#the mountain goats art history

[scatterghosts]

Up The Wolves by The Mountain Goats // Minotauro by Jordi Garriga Mora

[theancientwayoflife]

~ Mountain goat.

Place of origin: Near Eastern, Iranian

Period: Elamite, Proto-Elamite

Date: 3500–2700 B.C.

Medium: Silver and sheet gold.

[princesstaxiboy]

The Mountain Goats, Marsh Witch Vision + Francis Bacon, Three Studies for a Crucifixion (third panel from the triptych)

[subsequentibis]

got a really good hat for my birthday

[fernthewhimsical]

Hopepunk Primer pt. 3

How to practice Hopepunk

Find joy in the small things. The flowers growing through concrete, the way the sunlight hits the grass. There is beauty and joy in the small things, but it takes a bit of training to find them. Mindfulness or a gratitude journal (or even a Tumblr sideblog) helps with this training. Hope can be learned, I promise.

Be a pebble. [8] Imagine a tall glass that is half-full with water. Imagine you are a crow. You try to drink the water but you can't reach, the glass is too deep. So you take a pebble and throw it in. The water level rises slightly. Other crows come in with pebbles, and with each pebble the water level rises until finally you all can drink from the glass. There is a lot of focus nowadays in activism circles to be aware of every horrible thing that is going on in the world and to work on each and every one of them. The tough reality is: we can't. We're only human and right now we are all very prone to burn-out. We can't bring change if we are burnt out or have compassion fatigue. So be a pebble. Stay small, perhaps even stay local. If everyone focuses on one thing and focuses their efforts and energy there, we will make it. We'll make the water rise so everyone can drink. Be a pebble.

Stop doom scrolling. It's ineffective and only serves to make us feel more hopeless and demoralized.

Be responsible for your own internet experience. This is related to doom scrolling. Unfollow people who make you feel hopeless and like the fight is useless. Block trolls and don't engage them. Find people who make you feel inspired, invigorated, hopeful. Blacklist tags, block, delete.

Look into hopepunk media. Be inspired by the stories told. Some examples are movires: Lord of the Rings, Mad Max: Fury Road, Pacific Rim. Series: Sense8, the Good Place, Star Trek. Books: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor, A conspiracy of truths by Alexandra Rowland, the Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. Music: Torches by X Ambassadors, This Yeah by the Mountain Goats, Be More Kind by Frank Turner.

Build/Find your Community. Share what you have, ask for what you need. We're in this together. If you grow your own fruits and vegetables share them with friends and neighbours. Exchange favours like doing a grocery run or offering to watch the kids for a night. Make a tiny library or give & take cabinet. Share skills and resources. This can be done both online and in person, but making a difference locally is easier with boots on the ground, so to speak.

Create. Live authentically. Do things just to do the thing. So much needs to be "content", these days. So much needs to be a "side hustle" or "monetized". Resist. Create because it makes you feel good. Because you want to. Create bad art, sing off key, swing your arms wildly and call it dancing, write edgy poetry, create Mary Sue self-inserts. Live.

Resist capitalism. Reuse, recycle, repair, thrift, make, trade, etc.

Vote. If you really want to make a difference get out there and vote. Especially in the US they do not want you so rebel and vote. Not just for the president. Voting locally for your representatives will have more of an influence.

Unionize. Alone you beg, together you negotiate. Only together can we make change

Spread hope. Do random acts of kindness, compliment people, share positive things that happened, spread love and joy where you go.

[8] Be a pebble

Further reading:

Alexandra Rowland's Hopepunk Manifesto What is Hopepunk by Vox.com Hopepunk-Humanity blog on Tumblr Hopepunk: A Genre, Philosophy and Movement by Lexi Drumonde (Video) Intro to Hopepunk by Morgan Hazelwood (Video)

Part 1: Intro and history Part 2: Philosophy of Hopepunk Part 3: How to practice hopepunk and further reading Part 4: Extra! Hopepunk and magic

[ghcstcd]

So water ghouls have fins and webbed fingers and earth ghould have hooves, what's fire ghouls physiqe? Or air ghouls? Do they have wings? Wouldn't that make them like angels, what they certainly don't want to be affiliated with?

(feel free to ignore this i just love ur art and worldbuilding 🙏👍 take care)

Dear Stranger, I hope you're taking care too.

Not all earth ghouls have hooves. Mountain just happens to, because I like mountain goats, and it makes sense to me that someone who doesn't like wearing shoes would have hooves. My quintessence ghoul oc Bismuth also has hooves, actually. No reason other than I like the design, and variety.

Air ghouls do have feathers, or a lot of them do, not all of them. There's always exceptions. But I wouldn't equate feathers to angels. There are plenty of examples throughout history of monsters and demons being depicted with feathered bodies and wings.

Angels don't make sense to look at. They mess with the mind in ways that a demon could, but not with their mere presence. A ghoul would be terrified if an Angel came down to earth without a vessel to hide their true form. There's a reason angels always start a conversation with "be not afraid."

I don't have a set of traits that fire ghouls specifically share yet. Not even for Alpha or Ifrit (who doesn't have a design yet.) Perhaps their elements are just a little easier to hide. Or they have lighter color of horns, compared to other ghouls.

