#sphere of helios

[evilios]

The “magic sphere” of Helios

Found in the Theater of Dionysus in 1866, this mystical object, dating back to the ~2nd-3rd century AD, is made of marble, shaped like a sphere, and depicts Helios, Greek Solar God.

Here He is representing a κοσμοκράτωρ, “master” or “lord” of the world. He is seated on a throne with a whip in one hand and three lit torches in the other. While the purpose of the object is a subject of many questions, many agree that it might have been used for magical rituals - perhaps by competitors in sportive and theatrical events in the theater it was found in.

More information: 🏺 🏺

[oroes-constellation]

With the Helios Star System, what does it exactly mean by 'Everything to do with astrophysics'?

By that I mean everything I have calculated about the planets and stars of the Helios System, from a physics (this branch being called astrophysics) angle.

All the things I’ve calculated for all are:

Radii/Diameters

Luminosity of the star aka Helios

Hill Sphere (the closest an object can orbit without being pulled in by the larger objects gravitational pull)

Mass

Gravity

Average surface temperature + Core temperature of Helios

Orbit radius (distance from star)

Orbital period (length of year)

Orbital speed (how fast it moves along its orbit)

Bond Albedo (how much light is reflected by the surface)

Average density of the planets

Water % on surface (for most)

Surface Area & Atmospheric Pressure for half

So most of the sciency stuff to do with the Helios system I’ve got covered.

When it comes to more people oriented and culture stuff, the countries that exist there I’ve got pretty much nothing- so that’s what I mean by ‘everything to do with astrophysics.’

[paladinfigueroth]

an aspect of the bobby dawn and sandra lynn grooming situation i haven't seen discussed is that, at least how it's presented in Freshman Year (I'm rewatching it rn so it's fresh in my mind), the church of Helio/Sol isn't very welcoming to non-humans. Kristen lived in a human neighborhood in a very not human town, and her parents don't seem to have met a lot of elves, let alone the other species of spyre. highcourt from what i can tell is a largely human theocratic nation.

sure helio and sol work with galicaea but that partnership isn't felt in how their worshippers act. it's very seperate spheres of influence, the high elves for galicaea and humans for helio/sol.

sandra lynn was a recent high school dropout, taken in by an older and more experienced adventuring party that was led by a man very devoted a religion that is human centric. it adds another lay of vulnerability to sandra lynn, another point for bobby dawn to pick at until she was under his thumb and another way for him to cast her aside. she's an elf to be saved by sol until she's the elven temptress to cast excommunicated when they are caught.

[milleneumfulcrum]

Cities In Dust

written with the consultation of our queen @sanzosin <3 to whom i must apologise to because this took FOREVER to write thanks to work and class

this work is cross-posted on A03 as usual

Pairing | Handsome Jack x Nisha Kadam

Word Count | 3,353

Warnings | slightly NSFW, also jack and nisha are just like That

Nisha remembered the way the train had blown in, dusting umber hair across her eyes. It was no ordinary cargo transport, built instead to hold people, not Eridium. The Hyperion livery indicated this particular person must be special indeed. 

Jack came with all the fanfare and splendor he demanded, followed by what she deemed as an unnecessary number of Loaders. Did he think she'd let something happen to him- in her town of all places? Nisha rolled her eyes, twin spheres of molten gold. 

"Heya, pumpkin," Jack grinned, enunciating each syllable. "Didja get my gift?"

The gift in question had been delivered early, around the time Nisha roused from bed. Jack was a frivolous bastard, and she'd expected another piss-yellow brassiere, or perhaps another ridiculous Hyperion rifle. Her surprise had been an uncomfortable blow when she opened it to find deep purple silk instead, a two-piece set that flattered her tanned skin. Damn.

"You didn't tell me you were coming," Nisha snipped, ignoring Jack's query. His smirk didn't falter; bastard probably knew she was wearing his gift underneath.

"Oh, I was in the area, and, well, yanno..." He waved his hands impatiently, stepping down from the platform languidly. "Thought I'd pick you up for our date tonight."

Make that a presumptuous bastard.

"That's not how you ask, cowboy." Nisha's gaze was sharp. "That doesn't work-"

"Nish," Jack cut her off, and that alone should've made her furious... but there was something indecipherable in his eyes, even through the lifelike mask, that intrigued her. "Come back with me tonight." He paused, looking troubled that he even had to ask. "I, ah, wanna see what it looks like on you."

He'd been strange ever since Angel died. The Jack she knew never would've stepped foot in her dusty town without good reason; now, here he was, albeit surrounded by monstrous-looking robots, demanding her presence. 

The Nisha she knew would've told him to stuff it. 

Instead, she glanced up at him in a gust of wind, raising her right arm to block the sun. The light flashed off her armguard- Hyperion yellow.

Jack seemed to understand he'd succeeded, and Nisha resented the flash of surprise that crossed his eyes as she stepped up onto the platform. Her fingers found his wrist, nails digging into the flesh she'd claimed. He winced; a small victory.

"You'd better make it worth my while," Nisha hissed, her voice low. Her defense was venom. 

She needn't have threatened. As soon as they'd breached his grandiose quarters on Helios, Jack had been wild, pulsing with need beneath her. The marks down her arms- scratches, as he'd gripped at her- were made by a man possessed.

"Nish," Jack panted, letting out a low groan. She'd pinned him to the mattress, her fingers twining cruelly around his throat. "I wish you'd stay here. You could- friggin' hell- be my sexy secretary."

Her hold tightened, and he retaliated by bruising her hips in his grip. Nisha's eyes were shards of yellow gold, her lipstick smeared just at the edge of her mouth. 

"Secretary? Don't insult me."

She'd woken up pleasantly sore in his silken sheets. Sore and alone, wrapped in Jack's dingy yellow sweater. 

Nisha scrubbed at her eyes with a faded sleeve, her other hand inching across the mattress to Jack's side. She found the pillows cold, swearing under her breath. He should not have the capability to leave like that- not without waking her. But he couldn't be far. 

A silver-blue glow outlined the door. Nisha's feet carried her over the marble flooring; without her boots and chains, she was silent beneath the white noise of Helios. Jack didn't notice as she swept into his office, hidden in the shadows. His face was lit with the same pale blue light, and she was almost offended to see his mask had been slotted back into place. Whatever he was staring at so intently required two working eyes, apparently. 

"Well, sorry I bored you," Nisha declared flatly. Jack startled so hard that his wrist banged on the underside of the desk. 

"Nisha," He began, but she cut him off with a piercing look. Something tugged her gaze to his screens- a flash of familiarity, dust kicked up in the night- and she froze.

Death-Row Refinery, the camera feed read. Nisha barely recognized the smoldering ruins. 

"Jack," She began. Her voice was dangerously low. "What happened in Lynchwood?"

If he answered, she wasn't coherent enough to listen. This wasn't the work of just any bandit; this smoking husk was the product of those ludicrous Vault Hunters, no doubt seeking revenge for Roland's death and Lilith's capture. And Jack- somehow he'd known. Somehow, he'd lured her away to the oppressive security of his space station, like she was some fragile little woman. 

Nisha saw red. 

Her open palm cracked across Jack's synthetic mask. The contact smarted, much more so than if it had been his real skin, but she was too far gone to notice. This was betrayal. 

"You-" Nisha struggled for words. "-you skag fucking bastard! I oughta kill you!"

Jack's expression was unreadable, and that made her blood turn to steam. How dare he refuse to even flinch before her? How dare he-

"We are going down there," Nisha spat through gritted teeth. "Right now. And you'd better hope those Vault Hunters are still there, because if they aren't- well, someone is dying tonight."

Jack didn't resist when she hauled him to his feet. A little, "Hunh," escaped his lips, but he was otherwise silent as Nisha dressed in a fury. She was electric, like a storm, and they touched down in Lynchwood with the force of a typhoon. The Vault Hunters were long gone, leaving a trail of broken yellow bots in their wake. 

