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elamarth-calmagol · 3 years

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What actually is LACE? (an informal essay)

What’s LACE?

Laws and Customs among the Eldar, or LACE, is the most popular section of the History of Middle Earth books. It's available online as a PDF here: http://faculty.smu.edu/bwheeler/tolkien/online_reader/T-LawsandCustoms.pdf . There’s a lot of LACE analysis in the fandom, Silmarillion smut fics are usually labeled “LACE compliant” or “not LACE compliant”, and I’ve been seeing the document itself show up in actual fics, meaning that the characters themselves are discussing it.

LACE is an unfinished, non-canonical essay split into several parts. It covers the sexuality of elves, which is mostly what people talk about. It also covers elvish naming (which I want to make a whole different post about), the speed at which elves grow up, changes that happen throughout their lives, their death and rebirth, and finally the legal and moral issues of Finwe remarrying after Miriel’s death. The discussion about rebirth conflicts with Tolkien’s later writings about Glorfindel’s re-embodiment, but to the best of my knowledge, LACE is the best or only source for most of the topics it covers.

However, LACE is not canon since it doesn’t show up in the Silmarillion. Counting all of the History of Middle Earth as canon is literally impossible, considering Tolkien contradicts himself all over the place. It is only useful because it has so much information that is never discussed in the actual canon. Many people consider it canon out of convenience.

Another important thing to remember is that, other than presumably the discussion of the growth of elvish children, the information is only supposed to apply to the Eldar (meaning the Vanyar, Noldor, Teleri, and Sindar) and not the dark-elves such as the Silvan elves and Avari.

The rest is behind the cut to avoid clogging your feeds.

Problems with LACE interpretations

But because it’s hidden in the History of Middle Earth (volume 10, Morgoth’s Ring), barely anyone actually gets the opportunity to read it. I don’t think most people are aware that you can get it online, so it doesn't get read much.

I feel like this leads to a handful of people saying something about LACE and everyone else going along with it. I definitely did this. I was amazed by all the things that were in the actual essay that nobody had ever told me about, or had told me incorrectly. For example, most people seem to believe that elves become married at the completion of sexual intercourse (whatever that means to the fic author). In fact, LACE explicitly says that elves must take an oath using the name of Eru in order to be legally married. Specifically:

It was the act of bodily union that achieved marriage, and after which the indissoluble bond was complete… [I]t was at all times lawful for any of the Eldar, being both unwed, to marry thus of free consent one to another without ceremony or witness (save blessings exchanged and the naming of the Name); and the union so joined was alike indissoluble.

I’ve seen a marriage oath being included in a few stories recently, but most writers leave out the oath entirely and just have sex be automatically equivalent to marriage. What would happen if elves had sex without swearing an oath? I don’t know, but I’d love to see it explored.

Then there’s a footnote that might explicitly deny the existence of transgender elves... or not, but I’ve literally only seen it mentioned once or twice. Overall, I feel like all of LACE is filtered through the handful of people who read it, and we’re missing out on a lot of metanalysis and interpretations that we could have because most fans never see the actual document.

Who wrote LACE?

I mean within the mythology of Middle Earth, of course. Since LACE appears in the History of Middle Earth and not the Silmarillion, we can be pretty sure that J.R.R. Tolkien himself wrote it and it wasn’t added to by Christopher Tolkien. But that’s not the question here. Remember that Tolkien’s frame narrative for all of his Middle Earth work is that he is a scholar of ancient times and is translating documents from Westron and Sindarin for modern audiences to read and understand. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings come from the Red Book of Westmarch, and I believe The Silmarillion is meant to be Tolkien’s own writings based on his research (though it might also be an adaption of Bilbo’s “Translations from the Elvish”, but I haven't looked into that). So what does LACE come from?

Christopher Tolkien admits in his notes that he doesn’t know. He says, “It is clear in any case that this is presented as the work, not of one of the Eldar, but of a Man,” and I agree, because of the way it seems to be written as an ethnographic study rather than by someone who lives in the culture. Honestly, it talks too much about how elves are seen by Men (e.g. speculating that elf-children might look like the children of Men) to be written by an elf. This changes once it gets to the Doom of Finwe and Miriel, but that could be, and probably is, a story told to the writer by an elf who was there at the time.

Tolkien actually references Aelfwine in the second version of the text. The original story behind The Lost Tales, which was the abandoned first version of the Silmarillion, was that a man from the Viking period named Aelfwine/Eriol stumbled onto the Straight Road and found himself on Tol Eressea. He spoke to the elves and brought back their stories to England with him. So it makes a lot of sense that Aelfwine would also write about the lives and customs of the elves for an audience of his own people.

Does LACE exist in Middle Earth?

I keep finding fics where first age elves discuss “the Laws and Customs” openly, as if it’s a text in their own world. I usually get the impression that it was brought by the Noldor from Valinor. But did the document actually exist in that time period? For me, the answer is definitely not.

First of all, LACE was probably written by a Man, meaning it could not have dated back to Valinor in the years of the Trees, because Men hadn’t awaked yet. In fact, the closest thing to an established frame narrative for it is that it was written by Aelfwine, who comes from the time period around 1000 CE (though Tolkien doesn’t seem to have pinned him down). This is at least the fifth age, if not later.

But what if you don’t believe that it was written by a Man? It still couldn’t have been written in the First Age, because it discusses the way the relationship between elves’ bodies and souls changes as ages go by. For example:

As ages passed the dominance of their fear ever increased, ‘consuming’ their bodies... The end of this process is their ‘fading’, as Men have called it.

A lot of time has to go by in order for elves to get to the point of fading. As a bonus, here’s another reference to the perspective of Men. LACE also discusses the dangers that “houseless feas”, which are souls of elves who do not go to Mandos after their bodies died, pose to Men. How would they have known about that in the First Age? It further says that “more than one rebirth is seldom recorded” (which isn’t contradicted anywhere I know of), and that’s not something you would know during your life of joy in Valinor, where almost nobody dies. That’s something you learn after millennia of war. This has to be a document written well after the Silmarillion ends.

So what about the sex part? That’s all we care about, right? Well, it is entirely possible that this was written down by the elves and Aelfwine translated it (though my impression is that he mostly recorded stories told orally to him and that elves were not very much into writing, at least in Valinor where you could get stories directly from someone who experienced them). However, why would the elves write this down? They know how quickly their children grow up. They’ve seen actual marriages. They don’t need that described to them. And if they did have a specific document or story explaining the expectations of them when it comes to sex and marriage, why would they call it “Laws and Customs”? That’s a very strange name for a set of rules for conduct. I’m sure they had a list of laws written out somewhere in great detail, like our own state or national laws (that seems very in character for the Noldor, at least). But I seriously doubt that those laws are what we’ve been given to read. LACE is not an elvish or Valinoran document.

Is LACE prescriptive or descriptive?

Here’s the other big question I’m interested in. Prescriptive means that the document describes the way people should behave. Descriptive means that it describes how people do behave. And the more I worldbuild for Middle Earth and the culture of elves, the more I want to say that LACE is prescriptive in its discussion of sex, marriage, and gender roles.

But wait. I’ve been saying for paragraphs that I think LACE is Aelfwine or another Man’s ethnographic study of elvish culture. Then it has to be descriptive, right?

Does it? How long do we think Aelfwine stayed with the elves? Did he wait fifty years to see a child grow up? Did he get to witness a wedding ceremony? Did he meet houseless fea? I don’t think he could have done all of that. Maybe a different Man who spent his entire life with the elves could, but then when was this written? When the elves were still marrying and having children in Middle Earth or when so much time had gone by that they had begun to fade already?

Whoever wrote this was told a lot of information by elves instead of experiencing it firsthand, the same way he heard the stories from the First Age from the elves instead of being there. Maybe it was one elf who talked to him, maybe several different ones. But did those elves accurately describe their society the way it was, give him the easiest description, or explain the way it was supposed to be? If I was describing modern-day America, would I discuss premarital sex or just our dating and marriage customs? Maybe people would come away from a talk with me thinking that moving in together equated to marriage for Americans in the early 21st century. And I don’t even have an agenda to show America in a certain way, I'm just bad at explaining. Did the elves talking to what may have been the first Man they had seen in millennia have an agenda in the way they presented themselves?

Or did the writer himself have an agenda? Imagine going to see these beautiful, mythical, perfect beings, and you find out that they behave in the same immoral ways Men do. Do you want to share the truth back home? Or do you leave out things that don't match your worldview? Did Aelfwine come back wanting to tell people what elves were really like? Or did he want to say “this is how you can be holy and perfect like an elf”?

Anyone studying the Age of Exploration will tell you that Europeans neber wrote about new cultures objectively, and often things were made up to fit the writer’s idea of what savages looked like. For example, my Native American history teacher in college told a story of how explorers described one tribe who (sensibly) didn't wear clothes as cannibals, because cannibalism and going around naked went together in their minds and not because of any actual incident. Unbiased scholarship barely existed yet. Even Tolkien was extremely biased and tended to be imperialistic, as we all know. There’s absolutely no reason to think that Aelfwine wasn’t biased in his own way. (Of course, now we have to consider what biases a Danish or English man from the centuries around 1000 would have when it comes to things like gender roles. I assume he would have been more into divorce and female warriors than the elves are said to be.)

But is that what Tolkien intended? Probably not. He probably wanted LACE to be descriptive. But he also never got much of a chance to analyse the essay after the fact, which might have led to him discussing its accuracy and even the exact issues I just pointed out about explorers. Anyway, we know he's biased, and honestly, what he intended has never slowed down the fandom before.

Conclusion

In short, I take LACE to be a prescriptive document describing the way elvish culture is supposed to be, not a blueprint I have to stick to in order to correctly portray elves. I also don’t believe the document that’s available for us to read existed even in the early Fourth Age, where The Lord of the Rings leaves off. There maybe have been some document outlining the moral behavior of elves, as a set of laws, but thats not the Laws and Customs we have.

Of course, canon is up to you to interpret. If you want Feanor discussing LACE with someone back in Valinor, go ahead. If you want to throw out LACE entirely, go ahead. It’s not even a canonical essay. All of this analysis is honestly useless when you consider the fact that no part of LACE exists in any canonical book.

But that’s Tolkien analysis for you.

#lotr #silmarillion #tolkien #laws and customs of the eldar #history of middle earth #silm #analysis #meta #headcanon #long post #mine

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fictionalnormalcy · 3 years

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Thoughts that literally kept me up last night. I always browse my explore page on Insta before I finally stow away the phone. The last post I saw was one where something pointed out a cameo in a Disney Pixar movie. That thought came to a tangent where it came to Tales of Arcadia and their cameos. And I swear to goodness, I still have the continued insistence that this series in set in the same universe of How to Train Your Dragon.

In 2018 I made a post where I literally went through all of Trollhunters and drew out each cameo and compared them to DreamWorks Dragons. I’ll admit, I can’t think of any right now that stood out to me in 3Below and Wizards. But the fact that 3Below and Wizards are literally still set in the same universe with the same characters, I feel it still applies.

And to this day, I’m still trying to fight myself. Debunk it that it’s another DreamWorks thing, and it’s essentially what Disney does with their movies and shows. DreamWorks movies do their handful of cameos as well, but I’d like to say not as extensive as Disney, and to a further extent Disney Pixar. I guess you can say this will be a DreamWorks vs. Disney post.

It’s not like Disney where we catch a glimpse of Rapunzel and Eugene as they walk through the opened gates in Frozen, or the Woody and Buzz piñatas in Coco, or the little elephants wearing Anna and Elsa dresses in Zootopia, or the Pizza Planet car in Monster’s Inc. and a majority of Disney Pixar movies.

DreamWorks movies, perhaps I haven’t paid as good attention to detail, but there’s few I remember. If someone remembers any, please tell me. I strongly want to know. Of the few I think of Penguins of Madagascar where Classified says to release the sheep and what’s shoved out of the barn is a sheep that looks like the ones from HTTYD. Then in Rise of the Guardians, where in Jamie’s bedroom you can see a dragon plush, said to be a Monstrous Nightmare, so also HTTYD. But otherwise they’ve slipped my mind.

Sorry I’ll bring this back to Tales of Arcadia. Okay, so I say that they are in the same universe because of the many DreamWorks Dragons cameos. I’ll give the link here as to the cameos I found in Trollhunters. There are seven I listed in that post, and there are two more I’d like to add now. In the literal first episode of Trollhunters, you see Toothless on the screen of a laptop.

The most notable one is in Season 2 when Draal, AARRGGHH!!!, and Blinky play Maces&Talons together. That one, when I saw it is when the notion started forming in my head. Because even though they do cameos, you never see the characters actively engage with it. And that’s what these characters did! They were so engaged in this game that they called attention to themselves with the yelling! Although I do have the inkling, that they probably weren’t playing it right. In the few scenes of Race to the Edge where we see it played, I don’t remember seeing cards beside the board. Heather and Fishlegs simply moved the pieces without much discussion. In the live person game Viggo and Dagur played it seemed like chess, I move this piece and now these players are vulnerable, then your turn. How the trolls played it, it gave off the vibe of Dungeons&Dragons. I’ll post the visual so y’all can see.

Which with my mindset implies this: The trolls may have found a game set of Maces&Talons with these cards alongside it, and interpreted the game was played in a different way. Or even provided their own additions. Because in RTTE we definitely never see dice, and there were never cards visible. I will concede that we weren’t given a detailed explanation of how exactly the game was played. But look at the board, those are the same figurines we see, the same placing of the rock and mock water. There can be no mistaking it’s a game board of Maces&Talons.

The only other cameo I can think that sort of compares to this one is when Boo hands Sulley a Nemo squeak toy in Monster Inc. Engagement with a cameo. But that was a single second where it squeaked he put it in his hands and that was that.

The other was a very active scene where you first heard the yelling and the cries, hear Blinky’s enjoyment and then the pounding of the table. It was intentional in getting your attention, and if you’re a viewer who’s also seen RTTE, you would’ve thought “OMG that’s Maces&Talons, these trolls are playing it in this modern day?”

Individually, I will admit you could say there was another reason the cameos were included. But the reason why I believe the strong suggestion that they’re the same universe is because there were so many, and so obvious too. Toothless obviously put in the shot so you couldn’t miss it, then AARRGGHH!!!, Blinky, and Draal, playing a game so obviously that you knew it was important. (if you had seen the other show). Here’s the thing though, the cameos were strictly of HTTYD. Not of other DreamWorks shows or movies. I will admit there may have been a Madagascar one, from the scene where Otto said they had a piece of the Bridge sent over from Madagascar. The mention seems like a cameo, because they really could have chosen any cryptic place but chose a place where DreamWorks has had a hand in.

Then another thing that I consider a cameo, was actually one of the new characters introduced in Wizards. I am going to be writing my thoughts again if I write out the whole thing, so I’ll link another post where I talked about it here. To summarize, it discusses Archie the Familiar, how the voice actor is Alfred Molina. Who voiced Viggo Grimborn in Race to the Edge. Evidence provided in the post where the familiar could be Viggo reincarnated. To me it makes sense. And it really does seem utterly convenient that they cast Molina for another character with the exact same voice he used for Viggo.