[wormonastringtheory]

if you wanna show me a post please tag #wormielook!

welcome everyone new

important note: i am deeply dedicated to liberatory and decolonial movements and as such i post about mutual aid, protests, etc quite a bit. it's okay not to understand everything, if you have questions message and I'll forward you resources written by respective communities and to organizers/writers who discuss their liberation/literature

i am way too obsessed with MCR. I'm also an archivist for multiple interests. I'm way too interested in ultramarathon running (even though I cannot participate), tornadoes, robotics, and fall out boy. ok a bit more about me

basics:

-22 y/o

-disabled both physically and mentally (HSD, likely autism, severe brain fog, long haul COVID symptoms, a mast cell disorder, tourettes, Metatarsalgia, ADHD, IBS, POTS, OCD, GAD and Depression, potentially C-PTSD and/or DPD)

-artist! i do digital art, textile work (making patches and v basic hand sewing), traditional drawing and painting (usually acrylic on canvas), and collage

-i don't really label my gender beyond transexual/transmasc. my gender is fluid and expansive to some extent so labelling is just exhausting and hence. transexual works

-he/they/xe/vamp pronouns

-sapphic as fuck and that's important to my identity, lesbian I think. again beyond that not into firm labels. mostly t4t or queer4queer, and ace/aro spectrum

-polyamorous

-one of the biggest joys of people in my life (and my trusted sources for media reccommendations) is @milfsrights

-my best friend, platonic soulmate and other half is @frilly09

-my irl best friend and also ex is @masonmczero who I live with

interests:

-tornadoes. literally anything about them, and most natural disasters tbh

-harm reduction and street outreach, mutual aid organizing

-theology

-history (especially queer history, revolutionary actions and protest movements)

-zines (IM NOT NORMAL ABOUT ZINES)

-minatures

-seals

-antarctica

-library sciences

-music!! fall out boy, mcr, mitski, lianne la havas, willow, frank tichelli, nina simone, the staples singers, stevie wonder, against me!, pure hell, the muslims, the mountain goats, elton john, paramore, yana perrault, anju, the jerry cans, tessa violet, ruby waters, status non-status, r & b, punk, and soul

-tv/movies: repo! the genetic opera, goldfinch, best in miniature

-plays/broadway: wicked, hadestown, waitress, had a major deh phase too

-robotics! i am a mentor of a team and volunteer at competitions

-rare disorders, diseases, and conditions

-plushies! i am a collector, i have 109, most of them were gifts from friends and family or from my childhood

-disability justice

-biology, especially reptiles, foxes, spiders and amphibians

-linguistics! currently learning hebrew

-running and athletics

-gentle parenting and montessori (i am not a parent)

-crochet and fibre arts

-anarchism

-transit

-mountaineering disasters

-orphan sources/radiological incidents

-songwriting

-house shows/diy culture

-tattoos

-dan and phil

-safiya nygaard

[frances-baby-houseman]

Here are some things to say about my time in Santa Fe:

Highs:

Taking a vacation in adulthood with your friends! This was a weird group for me and I was a little anxious about it heading in, but it ended up being a blast. The other 6 women were all friends in college, and while I went to the same school as them, I knew them vaguely but wasn't friends with any of them. Then one of them became my closest friend after school, and I got to know most of the other women over the years thanks to her. But I wouldn't say I was close to the group as a whole so I was a little pleasantly surprised to be included. It ended up being great, obviously-- everyone is so cool and smart and I am so so happy we made it happen. It's hard to coordinate 7 grown women!

Meow Wolf! This is super fun and trippy and we spent like 2 hours wandering around and banging on things and going through portals in dryers and refrigerators and generally having a blast.

Hiking Sun Mountain! We did a real hike! I now want to take a hiking-forward vacation! I found it harder to come down than to go up bc I have kinda bad knees but good cardiovascular, but I think most of the group found it easier to go down. We almost all slipped and fell on the gravelly path coming down.

Going for a run! I always like to run on vacation but I was nervous bc of the altitude. It wasn't my FASTEST run but it was fine and beautiful!

The Indian Art Fair! OMG the art was so so so gorgeous. And art in Santa Fe in general!

Green chili sauce not christmas. I didn't like the red as much!

The Georgia O'Keeffe museum! I was really moved by her life and this was a small but mighty and very well-done collection.

Getting free hotel breakfast! There was supposed to be a pool but it wasn't finished in time so one of the women negotiated free daily breakfast at the hotel restaurant and omg it was it delicious. It was so luxurious to have a huge leisurely breakfast every day. With green chili sauce!

The sangre de christo, the blood of christ mountains of New Mexico (if you can read that without singing it, you have a different life than I do)

Shopping in general! I saw a cute store that had little print dresses in it and I went it and half of us ended up buying matching dresses. Shopping with friends is so fun and the people in the shops there are so so so nice.

Again, the indian art fair. It was just the most beautiful art and jewelry and all of the artists were so happy to talk about their process and let you try things on and tell you their family history. It just felt really beautiful and generous.

Visiting a friend's ranch! Two of the women went to hs together and their friend owns a giant ranch outside of santa fe where we went for drinks and omg the views were just so incredible. Also his partner is from Santa Fe and he was telling us that his family has been there for hundreds of years (the us-mexico border crossed them, as it were) and they speak spanish from Spain, not from Mexico, and he gave us so much context for what the city and environment is like as a native. Also they had goats and chickens, which is alway fun. Their house looked like a spread from architectural digest.

the weed store! buying weed there is so different! almost no taxes (lol illinois 30% tax on weed), there are windows and you can just walk in and out (no windows in IL and you have to show ID to get in) and they take debit cards! IL is all cash. I bought Adam some red chili toffees and YES i transported them across state lines!

Lows:

the miraculous staircase. This was such a gimmick, you can't even walk on it. It was in the Loretto chapel attached to our hotel so we went (and were genuinely excited about it!) but I do not recommend it.

The dry desert air. I am shriveled like a corn husk. I thought the altitude would get me but it was actually the complete lack of humidity.

That's all I've got for a low. Truly! no real lows! I loved every minute and my outfits were all great. I bought a tiny turquoise necklace as you do when you visit Santa Fe.

