#their mother chose it to symbolize luck

[i-eat-deodorant]

Ginkgo Who Guards The Sunrise, they say; Died to the axe that bloodied day. Broken divinity, piece by shattered piece, Shed the flesh; keep the fleece.

Lone Lamb, Nameless Vessel--take heed: Char your wrath, make them bleed. The soul cannot sit upon two lives, When bitterness festers and hatred thrives.

Usurper, God Killer, what was your fury for? In the wake of a slaughter, the quiet after war No more bishops and death uncrowned. Let it all go and put your weapons down.

Build life out from rubble of the past, New friends, new family, peace at last.

(And in the quiet of forever, a little sheep Drifts into the afterlife to sleep.)

[c0gito]

hmmmmmmmm how about narinder pre-godhood? or maybe baby lamb?

also i dunno, might be cool if you drew some pikmin... kicks a pebble or whatever..

unfortunately i am not well versed in pikmin.. but i am very insane abt my lamb lore

Also LAMB NAME REVEAL!1!1!

Ok so, to preface, I’m irish and based the lamb’s culture off of celtic mythology so yeah

The lamb’s mother, Dana, comes from the name of the mother goddess in irish mythology who gave name to the ‘tuatha de danann’ (tribe of goddess danu, tribe of the gods) which is what i base the lamb’s close following on (stay with me here) So its kinda to say that from the lamb’s mother giving birth to them, she effectively raised all ‘children’ (following) of the lamb if you get what im saying?

The lamb themself takes the name of the famed goddess Ériu who is the matron goddess of ireland and gave it its name. SO staying on theme that the cult is named after the lamb themself, it fit nicely imo.

The lamb was born just as the reaping began, so their mother chose a name she hoped would bring them luck to spare them from the reaping. Hoping it would bring them to safer lands with ‘bounty and abundance’ as the name means. It was wishful thinking, although she knew not what her child was to become the very symbol the name portrayed.

sorry i’m really bad at putting my ideas into words it’s so late so i hope it’s comprehensible 😭🙏

[thesharktanksdriver]

Determination! to where the sand blows and where the heart goes (platonic)

Made this for foreshadowing and fun

Decided to do a poem kinda format just for experimenting and symbolism

The next determination! Will take awhile to come out due to my finals coming up so I made this instead.

Wish me luck yall

Once upon a time, a long….Long time ago, Mother spoke of sand

She grew up on a sandy island you know? A large one where water was scarce and rain was a blessing.

She said that the place was beautiful but she never quite felt at home there.

She never was one for the sandy dunes that was the ever-expanding horizon

Sand

Golden particles in the hundreds of millions scattered on the ground, piling up to the size of castles and threading through the air.

“Sand is the crushed up hopes and dreams of wanderers” she told you one day at the beach.

Said material pooling her hands before she let it slip between her fingers and scatter back on the ground.

The golden dust sparkling in the sunlight as she continued.

“It’s uncaring and apathetic to our cries. It’s both soft and course, it’s terrible and it’s beautiful”

As you walk the desert you reflect on her words and find the truth in them

You remember a spring island with sand as soft as flour beneath your feet but now the sand you walk on scorches you’d soles.

Sandcastles were fun but not climbing a mound of sand as big as a castle is a chore.

Your throat is parched and your skin is burned and rubbed bare

Hands coated in sweat that stings your cuts

Despite being in the dunes of shattered hope you keep moving forwards

Down into a valley

Down into the depths of a cave that you instinctually somehow know better than your childhood home.

You can’t even remember that house

You can’t call it a home anymore

It’s forgotten to time and your mind

The open world is your home now

The sea is your bed in which you lay

Ever Drifting

Ever dreaming

This place is made of sandstone and dust and ancient ideals

Intricate carvings decorates the tomb, blood, sweat and tears clearly poured into the effort of doing all of this.

Of chiselling into the stone that leaves their lungs stocked up in dust that chokes them

Of planning out the entire piece that all 4 walls and ceiling connect to one another in artistic harmony

Of using precious stones, diamonds, rubies and sapphires to be set in place to represent the stars

It’s all too beautiful to describe as you slither deeper down into this place

This temple to a god unknown to you (but your not unknown to them)

Glowing stones Illuminate this place

Made into the shapes of 4 pointed stars on the walls that guide your path

You don’t notice they fizzle out behind you as if your the activator of their light

You don’t notice a lot of crucial things in this place

Like for instance why you know which tiles are meant for traps and you don’t see the writing quite literally on the walls that you would understand despite the fact you’ve never seen that language before.

But it doesn’t matter

It makes things more funny for them in the end

Knowing how so much was presented to you but you stubbornly ignored it because of your determination to continue onward

It’s why they liked you

Why they chose you

Why it was fate

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here, you continued forwards

Deep deep down the spiders thread you go

Whirling and twirling down into the abyss

Will you reach the end?

You don’t know

Not when hawks could snatch you up at any moment in the dark

But your accustomed to that fate

Of having your little spider legs cracked and snapped in half before getting up again

It’s what you did best

So you keep twirling down your web

Descending deep down

The only light being provided by the stones that shine like the glint of silk

Keeping going down the rabbit hole little spider

And see where it goes!

Will you find time?

Or will you find peace of mind?

It doesn’t matter in the end

Not after all your journeys so far

Time is a loop and you’d see it countless times so far

But that’s fine in the end

Perhaps you’d have it no other way since you get to see and meet new friends

So keep going little spider

Deeper in the dark

Fight your fear and shine bright with your spark

Keep going little spider

Or rather Little pearl of the sea with great big starry eyes

You shoulder the world like atlas but why?

You are but a child in mind, body and soul yet the years fly by and you say your not anymore

Things will change little spider who weaves the fate of everyone but their own

Little pearl In the great big sea that floats amungst the waves

Little spark of a match that lights the flames of the revolution

Little hope for the hopeless sinners who pray for redemption

Little star In the night sky that shines the brightest despite its size

Your eyes trail up to a statue at the bottom of the temple, alone and barren in the golden sand that pools around it

And in yellow glowing stone read

“Bright little one, don’t become like the sand you tread. Stay strong. Stay determined little starcatcher”

And you wake up, eyes hazily staring up at the rocking ceiling of wood as your hands clutch at the feather duvet that shields you from the gnawing cold. You blink….and you blink again as you slowly rise and get out of bed.

Everything feels surreal even as you eat breakfast as the men around you all hustle and bustle with talking and drinking. You pick at your food, fork stabbing into a piece of strawberry whilst your eyes stare down blankly at it.

Your still not fully there after that Dream, how can you be?

With a sigh you finally take a bite, you don’t taste the sweet juice of the strawberry coat your mouth, you taste nothing. Just mush you chew down on to make into more mush that you swallow down. You barely feel like you can stomach it, barely feel like you’d should’ve gotten out of bed at all.

It feels like your energy was drained in both a literal and mental sense.

Like everything was sucked out of you and spat out.

Like-

“You alright there little captain?” And like that your brought back to reality as the familiar sound of Roger makes your head snap up. He’s sitting beside you, the usual joyful smile replaced by one of wordy as you stare up at him.

He already knows the answer

He can read you like an open book or the palm of his own hand

But he still asks to see if you want his help

Need his help

Lazily you shake your head. You can’t bother to put in the effort of doing much more and he understands whole heartedly. To be honest he’s surprised your not like this all the time considering all you’ve been through.

He smiles and it reminds you of the sunshine from just rising above the horizon line. Beautiful and bright and joy and warm and understanding.

Your lifted into his arms without needing to ask.

His arms cradle you and the world seems to disappear. Safety and security wrap around you like a blanket, warm and cozy as you seem to melt into his hold. He laughs, jolly and loud in the way that makes you smile as he peers down at you with worry and care.

You fall asleep in his arms and wake up in his cabin tucked away on a fainting couch. Head cushioned by plush tufted velvet as you burrow into the warmth of it and the jackets draped over your shoulders like a blanket.

You feel warm and safe

You feel….at home

Tired eyes gaze up to Roger who works at his desk, you smile and close your eyes once more

Missing his coughing fit then after.

[talonabraxas]

Huichol Yarn, Deer Shaman Talon Abraxas

A GUIDE TO HUICHOL SYMBOLOGY

SHAMANS - The spiritual leaders who are ambassadors to the gods, shamans preside over ceremonies, recite the divine passages, cure the sick, interpret dreams, etc. They are believed to have supernatural powers and insights in the metaphysical world that are considered out of reach for normal humans.

SPIRIT GUIDES - Intermediaries between human and spirit realms, the guide can take the shape of half-human, half-animal being. These figures appear in visions and dreams and remain with each shaman even after apprenticeship is over.

FIRE - Considered a very valuable gift from the gods, fire is called Tai. Tai is believed to enable the Huichol to have visions. The fire god, Tatewari, is always honored at Huichol ceremonies, and receives many offerings such as corn meal, sacred water and much of the art that they make.

HEALING WANDS - Called Muvieri, each shaman carries a wand in their medicine basket. They are made of pairs of eagle or hawk feathers attached to ceremonial arrows, and are used in rain making ceremonies and other divinations.

PATH OF LIFE - Wavy lines represent the "vine of life", which the Huichol Goddess of Life gives to every soul (plant, animal, human) at birth. This vine is the soul's spiritual connection to the breath of the goddess in the ethereal realm. When people chose to follow her "path of flowers", they receive her blessings: prosperity, abundance, creativity, health, and their hearts' desires.

WOLF PEOPLE - Believed to be the earliest ancestors, they spoke and lived like people. Tacutsi, the goddess of life, first taught them how to live well and overcome hunger and cold.

PRAYER ARROWS - Used to express gratitude or requests to the gods, called Urus, prayer arrows, like gourd bowls, are ceremonial objects through which the gods are believed to give their blessings. Special prayer arrows have crystals attached to them, representing the spirits of departed ancestors.

PEYOTE CACTI - Symbol for life, sustenance, health, success, good luck, and acquisition of shamanic powers, the peyote appears in practically all Huichol art and is considered a gift from the gods to the people to enlighten their lives and bring them into the mystical realm.

THE SUN - Brings light and illumination to the world. Tayaupa is father sun, master of the heavens, and his wife is the Eagle, mother of the sky and goddess of life. The Huichols believe all living things receive their power from the sun, and that He guarantees healthy crops and abundant food.

SNAKES - Instruct shamans to become healers. The rattle on the Rattlesnake is believed to be the tongue of the greatest shaman of all, which is the fire god. Snakes may also be associated with the rain goddess. The Mother Goddess of the Sea is pictured as a huge coiled serpent forming herself into a cyclical storm cloud from which rain falls. The Huichols believe that rain itself consists of millions of small snakes. They are valued for their work in the cornfields where they eat the rodents and pests harmful to the corn harvest.

DEER - The spirit guide Kauyumari, who leads the shamans on their visionary pathways and teaches them how to gain their special knowledge. One of the most commonly seen motifs, the deer, maxa, in Huichol, often appear in male and female pairs, symbolizing the unity between men and women on their spiritual journey. Legends about the deer abound in Huichol culture. The deer mother is the guardian spirit, the important animal in Huichol shamanism. She holds tobacco gourds and corn plant, both of utmost importance for Huichol survival. The Huichols believe that deer give their lives willingly to those who hunt them in a sacred manner. After a deer hunt, the hunters have to perform purifying rituals for many days to insure that the animals are properly thanked for giving their lives to the benefit of the people.