"Cowards," Nisha muttered. Jack looked strange like this, a rifle slung over his shoulder, barely illuminated in the pale dawn. The rest of the town was mostly untouched, but she could smell the smoke from the refinery. The air was thick with it.

There was a body outside of the station; Nisha recognized it as Winger immediately, with his ridiculously oversized coat. She hardly spared him a glance as she stepped inside, whistling low under her breath. Destruction reared its ugly face again.

"They were looking for me," Nisha remarked, turning to face Jack. Her initial eruption of anger had cooled, leaving behind an icy middle ground between respect for the Vault Hunters' boldness and contempt for her boyfriend's antics. "Maybe I can lure 'em back. Finish the job."

Jack twitched.

Nisha emerged from the station in a blaze of gold. The sun was rising, filtered through hazy smoke. She didn't need to follow the ashy trail to find the source; Death-Row Refinery looked like it had been carved open in one grand explosion, perhaps with the help of a maniac like Torgue. It was no doubt a last-ditch attempt by the Vault Hunters to stem the flow of Eridium to Hyperion- they couldn't have known just how close Jack was to charging the key. How Lilith was stronger than Angel had ever been. 

"If I was here, none of this would've happened," Nisha hissed, rounding on Jack. He hadn't said a word since they'd landed, his mask an untouched mantra of stony silence. "My town is a smoking fucking husk, and your biggest producer of Eridium is outta commission. No, screw your refinery. God, if those ratches took the shit from my fucking room- I left my sniper here, Jack. Armor-piercing Jakobs! Do you know how long it took me to-"

"The gun doesn't fucking matter, Nisha!"

Jack was wild, more so than she had ever seen before. He met her pace for pace until his palms were on her shoulders, shaking her like she was the idiot. 

"Look at this town," He snarled, pointing one long finger at the destruction behind them. "Look at it, Nish! Look what they did. You'd be just another fucking body in the dust- and I told you, when you join Hyperion- no, no, no- when you join me, there's no way out. No fucking quitting."

His grip was bruising; Nisha was mesmerized.

"Do you see how many Loaders I sent down here?" Jack continued, frenzied. Nisha looked at him like he was rabid. "They're all scrap now, and I- and I had- I actually had time to prepare for this, Nisha- not like- like-"

His voice broke, stuttering to a ghastly halt. Nisha went rigid in the silence that stretched between, her expression thunderous. She didn't know how to temper her storm to a drizzle- not even now. 

"I can take care of myself," Nisha sizzled, like lightning. She couldn't quite bring herself to shake Jack's hands off her shoulders, even when his grip turned bruising. "I don't need a hero- if you're gonna... gonna be like this, you can fuck right off back to Helios."

She wrenched him off then, stepping back in the dust. His eyes flashed with something indescribable, but Nisha didn't stick around to decipher it, turning on her heel. Her boots clicked against rock and rubble, then concrete as she approached the main strip. She could hear footsteps behind her- Jack's footsteps- but didn't so much as glance back. 

Nisha's place was in a quiet corner of town, blended in with the half-abandoned ramshackle structures. She'd wanted it over the sheriff's station, when the town was first sanctioned in her name, but Jack had convinced her otherwise. It was too obvious- too easy. Reluctantly, Nisha had agreed to an unassuming building on the outskirts of town, one that ensured privacy- and a long walk to work. 

Inside, Jack had spared no expense. Hyperion technology was built into every corner, complete with sleek flooring and furniture. It was completely untouched, and when she vaulted up the stairs, entering her bedroom, her sniper was exactly where she'd left it. Only then did she turn, finding Jack lingering in the doorway. He should've looked smug- his precautions had worked, after all. His countenance was haunted instead.

Nisha moved to fidget with her hat, unsure of what to say, when she caught a glimpse of her Hyperion-yellow armguard again. Another plate of armor encased her right boot, all the way down to the heel. Even her damn badge was Hyperion; almost gold, with a little white stripe down the bottom. 

"Well," She began uncertainly. This had never been her expertise. "They didn't get my gun."

A choked noise escaped Jack's lips, half laugh and half whine. He jerked forwards and they both went tumbling down into her sheets, her fingers winding through his hair as Jack's hands found her waist. She didn't stop him as he buried his face in the hollow where her throat and shoulders met, shivering in satisfaction as his teeth scraped her skin.

"Nish," Jack shuddered. 

She tugged on his hair in response. "That all you got, cowboy?"

Her hands fell from his crown to cradle his jaw for a moment, then Nisha was slipping the coat from Jack's shoulders. His watch clattered to the floor as she dipped her fingers underneath his annoying yellow sweater; they'd both dressed in a hurry, forgoing layers for time. 

"This doesn't mean you're forgiven, you know," Nisha hissed, the hand in his hair slipping low, her fingers resting on the back of his neck. Jack muttered something unintelligible into her breasts, fighting with the hem of her shirt as she hooked her heels into his shoes and pulled them off. "You don't deserve-"

"Nisha," Jack whined, and the last of her resolve crumbled. She threw a leg over his side, hooking Jack's body to hers, and flipped his back into the mattress. Nisha followed quickly, straddling his hips as her hands slipped under that damned yellow sweater. His skin was burning beneath her calloused fingertips, as she traced every ridge and scar with practiced, blind expertise. Jack moaned, long and low, only coming to a stuttering halt when Nisha thumbed the edge of his mask.

"Off," She ordered. It came off with a soft click, guided to the sanctity of her nightstand by Jack's broad fingers. Nisha didn't waste a moment, pressing rough, bruising kisses from his neck to the corner of his lips. She was softer as she brushed over his scar, tracing the edges of Jack's roughened skin. "They're gonna die, babe. Screaming."

Nisha never claimed to be good with words- this being no exception. But... Jack's hips bucked upwards in response, another strangled noise escaping his throat, and she felt emboldened enough to continue. 

"They're not getting off without learning who the boss around here is," She hissed. Her pretty speech was starting to get to her almost as much as it was striking Jack; her hands ached for her whip, just to strangle each and every one of those bastards who dared oppose Jack. If they hadn't needed Lilith so much, Nisha maintained a long list of things to try- a list she'd been compiling since Elpis. She settled for grabbing a fistful of Jack's hair and tugging, relishing in the long, low groan of pleasure it ripped from him.

"Fuck, Nish," Jack huffed, squirming against her as she forced his head back. "Watch it, will ya?"

Nisha ducked low in one smooth movement, like a creature of the water, and sank her teeth into Jack's exposed throat. It wasn't hard enough to draw blood, but when she pulled back, a perfect little indented oval remained. Jack was quick to tear her shirt off, then, and the rest of their clothes vanished in a tangle of limbs. Her nails dragged along his exposed chest, leaving little red trails parallel to his faded scars.

"I don't care how- god, fuck- how pissed you are," Jack snarled. His fingers gripped her caramel hips with enough force to bruise. "I'm not letting your overconfidence kill you. I told you, there's no w-way out once you're in."

Nisha's eyes flashed molten gold, like she could scorch him with her gaze alone. 

"Can't stop playing the hero, can you?" She sighed, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "Someone ought to humble you."

But in the back of her mind, where rational thought was often crammed away, Nisha knew Jack was right. The Loaders he'd thrown at the Vault Hunters could've leveled a city, and still, they managed to burn him where it hurt most- his daughter. And while the Lawbringer wasn't one to just keel over and die... well, she didn't want to think about that now. Her mouth had found Jack's inner thigh, her breath hot on his skin. His earlier grandeur was fading fast.

"You'd miss me, wouldn't you," Nisha sighed, lips parted. Jack's fingers were in her hair again, tugging rather weakly. "You make such a big show of protecting what's yours or some bullshit, but you're just selfish."

"M'not selfish," Jack whined. "Can't you just thank me for saving your frigging life?"

"Aren't I?"

She thanked him in the only way she knew how, her fingers trailing uninterrupted down the long length of his wiry chest. When her hands met his waist, Nisha hoisted herself back up, ignoring the way Jack's lips twisted into a scowling pout. His noise of protest quickly dissolved into a stuttering moan as she fit her hips to his, feeling strangely merciful. For once, Nisha didn't want to draw this out. 

