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noys-boise · 2 years

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alright since one person (@coffeelovinggayidiot) asked for it i will now talk about a group of ocs i will probably never do anything specific with but who i really love and never really talk about

So at the center of the story we have Mike and Sprout. Mike is a 15 year old trans guy who loves music more than anything, is going through a bit of a depressive episode mostly from school and being a bit of a social outcast and is generally not the most pleasant person to be around at the beginning at least. For contrast we have Sprout who's a little elf guy who got transported here from his little town in the middle of some magical forest mysteriously. He is very caring and simple and wholesome and basically the embodiment of a cozy children's book. That's really my best way of describing him. Naturally he drives Mike crazy but they do end up forming a deep bond eventually.

Most of the "story" (aka the part i focus on the least I'm a character centric person) really just focuses on trying to get Sprout home which is hard because he himself doesn't exactly remember how he got here (there was a storm on the day he was transported but he knows that couldn't have been it and his memories are really foggy) I also kind of want to add an additional mystery but I don't know how seriously I want to focus on this story because I prefer it just being a fun thing for myself. I might add it one day.

Anyways my real favorite part is the side characters. We have:

-Dominic (Dom for short), who's Mike's best friend/kind of crush. he's openly gay but Mike still doesn't think he has any chance with him because he's kind of a popular kid while Mike is a loser (evne though they constantly hang out). he's a bit of a himbo, and definitely a dork. He's really kind and makes friends easily. He plays basketball and takes it very seriously. He doesn't believe in cringe culture, he LOVES hallmark christmas movies for some reason. and bad 80s movies. actually 80s everything

-Irene, Mike's childhood friend. She wants to be cool and mysterious but is mostly just the most chaotic person ever. she smokes weed in her room and her mom doesn't realize somehow. she's an absolute troublemaker. her most important characteristic though is that she loves painting and created an oc named Luna who she just thinks of as the moon's human form. who's a beautiful girl. like really beautiful. like really really beautiful. like r- yup she fell in love with her oc. she totally owns it though, so much so her she her online alias is Pygmalia after the greek myth of the sculptor who fell in love with his own sculpture. Yeah she's one of the characters i really had fun creating. she's a lesbian if i didn't make that obvious by now. She does end up having a real human crush too also.

-Kitty, Mike's old classmate and other crush. They're autistic and their special interest is a fictional anime I made up for this story which is basically about a bunch of students who have fruit names for some reaos who go to space and it has about 6 seasons if i remember right and they end up saving the universe with the power of gay. lots of She-ra and Toh vibes. probably voltron too i never watched that one. Kitty's favorite character is Apricot who other than sharing a name with another character I made and also having a suspiciously similar design to said character, starts off as a villain but ends up falling in love with the main character. i ended up just infodumping about this anime. but i feel like that's on brand for an autistic character like if i was a fictional character I would want someone to just end up talking about falsettos instead of describing me. anyways they're generally kind if a scaredy cat and love cute things a lot and have a lot of plushies. but they do have a darker side. They also only watch anime dubbed because they have dyslexia so they can't read subtitles well although they started learning japanese because that's the power of hyperfixating. Oh and they have an oc for said anime.

-Ally, Kitty's and Dom's mutual friend and later Mike's friend through them. She's the mom friend, she has 3 younger siblings so that makes sense honestly. Her parents are divorced, she prefers being at her dad's place who owns an animal hospital near a forest with a lot of foxes. her favorite animals are foxes. along with cats. she has a cat for herself. she also loves ice skating. her ex best friend betrayed her for the popular girls which is a sour topic for her so she doesn't like people bringing it up too much.

-Seth, Irene's best friend and kind of crush. xe's a.. complicated person. xe can be intimidating at first glance with the amount of tattoos and piercings xe has. xe's a tattoo artist actually. not a drug dealer despite what people assume. xe ran away from home nrc of unsupportive parents but xe misses xir little sister and sometimes writes to her. xe has a secret dream of starting a rock band. xe's generally really introverted and doesn't like to talk a lot which adds to xir mysteriousness. oh and xe LOVES snakes a lot. because of xir gender fuckery xe says a lot that anyone of any gender can be attracted to xem but it does make them queer by default.

-and finally Jordan. Jordan is. he's a bully and a jerk and a homophobe. until he realizes he's bisexual. he has a bit of an obsession with comic books specifically one gay superhero book. which he refuses to admit publicly. and of course he starts to crush on Seth around this time. So definitely a complicated character.

that's it this post is way too long.

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wanderlandgracie · 1 year

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PARIS

Ah, Paris. The city of love, the city of lights, and the city of sometimes being rude to foreigners when they don't understand your language. Being the first of many places where a language barrier was present, Paris was rough for me. Subsequently, it was the place where I started having to ask God to let me see people the way He does so I wouldn't go to jail or have a breakdown every time someone yelled or got upset at me. Despite all this, select parts of Paris were beautiful. I will be talking about said parts.

If you are human, the Eiffel Tower is the first thing you think about when you think about Paris. Its big, and metal, and is fairly pretty when it is lit up at night. On March 31st of 1889, the 1083 ft tower was finished. After two years of working on it, it was finished just in time for the 1889 World Fair, at which it received over two million visitors. Today, it is a wildly popular tourist destination, almost entirely due to its iconic nature, though I suspect some of the intrigue is to do with the small cafe underneath the tower.