FLOWERS - Play a part in all Huichol ceremonies, and all flowers are considered sacred in healing rituals; the patient's head is anointed with flowers. Shamans use them to prepare for the deer hunt and during harvest ceremonies to adorn the new corn. One flower that appears often is called Kiera, the tree of the wind. It is a hallucinogenic plant said to open the Huichols spirits to the highest level of enlightenment.

BIRDS - Believed to be messengers to and from the gods, all birds are held in great regard. The shamans use tail and wing feather of eagles and hawks in their rituals and ceremonial chanting. The double-headed eagle is another common design, representing the shaman's omnipotent power to see in all directions.

TURTLES - Esteemed as assistants of the rain goddesses, turtles are believed to be responsible for replenishing the water of underground springs and the purity of all water sources.

WOLVES - Carrier of spirits, Kumukemai, the wolf, is honored in all peyote ceremonies. Many Huichols believe they are descendents of the "Wolf-People" of primordial times. Huichol shamans claim to possess the power to transform themselves into spirited wolves.

GOURD BOWLS - Used by shamans as containers filled with important symbols, such as corn, animals, and images of family members. Colorfully decorated, they are carried during ceremonies and prayer for protection, health, and abundance. The symbols themselves represent attributes of different gods and goddesses. They are placed in shrines and sacred sites throughout the Huichol homeland.

SCORPIONS - Used by shamans to repel evil and bad luck. They are both esteemed and feared. A deadly species of scorpion inhabit Huichol land and cause numerous fatalities every year. However, the Huichols believe that the scorpion spirit is a powerful ally that protects them as well.

SALAMANDERS - Agents of the rain mother, salamanders are connected with the water and rain, stirring up clouds and making rain fall.

JAGUAR - Messengers of the god of fire, Tatewari, they are guardians of the sacred vows taken by shamans during their years of initiation. Called Mayetse, they are given the power to devour the spirits of those who fail.

EAGLES - Believed to be the embodiment of a goddess known as Mother Eagle, Mother of the Sky and Queen of Heavens. Huichols admire Werika, the eagle as the most magnificent among all birds.

CANDLES - Represent the illumination of the human spirit, Catira, candles hold the sacred gift from the sun and fire gods. Along with flowers and ribbons, attached candles serve as offerings and payment to the deities who have granted special wishes to a Huichol.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF COLORS:

WHITE - Cloud Spirits.

RED - The East, fire, masculinity.

BLUE - The South, Pacific Ocean, water, rain, femininity.

GREEN - The Earth, the Heavens, healing, the heart, grandfather, growth.

YELLOW - A special root from Wirikuta used for face paint in ceremonies.

ORANGE - "Wirikuta", the sacred land where the Huichol believe life began and also where they gather peyote.

[h2llish]

i'm bored and so i'm gonna assign twst characters plants through their meanings :) heartslabyul and savanaclaw!

riddle rosehearts -> i actually couldn't decide so he gets two. one, is roses (shocking i know /s) but it's specifically green roses. green roses mean growth, hope, and new beginnings and i think that's fitting for riddle since he's trying to start anew after his overblot and relearning what's right from everything his mother taught him as a child. the second is aloe, which gained the meaning of grief in victorian times. they were often given to children who lost their parents. i think riddle is grieving quietly for the childhood he never had while trying to unlearn what his mother taught him.

ace trappola -> this loser (/aff). i assign him arborvitae, it's a type of tree. it symbolizes strength and (ever)lasting friendship. because no one call me tell he's not a loyal friend. how quickly he was to defend yuu when riddle insulted their parents. i know he can be a little shit, but he seems to be a good friend, and that's why i assigned him arborvitae.

deuce spade -> deuce! my son <3 two for him as well. edelweiss, because it means strength and courage. they were often used as a badge for those who faced large mountains. and then rosemary, because it means remembrance. i chose rosemary because i think that when the prefect finally goes home, he'll grieve the hardest, and he'd do everything he can to not get sad and try to remember the good times they shared. (he often forgets that the prefect isn't from twisted wonderland, which means he's very used to their presence, so them leaving would hit him hard.)

trey clover -> geranium (no specific color)! happiness and friendship, for the relationship he not only shares with riddle and che'nya, but also a lot of the characters. although he sees himself as bland, a lot of people seem quite fond of his character (rook for example).

cater diamond -> lilies have a few meanings, especially of color. for cater, i assign the yellow lily for the meaning of lies. he's obviously got insecurities hidden under the surface. he has a picture of himself he puts on for everyone to see. for example, he doesn't like sweets, to which ace, and deuce were quite surprised to learn that "someone like cater" isn't fond of anything sweet. cater puts up a lie, a mask, which is why i think yellow lilies fit him well.

leona kingscholar -> leona! i assign leona marigolds for their meanings of jealousy and to succeed. he's a jealous person, and he strives to be number one when it comes to his birth as second born, and second to malleus at nrc. hence, marigolds.

ruggie bucchi -> nehehe. for my favorite beastman, sunflowers! sunflowers, in chinese culture, mean good luck and happiness, and i think ruggie deserves both. they also mean long life and seeking strength. while ruggie knows he's not as strong as his peers, he seeks to survive and make it into another year, which requires strength.

jack howl -> i know he likes cacti but that's not the plant i'd assign him, rather, it's the peony. in japan, peonies mean bravery and honor. jack is brave, he stood up and worked alongside others during leona's and azul's overblots. he also obviously has honor; he's determined and not really afraid to speak his mind, especially when he spoke to leona about his admiration for the lion, and towards ruggie as well.

alright that's it. maybe i'll do the other dorms idk.

[thoughtspresso]

Predictions for Oshi No Ko Ending

1. Anemone will be the one to find Katayose Yura's dead body.

In Japanese flower symbolism, Anemones or Windflowers represent death, bad luck, and forsaken love. And it just so happens we have a character named exactly that, who happens to be the only other character apart from Katayose Yura who loves being in the mountains.

Anemone will likely be climbing the same mountains on Yura's wishlist, and just like before, The Crow might lead Anemone to the dead body.

It's like Akasaka-sensei decided Spider Lilies are already too obvious a deathflag so he chose a different flower.

I'm taking the bet that Akane might be the person who figures out the connection between Yura and Kamiki, or Miki-san might simply show up on the news as a statement about his "dear friend Yura" who "disappeared".

Akane might also give the head's up to Aqua that she thinks Kamiki murdered Yura, and that would be a reason for the two to spend more time with each other again. (Might shove a wedge between Kana and Aqua again, if Aqua isn't already doing that himself lmao.) Either way, it'd be a convenient way for Akane to attempt to both "save" Aqua and also help him accomplish his goals without killing himself.

2. The person who texted Frill Shiranui is Miki-san.

Sylvanes made a fairly solid guess that Frill Shiranui works for Kamiki Productions. Whether or not he was necessarily correct on this, I'm making the bet that Yura's "best drinking buddy" Miki-san is connected to Frill professionally, and goaded Frill into pushing Ruby into the spotlight.

Some speculators say this might have been Aqua's ploy, but I I think this was incorrect. Aqua agreed with Kaburagi that money comes first and Frill was a more reasonable choice commercially. He even said that Gotanda should "grow up" and not choose Ruby just because of his artistic integrity.

Apart from the friendly, casual tone of the text message that really sounds like the "Miki-san" persona and the image of decanted whiskey as his profile picture, I think Kamiki is actually praying for Ruby's success as a star.

In fact, I think people misunderstood why he killed Katayose Yura. He didn't kill Yura because his serial killer MO was simply because he liked killing up and coming megastars who shone brightly. He killed Yura because:

(a) He hates Stars who lie, who sell a persona to their fans that is vastly different from who they are as people, which is why he hated Himekawa Airi and Hoshino Ai.

(b) He killed Yura because he knew that the project being offered to her was the lead role in The 15-Year Lie. And simply, he wanted Ruby to play Ai's role.

In a twisted way, I think Kamiki believes he is protecting his children, and the public in general, from being lied to any further by celebrities like Yura who deceive the public with their feigned innocence.

Honestly? I think the reason he killed their mothers was to protect them from growing up with mothers who lie and abuse their kids.

3. Kana might play Hoshino Ai in The 15-Year Lie.

Okay, okay, okay, okay. I know. I know. Unhinged fan theory. I get it.

Even AquaKana stans think this is majorly unlikely to happen. I agree in that, I think it's insane. But I keep coming back to what Aqua meant when he said that, "Kana is so easy to manipulate", and "It's more convenient for me to build a good relationship with Arima right now."

People tend to say, he's making silly convoluted excuses again, he just wants to spend more time with her. But I think a man who is resolute in his goal to off himself by proxy of martyrdom doesn't care to date the person he was protecting from a love scandal anyway.

There are a few key reasons why I think Aqua's "using" of Kana will result in her playing Ai's role.

First of all, I think Aqua's plan is to play Kamiki, to portray him in the worst possible way, and expose him as the murderer through the film. Through this, Aqua will bait his father into murdering him too, and thus Aqua's death can be used as legal grounds for charging Hikaru Kamiki with Homicide.

As established above, I think Aqua doesn't agree that Ruby is the best choice for Ai's role. There are a lot of parallelisms baked in between Kana and Ai. Apart from the shot-by-shot remake of Sign is B, Kana is also the best person to get stabbed and deliver the lines, "Some day I hoped the lies would become true. / I did my best. I worked hard. I lied with all my heart. / To me, lies are love. In my own way, I thought I was showing my love."

Besides, you saw anyone else say these same things?

Uhuh, you guessed it:

So is Kana gonna get stabbed? Hopefully in a movie, yeah.

I think it could happen as a result of Kaburagi's dissatisfaction with Ruby's performance.

Kaburagi's "finalized" casting isn't final-final yet, really. We can see that he swapped Aqua to play Kamiki instead of Himekawa who will now play Ryosuke the university student/stalker here:

Which makes sense! Aqua looks like his father, is closer to his age during the time of the events, and Taiki's age and height also better matches Ryosuke.

And even though the paper says finalized on Ruby's casting, Kaburagi's still not completely sold:

I think the swap will come as a result of Ruby being severely overworked and unable to keep up with the demands of her role, and the Dome performance that she might want to prioritize. She may even outright collapse from exhaustion, as foreshadowed by Kana:

Apart from Akasaka-sensei absolutely trolling us to death by Ai x Kamiki on-screen romance being portrayed by twins, then just outright pulling the plug on that for fun, I think it'd just make sense for Kaburagi to say it's better if we pair Aqua with Kana for this role.

Ruby doesn't even have to collapse or anything. She's so loved up with the idea of Gorou-sensei right now, Aqua could literally just tell her "this is what's best for the plan, you trust me, don't you?" And she would absolutely just go with it.

I said before that I think up until Mem-cho pointed it out, Aqua was wholly unaware that Kana had a crush on him and joined B-Komachi just because of him. I think now that he has the awareness, he'll ask Kana to do it, first to help Ruby, but also because he can only trust Kana to play this role because she is "Special" to him.

