eye was fresh, and still bleeding. Andras abandoned the books he was due to reshelve, took the other man gently by the wrist, which was strong and warm and livid under his fingers, and led him aside, into the small kitchenette where a kettle and sink were settled for patrons to make tea.

Jay said nothing as he watched Andras reach for the first aid kit, and when Andras gave a gesture of one hand, he obediently tilted his head back, letting Andras rub an antiseptic wipe over the cut, although it must have stung, because he hissed quietly in pain.

“This will feel warm,” Andras said, “but it won’t hurt.”

Jay furrowed his brow, but didn’t say anything still as Andras murmured a few words under his breath, and gently drew his thumb over the borders of the cut, watching its soft glow as the parted skin was knitted close together again,

“Andras,” Jay said. “Am I saying that right?”

“You think there is another way to say it?” Andras asked as he packed the antiseptic away, and Jay watched him as he zipped up the first aid kit, setting it back into its cupboard.

“I like your pronoun badge,” Jay said lowly, and Andras turned to glance at him. Jay was looking at him, at Andras’ ankles, his calves and thighs, his arse, his waist, his shoulders. When Jay met Andras’ gaze, having looked all the way up again, Andras raised an eyebrow, and watched the colour glow, plainly visible, in Jay’s cheeks. “Not many cis guys would wear them.”

“All of our staff wear pronoun badges,” Andras said, in a tone of easy deflection. “You have books to return?”

“Yeah.”

Andras paused a moment as Jay got to his feet. Once more, Jay looked at his chest, and once more, Andras felt a prickling discomfort, the ghost of past outward perception, but he was aware, logically, that his chest was naturally where Jay’s gaze fell. The height difference between them was really that extreme – and not at all, in Andras’ mind, a deterrent.

“You don’t talk much, do you?” Andras asked, allowing his lip to curve up in a half-smile, and Jay looked up at him, his lips parting slightly.

“I don’t speak Welsh,” he said.

“We’re speaking English,” Andras reminded him.

“Nobody else is,” Jay said. “In the mundane side, there’s more English, but um. But everyone speaks Welsh. In the magical side, mostly. And this is a magical library. Fluffergeff.”

Andras said, “Llyfrgell.”

“I can do a lot of stuff with my mouth, Andras,” said Jay. “I can’t do that.”

“A lot of stuff, huh?” asked Andras.

Jay’s red cheeks glowed, but he smiled, too.

Andras led him to the desk, so that he could return his books.

Over the coming weeks, Jay Henderson came into the library every two or three days. Typically, he was bruised and battered, but the injuries were never extreme, and only one or two warranted a small sidebar in the kitchenette, where Andras could administer some minor care.

“What made you choose this line of work?” Andras asked on one such occasion, when Jay had a nasty graze down one calf, the result of falling down a steep embankment after a deer – a mundane deer – had given him a shock when he’d been scattering fruit pieces for the sprites in the wood. “You don’t seem to be very good at it.”

“I thought it would be easier,” Jay admitted.

“You don’t say?” Like this, Andras was down on one knee, and although Jay shivered as Andras gently dragged a gloved hand over the skin, taking up the dust and mud with an antiseptic wipe. Some of the blood had dried, but at the deepest parts, the wounds still bled slightly, and Andras was gentle about knitting them closed.

“I am good at it though,” Jay murmured. “I used to work on the reserve at the Palace.”

Andras had never been to the Palace. It was somewhere in the Midlands of Loegr, slap-bang in the centre of the biggest magical forestry reserve across the two kingdoms – he knew that they were behind a lot of other countries in the existence of magical reserves, but of course, the king had to be safely in the midst of one.

“Ah,” Andras murmured. “You’re used to somewhat tamer animals than this.”

“No, they’re not, uh, tamer,” Jay said, his eyes fluttering closed as Andras gently drew a little piece of stone out from a cut before he healed it again. “It’s their proximity to the king. Even in a coma, he releases a kind of, um, a kind of aura, I guess? The king regent has it too. All the creatures of Cymru-Loegr pledged loyalty to the king, once, before the Battle of Camlan – not the fae, but all the magical animals from, you know, this dimension.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“A lot of people don’t,” Jay said softly.

“You met the king regent?”

“Yeah,” Jay said.

“Goodness,” Andras said softly, leaning back on his heels. “And you gave up that for this?”

“It’s been alright so far,” Jay said, and Andras felt himself grin as he stood to his feet, removing his gloves and washing his hands. “There’s first aiders in the centre, you know.”

“And?”

Jay opened his mouth, then closed it. He was looking somewhere in the vicinity of Andras’ belly instead of at his face. “Nothing.”

Jay Henderson liked coffee, but not tea. When Andras mentioned how he took his own tea – milk, two sugars, Jay took to bringing some in with him from the café up the road before he came into the library.

The junior librarians commented on it, of course – it wasn’t often Andras made all that nice with anybody, let alone so nice with them that they came in three times a week with tea and ginger biscuits for him.

They found it quaint – sweet.

Andras almost didn’t care.

“You been a librarian a long time?”

“Fourteen years,” Andras said. “My degree was in Sorcery and Spellwork, and my final project was a fusion of classical archival enchantment and technomancy – specifically, search and reference spells. I built a spell system on an old computer – if you hooked it up to the wardstone in an abbey’s library, or whatever, you could sort of… search for keywords in nearby scrolls and books without scanning them first.”

“I didn’t really understand any of that,” Jay said, and Andras laughed.

“I built a computer with magic that would search a physical library, like this one, the same way a normal computer could search the internet,” he said, and Jay raised his eyebrows, the pieced one jumping as he did so.

“Is that useful?” he asked.

“No,” Andras admitted, and this time, it was Jay that laughed, a wonderful, hoarse and husky sound that came from low in his throat – he didn’t smoke, Andras had been delighted to discover. “It would have some practical applications, and I gave a lot of my research to people who’d find it useful – it’s the sort of thing that’s very useful for forensic accountancy, apparently, and I helped add some finetuning to some existing programs. But I thought it was cool, and I ended up pivoting away from technomancy and toward information sciences instead, and thus…” Andras gestured with his hands at the library around them. “Finished my Masters at twenty-three and started working here.”

“How long’ve you been head librarian?”

“A decade.”

“Isn’t twenty-seven young for a head librarian?”

“I murdered the last one,” Andras said seriously, and Jay’s eyes widened slightly, showing their wonderful green colour.

“Really?”

“No. She retired.”

“You’re so weird,” Jay Henderson said, and Andras chuckled, leaning back in his seat, feeling the plastic creak slightly underneath him. He wished in that moment that he could reach out somehow, to touch the other man, but Jay was leaning on the desk as he always was: too far away.

The moment passed.

Time rolled on.

“Why did you move west, if you don’t have any Welsh?” Andras asked one evening, sipping at his mug of coffee as Jay leaned on the side of the desk, holding an icepack to the side of one jaw – sustained after an attempt at wrangling a faerie-boar had gone awry.

“I can read it alright,” Jay said. “I can do my forms. Just can’t speak it much.”

“That’s hardly an answer.”

“Lived in Camelot. Didn’t like it. Too busy. Thought it’d be quieter out this way.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah.”

“You like it?”

Jay looked at Andras, smiled. “Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, I do.”

Two months after the first occasion Jay had come into the library, he arrived in a hurry at forty-five minutes past six on a Thursday evening. The lights in the library were already dimmed, and Callidora and Gwenan had already gone home.

Jay Henderson – for the first time, without new bruises – staggered to a stop just outside the library doors as Andras turned the key in the lock.

“Good day at work?” Andras asked.

He could feel Jay’s gaze on his back as he keyed in the code on the alarm.

“Yeah,” Jay said. “Didn’t fall down once.”

“Very impressive,” Andras said. “Overtime?”

“Paperwork. I, um, I’ll come back tomorrow, I have books to—”

“The slot for out-of-hours returns,” Andras said, turning on his heel, hooking one finger into the handle, and pulling down the hatch, “is here.”

“But I—”

“Give,” Andras said, holding out his hand, and Jay bit his lip, but he reached into his bag, a red leather satchel that clattered with one pin badge after another, and pulled out the two books he’d taken out a few days back. Andras took them from him, slipped them into the hatch, and closed it shut. “There,” he said softly. “Business concluded.”

“Yeah,” Jay said, and Andras watched the bob of his plump throat as he swallowed, eyes averted toward the street. He held himself as though he were worried of taking up too much space, as though he were worried about breaking everything around him, and there was something curiously beguiling in that, something that made Andras want to swaddle him in hs own jacket – no matter that it would be too small – and hold him in his lap. “I’ll, uh, I’ll see you Monday—”

“Ah ah,” Andras said, and hooked two fingers through one of the loops of Jay’s scarf, stopping him halfway through the motion of turning away, and Jay turned to stare at him again. Owlish, his lips parted, his cheeks very red. “You didn’t bring me tea.”

“I was running late,” Jay said, in a tone of apology, as though he had something to apologise for.

“Just a joke, Jay,” Andras said in a tone of gentle assurance, stroking his fingers over the soft wool of the scarf – it felt hand-knitted, and he watched Jay shiver. “Just play.”

“Right,” Jay said lowly. “Um, I didn’t— I forget something?”

“I’m quite accustomed to our little chats,” Andras said. “You think I’d let you walk off without one?”

“The library’s closed,” Jay said. He looked nervous, like he’d been caught out at something he shouldn’t be doing, and Andras tugged on the scarf, pulling him closer by it, as though he were reeling in a fish. Jay took two stumbling steps forward – he had small feet, clad in rainbow coloured trainers. Andras liked them: they were cute, and contrasted the rest of Jay’s typical ensemble, the flannel, the loose jeans, the denim jacket.

“God forbid,” Andras said, pouting out his lips and giving a very serious nod of his head. “We’ll have to conduct our chat somewhere else.”

The surprise was heart breaking, and Andras pretended not to notice it as Jay stared up at him. “You want to?”