I mean Mark Hamill who voiced Alvin the Treacherous in DreamWorks Dragons also voiced Dictatious but the voices don’t sound similar in the least. I don’t hear Dictatious and say omg the voice is uncanny to Alvin. But with Molina, I hear Archie and I can picture those words seamlessly coming out of Viggo’s mouth. Nothing differing in the voices. While with Hamill and the characters he voiced, yes he indeed used different voices. But Archie and Viggo legit sound the same.

I will also admit it this as it crossed my mind, when you reincarnate you don’t remember anything from your past life. And usually, I can bet you don’t sound like the person in your past life. However I do want to outline this. In Wizards there really isn’t a mention of Vikings, suggesting it’s after the Viking times. And here’s also another thing about reincarnation. The new life you’re born into, it’s certainly distanced enough where you aren’t around anyone who knew your past life. So there is the possibility that your voice is the same as your past life. There’s no one around who can point it out.

I also can bring this to another extent. As is a voice actor, it depends on the crew you’re working with to determine how you bring a character to life. For RTTE, of the little that’s been released for behind the scenes it was revealed that the voice actors were allowed to improvise for their characters, as they knew who they voiced best. Meaning Molina was given the freedom to voice Viggo as he saw fit, hence why we were given “My dear Hiccup.” So the voice we heard for Viggo was how Molina wanted to animate this character. Yet, we have no way of guessing if Molina was allowed that same courtesy when voicing Archie. Based on the similarities these two characters had, perhaps Molina was asked to use the same voice.

But I have to say that even if he chose it or was asked to use that voice, it fuels my belief. Because the crew of Tales of Arcadia put in all those HTTYD cameos. To wind into specifics, the Maces and Talons board. And then later they put a character who sounds like the character who wound that board game into reality. It locks it in for me.

But yeah, this was why I struggled to fall asleep.

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pokemonthingsandstuff · 4 years

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It's generally not recommend to give Sobbles to children. Yes, they are adorable and will be loved. They are also basically walking chemical weapons that are extremely sensitive to everything. As someone who's starter was a Sobble, I can confirm that their tears are just as potent as the Pokedex states. They're a lot different in the wild, I promise, but if you got your Sobble from a breeder, chances are that thing is a result of breeding for a cute first stage and a cool last, and it never goes well.

No, seriously, the traditional Galarian starters were mostly bred to look like that. The fire buns are the easiest to explain, so I'll use them. Apparently, a couple hundred years ago, Cinderaces looked less like football players and more like Lopunnies. I say "more like Lopunnies," because they're likely a split-off from the loppers you can find on the Isle of Armor. So, you know how we have Perrserkers thanks to vikings? Well, thanks to sailors initially landing on the Isle of Armor before deeming it too dangerous to colonize, they ended up bringing a couple pokemon with them, and Lopunny's warm fur was perfect for clothes. So, with those in tow, they landed in the cold Crown Tundra. It turns out that, since loppers can learn Fire Punch and can kick hard, someone managed to turn the punch into a kick. That, combined with the fact that they could learn Sunny Day, started to convince the sailors that they could make them learn more fire moves. Since loppers are good with kids and football is a surprisingly old game, it wasn't too surprising that they learned how to play with the settlers' children over time. Bunearies began to get less shy and used their ears less and less, and used their feet more and more as they played with the children. The tundra's first settlers apparently lived quite side-by-side with some of the more humanoid pokemon, so it wasn't all that surprising that the Bunearies became less bunny and more human, and with the fire moves that they'd been learning, the first Scorbunny was eventually born. It still looked different, it was a two-stager, actually. Went from Scorbunny-looking thing to something that looked like a friendlier Raboot. It took up until the mid-1800s of the Pre-War era before it got to a point where it was a three-stager, and even then it took a lot of breeding to get a proper coat for the third stage, and it wasn't until 50 years later until they got a modern Scorbunny. The middle stage looking like a teenage punk didn't actually come by until the late 1990s of the same era, seeing as since they were popular starters who often grew with kids, and by that point teenage punks were the usual. The whole Gigantamax thing is a whole 'nother debate, but it's generally assumed that breeding unlocked a dormant gene, and that's why Cinderaces can G-Max and Lopunnies can't.

I got a little off topic from Sobbles. They're mainland Galar natives, so they'll be soooo much easier to explain. Okay, I'll make this one real short: So, in the wild, Sobbles look a little different, with smaller heads and longer tails. Out there, their crying serves the purpose of alarming their parents that there is danger and that they will be invisible until further notice. Now, their three-stager is natural all the way, but Drizziles and Inteleons are where the main differences lie. Now, because in the wild being lazy might get you killed, wild Drizzile are a lot more active, seeing as they're at the midpoint between small mildly helpless lizard and cool tall not helpless lizard. The little things bred ones have over their eye? Non-existent in the wild, but they do have their traditional frills out there. They lay traps, since they can't exactly Snipe Shot, but can still protect their siblings and friends if they think tactically, which they do. Thanks to their water bombs and traps, they're able to evolve into Inteleons, which are a lot scarier in the wild. So, they look a lot more lizard-like out there, since the human-like aspects were mostly bred in to make some... shadier jobs easier. Anyways, they're still thin, tall, blue lizards with knife tails, flight membranes, and finger guns, but instead of looking mildly like a weird human, it looks like a scary bipedal lizard that could kill you immediately if it wanted to. I don't have a good way to describe it, nor a picture, but they look less graceful and more wild. They actually live outside of the Wild Area, and are generally found in a forest or on the coast beyond the mountains just next to it, so we can actually confirm what they look like. It also turns out that this even applies to G-Max forms as well.

And, since I know you're curious, Grookey, Thwackey, and Rillaboom are just like that. There is some breeding as far as the "hairstyles" were concerned, but that's usually for contests and bands. However, nobody has found a wild Grookey in Galar, but we have definitely found Rillabooms, so we have no idea if wild Grookies look like bred ones or not. Rillabooms usually have slightly wilder hair, but that's to be expected, and Thwackies are oddly enough sort of one of the Galar cryptids because they're so rarely seen. We are pretty sure Thwakey just looks like they do bred in the wild.

#pokemon headcanons #sobble #scorbunny #raboot #cinderace #drizzile #inteleon #grookey #thwackey #rillaboom #galar #pokemon worldbuilding #pokemon history #pokemon biology #I'm proud of this one and idc if it flops I'm very happy

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galloperthompson · 3 years

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Regarding Galloper Thompson’s clothes

Including his (slutty, thigh high) boots

It’s been brought to my attention that galloper’s slutty thigh high boots actually look like ankle boots with the thigh high part tucked into the boot. So I’ve decided to go beyond my jokes about him being a slut anyways and make this post going over his clothes. And buckle up folks, it gets long.

I’ll be honest, it’s pretty difficult to find details about 13th century (and 12th century) Scandinavian life specifically, especially since I’m using google. For this post, I have just used general European fashion, but in the future I’ll be mixing viking things with general European things from this time (but I’ll mostly try to keep the general European things to German and English/Irish stuff). I’ll also be referencing things from both the 13th century and the 12th century, since galloper “lived” during the early 13th century (and every website seems to think the 13th century started in 1250).

But anyways, an English knight from the mid 13th century apparently wore something like this on his bottom half (underneath other layers):

Now as you can see in this terrible quality picture (sorry about that, but I did try to label it), the hose are thigh high just like galloper’s leg coverings, which is what gave me the idea that maybe it’s hose he’s wearing. So let’s begin.

I would explain the whole system they used, but this does it better than I could (you only need to read until it starts talking about chausses since we’re only talking about the hose). The linked text is a bit weird and may (or may not) be unreliable, but it’s compact, explains things well, and has pictures (it’s where I got that *stunning* photo I labeled). However, keep in mind that it depicts a mid 13th century English knight, and galloper is from early 13th century Scandinavia, so while there may be similarities, there’s also definitely differences in how he would’ve dressed. Braies were apparently longer in the first half of the 13th century, for one, and didn’t really become “underwear” for everyone until the second half and later. Hose were also referred to as stockings, and apparently hose and stockings didn’t really refer to different things until later on. Additionally, clothing differed between class, but we’re not going to go over that today.

So how does this relate to galloper? Well his lower half actually sort of resembles the picture above, doesn’t it? His “hose” are thigh high, with ankle high shoes over them, just like the picture. Despite the similarities, though, there are differences. His “hose” aren’t pointed, and so there are no ties for them. Apparently, hose didn’t have to be pointed, and those thigh high hose that weren’t pointed were held up with pins.. but there are no pins to hold them up either. Without one of these mechanisms to hold up the hose, they would not stay in place. And considering we can see where the thigh high part ends, we should also be able to see at least part of what’s holding them up. The thigh high part could also theoretically be “leg bandages” that extend above the knee. However, his “hose” don’t look like wrapped or crisscrossed cloth, they look solid, so leg bandages are unlikely.

Now, I wanted to present hose as an explanation based (somewhat) in history, but I don’t actually think he’s wearing hose. We’ll go over why later in this post, but let’s keep going for now.

On to his tunic and coat. Well I say tunic, really it isn’t a tunic by medieval standards. Back in the 13th century, tunics didn’t have buttons—at least not on the front. And his coat.. well it’s not something you’d find in the 13th century. Longer coverings, down to the knee or lower, were the style then. Shorter coverings with buttons down the front didn’t appear until the 14th century in the form of things like doublets. Those “things” were usually very padded and form-fitting, however, and neither galloper’s shirt or coat seem to be padded or exceedingly form-fitting at all.

The history of gloves (in everyday wear, at least) is surprisingly complex, so I won’t be touching his gloves. I’m also ignoring his belt because I don’t have much to say on it, but they did have leather belts with “single-looped” buckles (whatever that means) in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Moving on to his cape. Ah yes, his tattered little cape (which matches his mare’s tattered little saddle blanket!). Who knows why the fuck he wears it. There doesn’t seem to be a hood (like the medieval chaperon) or a part that comes around to cover the shoulders, and it’s too short to be a cloak. My best guess is that it was a design choice based on the fact that such a short cape doesn’t need a fluttering animation. Why not axe (lol) the whole idea of a cape? Well, all the coolest characters have capes!

His weird ass shoulder pad I can’t come up with an explanation for, though (or at least a medieval one). If he had a neck, the shoulder pad would be digging into it based on the position. Maybe it’s supposed to be like those shoulder pads with tassels on some formal military uniforms (technically “epaulettes” with “fringe”)? Except instead of tassels it’s feather looking things and also there’s only one shoulder pad for some reason?

All of this is to say that none of what he’s wearing can realistically pass for 13th century clothing, except maybe his lower half, and that’s still stretching it.

His entire outfit actually most resembles military uniforms from the 18th and early 19th centuries, as @inkowl13 pointed out in this post. When he floats, you can even clearly see his tattered coattails, which are his trademark green on the underside. In the case of 18th century garb, his shirt would be a waistcoat (he doesn’t seem to be wearing an 18th century shirt underneath his “waistcoat” at all, but maybe we just can’t see it or distinguish it from his “waistcoat”), and his jacket-thing would be a uniformed soldier’s coat. His lower half would be breeches with either a. ankle boots and over-the-knee stockings, b. ankle boots and thigh high gaiters (those things with buttons that go over the top of the shoe), or c. thigh high boots, which appeared as riding boots in the 15th century and remained common until the 19th century—including in military uniforms (in fact, some cavalry units today still use them in their ceremonial dress uniforms). His shoulder pad would, in fact, be a strange attempt at an epaulet/epaulette (which were used in the 18th century (and beyond) to denote rank) with fringe the color of his trademark green. The fact that there’s only one also makes sense within this period; whether the epaulet/epaulette was on the right, left, or both shoulders indicated rank (Galloper’s “epaulet/epaulette” is on his right shoulder, our left). The issue of glove history is also eliminated since it seems military uniforms in the 1700s made use of gloves. Men’s capes/cloaks at this time went to the knee or below it, so my explanation for his cape is unchanged. Through this lens, things start to become clear.

This is a mannequin (is that what you call the fake models of historical clothing? does mannequin apply in this context?) wearing an 18th century cavalry uniform:

As you can see, he looks incredibly similar to galloper, despite the many differences.

And these are two sets of 18th century soldiers (again, sorry for the less than ideal quality):

On the left there’s a pair of soldiers with over-the-knee boots and on the right there’s a pair with over-the-knee gaiters (see how they go over their shoes). Thigh high boots would make more sense for a horseman, but thigh high gaiters would explain some things about his lower half, like how his boots and the thigh high part are different colors. However, there are no buttons on the sides (like gaiters have) or garters at the knee (like both stockings and gaiters had), and the thigh high part is tucked into the shoe, more like stockings rather than gaiters. In these pictures you can also see how his upper half looks incredibly similar to all four soldiers, again, even with the differences.

Now, unless galloper was keeping up with fashion until the 18th century when he stopped (he gave up I guess? said “fuck that shit” and hasn’t changed clothes for the past 300 years?), he shouldn’t be wearing an 18th century military uniform. Especially since he was shown wearing the same clothes in his execution scene (which I don’t put too much stake in considering the Jarl was in his ghost form and even the soul riders don’t have 2 sets of clothes in game).

So why does he look like this, then? The reason why he looks like a revolutionary war soldier can be traced back to the inspiration used for his design. According to Jorvikipedia, his “...design takes direct inspiration from author Washington Irving’s Headless Horseman from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow...” which explains why he looks the way he does. Jorvikipedia has been wrong before (they list his place of birth as “Jorvik (presumably)” which doesn’t fit with his backstory), but if Galloper’s design was based on the headless horseman of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (which it very likely was), it would provide justification for the 18th century look of his clothes. Washington Irving’s horseman was, after all, (alleged to be) killed during the revolutionary war in the 18th century.

It’s obvious his upper half is based on 18th century uniform, but the intention behind his lower half remains a mystery. Whether it’s meant to be stockings, gaiters, or boots, I don’t know. Theoretically, his lower half could even have been intended to be hose, braies, and shoes. But considering his entire look and the inspiration behind his design, an 18th century explanation seems more likely (I just don’t know which 18th century explanation, exactly). It would be pretty strange if half of him was medieval and the other half was from the revolutionary war era. Though, I’ll admit, it’s not completely impossible.

My theory for the contradiction between his design and his backstory is that his backstory came after his design. The 18th century look of him, along with his inspiration, and the lack of medieval elements in his design all make a compelling case for this theory. The only thing I can think of that may disprove it is his mare’s y-shaped bridle, but even that could be explained if she was designed after galloper, while his backstory was in its first stages of development (I’ll probably do another post on his horse’s tack, since this post is already long, but that’s for another day). But that’s just a theory; the star stable team could very well have just not done any research on 13th century attire, instead modeling his look on depictions of Irving’s headless horseman and adding the bridle as an indication of the origin they had already established for him.