A repeat of:

It really is the only way that this scene therefore makes sense to me:

Bonus: if the Shima D masterpiece film doesn't draw Kamiki's attention to her, Kana playing the role of Ai definitely will. And if she delivers the role with so much honesty, it might change the trajectory of the story altogether.

4. Aqua's plan will backfire.

I explained a little above and in a previous post that Aqua misunderstands Kamiki's motives.

While we all like to shit on Aqua for being the World's Nicest Master Manipulator, we have to give him credit for the fact that when it's used for saving other people, he's been really effective at spinning a public narrative in his favor. Like in the cases of Akane's suicide attempt and Kana's Love Scandal.

If the goal is to get Kamiki to stab him in plain view of the public, villify his father, and make it easy to convict him for homicide once and for all, I think he will fail.

Kamiki will not kill him or go after him. In fact, I think Kamiki will shed his Miki-san persona and reveal the truth: he was Himekawa Airi's rape victim, and Hoshino Ai was a manipulative person who seduced him with the prospect of true love, then abandoned him when she got what she wanted, which was a family.

In the absence of any evidence that he had anything to do with their deaths, Kamiki might even use this momentum of propaganda to make the public believe that he's happy to finally be reunited with his children that these terrible mothers took away from him.

Heck, Taiki might hate Uehara so much that he'd be relieved to learn about Kamiki? And if he really is connected to Frill, and if Kindaichi still cares about him, there might be real people who would back him up.

Then, it won't be until Akane works with Aqua and everyone to bring the murder of Katayose Yura to light that Kamiki would actually be brought to justice.

[pierdutaintimpsispatiu]

Dragobete

A romanian valentine's day.

The son of Baba Dochia (another folkloric being in our mythology), Dragobete is the patron of love and bringer of spring. His coming is awaited with flowers. His calling is to kiss the girls on this day, 24th of February, because the girl who isn't kissed shall remain single the whole year.

Dragobete, or Dragomir by his first name, is a young god, beautiful, a lover by nature, strong and charming, bringing joy in people's lives. Because no one knew who his father was, they assumed it was the Spirit of the Mountain.

When our loverboy was born, four ursitoare (fairies godmother) came to offer him the most generous of gifts. The first one, Spring, blessed him with love. Summer, the second one, gave him the sweetness of ripe fruits. The third one, Autumn, gave him a flute, to bring joy to those who hear him play, while Winter, the fourth fairy, offered him a white coat, adorned with diamonds and a red belt, sewn with pearls. The coat was designed to grow with the boy, never getting dirty, no matter how much he wore it. Because of these gifts, Dragobete managed to make every girl he wished, fall for him.

As he grew, he took the path of mountains, hearing the call of his parents, to learn all about plants and animals. Which is why, in the folk belief, Dragobete is also the protector of birds and herbs.

Another belief have him turned by his mother into a medicinal plant called Năvalnic. The plant is used in love spells and treating wounds.

to celebrate Dragobete, the girls go in forests and plains in search of the first flowers of spring and hang them on icons to be young and beautiful and keep away all jealousy and bad thoughts sent their way. dried flowers are thrown in a running water on Sânziene day, so all the evils will go away with them. if they found ripe berries, they'd take the flowers and make bouquetes that were put in their water, as they washed their hair while saying „Flori de fragă Din luna lui Faur La toată lumea să fiu dragă Urâciunile să le desparți”. (Berry flowers of the month of February, make it so that everyone likes me, cast away all ugly thoughts and wills from me)

the boys would pick ghiocei (snowdrops) and bring them home, because an old saying goes "as many flowers in your house, as many chickens in your farm"

those who are single on Dragobete, or don't manage to kiss, or the very least touch, a person of romantic interest, are doomed to another year without finding their soulmate.

those who have a partner and spent even a second with them on this day, will be together the whole year.

if you dream of your crush the night of Dragobete, speak to them and their heart shall open for you.

anyone who sees a pupăză (hoopoe) on this day, will be lucky all year long and if you see a pair of birds, you'll always be loved (birds are known to chose a mate this time of year).

early in the morning, young women would also search for remaining snow, melt it and wash their hair and face with it, to have clean skin and healthy hair.

another belief says that if you go on a date on Dragobete and don't kiss, you and that person will break up

as a boy you have to drink a special tea, made with sour cherry brenches to have a chance at love the year that's to come.

if men are mean or fight with women on this day, their spring will be filled with bad luck and they'll have an awful year

everyone should be happy on 24th of February, to honor Dragobete and convince him to bring them a lover

in some places, girls would put busuioc (basil) under their pillows to dream the face of their soulmate

in other parts, girls would run, chased by boys. if a girl was caught and she liked the boy, they'd kiss as everyone watched, which symbolized their wedding in the fall.

and some other places sent their girls – who haven't eaten or washed that morning – to pick popelnic (a type of wood) and wash their hair with it, leaving behind as an offering to the god, bread with salt and eggs. in the meantime, the guys dance in horă (a type of dance where people hold each other in a circle and, well, dance) and pick ghiocei (snowdrop)

Dragobete is, as you might have noticed, quite a pretentious god. on top of it all, he doesn't like you killing or sacrificing animals on his day. nor does he want you to sow, wash anything, iron clothes or work the field. the only work he allows is a deep cleaning of the house

Happy Dragobete, love is in the air!

[blueepink07]

I've seen the collaboration with Milgram drinks and considering that they are specially personalised for each character I decided to find some symbolism in the drink's contents.

Because my last posts had been with Muu, I decided to begin with her. ~🐝

(mentions of suicide, murder! )

Translation: (It was done with some apps so I'm not very sure how good is this translation, but let's hope for the best!)

~Yuzumitsu syrup~🥤(I think it should've been yuzu and honey?)

~Lemon~🍋

~Whipped cream~🍨(the second one looks a little bit like in the photo)

~Honey~🍯

Now let's start!

~Yuzu fruit~

"Yuzu is a citrus fruit that is native to East Asia, specifically China and Japan. It is a cross between a mandarin orange and a pomelo, and is known for its unique flavor and aroma. The fruit is typically small and round, with a thin, bumpy skin that is bright yellow when ripe."

-> "Yuzu has been an important part of East Asian culture for many centuries. In Japan, the fruit has been associated with the aristocracy and the imperial court, and was often presented as a gift to the emperor."

To sum it up, Yuzu is a symbol of wealth and luxury.

This easily links to Muu as she admits that she comes from a rich family and she is often provided with everything she needs in the interrogation questions, but also in voice dramas. Even her second MV in where she is portraited as the queen bee is a good example of her higher status. Funnily enough, to fit the bee theme she is given honey in shape of larvae, which has another similarity with the description below where the emperors received Yuzu as a gift.

->"In Chinese art, yuzu has been depicted in traditional Chinese paintings, particularly those related to nature. Yuzu is depicted as a symbol of longevity and auspiciousness(promising success) ."

Again, because of Muu's higher status, she was meant to have a very successful life, if her murder never happened. She admits having received many model scouting offers due to her natural beauty and her mother's career. Also, a lot of money means that she can pay for her medical needs so, if not for some accidents or some sort, she would probably have lived a long life.

->"People heralded yuzu as a powerful fruit for more than its medicinal properties and its ability to leave your skin silky smooth after a soak. It was also regarded as auspicious due to its bright, sunny color and strong, fresh fragrance. Many believed soaking in a yuzu bath on the Winter Solstice invited health and fortune for the new year. Some even believed the powerful aroma could ward off bad luck and exorcise evil spirits!"

Okay, here a many things that I want to cover up, so I'll make it short.

Medical properties and smooth silky skin can again link to Muu being very healthy and very beautiful. But what I want to point out is the yuzu bath, which is said to ward off bad luck and exorcise evil spirits. Muu often says in her first VD that Rei was a bad person and was the actual cause of her misfortune. This fruit could be a metaphor of her crime, because Muu by murdering Rei (in her pov)she got rid of the source of her bad luck and suffering.

Even the Winter Solstice itself points this out. By the standard definition winter Solstice is marked as "the symbol of death and rebirth of the Sun". Muu is often portraited in yellow colours, so by thinking of her as the sun we can interpret this way: Muu's old bullied self died as soon as she killed Rei and was rebirthed as a more confident person freed of pain.

If Muu were a fruit, I would say that Yuzu will definitely be a perfect choice, so no wonder Milgram chose this fruit for her drink.

~Lemon~

->"The lemon has come to symbolize many — sometimes opposing — ideas, depending on the cultural reference point. Sometimes it is considered a symbol of longevity, purification, love, and friendship, and other times it is seen to be symbolic of bitterness and disappointment. Catholic tradition linked the fruit to fidelity. Because it was imported at great expense to some countries it became a symbol of wealth."

I will not explain again the longevity, purification and wealth part as it will be just me repeating myself. Instead, I will talk about friendship which is an important theme to Muu's character.

I will begin with Muu's views about it, because I think it will be a better introduction.

"Friends aren't like that you know. Rather than using each other for something, we just get along because we're comfortable around each other. That's all."

Muu thinks that friendship means to be yourself without the fear of being judged. To talk happy about silly topics, to express yourself in a comfortable atmosphere, to get along with people that understand you. At the surface, Muu's idea of friendship it's the standard definition. However, if we dig just a little bit, we easily see that Muu doesn't truly respect her ideals or rather she is using this definition to the extreme. When confronted by Es about Haruka's intention to keep her safe, Muu admits that she already knows about it. She is happy, because Haruka wants to protect her from a possible guilty verdict. After that, she explains that she will not stop him from killing himself if that's what he wishes, because according to her "Isn't friendship about letting your friends do the things they want?". Again, just by definition, it is a correct affirmation. Friendship means to help your peers achieving what they want and supporting them on their journey. But Muu takes this definition to the extreme. Friendship doesn't always imply that you should let the person you care about to do whatever they want. This is just negligence. Sometimes they need a reality check or words to convince them that what they want to do at the moment it's not the best choice and should find another solution or simply to abandon that idea.

Muu then ends her friendship talk with an interesting sentence. "Then what is friendship? You're together because it's beneficial for everyone involved, aren't you?"

By theory, what she says is true. Friendship is needed in humans life, because we can't properly live without other persons to interact with. Even if we talk about a connection that it was made simply because you share a class with and you don't want to be lonely or a relationship that actually lasts for a lifetime, they are important for our development.

In Muu's case both her and Haruka are benefiting from their friendship, not only as a way to pass time and keep sane in a magical prison, but also for their own desires. For example, Muu thinks that the most important thing that a friend should do is to listen to what she has to say, something that Haruka is actively seen doing.

(from the interrogation questions)

What's a friend in your opinion?

"People who listen carefully to what Muu has to say."

So Muu seeks people that listen to her and with whom she's comfortable in a friendship. In the second MV the scene where the "bees" are around her could be a metaphor for her wanting to be listened(after all, what a queen says never gets unnoticed), but also in this specific scene she looks the most comfortable around her friend group.