Andras unhooked his fingers from the scarf and slid them down the length of Jay’s upper arm instead, feeling the muscle underneath his fingers and swallowing on the dryness, the almost-nervousness he was determined to ignore. “I believe I am giving all indications,” Andras said, “that that is the case.”

“Why do you talk like that?” Jay asked. “You got struck by lightning? You get fused to one of your computers so that the dictionary is stuck in your mouth?”

“Yes,” Andras said earnestly. “It’s very tragic, actually. I can scarcely say three words under three syllables.”

Jay huffed out a laugh, and once glanced away again, like he was nervous to make eye contact, and then said, “Am I… bothering you?”

“Yes,” Andras said. “Very much so.”

“Oh,” Jay said, deflating again, “then I should—”

“Take me somewhere,” Andras said, and he leaned forward at the waist, so that his face was at a level with Jay’s, their noses nearly touching. Jay’s eyes, up close, were impossibly lovely: their mottled colour was deep as anything, those depths only emphasised as his pupil’s dilated slightly, stock-still like he was frightened to move away or to come closer.

“You sure?” Jay asked.

“Listen to me very carefully, because I am only going to say this once,” Andras said, remaining bent at the waist – he knew that his posture was perfect, no matter that he hadn’t stood for ballet since he was still a child in an ill-fitting binder, chest aching with every plié. It was different now, of course – there was no need for a binder anymore, and he could dance unimpeded if he wanted to, but he’d really have to rent proper space to dance in, and buy new shoes, break them in again… Jay was looking at him like he was on the stage right now, and Andras slid two fingers into the strap of Jay’s satchel, dragging it away from his chest for a moment before letting it pop back. “You are going to bring me to an eatery or drinking establishment of your choice. You are going to purchase for me a drink, or perhaps we shall share a meal. You are going to be so very gallant: you will open doors for me, you will put out my chair for me, you will help me off with my coat. Do you know what will happen then, Mr Henderson?”

Jay gave a minute shake of his head.

“We are going to have a very enjoyable time together,” Andras said, “because you and I are very handsome young gentlemen, and if I did not like you very much, I would not spend such time as I do delicately mending together your every cut and boo-boo.”

“You wouldn’t?”

“I would,” Andras amended. “But I would not do it with such a charming smile on my charming face.”

“It is a charming smile,” Jay mumbled, smiling tightly, his cheeks burning so brightly he seemed fit to light up the town with.

“Isn’t it?”

Jay inhaled, and then drew himself up as though there were strings attached to his rounded shoulders, puffing out his barrel chest. “Andras Griffiths. I am going to take you to… an Italian restaurant.” He shoved out one arm, the bend in the elbow slightly awkward, his knuckles whitening at how tightly he’d made the first, and Andras felt his lips curl into a smile, and he slid his arm through the offered curve.

“That’s all I wanted you to say,” Andras said,

“I wasn’t sure if you dated… Dated,” Jay said. “Trans guys.”

“Of course,” Andras said. “It’s cis guys I don’t date.”

Jay turned to stare up at him for a moment, and Andras felt his gaze dip from Andras’ face down to his chest, his waist, and back up again. “You mean,” Jay said, breathless, “Are you—”

“Stealthy as a spy,” Andras said, and he tugged Jay close to him when Jay laughed, tugged Jay to lean his cheek against Andras’ shoulder.

“I can’t do T. I have some clotting issues, and the health risk is too high.”

“I would never have believed you were at a risk for blood clots,” Andras said. “You always seem to bleed very freely.”

“Well, that’s just for you,” Jay said. “I like to show off.”

Andras gasped, curling his fingers in Jay’s cropped-short hair, feeling its spiky texture drag against his palm. “A joke from Jay Henderson!” he exclaimed, drumming his fingers on the top of the other man’s head. “Will wonders never cease?”

They walked in silence for a while, Jay still leaning against Andras’ side.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Evidently.”

“Are you, like— You always wear the suit shirt and cardigan. Are you like, really built under all that?”

“Oh, yes,” Andras said. “I look precisely like the outside of a Hollister bag, but with two underlines in red.”

“Really?”

“No, I have a dancer’s physique. But the lines of emphasis remain all the same.”

Jay laughed again, shaking his head. “God,” he muttered. “I never met a man who talked like you.”

“Lucky you have me then, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Jay said. “Yeah, seems like. Lwcus. Uh— Ffodus.”

“Rhagluniaethol,” Andras said.

“The fuck does that mean?” Jay asked, and Andras laughed, and turned to kiss him.

For a moment, Jay was frozen under Andras’ mouth, and Andras almost pulled away again, but Jay let out a sharp noise, grabbed him by the front of his cardigan and kept him dragged close, kissed him very hard, with far more skill than Andras would have expected. Andras let out a breathless noise, almost a whimper, let Jay drag him down closer, forcing him to bend over – he’d have to get used to that, he supposed.

“We could skip dinner,” Andras suggested in a soft, almost wheeze of a voice. “If you’d like to keep kissing me.”

“I’ll kiss you after,” Jay promised. “Food first.”

“So commanding,” Andras purred. “Lead me wherever you please, Mr Henderson.”

“I’m never gonna stop blushing if you keep talking like that.”

“Is that meant to be a deterrent?”

Jay chuckled, and tugged Andras toward the restaurant door. “I guess not,” he mumbled, and they walked in together.

Thanks for reading! I’m on Twitter, and you can leave a tip on Ko-Fi here. Also, I have books out! Please reblog this fic if you enjoyed it!

Click here for more info.

#trans creator #trans writers #trans character #trans man #short story #cute #as defined by dictionary

23 notes · View notes

a-little-slice-of-fandom · 4 years

Text

Since I’ve subjected the Six fandom to my ramblings about Ireland, I think it’s time I annoyed the Three Dark Crowns fandom with it too. I apologise in advance!

So actually asked Kendare Blake on a instalive she did if Fennbirn was based off Irish mythology and she said no. She did take inspiration from Ireland, Scotland and England for the landscape of Wolfspring but she didn’t say anything about the mythology or culture. I still want to discuss some of the similarities that I see, but just be aware that these could all just be coincidences and that Blake probably had multiple other inspirations.

So Fennbirn itself is a little similar to something from Irish mythology. There’s this phantom island that’s supposedly off the west coast of Ireland, and it’s covered in mist to separate it from the rest of the world. The actual plot of TDC has nothing to do with this phantom island, but I think it’s cool that there is a functional equivalent to Fennbirn in mythology. As for the word Fennbirn...it dooesn’t translate to anything meaningful in Irish.

There’s also Tír na nÓg (translates to the land of the young). While the actual legend isn’t related to Fennbirn at ALL, time passed very differently Tír na nÓg. A day in Tír na nÓg was literal lifetimes in the world beyond. It may be a big stretch, but it sort of reminds me of how time passed different,y in the mist compared to the island of Fennbirn. In TDC Arsinoe and Billy showed to Beltane a few weeks after their escape attempt, but they had no idea how long it had been because they were in the mist. I think this is a bigger stretch than the phantom island but it’s interesting at least.

Beltane is an easy one. Beltane is the anglicisation of the word Bealtaine (i pronounce its bawl-tin-yuh or bawl-tin-ya but you can listen to the different pronunciations here) and is both the word of the Irish month of May as a whole and one of four festivals that have a lot of meaning but basically just indicate the beginning of a season (the other three being Samhain, Imbolc and Lúnasa). However, just like Fennbirn and the phantom island, what actually goes on in TDC doesn’t match up with the real life equivalent. But I have no issue with that. It’s all artistic licence after all. I think at one point I vaguely remember characters in TDC talking about lighting bonfires at Beltane which IS accurate but other than that...yeah, no. However, it does slightly annoy me that Blake went with the anglicised version of the word, but I do also understand that Beltane is one of the first words you see in the book so I get not wanting to turn people off. I’ve seen most booktubers pronounce Beltane phonetically (which is obviously fine, I think that’s how it’s supposed to be pronounced) but I instinctively pronounce it as if I was reading the Irish word. That’s just a me thing though.

Okay so Mount Horn has some similarities to Slievenamon in County Tipperary. Arsinoe scales mount horn to learn more about the blue queen, and in Irish folklore Slievenamon was sort of linked to gaining knowledge from ancestors through this one really weird story. But Slievenamon was also considered a gateway to the otherworld (which itself is this whole thing in Irish mythology) and honestly? The Blue Queen was strongest on Mount Horn, which I always personally interpreted as the divide between Fennbirn and the afterlife being the weakest there. But real talk??? I will always imagine Mount Horn to look like Bearnagh (one of the mourne mountains in County Down). Bearnagh is sometimes colloquially referred to as “devil’s bite” because the top of it looks all jagged (like someone has eaten the top half) and the mourne mountains are partially granite mountains, so they look a little silver-y in points and I personally just think that fits the vibe of mount horn. But again, that’s just a big me thing. There’s not as much folklore to connect Bearnagh with mount horn.

The islands matriarchal system isn’t really reflective of irish history (traditionally in Celtic tradition, Irish women had a lot more rights than those in England but it wasn’t a matriarchy) but women in Ireland were denoted as the heads of households via their surname. For example, if your family (or house) was called Rooney. The entire family would be referred to as Uí Ruanaidh, but a man from this family (regardless of if he’s married or unmarried) would have the surname Ó Ruanaidh, while an unmarried woman from this family would have the surname Ní Ruanaidh. But the mum of this family? They would just have the surname Uí Ruanaidh (the same as the house itself) because they were seen as the heads of the house. This doesn’t show up in the series at all but I found it cool so...yeah. Also a good handful of naturalist names are Irish. Cait is the Irish version of Kate and is pronounced the same, while Caragh is just an alternate spelling of Cara and is also pronounced the same. Ellis is sort of an Irish name but also has roots in England.

The goddess is honestly too vague of an entity for me to try and find parallels that I feel would hold up to scrutiny but possible parallels include Dana and The Morrigan. We know very little about Dana but she was hypothetically the mother-like goddess. The Morrigan is an amazing goddess though (seriously look her up!), being associated with life, death, fate and war. And she’s sometimes presented as a triple goddess which fits well with the whole triplets thing!