Dearest reader, if one is looking for a pure, raw, emotional experience that will lead to joyful attachment to a physical place, than look no further than the Louvre. With its ever winding hallways and glorious marble staircases, all hidden underneath those iconic glass pyramids, the Louvre has been genuinely beloved since its public opening in 1793. Housed in the Louvre are over 380,000 objects and displays, and over 35,000 paintings, all of which are separated into 8 curatorial sections. That is a lot of art. This being said, one could not possibly experience it all meaningfully in one afternoon. So I chose to focus on the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian antiquities, as they are the ones I know the most about. Growing up, I was obsessed with Greek myths, so as a result I knew almost every reference to the greek myths in the sculptures. It was truly an otherworldly experience. It felt like such a raw, emotional experience. It was like falling in love; there was such a natural attachment to it, unlike anything I had ever felt, and it was magnificent. I saw The Creator reflected in art made by human hands, His great works beautifully attempted by our best artists and sculptors in such a way that those who look can see the fingerprints of God in the art. It was truly beautiful. Also, this Museum is the most viewed museum in the world, with pre-pandemic levels at 7.8 million visitors in 2019. The Louvre is truly an iconic and ethereal experience that you cannot find anywhere else.

The final place we visited in Paris was Versailles, the luxurious gilded palace of King Louis XIV, surrounded by sprawling green and a small ocean's worth of ponds and lakes. Personally, this was a mediocre place to me, despite my initial excitement for it. I do believe that day I was either exhausted or apathetic, so my opinion at the time was not great. Going back and looking at the pictures I took, however, I am awed by the spectacular beauty of the place. While it may not be nearly as iconic as the Louvre's glass pyramid, or the Eiffel Tower, Versailles is nothing to cough at. With over 15 million visitors each year, which is certainly more than the Louvre, it is obviously a widely popular and culturally significant. It really stands out how much more people value sparkly shiny things, like the gilded Versaille estates, as opposed to the quiet, intricate beauty that the Louvre proposes. I will never be one of those people. Gold is pretty, it is not everything. Gold does not tell stories.

Overall, Paris was not my favorite place we visited, it was actually my least favorite. I did wildly enjoy the Louvre, which does not affect my rating of Paris, as I cannot possibly associate my favorite place with France. Sorry to the french, but you were rude to me and kind of ruined my whole experience.

#france #paris #studyabroad #art #Louvre #eiffeltower #study #student #travel #trains #spotify

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johnpriceyaoi · 2 years

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he only likes formal events because he gets to dress fancy and peruse around for 30 minutes but then he gets overwhelmed and disappears for a while

#grabs him and shakes him #hes so pretyy #mwauh mwauh #this is just like that one greek myth with the sculptor that falls in love with his own creation #ok tags #dr iceberg #scp #formal wear #digital painting

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howwelldoyouknowyourmoon · 3 years

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When God Was a Woman

Merlin Stone spent approximately ten years engaged in research of the lesser-known, sometimes hidden depictions of the Sacred Feminine, from European and Middle Eastern societies, in preparation to complete this work. In the book, she describes these archetypal reflections of women as leaders, sacred entities and benevolent matriarchs, and also weaves them into a larger picture of how our modern societies grew to the present imbalanced state. … The book is now seen as having been instrumental in the modern rise of feminist theology in the 1970s to 1980s, along with authors such as Elizabeth Gould Davis, Riane Eisler and Marija Gimbutas. Some have related it as well to the work of authors Margaret Murray and Robert Graves. LINK

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In this 1976 book the sculptor and art historian, Merlin Stone, discusses the history behind the religion(s) of the Goddess. Various religions in the past held that “God” was a female deity, as only females are the creators of life. There is anthropological and archaeological evidence which suggest that the earliest religions were those with a female deity.

She reminds us of Innin, Inanna, Nana, Nut, Anat, Anahita, Istar, Isis, Au Set, Ishara, Asherah, Ashtart, Attoret, Attar and Hathor, amongst others. She takes us on an ambitious journey, travelling from the dawn of the Neolithic, through the Sumerian myths and writing, over to Crete, and then she goes through the Bible with a fine-toothed comb, ferreting out the Goddess is mentioned in its pages.

It wasn’t until Indo-European religions (which eventually developed the Judeo-Christian cultures) came through with their male-dominator culture, that the Goddess was first suppressed. With this suppression of the Goddess came the suppression of women’s rights. This is also demonstrated when we look at the Judeo-Christian (Abrahamic) religions, and we see the subjugation of women (double standards, rape, slavery, etc.).

On top of this, we see women blamed for the fall of man (as in the Old Testament of the Bible), and this is believed to be an artifact of the patriarchal religions’ suppression of the Goddess. The fig tree was a symbol for the Goddess in many areas around the Fertile Crescent, as well as the serpent. If we look at the book of Genesis in the Bible, we can “coincidentally” see these symbols (namely the serpent) as something representing “evil” or “deceit”.

It was “Eve” who ate the fruit first, so not only is the serpent symbol demonized, but also women in general. Ironically, even if we read the fable of Adam and Eve straight out of Genesis, we see that Eve was actually deceived by a trained deceiver (the serpent), where Adam was deceived by his wife (not a trained deceiver). So Adam was coerced into “sin” by someone he trusted that was apparently just ignorant, and Eve was coerced into “sin” by a trained deceiver — yet it is Eve that takes the bulk of the blame? This is further evidence of how ridiculous the fable is, and how there were so many political reasons behind the religions that suppressed women’s rights. Stone does a decent job presenting the evidence and findings and basically summarizing what happened to women as a result of these patriarchal religious shifts.