Okay, but what her friends are benefiting from this relationship? Considering how easily they betrayed her trust means that it was never a very deep connection to begin with. That's because what they gained were objects, expensive things. Muu's love language and appreciation is giving things to others. Being rich means that she can afford many items so for her it's not a big struggle. In after pain the text from her phone suggests that she gave her lipstick to one of her friends.

Also, to who she gave something to as a sign of friendship? To Haruka! The hairpin.

Her friendship at school was most likely superficial, based more on materialism, and was never a deep connection like Muu wanted. Despite that her views of friendship seem like the standard definition, because they were taken to the extreme, she didn't realized until too late that her friends were superficial and didn't care much about her.

And even after all this she still wants to see her friends again, meaning that Muu still cares somewhat about them.

"At the moment is there anyone you want to meet?"

"I want to meet my friends, but in the first place there's daddy and mom I think~"

At the same time though, she is disappointed with how everything turned out to play and how easy her friends started to bully her.

"Do you regret it?"

"Mhm, I should've chosen my friends better."

What did lemons symbolise again? Disappointment, bitterness and fidelity. What Muu feels now about her past friendship and the loyalty that she never had truly gotten, but wants to.

Lemon is a fruit that represents very well Muu's desires and it's sad that such a simple wish (friendship) was too hard to be granted.

~Whipped cream~🍨

I will not talk much about this, since there is not much to say.

Whipped cream is used a lot in desserts, sugary things. Usually, it symbolises a carefree attitude and a joyous mood. This could make a reference to Muu's actual state of mind in Milgram, her being one of the only prisoner who is still fine, both mentally and physically.

~Honey~🍯

"Honey symbolises positive things, such as abundance, wisdom, and even the word of God."

I think it is no wonder that honey is an important part in Muu's character considering the second MV.

Her second MV adds information about Muu's murder and uncovers us the revelation that she was once part of the bullying group. So based on the symbolism, we can say that honey represents truth.

But what does honey represents in her MV? Muu associates it with devotion in the lyrics, which makes sense considering the visuals. The first bee scene that we have is Muu being surrounded by other classmates. Almost all of them have a plate with honey waiting for her to delight with the food. Just one of the bees has an empty plate that doesn't get unnoticed by Muu, who with just a slight push, breaks her into pieces.

And not just the visuals and the lyrics are showing that honey means devotion and loyalty.

"She will stop from time to time in the hive, to be groomed and fed by the worker bees called her 'attendants.' They form a circle around her, and will also spread her pheromone through the hive. This queen pheromone tells the bees that she is alive and well."

The scenes from the MV are mimicking the bees in real life. Her friends, the worker bees, by giving her honey, are showing how much they value their friendship. So it's only naturally that the girl who doesn't give her honey (in Muu's point of view) it's like she's wishing for her downfall.

Another thing... (feel free to ignore, because it's just me being annoyed at the bullies) Honey symbolises sweetness in life. I can't shake the feeling that by giving Muu this sweet honey, they are flattering her so they can receive more expensive things. Even the text on the phone seems like the friends are complimenting her too much?

Anyway, back to the analysis!

Also I want to point out the shape of the honey, which are bee larvae. Normally, the queen bee is the one that makes them to assure that the colony is prosperous. Instead, Muu eats them, indicating how her friends circle is slowly diminishing and, in the world of bees, the colony is slowly wiped out.

It doesn't help that Muu's actively destroying the colony by breaking the worker bees into pieces. If Muu and her friend group believe that the respective classmate is treating them badly or "betraying from jealousy", they are cutting ties with that person removing them from the friend circle and target them as the new victim of bullying. A good example is the short haired girl from the thumbnail, which resembles a lot the first bee with the empty plate.

Basically, Muu believes that if a classmate is treating her badly she is being bullied by them, so her deciding to bully them back is a sign of revenge. Her voice drama also implies this assumption.

"You see, if you think that me bullying someone back after being bullied is the natural course of events, then wouldn't it be bad to bully me back again in return?"

To sum it up:

classmate (doesn't value the friendship/does something that Muu and the friend group dislikes) is a bully in their Pov -> they bully back as an act of revenge

Rei is interfering(wants to stop the bullying)-> Muu is the new victim of bullying and is betrayed by her closest friends

Muu thinks the only way to escape is by killing herself -> ends up killing Rei (revenge)

Muu implies that by giving her a guilty verdict we basically are telling her that it was wrong for her to seek revenge. However, it also means that Rei was wrong to instigate the bullying, again, as an act of revenge.

"But if you were like, "I won't forgive you, Muu! Revenge is bad!," then wouldn't that imply that it's also bad for me to bully someone back after they bullied me? Since we've all done something bad anyway, doesn't that mean that I've not done anything wrong in the end?"

And she ends her argument with the fact that she and her victim are even, meaning that she didn't do anything wrong.

Now that we have the bullying part cleared up, let's end this with the last scene from the MV were honey appears.

Throughout the MV, we see that the queen cell above Muu is glowing when she is eating honey. That is the place were all the honey is deposited and is spilled out when the fully developed Muu with wings escapes.

In the first MV the hourglass was used to represent how much Muu could endure the pain until she would've suffocated(literally). That queen cell could symbolise the same thing. When Muu escapes, the honey that was once a sign of friendship and loyalty was now suffocating her due to the fakeness and the betrayal of her friends. She is no longer looking at the spilled honey, and is happy that she can finally break free since there is nothing left in the broken hourglass(not even her three closest friends).

Honey is a good representation of trust and devotion. It showed the truth of the situation, how too much sweetness in one's life could cause someone to "suffocate" in the lies hidden in it (in this case, the false friendship that Muu believed she had).

Thank you for reading! ~🐝

Credits

[elijahhendley]

8月1號 Day 21: Dragons & Tigers & Trains, OH MY!

Today I woke up around 9 and went to breakfast. I think breakfast has just been downhill since they stopped serving xiao long bao after the first day. Anyways, after breakfast we took the party bus(shoutout Terry) to our first stop of the day, the Lotus pond and surrounding temples. 2500 years ago the emperor of china chose confusionism over Taoism because it shows relations between people, while Taoism focuses on relation between nature and people. When we arrived, one of the temples was actually under construction/renovation. It was interesting to see — reminded us of Gainesville construction. There were different statues and depictions of animals and people. There were dragons, tigers and turtles. I did not see too many Lotus flowers because Yeh Laoshi told me that they usually bloom in June so we are a month late. As we were walking, people started to unhook Andy’s clog keychain from his bag so I joined in and started to switch people’s keychains. It was funny because I moved Austin’s keychain onto Jasmine's bag without him or her noticing, and he was trying to get it back with her noticing. Fun little game. Then we went back to the bus to get lunch. We had a group lunch today and we went to another all you can eat Mongolian hotpot place. It was really good. I had 3 bowls and decided that pork is the best type of meat they have here in Taiwan. It is so good in everything. Peter paid for us all and also, he told us since our last hotel was really bad we get to have another free lunch in the future at another buffet maybe. Lastly we took a pretty long drive to an old train station. It was really small and there was not much to do but we made it fun. I rode on a battery powered toy train. We took pictures in the conductor uniforms, held signs, and bought banana plushies that ironically say made in China. That was our last stop and then we headed back to the bus for our hour-long drive back to the hotel. I stayed their for the rest of the night, ate ramen and pastries, did this blog post and went to bed.

Academic Reflection

Today I want to reflect on the temples that we went to. The temples are always so detailed and amazing to look at, but why are they designed the way they are? So normally you would enter into a dragons mouth/throat when you enter a temple and leave through a tigers mouth. This is supposed to symbolize turning bad luck into good fortune. The dragon represent Yang and the tiger represent Yin. I don't truly understand the concept because the Dragon represent Yang, which is light, power, and action. While the Tiger represents darkness, stillness, and negative forces. So I would think you would enter through the Yin side and exit through the Yang side, the light side for goodluck. But, maybe i need to do more research in this aspect.

Also, other interesting things observed in the temples were the stories they told. There are 24 stories called the 24 filial exemplars in confucionism. Peter told us a couple of stories, one being how a son let mosquitoes feed on his blood in hopes they wouldn't bother his parents because they were too poor to afford mosquito nets. Another about a son eating his fathers feces in order to see if he was sick. And on last one about a woman's mother-in-law loosing all her teeth, so the woman breastfed her mother-in-law to keep her nourished for multiple years. All of the stories have the common theme of children sacrificing for their parents. I find it interesting because even peter told us it seemed like China chose confucious ideas so that children will serve their parents more diligently. Super interesting to read and study about.

Unil next time, 再見！

[brindlestorm]

Basil Underbough (pre-campaign)

Just some stuff about halflings before I get into this,

Modern Halflings- Live in cities and towns, typically retired adventurers or their children who were born there. Traditional (Standard) Halflings- Live in commonwealths and travel roughly every ten-fifteen years to a new village. The paths and locations are typically the same and do not change unless something has happened to a village, but most commonwealths will choose to rebuild rather than abandon them. (Mistakenly often referred to as Traditional Halflings, even by themselves) Traditional (Nomadic) Halflings- These commonwealths are small and quickly dying out as members settle down with commonwealths that don't move as frequently. These nomadic tribes of Halflings are of the original line trying to keep their customs alive.

When a halfling comes of age (20), they can choose between an apprenticeship within the commonwealth or going on a world walk for ten years. This World Walk is one of the last nods Typical Halflings have to their nomadic roots. The Itch (An Original Idea) Most commonly, the Itch is a way of saying that a halfling is becoming impatient for their 20th birthday, most often seen in younger ones when their older sibling has left for a world walk. Those that eventually gave in to the itch (Traditional (Standard) are driven most commonly by love curiously enough, the ones who are simply impatient can typically be placated until they're old enough to leave according to tradition. Its also a genetic phenomena that pushes Traditional (Nomadic) Halflings to keep moving from place to place. Not out of fear, but a genuine need to keep exploring. Those who have even a trace of (Nomadic) ancestry within say eight generations will be more susceptible to the Itch as seen above, they are the ones to be driven by love, by which I mean that their love is the final thing that pushes them out the door. The more recent in your family history the (Nomadic) ancestry is, the harder it becomes to ignore the Itch, and so you may not need love as a driving force, curiosity will be enough

The story of Basil is one of a young girl who thought she was ready for the world when she really and truly, was not.

Basil was special, she chose her name when most toddler-aged halflings had no say in the matter. She of course knew that she was simply named after a few herbs her little hands had snatched from her mother's garden and it was merely symbolic, but it was a nice thought. Perhaps if her mother had considered the meaning of those plants her family may have been more prepared for what would come, but Nora Underbough was religious, not superstitous.