So yeah,,,those are just some fun parallels I found from Irish mythology/culture and three dark crowns. This isn’t an exaustive list, I still have a few more smaller parallels, but I think these are the most interesting. Again, I don’t know if Kendare Blake intended these parallels or not and I’m totally aware that some of these might have actually be intended to parallel something else entirely. Sorry again for the ramble. 😂

#three dark crowns #TDC #one dark throne #two dark reigns #five dark fates #queen katharine #queen mirabella #queen arsinoe #fennbirn

18 notes · View notes

ellieaelious · 5 years

Text

Ellie Aelious }{Multiverse OC}{Post Fire Crisis

A/N: Finally complete!!! It was a long road, and took way too long, but it is finally finished! I ended up cutting a lot of things from it that did not have to do with her character, which helped a lot. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to DM me. I’ve been working on her for about fifteen years, and I still don’t have all the kinks worked out, but it’s been a fun road to get here!

This is Ellie after she gains control over the fire realm and the element of fire, all the way through her worlds Armageddon. Ten years pass in the human realm, while over 5,000 pass in the elemental realms. You have the option of choosing what stage of her life you interact with her, or I can toss her at you during a time I believe will best suit our roleplay.

So when you see an x-z that means that depending on the time frame, is dependent on when she looks or acts like X or Z. She will also change and grow in the threads we have.

Credit: Big-Ass Character Sheet by Character-Resources This is going to be what I use from now on for all of my muses, regardless if they are OC or canon. Everyone can get a good idea of them, and it will also help me when it comes to writing, since I won’t have to explain every single thing over and over again.

Verse: Realms series (book series I’m writing) Date: 7/18/2019 Full Name: Ellen Sebastiana O’Donnelly Pronunciation: El-en Sea-bass-tea-ah-na Oh-Don-el-ee Nickname/Alias: Ellie Aelious Meaning: Ellie-Pet form of Ellen or more commonly Eleanor, which itself is of Hebrew origin and comes from the Hebrew element 'el' meaning 'god' and 'or' meaning light, so the name means 'God is my light' or 'God is my candle'. Aelious-The Realmain form of “Aelius” which is a Roman family name which was possibly derived from the Greek word 'ηλιος (helios) meaning "sun". Origin: Not going to lie. I thought of the name and then the meaning just worked. That’s usually how I pick common names. For other languages, I research them. I seriously thought I made up Aelious, until Google said “Did you mean Aelius. Title: Ruler/Commander, Healer, Priest Pet Name: Aelious is actually a surname and nickname given to her by Cynbel (jfc I gotta do him too). ID Number: AR-24601 Signature: She’s ambidextrous, and before the loss of her left arm was left dominant. She still wrote with her right hand, but her handwriting is very elementary school level. Her robotic prosthetic could write perfectly, however after her arm regrows she is left with a limb that trembles and twitches when she goes to write. It makes her signature almost illegible, and she prefers to initial with her right hand. Gender: Female Gender Role: Very femme and lady like. Orientation: Pansexual/Polyamorous Real Age: Although she was born in 1983, because of the time differences between the human and element realms she is between 137-268 post arm loss, and can be anywhere up to five thousand after her arm regrows. Age Appearance: 21 Birthday: March 10th, 1983 Deathday: Armagaddon, exact date unknown. Birthplace: New York, New York, USA Astrological Sign: Pisces Zodiac Sign: Water Pig Immediate Family: Legal Guardian: Earnest O’Donnelly (deceased) Mother: Tonalnan (deceased) Father figure: Cynbel Uncle: Dante (DMCverse) Half-Brother: Nero (DMCverse) Adoptive Brother: Peter Jason Quill (GotG) Mother figure: Marina Udonta Distant Family: Father: Aluk Mal Tuk Grandfather: Shin Kage Grandmother: Eveelyn Ardelian Species: Realmain (I will be posting separately about this race.) Ethnicity: Celtic and Hispanic Blood Type: Formerly O+. She no longer has blood, and instead bleeds a silver liquid. Preferred Hand: Left Facial Type: Diamond Eye Color: Dark brown. White or red when using air and fire abilities respectively. Hair Color: Black Hairstyle:

Skin Tone: Pale White when using air powers. Dark tan when using fire. Complexion: Clear Makeup: Very light make-up during special occasions. Has started wearing winged eyeliner. Build: Body claim is Samantha Wright

Height: 5′3-5′8 Weight: 538lbs - 598lbs Cup Size: A-C cup Facial Hair: none Shoe Size: US 7 - US 9.5 Birthmarks/scars: A large scar going from her left shoulder, across her chest, and stopping half way to her right. It goes from the base of her neck to the beginning of her cleavage, around to her back. It stops at the nape of her neck and right before her shoulder blades on the left. It’s from when she had her left arm ripped off, along with a good portion of her skin.

After her arm regrows, the scar mostly heals, only leaving a faint outline around her left shoulder.

She has a mole/beauty mark on her left side, right under her bottom lip.

Many faint and small scars pepper her body, visible under a blacklight or bioluminescence given off by plants and insects.

In an alternate timeline, (DmCverse), she has half of her face scarred by an angel’s attack. Her eye is red, and it goes into her hairline, all the way to the back of her head. Distinguishing Features: Her eyes are her most distinguishing feature, able to convey a thousand emotions at once. Because of her empathic ability, if she looks someone else in the eyes, she is not only able to read their emotions, but also alter how they see her.

As she grows older, her eyes convey less innocence, and more of someone who is weary. Although the light has not gone out behind her eyes, it has dimmed significantly from when she first became a ruler.

She always has an innocent appearance about her features, usually appearing dumbfounded by the world around her. It’s not a true reflection of herself, but something that most people see at first glance. Health: She’s very healthy and her diet consists of mostly meat. She works out daily and although she loves sweets, limits them to once a week. Energy: She generates, at the minimum, enough energy to keep two realms and their inhabitants alive. That is around 6-9 billion per realm. This energy is all in reserve, and not accessible for fighting.

Aside from that, in her home dimension she generates enough excess energy to command both air and fire. She is one of the eight strongest beings, aside from angels or demons, and ranks somewhere in the third or forth strongest. Her max power level sees her generating enough energy to destroy a planet the size of her largest realm, twice.

Outside of her dimension, her excess power is diminished by half, and she can only regenerate after sleeping twelve or more hours. Because of this, she uses physical attacks when outside of her own dimension. Memory: Her memories are tied to emotions. The stronger the emotion at the time, the more likely she is to remember the event in detail. She also remembers odd events, like someone mentioning rubberbands. Senses: Her eyesight is well enough she doesn’t need to use a mounted sight on a firearm. She can see for several miles, but cannot see in dim or low lighting.

She can feel vibrations and use them to navigate in the dark as well. This has helped since she began losing her hearing a century ago.

Her sense of smell and taste are better, able to recognize someone’s scent, and develop a taste signature for them as well. This also has the negative affect of smelling something horrible, and also developing a taste signature for it. Fortunately, her nose is not what she breaths out of, so she can avoid this most times.

Her sixth sense, if you will, is extremely high. She can read a persons emotions from the next room, feel the presence of demonic entities, and can hide her own presence from them.

Allergies: Strawberries, birch water, cut grass. Handicaps:

With her hearing failing, it has been difficult for her to adjust to using vibrations to get around. While she can feel the vibrations of someone talking, she is still not fully able to differentiate between words.

After the loss of her left arm, she suffers from muscle spasms in her left shoulder. Even after her arm regrows, she has painful and powerful muscle spasms. They will often require her to take a moment to collect herself, as she’s almost blacked out from the pain.

Although she’s not mentally slow, because of her time being raised among humans, her actual brain deteriorates whenever she goes back to the human realm. This includes other dimensions that are heavily populated by humans. She will sometimes stare off into the distance or quit speaking, only to act like nothing happened. This is her healing factor attempting to repair the damage.

Highly prone to panic attacks. When she has one, she will find it difficult to breath and begin to disrobe so her lungs can have better access to air. These have lasted up to three days, and she becomes violent when people approach her during them.

She has grotesque visions of hell, and often hears demons whispering in her ear. This can cause her panic attacks, as well as send her into a temporary delirious state. Dante and Cynbel are the only ones that can calm her down when she gets like this.

Medication: She usually chews on herbs and roots from the nature realm for ailments. She also eats ‘edibles’, a relaxant from the nature realm that has similar properties to marijuana. She eats them in marshmallow form, usually to get high. Phobias: Spiders, water, being alone, the dark, and whispering. Addictions: Salted marshmallows. She will do almost anything for them. Mental Disorders:

Humans call is schizophrenia, while Realmains call it ‘Heaven Sight’. This causes her demonic visions, auditory hallucinations, as well as her anxiety. These have been constant since birth.

She is severally depressed, often on the verge of crying. This is considered a serious mental disorder caused by her high empathy. There is no way to treat it, other than developing apathy.

Style: Ellie’s style is very modest. While nudity is common in the realms, and she is comfortable with it, she covers up completely when outside of her realm. Her military uniform changes, but usually consists of vests, cargo pants, and military boots.

Her formal attire as a ruler ranges from ancient Grecian/Roman robes, to something akin to Elvish dress. It’s the few times she wears dresses anymore.

When she is having a casual day, it’s leggings/jeans and a loose fitting shirt. She does enjoy dressing in flowing garments, and does have a personal tailor that designs her clothing to wear outside of the nine realms. In her later years, she wears more fun things, and sometimes will be seen in her brother’s hoodie and booty shorts if she’s woken up suddenly.

All of her military clothes are white, while her casual clothing changes in color. She does not wear black, as it’s against her vows as a sacred virgin. Grooming: Her hair is always well maintained and braided, only becoming messy in battle. Even then, she is quick to fix it.

After an encounter with a demonic entity later in life, she has kept her hair cut very short, only a few inches long. When questioned about it, she will change the subject immediately.

As far as other hair goes, because she does not produce pheromones the same way as other mammals, she has little to no body hair to worry about. Posture: Her posture if usually back straight, chest out, chin up, and hands on her hips or crossed. If she is in a more relaxed setting, or not trying to be intimidating, she will let her hip cock to the side and slouch just a bit.