[ragnarokproofing]

this post is going to be under construction for forever, basically.

i haven't decided on my fake name yet. i am a full-time creative writing MFA candidate in chicago. late twenties. male. i hold a BA in game development.

i write fantasy, primarily dark fantasy, but am also interested in urban fantasy and historical fantasy. i have a decade of experience writing and posting fanfic in many different fandoms.

my writing focuses on themes of masculinity and homophobia, transness, sexuality and kink, disability, and gay love/romance.

i speak english and have a questionable grasp of french and czech. i am studying norwegian and old norse/icelandic.

i'm open to tag games and the like but it will probably take me a minute to get to them.

fiction: i'm really passionate about YA lit, even though i'm not writing any right now. my favorite YA authors are laini taylor, alex london (yes, the one plagiarized by james somerton), and margaret rogerson.

my favorite (adult) fiction authors are cathrynne m. valente, ursula k. le guin, and brandon sanderson. my favorite nonfiction authors are neil price, richard preston, and lindsey fitzharris.

film: my favorite directors are masaaki yuasa, robert eggers, and the wachowski sisters. my favorite films are cloud atlas (2012), ravenous (1999), mind game (2004), pom poko (1994), and trick or treat (1986).

i love B movies, and i have a growing collection of DVD movie packs and vinegar syndrome special editions. i have the oversized "champagne and bullets" poster hanging on my wall, and i own the miami connection soundtrack on vinyl. i am one of the only people on earth unironically interested in the history of shot-on-video movies.

music: anything in the "alternative" sphere, but i have a special fondness for folk punk and psychobilly/horrorpunk. my favorite bands are the mountain goats, AJJ, florence + the machine, aganst me!, editors, and baroness.

study/academic topics: my thesis is largely inspired by my passion for viking/medieval scandinavian history and culture. i am studying old norse/old icelandic, in the hopes of being able to read the sagas in their original language.

i love medical history and know everything there is to know about WWI-era facial reconstructive surgery, and plan to write a story about it someday (i was into it before the fitzharris book, goddammit!). i will read any nonfiction book about a part of medical history, whether it's a specific disease or a technique or field.

other: lake superior and the minnesota north shore, minnesota public radio, food culture and food writing, candles and incense that smell like the woods, tattoos that look like woodcuts, collecting enamel pins, travel patches, and mosser cats, fiber arts.

my thesis: a grand-scale dark fantasy novel about a misanthropic wizard academic and an alcoholic viking mercenary trying to save the world. main themes: cultural homophobia, misogyny, and machismo and the way they affect gay men, fascism and surviving under hostile systems, sacrifice and what makes a world worth saving, languages and the way they affect our lives, romance.

vampire story: a short story about a vampire that works at hot topic befriending a community college student in 2007. main themes: being suicidal and what makes life worth living, connection, romance.

viking story: a short horror story about a viking that gets stuck in a cave while searching for his unrequited love, who may or may not be dead. main themes: homophobia and machismo, grief and mourning.

i don't like naming things.

i don't care who follows me.

this blog is occasionally NSFW.

if you post a lot about political issues, i will not follow you. this is because i am here for fun, not to be angry, depressed, homicidal, or suicidal. if you do not like that, get bent. it will not change.

if you are weird to me, i will block you.

if you, under any circumstances, refer to me or any of my male characters as baby, baby girl, girlie, bitch, princess, or any other infantilizing, misogynistic horseshit, i will block you.

that's it.

[thisseethingcoast]

tagged by @duelsong for my 2023 favs.

babe, char!

hi <3

happy new year's char! thanks for the tag

books:

hangsaman by shirley jackson (I still think about this novel, I've reread it a few times since finishing it earlier this year)

a psalm for the wild built by becky chambers (really loved this one, I need to read the other two in the series)

zen in art of writing by ray bradbury (he's the folksy old grandfather I never had)

blood in the machine by brian merchant (covers the history of ludditism in the west, really great read)

movies (I don't watch enough film but I'll take a shot):

bottoms (it was a genuinely fun comedy)

the banshees of inisherin (I know the old man friendship break up is an allegory for the Irish civil war but it perfectly captures the loneliness and restlessness and claustrophobia of a small town and how people can tear each other up. you could unironically have the same plot in small town rural/ suburban america. also just the emotional damage of the entire plot being that yes your friends does secretly hate you. Padraic under reacted honestly)

albums:

substance - new order

to bring you my love - PJ harvey

rid of me - PJ harvey

jenny from thebes - the mountain goats (not my favorite tmg album but I have a soft spot for jenny)

tagging @fiapple and @kikismovingcastle I'm late to this so no pressure but happy new year

[scatterghosts]

Animal Mask by The Mountain Goats // Julie Manet with the Cat by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

[ailurocide]

The Four Factions of the Four-Trees Fealty

Welcome to a bit of an in-depth look upon each of the factions of the Four-Trees Fealty!

The Highpeak Faction

[Unity, Adaptability, Ingenuity]

The peakfolk are hardy, resilient, and cooperative survivors, who depend on one another and the ores located within their homeland to survive. They are found to the South-East, high and deep within the mountains that branch from the borderlands, where the temperature is the lowest within the Vale. These stone spires are unforgiving and subjected to constant weathering, as well as playing host to a dormant volcano that sleeps deep beneath the earth, its slow-beating heart fueling their way of life in more ways than one.

Due to the status of their lands, which are viewed by others as “stones that never sleep, a slated labyrinth that forever stalks the shadows, and whomever is foolish enough to wander in will forever be lost”, peakfolk need to be vigilant in order to keep up with their territory, which is constantly eroding and reforming almost on the daily.

These Fealtyfolk are also highly renowned for their clever, creative, and outstanding craftsmanship. It is said that whatever they touch is almost guaranteed to last a lifetime - or nine - and able to stretch through generations. They greatly value the art of crafting and creating, especially in regards to the high-quality metals and minerals that they have in abundance within their territory; they are renowned jewelers, blacksmiths, and miners.