Ok, but what about the rest? The other parts of his and his mare’s designs (color scheme, hanging pumpkin jack-o-lanterns) can be attributed to the fact that he is the halloween event character. Though his color scheme could be inspired by the headless horseman in World of Warcraft, who was introduced in 2007 (I found out about this horseman while looking into other possible inspirations for galloper’s design), all the colors seen on him and his mare (black, green, red, orange) are general Halloween colors. The hanging jack-o-lanterns are not historically accurate for the Middle Ages (or the revolutionary war era, actually) as pumpkins were not introduced into Europe until Columbus “discovered” the Americas, and did not become commonly carved into jack-o-lanterns until the 19th century in America -which was when and where “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” was published (though the pumpkin “head” was not even carved in the original story). I suppose galloper could have developed an affinity for pumpkins (and for carving them) later on (Jorvik seems to have a lot of them), but it’s more likely that they added them (to the keep and his mare’s design) based on modern halloween practices instead of historical halloweens or consideration of galloper’s feelings on pumpkins.

Ok, so we’ve established he’s not historically accurate for the 13th century, but what would his clothes look like if they were actually historically accurate? The answer is: I don’t know! Maybe I’ll do another google deep dive and make a post on that, but for now we’ve come to the end.

All of my information about historical clothing came from sorting out google results, so take the historical bits with a hefty grain of salt (more like a bowl of salt actually). If you have any actual knowledge about history, please feel free to correct me.

#i am planning on doing more of these little deep dives into what life was like back then #a large chunk of this post is a bit of a mess but oh well #sso #star stable #star stable online #galloper thompson #gunnar thrymson #tagging this #googling history #separate from the ‘me overthinking’ tag

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hundtoth · 4 years

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while this should not have to be said aloud - heathenry is not a racist faith! unfortunately, such a statement is necessary to voice... unless you’re a chauvinistic and/or a xenophobic heathen, that’s what this post pertains to: sure, it’s not untold that in the modern world heathenry has been pockmarked by the allotment of symbols seized by hate groups alongside the adulteration of our religious ‘brethren’, with hateful individuals that warp our teachings to portray their hateful demands. our much beloved germanic neopaganism has become a justification for racist behaviour, from the propaganda of the nazi party which applied many of our symbols (such as the fylfot), to the germanic people pointing with pride as the pinnacle of the aryan race. a big problem that faces the heathen practice, while it is innocuous at heart, are the attempts to bear on labels to various heathen sub-groups as ‘racist’ and ‘not racist’. it has become favoured by heathens to cleave up heathenry into splinter groups; universalism, tribalism, and folkism (as the dominant ones), which are often viewed as ‘not racist’, ‘racist?’ and ‘racist!’ respectively. let me be the one to unburden that and say that these terms are not key definitions to those three groups, and that this is the root of the problem. the issue is that these terms are neither here nor there and cannot be applied in whole to the groups that they are supposed to attain to. this is because there exists no foundation within the religion for racist beliefs, which means that those who venture into the ancient praxis could fall under the folkish bracket and may not be and are often not racist. albeit, it’s commonplace for people to label themselves such things to be closer to those who share their views on racism, but that causes some to abandon a title tailored to their practice in favor of one that doesn’t, simply to avoid the bleak implications of said title. in my mind, i believe that we should not be giving monikers to those within the faith with racist tendencies as they simply are not deserving of them. they do not deserve to ornament themselves with the title of a specific group as this just causes a continuation upon the idea that their beliefs around that area of the faith are valid, altering its meaning entirely. to clarify the true to life meanings behind these groups, as they are applied to the preferences of method of practice by each heathen, we have;

universalism - a belief that anyone, irregardless of race, gender or sexual orientation, may practice under the heathen umbrella. the universalism belief structure has been criticized often for failing to motivate its followers to the same depth as others, and allowing the prevalence of contrary philosophies to those present within heathenry. universalists reproduce declaration 127, also known as havamal-stanza 127, which can be cherished by anyone for its simple utterance of: recognize evil, speak out against it, and give no truces to your enemies. however, declaration 127 is denounced commonly due to its poor efforts (similar to the criticism of social media campaigns for ‘likes’ with no physical backing) and it’s false sense of security within heathenry.

tribalism - considered to be ‘in the middle’ by many heathens. tribalists try to vindicate the old and new methods through moderate reconstructionalism, and have a tendency to conceptualise ethnic heritage without maintaining boundaries within practice. the purest way to describe a tribalist is a practicing heathen that integrates the ‘old ways’ into their lifestyle, and they often assert that one must earn the title of heathen - that it doesn’t matter who you are, you must put in the effort and study, which may span years.

folkism - folkist beliefs carry the most stigma, in which racist beliefs are widespread, claiming that germanic paganism is an ethnic right. while this is not always the case, it gives the impression that germanic paganism is only open to those with a connection to the germanic peoples, in a ‘heretic’ kind of way. within folkism, there exists a cross-section as to how this should be enforced, though it is unclouded that it has become a seedbed for racism within the overarching faith that is often under-fire for being contradictory to itself with no substantive evidence that the nordic peoples were racist.

what these terms have set out to do is prognosticate the beliefs of heathens away from how they comfortably choose to practice their faith. the three groups aforementioned fell into those titles not solely due to racism but to essentially describe a heathens practice through daily life. these terms inflict uncertainty to several thought processes within heathenry where race is not a factor, thus cold-shouldering heathens who heed to such traditions when they are presumed to be mirroring the racist views held by their counterparts under the tribalist or folkish stamps which have precured their titles because of racist prospects, not because of how they adopt practice, which is the true basis of these terms. in retrospect, trying to rank the groups within heathenry with the aim of plucking out a method of practice under ‘racism’ only adds more conflict to our community as a whole. i suggest that, especially to new heathens, you should explore these groups further to better your understanding of the people that you may be dealing with and what their ideas are but, be mindful of the fact that you are not required to declare yourself as anything, as these terms tend to only exist as a guide into finding like-minded people. additionally, it would be baseless to create suppositions about anyone within heathenry for the titles that they have chosen to align under as each group is diverse, not only in its members but in its beliefs. another important concept to mention when discussing racism in heathenry are the origins of germanic paganism. germanic ancestors adored the idea of ancestry through honour and worship, and as they would of been white, such ancestors must of been white, too. this would give the impression that when one turns their hand to ancestral veneration within heathenry, while not being white, by very definition they would be inclined to practice their own ancestral faith, which would not be heathenry - because they are not white. to connect to one’s ancestors, many heathens find it essential to practice their ancestral ways through faith and culture, but when someone has no nordic ancestry, heathens may imply that other heathens should be following their own ancestry instead, which is quite paradoxical and backs many people into a corner. an argument often occurs within heathenry regarding spirituality and how it is ‘passed through the ages’, validated by claims that we assume elements of our fate and soul from our lineage and how our ancestors could be reincarnated as a factor of that. as such, it is only those with nordic ancestry who may hear the call of the old gods. they attempt to rationalize this by claiming that white people cannot feel the call of other ancestral ways and other religions, and thus is all fair and equal. however, when we are called back to the ‘old ways’, the old ways are our own individual pasts, as something ingrained into our spiritual histories. for those who are non-whites, this path would not be heathenry, at least according to those who convey this claim. withal, symbols, in my own opinion, have greater intrigue for racists undertaking heathenry above all, with many already falling victim to the racist facets of such symbols whilst being used erroneously by hate groups for many years. additionally, new symbols are often purloined and misappropriated, rather than observed as segments of a faithful movement, instead they are seen as the ideograms of ancient whites; mjolnir, runic othala, valknut and ravens, amongst many more. as mentioned in an earlier paragraph, many symbols now associated with the nazi regime (the SS and swastika) are, or were, once deep-heathen symbolism. ofcourse, the swastika is immediate throughout history but if we were to be straight-thinking, we can surmise that the nazis used it for its association to heathenry, not its association to buddhism, etc. even if these people understood the symbols that they clutched on to and their authentic meanings in a religious sense, they are still related to the previously mentioned concepts within the origins that they have already manipulated to suit themselves, for example, the othala rune, which at a very basic level relates to heritage and ancestry. with a racists obsession with white ancestry, its very easy to see why an ancestral symbol from a white culture would be appealing. within this post, i have tried to emphasise that there is no basis for racism within heathenry if one was to, with all intents and purposes, understand heathen-history and its logic. here are a select few reasons as to why i personally think that any racist who applies heathenry to validate their intolerant opinions are both wrong and uneducated:

assuming that one’s spiritual inclination was genetic, which a vast majority of pagans today discredit, it simply wouldn’t matter. conducting a shallow study on genetics would reveal that it would be almost impossible in the ever-present to have a direct gene from any ancestor who would have been pagan in the viking era. some of the most controversially racist heathens today haven’t had a directly european ancestor in the last 200 years, oops! to paraphrase wayland skallagrimsson, there have been roughly 50 generations between the end of ancient heathenry and today, which means that for most people, contributions to DNA from any heathen ancestor amount to ‘less than 1 ten-trillionth of one percent’. contributions from christian ancestors would be 25-50% of one's genes. let us entertain the concept that one had inherited the genes of their heathen ancestors, scientists largely agree that thoughts and beliefs are culturally influenced anyway. while it is understood that mental illnesses can be inherited, they hold basis not in memory but in brain development, hormonal signals and genetically encoded processes within the body. perhaps it is true, after all, there is the disorder of victim mentality where one believes themselves to be under constant attack, so perhaps racists are just merely ill? poor souls.

there exists no single indication within the eddas and sagas of racial exclusion. our ancient germanic ancestors were well travelled and would have had a large sense of worldliness, caring little about those of other ethnicity, otherwise we would have a myth expanding upon that. in point of fact, odin seeks knowledge from the jötuns who, from a mythological standpoint, represent the ‘outsiders’. despite being the adversaries to the gods on almost all occasions, they often married into the aesir and were included amongst the figureheads (see loki and skadi), and had children together that were pivtotal to the tale of the world, such as magni and modi, children to thor and the jötun named jarnsaxa, whom of which are not only divine, but so pure that they take up the role of thor, and his hammer, after ragnarok to be the defenders of all. the mixing of the ‘outsiders’ to the central gods conveys a pespective from the ancients that position of birth has no bearing on one’s own ability to be pure and welcome.

similarly, there exists no historical evidence to say that ancient germanics were inherently racist. ibn fadhlan, an arabian traveller with produced written works on the germanic people of his age, was entitled to observe and learn of the ‘northern way’, involving himself in rites, alongside slaves who were integrated into the culture and religion historically - which is how we now have accounts of such things. not only do we have have the assimilation of others into the norse culture, we also have norsemen’s graves decorated with arabic emblems, proposing that they themselves diverged from their own ‘righteous path’, to be open and embracing of other cultures and faiths. in fact, germanics have been depicted on many occasions to have participated in the religious celebrations of the cultures to which they travelled, most notably the baptism of king radbod, in honor of a christian friend. additonally, archaeologists have deliberated in many different practices that the norse learnt skills and adopted traits from other cultures, such as the filling of teeth, prior to the occurrence of those practices in nordic culture, telling us that they took back cultural idiosyncrasies of other cultures to their own homelands - our faith would not have kept body and soul together without the aid of many ancient scholars belonging to other creeds and races, and it is a disgrace to disregard them today.

my final disproof is purely opinionated, which is that racism as a whole goes against the very tenants of heathenry. to strive to bar another person from coming into your ‘territory’ shows an acknowledgement of threat from that person. a threat, of course, can only be a threat if you acknowledge that they could overtake you, should you be weak. so, in being racist and fearing the prevalence of other races, racist whites are putting themselves into a position of weakness and equality with those other races. after all, if they weren’t equal certainly it wouldn’t take any effort at all on the part of the white peoples to be dominant, right? no! racism is cowardly and shows an easily wounded ego on the part of the racist; some of the greatest insults in the old norse language are to be weak and cowardly, and thus it is impossible for any racist to truly uphold the values of heathenry.

#heathen #heathenry #heathens against hate #pagan #paganism #neopaganism #norse #norse mythology #norse paganism #asatru #aesir #vanir #vanic #religion #history #worship #vikings

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flashfuture · 3 years

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Follow up questions because I’m a Nerd and I love learning: is there any evidence to suggest frequent inclusion of women in Scandinavian warfare? Or is finding something like women’s armor rare? Was there a standard definition of any queer terminology in any ancient civilization? Did any Norse culture ever find its way to the Middle East???

I feel a bit like an over eager student writing this but uh...I’m very curious. 👀👀

When talking about women in Scandinavia you run into people describing how it appeared these women would take on the role of men in the absence of men. But I think there is an issue in that we’re assuming the role of women in these societies would match the role of an Ancient Greek woman (which is a whole other thing but I digress)

They’ve found that some of the founding fathers of Iceland were women, thirteen of them to be exact. women could inherit land and money from their parents. Women could be involved in legal matters and hold official positions.

There is lots of evidence that women were very frequently going raiding. They have been debating recently I believe if the term dregnr a young warrior really was only applied to men. Young women were described in the same vulgar terms as dominators and something we discuss in ancient Rome was the ideal of male “hardness” basically just being the top dog in the room. Women were the same in Ancient cultures if not expected to hold themselves differently but Skalds (the poets) describe the women just like the men.

Another thing quite recently (1993 so really recent in terms of historical archives) is the idea of the surrogate son. Basically, if a man died with no son to inherit a surrogate son would be chosen over a daughter. It has recently been noted that they very well could have been describing the daughter as a surrogate son. Someone to take up that male role of head of the household. This suggests in the sagas we have noted women but there is also a possibility for women to be described with male traditional words because of the role they were playing.

And we have found tons of armor that looks ceremonially and some battle worn for women yep. All women could fight though it was excepted they could defend themselves and their home front. Against potential attackers and wild animals.

Plus in the 13th century, the Christians introduced the Law of Gulathing which were sets of rules for people to follow. Women were then banned from cutting their hair like men, dressing like men, or in general behaving like men. This suggests It was common enough for them to throw it in the laws that banned traditional things that Scandinavians did that did not fit the Christian narrative or way of life.

-- This is gonna go under the cut for the rest cause wow I got long lol.

Okay queer terminology. You’ll see lesbian which was women who fucks women. and you’ll see penetrator a lot. These were slave cultures also so the idea of sleeping with another citizen was defiling them you shouldn’t do it.

In Ancient Athens, you saw men preferred the company of men over women because they didn’t think women were of value they were only good for producing heirs. There was a thing called pederasty where a wealthy man in his 20s, the erastes, would court a young wealthy man from the ages of 13-19, the eromenos, and teach him and keep him as a lover. Their debate over Achillies and Patroclus for example wasn’t if they were sleeping together but who was fucking who really. Because Patroclus was older but Achillies was the hero so was he being emasculated or were they breaking the age rule? That was their debate cause these things mattered to them

They were kinda the exception to the citizenship rule. The Spartans felt the pederastry was weird because it involved citizens but they were all in with the homo. Obviously, this was all very public and you’d be scorned if they thought you were being penetrated.

All in all, being penetrated was something women and slaves did and the last thing you wanted to be was a woman.