When frightened, she will hunker down and cower, making herself as small as possible.

Gait: She can’t help but have a very bouncy way of walking. Because she is usually just barely levitating off the ground, her motion is very fluid and swaying.

When approaching an enemy or upset, she will have a stalking manner of movement. Her shoulders will be forward, her steps heavy and deliberate, and fists clenched. Coordination: When in a fighting mindset, her reflexes and coordination are topnotch. Very little will get by her, and she is able to dodge bullets, as well as deflect them back to her opponent. It’s taken her almost two hundred years to perfect.

Outside of battle, she has tripped over her own feet. While levitating. She’s merely easily distracted, and doesn’t pay attention to her surroundings unless she has to. Habits and Mannerisms:

Left over from when her time without her arm, she will often let her left arm fall slack, forgetting it’s her own. This will cause her to bump into things with it.

She wrings her fingers a lot when she is nervous, and bites her bottom lip.

When she is focused on a task, or trying to decipher something, she will whisper to herself, along with moving her fingers like she is slowly typing in the air.

When frightened, she will immediately bite her lips and make her eyes wider. It’s instinctive to attempt to bring out the nurturing side of whoever is frightening her.

She has a habit of lightly touching people without realizing it. It’s often confused for flirting, but it’s only because she is touch starved.

She will pull out a book and read when she feels she is being ignored, purposely ignoring the other when they try to get her attention.

Scent: Spring Jasmine by Wild Spirit Mood: Contemplative is her usual mood when you catch her off guard. She has a lot on her mind, and not a lot of time to herself. She acts happy around others, smiling and laughing, but it’s only because she is replaying old emotions to make other feels better. She is no longer ignorant to the world, and has seen and experienced the darkness it holds. It weighs on her heavily and makes her very tired.

Being an empath, her mood is also determined by those around her. If you’re mad, she’ll be mad. If you’re being rude, she will reflect it back on you. Although she is kind at the core, she will stand up for herself and give you a taste of your own personality. Attitude: She has a very positive and upbeat attitude, despite her circumstances. She always tries to get people to be happy and rally the troops.

She can and does do a 180, and will become angry, and ho boy, whoever is on the receiving end is in for it. She has been called merciless and monstrous in her rage. Stability: Her emotional spectrum is all over the place. As the strongest empath of her world, she is able to feel the emotions of every living thing all at once. As a child, it caused her attempted suicide. And while she has learned to cope, it does become overwhelming.

Her personal emotions can also be affected by someone else. This means, feelings of love may not always be hers. Expressiveness: She is always very open with how she feels. If she is choosing to be distant with someone, it’s a bad sign. When Happy: She will often hum a tune, usually a soft cover of a metal band. She may even do Tai Chi moves or spin if she’s really happy. When Depressed: She’s always in some form of depression, but at it’s worst she will hide herself away to cry in peace. If she does manage to break down in front of someone, it can make her feel worse. Although she no longer cuts herself, she is not above ramming her head into the ground in an attempt to knock herself out. When Angry: When she becomes angry, she will become quiet and stiff. Her movements are quick and deliberate. She is at her most dangerous when angry or upset. Current Residence: She resides in the air realm, but does spend time in the fire realm as she is now the ruler of it as well. Community: The air realms community is very calm and peaceful. Even the soldiers are seen smiling as they go about their day.As their main duty is to pray and rally the troops, it is a very calming place to be.

The fire realm is friendly, but they value feats of strength and often friends will spar in the streets. It’s all in good fun, but takes some getting used to. Family: Ellie’s only living family is adoptive or half related to her. She spends most of her time with either Cynbel or Marina, and then Dante and Nero. Friends: Beau is her best friend, and it’s rare to not see them running around together.

After going through training with Ansinna, she has become best friends with her, and appointed her as a personal guard. Enemies: Her father, demonic creatures, and those who would hurt the innocent. Bosses: She is her own boss, answering to no one but a higher ranking angel or the Lord. Followers: All inhabitants of her realms and army answer to her. Heroes: Marina, being a strong woman is one of her idols. Most of the women in her life she aspires to be like. Aside from that, mentors from other dimensions. Rivals: Her Dark Saer alternate, as well as the demon Heretic. Pets/Familiars: The last chimera of her dimension, and she managed to tame it with a stick of beef jerky. It’s a shape shifter, and is usually in the form of a snake with rabbit ears. It wraps loosely around her neck, or takes residence in her cleavage. Equipment:

Weapons-Air

Ellie’s main weapon is a grey staffed naginata. It has a wider blade on one end, and her dagger bladed fan on the other. She is able to separate it at the middle for two weapons. It is an extension of her soul, and so long as she has the will to live and fight, it is unbreakable and unable to be wielded by any other. When another does decide to wield it, they will begin to gasp for breath before the oxygen is pulled from their body.

For a time she used one of her mother’s desert eagles. After an understanding came about between Nero and herself, she let it fall into the lake of fire. After this, Dante had her customized guns like his made. She calls them Alpha and Omega. Over time, Dante has taught her trick shots, and her and Nero perform a similar move to ‘Jackpot’ called ‘Fragmented Reality’.

Her custom lever action rifle has a white body with silver, Celtic knot accents. The bullets fired are made by gathering matter, which means the farther the bullet travels, the bigger is becomes. It’s her preferred form of firearm, however she is only accurate within her line of sight. If an enemy is behind her, she is unable to accurately fire at them. Because she shoots from the left, the recoil to her shoulder makes her have to take frequent breaks.

She is trained in a wide variety of weapons, but refuses to use swords. She is also trained to use unconventional weapons, such as household items and the environment.

Weapons-Fire

When she’s finally able to control her fire abilities, her naginata reverts back to her bladed fan. She uses it for defense mostly, relying on her other fire based weapon for offense.

The chain whip allows her to keep enemies at a distance, and control their movement. Should one get too close, she will wrap her whip around them, activating the blades and using it as a medieval styled chainsaw.

Her guns are named vitam et mortem (life and death in Latin) while in her fire form. Vitam has the ability to raise an ally back from near death, while mortem can kill with a single shot.

Her rifle turns into a Day of the Dead themed lever action shotgun called Vespillo (Latin for Undertaker).

Technology-

The nine realms are far more technologically advanced than most other worlds. As such, she has some very useful equipment. One of which is her visor (I will provide references later). It’s a thin piece of crystal that forms across her eyes that acts to protect them, as well as provide an HUD with her stats, as well as information about the area around her. It’s linked to three micro bots that float around the area, allowing her to enter into a third person mode.

Later in life, the visor is replaced by contact lenses that connect through micro wires into the user’s nervous system. This allows the user to non-verbally control what they are seeing, and switch between 1st person, 3rd person, night vision, and HUD.

Before her arm grew back, she had a robotic prosthetic. While it mimicked the look and feel of her original arm, it was still traumatic to use. It was able to detach and move independently to scout an area, attack, and shock an enemy.

If she’s not using her visor or contacts, she does use her IDA. Inter-Dimensional Assistant. It’s a small piece of crystal that holds a super computer, and is wired to her home dimensions mainframe. She’s able to make phonecalls, hack into systems, give someone a physical, X-Ray, produce holograms, and all kinds of neat Sci-Fi stuff.

Recently, after discovering their enemy has been using habitable planets to farm humans, space ships have become a thing. She’s still hesitant about using them, but her current vehicle is able to use collapsible technology to change into a fighter jet, or a short flight space ship.

Accessories:

Tattoos-

On her left arm, after it grows back, is a faint purple outline of her veins.

On her right arm, after retrieving the crown of thorns, it wrapped around her right forearm and embedded into her skin as a tattoo.

Her legs are tattooed with a black background encasing Celtic knots on her left, and Mayan ruins on her right.

Her back has a cross burned into it, going from the base of her neck to her tailbone.

Lastly, on her chest is a black hand print from her mother marking her, over her heart.

Piercings- Only one in each ear.

Trinkets: Star of David necklace and cross earrings. Will occasionally wear bracelets during formal events. Funds: Money has no value in the nine realms. However, the fire realm has diamond rain whenever a volcano erupts, and any gold farmed is used for trade with humans. Her actual wealth, like all other rulers, is immeasurable. She enjoys giving it away, as she does not like the idea of money. Lovers:

The former ruler of water, Mick, was her first crush. She loved him deeply, and had to hold him in her arms as he died. This pretty much scarred her from developing feelings for men.

Right before the death of her first love, she agreed to marry someone for a peace treaty. After the wedding, she locked herself away and protected herself with a powerful storm. A clone of her was used to kill Mick, and afterwards a very bloody and very quick war broke out, involving the death of her husband.

Cetrion is a former lover. Because of their virtuous nature they both found comfort in each other. It was broken off by Cetrion at the behest of Kronika. It still hurts Ellie deeply.

She has a crush on Leon S. Kennedy, and chooses to stay away from him because of it.

Erron Black gives her confusing feelings. She isn’t sure if she likes him, or wants to shoot him.

Enchantress/June Moone. A former girlfriend while Ellie was coming into power. Although she loved her, the relationship was not good mentally for Ellie and she broke it off.

Jason Todd was a mentor turned boyfriend for a few weeks, before they both realized it wouldn’t work. They are still friends.

Marital Status: Multiship Sex Life: SACRED.VIRGIN. (But I mean...boop her) Type: She is accepting of many types, so long as you are not a bad person. Even then, if you redeem yourself, she can find you suitable. This is not to say she will only date a hero type. She wants someone that is true to themselves, whatever that truth may be.

She is very busy, and will not have time for you 24/7. If she is called off on a mission, it doesn’t matter if you’re cuddling on the couch, on a date, or anything else. Her duty comes first. She won’t want to leave, but she will and apologize later. Her lover needs to be understanding of this.

It doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you, but this is her lifes work. This is what she was created and chosen for. And when the final battle comes, you won’t see her for a long time, if ever again. Turn-Ons: She wants someone that she won’t have to worry about as much. It’s hard to love mortals, so someone that could live as long as her would be preferred. She doesn’t want someone that will worship her, as that can be seen as breaking the commandments of the nine realms, but will appreciate her. They need to be understanding that she is a broken person and not all of her pieces are there, and they’re not coming back.

If she can lay with you while you play with her hair, rub her back, and just be physically there to tether her to the world, it will mean everything to her.

Lastly, someone that will just be kind to her. That she can come home to after a long week, month or some extended period of time and be close to. She doesn’t need anyone that will get tired of waiting for her and leave, as her duties will always come first. Turn Offs: Someone that is cruel to her or others. Disrespectful, tries to change who or what she is. Just don’t be a moist bint. Position: Switch. Sub in her human form, dom in her true form Sub position: The Seashell. She loves to be on her back with her lover’s hands wrapped around her ankles, pushing them back behind her head and into the mattress. Dom position: The Amazon. With a set of hands holding her lover’s knees or ankles, another hand hold their wrists together above their head, and her free hand to explore or choke them. Fetishes: Human Form-

Reassurance/Praising. Either her reassuring her partner or vice versa. Punishment/Desecration. She has a deep seeded desire to be punished, and a dark part of her wants to be desecrated (i.e. her willingly breaking her vow). Biting/Clawing/Marking. Choking. Since she doesn’t have an air passage in her throat, it’s more or less the idea of it. Blood flow can still be cut off to her brain, giving the desired light headed effect. Submissive positions. She enjoys being put into submissive potions over ones where she is the dominate party. Voyeurism. She can turn and her partner invisible, allowing for public places to be a go. She also likes to be watched, and wouldn’t mind if her lover caught her playing with herself.

True form- Breeding. Her main motive is to become impregnated. She’ll want you to finish inside of her. Restrains. Having four arms now, she will want to pin and restrain her partner. Marking. She will bite, claw, suck, anything she can to prove that you are her’s alone. Dominated. Despite being the dominate one, if she is dominated in battle, she will present herself on her knees with her hands held above her head, butt raised to show she submits. Virginity: She still is one.

Element: Air and Fire. Religion: Realmain, a mix of Christianity and Judaism. Morals: Ellie is a morally upstanding citizen, for her dimension. While her duty is to protect the sanctity of human life, she will kill those that seem innocent if she is ordered to. One of the messier jobs to perform is killing children that are blacklit for death. Because this is seen as holy work, she feels no guilt for it.

She is unable to willfully lie, but whatever someone tells her, unless she knows better, will be her truth. This causes her to be easily manipulated.

While stealing is a huge no, reclaiming lost or stolen goods is acceptable. By any means.

Outside of her dimension, humans are not protected. If it means obtaining her goal or completing her mission, she can and will kill an innocent person. This is only done as a last resort, and she does her best to avoid it. Motivation: From the time she learned of the prophecy, her goal in life has been to lead the virtuous life that would allow her to pass into the dark halls unseen by evil. She knows that she will go through horrible things (such as being raped, crucified, tortured and killed, only to be brought back) but in the end it is worth it. This will allow her to let the angels into the dark halls, and kill Aluk Mal Tuk, the half demon half Realmain that raped her mother. Priorities: The code of the realms is “For Realm, For Ruler, For God” and she lives by this code. She serves her God first, and the duties bestowed upon her by Him, and then her Realm. Relationships, friendships, and anything else are the last thought on her mind. Philosophy: Ellie sees and feels the absolute worst that humanity has to offer. She feels the suffering of the universe, and takes pity on it. She believes that everything has a reason, even the worst things. In the end, it will all be worth it. Because it has to be, or what was all this suffering for. Etiquette: Ellie has very good etiquette. She was trained by Cynbel in the ways of royalty, and displays respect to almost all races. The more evil races, she will act more animalistic around, since they look down on kindness. Culture: Being from a Hispanic and Celtic background, Ellie enjoys celebrating the holidays and festivals of both. Within reason. She does not practice anything that would be considered idol worship. She practices mostly Jewish and Realmain customs as well.

Main Goal: Keep the world turning until Armageddon is upon her dimension. Even if it kills her. Minor Goals/Ambitions: Protect as many lives, human or otherwise, as she can. Desires: Ellie desires rest. She does not enjoy doing what she does by any means. It causes her great mental anguish to keep pushing herself, but she has to. For her reward, she only wishes to rest. Accomplishments: Freeing herself from her inner darkness, and having her left arm regrow as a reward. Greatest Achievement: Commanding both the fire and air realms. Biggest Failure: Her mother and first love had to die in order for her to begin to fight and defend others. Secrets: She is aware that Cynbel is her father. And while she was upset that he hides this from her, she doesn’t mention it. Regrets: Her suicide attempts. Worries: Failing everyone around her. Best Dream: Being rewarded not just with rest, but someone that could make her happy. Worst Nightmare: Falling into temptations and being pulled into hell. Or living with her mother. Best Memories: The times she spent with Mick and her friends. Worst Memories: Having her arm ripped off during the battle for Hong Kong. Later in life, when the demon Heretic reveals they molested her, and the memories of the events come flooding back to her. Powers/Abilities: ~Generic/No category~ -Immortality. She can only be killed by a demi god, angel, or another ruler’s weapon. If she dies by other means, she will be reformed in the lake of life. -Super strength. She is able to lift up to ten tons with ease. Anything more and her muscles begin to break down. -Speed. Although not the fastest, she is able to move fast enough to dodge bullets. -Super reflexes. She can block most blows and react quickly to most attacks. -Stamina. Her body does not produce lactic acid, meaning she does not show signs of fatigue and has stamina for weeks. -Her senses are heightened to super human levels, allowing her to perform at her highest levels. -Empathy. She is the strongest empath of her world, emotionally connected to all living beings. She is able to take the emotions away from a being and put them in another, or store them for future use. She can easily read a room and someone’s intent before officially meeting them. She can also distribute and terrifying presence to stun and scare opponents, or produce a calming affect. -A healer by nature, she is a skilled surgeon with years of practice. With her speed, she is able to perform complex operations in little to no time. -She has a vast knowledge of herbal remedies, as well as traditional medicines. -She is immune to all forms of magic, but she herself cannot affect magic things in return. ~Air~ -Ability to completely control and manipulate the air. From creating tornado, to pulling the air out of the cells of a person. She is the embodiment of air, and it bends to her will. -Turn invisible at will. -Teleport by creating a small gust of wind. -Pull oxygen out of a specified area. -Flight and levitation. -Control other air based beings -Place her hand over someone’s mouth to administer CPR. ~Fire~ -Ability to control and manipulate fire and fire based things. Such as lava. -Encase her body is magma rock. -Breath fire. -Engulf her body in fire to protect her. -Command other fire based beings. -Generate enough heat to perform a super nova. Although not as hot, she will explode with enough intensity to destroy a decently sized planet. This causes her to black out for several weeks. -Heal those that have been injured by fire. She can take the wounds upon herself, allowing the person to be completely healed of fire based wounds. ~Holy~ -On touch, she can burn anything of demonic origin. This includes her brother and uncle, who are both part demon. -Using her right hand to calm the person, she can then use her left to reach into someone and pull a demon out by force. -Ability to see a demonic presence, no matter how it hides. She can also see angelic writing, directing her to hide or run. -Enter Limbo and Hell unseen. -Open portals to send demons back to hell. -While imbued with the power of the Lord, no one may sin against her flesh. This means that as long as she has her powers, she is unable to be raped or molested. -Light does not bother her. In fact, she can see perfectly fine in it. If a flash bang were to go off, other than the noise distortion, she would be fine. Origin: Bestowed upon her by the will of the Lord. Her dimension is Christianity based. Source: The source of her powers vary. While she can use hand movements, she mostly stands still and wills her abilities into use. Although some still require a source, i.e. breathing fire. Ability: While her abilities to control air is natural, it took centuries of training to finally accept and control her fire abilities. Later in life, she is adept in all of her powers. Weaknesses:

She is unable to survive in water. If it goes above her hips, she will begin to drown. Her powers do not work while she is wet, in the rain, or humid environments.

Her empath abilities become overwhelming, and it makes it hard for her to function in large groups. The more evil a person is, the harder it is for her to function around them.

While in other dimensions, she is able to die, since she is cut off from her main power source.

If someone drop kicks her in the gut, it will stun her for an extended period of time.

Demi god weapons, angelic weapons, fallen angel weapons, and another ruler are able to permanently kill her.

She cannot see in dim light to darkness. She will be completely blind, and greatly weakened.

Her hellish visions weaken her over time.

Despite feeling someone’s ill intent, she is usually willing to give them a chance.

Immunities: Fire and air based attacks have no affect on her.

Alternate Forms: ~Air Form~ Natural Ellie. This is the form she is always in, also referred to as her human form. She has a more Celtic appearance, pale skin, red lips, dark hair and eyes.

~Fire Form~ Taking on a more Hispanic appearance, her eyes are red, skin a deep tan from being burnt from within, and her hair sprouts red roses. Her attire changes as well, wearing a red cloth corset, dark red jeans and boots, and usually Dia de la muerto make-up. The more she uses her powers, her skin will burn to a crisp, cracking open and revealing the fire burning at her core. She will often have smoke coming from her pores, and cough up lava.

~True Form~ After entering her final life cycle, she gains her true form ability to mate/reproduce. Her skin becomes a light grey, her veins visible and a dark silver underneath. She grows another five inches, and her arms become longer. Her nails are black and pointed, coated in a paralyzing poison.

Her face is more pointed, teeth now sharp and look like they’re made of a silver metal. Her eyes are a swirling mix of greys and white, hair slicked back and bristly. Black and fluffy antenna come from her forehead, like a moth. Black stripes are along her sides and neck, opening up to reveal pheromone producers.

She grows another set of arms under her original, usually holding her staff weapon.

Extra Anatomy: Her lungs are actually pockets attached to the underside of the skin of her torso and back. This means that she breaths through the pores of her skin.