They deeply value knowledge, research, and the keeping of records and history; many great stories and fantastically woven records of the fealty’s colorful past come from their mouths and minds. They are also the only faction within the Fealty to be able to properly harness and use fire to aid their ways.

They are Eastern Cougar and Altai Mountain Goat based!

•─────• ᓚᘏᗢ •─────•

The Mightmire Faction

[Honor, Strength, Endeavoring]

Widely known and feared as quick-tempered warriors, the mirefolk are well-recognized for their foolhardy bravery and tact in combat, and deeply proud of that fact. They are found to the Westernmost part of the Vale, where the air is warmest and the grounds are deepest. The thick, hardwood swamp located at the Vale’s lowest point is teeming with life of all kinds, and not just the mirefolk - including numerous predators and other dangers that the other factions typically don’t encounter.

Due to their homeland being immensely crowded with huge mangroves trees, thick swamps, with an underlayer of murky water, the perfect hiding place for all sorts of predators, they have learned to confront danger with claws extended and fangs bared. As a result, they tend to “act first, think second”, especially when it comes to the other factions - and even with one another.

They are highly renowned for their tact in battle and their general war strategies; it is an immensely bad omen to cross them, but to ally with them during times of great stress is almost always a guaranteed victory due to their skill and their eagerness to show off in front of others. It isn’t that they’re fake or only willing to do good for the sake of looking good - it is just that they genuinely thrive under the attention of their fellow factions, even if they are typically the most aggressive and possessive of their lands than any other current faction.

They highly value physical prowess, fearlessness, and praise. To stand out amongst the crowd is a high honor, though all are expected to be able to melt back into line and follow orders when the time comes. They are somewhat militant with great respect and dependence on leadership, working under the eye and guidance of those who rule to best serve their faction. The most long-lasting armor, weapons, and intricately woven, sturdy traps are made from their paws, alongside an extensive knowledge of camouflage. They are also, potentially surprisingly, the most advanced of the other factions in terms of medicine, due to their habit of picking fights more often, as well as means to ward off illnesses carried by insects.

They are European Jaguar and American Alligator based!

•─────• ᓚᘏᗢ •─────•

The Outpour Faction

[Expression, Relationships, Virtuosity]

The theatrical thespians of the Fealty, poetic without purpose, seamlessly expressive — the pourfolk are often considered the creatives of the Vale. Comfortably homed in the Northernmost of the territories, within the rocky, fertile wetlands fed by many waterfalls in which there are few active predators but many threats. Due to their homeland being considered the “least dangerous”, most time spent is coming up with more memorable, enjoyable, and aesthetic ways to preserve their history and culture - though they are notable in their own right in many other ways, as well.

As their state at as the eldest current faction, the Outpour’s lands are the largest, both by width across and length upward - and down. As most of their home is water, they’ve taken to being able to swim to great depths, moving unnaturally with such grace and skill that it confuses and terrifies - though that alone is not what makes them so formidable. It is the way they work with the waters of their home, moving with the currents and tides, able to burst from the depths and drag down unsuspecting victims to drown, fight beneath the surface, or never be seen again. And while their easygoing, relaxed attitude masks these terrifying tactics, few are loathe to forget their ferocity once they’ve witnessed it.

They are known as greatly creative, especially in the fields of both combat and the hunt. Master fishers, excellent gardeners, and notably open-minded, their land is primarily smooth stone and water; as such, life is abundant, with several manners of unique plantlife and fish that make their territory the most fertile in the entirety of the Vale, blooming with visible color and life.

They are also accomplished and renowned artisans, valuing all forms of craftsmanship, though most notably visual and physical art, grand theatrical displays, and the composing of magnificent music. They are incredible weavers, sculptors, and composers, creating some of the most memorable means of Fealty entertainment and lessons.

They are Indochinese Tiger and Ross Sea Killer Whale based!

•─────• ᓚᘏᗢ •─────•

The Undermoor Faction

[Development, Tradition, Action]

High within the highlands of the Vale, the moorfolk are unique amongst the current factions in several different manners. While the other factions are more outright aggressive with one another, the Undermoor values peace and knowledge above all else, as well as recording all of what they find and create - especially in regards to across their lands, that they paint in an assortment of colors and textures. They are philosophers, historians, botanists, chemists, and agronomists — jack-rabbits of all trades, masters of none, but better than masters of one.

With their unique, hollow and flattened teeth, their diet is unique, and rather than purely hunting live prey for meat, as the rest of the Fealty does in order to sustain themselves, they primarily rely on agriculture and animal husbandry, for which they are very well-known. Due to this, they have made a name for themselves as excellent gardeners and chefs; They’ve taken hundreds of wild plants, crops, and herbs and “domesticated” them for optimal taste, nutrition, and hundreds of other uses such as paints, tools, etc.

They value growth (both in relation to the world around them and themselves), botany, chemistry, and place great, heavy value in animal husbandry, moreso than any of the other factions. Every aspect of every thing that lands in their paws is used, and nothing goes to waste, which is something that all who come into contact with them view as very admirable.

They seem almost mysterious to the other factions, so deeply rooted in their own ways and traditions that even the thought of abandoning the manner they’ve done things for generations is one that scarcely crosses their minds at all. For them, if something works, then it’s not broken, and thus, shouldn’t be fixed or “made pretty” just for the sake of modernization.

They are African Serval and Emperor Scorpion based!

[atalantethewaldfee]

Fairytales

I kind of noticed a big misunderstanding of German fairytales.

There are two kinds of fairytales.

The folk fairytale:

This are your classic fairytales, born from a thousand years of oral history. Most of the Brother Grimm's fairytales are folk fairytales. Folk fairytales end well for the Heros and terrible for the villains (example: snow white- the evil queen is forced to dance in hot iron shoes till she dies, in snow whites Wedding)

It plays in an unknown land and in an unknown time. (starting phrase of fairytales in German : For langer, langer Zeit, in einem weiteren entfernten Land [A long, long time ago, in a far away land]) and features stereotypical characters like 'big bad wolf' and 'beatiful princess'.