Another thing to consider was these cultures had a lot of problems with excess. So too much sex or food and in Rome you were a uh Cnidus? Idk I can only spell it in Greek which is staggeringly unhelpful but basically, you can’t control your urges. Based off that time someone tried to fuck a statue I think or something like that

The Norse had a similar word ergi which meant you had too much heterosexual sex actually, you were too promiscuous. In the 12th century we know in Iceland homosexual acts like sodomy were banned under Christian canon (Thanks Richard I of England) so there is that. Pre-Christian influence there seemed to be no stigma around this minus don’t force yourself on your friends that’s rude but slaves were fair game. (I wrote a paper on the weird stereotypes of Vikings being the sexual aggressors when the literature of the time suggests the Lotharingians were way way more likely to commit those acts. At least according to French who were besieged constantly by everyone all the time.)

níð was an insult for the ancient norse which basically you had displayed unmanliness. Or you liked to take it up the ass to be plain about it. (Ancient people were vulgar as shit the Romans were obsessed with sexual threats to the point where its just in common day-to-day speech.) Ragr was a term that meant you were unmanly which is much more severe and you could like legally kill someone for saying that up till the 13th century.

There is actually some debate that the concept of unmanly comes from making fun of the Germans. So like if you were Ancient Germanic or Ancient Brittania you were the savages of the day. Which is interesting when you consider the rhetoric those two countries put out. Like literally no one like the Germans or the Brits they thought they were filthy uncivilized and cowardly people.

Also fun from the 7th to 10th century in Norse culture there were these figurines called gold foil couples. In it a couple would be portrayed which was a way of proclaiming themselves married before the gods. It was a very religious practice for them. There are figurines depicting people of the same sex in the gold foil figurines.

Basically, we can thank Christianity for why we think the Vikings didn’t do homosexuality or homosexual acts. Because well they didn’t want them to starting in the 12th century again thanks Richard for having the worst break up with your boyfriend in the history of break ups.

And onto gender which if you know Loki from Marvel him being genderfluid is based entirely on mythology and is common in Norse writings. Okay so essentially we think of seiðr or magic as something women do. And they did too. But men did practice it. This was seen as a third gender in Norse culture, the seiðmaðr a man who practices magic. Hence Loki moving between the three as he’s a known magic-user. There was also this concept of gender mixing, biological men buried in traditionally female clothing. But there is no way for us to know if that is this third gender or potentially they were more excepting of what we would call transgender.

Because most of the writings we have come from the 13th century where Christianity really took over and just started making shit up. Like we have evidence they were trying to cover up things about Norse culture they didn’t like. So men who practiced seiðr were actually ergi and not a different gender, just an unmanly male.

So yeah lol these were acts they did so verbs can be found really easily. But we have mostly Icelandic stuff cause Christians they did fucked up shit

And the Vikings in the Middle East. They went all over. We have this assumption they were raiding whenever they went. Actually, the thing is they only raided northern Europe because they rightfully assumed those guys couldn’t fight back.

But they had trading agreements easily with the Greeks, Persians, and Abbassids mostly. There is a woman from Sweden who was buried with a ring that was inscribed with “For/To Allah”

The Arabs had the term Rusiyyah to describe the Vikings because they came so often. They noted that the Rusiyyah were not good at practicing hygiene but also describe their bodies as being “in perfect form” They liked a good ripped viking and I can appreciate that. They were like “they’re filthy but damn are those rusiyyah built”

Baghdad had the first real market place and they had paper from China so they were printing stuff into books which the Vikings found very interesting. There was so much international trade but the British and Germans who we mostly hear from now were so technologically unadvanced there was no way they could have participated with these other older cultures.

There is money found sometimes that was certainly viking in nature. They didn’t really have money like the Arabs at the time preferring to trade in goods. So they offered furs and silks along with weapons and slaves.

And it is possible that there was culture exchange as all cultures were being exchanged back then. We know some vikings converted to Islam as Arab writers commented that they missed pork dearly but were committed to the Path of Islam.

The Slavs or Rus (Russians) of the time were also annoyed with these viking raiders because their shit would get stolen and then sold to Arabia where they’d have to buy it back usually.

So yeah lots of trading going on. And many Vikings like I mentioned worked as bodyguards or mercenaries. We don’t know much of what the Vikings thought except that the writers in Arab noted they were very polite to their hosts if not aggressive with each other in a playful manner.

Lol you really let my nerd pop off here. I’d have to do more research into the Norse effect on the Middle East though cause I only know about the other way around off the top of my head here.

#ask #history #me and my nerd brain

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princesswondora · 4 years

Text

Hindsight

Running probably isn’t the smartest decision I’ve made seeing as just two months ago I couldn’t go up the stairs without needing to sit down to catch my breath. Yet I have decided that running is the thing that will save me from all this frustration. Because, honestly, being incapable of doing something I used to do well is incredibly frustrating. Sure I was running incredibly slow with lots of walk breaks before, but that was mostly because I was just out of shape. Being out of shape is definitely easier to fix than potentially permanent lung and maybe even heart damage.

Stupidly, I had signed up for several races this fall. The Wonder Woman 10k of course because I cannot resist anything labeled “Wonder Woman” and the OUC Half Marathon in Orlando (the virtual option). I have done the OUC half for the past three years so missing a year just seemed wrong. I realize that life changes and such, but right now having a tiny bit of consistency sounded like it would fix all my problems. I realize in hindsight that that argument rarely applies and in fact consistency and normalcy could actually hurt me more. But hey, it’s 2020 and so is hindsight.

Given that I am now signed up for these races, I figured I should probably actually do something to get ready for them so I don’t completely die, just partially. Seeing as the OUC half is December 5th and the 10k results are due November 11th, I figured I could now use the 10k as more or less a halfway mark in my training. I can more or less get through a 5k right now so at least I’m not starting completely from scratch.

I’ve been adopting something called the Jeff Galloway Training Method. Have you ever seen those people during races who seem like they must be dying because they run for about a minute and then walk for 30 seconds then take off running again? Apparently that’s the Galloway Method. The Viking in me believes that it’s most honorable to just run the whole thing and never walk, but the Viking in me also signed up for those races after surviving a deadly disease. That’s to say, the Viking in me is often very incorrect and makes stupid decisions out of pride. The Galloway Method has actually proven to be more effective in many cases because the tiny walking breaks allow for the legs to recover just a bit; however, the breaks are never small enough to require a noticeable running pace change to make up the time. Given that my lungs can survive about 3-5 minutes of running before I’m gasping for air and feel like death, the Galloway Method might be the only way I’ll ever get through any run for the foreseeable future.

I gave this method a try yesterday while attempting a 10k run. I’m not sure why I thought I was ready for such a grand feat. My guess is my Viking took over and decided that I was going to do it whether or not I was ready. Damn you, stupid Viking... Turns out, as pretty much anyone could have deduced, I was not ready for a 10k. I barely made it through the 5k. Since I live in Florida and it’s never not hot, even at night, I was sweating profusely by the end of the first kilometer. By the 3rd kilometer, I had to extend one of my walking breaks from one minute to five minutes to catch my breath, which was still ragged and wheezing when I started the running cycle again. When I reached the 5k marker, I just gave up. I was tired, thirsty, out of breath, and the ice cream and stir fry I ate right before running had turned into a molten ball of lead in my abdomen.

This was when the anxiety decided to step in for a bit. Quick note about running anxiety: apparently some runners are prone to panic attacks while running because their bodies are having so many panic attack symptoms just from running (elevated heart rate, sweating, shortness of breath, etc.) that the body actually triggers a panic attack. This is definitely one of the more stupid evolutionary developments our body has ever made. And yet, this is what my body decided to do. It was difficult to notice between the COVID wheezing, the running wheezing, and the humidity. I only noticed it because my brain started saying that I was going to just fall over and die and no one would notice. Or worse, someone would notice and that would just be embarrassing. Plus I didn’t have a mask. What if someone approached me without a mask? What if the ambulance didn’t have a mask for me?? HOW WILL I PAY FOR THE AMBULANCE???

Thankfully, that last spiral helped me catch the anxiety pretty early on. I was able to call my sister and talk with her about random nonsense for a little bit. While she wouldn’t have been able to actually do anything to help me physically, it was a good distraction. I highly recommend having at least one person that you can call during moments of running anxiety. It helps to have an external person tell you to take a deep breath.

Definitely plan out your water too. This was something I did not do. Plunking some water bottles down along the route before running is ideal. I even have little water bottles that can be carried easily. Yet I did not bring these with me or put my water out before the run. This lead me to the gas station at around the 7k marker. Since I had no mask, I tied my shirt around my face like a hot pink ninja. The gas station had a soda machine with the blue Powerade, which conveniently was what I wanted. Then to decide on the size. My options were Tiny (small), Medium (medium), Mega (large), and Maximum (child sized???). I felt that calling a small soda “tiny” was rather inaccurate given the fact that a small coffee in Iceland is less than one shot. If anything, the smallest size in Iceland should be called “tiny.” However, I suppose “tiny” was accurate in comparison to “Maximum” which was an entire 45 fl. oz. Naturally, as an American, I selected Maximum. This cup was so large my Viking-sized hand cramped up trying to carry it, which was honestly one of the most American problems I’ve ever had maybe only second to hurting my jaw trying to stuff my burger in my face.

I did finish the full 10k, running the first half using the Galloway Method and walking the second half with a much too large bucket of Powerade. It was definitely a struggle I was not yet ready for though. There’s no shame in taking it a bit easy, I guess. All we can ever do is listen to our bodies and let them tell us what we need. Hindsight may be 20/20, but that doesn’t mean that foresight has to be blind. Don’t let your stumbles become faceplants.

#runblr #running #running diary #run #covidquarantine #covid-19 #recovery #eating disoder recovery #mental health #covid recovery #health #fitness #fitspo #fitblr #runner girl #runner

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incarnateirony · 4 years

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I'm curious, do you think that theory that Lucifer is Jottun makes sense? To me it feels weird, but this is your lane and you have way more knowledge about this.

Okay so first of all, wtf tumblr why is your cut INSIDE THE ASK and fucking up my post

Moving on:

I... is this like, a show theory that someone came up with? Or are you talking like, in general mythology?

(Edit: I realized I postured this from the angle of assuming we’re talking about the widely received idea of Lucifer in modern culture; if I was wrong about that, lemme know -- I do drift into the NONCHRISTIAN Greek Lucifer as well, which you’ve seen me talk about with Phanes before on this blog)

I’ve never heard a serious statement (or at least one that held up if gently poked) about this as much as a general correlation (IE, Promethean deities if you will, which would correspond Lucifer to Loki, though I highly disagree with that assessment for other reasons as well) -- or various theory parallels where the Jotun are parallel to everything from Titans to Nephilim.

Generally the Luciferian/Satanic iconization of Loki came from later transcriptions of eddas by Christian monks. Then again, the idea of Satan himself came from the jews taking on Zoroastrian beliefs after captivity so fuck all flips table

The last thing I’ve seen that tried to draw any kind of correlation about it had some nonsense trying to equate Azazel to Hermes too and a whole other mess of madness.

Without tracking the anthropology and etymology of a situation though, you end up with a mess, and there’s a lot of those out there. If you google long and hard enough, Lucifer is everyone. He’s Cronus, he’s Hyperion, he’s Prometheus, he’s Loki, he’s like half the native american spirits, he’s also somehow half the angels and demons in the bible and apocryphal scripture, depending on how far down a rabbit hole someone wants to go, he’s Santa or a tempting sandwich on tuesdays.

This got long so I’m putting it behind a cut -- it seems to drift but to truly answer this ask, or more answer why I don’t even have a direct statement to answer it, required some -- explanation and history

Helel is a stronger thing to lean into for example. The anthropology tracks, the mythos tracks, etc. Hell, look up Jewish beliefs on fallen angels, satan, lucifer or whatever and realize Christianity has really taken judaism for a joyride while gluing shit over their homework. Hell like, check out the history of jewish captivity under Nebuchadnezzar II and how Zoroastrianism influenced judaism/the very belief of satan/eventual conflation with Lucifer -- there’s debate on whether the Morning Star, mentioned as the King of Babylon, who made them work and toil, was Nebuchadnezzar himself. Which would make, Lucifer, um. Some king dude that died 2600 years ago, give or take.

I am-- very slow to draw angelic associations. That’s not to say they don’t happen. You can, say, track the fall of the grigori and follow their mentioned path to egypt where they "became kings”, and follow which ones disseminated into which cultures how by comparing their attributes, sure. But with something like, say, Lucifer, which is a mythological clusterfuck to itself, considering everything in the public mind about Lucifer modernly is an amalgam of everything from multiple names in the same sacred text to adaptations from influencing religions/weird reads on the transcriptions from people that didn’t know their history/etc, I’m not gonna be like LUCIFER IS JOTUN any more than LUCIFER IS A TITAN or LUCIFER IS A NEPHILIM.

Could there be a correlation for that? Sure I guess. But of the many things I have studied or dealt with, I’ve seen some shit. I’ve seen some SHIT. And never once have I encountered a Lucifer that was legit, if you believe in spoopy shit. Various shit loves using the name as a quick cred card but that’s the equivalent of a nigerian prince facebook scam that’s totes in the US Army Doug David Donnie Darko Davis, very believable. But you know what? I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s Lucifer these days. Whoever was identified as it originally 1. probably put on magical witness protection and changed names by now 2. has been utterly lost by time and has been replaced more with a /concept/ than a /being/. But the modern concepts are so vague it’s like hiding a blue chip in a pool, have fun finding it, and I’ve definitely never been compelled to do so.

I’m sure racially speaking one could say “angels might be aesir” “demons might be jotun” and draw a reasonable argument about it with enough effort, but that’d be more like... systemic translation of thousands-years-old stories traveled over the lands, at which point the question is less “Is Lucifer Jotun?” and more “What would the Aesir and Jotun be in abrahamic text equivalency?”

Curiously I’ve never seen anybody go bananas over this shit to find correlations for anything ~other~ than Christian-outward -- Christian texts always want to make their people everybody else’s people, but nobody is fighting to be referenced by christianity and even less are trying to compare say, Zoroastrianism or Islam or anything else to what gods THEY might be -- even though Zoroastrianism is literally where half this stuff came from, where ideas of archangelic-like creatures and archdemons came from, where the afterlife, where it all came from. So I struggle, deeply, to associate Lucifer with anything specific for a long, long list of reasons but find this a particularly weird thing. Like when’s the last time you heard a muslim or taoist or any other major world religion right now go out and be like “YOU KNOW WHO I THINK (ENTITY) IS, I BET ITS THIS GREEK/NORSE DUDE RIGHT HERE”-- it’s just a Christian culture thing?? IDK???

And again sometimes it’s even /valid/ but I just-- Lucifer is such a Topic(TM) to me. Because to me, he’s a concept, an idea, an archetype, but if there ever was an individual Lucifer that dude got himself a face transplant and fucked off a long time ago IMO so good luck

cuz like

Interpretations of a similar term in the Hebrew Bible, translated in the King James Version as "Lucifer" as a proper name, led to a Christian tradition of applying the name Lucifer, and its associated stories of a fall from heaven, to Satan, but modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passage, (Isaiah 14:12), as "morning star" or "shining one" rather than as a proper name, "Lucifer".