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Greece was invaded by northern peoples several times. Robert Graves, in his introduction to The Greek Myths, wrote in 1955, “Achaean invasions of the thirteenth century BC seriously weakened the matrilineal tradition… when the Dorians arrived, towards the close of the second millenium, patrilineal succession became the rule.” With these northern people came the worship of the Indo-European Dyaus Pitar, literally God Father, eventually known in Greece as Zeus and later in Rome as Jupiter. This transition period of the change from the worship of the Goddess to the male deity, the change most intensively brought about by the Dorian invasions, was the subject of E. Butterworth’s Some Traces of the Pre-Olympian World, written in 1966. — Chapter 3 page 51

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Sun Myung Moon warned America that we must have sex the way he told us, in the positions he designated, or else we would forfeit our “love organs” to the dark lord Satan. Moon has long spoken about his desire to see gays and “free sex” banished from America. Moon said “Satan is clinging to our sexual organs.” Women are a “line of prostitutes” who should be punished for their selfishness. “The concave organ {vagina} should be sealed with concrete”. “Woman’s sexual organ is like the open mouth of a snake filled with poison,” he said. Men do not get off any easier. Keep pliers in your pocket, he says, “and when you go to the bathroom, once a day, pinch your love organ. Cut the skin a little bit as a warning.”

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Jim Goad: “If the cult leader wants to control members completely, he aims to control their sexual life. Sex reaches all the way to the core of one’s being, until the unconscious level. It is hard to imagine anything more intrusive than dictating what someone does with their genitals. When a person hands over their sex drive to the cult leader, he does not need to worry about the members’ car keys and bank accounts. They are already his. Sex is only one wrench in the cult leader’s toolbox, but it is the most important one. The aim lies in altering the followers’ sexuality until it is no longer their own. Sex is used to demolish personal identity in favor of the hive mentality. The cult leaders cannibalize their followers’ libidinal energy.” LINK

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Kirsti Nevalainen:

The Fall story in Genesis 3 was an attack against the high priestess/queen as the representative of the Godhead.

The Fall account in Genesis 3 was authored by a Yahwist theologian and it represents a theological and political attack against the Sacred Marriage Rites of Canaanite people. LINK

A History Of God – The 4,000-year quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam

If Adam and Eve didn’t exist, then there was no fall and therefore no need for a savior.

The concept of original sin seems to have been developed about 200 years after Jesus by Irenaeus and later by St Augustine.

#merlin stone #adam and eve #The Fall Of Man

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365days365movies · 3 years

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Music December III: My Fair Lady (1964) - Recap: Part One

Talking about musical theatre? Gotta go to the Greeks.

The modern Western style of theatre has its roots in ancient Greece, around the 500s or so. It’s where we get names like Aeschylus and Aristophanes and Thespis and all them guys. Performance was the preferred Greek method of telling tales, along with oration. And between the two, acting out a story automatically makes it more memorable and engaging, right?

But the stories told by the culture go back even further, told as mythology since God knows when. Over time, though, those stories were recorded into written word by poets. The Greeks had people like Homer, and their mythologies were eventually passed onto (read: basically straight-up stolen by) the Romans. They also had various famous poets, most notably Ovid. And in his 15-book epic (beat that, fanfic writers. I mean, actually beat that, I believe in you), he detailed multiple myths in Greek and Roman mythology. One of the Greek ones spoke of a sculptor named Pygmalion.

Let’s get something clear first: Pygmalion was an ass.

He was a sculptor who saw sex-workers this one time and immediately hated all women as a result. He’s basically an ancient Greek incel, who chooses to stay celibate as to not be around those gross, sinful, flawed women. Instead, he resolves to make his own perfect woman, out of pure ivory. He makes a sculpture of a beautiful woman, and immediately falls in love with it. Like an American otaku who collects way too many, uh...figurines. Like those figurines. That’s essentially Pygmalion.

And I mean it, dude falls in love with the statue. It’s Greek mythology, that kind of stuff is bound to happen. He makes it a bed, he gives it gifts, he makes out with it and caresses it. You know, normal stuff. But obviously, the statue can’t respond or react to this. So, he resigns to his objectophilia and sinks into intense depression.

And that’s when Aphrodite enters the chat.

Aphrodite is from the same island that Pygmalion was from, so she was always paying attention to the place. And when she see this weird-ass passion, she was intrigued. Pygmalion prayed that he could find a real woman like this statue, and Aphrodite granted his wish, in sort of a reverse monkey’s paw. See, instead of giving him a woman like the statue, she just brought the goddamn statue to life, and named her Galatea. They fell in love, got married, had a kid, and...that’s it. Yup.

Now, some of you might be thinking, “I’ve definitely heard this story before. And you’re probably right, but we’ll get to that in a minute. The rest of you are probably thinking, “That seems like some sexist bullshit.” And, yeah, the story of a man literally objectifying all women, and then having a loving relationship with that object...yeah, that’s pretty goddamn sexist, not gonna lie. Still hasn’t stopped it from being adapted...a LOT.