Basil itself often symbolizes luck and holiness, as does clover, putting the two together may imply that Basil would grow up to be lucky, perhaps serving in a church or some position of power within their commonwealth. The third plant that went unnoticed was a small shoot of a snapdragon plant, an oddity given that it wasn't from Nora's garden or grew anywhere near their village. Snapdragons can represent grace and inner strength after growing up in a harsh environment or mean deceit and deviousness. Basil of course has no memory of this, being that she was only two and her parents discarded the flower upon finding it. A shame, because that plant would represnt her future as accurately as the other two. She grew up happy and healthy, squabbling with her older brother as all children do. She bonded with the village elder and took on feeding the old woman's flock of ravens when the woman died when she was only nine. One in particular imprinted on her and she named him Chervil, her father Marvon hated the bird and often found himself the victim to the raven's pranks. When she was twelve her commonwealth journeyed to their next village, and this would be the turning point of her life. Her brother (Bardal) and his best friend (Joorin), being seventeen and eighteen, were allowed to join the adults surveying the village before the rest of the commonwealth. Joorin was attacked by a lingering goblin and was carried back to the commonwealth by a panicked Bardal. The adults, being the parents of the two boys (The Underboughs and the Grasshills) had not returned with them, so the head (being both leader and healer) of the commonwealth had to make a tough call and declare that Joorin would most likely die and finding the survey group was their top priority. Basil could not stand by and watch Joorin die so she took matters into her own hands. She mixed a salve with the help of her friend's mother and hand stitched Joorin's wounds, then she prayed. All halflings pray to and worship Yondalla, their creator, to be a cleric in her name was an honor that not many halflings got. Basil did not pray to Yondalla for guidance and assistance in healing Joorin. Because you see, little Basil had started to hear a voice in her head when she was nine. The voice never spoke, she only laughed when Basil found herself in a humerous predicament. Tonight however, when she prayed to the voice, she replied. Basil spent a full 72 hours with Joorin to ensure his recovery, and his parents refused to allow Father Fenrik near their son after finding out he was ready to neglect Joorin in favor of them and the Underboughs (Nora and Marvon). From that point on, after determining that the voice Basil heard was Tymora, Lady Luck, she began an unofficial apprentiship under Father Fenrik and was on track to potentially become the next leader of their commonwealth, as there was no one else capable of taking on the role. (Someone would have needed to have begun the training between their 20-30's in order to have had enough experience to take over. Think of it like our own society, not enough people have taken an interest in politics and now everyone in power is getting old and the representation isn't equal anymore.)

Bardal would end up leaving at nineteen and three months, after almost losing his best friend when they first came to this new village, he didn't trust his friend to not die while on his World Walk. The whole commonwealth knew the boys to be as thick as thieves, and considering it was a well-kept secret from her husband, everyone also knew that Nora herself had left for her walk early as well, at eight-teen just a few months after Marvon left. That is to say, no one was surprised. Basil would confide in her mother not long after Bardal left that she was feeling unnaturally anxious and energetic. Nora told her daughter that she experienced something similar around her age and recommended that she take up dancing to get the energy out. And it worked well enough, for a year.

Not long after Basil's fourteenth birthday the village held a 3-day fair and a Man came to visit, he was a professor at a university a few days travel away and happened to be passing through. His focus was on culture and while there were plenty of books on Gnome and Dwarven traditions, there was next to nothing on Halflings. Basil found herself agreeing to the professor's sincere offer to take her with him to help teach a course on Halflings. After that conversation she felt the Itch in a way she never had before and found herself running and dancing for what felt like forever, with no relief. It wasn't until she had packed her bag with clothes, food, and a few other necessities that the Itch went away. Then, Tymora spoke to her again and encouraged her to take this opportunity. When Basil asked her mother if she should listen to the deity (without telling her what she said), Nora tells her that she absolutely should. And so she left, Basil left a note with Chervil and met the professor at his carriage, they left for the University of Diport.

In Diport, Basil found herself feeling very lost and overwhelmed. Back home, everything was shared and returned in a timely manner, but if she so much as looked at an apple for too long while at the market she would be accused of stealing. The churches demanded collections from everyone, rich and poor (another concept Basil would have to learn, aside from money tucked away to buy the goods and services of their neighbors after a harsh winter, halflings didn't use money among themselves), and those less fortunate received no help at all from the churches. Another major issue that the professor did not consider was how much halflings ate, Professor Kalrisk thought it was an exaggeration but soon found himself spending even more money just to make sure Basil was able to eat half as much. Two years of this would go by and Kalrisk, upon speaking with his wife and them seeing no other option, sent Basil away at sixteen, not realizing she was still considered a child by halfling culture (Professor didn't pay attention in class, lol). Now a starving halfling on the streets, Basil had no choice but to give in to the stereotypes and started stealing and gambling. She felt the Itch again but wouldn't give in as she never had enough money to get enough supplies and rations to journey outside the small port town. Soon she would meet, and be saved, by a man named Krogan who decided to take her under his wing. He didn't promise that she could eat her fill if she stayed with him, but he did promise a roof over her head and to try every day to get her something she could eat. Having adapted to eating less while with the Kalrisk's, she would soon adapt to this as well. An important thing Basil came to realize was that Krogan treated her differently from his allies. They weren't his friends, they didn't seem to particularly like each other but there was a level of trust. Most of the people Krogan had previously "taken under his wing" had been tossed out within a few months and expected to be one of his informants around the town, Basil was going on two years and had been gifted two daggers from him before the first year had ended.

Around her nineteenth birthday, she spoke to Tymora in a dream, who told her that her soul was being poisoned by a dark soul and that she must leave before Basil's own soul becomes so tainted that Tymora wouldn't be able to maintain their connection. Basil elected to not leave Diport, she still didn't have quite enough, Krogan would remind her that winter would be upon them soon, where would she even go? The next three years would feel cold and empty, having been used to the warmth in her heart when she still had that connection. She grew reckless, arguing with Krogan and getting thrown out, sometimes literally (Basil would discover from these incidents that she may in fact be an adrenaline junkie). One night a bard came to one of the seedier taverns and started badly playing a strange instrument, and interesting thing about Krogan was that his dream was always to be a bard himself, though his talents in all things art were atrocious. This gave Basil an idea. First she convinced Krogan that he had gotten better, good enough to challenge this loser to a bard's duel. After getting the young half-elf (Parrot) to accept the challenge, she then started taking bets from all the patrons. Because pretty much everyone here either worked for or were afraid of Krogan, they put their money on him. Basil was the only one willing to bet on Parrot.

After he was fully humiliated, Krogan stormed home and was enraged later that night when Basil tried to give him his half of the pot. She of course was proud of herself, Krogan had never trusted her enough to pull off a scheme on her own and she got the whole tavern to fall for one! And really, most of them worked for Krogan so all she did was give him his money back. Krogan of course did not take kindly to this, and for the first time since her monthly routine of falling from windows had started, she was severely injured, having broken two ribs and her leg. Luckily for her, an assimar cleric was out traveling, helping adventurers and towns along his journey. Father Nicos happened upon Basil and saved her, as that same day a guard had draped a white sheet over her while she was sleeping, implying that she was dead and would need to be removed and buried, likely in an unmarked grave somewhere outside of town. Basil had at this point been hardened and turned against religion almost entirely after several horrible experiences in the churches of Diport, even when she wasn't considered an urchin. She was at first uncooperative with Father Nicos, but eventually opened up about her own spiritual callings, but she never shared her name with the man. When she was healed and he was ready to leave, they gave each other advice that they both swore to follow. Basil would try her best to reach out to her deity and do something in town to help it change for the better. Father Nicos was instructed to make sure that those living in the slums were always helped in anyway his church could, and to ensure that his home would never sink to the level that Diport had gotten to, and become so callous as to allow racists and prejudice people to deny the less fortunate the help they deserved. Now 20 and not currently living under Krogan's influence, Basil found an abandoned building that she was able to turn into a shelter/hospice for those who couldn't afford the rates of clerics or potions. Occasionally she did have to steal supplies from the local apothecary, but she made up for it by leaving whatever coins she could spare on the counter. Soon she was caught, but the doctor decided to employ her instead to work off the debt, and a benefit of working for him would be being allowed to take the scraps and almost expired elixirs for her hospice.

Krogan would find her a few months into this endeavor, the building turned out to be one of his safehouses for when the guards were getting too close to finding him. At first he was angry that she never came back, and that she was using his safehouse to help the sick and needy, but soon he calmed down and surprisingly even offered to help.

Barely even a week later and the apothecary is broken into, made clear by the mess and stolen items, but was locked back up afterwards, Basil's key left under the mat where the doctor would see it when he arrived the next morning. After being accused of abusing her access to the shop rather than just asking for the potions to be added to her debt, she was fired. Basil had nothing to do with the incident though, despite it being her key that was obviously used during the break in. Upon returning to the hospice, she found most of them dead. Krogan was distant, she assumed in shock of not being help when they all dropped like flies, he told her he had asked one of the children there to make some tea, the boy must have confused the herbs meant for tea with the poisonous ones Basil kept on hand when she was making her own tinctures. Basil's problem has always been that she's too trusting, too quick with her judgement and always assumed that people would be naturally inclined to help one another. To put it simply, she was as naive as the day she decided to leave her home. She had never had a reason to believe otherwise, other than despising the churches of Diport for their treatment of the poor. She had it good on the streets, or as good as one could given the poor conditions and lack of food. Everyone out there was willing to give her a hand, and her them. She gave what she could to the less fortunate, and many of her fellow urchins would pass her a small piece of their meals with a look of soft pity. No harm shall come to the Darling of Diport

There were so many moments when she should have realized that Krogan was bad news, and not just in the way she saw but turned a blind eye to. She wrote off every scathing remark, every scar from training and sparring, When the friend's she had made in the students of Professor Kalrisk turned against her, when Tymora told her to escape from the dark soul corrupting her own, the break in at the apothecary a week after Krogan found her hospice, the deaths of everyone in said hospice, so many things that should have tipped her off.

But she ignored them all, because at the end of the day, she was safest when she was with him.

How will you offered food if you leave? You can't possibly buy rations or supplies, look at how these people treat you. Just stay with me, you'll be safer here.

Unfortunately, it took the death of someone she considered a brother for her to realize just how far Krogan was willing to go to keep her under his control.

Not that he deserves defending, but this was the first time he did something that wasn't with the intent to keep her in line. They were on a heist and tripped an alarm spell, guards would have them cornered soon if they didn't do something. Krogan told Basil to kill the youngest guard that was closest to finding them, but she couldn't.

There was something about the shape of his jaw, and the eyes lightly obscured by his helmet, she swore she knew him and refused to hurt him. So Krogan did it for her.

He left Basil behind on that mission, she chose to try and help the man who just fell to the ground in pain, he was bleeding out quickly. Removing his helmet confirmed her suspicions, this was Rupert, Professor Kalrisk's son. He had moved out not long after Basil came along, having been accepted into the guard program that provided housing for new trainees. She couldn't save him, maybe she could have if she still had her connection with Tymora, saved him the same way she did Joorin, but that wasn't in her cards anymore. Rupert gave her an old looking letter that was slightly crumpled, like he had been carrying it in his pocket for years. He told her to run, to go home to his parents and read the letter, promising that no one would blame her for turning to a life of crime when she had no other options.

She listened, and ran. His blood staining her hands, letter, and clothes. The letter was from her parents back in the commonwealth, if she had to guess, the letter must have come around her 17th birthday. They were demanding that the Kalrisk's find Basil and bring her back home to them, as she was a child when the Kalrisk's sent her away and couldn't fend for herself (Yes, yes she could, but that wasn't really the point, they still saw her as the 14 year old who ran off).