As a name for the Devil, the more common meaning in English, "Lucifer" is the rendering of the Hebrew word הֵילֵל‎ (transliteration: hêylêl; pronunciation: hay-lale) in Isaiah (Isaiah 14:12) given in the King James Version of the Bible. The translators of this version took the word from the Latin Vulgate, which translated הֵילֵל by the Latin word lucifer (uncapitalized) meaning "the morning star, the planet Venus", or, as an adjective, "light-bringing".

As a name for the planet in its morning aspect, "Lucifer" (Light-Bringer) is a proper name and is capitalized in English. In Greco-Roman civilization, it was often personified and considered a god and in some versions considered a son of Aurora (the Dawn). A similar name used by the Roman poet Catullus for the planet in its evening aspect is "Noctifer" (Night-Bringer).

You’d probably have a better chance of coherently inferring that Lucifer is actually Inanna or Ishtar the goddess, as Venus, or that Lucifer is Aphrodite. ORIGINALLY IT WAS FUCKING HELEL.

A suggested methodology on this: Never ever ever start from Christian texts. Like ever. Much less without at least a single Daf Yomi run to actually understand the jewish texts before it got super renovated and had white-out slapped all over it. Christianity generally perished anything after it, or at best attached like a symbiote until the host entity or belief was gone. Hell, sometimes the greecoroman Lucifer is the son of Eoster. Sound familiar? Hot take: Lucifer is Easter confirmed Easter is Satan worship.

See how that can be kinda... faulty? If you want to understand it though-- figure out where the same concept went? GO BACKWARDS. Never go FORWARDS. Pick up those christian and jewish texts and go. BACKWARDS. Akkadian. Babylonian. Because once you realize what was clipped out of other faiths, you can go back to that core deity and start figuring out where it branched off in other directions than eventually being kidnapped into the messianic cult bag. THEN go forward in time and realize that christianity is just an itty bitty teeny tiny branch of our history, it just swamped us over time via extermination. So you can find Lucifer as just about anyone, because respectively, ask a room full of rabbis and pastors to write down every time Lucifer is mentioned by name in original text form in the bible before translation and rendition. The rabbis are gonna giggle and the pastors are gonna be deadass wrong, sorry.

You wanna play a game? “Is Asmodeus Aesir?”

folds arms I’ma let you sit here scratching your heads about that for a while.

Because it’s gonna take going backwards. Who was the babylonian form of Asmodeus? When did the name ASMODEUS happen? What name did it have even in jewish texts? Or which branch of names? What did that deity evolve into in less calvinistic or messianic circles? Yes, you can track this. Yes, you CAN find how it translated into greece far and away from abrahamic or calvinistic influence, or to the vikings, or anyone else if you chase the crumbs enough, but again, there’s-- entire things to review about systemic beliefs and translations/hot takes. Same shit, different label in most places, sure, but-- eh.

Ranting a bit at this point but if anyone takes anything out of this:

Pinpoint when/where/why names originated

Go backwards first, not forward

Find the anchor belief/origin/story

Find where it branched

respect the branches and deviations as unique renditions within cultures while equally respecting the fact that there’s some truth in all beliefs and we’re all trying to describe the same shit. So could Lucifer be Jotun, I guess. But we’d have to hold nuanced discussion about the journey of the narrative from A to B and how the Aesir and Jotun correspond at large.

Anthropology and etymology are key. Where did people travel, how did they write, what did it mean. Don’t look only for very specific affiliations.

Hell let me take a quote from-- a place.

Here is how a pantheon actually comes together.

First deity: “Shit. My people were conquered and my religion just blowed up. I’m out of a job”

Second deity: “Me too.”

Third deity: “Hey, you look like that Lightning God the mortals in that place over there are telling stories about.”

Two deities at the same time: “We’re lightning gods too, though!”

Third deity: “Well, shit. You, on the left, you’re better looking. Best you be in charge.”

First deity: “Screw you! I’m bigger than all of you!”

Second deity: “Whatever. You’re a thug. Go rule the sea.”

First deity: “What? I’m a god of paternity!”

Second deity: “Paternity’s moist. That’s very similar.”

Meanwhile, you guys on Earth are all like, “Oh, Hermes is younger than Apollon.” Like its a fact. Like I wasn’t some Proto-Indo-Eurpean god of Penises and Serpents and outcroppings of stone long before anyone was ever speaking Greek.

And while we’re at the bastardized rerolling of mythologies, most heavily performed by christianity, I point you to that last line, regarding Baal Peor, and raise you:

youtube

If people noticed that video was sassier than normal, there’s a reason.

Let’s say you had a super interesting life and people kept telling your story, but over time, as it spread around the world, the telephone game got warped into several very different things. In some you’re even the villain, in some you have a giant dick, and in others you saved the world. All of these were somehow inspired by you and your story, but none of the people at the end of the story are necessarily ~you~. But someone has to figure out where the story started to find who ~you~ are, even if there’s tales of things you did, or supposedly did, all over the place. And sometimes people also take any word that sounds like your name and make it you. So if your name was Ted, you’d also end up with all kinds of shit like Bed Dead Fed Head Jed Lead Ned Red Wed and Zed when they come up suddenly all get replaced by the word/name Ted and that’s it, that’s your mythology.

#pagan life

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bloodwynes · 4 years

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OOC Q’s!

1. What do you want to get out of playing this character(s)?

I mean, I get enjoyment out of playing any of my chars, so that’s probably my main motivation.

2. Describe your character(s) with three words.

Protective, troubled, tired

3. What made you decide to write this muse?

I’ve been writing her since I was 16 and I adore her, she’s a dumbass, she’s dealing with a whole lot of shit, and I kinda relate to her in some aspects. There’s different versions of her, and I really like this one I’m writing here in TI.

4. If you could change one event in your muse’s life (in their main or canon verse), what would you change?

The disastrous relationship that she now has with her daughter. If Booker had managed to kill the witch that cursed Philippa, the girl never would’ve become bitter and dangerous. Booker feels terrible because she believes it is her fault that her daughter turned out to be a monster, but in other universes they have a real good relationship, with Booker being a queen and Philippa as the spymaster of the court. I miss them being okay with each other, they were an unstoppable team (and Zara was alive too!)

5. If you could tell your muse one thing, what would you tell them?

“I adore you and I feel bad for all the terrible, terrible shit I’ve put you through, but holy fucking shit woman, you always get away with everything. I’m surprised you haven’t been punched in the face more often. You’ve done stuff here that makes me damn mad, pls learn to be better.”

6. If you could give your muse one gift, what would you give them?

A kitten. Crazy cat lady can always have more cats around.

7. If you had to take one positive thing away from your muse, what would you take away?

Her protectiveness. What would Booker be without her desire to keep others safe? Just a selfish, angry drunk. If she lost that aspect of her personality she’d be lost, she’d be nothing.

8. If you could “borrow” one aspect of your muse and apply it to yourself or your own life, what would you borrow?

Gimme those mma skills plz omfg. How AWESOME would it be to have those fighting skills!? They could be so useful.

9. Do you genuinely want your muse to be happy? What do you think would make them most happy in life?

I want this idiot to be happy, she’s an ass sometimes but she deserves happiness. I know she will probably never admit it, because she wants to believe she doesn’t need anyone else in order to be happy, but boy is she lying hard to herself. She’s pretty traditional in some senses, and honestly? All she wants is a family, even if she keeps saying that she does NOT want kids. She wants a house in the woods or the beach, a wife, kids and a whole lotta pets. It’s not super exciting, but that’s the whole point! With how rough and crazy her life has been, she craves nothing more than a little stability and just a very simple life.

10. Do you enjoy putting your muse through angst? What do you think would break their heart the most?

I do enjoy it sometimes cause a little angst is always necessary to make things fun imo, but I don’t want her character to always revolve around angst, or constantly be part of super angsty situations, I like to mix things up. Being unable to protect others is the one thing that will definitely break her heart, mostly because her being unable to protect others in the past has cost lives and her daughter’s well-being. She feels it’s her duty to keep her loved ones safe no matter what, and if she is unable to protect them she feels as if she’s failed them, creating a feeling of worthlessness. It’s kinda what happened to her when she lost her eye, she became unable to fight, so she had no idea what to do, how to help others or keep going so she just… pushed everyone away and vanished. Was it right? Nope, she fucked up big time. Is she ever going to admit she did something bad and hurt lots of people she cared about? Also no, she’s tired and done but she’s still goddamn stubborn.

11. What do you love about your muse?

How goofy she can be, despite everything she’s been through. Yeah, she can be grumpy and mean as hell sometimes, but she still has a side of her that’s super sweet and fun and sooooo loving.

12. What do you hate about your muse?

She needs to stop being so stubborn. This woman will never admit she is wrong and will ALWAYS play the victim. Sometimes I feel like she really needs to grow up.

13. What about your muse amuses you?

The amount of shit she’s been through. Her poor body doesn’t have more space for scars, and yet she keeps on being an angry hothead that seeks fights, despite being tired and super done with everything. I’m surprised she’s been able to go on this long. Right now the fire that made her fight for important things has waned and died out, so now she mostly just gets into senseless bar fights.

14. What about your muse makes you sad?

Her own family hates her guts, except for Lys, and she lost the one person who loved her the most. Her mother treated her like shit all her life, and when Booker finally ran off and found someone who truly loved her, who made her feel like she belonged, this person died. She has lost way too many people, and she grew up hearing how terrible she is and how she doesn’t deserve her wings. She’s excellent at hiding it but BOY IS THIS WOMAN’S SELF ESTEEM LOW.

15. How would you describe your muse to someone about to meet them, in person, for the first time?

“You are gonna recognize her immediately. Tall, with a thick accent, and a mane of red hair. Seriously, it’s like she got pulled out of a Vikings episode or something. Don’t mind her humor, she’s a bit awkward but she’s fun to have around.”

16. Would you like your muse as a person if you met them in real life?

I think I’d have a crush on her if I’m being completely honest. Now, if I got to know her better? Idk, she’s intense and I’m way too lazy, but I’d think she’s cool.

17. In what ways are you better than your muse? In what ways are they better than you?

Im not a hothead like her, or egotistical and violent, so I guess I could say I’m better at handling my emotions than her. Booker is wild, a bit unpredictable and super volatile, I’m glad to be the opposite most of the time lol. Now, she’s better than me in the aspects that she can fight really damn well and I’m barely a yellow/white belt in karate, she can also cook really well while I’m here burning boiled water, among a LOT of other things, because this woman has been around for 400 years and knows how to do many things.

18. Why do you think you connect to your muse?

Well, unfortunately we share something that I definitely wouldn’t have added if I knew it was gonna happen to me too later on, cause it brings back a lot of pain. We recently lost a family member at the hands of someone violent and dangerous. We have to live on with that loss, knowing that the person who killed our family member is still out there, living. It hits way too close to home, and I don’t think I’d ever be able to explain the level of anger and pain I feel with words, so I get how Booker feels, I get why she is angry, why she is drunk, why she feels helpless and has zero fucks to give now. It is something so deeply personal, so wild to people who haven’t experienced something like it, and like… it hurts, a lot, but here we are, still existing, still going on, and trying to make damn sure we keep the memory of those we lost alive.

19. What aspect of your muse’s personality is most important to you? What aspect of your muse’s personality do you think is most important to them? Is it the same? Why or why not?

I think the most important aspect of her personality is her protectiveness, and she’d probably say the same. Booker lives to protect others, in the other places I wrote her she was a Queen, and a really good one might I add, because she was fiercely protective of her people and her family. Booker is a guardian, that’s her whole thing.

20. Has your character(s) changed over the time that you have been playing them? How have they changed?

I actually started writing the accent™️ now, so that’s new. Other things that have changed is her personality in general, she’s a bit shyer than before, overall the things I’ve changed are just small details that probably aren’t very recognizable, with the exception of a few bigger details. She’s also drinking a bit more, it’s starting to become a problem. She’s not doing great, but she’s good at hiding it (kinda?). She’s also a little more aware of what she wants in life right now, her views on some things have changed. For example, before she left, she just craved adventure and an exciting life, I decided to change this, now she wants simplicity, she wants a family. She is not the same person she was before I took a break from TI, and the changes will begin to seep out slowly.

#theinstitutetask #tw: death #tw: alcohol #proceed at your own risk

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alwaysahiccupandastrid · 5 years

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Okay so I get that part of the beauty of films is that everyone takes away something different from them, but I just want to say that I personally don’t get how people can watch HTTYD3 and think that the message is trying to force “romantic love over friendship love”.

When Stoick says “there’s no greater gift than love”, I think he’s talking about love in general. There’s love between lovers, sure, but also it cuts to Hiccup and Toothless afterwards because they have a love for each other as friends (perhaps even similar to brothers you could argue). You have the love between friends, between father and son, mother and son, human and dragon. I felt like the whole “no greater gift than love” and “it hurts but it’s worth it” wasn’t specifically talking about romantic love - the first thing I thought of was my grandmother who passed away. You could argue that “with love comes loss” applies to Stoick x Valka, Hiccup losing his father, Hiccup and Toothless parting ways, Hiccup losing and refinding his mother etc. etc.

I wrote this in a fic once but you can’t really compare the romantic love shared between Hiccup and Astrid to the bond between Hiccup and Toothless - I’ve thought about this and I think that Hiccup loves both of them, probably equally, but in different ways. (Ditto for Toothless x Light Fury too, by the way) For example, you can love your husband and your father equally but in VERY different ways. I mean, Toothless is Hiccup’s best friend, the one who helped him grow into the man he is, who protected him and made him feel worthy. It’s even said during the film that he feels like he’s nothing without Toothless. He loves his dragon so much. Meanwhile, Astrid is basically the love of Hiccup’s life - he crushed on her for years, eventually got to actually know her properly as friends, they became a couple and were betrothed for a number of years if you go by the television show(s). While they both show a reluctance to get married (it’s not the right time), Hiccup isn’t 100% against the idea - it’s just not the time yet (Astrid seems to feel the same way). I think we can assume that Hiccup and Astrid knew they’d definitely get married someday, when they were ready and not because anyone else said they had to.

To add to my above point, there’s strong parallels drawn throughout the entire series between Hiccup and Toothless’ lives; both of them use a prosthetic for a missing body part on the left side, Toothless becomes Alpha as Hiccup steps up as Chief etc. The parallels are all deliberate, which is why I think the “Furies mate for life” can also be applied to Hiccup and the other men in his family; just as Furies mate for life, we see that Hiccup has only ever loved and wanted to be with Astrid. In fact, it applies to Stoick too, who never wanted another after Valka disappeared, and after not seeing her for 20 years, his first words to her are “You’re as beautiful as the day I lost you” - he was in love with Valka for life, no doubt.

I went off track in my points above but my original point was that Hiccup’s love for Toothless and his love for Astrid are completely different and not really comparable. They’re both extremely important to him and play different roles in his life - it would be like comparing Hiccup and Stormfly in Astrid’s life.