Let’s start with the obvious.

Maybe the most famous example of an inanimate human-shaped object being brought to life by love and magic is Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. Of course, that story is very different from the story of Pygmalion, but...come on. The trope is literally the same idea. Granted, in the original book, it’s the creation that wishes to become a real boy, for the sake of its creator. It’s still extremely similar.

But fine, if you want a straight adaptation of the story, there’s no short supply. The story’s been adapted, referenced, and reinterpreted since Shakespeare. And even he referenced the story in A Winter’s Tale and Measure for Measure. Looking through a list of adaptations gives you a who’s who of authors. Shakespeare, Beddoes, Bell Scott, Tennyson (but not that one), Brodsky, Hawthorne, Updike, Lovecraft (yes, that one), Asimov, Rousseau, and Wharton. Hell, DC Comics has used the idea 3 separate times! Wonder Woman is literally a clay sculpture brought to life with love from her creator and the gods. Grant Morrison made a villainous Pygmalion in the form of Professor Pyg, and the DC Animated Universe gave the name Galatea to a clone of Supergirl!

YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN?

This is a very popular story, is what I’m saying. And we’ve all heard or seen at least one variation of it. But the funny thing is, to see the most popular straight adaptation of the original story, you have to fast-forward to 1913 and famous Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. While he can be credited with a lot of things, including the 1925 Nobel Peace Prize in Literature and a 1938 Oscar for Best Screenplay (BOTH of which he didn’t want), one of his most famous credits is the 1913 play, Pygmalion.

This story was already popular at this point, and a lot of playwrights and poets had turned their attentions to it one way or another. Shaw’s version modernized the story (as many people did at this point), but changed the subject of Pygmalion’s focus from a sculpture into...well, a living, breathing woman named Eliza Doolittle. Eliza was a flower girl, and was Cockney. If you don’t know, Cockney describes a working class Londoner with a very distinctive dialect and use of the English language. That “working class” thing isn’t as applicable today as it was in the 1910s, for the record.

Our Pygmalion of the evening is Professor Henry Higgins, an uptight phonetics teacher who takes on the job of teaching Eliza to be a proper British lady, essentially as a bet just to show how awesome he is. So, yeah, he’s literally sculpting her into his ideal woman, and he does end up falling in love with her as a result. Also, yes, this concept will sound familiar to anyone who likes ‘90s teen comedies.

Yes, She’s All That is an adaptation of Shaw’s Pygmalion.

And no wonder, because this play is Shaw’s most popular, and it’s the version most people associate with the original myth! It was first adapted into film in 1935. In 1938, the British film Pygmalion got an Oscar for Best Screenplay. And then, in 1956, it made its way to the USA...as a musical. Because that’s what we do, what can I tell you?

Dame Julie Andrews herself played the role of Eliza, while famous actor Rex Harrison played Higgins. And this was on stage, mind you. The play was written by Alan Lerner and Frederick Loewe, and debuted on Broadway in 1956. Unsurprisingly, the film was a smash hit, and won six Tony Awards including Best Musical. At the time, it was the longest running show on Broadway, and has had 15 runs over the years, with the last one being a USA tour in 2019! Popular play, is what I’m saying.

Sadly, Shaw wasn’t alive for any of this, as he died in 1950. Would he have liked to see his play become a smash musical? Well, he didn’t like it becoming a film, I’ll tell you that. So...maybe, maybe not. In any case, the train was running now, and the film adaptation was inevitable. It took 8 years, but Lerner’s screenplay and George Cukor‘s direction were brought onto the film adaptation of the musical adaptation of the literary adaptation of the Greek myth. For their Higgins, they chose the Broadway originator, Rex Harrison. And for Eliza? Well, of course, famous star of the silver screen...Audrey Hepburn?

Yeah, despite not really being a Broadway actress or singer...AT ALL...the filmmakers cast Audrey Hepburn. And yeah, I know that Audrey was a ballet dancer, and she was a chorus girl in the West End for a little bit. I’m aware, but...Hepburn? Don’t get me wrong, Audrey Hepburn is fantastic, seriously. Grew up with her thanks to my Mom (she’s a huge fan), and watched her films later on in life, with this and a few more being exceptions. But she’s not really a singer, and definitely not on par with Andrews.

So why not bring in Julie Andrews. Get this: they thought she wasn’t famous enough. Which actually makes some sense, know that I’m looking at it. Sure, she was in a number of films at that point, and she was known within musical and acting circles. But she hadn’t broken out as a star as of yet. Funny thing is, ONE MONTH before My Fair Lady came out in theatres...

There is, within the infinite multiverse, an alternate universe in which Julie Andrews was in My Fair Lady, and Audrey Hepburn was Mary Poppins. THINK about that shit.

Anyway, despite that, My Fair Lady is, to be this day, considered one of the best movie musicals ever made. And I haven’t seen it. What’s more, even though I know the basic plot, I actually know none of the songs from this one. Sure, I’ve heard of some of them, but I don’t really know any of them like I did with Singin’ in the Rain or The King and I. So, this is exciting! New fresh musical ground for me!

And with ALL of that said, enough navel gazing! Let’s get into it!

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap: Part One

After an flowery instrumental introduction and opening credits, we find ourselves in the midst of high society as a party files out into the rain-drenched streets of London. In the chaos, gentleman Freddy Eynsford-Hill (Jeremy Brett) bumps into Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn), causing her to spill her flowers. She demands payment, and speaks in a yowling, high-pitched, Cockney accent which is...genuinely annoying, not gonna lie.

