#the queen of the skies

[stumbling-towards-the-light]

That moment where you just give up and give Nestor Royce's branch of the family a hereditary position as knights of the Bloody Gate because they need to have a family seat to justify the political power you unwittingly gave them while also still letting Nestor treat the Moon Gate as a better seat to obtain so it makes sense why Littlefinger would bribe him with it.

[gingermintpepper]

In my Zeus bag today so I'm just gonna put it out there that exactly none of the great Ancient Greek warrior-heroes stayed loyal and faithful and completely monogamous and yet none of them have their greatness questioned nor do we question why they had the cultural prominence that they did and still do.

Jason, the brilliant leader of the Argo, got cold feet when it came to Medea - already put off by some of her magic and then exiled from his birthland because of her political ploys, he took Creusa to bed and fully intended on marrying her despite not properly dissolving things with Medea.

Theseus was a fierce warrior and an incredibly talented king but he had a horrible temper and was almost fatally weak to women. This is the man who got imprisoned in the Underworld for trying to get a friend laid, the man who started the whole Attic War because he couldn't keep his legs closed.

And we cannot at all forget Heracles for whom a not inconsiderable amount of his joy in life was loving people then losing the people around him that he loved. Wives, children, serving boys, mentors, Heracles had a list of lovers - male and female - long enough to rival some gods and even after completing his labours and coming down to the end of his life, he did not have one wife but three.

And y'know what, just because he's a cultural darling, I'll put Achilles up here too because that man was a Theseus type where he was fantastic at the thing he was born to do (that is, fight whereas Theseus' was to rule) but that was not enough to eclipse his horrid temper and his weakness to young pretty things. This is the man that killed two of Apollo's sons because they wouldn't let him hit - Tenes because he refused to let Achilles have his sister and Troilus who refused Achilles so vehemently that he ran into Apollo's temple to avoid him and still couldn't escape.

All four of these men are still celebrated as great heroes and men. All four of these men are given the dignity of nuance, of having their flaws treated as just that, flaws which enrich their character and can be used to discuss the wider cultural point of what truly makes a hero heroic. All four of these men still have their legacies respected.

Why can that same mindset not be applied to Zeus? Zeus, who was a warrior-king raised in seclusion apart from his family. Zeus who must have learned to embrace the violence of thunder for every time he cried as a babe, the Corybantes would bang their shields to hide the sound. Zeus learned to be great because being good would not see the universe's affairs in its order.

The wonderful thing about sympathy is that we never run out of it. There's no rule stopping us from being sympathetic to multiple plights at once, there's no law that necessitate things always exist on the good-evil binary. Yes, Zeus sentenced Prometheus to sufferation in Tartarus for what (to us) seems like a cruel reason. Prometheus only wanted to help humans! But when you think about Prometheus' actions from a king's perspective, the narrative is completely different: Prometheus stole divine knowledge and gifted it to humans after Zeus explicitly told him not to. And this was after Prometheus cheated all the gods out of a huge portion of wealth by having humans keep the best part of a sacrifice's meat while the gods must delight themselves with bones, fat and skin. Yes, Zeus gave Persephone away to Hades without consulting Demeter but what king consults a woman who is not his wife about the arrangement of his daughter's marriage to another king? Yes, Zeus breaks the marriage vows he set with Hera despite his love of her but what is the Master of Fate if not its staunchest slave?

The nuance is there. Even in his most bizarre actions, the nuance and logic and reason is there. The Ancient Greeks weren't a daft people, they worshipped Zeus as their primary god for a reason and they did not associate him with half the vices modern audiences take issue with. Zeus was a father, a visitor, a protector, a fair judge of character, a guide for the lost, the arbiter of revenge for those that had been wronged, a pillar of strength for those who needed it and a shield to protect those who made their home among the biting snakes. His children were reflections of him, extensions of his will who acted both as his mercy and as his retribution, his brothers and sisters deferred to him because he was wise as well as powerful. Zeus didn't become king by accident and it is a damn shame he does not get more respect.

[riaki]

a spritz of peppermint | megumi fushiguro x reader

pt.6 of christmas event! cw: petnames i think idk, not proofread, there’s probably other stuff i’m missing but wtv happy birthday the prettiest king pls come back the food is cold

today is a very special day.

megumi notices that you rise early— mostly because when he wakes up in the morning, rubbing his sleep-heavy eyes groggily with a groan, he notices you’re not there. he rolls over, and smacks his face into cold sheets, devoid of your heat.

it pisses him off. so he starts his special day out as a grouch.

when he eventually crawls out of bed and makes his way into the kitchen after pulling on some sweats, though— he stops just short of the threshold to that sweet smelling cozy haven you love to spend your time in. the scent of pine needles and fresh chocolate orange wafts across the space, warm and welcoming and awfully wintery. he’s impartial to the cold— but he likes seeing your nose get red, so he guesses that’s one point positive.