It often uses magical numbers like...

7 (seven dwarves behind seven mountains, 7 ravens, seven flys killed' at once, seven Kids(?)/ little goats)

3 (three taskes, three ways to kill Snow White, three Balls in 'Aschenputtel' (German Cinderella))(examples for this are a little hard to explain in few words because they're so specific)

13 (thirteen fairies in sleeping beauty)

These stories are often uses to explain morals or rules of survival. (Don't abuse your Kids/ step Kids, don't just Run into the woods, don't let strangers into the House)

The Art fairytale:

This fairytales was written by an author and is Not meant to explain a rule or bring hope.

Most of these are very tragic. The little Mermaid (from Hans Christian Andersen) would be a good example.

Others would be 'The Steadfast Tin Soldier'(also from Hans Christian Andersen) or the 'girl with the matches' (ALSO from Hans Christian Andersen)(goodnes he wrote a lot of these, this poor man's mental health really was bad)(Spoiler: the solider and the girl die)

Hans Christian Andersen wrote 156 Art fairytales. Remember: they all endet badly! I think the guy set in Stone what an Art fairytales is?!? I did Not know that? I Just wanted to teach about fairytales, I did NOT want to learn about this man's tragic live.

Like this are two books, full of fairytales (mostly Art fairytales) from the guy.

TWO books.

And the title reads ' Die schönsten Haus- und Weihnachtsmärchen' (The Most beautiful home and Christmas fairytales)

Beautiful fairytales my ass. The guy kust did therapy but as written stories. I mean, he wrote Snow Queen, which kind of ends well? But that doesn't really make it better.

So before I end this, to mull over Hans mental health:

Fairytales are not the only type of German folk Story. They are a very specific Type, that follows specific rules. Other types follows other rules.

Not every German folk Story ist a fairytale. And other very old Stories can end badly, but then it's not a fairytale. Not a folk one at least. But maybe it's danish and actually from this depressed Gay Poet that seems to have written all the Art fairytales of my childhood. Further more, there are many folk fairytales that do not come from Germany, but those also follow These rules more or less. (There are also a lot of different versions of the same fairytale all over Europe)

[ekebolou]

Been watching the wonderful Blumineck and started thinking about archery in the Kostas world. Like, the boys are learning martial skills, are they good archers? and the answer is NO. ARCHERY IS UNDIGNIFIED AND FOR THE POORS (in the Kostas world)

Is this a stupid attitude for the culture to have? Yes.

Are there archers in the military in Kostas? Yes, absolutely. Crossbowmen, in fact. Remember they've artificially halted their development of black powder weapons with the Ban (lol, just kidding, everyone is secretly violating the ban, they just can't use it in real battles).

Bows are sneaky. They kill an enemy from far away, quite quietly. It's all very contrary to warrior-ly confrontation. What's more, they're common - people use them to hunt, so every country bumpkin can in some sense use a bow. It's not cool.

This is very Agincourt, by the way. That's about the attitude. In a culture with a very unsettled (because coup) relationship between classes, it's unusual to have something persist, because it's unusual for the military and the nobility to agree. The military does usually default more towards the practical, and uses the shit out of whatever long-range weaponry they can sneak onto the field, but they also are buttering their bread with large groups of individuals meeting in hand-to-hand combat. An archer is of practical, tactical use, but your officers aren't learning that shit (some of them already know, of course, but it's not cool to admit that).

It's actually kind of an element of controversy that Prince Diarmaid is so into hunting. Because he likes bow hunting (there are guys out there with boar spears and crap, but that's a great way to start a succession crisis). So the double entendre about his 'hunting' being related to his sexual activities is a kind of weird way of excusing his interest in hunting (and exaggerates the degree to which he's out there actually fucking). BUT ALSO - the Capitol was originally a hunting palace. The royal family has a long history of being weird and into hunting, which of course means it's kind of their monopoly in the upper ranks. THEY get to hunt. YOU, wee baron, don't.

Again, doesn't mean nobility are out here never touching a bow. archery is too practical and useful (and fun) a skill to be neglected in a widespread way. It's just not cool. Bragging about or organizing social events around hunting/archery would be like bragging about being able to slice perfectly even slices of bread. Like, that's great, but why did you tell the court?

Midraeic tradition is entirely different - it's a point of pride going way back to their desert days to be good hunters and archers, but it's an element of their culture that has been worn down by disenfranchisement in Ainjir. So it's still very present in old art and writing, and in phrases passed down, but it's not widely practiced in the way it used to be. They're just gonna raise some goats if they want some meat, because wandering around on Ainjir land, alone or in armed groups, is a great way to get identified as a problem.

So neither Cole nor Nika are stellar archers. They don't have the specific skills and musculature that it takes to be good at it, and haven't practiced very much. The vast majority of archery in the military is crossbow use, but these corps of soldiers aren't very well respected. There are areas where horseback archery (like the place I forget the name of at the moment, where there's a kind of arroyo + flat dry plains environment) is well practiced and prominent, but this is a kind of special cultural enclave. Mostly, the Ainjir will turn to guerilla tactics that obviate the greatest benefits of archery, because mostly they're able to do that with their terrain (they got a lot of thick forests, hills and mountains that make sight lines sometimes difficult to establish) - except when it comes to Adineh. Which is why they're always such a threat.

[hp-soulmates]

💞 HP Soulmates 2022: Master List 💞

Reveals are here!  Here are all the 2022 HP Soulmates submissions and their authors:

Andromeda / Ted

💞 [FIC] Of Dragonflies and Other Quixotic Things by Kenzlepuff | @kenzlepuff 💞 (T, Andromeda/Ted, 29.5k)

Pure-bloods do not subscribe to the notions of Soulmarks. It is far better to marry who you are told, when you are told. Andromeda, ever the dutiful daughter, agrees… until she sees a charming first-year boy with a dragonsfly tattooed upon his neck.