A fellow person on the streets warns her that a man is taking notes as she speaks. She obviously thinks this is a detective, and starts freaking the fuck out about it. Again, understandable; I’d freak out if somebody were taking notes about what I was saying. Turns out, though, that this man is Professor Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison), who’s writing her dialects down as a matter of record. He is, after all, a scholar of phonetics, the “science of speech”, and he proves it by Sherlock Holmesing everybody’s place of origin based on their accent. He should try that shit on me; my American accent is so undefinable, it’s near impossible to tell where I’m from.

When asked to explain, he takes the opportunity to lambast Eliza’s use of the English language, as well as any other use of the language outside of his own type of usage (“Why Can’t the English Learn to Speak”). Yeah, Higgins, is SUPER elitist in terms of language usage. And while he might be verbose, he’s also an ass. Again, this is our Pygmalion of the evening. After his insult-laden song, he lays down this gem for Eliza.

Yes, you squashed cabbage leaf, you disgrace to the noble architecture of these columns, you incarnate insult to the English language, I could pass you off as the Queen of Sheba!

This speech and that insult catches the attention of Colonel Hugh Pickering (Wilfrid Hyde-White), a student of phonetics himself. Intrigued by Higgins’ idea that language is the actual division between classes (instead of, you know, unequal economic distribution), the two strike up a conversation. Turns out that Pickering is a student of the languages of India, and was coming to England to see Higgins, while Higgins was planning to go to India to see Pickering! They take off to go make out somewhere or something.

As they leave, Higgins gives money to her, mostly as a half-gesture. But it launches her and her fellows into talking about their ideal lives, and the things they’d like most (“Wouldn’t it be Loverly?”). And that song, of course, is one of the more well-known songs from this musical. It’s a cute song and dance, and then the night becomes morning. In the process, we get a fascinating shot that looks ripped right off the stage, as the people of the town filter in bit-by-bit, pausing in stages until they all move together, in a busy crowd. Honestly, I like it quite a lot.

Eliza’s father, Alfred P. Doolittle (Stanley Doolittle), a drunkard and deadbeat, comes around asking for some money, and Eliza reluctantly gives him a bit before thinking about that sick-ass insult Higgins gave. She has an idea, then uses the money to get a cab and head to Higgins’ offices. He’s playing with phonographs while talking with Pickering when Eliza is brought in by housekeeper Mrs. Pearce (Mona Washbourne).

While initially incensed at her presence, Pickering offers to cover to costs of the lesson, as he’s curious to see if Higgins actually could have her pose as a Duchess. After...a lot of really annoying screaming from Eliza and condescending folderol from Higgins, the deal is set. Higgins will, over the course of the next six months, essentially train her to act and speak as a proper lady. Under some protest, she agrees...but only after he promises her a fuckton of chocolate. I get it.

Mrs. Pearce and her fellow waitstaff go upstairs to give her a bath. By force. Eliza screams. My girlfriend completely gives up on the movie, and goddamn, I kinda get it. But I’m here to stick with it, so I do. Speaking of girlfriends, Pickering plays good cop (as he has been, to his credit) and asks Higgins of his intentions with the vulnerable young woman suddenly living in his house. And that’s when Higgins launches into “I’m an Ordinary Man”, a song specifically about hating women. And yeah, dude definitely hates women, and pledges to never let a woman in his life alongside super-misogynistic references aplenty. Which, yeah, is the point of the character.

Right after that, though, we get another song from Alfred Doolittle, detailing the lifestyle of a man who cheats on his wife, constantly sleeps around, and mooches off of his daughter (“With a Little Bit of Luck”). Yup. He’s a piece of shit. Very fun song, though. In the process, he learns from another woman on the streets that Eliza no longer lives in her residence, having moved in with Higgins. And that’s the signal to go a-moochin’ for old Alfred.

At the Higgins residence, Eliza’s being worked constantly, which is why the housekeeper is worried about...Higgins overworking himself. Um. OK, whatever, she doesn’t really have an attachment to Eliza yet. Alfred then comes a-knocking, demanding...something. The two men talk around each other, but Alfred eventually just straight-up asks for money. Basically, he’s selling Eliza to Higgins for 5 bucks, thinking that she’s acting as a sex worker for Higgins.

...There are no likeable people in this film.

Well, Pickering’s likeable at least. Higgins is weirdly charmed by Alfred’s complete lack of morals and convictions, and gives him the requested money. Alfred and Eliza meet for a hot second, then Higgins goes on to tell her to practice her vowels. Pickering tries to prompt patience from Higgins, proving himself as the only likeable character so far.

Eliza’s fed up with Higgins, and fantasizes about her revenge on him, in what is...a genuinely entertaining sequence that starts to win me over (“Just You Wait"). The lessons continue, while the...ridiculously large waitstaff seems to pity...Higgins (”Servant’s Chorus”). Apparently, he’s working himself too hard, even though we literally see him starving Eliza. They’re also so very annoyed at the lessons themselves, and are on the verge of quitting. Also, Jesus, how many people does this man employ?