Jack released a slew of curses when she finally started to move, his fingers finding an iron grip on her waist. There were little words between them, no barbs of playful spite or authority as Nisha splayed her fingers over his chest, his skin searing beneath her touch. She bent low again, her lips trailing the length of his throat as she sucked and bit bruises down his collarbone. It didn't take long for Jack's rhythm to falter, his hips thrusting erratically.

"Nish," He uttered, his voice breaking roughly. "Nish, I'm so fucking close, I... shiiiiiiit, Nisha-"

He might as well have wiped her mind clean, then, in that moment. Lynchwood, the Vault Hunters, her golden star- it all melted away as Jack pleaded for release below her scar-crossed thighs. She'd be a fool to think she could control the world around her, but Jack? He was hers, even if he didn't understand. 

Wordlessly, Nisha egged him on, her nails digging in and scraping parallel to Jack's faded scars. She was bent still, almost flattened against him as she sucked another dark bruise in the hollow where his throat and shoulders met. This was where she wanted to be. This was her domain- her territory.

And... Jack was waiting for her. His hips had gone rigid, his eye burning with the cold blue fire of restraint. He thought this was a punishment.

"Jack," Nisha almost laughed, her breath soft as a whisper of wind through thick green boughs. "Jack, move."

The moan that escaped Jack's lips was inhuman. His hips stuttered back to life like some ancient machine, so weary and broken that it barely remembered how to chug forward. She could barely hold him down as he bucked up once, twice, and then-

Jack's body went limp against her deep silken sheets, his eyes nearly rolling back into his head. Nisha could feel the snapping of the coil, the breaking of the wire, as he finally released. Jack was quiet for a long moment, longer than she'd ever seen, as she wound her slender arms around his torso and eased herself down to his side. His chest rose and fell with sharp, rapid breaths, but he welcomed her into his arms, closing his eyes as his nose met her warm skin.

"Hey," Nisha uttered after a long moment, surprising herself with the softness of her voice. "You falling asleep, cowboy? We have to get goin'."

Jack's good eye fluttered open blearily.

"Hunh?"

With a stifled laugh, Nisha brought her hand to his forehead, combing back his sex-wild hair. His forehead was damp with sweat, and she imagined she was probably in a similar state. 

"I mean, Jack," She began, sucking a whistling breath in through her teeth. "Let's get the hell out of this wreck. I got what I came for-" Nisha motioned to the discarded sniper. "-and the rest can go to hell, for all I care. Those fucking Vault Hunters aren't even worth the trouble, really. It'll be much more fun to see your Warrior beat them to a bloody pulp- maybe we can make them watch as I sweep Sanctuary first. That lawless dump could use me."

She glanced down as she finished, her nose scrunching in contempt, only to meet Jack's reverent gaze. He looked at Nisha like he was seeing her for the first time all over again, his cheeks flushed and his lips parted. 

"You-" His voice broke, hoarse from their earlier exertion. "-you wanna go back to Helios?" 

Nisha merely shrugged.

A myriad of emotions flickered over Jack's scarred face, and for a moment, he looked lost. Nisha nearly backpedaled at the sight- and then his countenance exploded in a surge of charismatic confidence. His lips twisted into a sharp smirk, the fingers that had been limp at her waist suddenly alive and bruising again. Jack's gaze was nearly manic in his passion, and his mouth crashed against hers in a devouring, possessive kiss. Nisha barely had time to battle for dominance before he had pulled away, breathless and grinning. There was something wildly unstable buried in Jack's expression, and Nisha found herself tingling with molten excitement.

"We're going to wipe those bandit bastards off the face of Pandora," He hissed, his voice dangerously low. If it wasn't for the wild grin on his lips, she'd think he was seething. "I told ya, Nish. And we're gonna do it together."

She didn't respond. There was no need to reaffirm her pledge, to sink her loyalty in like the driving of a stake. For once, Jack had unquestionable loyalty. 

Nisha grabbed his mask, turning it in her fingers, and clicked it back into place.

[namesforwriters]

Mythology Inspired Names: Ancient Greek (masc)

Achilles ~ Greek, meaning "grief," "distress," "he who has people in distress."

One of the most famous of all Greek heroes, Achilles famously gained invulnerability as a baby which aided him as an incredible warrior. Achilles slew Hector in the Trojan War as revenge for killing his lover, Patroclus, but Achilles' rage was so strong the gods intervened, and Achilles was killed by an arrow to his one weak spot, his heel. pronunciation: ah-kill-eez

Adonis ~ Greek, meaning "lord."

Considered an ideal of male beauty in classical antiquity, Adonis achieved immortality after being killed by a wild boar in a hunting trip. His blood mingled with the tears of Aphrodite, who wept over him, from which a red flower grew. Sometimes an anemone flower, other times a red rose. pronunciation: ah-don-is

Aion ~ Greek, potentially meaning "path."

In Greek mythology, Aion was a minor deity and the god of cyclical time; the passing of the year, the zodiac, the recurrance of eternal time. He was later associated with mystery religions. pronunciation: ai-on (I-on)

Apollo ~ Greek, meaning "to destroy," "redemption."

Apollo is one of the twelve Olympians and is the god of archery, the sun, prophecy, music, healing, disease, light, and poetry. Twin to Artemis, Apollo is also well-known for experiencing tragedy in love. pronunciation: ah-pahl-low

Ares ~ Greek, meaning "bane," "warlike," "ruin."

Another of the twelve Olympian gods, Ares is the god of war and courage. He is the patron of the Amazons, and is known for both incredible violence and savagery as well as valor and honor. His most famous lover is Aphrodite. pronunciation: air-eez

Argo ~ Greek, meaning "swift."

Argo was the name of a ship from Greek mythology. It was the name of the ship Jason sailed on during his quest to retrive the Golden Fleece. pronunciation: ar-go

Atlas ~ Greek, meaning "enduring," "to hold."

Atlas is a Titan associated with celestial spheres and the creation of astronomy. After the war between the gods and Titans, Atlas was punished and condemned to hold the weight of the sky for eternity. pronunciation: at-les, at-lahs

Castor ~ Greek, meaning "beaver."

Castor and his twin, Pollux, are the half-brother children of Leda, a Spartan queen. Castor was born to a mortal father, while Zeus fathered the divine Pollux as a swan. Castor, along with Pollux, was transformed into a constellation named Gemini, meaning "twins." pronunciation: kas-ter

Damon ~ Greek, meaning "one who tames."

Damon is a mortal man from Greek mythology who, along with Pythias, is shown to be an ideal of friendship. When Pythias is accused of plotting against the tyrannical king, Dionysus I, Pythias asked for the chance to get his affairs in order. Dionysus I agreed, as long as Damon stayed behind as a hostage. If Pythias didn't return, Damon would be killed in his stead. Pythias returned, and Dionysus I released them both, impressed by their bond. pronunciation: day-men

Eros ~ Greek, meaning "desire," "love."

In some myths, Eros is a primordial god. In others, he is the son of Aphrodite and Ares. In all, he is the god of love, desire, lust, and sex. He is better known by his roman name "Cupid." He is usually depicted with wings and a bow and arrow. pronunciation: air-ohs, air-os

Hades ~ Greek, meaning "the unseen one."

Never an Olympian, but an incredibly powerful, major god nonetheless, Hades is King of the Underworld and lord of the dead. He is usually depicted with a helm, a two-pronged spear, and his three-headed hound Cerberus. pronunciation: hey-deez

Hector ~ Greek, meaning "to hold," "holding fast."

Hector was the strongest warrior in Troy and fought in and led armies in the Trojan War. Despite his skill in war, Hector was described as "peace-hearted." He was eventually slain by Achilles. pronunciation: hek-ter

Helios ~ Greek, meaning "sun," "warming."