Blaise / Neville

💞 [FIC] Call me baby (I’ll be on the way) by lumosatnight | @lumosatnight 💞 (E, Blaise/Neville, 6.4k)

“Hey guys, thanks for coming tonight. Really appreciate it. Snaps all around. So, as you all know, Neville’s been having a rough time lately. Blaise still hasn’t shown him his soulmark, and there’s been how many opportunities now?“ Or, Neville still hasn’t seen his fuck buddy’s soulmark, he’s starting to catch feelings, and it’s becoming a bit of a problem.

Charlie / Daphne

💞 [FIC] Aurora Nocturna by prima_vera | @girl-with-goats 💞 (M, Charlie/Daphne, 15.9k)

Daphne isn’t looking for romance, she’s looking for dragons. Little does she know that in the distant mountains of Romania she will find both. (And a few more things.)

Charlie / Neville

💞 [ART] Neville? I’ve heard of him by digthewriter | @digthewriter 💞 (G, Charlie/Neville, Digital)

“Red Thread” - Soulmate Bond. Or where they arrive at a party and there’s an instant pull that’d never existed before.

Draco / Ginny

💞 [FIC] Soulmates With Benefits by TheFrancakes | @the-francakes 💞 (E, Draco/Ginny, 23.1k)

Ginny couldn’t believe it.  She had been traded. Traded to the Falmouth Falcons. Traded to the worst possible team in the whole of Quidditch history.  

And Draco Malfoy was sitting beside her, also freshly traded. Thankfully he looked just as confused and angry as she did.

“You’re Soulmates,” Broadmoor smiled like it was good news.  “‘N Soulmates are practically un-fucking-beatable when on tha same team.”  

“Ex-excuse me, we’re what?” Ginevra stuttered and Draco didn’t blame her at all this time.

“Soulmates!” Broadmoor exclaimed. “Destined ta fall in love ‘n win me The World Cup once ‘n for all!”

Draco / Harry

💞 [FIC] Believe by athousandpages | @athousandpagesyettowrite 💞 (G, Draco/Harry, 4.2k)

His head screams with thoughts of it'shimit'shimit'shimit'shimit'shimit'shim and it takes all of his willpower to concentrate enough to hear the boy’s- his soulmate’s- next words.

“Oh. Oh no.”

💞 [FIC] Chilly Feet by shushu_yaoi_lj | @orange-peony 💞 (E, Draco/Harry, 13.8k)

It all starts with a pair of chilly feet under Harry Potter’s bum.

💞 [FIC] Finding out what is Draco Malfoy up to - A Misguided Guide by Harry Potter by Purplehotmess | @purplehotmess 💞 (T, Draco/Harry, 17.6k)

Draco Malfoy is up to something - Harry knows because the git didn't come to work today and didn't even tell Harry— Or two idiots in love who bumble, fumble, and stumble their way into finally getting together.

💞 [ART] Heartstopping Soulmate by Melcarrianna | @melcarrianna 💞 (G, Draco/Harry, Digital)

Heartstopper AU but make them soulmates

💞 [FIC] Little Lost Things by flightinflame 💞 (T, Draco/Harry, 10.3k)

Draco has been waiting his entire life for the first treasure from his soulmate. When he's six and a Muggle coin appears, it seems like everything is going to go wrong.

Harry is confused to find a beautiful feather dipped in ink when he's cleaning the Dursleys' kitchen. But things like this happen to him.

If you lose something, your soulmate finds it. What starts small spirals as the war looms. Told over twelve years and ten lost items.

💞 [FIC] needs and wants by lilaced 💞 (M, Draco/Harry, 11.8k)

Draco finds out he’s a vampire, right before he finds out that his Fated is none other than Potter. It’s a purely magical bond, unable to influence feelings, but Draco is Draco and pining ensues.

💞 [ART] "Not this again, Potter." by digthewriter | @digthewriter 💞 (G, Draco/Harry, Digital)

Wherever you go, I'll follow. Or soulmates do fight and kiss. It's a thing.

💞 [FIC] Steady as you go by deliciousblizzardshark | @deliciousblizzardshark 💞 (E, Draco/Harry, 21.1k)

When Harry is diagnosed with fatal soul-damage, the only cure is to bond him to his soulmate, who turns out to be Draco Malfoy. But Harry and Draco are both married with children. What is going to happen to their families when they decide to do the only thing that will save Harry’s life?

💞 [FIC] The Bonny, Bonny Shores of Strathy Bay by elinor_snapdragon 💞(M, Draco/Harry, 7.6k)

There is an enchanted beach in the north of Scotland, where if you visit one special day each year, the spirits are said to awaken and whisper the name of your soulmate. A gang of Gryffindors decide this might be a lark, and sneak away from Hogwarts school trip for a giggle. They never expect it to work.

💞 [FIC] The thin line by Nelween | @nelweensfic 💞 (M, Draco/Harry, 10.1k)

After the war Harry felt different t. His heart was lighter. Or that what he thought. Seeing Draco Malfoy in the train to their eighth year did something to his soul. And he'll learn that there is a thin line between hate and love.

💞 [PODFIC] The woes of being friends with Harry Potter by Andithiel 💞 read by @roseszain (G, Draco/Harry, 6 minutes)

Hermione was not supposed to spend her morning handling a panicking Harry with a weirdly shaped mark on his wrist.

💞 [FIC] This Could Be Good by Cassiara | @cassiaratheslytherpuff 💞 (E, Draco/Harry, 6.7k)

As a child, Draco had always loved his mother’s tales of soulmates, but he never thought he’d experience it himself. The universe, apparently, has other plans. Or, the one where Draco saves a dog and gets a soulmate.