The lessons continue, with little success and with weird methods. There’s one scene where Higgins makes Eliza say a sentence with marbles in her mouth, and I was SO CURIOUS, I SHIT YOU NOT, that I tried it myself, using marshmallows instead of marbles. Because I don’t have marbles. But, yeah, it actually did make me more mindful for how I was enunciating. Also, I had marshmallows.

But then, one night, after many days and nights of working, and after Higgins waxes poetic about the nature of the English language...Eliza just miraculously gets it. Like...instantly and perfectly (“The Rain in Spain”). The breakthrough delights the trio so much that they begin dancing and singing all over the place. Higgins reacts by deciding to publicly “debut” her at the races the following day. Eliza reacts by...well, singing. It is a musical.

As Mrs. Pearce and the maids are trying to get her to bed, she sings...wait. “I Could’ve Danced All Night” comes from this musical? Literally, the only lines I knew from that song are literally in the title, but I’ve heard of the song. Interesting with context, gotta say. Eventually, though, Eliza goes to bed, exhausted. The next day opens with...my favorite sequence in the film.

Again clearly ripped right off the stages of Broadway, “Ascot Gavotte” is a beautiful set piece, full of ridiculous gowns and hats. And I genuinely love the entire sequence. Until the plot kicks in. Funny thing about me, I am violently allergic to what the kids once called “cringe”. It hurts me to watch shit like Eliza immediately making a fool out of herself at the races with the elite. But even then, gotta say, Eliza’s iconic gown is absolutely gorgeous. Like, look at that fucking HAT! I love it.

One of these “elite”, by the way, is Mrs. Higgins (Gladys Cooper), Henry’s mother, who is not excited to see him. She allows him, Pickering, and Eliza into her box to watch the race. She starts to talk about less-than-classy things in her new high-bred accent, and then...well, a hilarious thing happens.

Great place to pause. See you in Part Two!

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silveroliveleaf · 3 years

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In his olive grove, a man finds an ancient statue which looks just like his wife when she was young... and fells in love with it!

That's the plot of the second episode of Post Card (Καρτ Ποστάλ), a tv series based on the novel of the same title by Victoria Hislop. The protagonist is an acclaimed greek-british archaeologist, Joseph (Andreas Konstantinou), who, while is in Crete for an excavation, gets dumped by his girlfriend. So, he begins senting her post cards telling her the stories of the people he meets. At first he hopes that he'll move her, but then he realizes that she's just the excuse to write his thoughts down.

The second post card tells the story of Stella (Anna Mascha), a beautiful old woman, who is dealing with psychological problems and as a result she's considered the "mad woman" of the village. Her husband, Kostas (Gerasimos Skiadaresis), loves her, but isn't willing to get her medical help or spend time with her as it pains him to see her like this. As the story unfolds, we realize that Kostas doesn't love Stella, but what Stella once was: a smart and beautiful young girl. So, when he finds an ancient statue in his olive grove that surprisingly resembles her younger self, he falls in love with it. He's so in love with its eternal beauty and perfection that his love kills him.

There's a truly romantic scene where Kostas lies next to the statue and whispers love words at it supposing it's his wife. That's the dream of any archaeologist, lie with a beautiful statue, feel its marble through your fingers and gaze at the sky, oh my God, that's so romantic I mean, this actually makes him a smuggler because he should have called the Ephora, so that archaelogists had come and took care of the statue's conservation and made sure that they would save as much as they could from the archaeological context.

Anyways, after Kostas' death, when Stella finds the statue, she's very moved because she believes that her husband was still looking for her and loved her. There goes one of the really moving scenes of the episode, because Stella informes Joseph about the statue and asks him "how does it feel like to find something that was lost for a thousand years?".

Joseph really knows why it's worth digging, as he replies: "It's like fixing a mistake, like you save somebody's story from oblivion. Every time I discover something, I think of the person who held it in his hands; what he was thinking, what his life was like, how much he struggled to create it. For example, here" (he points at the statue) "how many days was the sculptor standing in front of this beautiful woman until he gave to the marble her form? Did he ever touch her? Did he fell in love with her? Did he sleep and wake up next to her? Did he ever got used of her?".

"Did he watch her getting old?" Stella adds (like another Dorian Gray... how wise was Oscar Wild when pointing out that only art remains flawless in the passing of time?).

At the end, Joseph takes Stella to a psychiatric facility and she thanks him. He realizes after all that he might have never loved his girlfriend, but he was mostly in love with the idea of love. Though ancient greek art was idealistic (which means that the statues had no personal characteristics, especially the female ones) and women's portraits only appear in the hellenistic and roman period and definitely not naked, I can't deny that the final shots where Stella is paralleled with the statue are of absolute magic.

All this storyline, might remind you something. Though I can't get into Hislop's mind, I think that her inspiration could easily be Pygmalion's myth. Pygmalion was the king of Cyprus. In disgust with female prostitution, he swore never to marry. Pygmalion was also a sculptor and he crafted a statue of a woman so beautiful that he fell in love with it -it was perfect and nothing like the real women. So, he prayed to the gods to make it real and they did it. Pygmalion married the woman (aka the statue that came to life) and (in contrast with the majority of the myths) he had a happy ever after.