In the Ancient Greek faith, Helios is the original god of the sun and brother to Selene, goddess of the moon. He is largely identified with, and later seemingly replaced with Apollo. His Roman counterpart is Sol. pronunciation: hee-lee-ohs, hee-lee-os

Hermes ~ Greek, meaning "stone heap."

Best known as the herald and messenger of the gods, Hermes is one of the twelve Olympians. He is also the god of travelers, merchants, thieves, messengers, mischief, athletes, and speed. pronunciation: her-meez

Homer ~ Greek, meaning "security."

The name of the famous Greek poet who credited as the author of both The Iliad and The Odyssey, which tell of the Trojan War and the ten-year journey of Odysseus back to his home in Ithaca after the fall of Troy. pronunciation: ho-mer

Hyacinthus ~ Greek, meaning "hyacinth."

Hyacinthus was the son of the muse Clio. He was gentle and clever and loved by both Apollo and the god of the west wind, Zephyrus, who accidentally killed Hyacinthus out of jealousy. Apollo wept for him and created a flower to memorialize his lost love. pronunciation: hi-ah-sin-this, hi-ah-sin-thus

Icarus ~ Greek, meaning "follower."

Icarus is best known for his death. Icarus was the son of Daedalus, a master craftsman and architect of the Labyrinth, in which they both had been trapped by King Minos. To escape, they both strapped wings made from feathers and wax to themselves. They escaped, but Icarus flew too high, and the wax melted in the heat of the sun, resulting in Icarus' fall and death. pronunciation: ih-cah-ris

Jason ~ Greek, meaning "healer."

Descended from Hermes, Jason was the leader of the Argonauts and a hero famous for finding the Golden Fleece. Originally married to Medea, Jason later left her, losing the favor of the goddess Hera. Jason's successes would eventually lead to the establishment of Rome. pronunciation: jay-sen

Leander ~ Greek, meaning "lion man."

Leander was a mortal man from Abydos who fell for Hero, a priestess of Aphrodite, from across the strait. Every night, Leander would swim across the strait to be with her, and Hero would illuminate the top of her tower so he knew the one. One winter, a wind blew out the light, and he died. Hero threw herself off the tower to join him. pronunciation: lee-an-der

Minos ~ Greek, meaning "king."

The King of Crete and a prideful man, Minos was the son of Zeus. After his wife gave birth to a man-bull hybrid, Minos had the Labyrinth built in which he could hide the Minotaur. Every nine years he sent seven boys and seven girls into it to be eaten by the monster. He became a judge of the dead in the Underworld after his death. pronunciation: mine-ohs

Notus ~ Greek, meaning "south."

Notus is the god of the southern wind. Largely associated with heat, but also the coming of rain and mist, his brothers are Boreas, Zephyrus, and Eurus. pronunciation: no-tus, no-tos

Orion ~ Greek, "rising in the sky," "dawning."

In Greek mythology, Orion was a great, giant hunter who earned the favor of Artemis. In some myths, he is killed by Artemis as well. In others, he is killed by a giant scorpion. Either way, his story ends in death and he is transformed into a constellation. pronunciation: oh-rye-en

Orpheus ~ Greek, meaning "orphan," "best voice."

Orpheus was a Greek hero who helped Jason on his quest for the Golden Fleece. Following the quest, Orpheus journeyed to the Underworld to recover his love wife, Eurydice. Orpheus was an amazing musician. pronunciation: or-phee-us

Perseus ~ Greek, meaning "to destroy"

The Greek hero Perseus is most famous for his defeat of the gorgon Medusa, by decapitating her. Also famous for slaying the sea monster Cetus, Perseus was the son of Zeus and would go on to establish Mycenae. pronunciation: per-see-us

Pollux ~ Greek, meaning "very sweet."

Pollux was born to the Spartan queen Leda and Zeus disguised as a swan. His half-brother and twin Castor was born mortal, while Pollux was born divine. Pollux asked Zeus to share his immortality with Castor after he was fatally wounded, and the two were transformed into the Gemini constellation. pronunciation: pah-lux

Prometheus ~ Greek, meaning "forethought."

The myth of Prometheus describes him as the gifter of fire. Despite orders from Zeus, Prometheus gave the gift of fire to humanity and is the father of technology, civilization, and knowledge. Zeus punished him to be bound to a rock, and every day an eagle would peck out and eat his liver. pronunciation: pro-mee-thee-us

Proteus ~ Greek, meaning "first," "firstborn," "versatile."

Dubbed the "Old Man of the Sea" by the poet Homer, Proteus was an elusive and prophetic sea god. Proteus would only answer the questions of those who managed to capture him. pronunciation: pro-tee-us

Styx ~ Greek, meaning "shuddering."

Styx is the name of one of the rivers in the Underworld. To cross it is to cross into the Underworld. Styx is also the name upon which the gods swear their most solemn oaths. Styx is gender-neutral. pronunciation: stix

Theseus ~ Greek, meaning "to set," "institution."

A great hero, Theseus was also a king of Athens. Most well-known for killing the Minotaur, Theseus married the Cretan princess Phaedra after abandoning Ariadne. pronunciation: thee-see-us

Titan ~ Greek, meaning "defender."

The Titans were a generation of divine beings born to Gaia and Uranus, the primordial deities of earth and sky. Predecessors to the gods, the most famous Titan was the trecherous Kronos, lord of time. pronunciation: tie-ten

Triton ~ Greek, meaning "sea god."

Triton was the divine son of the Olympian Poseidon and his queen Amphitrite. Largely functioning as his father's messenger, Triton is usually depicted as a merman. pronunciation: try-ton

Troy ~ Greek, meaning "water," "soldier."

Troy was a great city located in modern-day Turkey and the site of the mythological Trojan War, fought between the Greek forces under Agamemnon of Mycenae and the Trojan forces under Priam of Troy. The Greek gods were also divided during the war. pronunciation: troi

Typhon ~ Greek, meaning "child of Titans."

One of the most deadly, dangerous monsters in all Greek mythology, Typhon was a giant who attempted to overthrow Zeus and the gods. Many of Greek mythologies monsters were born to him and his wife Echidna. pronunciation: tie-phon

Zeus ~ Greek, meaning "sky father."

Lord of the skies and king of the gods, Zeus is the chief of the Olympians. His wife is Hera and his brothers are Poseidon and Hades. Zeus is the father of many other Olympians and gods, as well as some of the most famous Greek heroes, including Perseus and Heracles. pronunciation: zoos

Zephyrus ~ Greek, meaning "westerly wind."

Zephryus is one of the four wind gods and lord of the western wind. Known for being gentle and bringing about the flowers of springtime, Zephyrus fell in love with Hyacinthus and accidentally killed him out of jealousy when Hyacinthus spent more time with Apollo. pronunciation: zeh-ph-er-us

These name lists are intended to help writers and artists. There is no expectation of credit, and these lists aren't meant to be the end-all be-all lists of possible names. There are millions out there, and this is just for fun!

If you have a suggestion for a name list, or want to see something specific, feel free to submit a request!

And if you see something that is wrong (a pronunciation, a meaning, an origin), again, feel free to let me know!

[karriethemechtech]

I've been doing some investigative reporting on the WoB forces--just a bit more digging before the landing force touches ground. I keep seeing reports related to the Helios system and some kind of WoB Assault 'Mech called the Ragnarok, but what information on it does exist is confusing and matches no technical specifications I could find. So, I gave it the old DeLacey try, dug through everything (there isn't much!) there is on the thing, and filled in the gaps based on my own 'Mech design knowledge. I'd put money on these being the specs for the Ragnarok if we do encounter one or more after touching ground. It's a mean long-ranged machine, with twin Gauss rifles and a Plasma gun to boot--be extremely careful if you see one, letting it get targeting data from a closer C3i-linked mech is a death sentence.