💞 [FIC] What's Right in Front of You by Orpheous87 | @orpheous87 💞 (T, Draco/Harry, 7.8k)

When a spell cast in the eighth-year common room goes wrong, Harry's life is thrown into chaos. He wasn't ready to come out yet, but it turns out he didn't need to worry. His friends are very keen to show him that he has their support, but it gets a bit much. Seeking solace in solitude, Harry is reminded that he's not the only one affected by the revelation. As he and Draco spend more time together, they come to realise that maybe the spell wasn't as rubbish as they first thought.

Draco / Hermione

💞 [FIC] Near Enemies by Cassinea | @cassineas💞 (T, Draco/Hermione, 6.5k)

Returning to Hogwarts for eighth year, Hermione Granger has the great misfortune to save Draco Malfoy's life.

💞 [ART] Shared Scars by Esmalt | @orzuel 💞 (G, Draco/Hermione, Digital Comic)

A comic page about the moment Hermione and Draco both were branded with their soulmate marks

Draco / Ron

💞 [ART] Tightly Bound by vitaminpops | @vitaminpops 💞 (M, Draco/Ron, Digital)

Ron and Draco are assassins sent to kill the other. It’s a simple job, really, but there’s a tiny problem here: fate has a sick sense of humor, and it thinks it’s really hilarious when it made them soulmates. So here’s the dilemma, do they or do they not complete the job?

Draco & Tonks

💞 [ART] Set me free by Spelcray | @waterfalls-moon 💞 (G, Draco & Tonks, Traditional/Colored Pencil)

Draco always feels like dancing, maybe because of the songs she keeps humming in her head.

Fred / George / Hermione

💞 [FIC] Double Booked by DrWhoIsGinnyHolmes | @drwhoisginnyholmes 💞 (M, Fred/George/Hermione, 6.1k)

Everybody in the wizarding world has soulmarks, it's part of their core magic. However, there are multiple types of soulmarks: Platonic, Romantic, and Nemesis. Soulmarks can show up anytime after 5 yrs old, but Romantic ones usually show up in the late teens. Twins always developed their early, but it is VERY RARE to be born with one. Platonic soulmarks show up on the top of the right wrist, romantic on the left. Rivals, nemisis, etc. soulmarks show up under the wrist. Multiple soulmates are possible due to polyamory or death. When your soulmate dies it fades to a light grey scar, but if you are lucky enough to have another soulmate the new soulmark overwrites the old one, however, the scar tissue remains. If your Platonic and Romantic soulmate happen to be the same person(s) the mark will constantly circle their wrist.

One day in the fall after graduating their eighth year at Hogwarts, Hermione wakes up to a new romantic soulmark, and even though it is not who she expected, she definitely doesn't mind. She had always admired the twins for their daring and smarts when it came to their inventions and they were glad that she was always able to tell them apart.

Gregory / Lavender

💞 [FIC] Forgiveness is the Fragrance by Halliwell19 | @only-a-shooting-star-blog💞 (M, Lavender/Greg, 8.3k)

In a world where one cannot hurt their soulmate should they try, Gregory Goyle never thought that Lavender Brown (his secret Gryffindor friend) would be his soulmate.

Harry / Remus / Severus

💞 [FIC] Fix your heart (build an altar where it rests) by BlueSundayCake | @bluesundaycake 💞 (E, Remus/Harry/Severus, 31.9k)

In the summer of 1998, three wizards come to terms not only with still being alive, but with a new life-changing discovery: a soulmate mark. Shapeless, colourless, painless. Like a drop of watered down ink.

A story about falling in love, healing, and reconnecting with a sense of self.

Harry / Severus

💞 [ART] At First Sight by acydpop | @acydpop 💞 (G, Severus/Harry, Traditional/Mixed Media)

Harry is born seeing only in black and white like every other child waiting to lock eyes with their soulmate. He never expected the first bit of colour he sees to immediately drain from his new professor's face.

💞 [FIC] The Hardest Thing by WanderingPhoenixLC 💞 (T, Harry/Severus, 7.4k)

Ever since Severus saw Harry’s soulmate mark, he knew that he was going to have to end things.  It’s not like he’d never done difficult things before.  But somehow, he finds this one thing a near impossible struggle.

Harry / Sirius

💞 [FIC] I walk the line by TheLadyGia | @theladygia 💞 (M, Sirius/Harry, 4.1k)

When Harry finally cast the soul view spell only to see the Canis Major constellation appear before his eyes, he went a little insane. Is this what the Black madness feels like? he’d wondered. When he’d sobered up the next day, Harry tried to imagine a scenario in which Sirius wouldn’t recoil the moment Harry told him they were soulmates. But in every set of circumstances Harry’s brain came up with, Sirius could never get past it. So Harry had decided to create a scenario where none of his objections would apply.

Harry / Tom

💞 [FIC] Ignesce by lucio 💞 (T, Harry/Tom, 4.0k)

Someone else, in Tom Riddle’s position, might weep upon seeing their grey soulmark—the rare colour meaning their long-awaited soulmate died before coming of age. Someone else might resign themselves to a whole life devoid of true companionship. True power. Someone else might have never met Harry Potter. But Tom Riddle is not someone else. He takes it in hand to seize his own destiny, and thus changes everything.

Hermione / Ron

💞 [ART] How to Charm a Squib in 10 Days by someonesbeenhere | @someonesbeenhere 💞 (G, Hermione/Ron, Digital)

Ron is a Squib and for the most part he's living a happy life in the Muggle world with occasional visits to the Burrow. He accepted his fate to never be a part of the Wizarding World a long time ago, and on most days he doesn't even think about it anymore. Then, as he had just ended a round of beer pong with his new dorm mates on their first day back at Uni, Ron's soulmark appears. And even though he doesn't really have anything to do anymore with the Wizarding World, Ron knows one thing for sure: This never happened before. Muggles and Squibs can't have a soulmark. Everyone thought this was the nature of things...until now.