Toothless and the other dragons didn’t just leave because he found a mate. Over the six years of Berk having dragons, despite trying to make it work, there’s always enemies out there (The outcasts, the berserkers, dragon hunters, Drago, Grimmel) - as Hiccup says, their enemies are getting smarter and more determined. Consider what would happen if the whole world heard of dragons being able to be tamed and ridden - you can imagine how they would be used for war and destruction. Everyone can preach all they want about how it would be entirely possible to have a 100% happy ending where dragons and humans co-existed but I honestly don’t think it would happen - greedy humans, as Valka would say. I mean have you seen how humans have treated creatures on our earth in the past?? There will always be evil people who will twist this knowledge to suit them and their businesses.

Hiccup and Toothless are best friends, 100%, and no one is denying that their bond is special. But consider that (since they’re the same age according to Valka) they’ve been friends since they were approx. 15 years old - by HTTYD3, they’re approx. 21 years old. The friends you have growing up aren’t necessarily going to be your best friends who you keep in touch with every single day. People move on and start their lives with jobs, partners, families etc. Both Toothless and Hiccup realize this, I think, and it’s something they both seem to want - Hiccup marries Astrid + they have a family, Toothless finds a lifelong mate and has hatchlings. They both have responsabilities that they must fill for their people/dragons: Hiccup must be Chief and protect his people, and Toothless must protect his fellow dragons in the Hidden World. Friends do grow apart and refind each other years later, and it’s almost like they’ve never been apart - which is what it’s like for Hiccup and Toothless when they do catch up ten years later.

The overreaching arc of this series has been watching Hiccup grow up; from a scrawny 15 year old runt all the way to a mature, caring adult and Chief who will protect his people. Saying goodbye to friends, becoming your own person, flying the nest (both literally and figuratively), even when it’s only temporarily, is a part of growing up.

Everyone saying that they wanted Hiccup and Toothless to stay the way they were forever are forgetting that dragons aren’t just glorified pets - treat them like you would any creature with human intelligence.

Dragons are wild animals - they are meant to be free, to live in the open. Yes they had a certain amount of freedom on Berk and were, for the most part, safe. But they don’t deserve to be treated as what is essentially pet horses. I’m not saying that the dragons didn’t love the Vikings on Berk it anywhere else in the world, but they belong in the wild.

Hiccup’s friendship-love for Toothless is so strong that he’s willing to die so that the Light Fury can save Toothless. He’s willing to sacrifice himself so Toothless can be saved, so that he can be happy with the Light Fury, because he loves his best friend that much. To me, that sends a VERY strong message about the power of friendship-love and how important it is.

Like this isnt about shipping or whether you liked the movie or not, but this is just my take on it.

#httyd #how to train your dragon #httyd 3 #httyd 2 #how to train your dragon 2 #how to train your dragon 3 #hiccup haddock #hiccup horrendous haddock iii #astrid hofferson #toothless #stormfly #light fury

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ducklooney · 5 years

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Halloween specials related to the classic Disney universe

This applies mainly to the world of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and their friends and acquaintances. For the most part, I'm going to pay a little attention to classic shorts and episodes from various series related to the classic Disney universe, with Halloween specials. To be honest, I'm not a fan of that holiday, I prefer Christmas and Easter rather than Halloween, but again I can't help but avoid cartoons about that holiday, which really has great specials, not to say too much. Since I can't process all of these specials, and I don't have the time to do so, and I'll talk about Halloween for the second time about the series I like to watch. I apologize for this and let's get started: 1.Trick or Treat This is Donald's brief shown in 1952. It portrays Huey, Dewey and Louie trying to get candy from their uncle, but Donald unfortunately cheated on them, and they try to use the witch Hazel to cheat on Donald (Donald cheated and the witch now takes revenge). I think most of them know this and I won't talk about it (that's why there aren't many pictures related to it, since there are already pictures) so much, just to say I liked this short.

2.Ducky Horror Picture Show It's an episode from the original Ducktales, 1987 version, related to Halloween where the monsters partly help Scrooge around the house on his harbor, but then they take over his house and make a mess. Somehow, Scrooge and Huey, Dewey and Louie manage to calm the monsters, and Scrooge made a deal with a werewolf and a vampire around the business, and they made a fairground with Money Bean, where King Kong (the giant gorilla) was.

3.Hot Spells Episode from Darkwing Duck. In this episode, Darkwing Duck and Gosalyn help Morgana with her new presentation regarding her new magical powers, but Morgana unfortunately fails. Morgana's father and her nanny also come to her presentation. Here is a further description extracted from the Disney Wiki:Darkwing and Gosalyn go with Morgana to her old magic alma mater, where Morgana is to present her paper on a profound magical breakthrough. While there, Gosalyn is allowed to participate in some classes because of her natural affinity for the unnatural; but quickly finds the underpinnings of magic, complex mathamatics, too boring for her tastes. Bored because getting used car salesmen and politicians aren't a challenge. Bielzebub finds out about Darkwing and Gosalyn being at the school, and decides this is his chance to move up in the rankings of top villain-by getting Darkwing once and for all! Gosalyn tries to find a short cut to learning magic without the hard math involved, but is hoodwinked into using forbidden spells when Beelzebub disguises himself as the school janitor. By using the forbidden spells she allows of Beelzebub to steal Darkwing's soul. Can Gosalyn and Morgana find some way into tricking him into letting Darkwing go?” Overall, Morgana and Gosalyn save the Darkwing Duck, the so-called devils are defeated, and Gosalyn has learned the lesson of not dealing with magic, as well as negotiating with the unknown, especially if the devils are involved, because once a pact with the devil means a lifelong accident, and is a message do not negotiate with the devil. In the end, Gosalyn received the sentence that she could not buy new comics for a while.

4.Hallow-Weenies

The episode from Goof Troop also seems very funny to me. Here's a description from the Disney Wiki, and the pictures explain it enough:”Max, P.J., and Pistol get off of a haunted house ride at a Halloween carnival. Pistol wants to stay and ride one more but her brother reminds her that they don't want to be late for trick-or-treating.The kids stop at Pete's new property, an old, scary-looking mansion, which he wants to turn into a new hotel. Two contractors jump out the window of the attic, frightened and telling stories of ghosts in the house. Pete angrily dismisses them and scares them off. Max and P.J. decide they want to come back at night to go inside.Later that night in front of the mansion, Max convinces a nervous P.J. to go in. As they approach the front door, the door swings open and a floor board knocks them inside. They move slowly up the stairs. When the boys make it to the attic, they look into a mirror and see a ghost floating behind them. They proceed to jump out of the building and run scared all the way home.When the boys get home, they tell Goofy, Pete, and Pistol about the ghost they saw at the mansion. Pete says that ghosts aren't real, but Goofy tells him he is mistaken. Goofy shows them a pocket watch he says was awarded to his great-great-grandfather Gooferamus T. Goofy for catching ghosts.Pete takes Goofy and the boys to the hotel to prove there aren't any ghosts there. Max and P.J. stay outside while the adults go into the mansion. They suddenly encounter three ghosts, who prank and torment them. The boys hear all the commotion from outside and run in to protect their fathers. When the boys run away to get help, it's shown that the three ghosts are physically unable to leave the mansion boundary.Max and P.J. accidentally summon the ghost of Gooferamus T. Goofy. Max tells him they need his help to catch the ghosts in the the mansion and save their fathers, but Gooferamus just says a few words and climbs back into the watch, to the boys confusion. They take his random advice and use it to try and catch the ghosts, first by soaking them in honey. Max manages to catch two on a wet mop and P.J. wrings them into separate jars.The two ghosts escape their jars and they all run from Max and P.J., who have a ghost vacuum. They trap the ghosts in bubbles and Pete tries to make them leave. The ghosts explain to them that they would love to leave, but have unfinished business and that's the reason they've been trapped in the mansion since 1929. They are musicians and never got to play their gig, due to a "load of Halloween corn fermenting and blowing up the place". They just need to be invited by Pete."Fingers McFee and his Ragtime Band" perform for the whole gang, including Peg and Pistol, while at the same time pranking Pete. After the show, a ghost bus lands in front of the mansion to pick up the trio. The ghosts thank the boys for helping them move on by giving them slide whistles to make them "honorary rascals".The next day the boys high-five about having the best Halloween ever. A car drives by, asking Pete if they are at the hotel with the ghosts. Pete yells at them, telling them there aren't any ghosts here. When they say they don't want to stay here and then drive away, Pete changes his mind and chases after them.”

5. The Boy Who Cried Ghost

The episode from the Quack Pack is also funny and interesting in my opinion. It's Dewey who likes to make jokes that scares his brothers and his uncle, but for one joke, they are stopped in a dark forest and then forced to go to a terrible castle. Dewey continues to tease his brothers Huey and Louie and his uncle Donald, which gives his brothers and his uncle nerves. Dewey however meets the ghost Sigismund and gets scared and goes outside. However, he is brought back to the castle, his conscience or his guardian angel, and Dewey decides to help his brothers as well as his uncle rescue them from the monster, namely the vampire, the ghost, the werewolf, and the Frankenstein Viking woman. They scare them, but the monsters themselves are scared of one thing, and they are cute animals and then Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck dress up as cute animals (costumes) and manage to scare the monsters out of the castle.

6.House of Villains I can also freely say the best episode of House of Mouse, I recommend that they definitely look at this episode, where the Disney villains abduct from Mickey Mouse, his House of Mouse. I think most know about this episode and I don't need to discuss it.

There's so much about my favorites (but they're not the only ones yet, but they're out of the classic Disney universe, but about it a second time) with Halloween specials. Which special do you particularly like and some comments about it.

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httpjeon · 6 years

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— ᴍ ᴀ s ᴛ ᴇ ʀ ʟ ɪ s ᴛ

welcome to my masterlist! please do not take and repost any of my fics to other websites. i have an ao3 at httpjeon and a wattpad at jvngukk. they are my only writing accounts outside of tumblr.

updated: 2/14/20 | latest fic

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a — angst f — fluff s — smut

kim seokjin

— change of pace | pornstar!au | s | 3.2k — read here ↳ synopsis: hardcore porn star Kim Seokjin begins his dabble in the world of vanilla porn. You’re his first co-star. ⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴄᴋᴘɪʟᴇ

— folia | alien!au | a, f, s | 9.5k — read here ↳ synopsis: stressed from work, you’re sent on vacation to the beautiful, tropical planet of Liana where you meet a beautiful Folian man named Seokjin, who makes your vacation 10x better. ⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴏғ sᴛᴀʀᴅᴜsᴛ

— mine for today | dating serivice!au | a, f, s | 6.1k — read here ↳ synopsis: as part of a special valentines day sale, you make a bid in hopes to get a special discounted date with one of the dreamy bachelors of club ardor. you decide to choose The Romantic. ⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴄʟᴜʙ ᴀʀᴅᴏʀ

min yoongi

― love birds | pornstar!au | s, f | 6.5k — read here ↳ synopsis: being an adventurous couple has led you down a strange path of amateur pornography with your boyfriend Min Yoongi. you’re dubbed the Love Birds. ⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴄᴋᴘɪʟᴇ

― clientele: cheat | escort!au | s,a | 3.1k — read here synopsis: in your little black book, min yoongi is your client tonight.

― show | boyfriend!au | s | 2.1k | ft. ot6 — read here synopsis: yoongi decides to show the boys how he makes his girl cum with his mouth alone

― keep the change | convenience store!au | s, a | 5.3k — read here synopsis: typically an old man works the night shift at Greg’s Place. however, it seems there’s a new cute guy working the register at night now. and it just so happens it’s finals week…

― from the ashes | mythical shifter!au | f, s, a | 12k — read here synopsis: you perform a spell to meet your familiar; what you don’t expect is a centuries-old phoenix to be the one attached to your soul. ⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴏғ ʙᴇᴀsᴛs

jung hoseok

― barbarian | viking!au | s, f | 2.5k ― read here synopsis: your husband, hoseok, comes home from a raid with the need to make you pregnant with his child

― velvet | porn star!au | s | 4k ― read here synopsis: wanting to burn off some stress, you apply to attend a session at a kink dungeon. hoseok is your master. ⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴄᴋᴘɪʟᴇ

― beleaguer | e2l, neighbor!au | s, a | 2.4k ― read here synsopsis: your neighbor is a pain in the ass.

― hot bot: test | sex bot!au | s | 3.1k ― read here synopsis: as a product tester, you have one of the most sought after temporary positions in Hot Bot Inc. ⇢ ʜᴏᴛ ʙᴏᴛ sᴘɪɴᴏғғ

― hypothermia | griffin shifter!hoseok | s, f, a | 10.4k ― read here synopsis: lost while wandering, you find your life on the line when you begin to suffer the effects of hypothermia. as you collapse, near death, you swear you see an angel… ⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴏғ ʙᴇᴀsᴛs

kim namjoon

― tell me more | pornstar!au | s | 2.4k ― read here synopsis: as an up and coming porn actress, you jump at the opportunity to debut on Kim Namjoon’s Casting Couch. ⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴄᴋᴘɪʟᴇ

― good to me | date-for-hire!au | a, s, f | 10.3k ― read here synopsis: club ardor holds a special raffle for a free night with a man who will supposedly be the boyfriend of your dreams. you definitely don’t expect to win. ⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴄʟᴜʙ ᴀʀᴅᴏʀ

park jimin

― busanbaby95 | cam boy!jimin | s, f, a | 4.8k ― read here synopsis: your friend and co-worker does cam porn. After some unfortunate events, he asks you to join him in his…hobby. ⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴄᴋᴘɪʟᴇ

― casual clothes | sex therapist!au | s, f | 4.2k ― read here synopsis: seeing a therapist for your sexual troubles is one thing but to land yourself in bed with the very man who knows your problems is a whole other thing.

― the hunt | white stag shifter!jimin | a,f, s | 8k ― read here synopsis: every decade, your village holds a hunt to find a legendary white stag which live in the surrounding forest. in recent years, the hunt has become harder as the population of white stags have declined. this year is your first time participating. ⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴏғ ʙᴇᴀsᴛs

― make me hot | ceo!jimin | s | 2.3k ― read here synopsis: you messed up a presentation in front of your boss. he calls you up to his office.

― blowing dandelions | f2efl | a, f, s | 7.8k ― read here synopsis: as a child, you met park jimin. as an adult, the same jimin is much different.

― collateral damage | wild west!au, outlaw!jiin | f, s | 5.2k ― read here synopsis: you’re a simple bank teller and you certainly didn’t expect to be taken as collateral for outlaw bank-robber park jimin.

― hot bot: fear | android!au | f, s, a | 5.2k ― read here synopsis: fear is primal and causes one to make stupid decisions. ⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ʜᴏᴛʙᴏᴛ

― lovebug | hybrid!au | f, s, a | 12k ― read here synopsis: hybrids are lovable companions for humans. unfortunately, most people simply want a cat or dog with which they can cuddle and love on. while looking for one to adopt, a lonesome hybrid of an unusual breed catches your eye.

kim taehyung

― 1-800-music-street | homeless!tae | s, f, a | 13.2k ― read here synopsis: you’re enchanted by a street performer and then he saves you, resulting in multiple meetings one can only describe as fate.