Ragnarok C-RAG-O

Mass: 100 tons Chassis: Standard Biped Power Plant: 200 Fusion Cruising Speed: 21.6 kph Maximum Speed: 32.4 kph Jump Jets: None Jump Capacity: 0 meters Armor: Light Ferro-Fibrous Armament: 1 LRM 20 1 Plasma Rifle 2 Gauss Rifle Manufacturer: Unknown Primary Factory: Unknown Communication System: Unknown Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown Introduction Year: 3072 Tech Rating/Availability: E/X-X-E-X Cost: 10,741,667 C-bills

Overview The Ragnarok is an Assault 'Mech that was developed by the Word of Blake. Little to nothing is known about the 'Mech's development.

Capabilities The Ragnarok, rare as it was on the battlefields of the Jihad, is mostly spoken of in rumors. Leaked after-action reports from Clan Wolf-in-Exile show the 'Mech was powered by a rating 200 fusion engine of an unknown make, as well as protected by some amount of Ferro Fibrous armor and armed with a Gauss Rifle in each arm. These reports also spoke of a "Lava Gun" that fired superheated projectiles, but this is likely a description of a Plasma Rifle by a MechWarrior unfamiliar with the weapons platform. While there were also mentions of some form of "LosTech Shield" that granted the mech invulnerable, such a device is highly unlikely.The remaining information that exists on this mech was compiled as a speculative report by 3rd SLDF Senior Warrant Officer Karrie DeLacey. While reported as Ferro-Fibrous, the armor mounted on the Ragnarok was likely a Light Ferro-Fibrous compound obtained from the Free Worlds League during the Word's time there, which also speaks to a potential timeline for the machine's production. 18.5 tons of it have been assumed given reports of the 'Mech's extreme durability. The 'Mech was likely also armed with an LRM 20, as long-ranged missile capability was reported, with additional accuracy provided by an Artemis IV Fire Control System. Two tons of Plasma rifle ammunition, three tons of LRM 20 ammunition, and 3 Tons of Gauss rifle ammunition likely gave the Ragnarok almost 2 minutes of firing, which using Double Heat Sinks it likely could without overheating so long as it stood still.

Deployment There are officially no known battles in which the Ragnarok was deployed, and if it existed it is believed to have been passed over in favor of the "holy flexibility" of the Celestial line of Omnimechs. However, unofficial reports exist of the deployment of a single Ragnarok in the Helios system during the Jihad in a battle with Clan Wolf-in-Exile, though no such battle is known to have occurred.

Type: Ragnarok Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard) Tonnage: 100 Battle Value: 2,227

Equipment Mass Internal Structure 10 Engine 200 Fusion 8.5 Walking MP: 2 Running MP: 3 Jumping MP: 0 Double Heat Sink 10 [20] 0 Gyro 2 Cockpit 3 Armor Factor (Light Ferro) 307 18.5 Internal Armor Structure Value Head 3 9 Center Torso 31 47 Center Torso (rear) 15 R/L Torso 21 32 R/L Torso (rear) 10 R/L Arm 17 34 R/L Leg 21 42

Right Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm, Lower Arm Left Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm, Lower Arm

Weapons and Ammo Location Critical Heat Tonnage Gauss Rifle Ammo (8) LL 1 - 1.0 Gauss Rifle Ammo (8) CT 1 - 1.0 Improved C3 Computer RT 2 - 2.5 Artemis IV FCS RT 1 - 1.0 LRM 20 RT 5 6 10.0 Double Heat Sink RT 3 - 1.0 Gauss Rifle LA 7 1 15.0 CASE LT 1 - 0.5 Plasma Rifle LT 2 10 6.0 Double Heat Sink LT 3 - 1.0 Plasma Rifle Ammo (20) LT 2 - 2.0 LRM 20 Artemis-capable Ammo (18) LT 3 - 3.0 Gauss Rifle Ammo (8) RL 1 - 1.0 Gauss Rifle RA 7 1 15.0

Features the following design quirks: Distracting, Rugged (1 Point), Obsolete, Oversized

[mask131]

The myth of Apollo (3)

A continuation of these posts.

III/ Towards the perfection of the divine

With Plato, the perception of the god changes completely. The philosopher doesn’t see in Apollo just one Olympian among others: he makes him THE god by excellence. The evolution that Pindar started now reaches its peak. Closely associated with Helios (so closely in fact that we can almost talk of an assimilation), Plato’s Apollo becomes the supreme god, the unique god, the “divine essence” of which the other deities are mere aspects of. Through the character of Apollo it is the Platonic doctrine that is expressed, in a symbolical ay. It is why, despite their ludic function, the various etymologies of the “Cratylus” must be considered very carefully (see the article “Apollo, the mythical sun”). As Apolouon, the god who washes, he represents purification of both the body and the mind, and reminds us of “Phaedo”. As Aploun, he highlights the link between unity and truth, and reminds us of “Parmenides” and “Philebus”. As Aei ballôn, he who always hits/reaches, he is infallibility and perfection. As Homopolôn, the simultaneous movement, he is harmony – as musical as celestial, the harmony of the spheres and the celestial bodies ; and we think of the “Timaeus”, or of the myth of Er at the end of the “Republic”. The respect carried here for the religion of Delphi is not a passive submission to the tradition: piety becomes the foundation of metaphysics. In this context, we can understand why Plato violently rejects the image of a lying, grudge-bearing, bloodthirsty Apollo as he appears within Thetis’ speech in the fragment of Aeschylus’ “Judgement of the Weapons” (quoted before) – a fragment which was preserved only because Plato denounced it within his “Republic”.

Prepared by Pindar, ensured by Plato, the greatness of the god, now the incarnation of the divine unity, will now definitively impose itself. The killer of Achilles, Koronis or Cassandra is now far away: with might now comes moral perfection, and unity replaced multiplicity. It is what Plutarch means when, during his list and comment about the various explanation of the mysterious “E” inscribed in the temple of Delphi, he finally concludes that it means: “You are”.

IV/ The Roman Apollo: politics and religion

We know the famous sentence of Horace: “The conquered Greece conquered its fierce vanquisher” (Epistles). The history of the Greek Apollo within Rome illustrates this line. It is true that we have to account for other influences that nuanced and “filtered” the Delphic presence and adapted it to the mentality of the Roman people: the Falisci beliefs and rites, the Etruscan legends and cults, the fact that the Cumae Sibyl originally belonged to an ancient chthonian goddess… But we can still easily follow a clear progression of the god. Beginning of the 5th century BCE: Tarquin the Superb (Tarquinius) sends two of his sons to the Pythian oracle. 433: a temple is dedicated to Apollo on the Field of Mars. 212: The first “ludi Apollinares” are celebrated. The 2nd of September of 31 BCE: Octave crushes in the waters of Actium the ships of Antony and Cleopatra under the sight of Apollo, who is honored on the promontory that dominates the entrance of the Ambracian gulf.

From this moment on truly begins the entrance of Apollo within Latin literature. (Ennius, Naevius and Lucilius all evoked him, but in a shy and discreet way). Octavius, who will soon be called Augst, cleverly organizes the propaganda. He has a rumor spread according to which Atia, the mother of the new sovereign, conceived him with Apollo. The victory of Actium becomes the “miracle of Actium”. In the year 28, a temple is dedicated to Actian Apollo on the Palatine Hill, right next to the palace the prince had built for himself. On the cuirass of August’s statue (the one found at Prima Porta), Apollo is depicted riding a griffin with a lyre in his hand, while facing his sister Diana, riding a stag and holding a quiver. Apollo, after being the one who caused the victory, becomes associated with the work of peace, the “Pax Augusta” – for he is the god of harmony.

The authors participate to the Augustinian work. Already, well before Actium, in the year 40, in his fourth “Bucolic”, Virgil was announcing the rule of Apollo. Within the “Aeneid”, Apollo plays a major role: it is him that gives to Aeneas and his companions the order to regain the land of their ancestors. He is also Aeneas’ protector, and just as beautiful as the Greek poets painted him: “ the god walks on the yokes of Cynthia, his flowing hair softly pressed with foliage and crowned with a gold diadem ; ad his arrows rustle on his shoulder”. He finds back all of his old functions: he is a prophet, a musician, an archer and a healer. He is “the greatest among the gods”. As for Horace, he opens his “Carmen Saeculare” by an invocation to the two children of Leto – the “Carmen Saeculare” being sung on the 3rd of July of the year 17 BCE for the celebration of the secular games organized by Augustus: “Phebus, and you, Diana, queen of the forests, luminous jewel of the sun, you, always adorable and always adored”.