“megumi?” your soft voice drifts across the open space, and the frost around his grumpy heart melts just a little; a crack in the frozen surface of the lake.

he reluctantly emerges from the shadow of the hallway, past the bundle of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. the thought causes a memory to flash across his mind— your sweet smile and your prettier laugh; a distinct feeling of fuzzy warmth like a knitted sweater spreading across his cheeks when you pulled him close by the sleeve of his shirt and leaned in—

he shakes his head, trying to dash the stray thought. he’s supposed to be mad. it has no right to be there.

“why’d you get up so early?” he sighs heavily as he joins you at your side, scratching the back of his neck and running a hand through his unruly hair. you smiled sheepishly, turning to face him and you wrap your arms around his middle, squeezing lightly as a silent apology. he takes it with a grumble, snaking his arms around your waist and resting his face in your hair to bask in the scent of home before pulling away.

“it’s a secret.” you grinned, and he glares down at you, clicking his teeth in annoyance. you just laugh like the angel you are, leaving no room for guilt. you’re wearing one of his sweaters; you smell like him, and he supposes it makes up for the way you ditched him this morning.

“i expect compensation.” he grumbles, leaning against the counter as he watches you move about the kitchen, pale winter sunlight painting you like an ethereal dancer beneath the surface of misty lake water, crystal clear in your beauty. it’s mesmerizing.

you laughed, and his teeth dig into his bottom lip. “what, missed me? were you feeling lonely, gumi?” you smiled.

he just shoots you a piercing glare, the color of icicles in his eyes, but the warmth of your grin melts it away. you spend the next few moments in a comfortable silence, preparing a french toast topped with sweet berries and powdered sugar that looks so soft megumi could probably sink into it, until your lovely voice breaks the crisp morning silence.

“want black coffee?”

…

that’s weird. he never hesitates. and you know he takes his coffee black; of course you do. not because he wants to look cool, or look suave in another person’s eyes… well, except for you, of course. but not in the area of caffeine doses. and to be perfectly clear, all he needs is a dose of you to get him going.

he clears his throat. “can you make me hot chocolate?”

you pause, and he almost wants to bite his tongue off. why is he so embarrassed? but you just chuckle, like morning bird song across fresh dew on the grass.

“switching it up, huh? that’s cute.” you hum, and his face burns hot like embers in a brick fireplace. he coughs, throat scratchy like the pricks of a pinecone— but you make no note of it, simply going about your day.

he’s content to watch as you fish around in the rum-colored cabinets, pulling out a crinkly bag of cocoa powder. you put him on milk microwaving duty and he busies himself, lithe pale fingers unscrewing the carton of milk and pouring it into his favorite little painted dog mug. you were the one who’d made it; that silly little ceramics class you insisted on taking clearly didn’t help you too much in the way of smoothing down the bumps and blotches on the mug, but it holds your fingerprint, so he might as well memorize the shape of your hands when you’re not there.

megumi’s snapped back to reality when you grab a candy cane from the mini tree you decorated together sitting on the kitchen counter, smashing it up in the wrappings to mix the pepperminty dust with the cocoa powder. he eyes the pile of holiday drug warily as he brings the steaming mug over, placing it before you and leaning against the counter again to watch you work your mystery magic.

“that looks like brown cocai—”

“shh, megumi. keep your pretty mouth shut, please.”

he’s about to butt in again, lips parted before he presses them together irritatedly and resigns to sulk in silence.

you pour the hot chocolate mix into the milk, swishing it together as it forms a pretty spiral of cocoa; the color of dark chai and chocolate tart. he’s content to watch in silence, humming some christmas carol he’d overheard you listening to one gray afternoon— until he realizes you’re opening a bag of those sickeningly sweet and fluffy marshmallows he’d bought you on a whim. he only did it because his mentor told him they made the best gifts, but he’s beginning to realize it was the sweet tooth talking.