Favorite Colors: Greys, whites, and pastel shades of blue and pink Favorite Animals: Dogs and large wild cats Favorite Mythological Creatures: Chimeras Favorite Places: She has a pocket dimension that is a library, filled with endless books. Other than that, Greece and quiet beaches. Favorite Landmarks: Acropolis Favorite Flavors: Leather, sea salt, and cotton candy Favorite Foods: Shrimp mee hoon and salted marshmellows Favorite Drinks: Blackberry wine, coke, and sarsaparilla. Favorite Characters: Mal and Zoe from Firefly Favorite Genre: Romantic horror Favorite Books: Where the red fern grows Favorite Movies: Westerns Favorite Games: Chess, even though she’s not that great at it. Dodge ball. Favorite Shows: Firefly, Star Trek, Telanovellas. Favorite Music: Heavy metal, hard rock, classical. Favorite Bands: Asking Alexandria, All That Remains, In this Moment, Flyleaf, and Les Fiction. Favorite Songs: This probably won’t end well by All That Remains, Hopelessly Hopeful by Asking Alexandria, ME!ME!ME! by Teddyloid Favorite Sports: Soccer and the Realmain gauntlet. Favorite Stores: Realmain market places Favorite Subjects: Math and art Favorite Numbers: 100, 34, and 7 Favorite Websites: Doesn’t have any Favorite Words: Bueller, bumble bee, amor Favorite Quotations: "Lastly, waging war against good people is bad for the soul. This may not seem important to you now, but it's the most important thing I've said."— Joshua Graham Least Favorite Colors: Oranges and yellows. Least Favorite Animals: Domestic cats Least Favorite Mythological Creatures: Nagas, gorgons, Minotaurs, and Pans. Least Favorite Places: Anyplace with a dark history. Least Favorite Landmarks: Eiffel tower Least Favorite Flavors: Fermented tastes, rotten, too sweet. Least Favorite Foods: Eggs, liver, and hot dogs. Least Favorite Drinks: Beer, whiskey, lemon lime soda. Least Favorite Characters: Aeris from FFVII. Any character, male or female, that is overbearing about relationships and tries to force themselves on someone. Least Favorite Genre: Reality Least Favorite Books: Self help books Least Favorite Movies: Ninja Mime 4 Least Favorite Games: Puzzle games, because she’s not confident in her abilities. Least Favorite Shows: Reality shows Least Favorite Music: Rap/Hip Hop, R&B Least Favorite Bands: Modern hip hop and rap bands. Least Favorite Songs: Dance (A$$) because it’s always playing at strip clubs Least Favorite Sports: Cricket and blood sports. Least Favorite Stores: Outlet malls Least Favorite Subjects: Wood shop, economics. Least Favorite Numbers: 6 Least Favorite Websites: Doesn’t have one. Least Favorite Words: Curse words Least Favorite Quotations: “I’ll rid the world of each one of you,” he whispered. “Every single one…” ― Zoe Cruz, Beastia Languages: English, fairly good with Mandarin, Greek, Enochian/Realmain, learning Japanese, Yiddish. Accent: She has a heavy Southern accent when she speaks quickly, which is why she’s trained herself to speak slowly and hide her accent. Voice: Low and quiet Speech Impediments: Forgets words easily and will use gibberish as a replacement. Greetings and Farewells: “Give me you.” -When it’s a close friend she hasn’t seen for a while. “Ellie Aelious, rank ruler, part time healer.” -Military greeting “May your path be illuminated and never darken.” -Formal farewell “I really hope this isn’t a real goodbye, ya know?” -leaving a dimension, possibly for good. State of Mind: “I’m just really tired right now. I can’t really rest, but it’d be really nice if I could.” Compliment: “Wow, you’re really pretty/beautiful!” “You look like you could take me in a fight, to be honest.” “You’re tall. I like that.” Insult: “I hope you have the life you deserve.” “God loves you, even though you make it a might difficult.” “You’re an X.” (often randomly insults people with a noun they’ve just used.) Expletive: “Oh fiddle sticks.” “Gumdrops and holograms!” “God bless America...” “What in the nine realms!” “I’m sure -person- is off somewhere, disappointing the Lord with their actions.” Laughter: She will start with a sputter, and then go into a deep laugh, sometimes even snorting, which makes her laugh even harder. Tag Line: “This is fine. I accept this.” Signature Quote: “I have to do this. I need to do this. I can’t worry about either of our wants, desires, because this is so important. My entire life is leading up to that moment, and I’m not throwing it away because we love each other. If I do, then what was all this suffering for?”

Role: Her role as a ruler means that she is responsible for tens of billions of lives, as well as protecting humans from the evils of the realm of darkness. It is a heavy burden, but if one is to suffer it, why not it be her? Fulfillment: She devotes everything to her position, and has found favor in the eyes of the Lord. She has been blessed that no creature may sin against her flesh, so long as she is imbued with His power. Significance: Because she practices self sacrifice, in her words Armageddon, she will play a crucial role that will determine the outcome of the battle. Aside from that, she has inspired many of her counterparts to go on. Her determination to live and overcome has proved invaluable. Alignment: Lawful Good “The needs of my Lord, outweigh the desires of myself.” -Ellie Comparison: The wind. Ever changing, gentle, but destructive. Symbol: Handprint Song: Under Denver by Asking Alexandria Vice: Carnal desires and blood lust. Virtue: Ellie has taken the vow of Sacred Virgin. This means she will forgo her sexual desires, romances, and pleasure so she may enter into the dark kingdom unseen

Humility and compassion are often associated with her as well. She doesn’t feel she has a very important role, and takes pity on the suffering. Defining Moment: When she crawled her way out of hell, just to bring her mother’s dead body back for burial.

#Ellie aelious character profile #finally finished #about ellie #praise the lord this is done #Woooot!!

7 notes · View notes

pasteltofus · 5 years

Text

Going to America Camp

Around 40-ish of the first-year students go to America each year during their summer vacation, and I was asked to teach 90-minute classes twice a week at night to help the students prepare. So for the past four weeks, my nights have been pretty hectic. I had the America Camp Mondays and Wednesdays, and dance class Tuesdays and Thursdays. (I also started private Korean tutoring on Wednesdays and I had 15 minutes to get from CWHS to the cafe we meet at.) It was my first time teaching in a co-ed classroom. After the first class where the boys and girls completely ignored each other, I decided to change things up a bit. For the first hour of class, I let the students sit wherever they want, and during the second half, I assigned mixed gender teams at each table. By the third class, the boys and girls were working well together. Yay!

For the class itself, I went over basic U.S. History, culture, manners, things to do and don’t do, and reviewed their itinerary together. Here are some of the activities that we did.

Instagram

After I went over the itinerary, I had students draw themselves at one of the places they were going to visit. I told them that they could take the same photo once they actually get to America and send it to me. Most of the students drew themselves at Niagra Falls, where they’ll actually be on the Canadian side, though.

Human Maze

I was inspired by fellow ETAs Curtis and Manisha and wanted to have the students play the game where they tell directions to one blindfolded person and guide them through a maze of other students. What I didn’t account for was the mixed genders…so in the mostly boys class, the girls just shied away and it was basically just the boys trolling each other, with the blindfolded guy constantly being scared of accidentally touching a girl. Regardless, it was pretty funny and everyone had a good time. My stomach hurt from laughing. The boys were really surprised that the eye mask blocked out everything.

Brochures

I briefly went through the locations that they’d be going to (New York, Boston, Washington, D.C.) gave them all handouts with a little info blurb on each attraction. Then I told the students to choose a city and make a brochure for it. One of my kids went on my computer, pulled up the Wikipedia page on Boston, and read and summarized the information into a little history paragraph on his brochure. I was so impressed.

In one class a small fight between a Boston Celtics fan and a Boston Red Sox fan happened. (they’re not even the same sport omg) I came over to one table to see two brochures covered with angry green and red scribbles. Celtics fan: TEACHER! LOOK AT WHAT HE DID. Me: What happened here? Red Sox fan: He said he would make my brochure pretty. THEN HE DRAW GREEN ALL OVER. Celtics fan: Nooooo, Teacher. Noooo. He ruin my brochure. ㅠㅠ Me: Are you guys elementary school students? Both, accusatory fingers out: HE!!!

Pronunciation Drills

I went over some common pronunciation mistakes. I said a word out loud and had them circle the correct one. (SIT vs SEAT, VERY vs. BERRY, WORD vs. WORLD) For example, everyone always pronounces sit as seat. (“Please seat down!”) It was funny because at first everyone rolled their eyes like “Please Teacher we’re in an advanced high school” and then as soon as I said “SEAT,” a confused silence spread throughout the classroom, followed by nervous laughter. Then it was chaos. “TEACHER SAY ONE MORE TIME PLEASE.” “TEACHER, SAY SLOWLY. SLOOOOOW!!” Me: “SEEEEEEEAT” The same thing happened with “ship” and “sheep.” (“SHEEEEEEP”) I think this was one of my favorite parts of the camp since I actually felt like I was helping the students. Shout out to Lauren for coming up with this lesson.

Speed Quizzes

Nothing gets my students more pumped up than a chance to show off their short-term memorization skills. I did a short speed quiz after my brief U.S. History 101 and also for Konglish. I’m always amazed at my student’s supernatural ability to remember numbers. Every team remembered Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. For Konglish, I gave them a sheet of about 50 words and told them they had 5 minutes to memorize the English meaning of the Konglish word. They got REALLY into it. Some teams strategically divided up the words to memorize and then got really excited when they saw their word on the projector. (“OH! MY WORD MY WORD. I KNOW”) I hope everyone will remember “Where is the outlet” instead of “Where is the consent” when they go to America.