During the episode of Daphne, in the first book of his “Metamorphoses”, Ovid does treat the god with some disrespect. Apollo is vanquished by the child-Cupid that he disdained. Overtaken with desire for Daphne, he hopes to be able to unite himself with her, “fooled by his own oracles”. He gives her a very eloquent speech, that the nymph refuses to listen to as she flees away from him. And right as Apollo is about to reach for her, Daphne, turned into a laurel tree, escapes him forever. However, if we look at the way Ovid treats the gods in the entirety of his “Metamorphoses”, we do note that Phoibos-Apollo has a more important role than the others. The others gods are not presented with any kind of dignity and do not seem to fit their ranks: they are only seen embroiled in romances or taking part in petty quarrels. On the contrary, Ovid’s Apollo, just like the one of Virgil, has all of his Antique functions – he is an oracle, he is a medicine spirit, he is a musician, and to all of this is added the art of the metamorphoses, an art pushed to a level of science. He is the god of harmony and of light. His identification with the sun which, throughout the previous century was sometimes clear sometimes underlying, is here expressed with no hesitation in the speech Ovid gives to Pythagoras. With the Augustan Apollinism, the depiction of the god shifts to a solar theology, that the successors of Augustus will all make use of. The god of Lycia, the god of the wolves, is forgotten. Apollo is now the figure of light, the harmonious and perfect spirit, and it is as such that he is now forever imprinted in our cultural subconscious.

[uefb]

New fic: Older, or Two Brothers and a Train Station

Summary: In 1897, Theseus becomes an older brother, and his little brother Newt is perfectly normal… Until he's not. Over the years, Theseus thinks their parents are only doing what is best for Newt until--he decides over the course of a few holidays at home--they actually, very much, definitively aren't. // This story largely follows Theseus as an older brother, from holidays during his Fourth Year in 1902 (the year Newt's differences finally become undeniable) to part-way through World War I (1917). It paints a picture of how two such different brothers grew up together, fell apart together, and began--eventually--to finally find one another again. // All it took was getting older.

Excerpt from Chapter 1 (after introduction):

“So - you remember how Newt’s magic has always been a bit - ah—” his father paused, apparently to select the right word. “Enthusiastic?” he concluded.

“Yes,” Theseus hesitantly replied, sipping at his butterbeer and fixing his dad with a look that nearly made him squirm.

“Well, it’s recently gotten a bit out of hand. His magic has always been more connected to his emotions than some people’s is—hasn’t it?—and as he’s gotten older—”

Helios was tapping a finger on the table and staring at a spot on the wall as he thought, and Theseus knew better than to interrupt him, so he let him wander on.

“Well, I can only hypothesise that as his mental capacity has grown, so too have his magical abilities. But he’s different from you—isn’t he?—and Newt doesn’t have the best control over his reactions to certain things...”

Theseus nearly snorted—that was a bit of an understatement. Just last summer, when Theseus had suggested they rehome a tiny lizard, which Newt had been capturing every morning in the kitchen to release back into the grasses, at a property down the lane, Newt had stared at him for a solid three seconds before a tiny sphere of light wrapped itself about the reptile, and—when Newt screamed in surprise—it proceeded to bounce out the door and across the field, disappearing past the treeline. Theseus had then been forced to soothe an incoherently sobbing four-year-old for the next fifteen minutes, until he’d eventually resorted to locking him in his room and pounding off in search of their mother, who was—at that point—(unsurprisingly) already hysterical on the ground outside Newt’s window: In the time between Theseus locking the door and making it outside, the uncoordinated imp had decided to try shimmying down the drainpipe in search of the lizard, instead of staying put like a reasonable child was meant to…

“So I personally believe,” his father was continuing in the here and now, and Theseus jerked out of his reminiscence, “his intellectual abilities have outpaced his emotional ones.”

He nodded his understanding, raising an eyebrow in the hopes his father would continue, because none of this was exactly unexpected and had, also, still explained very very little about why his brother was at St. Mungo’s...

“Which—of course—all that would be fine in a non-magical child, if a bit difficult for his parents, but as a young wizard…” he trailed off and winced, and Theseus felt his eyes narrow. “Well. The Ministry’s labelled Newt as a bit of a threat to magical secrecy.”

“They’ve what?” he exclaimed, setting down his drink with a clank that created a momentary silence around them, and Helios hissed at him to be quiet. “But he is five years old!”

“I know, I know,” his father waved a placating hand, before returning to stare at his own drink. “It’s utterly absurd, but the law is the law—”

“I know that.”

“—so we have had to comply with Underage Magic’s requests, which include rudimentary magical training and—” He paused, blinked. “—treatment for intellectual deficiencies,” he said quickly. “Both with a healer, once a week.”

Theseus blinked.

“We try to schedule them when your mother already has to come into town, so—”

“But - but Newt’s not an imbecile, Dad.”

“Oh, I know he’s not, lovey…”

There was a long silence, then, in which both he and his father picked up their drinks with a sigh, before dropping elbows to the table to stare at one another. x

[talonabraxas]

Decahedron Divining Sphere Shapley Attractor: Alignment April 22nd. Cosmotopologists  conclude the 'TimeSpace_Plasma Universe'  is shaped as a 4D Dodecahedron (the ancient's form for the Aether), knowing this, the question becomes where is the centre of this Universe?.Dan Winter's work clarifies why we would do well to identify this universal centre..Before  identifying the heart of this  largest of Magnetic Attractors, we need to plot the Cosmo-Genetic-Family-Tree, a series of astro-heart/hubs that also act as Stargates throughout our universe.There are identifiable markers to accomplish this, we have for 40yrs been researching the cosmic dynamics of the golden ratio/phi spiral..Maps  provided  by astronomers can be seen with the 'Third Eye', when done we  find our universe is anything but random.We see a coherent fractal (holofractal Harrieman) series of larger and larger scales that reveal (via actual astro-photos) our Universe is a fractal golden ratio 'Entity' with the same DNA geometry as  humans.We provide cosmic evidence of a new meta-science, bringing those spiritual terms like  Wholeness, Oneness, at One, Cosmic Source, etc into clear view, not only with our third eye but with our physical eyes as well..Image shows:Our Sun gravitationally steers the planets in orbits, our Galactic Center (27 Sag) does the same with the Sun.The Super-Galactic Center (VirgoA-2 Libra) provides a gravitational attractor-heart for our galaxy and some thirty other galaxies. These galaxies are gravitationally attracted to the Great Attractor (14 Sag). The Great Attractor (and Laniakea) are being held in orbit by the largest mass in our universe the Shapley Attractor (Cosmic Heart)..Also when we switch from Geo Astrology (appearances) to Helio (the actual positions of planets) the inspirational Neptune (Crown Chakra pen-tune) is currently 144deg  away from our Earth and 144deg from the conjunction of Venus and Mars.Neptune's visionary downloads initiate (Mars) actions in the arts (Venus)..Asteroid Vesta opposes our Earth and in Geo is conjunct the Sun  (Vesta represents the Feminine Mysteries)..Introducing the real C.I.Aalphanumerics  a1  -  z26  (C=3, I=9, A=1)cross referencingevery phrase here totals to 391 (C.I.A.).391the core of the Shapley Superclustercosmotopological gravitational heartthe Heart of the Central Spiritual Sunto centre of the Shapley concentration to the universe centre  headquarterscoherent fractal cosmo-genetic-family-treemultidimensional standing wave patternsthrough the interdimensional layersholographic quantization of Spacetime superluminal phase conjugate mechanismtravel the wormholes between galaxiestranscendental psychological background the eternal nowness of first sourcesovereign integral state of awarenesssynthesis of fundamental principles.