“hey— wait… are you going to put those in there, pretty?” he asks, putting a gentle hand on your wrist to stop you from vigorously emptying the bag into his poor victimized hot chocolate mug.

you glance up at him and flash a toothy grin, giving him one of those looks that makes his heart skip a beat. “trust me, gumi! you’re gonna love it.” you laughed, shrugging his hand off, and his lips curve downward. less because of the marshmallows that are toppling into his mug with a splash and more so because you freed yourself from his grasp.

obviously, you notice— your eyebrows knit together, a pinch of guilt weighing upon them like the snow on the streets outside. but it’s wiped away as quickly as it comes; before he knows it, you’re walking away with a bounce in your step, disappearing behind the counter before re-emerging with something behind your back.

“don’t look so sad, gumi. here,” you say, the cadence of your voice as soft and playful as he ever remembers it being when you pull a bunch of roses from behind your back. the bouquet is small and there’s dirt clinging to the stems— but his heart melts at the thought that you hand-picked them, prickly thorns and all, for him. “happy birthday,” you whispered, and his walls break.

“you’re not so different from them, you know.” you hummed, smiling as he takes them from you and gives you an inquisitive, quiet look. “you might be a little prickly on the outside, but you’re just as beautiful. you just have to look a little past the thorns.”

he feels his face flush; at this point, it’s probably as red as the stray candy cane shavings melting in his mug and the vibrant petals of the roses. he splutters and mumbles something annoyed under his breath, but he’s sure you can hear the undercurrent of fondness and affection weaves into each syllable like the beats of his heart, where you’re so close to. megumi thinks you might’ve just cut him open and made a home in his ribcage.

the bunch of handpicked roses for his special day sit on the marble counter dusted with cocoa powder and candy cane shavings, marshmallows bobbing at the surface of his hot chocolate like apples in a bucket as he wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you in to press his lips insistently to yours, slow and tender like the way he always loves you. his hands curl around your sides, as if to ground you there; freeze the time in this bubble of warmth, forgetting the chill outside to warm his hands on your skin. you’re so little in his arms; he wants to hold you and never let you go, to keep you under his tree and have you make hot chocolate for him instead of black coffee every morning he wakes up, because it’s fine if you’re not there in bed— as long as you’re waiting for him with open arms elsewhere.

and when he kisses you, he realizes he might not need his hot cocoa to warm his stomach— your lips are as soft and pillowy sweet as the marshmallows melting in his mug, filled with steaming hot cocoa and all the love he could ever wrap his heart in this cozy winter; his christmas gift to you.

he’s grateful today is a special day, if only because of you and his sweet little painted dog mug filled with your heartwarming love.

stop this was so close to being late my (riaki) stuff. don’t repost and/or plagiarize !

[centuryberry]

I just thought about something lol

Macaque was bad enough even before they left the mountain with all Yue’s suitors- he’s gonna be like “I WAS RIGHT” if/when he ever finds out about Yue having feelings towards Xiaotian after Yue reassured him Xiaotian didn’t plan on courting her 🤣

Macaque would feel so SO validated for clocking Xiaotian as a threat. He'd also be holding his head to his hands because his niece HAD to share his tastes for a particular brand of idiot overpowered sunshine. (Though, Xiaotian has a bit more sense than Wukong. But still.)

[skijumpingf1]

My first ever gif 🤗 sorry for the bad quality the footage is recorded from siljes reel

[orchidrush]

Malt liquor on your lips

[swanqueenffprompter]

With Christmas around the corner and the chaos of Storybrooke behind them, Emma decides to surprise Henry with a special holiday getaway—a cozy ski resort tucked away in the mountains. But, unbeknownst to Regina, Emma's invited her along too, convinced that a family trip might just be the perfect way to mend fences and, perhaps, grow closer.

The only problem? Regina hates the cold and has never skiied in her life. Emma, on the other hand, thrives in the snow, eager to teach Henry to snowboard and drag Regina into some winter fun. As the days unfold, mishaps ensue—Regina tries to ski, only to tumble right into Emma's arms; they get stranded on a ski lift in a snowstorm and have to huddle for warmth; and there’s the annual holiday competition where Regina’s competitive nature gets the best of her, leading to hilarious outcomes.

But between snowball fights, late-night hot chocolates by the fire, and decorating the resort's giant Christmas tree, sparks begin to fly. Emma realizes that maybe this trip was more than just about family—it’s about finding love in the most unexpected of places. And Regina, despite her reluctance, might just fall for the Savior amidst the snowflakes and holiday magic.

[twiafom]

Because I can.