― work of art | pornstar!au, tattooed!tae | s | 3.1k ― read here synopsis: when you first meet porn newbie Kim Taehyung, you didn’t expect much. but once the clothes come off, you’re in for a wild ride. ⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴄᴋᴘɪʟᴇ

― hot bot: gift | sex bot!tae | s, f | 3.8k ― read here synopsis: your parents have a gift for you, however, there’s been a mistake ⇢ ʜᴏᴛ ʙᴏᴛ sᴘɪɴᴏғғ

― tattooed two | tattoo artist!au | s, f | 8.5k | ft. jungkook ― read here synopsis: your boyfriend’s best friend joins you for a night you’ll never forget.

― warm | roommate!au | s, f | 3k ― read here synopsis: you return home to see your roommate jerking off on the couch

― king of the clouds | royal!au, arranged marriage | s, f, a | 4.7k ― read here synopsis: you were in an arranged marriage with a man you’re convinced isn’t fit to be your husband. he’s got his head too high in the clouds.

― witch’s brew | witch!tae | s | 3.1k ― read here synopsis: after a year of trying to get pregnant, your husband makes a special brew to make sure you get pregnant this time.

― blacklisted | dom/sub!au | a, f, s | 21.4k | ft. jungkook ― read here synopsis: after departing from your dom, you’re assigned to two incredibly powerful men.

― a piece of you | abo!au | f, s | 13.9k | ft. jungkook ― read here synopsis: your alpha boyfriend does cam porn and convinces you to join him one night. somehow, there seems to be a fan of the two of you on campus.

― sehebon | alien!au | a, f, s | 16.5k ― read here synopsis: you find yourself on izo huen, home to the sehebon. luckily for you, you’ve arrived at an interesting time.

― by chance | hybrid!au | a, f, s | 11.8k ― read here synopsis: on an adventure, you stumble upon a jackalope. the creature ends up saving your life, leading to an unexpected turn of events. ⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴏғ ʙᴇᴀsᴛs

jeon jungkook

― try out | pornstar! au | s, f, a | 6.6k ― read here synopsis: dating a porn star wasn’t easy. jealousy can run rampant if there’s no communication. ⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴄᴋᴘɪʟᴇ

― simply.cute97 | cam couple!au | s, f | 6.5k ― read here synopsis: you’re popular camgirl simply.cute97. domjeon09 is your biggest fan.

― tattooed two | tattoo artist!au | s, f | 8.5k | ft. taehyung ― read here synopsis: your boyfriend’s best friend joins you for a night you’ll never forget.

― floods in a flame | dragon!jk, mermaid!reader | s, f | 7.1k ― read here synopsis: getting trapped beneath ice leads to an unexpected opportunity.

― sinful knight | knight!jk, princess!reader | s | 2.4k ― read here synopsis: even though you’re due to be married to Prince Jimin, you can’t help letting your Knight, Jungkook, into your bed.

― blacklisted | dom/sub!au | a, f, s | 21.4k | ft. taehyung ― read here synopsis: after departing from your dom, you’re assigned to two incredibly powerful men.

s e r i e s

key ↯

✓— complete ✎ — in progress ⊗ — hiatus ✗ — discontinued

― bunny blues | hybrid!au | yoongi/reader/jungkook | a, f, s | ✎ ɪɴᴅᴇx: 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08

― something’s not right | possession!au | a, s, f | ✓ ɪɴᴅᴇx: 01 | 02

― hot bot | sex bot!jk | s, f, a | masterlist ― ⊗ ɪɴᴅᴇx: 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05

― risk it all | hybrid!au | jungkook/reader | a, f, s | masterlist ― ✓ ɪɴᴅᴇx: 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05

― y is a crooked letter | hybrid!au | | jungkook/reader | a, f, s ɪɴᴅᴇx: 01

m i n i m a s t e r l i s t s

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chriswdelgado · 5 years

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Hell in a Cell 2019 Review

This is an exciting time to be a wrestling fan. With the premiere of AEW Dynamite on TNT, NXT on USA, and Smackdown on Fox, there are a lot of changes and, more importantly, there’s a noticeable effort from everyone involved to put on good shows and impress people.

I’ve been a fan of wrestling for years now, but recently I stopped watching because I was getting tired of the same stale product (I can’t remember exactly when I stopped watching; I think it was sometime around 2015). I’ve tried to get back into since then. I watched Wrestlemania this year and a handful of Raws and Smackdowns, but I was never consistent.

Last week’s plethora of premieres, though, seemed like the perfect time to start again, and honestly, I was impressed by most of what I saw from all the shows. As such, I will continue to watch them, and, since I’m doing that, I figured why not journal my thoughts? These aren’t meant to be any sort of definitive judgements, nor do I know very much about the intricacies of the business. I’m just one fan, giving my opinions. If nothing else, maybe these will serve as a record of the shows’ quality and motivation for me to continue watching if they ever start to dip.

Now, with that preamble out of the way, let’s get into Hell in a Cell.

First of all, I want to say that overall I enjoyed the show. I know that a lot of people would say the opposite, and trust me, I understand. We’ll get there. But I personally found a lot to like here. The tornado tag team match was enjoyable; I liked the ending to the women’s tag team match with the green mist, and I liked Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley. The Viking Raiders and Braun Strowman vs. The O.C. was fine, but mostly forgettable, as was Randy Orton vs. Ali, and I ended up fast forwarding through Baron Corbin vs. Chad Gable. But those were only three matches, and they were mostly short.

My favorite match of the night was Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks for the Raw Women’s Championship. I’ve always been a fan of the Hell in a Cell gimmick, even in its much tamer modern incarnation. To that point, the fact that the cell was red actually made it less ominous to me, like it was some sort of toy you might expect to use with your action figures. When the cell is the color of steel, it looks real, and it looks dangerous. For some reason, I’m pretty sure no one was saying, “You know what would make Hell in a Cell better? If the cell was red.” Personally, I think they should do away with the Hell in a Cell pay per view entirely. Seeing the cell every year diminishes its grandeur and menace. Keep it in storage, and only bring it out occasionally for the big, blow-off matches to end long, bitter feuds.

With that being said, Lynch and Banks had an incredible match. As I said before, I haven’t been watching recently, so I didn’t know the specifics of their feud, but that didn’t matter. Their match told a clear story of a struggle between two wrestlers for the championship, and that’s all you really need. I know the WWE will never get as violent as they used to, but even still, they made good use of the weapons that they were allowed to use. My only issue would be that I don’t quite believe that these two hated each other so much that they would inflict that much damage on each other, but again, that would be solved by only using the cell when it’s necessary. Even so, it’s clear Lynch and Banks poured their hearts into that match, and that made it extremely enjoyable to watch.

Now, it wouldn’t be wrasslin’ without a bit of controversy, so let’s dig into Seth Rollins vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt. First of all, I want to say that I was looking forward to this match. This was the kind of match that should have taken place in Hell in a Cell: you’ve had Bray Wyatt attacking Rollins every chance he gets. He’s dangerous, and Rollins is pissed off. You need the cell to contain the explosive energy of their clash.

First, the good. I like Bray Wyatt. His mask is cool, and when he plays The Fiend, he goes all in, which actually ensures that he doesn’t look stupid when he does it (and it’s a fine line he has to walk to avoid looking stupid). I liked the first part of the match, where Rollins and Wyatt were actually fighting each other, and to be honest, I liked the second part too, where Rollins kept trying more elaborate and violent things to put away Bray Wyatt, but Wyatt kept getting up.

However, let’s talk about the finish. Rollins stacks a ladder, a chair, and a tool box(?) on top of Wyatt and tries to hit it with a sledge hammer. The referee warns him not to do this, but he does it anyway, causing the referee to stop the match. While the crowd erupts in boos, medical staff rush out to haul Wyatt away, but Wyatt leaps off the gurney and applies the mandible claw on Rollins so hard that blood pours from his mouth (which is impossible). Wyatt leaves Rollins in a pool of his own mouth-blood, laughs, and then the screen cuts off. Rollins remains the champion.

First of all, the idea that a referee can stop a Hell in a Cell match is frankly ludicrous. The whole gimmick of the match is that it’s violent, disturbing, the devil’s playground. Yet the moment we see “real” violence, we’re told that this isn’t the case. The referee stopping the match reminds us that this is all just pretend. If Bray Wyatt was a real fiend/demon creature, why would the referee be worried about Rollins hurting/killing him? He should want Rollins to put this thing away so he doesn’t have to look at it anymore. But he doesn’t. Instead, out comes the stretcher, and kayfabe’s corpse is dragged through the mud.

However, I would argue that the problem with this match wasn’t necessarily the ending. The problem was that this particular match was done too early. Wyatt shouldn’t have gone against the champion without more matches under his belt. We should have seen him attacking other wrestlers, putting them away in violent fashion to build up his menace. I don’t think anyone really believed that Bray Wyatt would win the championship, and that’s the issue at hand. I think that if we’d gotten the same match, with the same finish, but without the added caveat of it being for a championship, people wouldn’t have had a problem with it. To me, Wyatt making Rollins bleed from the mouth seems like something that would normally be done in an injury angle, where Rollins would go away for a few months or a year. But since he’s the champion, we know that won’t happen.

Although kayfabe is dead, and that makes me sad, the WWE still wants to keep some resemblance of realism in their product. As good as he is, Bray Wyatt is likely to never win the championship. It’s not the 80s/90s anymore. We, the audience, know that, so don’t put him in a championship match where you have to fuck the finish. Put him in a grudge match where he can be as crazy and violent as he wants. What the WWE needs to learn, and I think this is actually a Triple H created problem, is that not everyone has to be the champion, and that not every match needs to be the main event.

So yes, the main event’s finish was bad, but I liked the match leading up to the finish, and I liked a lot of the other matches on the card, especially Lynch vs. Banks. While it’s true, the show might have been better if they trimmed some of the excess matches and produced a shorter, more refined product, it’s also true that the WWE is going in the opposite direction, preferring longer shows to shorter ones, and I don’t foresee that changing any time soon. Overall, I had a good time watching this show. Maybe that’s because this is my first pay per view in a while, and I’m not yet livid at stupid WWE booking (TM). But before I go, I’ll leave you with a question to ponder. Is whether a show is good or not dependent only on the outcome of its main event?

#wwe hell in a cell #wwe #hell in a cell #bray wyatt #the fiend bray wyatt #seth rollins #becky lynch #sasha banks

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silvertonguedslavicwitch · 6 years

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Πειρασμός | Peirasmós

Chapter 14 : Home Sweet Home?

A/N : So sorry for the late update, my laptop went psycho on me for the past two days. But here you go, another update x)

Like a mouse following the cheese into a trap. That’s exactly the definition she would use, seeing the soldiers pouring inside the town’s walls. Unbeknownst to them, they were actually baiting them. But after seeing Aethelred and Alfred, her whole mind went dark and had only one thing certain in it. Protect the two princes. The cubs to the lion that led the powerful army charging through the small town. Even if she had to spill blood to do it, then so be it. There was nothing she would not do; to protect the ones she love and care about.

Keeping her eyes fixated on the two young males, she rushed to her checkpoint as fast as her legs could take her and perched on top of the highest floor from one of the buildings; waiting for the soldiers to come pouring into the west wing of the town. There were about 7 people stationed there, all 7 of them being her own soldiers, Ivar knowing fully well she has not yet trusted his kinsmen. That was highly considerate of him but the cripple told his brothers that it was to make sure the plan will be carried out instead of having a melodramatic season of delay due to trust issues.

Erika took out the bow she left in the room, and loaded one arrow, placing it gently as she makes her aim. Her breathing slowed down until she could only hear her heartbeat pumping from inside, and the bowstring was pulled slowly. The footsteps coming from the Saxon soldiers made the tension rise up gradually and it was only time telling her when to give the first strike; the sign to attack. Across her, two more soldiers were ready with a barrel of oil, just waiting for her command. But just when she was about to let the arrow fly its way into either one of the Saxons, she caught a glimpse of Alfred walking into the west wing; the wing they were targeting. She loosened her grip on the bowstring and cursed. “Damnit Alfred, get out of there.” Deciding it wasn’t worth risking it, she got up from her leaning position and aimed the arrow somewhere near the youngest prince instead.

The sound of the bowstring being loosened made itself known to the princess as the arrow made its mark at the poor unlucky soldier’s chest, who just so happened to stand beside Alfred. The boy dropped dead and it was a warning shot from the foreign princess, for Alfred to notice the impending danger and flee from there. When the first shot came down, it was sign for the others to carry out the other sets of plans. The wooden planks were let down from every corner and exit of the town, successfully barricading the soldiers with nowhere to go. A single hand gesture from the raven haired woman was all it took for her soldiers to pour the oil down.

The heavy crude lubricating oil greeted the Saxons face first and the grossed out groans were heard alongside a string of complaints. Of course, the complaints would not last long because they’re going to be running wild with flames. Literally. With the barricades sealing their sides, rendering them useless trying to escape, Erika notched yet another arrow and let Irena, who stood next to her, light it up with fire before pulling it. Making her aim by also slightly applying a stronger pressure to it and let the string go swiftly, the arrow hits the pavement that was also coated with oil; letting the fire erupt ardently. Soon, most of the soldiers in the west section had already burned themselves.

The first part of the plan was carried out prominently, so she made her way downstairs quickly to join the fight. Not so she could slaughter the Saxons, more to actually keeping a close eye on Aethelwulf’s cubs. She passed through a checkpoint at the south west corner of the alley, and the barricades were slowly being lifted as the archers took their aim and plucked them off one by one. It almost frustrated her to the point’s end when she could not manage to pinpoint their exact location. She had lost track of where Alfred fled to. Successfully dodging the other soldiers who were fighting against the Northmen with all their might despite being cornered, she wasn’t keeping an eye in front of her when she evidently crashed into a figure and both of them rolled down the pavement. The wet blood that coloured the road made her gag briefly before struggling to get back up and face whomever it was that she bumped into.

It was Alfred.

Secretly thanking God, she pulled him with her to a much more closeted and secluded alley. The reaction displayed across his face was enough to tell her than he did not expect to see her. “I thought you were captured and held against your will--” Sparing the younger prince a nonchalant look, she scrunched up her nose at the manner of melodramatic self he was trying to say she exuded.

“Excuse me, what? Captured and held against my own will? Who told you that,” she scoffed, still dragging him with her through the alley with all the dark walls surrounding them. There were a few soldiers fighting but they had more pressing matters to attend to; like surviving the end of the axe. So they didn’t exactly notice the new bride of one of the Viking princes were dragging their Saxon prince. “Don’t answer that, of course Aethelwulf would try to dramatize things over. He’s always been a drama queen.” She then rolled her eyes at the thought of the petulant King’s behavior. “No Alfred, I wasn’t tied or gagged up like some prisoner princess. This isn’t exactly a fairytale land, love. If you are captured, they’ll either kill you or maybe sacrifice you which isn’t any better than the first really, or they would offer you for ransom. You see, the second option is not really viable seeing as my brother was the one who offered me into the part of an alliance agreement. Brother of the year, I know.” Poor cub was struggling to keep in the same pace as she does, while also dodging the other people raining on them from all sides. To which Erika had surprisingly fend off very easily as she either hit their heads with the stick she took randomly at the corner, or kicked them off.