[themodernwitchsguide]

the greek/roman gods

Format is GREEK NAME/ROMAN NAME: description

starting at the beginning,

CHAOS: the void, everything and nothing, sometimes a deity, sometimes a stasis.

then there were the Primordials, that arose from Chaos and were more concepts than gods,

EROS (the elder)/PHANES: love and procreation

TARTARUS: the original deity/representation of the underworld

GAIA/TERRA: mother earth, the ultimate creator

EREBUS: night

NYX: darkness

AETHER: child of Erebus and Nyx, day

HEMERA: child of Erebus and Nyx, light

MOROS: child of Erebus and Nyx, doom

KER: child of Erebus and Nyx, violent death

THANATOS: child of Erebus and Nyx, death

HYPNOS/SOMNUS: child of Erebus and Nyx, sleep

MOMUS: child of Erebus and Nyx, mockery and blame

GERAS/SENECTUS: child of Erebus and Nyx, old age

OIZYS/MISERIA: child of Erebus and Nyx, misery

NEMESIS: child of Erebus and Nyx, retribution

PHILOTES: child of Erebus and Nyx, affection

APATE: child of Erebus and Nyx, deceit

ERIS/DISCORDIA: child of Erebus and Nyx, strife

MOIRAI/PARCAE: child of Erebus and Nyx, the three fates

CHARON: child of Erebus and Nyx, ferryman of the Underworld

CHRONUS: the elder primordial of time

ANANKE/NECESSITAS: destiny

OUREA: created by Gaia, the mountains

NESOI: child of Ourea, the islands

PONTUS: created by Gaia, the sea

THALASSA: child of Pontus, a sea goddess

NEREUS: child of Gaia and Pontus, god of the sea

CETO: child of Gaia and Pontus, sea goddess

THAUMUS: child of Gaia and Pontus, a sea god

IRIS: child of Thaumus, goddess of rainbows

OURANOS/CAELUS: created by Gaia, the sky

TYPHON: son of Gaia and Tartarus, volcanic forces, the father of all monsters

then came the Titans, the children of Gaia and Ouranos (unless specified otherwise),

CRONUS/SATURN: son of Ouranos, god of the harvest, slayed/castrated his father

RHEA/CYBELE/OPS: goddess of fertility

OCEANUS: god of the oceans, conceived the Oceanids with Tethys

TETHYS: god of the rivers

TYCHE/FORTUNA: one of the Oceanids, goddess of good luck

STYX: one of the Oceanids

HYPERION: god of light, but more in a sunlight sense

THEIA: goddess of light, but in a light of the blue sky sense

HELIOS/SOL: child of Hyperion and Theia, god of the sun

SELENE/LUNOS: child of Hyperion and Theia, goddess of the moon

EOS/AURORA: goddess of dawn

CRIUS: god of the constellations

EURYBIA: child of Pontus, sea goddess

ASTRAEUS: child of Crius and Eurybia, god of stars and planets

PALLAS: child of Crius and Eurybia, god of war

PERSES: child of Crius and Eurybia, god of destruction

THEMIS: goddess of law and order

IAPETUS: god of mortal life

ATLAS: child of Iapetus and Asia (an Oceanid), carried the celestial sphere, god of astronomy

PROMETHEUS: child of Iapetus and Asia, god of foresight, creator of man and giver of fire to humans

EPIMETHEUS: child of Iapetus and Asia, god of hindsight

MNEMOSYNE: goddess of memory

COEUS/POLUS: god of the celestial axis

PHOEBE: a moon goddess

LETO/LATONA: child of Coeus and Phoebe, goddess of motherhood

ASTERIA: child of Coeus and Phoebe, goddess of falling stars

HECATE/TRIVIA: child of Asteria and Perses, goddess of magic, ghosts, and necromancy

then the "modern" Pantheon,

ZEUS/JUPITER: god of sky, weather, and kingship

ATHENA/MINERVA: sprung from Zeus' head, goddess of wisdom, war, and crafts

APOLLO: child of Leto and Zeus, god of the sun, healing, prophecy, music, and poetry

ASCLEPIUS/AESCULAPIUS: son of Apollo and a nymph, god of medicine

ARTEMIS/DIANA: child of Leto and Zeus, goddess of the moon, hunting, and the wild

HERMES/MERCURY: child of Maia and Zeus, messenger of the gods and patron of thieves and travellers

PAN/FAUNUS: child of Hermes, god of nature and shepherding

DIONYSUS/BACCHUS: child of a mortal and Zeus, god of wine, festivity, and madness

DIKE: child of Zeus and Themis, goddess of justice

EUNOMIA: child of Zeus and Themis, goddess of good laws

EIRENE: child of Zeus and Themis, goddess of peace

HERA/JUNO: goddess of women and marriage

ARES/MARS: child of Hera and Zeus, god of war and courage

EILEITHYIA: child of Hera and Zeus, goddess of childbirth and midwifery

HEPHAESTUS/VULCAN: child of Hera and Zeus, god of blacksmithing and fire

HEBE/JUVENTIA: child of Hera and Zeus, goddess of youth, cupbearer of the gods

DEMETER/CERES: goddess of agriculture

PERSEPHONE/PROSPERINA: child of Demeter and Zeus, goddess of springtime and queen of the Underworld

POSEIDON/NEPTUNE: god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses

TRITON: child of Amphitrite and Poseidon, messenger of the sea

HADES/PLUTO: king of the Underworld and god of the dead and wealth

HESTIA/VESTA: goddess of the hearth and home

APHRODITE/VENUS: sprung from the sea foam created by Ouranos' body being thrown into the sea, goddess of love, beauty and pleasure

HERMAPHRODITES: child of Aphrodite and Hermes, god of androgyny

EROS/AMOR/CUPID: child of Ares and Aphrodite, god of love

NIKE: child of Styx and Pallas, goddess of victory

ZELUS: child of Styx and Pallas, god of zeal

KRATOS: child of Styx and Pallas, god of strength

BIA: child of Styx and Pallas, goddess of force

[deathlessathanasia]

Genuinely curious as to why there's so much debate on the apollo-artemis sun-moon association. People aren't bothered about Ouranos being the sky personified and Zeus being the god of sky. So regardless of whether one finds the sufficient amount of evidence dubious or not, it is not a conceptually impossible thing for two sun and moon deities to coexist right?

Is this topic hotly debated? These gods are not a particular interest of mine so I'm not really aware of things like that.

Yes, it is pretty common and normal for multiple gods to share a particular sphere of influence, especially if we're talking about something commonplace like birth, childcare, marriage and the like. Two sun or moon gods could seem a bit redundant though, and presumably this is why the identification of Apollo and Artemis with the sun & moon tends to also cause their identification with Helios and Selene themselves,, which in turn can lead to things like Phaethon being called the son of Apollo, Selene's lovers being attributed to Artemis or Leto/Latona being called mother to the moon.

I think the thing with Ouranos and Zeus is that the former has very little presence in the myths, basically none in cult, and was also essentially put out of action the moment he was castrated and permanently separated from Earth. Helios and Selene on the other hand are pretty active in the myths, there are no stories where they have their functions taken away, so when one reads about Apollo driving the sun chariot the question arises of what happened to Helios.

There is also the fact that both Artemis and apollo have plenty of roles and functions unrelated to the moon and sun, many older and better attested, which is why personally I'm not a fan of when "god/goddess of sun/moon" are treated as their primary roles. That's not to say people are wrong to consider them as such, but I think it is useful to point out that their solar/lunar aspects were later developments.