Marcus / Oliver

💞 [ART] Lifelines by sugareey | @sugareey-makes-stuff 💞 (T, Marcus/Oliver, Digital)

Marcus and Oliver experience the brutal side effects of being bound together (yet so far apart from each other) during a war. With different roles on opposite sides, they realise exactly what Fate has been trying to tell them all long.

Narcissa / Remus

💞 [FIC] Carve Your Name on Hearts by Caiti | @caiti-creative-corner💞 (T, Remus/Narcissa, 1.8k)

When Narcissa Black finds herself in a bind and facing a future she doesn't want, she goes to the one person she thinks might be able to help her - her soulmate, Remus Lupin.

Neville / Pansy

💞 [FIC] The Art of Revealing Secrets by Dexiha | @assassinsdragons💞 (T, Neville/Pansy, 25.6k)

Pansy has known since their days at Hogwarts that she and Neville were fated. She never told him, never told a soul. Now, years later, faced with an unbearable choice, she finds herself reaching out to her unwitting soulmate out of pure desperation. She can only hope that he's the sentimental man she always envisioned him to be and not the cynical auror he seems to have become...

Or, the story of how Pansy learns there is no evading fate.

Regulus / Remus

💞 [ART] Wonder by shiaya | @shiaya21 💞 (G, Remus / Regulus, Digital Comic)

When Remus realizes who his soulmate is, he has a lot of thinking to do

Remus / Severus

💞 [FIC] A Game of Luck by mean_whale | @mean-whale-writes 💞 (E, Severus/Remus , 16.0k)

At the age of thirty-four, Severus finally meets his soulmate. His soulmate is a Muggle. And a straight man. In a relationship

💞 [ART] artemisia absinthium by yuemmo | @yuemmo 💞 (G, Severus/Remus, Digital Comic)

1994. Severus realizes who his soulmate is and wonders how he’ll react to Severus’s new Mark. Remus makes tea for the Professor he keeps finding lying unconscious in the woods.

Remus / Sirius

💞 [FIC] As the Moon Knows the Stars by mcdynamite | @mcdynamite 💞 (T, Remus/Sirius, 48.7k)

On the day Sirius Black turned seventeen, he had his soulmark removed in order to protect the soulmate he'd never met from the wrath of his own family. In the eight years since, he's managed to make his peace with living the rest of his life without falling in love. Though he mourns his lost soulmate every day, he's confident he made the right choice to protect them, and no one has ever made him question that.

Until, of course, Lily Evans brings her childhood friend along for a pub night, and Sirius finds himself utterly enamored with the kind, mysterious stranger. But Remus Lupin surely has a soulmate of his own waiting out there somewhere, and Sirius won't let himself get in the way of that.

He just wishes Remus weren't so damn easy to love.

💞 [PODFIC] Golden by acGranger 💞 read by @roseszain (G, Sirius/Remus, 9 minutes)

When one touches their soulmate, the soulmate will begin to glow golden somewhere on their body. The place changes according to what one likes most about them at that moment.

Or: the one where Sirius and Remus are made for each other but Sirius nearly fucks it up.

Remus / Severus / Sirius

💞 [FIC] earthly bodies in heavenly motion by knowinglook 💞 (M, Severus/Remus/Sirius, 17.1k)

Severus Snape is determined to take his soul's mark to the grave once he realizes he shared one with Sirius Black and Remus Lupin--of all people. But of course, like every other plan Severus had, it all went to hell one fateful day when he's hung upside down.

Severus / Sirius

💞 [FIC] Written In The Stars by FiendishFyre | @fiendishfyre 💞 (G, Sirius/Severus, 7.4k)

Sirius screws up a potion and it messes with his soulmate bond.  

[deathxproof-archive]

Also have a fun little life update since it’s 8 AM (the time it is everywhere in the world right now) and I haven’t slept and my partner’s work alarm is going off—

Graduated from college in 2020(sad party popper noise). Studied theatre, visual arts, art history. Emmett Timeline OUT. Andrew Rose Timeline IN.

Started testosterone and changed my name AGAIN in 2020. Got FUCKING medicated.

Worked as a manager for FuckBucks for a few years, as I feel is a valid post-theatre-degree job, many arts graduates would agree.

Started an art business that’s currently on hiatus(for moving reasons). Made a few zines. Still doing that. Had a fun pagan spiritual awakening.

Saw My Chemical Romance and The Mountain Goats within a week of each other and came out a changed man(-adjacent).

Started dating my best friend from high school and we moved to our dream city with my college roommate, my cat, and my partner’s snake the week before I turned 25.

Moved from the mountains to the ocean with a brief(lol) stint in eastern Massachusetts suburbia(read:hell).

Quit smoking cigarettes. Started smoking cigarettes again. We grow and quit again, save for when heavy drinking is involved(read: rarely).

Working at a cool artsy downtown cafe with cool artsy people!! My partner works with vampires!! Dipping my toes into theatre again(slowly)(very slowly)(literally just got this job and don’t know how to schedule that around theatre schedules)(we learn and adapt).

I picked up my Doctor Who writing fixation like an old long-untouched sketchbook full of familiar-ish art that I want to sketch over, finish unfinished pieces, and try my hand at redoing old work in a not-very-changed style. I want to write old muses like I redo character designs.

I picked up my general Doctor Who hyperfixation and slammed it against a wall like a wet teddy bear for the satisfying sound it makes.

And I am, perhaps, actually, legitimately, most importantly, the happiest I’ve been in my 25 long and short years on planet earth.

(The Brainworms for the Master & the Doctor [both separate & together entities] never went away. The Brainworms for everyone else came back with a vengeance.)