She kept the letter to herself for a week, wondering what she could possibly do to get out of this situation. Now she understood, her involvement with Krogan got so many people hurt or killed, she couldn't stay a moment longer.

But she couldn't go home to her family either, for the same reasons stated above. She would always know what her actions (and inaction) had caused, she didn't deserve to go home.

It wasn't until a new noble showed up in town that Basil got an idea.

Now she was 21, she slipped a guard a note without their notice, detailing how she knew a way to catch Krogan and arrest him for all his crimes, they had enough on him, the issue was catching him.

The plan was simple, have the noble host a 'welcome ball', with the encouragement to bring children who would get to know his own in a separate area while the adults mingled. Krogan would naturally want to find a way in so that he could get as much dirt on the noble as possible, it never hurts to have a noble under your thumb. When Krogan was caught at the entrance with his stolen ticket, the two were carted off to separate rooms. Basil would be receiving a lump sum of money and an official pardon for her involvement with Krogan and any unrelated crimes. Krogan was taken to the jail house.

She should have left it at that, let him believe that somehow the law caught up to him and that she was being held elsewhere. But some part of her, likely the part that was twisted by him, needed Krogan to know exactly how they caught and why. Basil wanted to shove it in his face, that she wasn't weak, that he held no power over her anymore.

Basil wasn't known for making good decisions.

She visited him outside his cell, remaining silent as he desperately asked her where the key was, what her plan was to get him out. She barely said a word until it sunk in for him that she was the one to rat him out. Her final scheme, executed perfectly. He never saw it coming.

She saw something in his gaze change, harden, she also saw respect, why did that make her happy? She pushed those feelings aside, she had done it, she beat him at his own game. That's all that mattered to her in the end.

Taking her letter of pardon, she was able to use most of the money she had received to gather rations and supplies. The few coins she had left were spent on hitching a ride with the next carriage out of Diport. She was dropped off halfway to the next city and had to walk from there.

Two months later, she would arrive at the gates of Yita, ready to start a new life.

!!! IMPORTANT !!!

Do not be confused, their relationship for being a romantic one, it's not. Basil was never quite sure what it was that they had going on but it would later be revealed that Krogan saw her as a daughter. Krogan only ever did awful things when he was afraid he would lose her, otherwise he mostly treated her like she was his child. An eternal child, if you will.

So that's Basil, next post will be about the different arcs of the campaign

[screechthemighty]

Is this progress? Is this what actually working on things feels like? Is this a good omen for 2023? I can only hope so. Here's a God of War fic update (AO3 link in the reblog)!.

rose colored boy: part two

She’d been humiliated by a damned tree. That was the worst part. She’d been winning that fight, technically she’d still won, but it wasn’t the Travelers who had finally taken her down. She’d tripped. On tree roots. Faye wasn’t usually one for pride, but admitting that out loud when she came limping back to civilization was hard.

Walk as little as possible, they’d told her. Seven days of rest at least. It will be more if you push yourself. That was not the answer she’d been hoping for. Faye was tempted to push her luck, but she didn’t want to put herself out of commission for longer. Not when Odin still had minions that needed dealing with.

Hope they don’t get too comfortable over the next week. Or maybe they should get comfortable. Let them think she was gone for good. It’d get them off guard when she came back.

No, that’s not very convincing. Damn it.

Drawing in her bed didn’t hold her interest for long, so Faye tried to think of things she’d been meaning to do. The only thing that even remotely caught her attention was getting another tattoo. So she limped to the nearest person who could help with that.

It’s going to hurt.

I’m already in pain. It can’t get any worse.

Well, she was wrong about that one. But at least the pain behind her ear was distracting her from the pain in her ankle. Better the pain she chose than the embarrassing accident pain.

“Oh, Amund, you’re early,” noted the artist, Klara. Faye opened one eye. Her vision was a bit blurry, but that was certainly the tagelharpa player from before. “Someone got in before you.”

“It’s fine,” Amund said. “That looks…” He froze, seeming to finally recognize her. “Uh…I promise I’m not following you.”

Faye laughed, slightly strained. “Wouldn't I be following you in this instance?” she pointed out.

“Good point.”

“Oh, she’s the one?” interrupted Klara.

Amund’s shoulders hunched slightly, like he was trying to retreat back into his shell. “...yeah,” he said in a quiet squeak.

Faye would’ve looked at Klara, but that would’ve involved lifting her head. She didn’t want to risk ruining the tattoo. “Why, what have you been saying about me?”

“Just…the truth. That you helped us. That’s it, I swear.”

“Bit of gossip about your other exploits, too,” added Klara. “How’s it going with the Travelers?”

Well, that was a complicated question. “You know…they do a lot of yelling, All Father this, All Father that…” It was annoying, really. “Have there always been so many?”

“The cult’s grown a lot lately. Not sure what that bastard is promising them…”

“Easy answers,” Amund interrupted. He still looked embarrassed, but that didn’t stop him from speaking. “That’s…that’s the best way to get people to follow you, isn’t it? Say you have all the answers for everything that troubles them. Provide a convenient scapegoat as needed. There you go.” He sat down, wrapping his arms around himself. “We’re the scapegoat.”

He wasn’t wrong. Life could be difficult in Midgard. It was an untamed land in most places; at best, most people existed alongside it and hoped for the best. Odin tried to present himself as a symbol of order. If people only followed him, they could survive the harsh winters, the wild creatures, the draugr. If they only did something about that untamed element: the Giants, the one group he so far hadn’t been able to fully control.

“Well, best of luck to them. I can’t control the weather.” Klara sighed heavily. “Well, I’m sorry I brought it up. Anyone have anything better to talk about?”

Faye thought about it for a moment. “...how does one start tagelharpa?” she asked.

Amund perked up immediately. ���Oh, my mother taught me. It’s a family thing.” He pulled up his sleeve and held out his arm and exposed hand. Faye had to blink away some tears to read the words carefully inked there. Steady hand–common for archers and musicians, it seemed. Careful touch on his fingers. She could see some other words on his neck, near the ear. “She’s good. She was better than I am, before her hands started hurting too much. I actually started on kraviklyra, but I loved watching her play so much…” He had pulled his hands back into his lap. She watched his fingers move, as if he were playing the instrument in his mind. “...I couldn’t help asking her. I can probably still play kraviklyra, it’s just been a while.”

He was lucky to have that connection to her. Faye wondered if he really knew how lucky he was. So many of their kind had lost that.

That’s how they’ll really kill us. They’ll cut us off from everything.

But Faye had brought this up to avoid thinking about that, so instead she asked, “What’s your favorite song?”

That got Amund talking. He had a lot of favorite songs, and detailed explanations why. Faye didn’t mind. She liked hearing people talk about the things they cared about. It distracted her from the pain.

He has a nice voice, she thought. Then, Where did that thought come from?

“Okay, done,” Klara said. “I think that’s it.”

Faye sat up carefully, trying to shake off the light headed feeling that flooded her body. “Is that a hawk?” Amund asked. “It looks lovely.”

Faye nodded and examined the tattoo in the offered mirror. It had hurt, but it was perfect. “I love it,” she said eagerly. “Thank you.”

“Of course. Here, let me get cleaned up and then it’s your turn.”

Faye limped over to sit next to Amund. “What about you?” she asked. “What are you getting?”

“Cleaning up some old ones mostly. I tried to do them myself, and uh…” He smiled sheepishly. “Learned the hard way there’s a reason people train to do this.”

Faye couldn’t judge. Honestly, she was a little surprised that she hadn’t tried giving herself a tattoo by now. That seemed like something she would do. “Do you want some company?” she offered. “You did such a good job keeping my mind off things, least I can do is help you out.”

Amund looked taken aback, then pleased. “I wouldn’t mind that.”

Faye told him about her life back in Jötunheim, about the horses and the hunting, and even admitted to missing Guðrún a little.

She wouldn’t realize what the little smile on Klara’s face meant until later.

[aronarchy]

(finished THT S2E9 a few weeks ago but didn’t get to putting this out in text until now)

- throughout the 1st two seasons I was curious how they were going to play Fred—started with surface possibility of him adhering to the “bad but not in an Actually Evil Villain way,” i.e. able to be polite; it was shown to be just a façade later; I think a lot of viewers were also curious about his relationship w/Serena & how far misogyny stretched vs his previous relationship w/her pre-Gilead that seemed pretty good & respectful & fine, and how that played into the shifts that occurred during the coup, and how she maintained a presence behind the scenes in activism and planning and operations despite becoming a Wife, and to what degree Fred disagreed w/her being dismissed by the others. kind of confirmed a thought I’d had(?) to see that he was willing to be “traditionalist” w/her & assault her and not just Handmaids and not just endorsing other husbands’ assaults on their wives. lot of viewers seemed to feel really sorry for her after that, enough to move her from the “villain” category to the “pitiable/sympathetic/to be fought for” category. unsurprised that [iris’s abusive parent] had a similar reaction, and called Serena a good person after that (she always had a problem w/acknowledging Serena as Actually Abusive; cis nuclear family mothers abusing their dependents tend to find solidarity). also saw various articles going w/a similar framing of sympathy.

- but that’s the thing, isn’t it? (white, bourgeois) cis women are abused (by white, bourgeois cis men) and are victims—but they continue to choose their power over the further marginalized, over the forced laborers they own in their households, over their own liberation from their abusive patriarchs. Serena has physically assaulted as well as constantly verbally abused and controlled and psychologically tortured over the first two seasons (and after E8 she resumes). She gets a chance to leave to Hawai’i and she doesn’t—I doubt this was solely influenced by the coercive control/threat Fred exerted over her, much of her motive was that she wished to continue ruling over what she did have. We see that even more in E10 (viewed a few days ago)—she joins up w/Fred to rape June and that’s, symbolically + as the plot goes, how that contradiction that was (finally?) exposed or forced into the light in E8-9 was “resolved,” with the state of her and the house going back to as it was before: she will be close to him, plot with him, conspire together so long as it’s to abuse someone even more powerless. Serena has had much more leeway to run away throughout the entire story, and to succeed and not be caught. June tried running long before Serena started considering it when offered by the American(s).

- also it was just kind of sad to see how much better their lives were in E8 when Fred was out of the picture, and also how much less abusive Serena was to June (relatively speaking). good choice of portrayal. and a good way to understand how material conditions can lead the “good”/normal to commit atrocities, and the atrocious to behave less atrociously.

- I get why they chose for there to be a way out, going for the “inefficiency”/“working against themselves” angle (re the fertility issue, and the solution the American guy offered re their own scientists and researchers)—but it was also kind of disappointing, bc unless they were going to go full-out w/transhumanism I would’ve preferred if they just let it be. What if there wasn’t any way to resolve the small amounts of “available” fertility? What if the human race really was going to die out, and there really was no magical stroke of luck loophole found that could stop it? I would’ve liked to see the showrunners really having to contend with the fundamental value question, getting to the heart of the issue, having the guts to double down on yes we really do mean it there is no possible amount of productivity increase whatsoever that would justify coercion. (But this is a show for libfems, and for people who like happy endings and no hard dilemmas, so they have to keep it positive.)