Here's the episode:

#post card #καρτ ποστάλ #ερτ #victoria hislop #greek mythology #archaeology #art #sculpture #statue #romantisizing #tv series #greek tv #pygmalion #beauty #άννα μάσχου #γεράσιμος σκιαδαρέσης #greece

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guksthighs · 5 years

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The New Myths \\ masterlist

The myths of the gods have always been told - engrained into the people to ensure they show the correct respect to these deities who protect and guide them in life and in death. But times have changed and the gods lost touch with the people that once loved them.

Now every century they are reincarnated into mortal bodies, to learn about their impact within the mortal realm. But the Fates have a cruel sense of humour and often the gods find themselves making the same mistakes they had eons ago.

Each retelling will be around 10k with a college setting, including smut (bc would it really be greek myths without them getting frisky)

MUSIC TO ME (Orpheus/Eurydice)

Musician!Seokjin x Fan!Reader

; “All this time it was always me and my guitar but now you’re here and I’ve never been happier.”

Kim Seokjin was the musical heartthrob and you’d been to all of his concerts until one night he recognises you and a few months later you’re performing next to the love of your life. How could it go wrong?

>> Releasing 25th October

RANSOM OF SUMMERTIME (Hades/Persephone)

Tattoo Artist!Yooongi x Florist!Reader

; “She’s wearing a flower crown! Explain to me how she fits the aesthetic?”

Yoongi thought he knew how his mortal life would play out, spending it alone and waiting to be restored to his duties in the Underworld. But then he spotted you in a lecture and fell helplessly in love with the Goddess of Spring.

>> Releasing 26th October

CUPID’S ARROW (Eros/Psyche)

Artist!Hoseok x Model!reader

; “We’re soulmates, I was always going to find you.”

Destined to make people fall in love, Hoseok thought he would never make his own connection. But in a freak accident, he gets hit by his own arrow and ends up in love with a mortal - who loves him, even without the use of an arrow.

>> Releasing 27th October

BLINDING LOVE (Perseus/Medusa)

Fuck Boy!Namjoon x Sculptor!reader

; “I could spend my entire life avoiding guys like you and just keep walking straight into their arms.”

It started off as a bet but after one look, Namjoon found himself unable to forget you and that melancholy glint in your eyes. Suddenly all he can think of is you and making it his purpose to make you happy.

>> Releasing 28th October

LUCKY CHARM (Zeus/Hera)

Jock!Jimin x Cheerleader!Reader

; “Have you ever even tried to keep your dick in your pants?”

Jimin has been single for as long as he can remember, enjoying the benefits of having a new girl in his bed every night. But that all changes when an exchange student joins and he finds himself doing anything to get your attention.

>> Releasing 29th October

JUST FORGET HIM (Dionysus/Ariadne)

Taehyung x Reader

; “I can only ever love him Tae, please just give up.”

There has never been something as hopeless as falling in love with someone who’s already in love with another man, but Taehyung only wants you, even if your heart has been given to someone else. And he’s determined to make you feel the same way.

>> Releasing 30th October

LETHAL LUST (Ares/Aphrodite)

Bad boy!Jeongguk x Tutor!Reader

; “Is there something we need to address so you’ll actually tutor me instead of eye-fucking me?”

The Goddess of Love is scared of commitment and driven by lust and Jeongguk is happy to cater to your needs, even if you swore you would never sleep with him again. Because how can you resist him when you’re secretly harbouring feelings?

>> Releasing 31st October

JESSNOTE: This year spooky month has a theme! Greek mythology! AAAAA i literally cannot wAIT to have these out! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME STAY HYPED,,, tell me which one you’re looking forward to or maybe what you think of the pairings i ended up with?!! I love you all so much and can’t wait for spoooky month,, let’s try and make this one the best EVERRR ee

BIG OL’ SHOUTOUT TO ASHIE @jiminspjm FOR CREATING THE BEST BANNERS I HAVE EVER SEEN,, i wish you guys had seen my shitty attempt lmaooo,, anyway this girl is so ridiculously sweet and now i haVE to complete this series because i want to shove these amazing banners in all of your faces over and over.. they’re amazing,, thank you again lil angel girl~~

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letterboxd · 4 years

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Stanning the Ancients.

Valerie Complex probes the intersection of Greco-Roman mythology and queer experience in Portrait of a Lady on Fire, The Neon Demon, Jumbo and Midsommar.

Ancient stories have a way of influencing modern filmmakers—in part because of their “glorious” approach to love, as actor, writer and Greek-myth-lover Stephen Fry noted at this year’s digital Hay Festival. But even beyond depictions of same-sex love, Greco-Roman mythologies lend themselves well to tales of otherness and transformation.

Mythology isn’t just a bunch of stories from thousands of years ago—it’s something we create every day. Greco-Roman mythology, in particular, has less to do with the “godly” part of the pantheon, and more with their human qualities. Their lust, jealousy, wrath and greed: on display for not just other gods but all mortals under them. These stories were a portal for us to reckon with the less-savory parts of ourselves.

More than that, these stories were a cipher; a way for us to relate to one another without the need for conversation. What are celebrities and the gossip they inspire, if not modern myths? Stans are acolytes worshipping at the temples of their respective gods. They make offerings, pray to them, build altars. Every celebrity’s past is of great interest to their worshippers, who mine their back-stories for nuggets of relatability.

Beyond direct adaptations (Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans and the like), these ancient myths have informed many recent films (Prometheus and The Lighthouse; the Amazons and Wonder Woman; Oedipus and Old Boy; Homer’s The Odyssey and O Brother, Where Art Thou? included). But queer scholars have long seen Greco-Roman myths as having a particular way of helping shape queer cinematic experience, because they exist at the same intersections.