Scattegories

Scattegories is a game where you have to list words that belong to each category (ex. Breakfast foods, animals) that all start with a given letter of the alphabet. If two teams have the same word for the same category, that word doesn’t count. (ex. Letter is “C” and both teams put down cereal for breakfast foods) I meant to have this as a warm-up game, but it took half an hour. When I gave candy to the team that won the first round, there was a HUGE outburst since nobody knew that there were STAKES involved. When we moved into the second round, people took things seriously. Some teams had multiple answers prepared and were trying to switch them out last minute and other teams were physically blocking others from looking at their list as another member wrote on the whiteboard. I heard one group fiercely discussing whether or not I would accept “Turtle” for “Things found in a park.” “There are so many at the 호수고원! (Lake Park)”

The students were very creative. I gave the letter “T,” and I got answers like Trump’s House (vacation places), Tony Stark (things that can fly), Tonight (things that are dark), and T-underwear (clothes). A major disaster was narrowly avoided when I didn’t know what T-underwear was so I told the student I would Google it to verify. Immediately all 25 students shouted “NOOO TEACHER NO GOOGLE!!” (It’s basically a thong lmao I should have known.)

Cards Against Humanity - CWHS Vers.

While I was cleaning out my desk at the end of last semester, I dug up an old relic: Haley’s homemade CWHS Cards Against Humanity. I took out some of her inside jokes with her students (I was going to add mine but ran out of time) and it was a hit. On the very first example, I was going through with one group, the card was “I think that _____ is sexy” and the student who was the Card Czar laughed and showed me his cards which included “Your mom.”

Since I’m not going with the students on the trip, I took a photo with them and photoshopped various touristy places into the background. For the last class, I passed out photos to each class. Student: Are these photos from last year? Me: No, this is us! You don’t remember? This is when we went to the Empire State Building. Look, that’s you. Student: …Ah.

Although these past four weeks were so hectic, I would do it all over again. My students are so worth it.

#teaching in korea #teaching #fulbright korea

4 notes · View notes

heliotrope-journey · 4 years

Text

Happy Halloween from the Heliotrope Journey Team!!!

Good afternoon, vampire hunters.

I’d just thought I’d drop by to wish you a Happy Halloween. For those of you who have not played our games and seen our content before, our target audience is 16 years and older. It is an age that many people perceive to be too old to go out trick-or-treating, but never fear. If a night on the town is out of question (I live in a town where snow falls as early as October so I can’t stand going outside in frigid weathers anyway. >_<), your local supermarket is stocked with weighty bagfuls of candy that you could pick up for at least $10 or less. If you already did, congratulations!!! You’ll be having candy for dinner in no time.

That is, until a party of children come knocking at your doorstep unexpectedly to claim some of your treats in which case we hope you introverts brace yourselves for. Seriously though, Halloween is their holiday too so be a good guy and share your treats. Remember this was your past time once. ;)

Some codgers may perceive this mysterious occasion as a “silly holiday where all kids do is scarf down candy all night and vandalize their neighbors’ residences”, though Halloween is a time of year where black magic is at its most powerful and the occultists in the Veiled Nocturne love nothing more than blending in with the trick-or-treaters, plotting to whisk them away to the vampire covens they worship. There’s a good reason it’s celebrated. On this day over 2000 years ago, Celtic pagans in Ireland, England, and northern France would conduct an ancient ritual to honor the temporary return of the deceased. That day back then was called Samhain, a Gaelic word that contained “sow-win” as its pronunciation. The pagans put their magic to use by lighting bonfires before they burned their crops and animals to appease the forest spirits. Afterwards, they would don animal clothing (hopefully not sheep.) to ward off mischievous fair folk and keep the bonfires lit through the night to guarantee protection from the coming winter. Overtime, the Roman Empire and emerging cities in the Conifers Kingdom would adopt these rituals and little by little, transform the ritual into what we know as modern Halloween. While many modern earth magic practitioners generally have nothing to fear from fair folk and creatures of the night, some in Ireland still celebrate Samhain as it originally was to embrace their spiritual relationship with the natural world.

Speaking of forest spirits, today, Frederick and co. were searching for candy to satisfy their cravings when they ran afoul of a few of them in an enchanted grove full of pumpkins. To add insult to injury, these spirits have sworn their loyalty to Vlad the Impaler who promised them asylum in land he has conquered. Times have clearly changed because as human civilization grows and fascism spreads as fast as the coronavirus, the beautiful world that Gaea created since her formation continues to dwindle. It is common knowledge in the magical sector that a multitude of frightening monsters and angry souls are her descendants so there’s no hope for Frederick, Efoire, Idyia, and Sidiyq to rationalize with them. Resistance will only anger these creatures further and given that they want the human race wiped clean from their mother’s surface, what choice do they have other than fight for their own survival regardless of the consequences? One thing’s for sure, when they come out victorious, there’ll be more candy where that came from. ;) More lore to come tomorrow as we approach All Saint’s Day. Photo by Vlad Chețan from Pexels.

In the meantime, I have to give Sidiyq his assignments for November and get back to animating this moroi infantrymen for the fourth pilot episode. Goodness, what red eyes he has.

Once again, Happy Halloween!!!!

Sources and Further Reading;

https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween

https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/samhain

https://www.lawdepot.com/blog/weird-halloween-laws/

0 notes

audreynickel · 7 years

Text

Meditations on Ogham

Hi all! Sorry I’ve been remiss about writing lately! Getting the Irish Gaelic Tattoo Handbook proofed, corrected, and to the printer has occupied most of my time this past month.

The book’s at the printer now, though, and I have a little bit of time before I head off the the Irish immersion weekend in Los Angeles on Friday, so I thought I’d take a moment to write a bit on a subject that comes up occasionally on the Irish language forums: Ogham.

(Actually, as I’m still a bit slammed, I’m going to let my friend and publisher Emily McEwan do most of the writing. She’s just published an interview on this subject with linguist Dr. Conor Quinn on her own blog, “Gaelic Revitalization.” You’ll find a direct link to her interview near the bottom of this page...recommended reading for all who are interested in Irish and/or Scottish Gaelic, and particularly Ogham.)

What is “Ogham” (And How Do You Say It?)?

Well, let’s get pronunciation out of the way first. It’s not OH-gum, AH-gum, Wrigley’s gum, or any other kind of gum, but rather “om” (yes, like the meditation mantra).

In Irish, consonant combinations such as “gh” and “dh” in the middle of a word don’t necessarily represent the start of a new syllable. Rather, they often tell you how the vowels are to be pronounced.

What Ogham IS is a primitive form of writing involving slashes drawn along a line. It was primarily used to write short inscriptions in Primitive Irish, Pictish, and Latin -- on stone, for the most part. You’ll find Ogham stones throughout the Celtic world, particularly in the southern parts of Ireland.

Ogham is a phonetic alphabet, in that the slash patterns represent specific sounds. In theory, this means you can write just about any language in Ogham so long as it contains sounds for which Ogham has “letters.”

You do have to be careful, though. You can’t write in Ogham by simply substituting letter-for-letter. Once again, Ogham is based on sounds, and letter sounds aren’t necessarily the same between languages.

Sounds can even vary within a language. Take, for example, the letter “e” in English. It can be pronounced “ih,” “eh,” “uh,” “ee,” and “ay.” Sometimes it’s even silent, such as at the end of the word “peace.” When it comes to Ogham, you always have to think in terms of sounds rather than letters.

Why Are You Telling Us All This?

I’m bringing this up because the subject of Ogham comes up frequently on Irish discussion forums, particularly among tattoo seekers. Sometimes they’re not sure what to call it. They’ll ask for “Irish runes” or “traditional Irish symbols.”

While Ogham is neither a system of runes nor symbols (it’s actually an alphabet), it’s the closest Irish comes to either of those.

For most of its history, Irish has been written using the same Latin letters we use to write English, though often in a highly stylized form. Still, sometimes people want something that looks a little more primitive or that isn’t as easily recognized, and Ogham can fill that bill.

The tattoo book is coming out very soon (we’re looking at early May), and I do talk about Ogham briefly in the book. If you want to know more about it,, though, and from the standpoint of a linguistics expert, I highly recommend the blog post I mentioned, which you can find by following the link below:

http://gaelic.co/ogham/

Another good source for information on Ogham, as well as other alphabets, ancient and modern, is omniglot.com. Here’s a link to their Ogham page: http://www.omniglot.com/writing/ogham.htm

And Speaking of the Book...

I’m really excited to tell you that The Irish Gaelic Tattoo Handbook will be available for purchase very soon...most likely within the next couple of weeks!

If you’d like to be among the first to know when it’s available, the best way is to subscribe to Bradan Press’s email newsletter! You’ll also receive notices of giveaways, promotions, and new publications about Gaelic language and culture, and you can unsubscribe at any time. And it’s free!

You’ll find a subscription form (as well as information on The Irish Gaelic Tattoo Handbook) on the page linked below: http://www.bradanpress.com/irish-tattoo-handbook/

Finally, if you’d like your local bookstore or library to stock the book, the best thing to do is to print out a copy of the book sell sheet to give to them. It has all the information they need to order it. You can find that here: The Irish Gaelic Tattoo Handbook Sell Sheet

Off to L.A.

Well, I’m off to start packing for Los Angeles! I’ll be back next week with a report on the L.A. Deireadh Seachtaine Gaeltachta, and reasons why you should seriously consider attending an Irish immersion event yourself (even if you’re an absolute beginner).

Slán go fóillín!

#Irish #Gaelic #Irish Gaelic #Celtic #tattoos #writing systems #alphabet #Ogham

4 notes · View notes

renegaderoots · 6 years

Photo

BASIC INFORMATION

♚┋FULL NAME: Theodor De Vries ♚┋PRONUNCIATION: Theo-dor (German pronunciation) ♚┋NICKNAME(S): Teddy, Theo ♚┋TITLE: The Gargoyle ♚┋OCCUPATION: shop owner / contract killer ♚┋~AGE: 36 ♚┋DATE OF BIRTH: 15 August ♚┋GENDER: Cisgender ♚┋PRONOUNS: He/Him/his ♚┋ORIENTATION: Homoromantic Demisexual ♚┋NATIONALITY: German ♚┋RELIGION: the best to describe it would be...a religious atheist? ♚┋SPECIES: Human ♚┋AFFILIATION: technically, his son. Realistically, the Morrison family. ♚┋GENERATION: third ♚┋THREAT LEVEL: for somebody born to be a vicious killer willing to fight dirty, Espen’s threat level is low. He isn’t aggressive or malicious, nor does he take any pleasure in violence.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

♚┋FACE CLAIM: André Hamann / Chris Hemsworth ♚┋EYE COLOUR: Green ♚┋HAIR COLOUR: dark blonde ♚┋DOMINANT HAND: ambidextrous ♚┋HEIGHT: 184 centimeters or 6′0 ♚┋WEIGHT: 158 lbs ♚┋TATTOOS: Just...too many to possibly list. Think up every imaginable gothic cliché in existence and you’ll probably find it somewhere on his body - along with a cupcake on his left butt cheek because he’s an idiot. ♚┋SCARS: predominantly burn scars. ♚┋PIERCINGS: snakebites ♚┋GLASSES: in theory, yes, but the lazy bastard doesn’t even know how to put on two matching socks so, like, what do you expect here?