- show makes many extremely good points and great analyses but it’s still hindered a lot by the areas where it hits a certain ceiling and doesn’t have the ability to break out of the box—mainly its erasure of racism, its erasure of transness/gender variance, and how it tiptoes around the issue of childism/child abuse (and ultimately this all feeds into its lack of endorsements of militancy, and ultimately how it falls back onto the “liberal democracy fundamentally good, just gets bad when disturbed”). obviously it’s very much not in a position to go for a family abolitionist stance, normie directors right now are all cowards, but it’s still galling to see the fundamental assumptions still endorsed, even when one of the bioparents is gay or whatever, or when the other options apart from the bereft mothers are (far worse) abusers. (a common objection would be “but they’re suffering so much from having their kids taken away so why would you hurt them even more by ok’ing kids leaving on purpose” but this is only bc the narrative still centers the adult perspective & adult struggle with patriarchal violence, not the child/youth’s, and youthlib is core and essential, not tangential or disruptive, to the overthrow of patriarchy.) (this is also linked to the show’s refusal to depict queerness more subversive than “goal of two cis adults legally married with happy kids”)

[stingslikeabee]

Daigo found her standing in the nursery, one of the girls clasped in her arms to enjoy a meal. The assassin studied his wife for a moment, expression truly awed at the sight of the witch at work ; she was the best mother he had ever known ― to all creatures she chose to care for. Their littlest imps were certainly captivated with her ( something Daigo could wholly sympathize with ).

He moved into the room after a moment and stepped behind her. Daigo wound his arms around Melissa, gently pulling her against his torso. His hands settled atop the swell of her stomach under the bundle in her grasp, stroking at it lovingly. Daigo leaned in to decorate the side of her neck with lingering kisses as he murmured her name softly. Oh, he loved her, more than he could ever express in this lifetime. It was lucky their spirits were so fiercely bound that they would remain together in Hell ( so Melissa insisted ) : it was going to take Daigo the rest of Time itself to tell the exquisite witch trapped in his embrace how much she meant to him.

"Eight," Daigo muttered into her pale skin, cupping her belly. "It's perfect, Melissa. ― and four spiderlings this close together. I must have died and entered the fires already ; no man can be allowed so many gifts from our hellish Princes and still draw breath." The assassin hummed delightedly, reveling in the feel of her after being parted for a short while. He had volunteered ( as with the last two months ) to put their other four children to bed while Melissa tended to the babies. It was easier for him to kneel beside baths and chase run - away devils at the moment.

"You're beautiful, Melissa," Daigo added. "Even Hecate herself couldn't compare." With a final press of his lips to her shoulder, the assassin parted from his wife. His dark gaze swept over the four cribs in the room before it returned to her. That they would all be occupied when their next son decided to make his appearance clearly excited him. "Now, tell me : how can I help you? What do these monsters need?" His use of the word was entirely affectionate, and Daigo smiled with fatherly pride at the infant attached to Melissa's breast.

unscripted asks . always accepting

Soteria had latched onto her breast hungrily, happy for the sustenance provided. It was something that Melissa had come to expect over the last few weeks - the triplets behaved as if one; their preferences were shared, their apparent favoritism for routine and the presence of their parents so very clear. From the first day where she started producing milk again, all three girls accepted it willingly - the witch truly hoped it would assist them in feeling welcomed and cared for in that household.

Although the idea of having one’s offspring in the graveyard was adorable - Melissa herself had the twins exactly that way, with no one but Daigo for assistance and it had been one of the most magical, memorable nights of her life - the way these three had been left behind was hardly ideal. Now, the witch couldn’t exactly tell why the original mother (and father) believed them to be threats to mankind - these were lovely and affectionate babies; with each passing day, they seemed to be growing more and more like their foster caretakers and Melissa chalked it to some blessing from Hecate - she was sure it was the goddess who had sent the two Addamses on the right way to find the babies.

When Daigo entered the room, she spared a loving smile for the assassin and moved into his embrace easily enough. A pleased sigh followed when he moved to caress her stomach, the witch’s body once more preparing itself for the arrival of a new child. As her husband mentioned the number ‘eight’, Melissa’s painted lips curved upwards; such an ideal one. For many, it symbolized eternity - but for the witch, it was such a sweet allusion to her favorite eight-legged critters, the first babies she had nurtured since a child herself.

“I know, my sweet. I can scarcely believe our luck on some evenings, Daigo. Not one, but two sets of identical siblings born at a graveyard, too - our line shall continue to provide incredible witches for decades to come,” Melissa sighed with happiness, murmuring her approval of his featherlight kisses on her skin - in her arms, Soteria gurgled happily; it was almost as if she could taste her mother’s fulfillment.

At Daigo’s gallantry, her honey-colored eyes gazed at the assassin with fondness and a degree of desire - how could a man be so perfect such as he was? Melissa would be eternally grateful for her twin and Gomez to have found each as they did - who knew what would be of her (and the beautiful family she possessed) if not for Morticia’s link to the Addamses first? But motherhood called - and Daigo’s helpful inclination did work wonders to keep their babies well-fed, healthy and with their heads filled with nightmares during their sleep time.

“I’m almost done, my black scorpion. But if you could pick Enodie and Melinoe up so they can be closer to us? I’ve been feeding them in the same order every night, but it appears that they enjoy being able to sense their sisters close-by. If we hold the three of them between ourselves, I’m sure they should have a truly unpleasant sleep,” Melissa said with a nod, knowing it was quite the inexplicable impression - they were just babies, after all.

And yet - a mother always knew; a mother witch, doubly so.

[talonabraxas]

Huichol Yarn, Deer, Eagle Shaman & Sun Eagle Talon Abraxas

A GUIDE TO HUICHOL SYMBOLOGY SHAMANS - The spiritual leaders who are ambassadors to the gods, shamans preside over ceremonies, recite the divine passages, cure the sick, interpret dreams, etc. They are believed to have supernatural powers and insights in the metaphysical world that are considered out of reach for normal humans.

SPIRIT GUIDES - Intermediaries between human and spirit realms, the guide can take the shape of half-human, half-animal being. These figures appear in visions and dreams and remain with each shaman even after apprenticeship is over.

FIRE - Considered a very valuable gift from the gods, fire is called Tai. Tai is believed to enable the Huichol to have visions. The fire god, Tatewari, is always honored at Huichol ceremonies, and receives many offerings such as corn meal, sacred water and much of the art that they make.

HEALING WANDS - Called Muvieri, each shaman carries a wand in their medicine basket. They are made of pairs of eagle or hawk feathers attached to ceremonial arrows, and are used in rain making ceremonies and other divinations.

PATH OF LIFE - Wavy lines represent the "vine of life", which the Huichol Goddess of Life gives to every soul (plant, animal, human) at birth. This vine is the soul's spiritual connection to the breath of the goddess in the ethereal realm. When people chose to follow her "path of flowers", they receive her blessings: prosperity, abundance, creativity, health, and their hearts' desires.

WOLF PEOPLE - Believed to be the earliest ancestors, they spoke and lived like people. Tacutsi, the goddess of life, first taught them how to live well and overcome hunger and cold.

PRAYER ARROWS - Used to express gratitude or requests to the gods, called Urus, prayer arrows, like gourd bowls, are ceremonial objects through which the gods are believed to give their blessings. Special prayer arrows have crystals attached to them, representing the spirits of departed ancestors.

PEYOTE CACTI - Symbol for life, sustenance, health, success, good luck, and acquisition of shamanic powers, the peyote appears in practically all Huichol art and is considered a gift from the gods to the people to enlighten their lives and bring them into the mystical realm.

THE SUN - Brings light and illumination to the world. Tayaupa is father sun, master of the heavens, and his wife is the Eagle, mother of the sky and goddess of life. The Huichols believe all living things receive their power from the sun, and that He guarantees healthy crops and abundant food.

SNAKES - Instruct shamans to become healers. The rattle on the Rattlesnake is believed to be the tongue of the greatest shaman of all, which is the fire god. Snakes may also be associated with the rain goddess. The Mother Goddess of the Sea is pictured as a huge coiled serpent forming herself into a cyclical storm cloud from which rain falls. The Huichols believe that rain itself consists of millions of small snakes. They are valued for their work in the cornfields where they eat the rodents and pests harmful to the corn harvest.

DEER - The spirit guide Kauyumari, who leads the shamans on their visionary pathways and teaches them how to gain their special knowledge. One of the most commonly seen motifs, the deer, maxa, in Huichol, often appear in male and female pairs, symbolizing the unity between men and women on their spiritual journey. Legends about the deer abound in Huichol culture. The deer mother is the guardian spirit, the important animal in Huichol shamanism. She holds tobacco gourds and corn plant, both of utmost importance for Huichol survival. The Huichols believe that deer give their lives willingly to those who hunt them in a sacred manner. After a deer hunt, the hunters have to perform purifying rituals for many days to insure that the animals are properly thanked for giving their lives to the benefit of the people.

FLOWERS - Play a part in all Huichol ceremonies, and all flowers are considered sacred in healing rituals; the patient's head is anointed with flowers. Shamans use them to prepare for the deer hunt and during harvest ceremonies to adorn the new corn. One flower that appears often is called Kiera, the tree of the wind. It is a hallucinogenic plant said to open the Huichols spirits to the highest level of enlightenment.

BIRDS - Believed to be messengers to and from the gods, all birds are held in great regard. The shamans use tail and wing feather of eagles and hawks in their rituals and ceremonial chanting. The double-headed eagle is another common design, representing the shaman's omnipotent power to see in all directions.

TURTLES - Esteemed as assistants of the rain goddesses, turtles are believed to be responsible for replenishing the water of underground springs and the purity of all water sources.

WOLVES - Carrier of spirits, Kumukemai, the wolf, is honored in all peyote ceremonies. Many Huichols believe they are descendents of the "Wolf-People" of primordial times. Huichol shamans claim to possess the power to transform themselves into spirited wolves.

GOURD BOWLS - Used by shamans as containers filled with important symbols, such as corn, animals, and images of family members. Colorfully decorated, they are carried during ceremonies and prayer for protection, health, and abundance. The symbols themselves represent attributes of different gods and goddesses. They are placed in shrines and sacred sites throughout the Huichol homeland.

SCORPIONS - Used by shamans to repel evil and bad luck. They are both esteemed and feared. A deadly species of scorpion inhabit Huichol land and cause numerous fatalities every year. However, the Huichols believe that the scorpion spirit is a powerful ally that protects them as well.

SALAMANDERS - Agents of the rain mother, salamanders are connected with the water and rain, stirring up clouds and making rain fall.

JAGUAR - Messengers of the god of fire, Tatewari, they are guardians of the sacred vows taken by shamans during their years of initiation. Called Mayetse, they are given the power to devour the spirits of those who fail.

EAGLES - Believed to be the embodiment of a goddess known as Mother Eagle, Mother of the Sky and Queen of Heavens. Huichols admire Werika, the eagle as the most magnificent among all birds.

CANDLES - Represent the illumination of the human spirit, Catira, candles hold the sacred gift from the sun and fire gods. Along with flowers and ribbons, attached candles serve as offerings and payment to the deities who have granted special wishes to a Huichol.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF COLORS:

WHITE - Cloud Spirits.