@jjackfrost hiiiiiii heheheheheh

snow queen from otnwas don't we love her

[ihatebrainstorm]

The chances of anyone besides me caring are low but AAGHSFGRGGAHGHAGGGGHH I GLANCED OUT MY WINDOW DURING A TEST AND SAW A B747?????? 😭😭😭 I’ve been wanting to see one in forever oh my god

[vulcanette]

Melissa Cody, from “Webbed Skies.”

MoMA PS1 presents the first major solo museum presentation of fourth-generation Navajo weaver Melissa Cody (b. 1983, No Water Mesa, Arizona).

[skyfullofpods]

Happy audio fiction Sunday! It's been another big week of new episodes, and here are some of my thoughts about what I've been listening to - including new seasons of both Lost Terminal and @desertskiespodcast, and one heck of a two-part episode from @thesiltverses!

[libbytwq]

happy pride month weeeee

individual ones below cut, as well as ver w/o text

[centuryberry]

YUE/XIAOTIAN CONFIRMED LETS GOOOOOOOO

fjdjdf I know it’s like, not the best thing for Yue since the Thrall is using Yishan’s body, but I do love the visual image at the end of the chapter of the Thrall carrying and protecting Yue. Yishan may not be there in spirit, but at least somebody’s using his mortal remains to act like the parent he should have been

Yes, haha! They're confirmed!

And look at the Thrall stepping up for his Lady's Chosen Vessel. He's closer to a dad to her than her sperm donor ever was.

[skijumpingf1]

Lovro please never change

[whitewaterpaper]

Den som väntar på något gott väntar aldrig för länge. @kulturdasset lär bli mäkta imponerad av några av månadens filmval. Det är klart. Värt att vänta på vad det också. 😜

65 (2023) [👍] Riktigt bra SF om en utomjording som hamnar på jorden under dinosauriernas regim.

Australiens (2014) [👎🆓] En budgetstinkare från Australien. Går på komisk knock men svingar vilt i luften.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) [👍🔁]

Grease Live! (2016) [👍🎭🔁]

Hairspray Live! (2016) [👍🎭🔁]

Hocus Pocus 2 (2023) [👍🔁]

Kapten Våghals / Captain Scarlett (1952) [🆓] Intressant, och mot alla odds, kombination av Robin Hood och Röda Nejlikan. Hollywood! Vi vill ha en remake franchise!

Lair, the (2022) [__] Neil Marshall, åter i samarbete med Charlotte Kirk, och precis som i The Reckoning inte dåligt men når heller inte riktigt ända fram.

Lost City, the (2022) [👍🔁]

Love of Three Queens / L'amante di Paride (1954) [👎🆓] Spretigt sömnpiller med Hedy Lamarr.

Mord i Venedig / A Haunting in Venice (2023) [👎] När jag tänker tillbaka till Kenneth Branagh föregående exkursion som Poirot (Döden på Nilen, 2020) kommer beskrivningen ”välpolerad yta och dyra färger” för mig. Men vad gör man inte för Michelle Yeoh liksom?

Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent, the (1957) [🔁🆓] Vikingraffel signerat Roger Corman. Den här hade jag tydligen sett tidigare... Ett upptäckt som är ett omdöme i sig.

Ski Troop Attack (1960) [🆓] Skidåkarraffel signerat Roger Corman, han har verkligen fått till det i den här filmen. Om oinspirerat sidåkar-pang-pang är vad man längtar efter. Jag tror storyn tog en annan nedfart, för den minns jag inte mycket av.

Totally Killer (2023) [👍] Hallå, hej! Amazon får till en underhållande liten skräckkomedi som andas klassiska grepp och tillbaka till framtiden. Me like! Kommer antagligen ses igen.

Vidioten / UHF (1989) [__] Idag kanske mer ett underhållande tidsdokument om tiden innan YouTube gjorde videostjärnor av svenssons.

WarGames (1983) [👍🔁] Idag, i skuggan av AI kanske ännu mer aktuell än någonsin. Står fortfarande stadigt utan behov av remakes. Lekte med tanken att se uppföljaren, tills jag såg att den bara fanns på hyr-tjänsterna.

@kulturdasset lär börja drägla över husguden Neil Marshalls senaste, hen bör dock trycka på play där med något nedskruvade förväntningar. Resten tycker jag skall ge Totally Killer eller Kapten Våghals en chans. Den senare är kanske inte A-klassad underhållning, men väl värd en chans.

För den nyfikne med ett sug efter en utmaning såg jag the Reckoning i februari 2021.