PSYCHOLOGY INFORMATION

♚┋JUNG TYPE: ISTP ♚┋SUBTYPE: Logical ♚┋ENNEATYPE: 7w8 ♚┋MORAL ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Neutral ♚┋TEMPERAMENT: Sanguine/Choleric ♚┋SCHEMA: VH, SI, NP ♚┋INTELLIGENCE TYPE: Visual-Spatial, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Logical-mathematical ♚┋~IQ: 132 ♚┋NEUROTYPE: Unsure as of yet. ♚┋AT RISK? Well, I mean, solely based on environmental factors, there’d be ample reason to believe he may be at risk.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

♚┋HOMETOWN: Cologne, Germany ♚┋CURRENT: Dublin, Ireland ♚┋LANGUAGE(S): German (mother tongue), Dutch (native speaker level), Irish (lower-intermediate level) ♚┋SOCIAL CLASS: upper middle class ♚┋DEGREE: Master’s degree ♚┋SUBJECT(S): Forensic nursing ♚┋PARENT #1: Gerrit De Vries, deceased ♚┋PARENT #2: Beatrice De Vries neé Hoffmann, deceased ♚┋SIBLING(S): Lena De Vries, deceased, Alexander De Vries, deceased ♚┋MAIN SHIP: Espen/Sam (bromance) ♚┋RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single ♚┋CHILDREN: Oliver De Vries, alive, three years ♚┋PET(S): none ♚┋ADOPTED? Yes. After his parents’ death, Espen was adopted by his paternal grandfather. ♚┋RAP SHEET? Nothing yet. ♚┋PRISON TIME? Not yet.

VICES / HABITS

♚┋SMOKES? like a chimney. ♚┋DRINKS? Yes. ♚┋DOES DRUGS? Used to, yes. Stimulants (i.e. ecstasy) and hallucinogens like LSD ♚┋IS VIOLENT? Not at all, ironically enough. This is so hard to believe because Espen’s family consisted primarily of criminals, including former intelligence agents, one might be quick to falsely assume that their natures - violent, predominantly - are irrevocably ingrained in his being; but this couldn’t be further from the truth. If at all necessary, Espen will only react defensively, thus defending himself physically, when there’s no other way. ♚┋HAS AN ADDICTION? Not anymore. ♚┋IS SELF-DESTRUCTIVE? Yes. ♚┋HABITS: perpetually confused about what clothes are - likes to walk around his flat completely nude. Unsurprisingly, he also sleeps without any clothes on. Cannot sit on chairs like normal people. Hello bad blood circulation. ♚┋HOBBIES: sewing, alternative fashion, taxidermy, reading (mostly Gothic literature because he’s extra like that), taking care of baby bats, vblogging, weaponry, medieval history, travelling around the world to visit castles, tarot card reading, make up (both theater and alternative), book reviews on youtube, gaming ♚┋TICS: grunting (especially when stressed or extremely anxious. It’s happened before that that’s all he does while he completely shuts down normal communication.) ♚┋OBSESSION(S): none ♚┋COMPULSION(S): has to arrange food a certain way on his plate lest he won’t eat it

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

♚┋HOUSE: Gryffindor ♚┋VICE: Wrath ♚┋VIRTUE: Temperance ♚┋ELEMENT: Fire ♚┋ANGEL: Uriel ♚┋MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURE: Vampire ♚┋ANIMAL: black cat ♚┋MUTATION: time manipulation ♚┋WOULD SURVIVE POST-APOC? No. Sadly, he has morals.

STATUS INFORMATION

♚┋DEVELOPMENT: Semi-developed ♚┋SHIPPING: Shiplocked. Not to a particular ship, mind you, but because of Espen’s background and personality, it would be ooc for him to commit to multiple ships (even if they’re regarded separately). ♚┋VERSE: Multiverse ♚┋VERSE TYPE: crime, slice of life ♚┋CANON: crime ♚┋PLOTTING: open ♚┋CREATION DATE: August 2017

CHARACTER SUMMARY

After five minutes, you’ll have no better descriptor for Espen other than fucking weird – and rightfully so. Everything from his demeanor down to his most perfunctory mannerisms, the man defies social conventions without even trying all that hard. Raised to patch up his mother’s career as a discharged intelligence agent, Espen grew up isolated from his peers, trained and groomed mostly and certainly not treated like a son. Eventually, their renegade ways caught up with them; the result being murder in the first degree. Following these events, he was adopted by his paternal grandfather and Theo became Espen. All tragedies aside, his golden heart and warm eyes give away his personality at first glance. There’s compassion in his actions that shouldn’t be feasible given that his body count is heavy. Now that there’s another life in the picture, namely his kid, Espen is determined to find the exeunt to his tragedy. Good morals and good character, unfortunately, don’t mean shit when you’re indebted to a crime cartel.

APPEARANCE DESCRIPTION

Physically, the guy is average and contrary to what one might believe, he doesn’t really stick out from the crowd save for his colorful sleeve tattoos. Standing 6’0 tall, Espen isn’t exactly a frightening, towering figure either. How he manages to stay fit with the serious sweet tooth that he has is a mystery, but his build is, without doubt, rather muscular. His accent is quite a minuscular detail yet, still, a faint German accent can be heard. What will certainly turn some heads, however, is his clothing. True to his decade-old fondness for the Goth subculture, you won’t ever see him wearing anything that isn’t various shades of black. When he can be bothered to dress up, Espen likes to wear a combination of Edwardian and Trad Goth attire, though the classic ’90 aesthetic of the vampire is also something he wears daily. Due to his appearance, his demeanor is key and he knows this. You can’t just be withdrawn or aloof looking like him, so he goes out of his way to be kind and courteous – especially towards elder people. Since his wardrobe is black and then black, his light brown hair and green eyes are accentuated even moreso, his look always attentive. And when you’re close enough to him, you will smell a few drops of a vintage perfume for women, namely Guerlain Shalimar; a coveted assortment of vanilla, tonka beans and castoreum musk.

PERSONALITY DESCRIPTION

Espen is the pinnacle of wasted brilliance and proof, as he says, that one’s IQ is relative if there’s not a grain of ambition in your body. That’s pretty much his lot in life; a double-edged sword, if you will, with which he has accidentally stabbed himself more than once. His intelligence is only outmatched by how much of a fucking sloth he is. He’s Snorlax personified, essentially, and if nobody actively pestered him to be productive, the guy would probably just suffocate in his own filth. As the common genius stereotype would suggest, Espen is emotionally inhibited and socially inept, unable to function in social settings. This, while somewhat true, isn’t entirely accurate either. Sure, his tact is less than ready to tango and he often comes across as remorselessly crude because he has only a rudimentary grasp on what is socially acceptable. Simultaneously, however, he is not content to just build a wall of silence around him. No, Espen tries his best to tune in to what others are partial towards, reacting accordingly. There’s also always a kernel of humor in his interactions, one that might imply he doesn’t take anything seriously. Because if he does, it matters. Be that as it may, a cold, malicious asshole he is not. He could be; would have enough reason to be – yet he is not if his numerous flaws can be reined in. Even his humoristic take on pessimism is charming. He’s the type of person who knows his odds, yet still does the thing to crack others up. In contrast to this, though, Espen isn’t idealistic – he knows the world is a shithole. Often a devil’s advocate and a complete shut-in when stress hits him, emotions still make him feel insecure and incompetent – every emotional response might be the wrong one, after all.

SKILLS / COMPETENCES

Espen doesn’t really care for languages, yet can communicate on native speaker level in three languages – English, Dutch, German. Where he really shines is his creativity and fashion sense. He loves giving baby bats fashion advice, quickly one to offer help when things are tough at home, too. Of course, he shouldn’t be underestimated either. Though not proud of this skillset, per se, he is nonetheless adept at social engineering, sociology, basic psychology, martial arts, vehicle and foot surveillance, marksmanship, and, naturally, hand-to-hand combat. As mentioned above, giving in to his benevolent and amiable side, Espen pursued a master’s degree in forensic nursing. Beyond that, he is also excellent at forgetting important dates, being late, being tired and eating everyone’s food. Oh, yes, and an obscure knowledge of medieval and Celtic history to boot, he’s really into medieval markets/costumes.

INTERPERSONAL MANNER

In a word, odd. Just plain fucking odd. Here he is not even able to survive without somebody constantly kicking his ass to get his shit together; here he is with barely an idea what decorum is and he still tries to be kind, even though it’s technically not in his nature to be any of that. Although Espen may come across as secretive, private and somewhat shy at first, any worries are forgotten as soon as mischief, fun, or sweets are involved. Now, ever since his family died, Espen has been somewhat clingy with the few people he has in his life, much like a cat demanding instant and constant attention. He doesn’t take well to being ignored, and won’t stop until he has your undivided attention. As for romance, Espen isn’t really made for that; not in the conventional sense. A very solitary creature by default, it is very hard for even him to tell whether what he feels are genuinely deep emotions or just what he feels compelled to feel. Either way, if you express interest, Espen will go to great lengths to ensure you feel nothing but wanted and validated.

INSPIRED BY: the guy on Lie to Me, Edmund (King Lear), Deadpool tbh

#profile;Espen

0 notes