“Then, how are you here now? Are you alright? Did they hurt you?” Oh Alfred, always the sweet compassionate exuberant caring pup. She grinned widely at his question which made the prince to positively wonder whether his remark was a questionable one.

“Physically, they wish. Mentally, possibly every second I spent,” she shrugged and halted on her steps, letting the two vikings crash into each other within the narrow space, before jumping over them to resume her ‘fleeing’. “I married them, not bought them, Alfred. Pretty sure they actually have an amount of decent respect towards their women, seeing as they have shieldmaidens everywhere. Killing me off would be such a stupid move for them to do, especially when I’m basically the token of the ‘good will’ between the Russians and Northmen-” Right before she could finish her whole sentence, a random viking just so happened to strike at her, which she almost did not succeed in ducking.

Pushing Alfred away as he met the walls of the alley, she spinned around and slashed the viking’s left ankle, leaving him to grunt in pain as he fell down to his knees. Taking out her sword, she hits him with her hilt and kneed him to the face before making a clean swipe over his chest. She then beckoned for the prince to follow her as he was still struck by the nonchalant manner she had exuded earlier as she killed a fellow viking who tried to take on her. When Alfred didn’t move from his position, she took his hand and dragged him away with her. “-doesn’t mean they could not try and say my death was resulted in an ‘unlucky’ battle. That was the first attempt. Huh, I’m surprised they took this long to try and carry that idea out. Guess they’re not so bright after all.” It was almost shocking to see the infamous Erikaterina to chortle in such situation, but knowing her well, he shouldn’t be surprised.

When they finally made it out from the horrendous alley, she lets out a relieved sigh before offering the latter a soft smile. “Amiable people are affable. They are kind, warm, and friendly. There are not a lot of those people these days; making them to be such a short supply. But you know who’s amiable? You, Alfred. You’re the most amiable person I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet in all my life.” Her hazel hues softened as she embraced the younger prince, who returned the gesture. He has been growing very well and she knew this might be their last time meeting each other that is not under the grounds of hostility, so she was sure to bask in every single moment of it. “I missed you terribly. You and your brother, Aethelred. I wish we didn’t have to meet like this, this is definitely not the manner I want you to see me in.” A chuckle followed shortly after.

“Armor, or dress, crown or not, you’re still Erikaterina of Novgorod, Rika. You will still be her despite everything.” His statement had made the princess bit her bottom lip before trying very hard not to smile.

“That made me feel like I actually do have an identity.”

“And you do. You are your own person, not even marrying a Pagan would change that. One day, you’ll see that.” While the two converse, she told him to find someone trustworthy to guide him back to his father perhaps. Bidding the prince off, she hoisted herself on top of the rooftops as she climbed up. Her eyes caught the sight of Aethelred fending the vikings off. His fighting manner was much like his father, but still, he is new to it making him to be an easy target. She needed to get him out of there soon, forcing Aethelwulf to get out and she knew exactly where to hit.

Just one hit that is too close to home.

Grabbing her bow from her quiver, she notched an arrow before aiming it at Aethelred. She needed to be very precise and careful while doing it or she might end up hating herself even more for failing. Aethelwulf was ignorant when it comes to wars and battles, given that he is a great warrior. But he loves his sons more than anything, making him to be a good father. It was an idea she could trust. Her nimble fingers found itself tugging on the bowstring, pulling it slowly to her cheek level, as she lets out a ragged breath.

“I’m sorry, Aethelred.”

With that, the grip on the string were loosened and the arrow flew straight towards the eldest son, piercing his shoulder, just below his left shoulder. The prince staggered and Aethelwulf saw his son being vulnerable and went out his way to get his cub to safety, forcing the Saxon King to intervene. “Fall back! Retreat!” Hoisting his son’s arm around him, he dragged him away. Watching the scene unfold before her eyes, she sighed.

Mission accomplished.

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The Vikings emerged victoriously once again. While they were busy shoving the celebratory event to themselves, Erika took the other option; perching herself on the rooftop, staring into the distance while rethinking of Alfred’s words. She could hear the cheers coming from the people below, their loud mannerisms being colloquial to the raven haired princess. No doubt that Ivar boasted over his victory and condescending his two older brothers. Not wanting to be a part of a conversation that was likely to go south, she opted to spend the day to herself, relishing in the solace and comfort it gives.

But, little did she know, the very plan that Ivar had devised in order to win over his brothers, had gone south in the end. It was giving the older ones more doubt on the youngest brother. It was starting to break their strings. While she was too occupied with her thoughts, Hvitserk poked his head up and climbed to join her, taking a seat next to her. “Are you waiting for prince charming, ravnprinsesse?” Recognizing the timbre in his tone and the nickname, a small smile crept up, as she still did not avert her gaze.

“I got a prince. I guess you could say he’s charming in his own way.”

“Any possibility that he could be beaten by anyone? Maybe a formidable opponent?” His random question made her chuckle, which was a boost to his ego. Making the Russian princess laugh was not a normal occurrence and it’s something they actually take in consideration. An achievement to the flaxen haired prince. She hummed and shrugged casually, dismissing the light joke.

“Did you two fight with Ivar again?”

That had automatically strike Hvitserk to go into a full on defense mode, following the accusatory tone lacing his wife. “What is that supposed to mean. If anything, it’s Ivar who’s relentlessly picking fights with his older brothers,” he scoffed, crossing his arms as he huffed in the cold air.

“I wasn’t trying to insinuate anything, Hvitserk. I was just asking. Ubbe and him are tense these days. Ever since the first attack on York. I’m guessing it’s because of Sigurd’s death. It doesn’t help the manner of death placated on him too. Axed by his own brother.” Her tone was all too calming, it was one of the things Ivar was actually worried over. No one really knew what goes into her head. “He’s being impartial.”

“Ivar flaunts over his victory and I’ll be frank, it’s not really something we like seeing. Ubbe suggested that we should go ahead the road of peace. He wanted to make a deal with the Saxons.” Erika, who was highly intrigued by what he was saying, turned her face around to meet him.

“What do you mean?”

“Ubbe wants us to stop fighting and go claim the lands that were given to us by King Ecbert.” The Russian only nodded in response and stared at the space again. Silence ensued over them and she tilted her head to the side, questioning the prince what he was going to ask her. “Do you think that’s wise?”

“I’m probably biased, as Ivar would say.”

“That’s Ivar. I don’t care, you’re my wife. I want to hear your opinion, and so does Ubbe. You’re experienced, Erika. You know things in some ways others don’t. That’s why the Saxons treasured you.”

Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she scowled at the prince. “They like me because I’m actually a decent likable person to be around. They treat me like a person, instead of a thing.” Briefly apologizing for her sudden outburst, she resumed her talk. “But, if it was up to me, I do think Ubbe is wise to want all the fightings to stop and propose peace. That’s a high road into the new world you have to be willing to take. Co-existing is a thing every people needed to learn. Even the Saxons. However, it’s also likely that Ubbe will be rebuked by Aethelwulf. He’s a prideful person. Especially given their defeat today. It probably scratched his ego. But it is still possible if Ubbe is willing to risk it.”

“Things are so difficult,” he mumbled and she snickered lightly before taking his hand into hers.

“Nothing is meant to be easy, love. Surely, someone’s taught you that.” Within seconds, she was engulfed with a back hug from Hvitserk, who placed his chin above her head. It was comfortable. He only hummed and tightened his embrace around her, to which she gladly returned by caressing his hands as she leaned against him.

The two stared at the sky, both filled with questions differing from each other. But they don’t know that, neither do they need to. One thing was sure, the married couple was investing everything into making the said relationship work and it has been progressing splendidly over the period. She would never admit it, but Erika grew to like and hold a mutual attraction towards Hvitserk. Hvitserk, the same. Given, the two divulged in each other’s presence every night ever since, but they were married, so it wasn’t really an abnormal thing. What’s important, was that the gesture was sincere.

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Following Ubbe and Ivar's untimely fallout, she sided with Ubbe when it comes to peace and solidarity. She wanted the bloodshed to stop, more than anyone. Especially, since it was against her now former friend. It's also a hit close to home. She was sleeping just across Hvitserk, on the floor, when she could feel her body being shook awake by someone. Groaning slightly, she almost cut Hvitserk. Taking the dagger from her hold, he placed it down aside and told her to get up. With no other explanation given, the flaxen haired prince took his vest and sword with him as he followed Ubbe out. Mumbling a few incoherent words to herself, she got up and dragged her sword and outerwear with her as she trailed behind her husband.

Once she got outside, she saw Ubbe with horses ready. Still not understanding the situation, she wondered what the elder Ragnarsson was planning but went along with it. It wasn't her place to question, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to anyways. Hvitserk helped her mount her horse as he got up his. The gates were opened and a small party was led by Ubbe.

Halfway into their journey, she glanced over to Hvitserk, who was riding next to her. “Where are we going? Where is your brother taking us to,” she mumbled groggily. Her conspicuous self has not yet resurface due to her sleepiness. She was actually quite tired today. If it wasn't due to the tight grip she had on the reins, she probably would've fell after the first two minutes mounting her horse.

“He wanted to propose peace, remember.” And suddenly all that sleepiness was washed off and replaced with uncertainty.

“Are you sure? Is that where we're going then? The Saxons’ camp?” Gone was the sleepy princess. What's left is the uncertain and nervous princess. Given her current predicament on things, it was probably not the best reunion she would hope for.

Soon, they arrived just outside the perimeter of the camp. They left the rest of the party in the woods while only the three of them advanced. At first, Erika wasn't sure if she wanted to meet them but she figured she was their best chance and shot at securing any deals made between the two parties. That is, considering Ecbert was right, and that Aethelwulf would forgive her any day, no matter how high and deep her betrayal and treachery went. She got off her horse and made her way to the tent, trailing behind the two brothers.

There, Aethelwulf, Bishop Heahmund and Alfred was present to oversee their ‘deal’. Taking a reluctant seat next to Ubbe, she tried her best not to look Aethelwulf in the face. She couldn't bear it. She didn't have the courage to do so. “Why are you here.” The King's booming voice made itself known to their companion.

The entire time, they spoke of possibilities and chances to reach an accord where both parties can be at peace finally. With her facing the table and fiddling with her fingers. “And why should we accept such offer from you? You attacked us.” The room was tense and the raven haired princess could take it no more.

“He has every reason to do so. It was his right. Your father handed Ragnar over to Aelle to be executed. Therefore, he aided and abetted in his death, despite it being indirect. If your father was murdered with brutality, would you not wish revenge over the perpetrators?” The sudden question from the princess made the Saxon King silent. “With that being said, it is said and done. It has happened. The sons of Ragnar have exacted their revenge as planned and both Kings are dead. But let us not dwell in the past. Their actions had resulted their ends. Let us not be another example of that. We are better than this. We are a new generation birthed to shape the world into a better place than before. We should not stretch our standards like our predecessors. Prince Ubbe came with a sincere heart, hoping for peace. Should you not be the better person and take it? They have nothing to lose. But you, you have everything to lose. You've lived in exile after your defeat the first time, Aethelwulf. Do not burden your people with another. Do this for your sons, by the very least,” she exclaimed. The desperation for solidarity was evident in her voice.

Alfred was smiling at her. Hvitserk had a proud look on his face, to see how well-spoken his wife truly is, living up to her status and reputation. Bishop Heahmund had a certain air to him that offered her respect. Then, there's Aethelwulf, who was in the mix of being proud of how far she's become, and the tense tides on actually accepting the said offer. “I think we should be the better one and accept their offer.” Alfred spoke up.

“They have no legality. My father had no rights to give the lands of East Anglia. He was no longer King-”

“Yes, but you are now King aren't you? Show them how generous you are, father.”

The start of Alfred's statesmanship flickered and Erika couldn't help but to notice the dimming light that was slowly kindling in him. Proud was an understatement. “Alright then..one condition.” Looking up to finally meet his eyes, she saw her friend looking back to her. “She stays here.” That was enough for Hvitserk to start retaliating. Seeing how it could render their deal useless if this kept going, she stood up.

“I will stay, per your bidding.” Hvitserk came to her side and told her she didn't have to, for they cannot make her since she is her own person with her own degree of status. Smiling softly at her caring spouse, she took a hold of his hand and kissed his knuckles. “I am doing it out of my free will, Hvitserk. It's better this way. Don't worry, I'll find you again somehow,” she reassured and he sighed in defeat, knowing he cannot truly convince her otherwise. When Erika has made her mind up, it was almost impossible to change it. He kissed her forehead and hugged her.

The scene before him made the Saxon King felt like there was a bile on the way up to his throat. He was glad Erika was back now, but he never thought she was starting to even like her ‘husband'. Either that, or she was one hell of an actress. He hoped the latter. “Alfred, take her with you..” With that, she left the two princes to deal with the King and Bishop Heahmund, as she followed the younger prince out of the tent.

Alfred led her to a tent, to which when she entered, was his own. He shared the tent with Aethelred, who was laid on his bed place. He tried to get up but she told him it was no need. Making her way to him, she took a seat at the side before examining his injury. “My aim has improved by a mile, so much your father would be proud. Though I can't say he'll be much of that proud when he finds out I tested the aiming theory on his own firstborn son.” Her fingers ghosted over Aethelred's shoulder.

“You were the one who shot me?” The disbelief colouring him was truly hilarious, it made the princess bit her lip and gave him an impish grin.

“So sorry about that. It was the only way I know your father would intervene and pull you out. You needed to retreat. Better a defeat than a death.” She shrugged and brushed over his hair.

While she spent her time talking to the two princes, they were interrupted by a presence gracing the tent. It was their father, Aethelwulf. Standing from her spot, she tilted her head to the side slightly as a questionable reaction was derived from her. “How did it go?” When Aethelwulf did not answer her, she squinted her eyes in response. Something was wrong. “Aethelwulf.. What did you do.” Once again, she received no answer from the Saxon King. She went out her way to go outside and search for the two brothers when Aethelwulf tried to stop her. “You let go of me this instance!”

The last thing she saw was the sight of soldiers laughing towards one direction, where Hvitserk and Ubbe were running off in distance. “Where are they going? Why are they leaving me?” Her long time friend came from behind, standing next to her.

“They didn't leave you.. I forced them to do it. There is no deal. And Heahmund humiliated them per say.” That had caused the princess to fume in anger as she flailed her arms around in distress, a sight to which Alfred, Aethelred, Judith, Heahmund and the other soldiers bear witness to.

“This is why I should have never left you to deal with them alone. You cannot keep me here forever, Aethelwulf! I am Hvitserk's wife. Legally and lawfully right. Even you cannot undo that,” she stressed her words and Aethelwulf who looked down said nothing, leaving her to vent her frustrations elsewhere as she left him.

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#hvitserk #hvitserk x oc #vikings #Bjorn Ironside #ivar the boneless #ivar #ubbe #peirasmós

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