[dionysia-ta-astika]

To the Naiades

Come, O nurturing Naiades, Grant me the gift of inspiration To praise you properly with my song. With solemnity and reverence I ask you to partake of its expression And bless it with poetry. Come, O flowing ones, Defenders of purifying founts, Come from your freshwater abodes In lake and river and stream, Come and swim in the flood of my words, Come with favor and furnish my prayer With phosphorescence sacred and pure. Please hear the meaning of my fervent plea, And heed this beckoning for your gracious return. Harken, O Heleionomai and Pegaiai! Listen, O Limnades and Limnatides! Do you not hear Pan’s call? Wake from your ephemeral sleep, Below the thick crust of razor edge ice. Out of slumber primordial Be roused from beds of soft hydrophyte And turn to the beckoning light of great Helios’ orb. O sinewy nymphs of wave and foam, Break through the shards of the cold grasp of Boreas And breathe warm vapors into the atmosphere. Cut through the particles of Chione’s creation That covers slumbering Gaia and delays her stirring. Melt all transitory matter that would keep the world in limbo, And push our ever-changing sphere into its next glorious phase. I beg of you, O possessors of caprice, Return charming Hylas to the shore. Advise sweet Aristaios in making amends, And tend to Dionysos reborn. I plead to you, O keepers of moss and lily, Hurry the Spring and let frigid Winter’s reign Be ended by warmth and fecundity. I pray to you, O charming and elusive ones, Grace your watery oases once more With garlands of flowers and blooms. With your effortless fluidity, Bring fervor and life back To a world bound in hoary frost. Let us once more see your dances, O bright ones, May we once more hear your songs.

[artsyaech]

space themed pronouns if you haven't done it before?

oooo im gonna have a field day with this one

(ik anon didn’t ask for names but i wanted to present some anyways, as a gift :) /gen)

space themed names and pronouns

andromeda

orbit

comet

nova

helio

astro

luna

io (one of my names)

celestia

pluto

orion

space/spaces/spaceself

planet/planets/planetself

earth/earths/earthself

void/voids/voidself

moon/moons/moonself

big/bang/bigbangself

comet/comets/cometself

galaxy/galaxys/galaxyself

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[anya-screen]

Someone needs to mod the stupid Vegas Sphere into Fallout New Vegas and give you the option to send all of the Helios One power to it, which accomplishes nothing except ruining your reputation with every faction

[starcolonelkatrinamoon]

Begin transmission:

"Katrina. Additional data recovery efforts have yielded a full set of specifications for the Ragnarok. The fabled shielding system is indeed real, but flawed - it appears it is non-viable on other 'Mechs barring extremely expensive R&D work. Here is the full readout."

- COMGEN Melissa Hazen, SLDF (@is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not)

Open attachment [Y/N?]

> Y [automatic]

Displaying:

BattleMech Technical Readout

Name/Model: Ragnarok RGNK-1X

Technology: Inner Sphere (Mixed)

Technology Rating: F

Tonnage: 100

Configuration: Biped BattleMech

Era/Year: Dark Age / 3150

Rules (Current): Experimental (Extinct)

Rules (Era): Experimental

Rules (Year): Experimental (Extinct)

Total Cost: 22,723,667 C-Bills

Battle Value: 2,095

Chassis: Celestial Series SP1

Power Plant: Immortus 200

Walking Speed: 21.6 kph

Maximum Speed: 32.4 kph

Jump Jets: None

Jump Capacity: None

Armor: Durallex Guardian II Light Ferro-Fibrous with CASE II

Armament:

1 Eden's Angel 324 Heavy Plasma Rifle ("Lava Gun")

2 Baal Defense Lacerator 22L Light Gauss Rifles

1 Baal Defense Hellstorm 25CX LRM 10 w/ Artemis IV FCS

4 General Systems Micro Pulse Lasers (C)

Manufacturer: Word of Blake

Primary Factory: Helios Manufactory Blake-Alpha

Communications: Master's Voice Cel-Alpha

Targeting & Tracking: Master's Sight 1-Omega

================================================================================================

Equipment Mass

Internal Structure: Standard 10.00

Engine: 200 Fusion 8.50

Walking MP: 2

Running MP: 3

Jumping MP: 0

Heat Sinks (Double): 10 20 0.00

Gyro: Heavy-Duty 4.00

Cockpit (Armored): Small (C) 2.00

Armor Factor: 307 18.50

Type: Light Ferro-Fibrous Internal Armor Structure Value Head: 3 9 Center Torso: 31 50 Center Torso (rear): 12 R/L Torso: 21 34 R/L Torso (rear): 8 R/L Arm: 17 34 R/L Leg: 21 42

================================================================================================

Weapons and Ammo Location Critical Tonnage

Improved C3 Computer RT 2 2.50

Micro Pulse Laser (C) RT 1 0.50

Plasma Rifle (Ammo 20) RT 2 2.00

CASE II (C) LT 1 0.50

LRM 10 w/ Artemis IV FCS LT 2 5.00

LRM 10 (Ammo 24) [Artemis IV] LT 2 2.00

Micro Pulse Laser (C) LT 1 0.50

Plasma Rifle LT 2 6.00

CASE II (C) RA 1 0.50

Light Gauss Rifle (Armored) RA 5 12.00

Micro Pulse Laser (C) RA 1 0.50

Blake's Shield Energy Damping Field Generator * 7 3.00

CASE II (C) LA 1 0.50

Light Gauss Rifle (Armored) LA 5 12.00

Micro Pulse Laser (C) LA 1 0.50

Light Gauss Rifle (Ammo 16) RL 1 1.00

Light Gauss Rifle (Ammo 16) LL 1 1.00

* Blake's Shield EDFG occupies 1 critical slot in each location except the Head. Operates as Blue Shield PFD, but applies damage reduction to all damage types. Can only be active for 2 turns before automatic shut down, requiring recharge of 2 turns to use again.

Note: Equipped with Full-Head Ejection System

================================================================================================

Alpha Strike Statistics

Point Value (PV): 52

TP: BM, SZ: 4, TMM: 0, MV: 4"

Damage: (S) 4 / (M) 4 / (L) 3, OV: 0

Armor (A): 10, Structure (S): 8

Specials: ARM, C3I, CASEII, IF1, MHQ2

The Ragnarok is subject to the following Quirks:

Distracting

Cowl

Rugged (1)

Non-Standard Parts (Blake's Shield EDFG)

Noted, General. That is a tough cookie to crack. I will disseminate this information to the forces when necessary.

[blood--king]

Something important to say in this post folks! An announcement actually. But first, Sander is here to brought to you some context! So please keep reading!

Hello hello my mortal mates. Today I will teach you something new about our Nix. We are going to talk about the months of the Nix. A bit of context first, the gods of the Nix designed the universe so there was only one ""Sun"", it is a gigantic sphere of light, bigger than a galaxy, which is in the center of the Universe. Every planet depends on it to survive; as you know, months are how we divide the year, the time takes the earth to make a trip around the sun. In the Nix it is not that way, the gods gave every human being the knowledge of the calendar and how it works. For obvious cultural reasons, Nix's months don't have the same names as ours, the primal human society gave names to these months according to what gods they liked the most. Here, today, I will show you these months. The last context! The Gods of creation are the following five: Armony Blackestar of the Peace, War Helios of the violence, Sin Prometheus of the mortals, Plague Axcel of the pests, Death Sander of the afterlife.

January -> Armony = Month of Down.

February -> Armony + War = Month of Law

March -> Armony + Sin= Month of Ecstasy

April -> Armony + Plagues= Month of Purge

May -> Armony + Death= Month of Freedom

June -> War + Sin= Month of Treachery

July -> War + Plague= Month of Catastrophe

August -> War + Death= Month of Surrender

September -> Sin + Plague= Month of Punishment

October -> Sin + Death= Month of Crime

November -> Plague + Death= Month if Penance

December -> Death= Month of Darkness.

These are the base names, however, every culture has its own meaning for them, for example, vampires see October as their most important month, they celebrate and honor the warriors and it used to have the national Blood day. On Vlad's reign, families used to fly and capture humans to eat them alive as a symbol of physical affection towards another vampire, it was a day with many screams and blood everywhere. However, Hell changed that, because of the sexual meaning of this day and now it is known for its romantic meaning, yes, Valentine's day is on October 15.

Also, Hell's birthday is on this month, October 24. Why am I telling you this? For Cassandra's birthday we organized an event, and we are going to do it again for this "Halloween's Valentine" and our beloved King's birthday. I'm not going to give many details yet, but it will be Hot 🔥