RED - The East, fire, masculinity.

BLUE - The South, Pacific Ocean, water, rain, femininity.

GREEN - The Earth, the Heavens, healing, the heart, grandfather, growth.

YELLOW - A special root from Wirikuta used for face paint in ceremonies.

ORANGE - "Wirikuta", the sacred land where the Huichol believe life began and also where they gather peyote.

[soflor]

–SOFIA FLORES

FULL NAME: sofia pilar flores NICKNAMES: sof, lady  AGE: 32 GENDER IDENTIFICATION:  female PRONOUNS: she / her SEXUAL ORIENTATION: pansexual RELATIONSHIP STATUS: single OCCUPATION: performer at lady luck POSITIVE TRAITS: charming, resilient, loyal NEGATIVE TRAITS: impatient, impulsive, mischievous PLACE OF BIRTH: oxbow ridge, mt

TL;DR: Sofia Pilar Flores grew up in Oxbow Ridge, raised by her single mother, who shielded her from the truth about her corrupt businessman father in Brazil. Despite being enrolled in pageants from a young age, Sofia rebelled against being treated as a mere doll and yearned for authenticity beyond the glitz. At eighteen, she stepped away from the pageant world but stayed in Oxbow Ridge to care for her ailing mother, working various jobs to make ends meet. A chance at The Byrne's Lady Luck offered Sofia a way to pursue her dreams while staying in town. With her mother's recent passing, Sofia faces a crossroads, torn between embracing her music career and fulfilling her mother's unfinished dreams.

AESTHETIC:

sold out shows, acoustic guitars, vinyl records, half written lyrics, dogeared pages, leather jackets, sneaking out, whiskey - neat, empty beer bottles, doc martens, sarcasm, ripped jeans, filled notebooks, unsent letters, crowns and sashes, long days, inspired, 3am writing, ink stained hands, black on black, maps, messy buns, day trips, adventure, half finished mugs of coffee, dirty hands, reading, black and white keys, loud laughter, unpublished novels, messy sheets, unmade bed, fresh tattoos, unsent postcards, perfect smile, never taking no for an answer, confidence that could kill, blasting music late at night

BIOGRAPHY:

Sofia Pilar Flores grew up in Oxbow Ridge, Montana, raised by her single mother. Her father, a corrupt businessman in Brazil, remained unknown to her, his shadow cast over their lives. Her mother fled Brazil with the family's money to start anew in Montana, shielding Sofia from the truth of her lineage. Despite the absence of a father figure, Sofia found solace in her mother's love, their bond a source of strength in the face of unanswered questions and lingering shadows from their past. Sofia's mother, determined to immerse their family in the culture of Montana, enrolled Sofia in pageant shows from a tender age, hoping to foster a sense of belonging and accomplishment. Sofia discovered her passion under the spotlight, her voice ringing like an angel's amidst the fervor of the stage. However, beneath the facade of glitz and glamour, Sofia chafed against the confines of being treated as a mere doll, rebelling against the superficiality that surrounded her. The trophies that adorned their living room, symbols of success and recognition, held little significance for Sofia, as they failed to capture the essence of her true identity beyond the pageant circuit. At eighteen, Sofia reached a pivotal moment in her life when she made the decision to step away from the pageant world that had defined her upbringing. However, despite distancing herself from the glitz and glamour, Sofia remained drawn to the allure of the spotlight. Just as she contemplated leaving Oxbow Ridge behind for the bustling streets of Los Angeles, news of her mother's illness halted her plans. Sofia chose to stay by her mother's side, putting her own dreams on hold. As she watched the love of her life and friends pursue their aspirations, Sofia couldn't shake the feeling of stagnation that enveloped her own ambitions, a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made in the name of family. Day after day, Sofia devoted herself to caring for her ailing mother, their bond growing stronger with each passing moment. To make ends meet, Sofia tirelessly worked any job she could find, whether it was performing at a local bar, waitressing, or tending bar. Her determination to provide for her family knew no bounds, and she embraced every opportunity to earn a little extra money. Then, at the age of twenty seven, a ray of hope emerged in the form of The Byrne, offering Sofia a chance to escape the monotony of her everyday life without leaving Oxboro. Playing at Lady Luck, Sofia found herself living out her dreams while still being there for the person who mattered most to her, a delicate balance between pursuing her aspirations and honoring her unwavering commitment to family. Even though, it did feel as a betrayal to one specific person.  With her mother's recent passing, Sofia finds herself at a crossroads, her heart heavy with grief and uncertainty. Suddenly, the future stretched before her like an open road, beckoning her to forge a path of her own choosing. While she could leave Oxbow Ridge behind and start anew, the town held a piece of her identity, a place where she had built a name for herself. Despite her success at Lady Luck, Sofia felt torn between her passion for music and the unfinished dreams her mother had left behind. Part of her yearned to abandon music altogether as she’ll only be as big as Oxbow Ridge. While, another part of her wants delve into the pages of the book her mother had encouraged her to finish.

HEADCANNONS:

Is pansexual and has been in one serious relationship that lasted almost a decade. currently prefers individuals who are looking for a good time, not a long time. is emotionally unavailable.

Is bilingual and fluent in both English and Portuguese, thanks to her Brazilian heritage.

Was known as the "rebel with a cause" in high school, often challenging authority and questioning rules that she felt were unjust or unnecessary.

Has a passion for cooking and enjoys experimenting with different cuisines, incorporating flavors from both Montana and Brazil into her dishes.

An avid reader who finds escape and inspiration in the pages of books, especially fantasy and adventure novels.

To pass the time with her mother in and out of doctor appointments and everything that came with her illness, Sofia turned to writing as a means of escape. Immersed in her words, she carved out a sanctuary of peace, finding solace and respite amidst the chaos.

While she may have initially entered the world of corruption out of necessity, she has since discovered a sense of empowerment and agency in her ability to outsmart and outmaneuver those who seek to exploit the system for their own gain.

FAMILY:

MOTHER: Isabela Flores - deceased FATHER: Mateo da Silva - incarcerated 

NOTABLE CONNECTIONS:

BETHANY WALKER - ex-girlfriend - Inseparable childhood best friends, discovered the depths of love at the tender age of 15, their bond growing stronger with each passing year. For years, their hearts beat as one until the harsh realities of life forced them apart at 21, scattering their dreams like autumn leaves in the wind. Despite the distance, they clung to fragments of their love, sharing fleeting moments during Bethany's return home for holidays and events, until a heated dispute at 28 fractured their once unbreakable bond. Yet, amidst the shards of their shattered friendship, the ember of love still flickers, a testament to the enduring power of their first loves. MAEVE BYRNE MAYOR

TIME LINE:

age 0 - born november 14th

age 5 - met bethany walker in kindergarten, enrolled in first little miss pageant

age 6 - takes etiquette classes, little miss pageant: runner up

age 7 - takes social graces classes, little miss pageant : won

age 8 - takes vocal lessons and guitar lessons, junior miss pageant

age 9 - takes piano lessons, junior miss pageant: won

age 10 - takes public speaking classes, junior miss pageant

age 11 - takes a writing class, starts middle school, junior miss pageant

age 12 - becomes a cheerleader, junior miss pageant: won

age 13 - teen miss pageant

age 14 - starts high school, teen miss pageant: won

age 15 - teen miss pageant: won, starts officially dating bethany walker, lead in school musical

age 16 - miss montana teen USA, debutante ball

age 17 - miss montana teen usa: won, miss teen usa, lead in school musical

age 18 - miss montana usa, quits pageants, mom gets sick, graduates, bethany leaves for LA , starts working at dinne & dash

age 19 - joins a book club

age 20 - wrote first novel: unpublished

age 21 - relationship with bethany officially ends, starts working at last call

age 23 - wrote second novel: unpublished

age 26 - finds out father is incarcerated

age 28 - starts performing at lady luck, loses friendship with bethany

age 29 - wrote third novel: unpublished

age 31 - mother passes away

age 32 - bethany comes home

[letters-to-hermes]

Hellenic Polytheism & Weddings - A Quick Overview

Alternate Title: How to honor the Gods in your weddings

Due to me getting married this year, I did some research on wedding traditions and rituals related to Hellenic Polytheism. It's important to know that they varied depending on location on time. So this is a very generalized overview:

General Information

Weddings were usually a legal affair between two families without any clergy/priest/priestess involved

Weddings were held over three days (depending on the wealth of the families, this could be significantly shorter)

Offerings were given throughout the three days

Day before the wedding: the bride spends time with her female relatives. Offerings to Hera, Aphrodite and Artemis are given. Offerings for Artemis can be childhood toys or locks of hair for example to symbolize the end of the brides childhood.

Wedding day: the day begins with a ritual bath for cleansing. The bride is escorted to the grooms house with a procession led by her mother, carrying a torch. Friends and family follow, singing and dancing. At the grooms house, his mother greets her with fruit and a cake to welcome her into the family. Other examples of wedding customs are showering the bride in coins & figs, the groom giving the bride a pomegranate, a basket of fruit & bread given to the couple by a young man, etc. Most of those customs are for good luck, prosperity & fertility. A feast is held at the grooms house.

The day after the wedding: the families gather together once more to give gifts to the couple

Wedding colours for the groom were traditionally red or white

The bride wore bright colors and a long veil covering her face

Important Gods and Goddesses

The "main" Gods & Goddesses presiding over marriage and weddings are Hera, Zeus and Aphrodite.

Other important Deitys that should/could be included in offerings are Artemis, Hestia, Eros, Pheitos, The Kharites, Eunomia, Harmonia, Hymenaios and Hebe.

How to include the Gods in Modern Day Weddings

Just some easy ideas inspired by other blogs (sources below this paragraph) and what I read.

Grooms wear red or white, brides wear a veil (doesn't have to cover the whole body)

Wear a laurel wreath

Wear flower crowns

Prepare your own vows & prayers

Read hymns & prayers during the ceremony or privately before/after the wedding

Have a dinner with your family and friends the evening before (maybe even at your fathers house if possible/wanted)

Choose sacred flowers of Gods you want to include in your wedding for bouquet & decorations

Have pictures/figures of the Theoi at the wedding

Have pictures/figures of sacred animals or objects related to Theoi at the wedding

Do the more "simple" traditions such as giving your partner a pomegranate, showering the spouse in coins, your friends and family giving you bread/fruit/etc.

Give offerings to Artemis, Hera, Aphrodite the night before the wedding

Take a bath the morning of your wedding (if possible time-wise)

Have a breakfast together with your family and friends the morning after the wedding

Give offerings the morning of your wedding to Hera, Aphrodite, Zeus (and whoever else you chose): the wedding day is usually super busy so quick & simple offerings are more than enough. You can always do something "bigger" before or after the wedding days (if you want to).

Include Hellenic-themed decorations

More Resources

List of ideas to honor the Gods on your wedding day by @honorthegods

List of ideas by pomegranateandivy

Hellenic Weddings: History and Modern Ritual

Dromena for the Celebration of Marriage

A Hellenic Greek Wedding based on the Dromena above

Last update: May 1st 2022 Dividers by @firefly-graphics