Consider the queer sensibilities in the tall tales that feature trans and intersex characters, and all the other ways the ancient poets encompass LGBTQIA expression: through their tales of otherness, outcasts living on the fringes of society, relationships that reject heteronormativity, or that push the bounds of sexuality and identity.

When myth and movie come together to create loose adaptations, film lovers are blessed with art like The Neon Demon, Jumbo, Midsommar and Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Let’s look at how Ovid, Euripides and Virgil have woven their way into the fabric of each of these stories. (Spoilers ahead!)

Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel and writer-director Céline Sciamma on the set of ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ (2019). / Photo by cinematographer Claire Mathon, courtesy of NEON

The Melancholy Experience of Finite Love and the Desire of the Gaze: Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire meets Virgil’s ‘Orpheus and Eurydice’

Virgil’s story of Orpheus and Eurydice is woven so literally and metaphorically into Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire that it’s interesting to discover how late in the piece it came. Sciamma told me in an interview at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019 that the story was one of the last elements to be included in the script. When she re-read the myth, she felt it ran perfectly parallel to Marianne and Hëloise’s relationship because the concept of gaze is extremely important for both couples.

In Virgil’s tale, it was prophesied that the marriage of Orpheus and Eurydice would be short-lived—and so it was. Eurydice dies from a snake bite, and her soul is sent to Hades. While in mourning, Orpheus gets the attention of the gods by singing and playing the lyre.

Being the rule-breaker that he is, Orpheus travels to the underworld to bring Eurydice back. Hades and Persephone are moved by his music and grant his wish that he will reunite with his wife, instructing him to keep his eyes front while his wife walks behind him into the living world. Unfortunately, he turns around—and loses her forever. We don’t know why he turned around when he was told not to—did he make the poet’s choice, or the lover’s? Perhaps the memory of Eurydice felt more feasible than having her physically.

In Sciamma’s film, Marianne (the painter), Hëloise (her subject) and Sophie (the maid) are isolated on a small island in eighteenth-century France. The trio carve out a microcosmic community where they are equal peers and status has no power. Hëloise reads the story of Orpheus to her two friends; they discuss whether he makes the poet’s choice, or the lover’s choice. Marianne and Hëloise engage in a romantic relationship, subverting the hostile, patriarchal world they live in. When their time is finally up and Marianne is running to the door to leave, Hëloise requests she turn around to see her one last time, thus imprinting a lasting image in Marianne’s mind. No one dies in their story, but, with a look, their love for one another lasts beyond the physical world.

Watch: Céline Sciamma discusses the myth of Eurydice and Orpheus in this clip from the new Criterion release of Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

Elle Fanning as Jesse in ‘The Neon Demon’ (2016).

Reflections and personae in The Neon Demon: Nicolas Winding Refn takes on Ovid’s ‘Echo and Narcissus’

The harsh modeling world is the perfect backdrop for The Neon Demon, which deals with ideals of beauty, deceit and narcissism. The film is also a loose adaptation of the Roman poet Ovid’s story of Echo and Narcissus from Book III of Metamorphoses. Narcissus is the beautiful hunter who upsets Aphrodite when he rejects a low-level goddess in the most asshole-y way. She curses him, and he ends up drowning when he falls in love with his reflection and tries to kiss it over a pool of water.

In The Neon Demon, Jesse (Elle Fanning) wants to be fashion’s next ‘it’ girl. She has youth and beauty on her side, which invokes jealousy in others. As her star rises, Jesse is consumed by vanity. After her harsh rejection of make-up artist Ruby (Jenna Malone), and going on an egomaniacal tirade, she is pushed into an empty pool by Ruby’s friends Sarah (Abbey Lee Kershaw) and Gigi (Bella Heathcote), thus breaking her neck.

Two stories from different millennia share a common thread: characters who love themselves to death (literally). What separates them is the queer subtext, particularly in The Neon Demon. Does Refn know his film had queer subtext? Perhaps not, though the film itself is often included in modern queer horror lists. There is an explicit attraction between the main characters, and he does an excellent job examining what that looks like when they are clouded by envy. For the women, this desire manifests in the form of companionship (Ruby), status (Gigi) or consumption (Sarah). This queer interpretation aids Refn’s exploration of relationships that exists outside of the typical portrayal of female desire.

There is a debate among viewers regarding the queer subtext and the lesbian body horror aspects of the film. Many of the film’s critics denounced the level of sexual objectification of the young women. However, objectification is a hallmark of the story: it’s a movie about the modeling world. What people miss is not only how the external world oversexualizes these characters, but how they objectify one another, and that gaze lends itself to a strong queer asthetic.

Florence Pugh as Dani in ‘Midsommar’ (2019).

Outcasts and killer cults in Sweden: Euripides’ The Bacchae as told through Ari Aster’s Midsommar

In Greek tragedy The Bacchae, Dionysus tells the citizens of Thebes he is the son of Zeus. No one believes him. He is gaslit to the point of shame. With his reputation in a shambles, the spurned demigod leaves Thebes. He soon returns in disguise with a pack of rabid women who call themselves the Bacchae—they kill King Pentheus and burn Thebes to the ground because they didn’t listen. No-one listens to Midsommar’s main character, Dani, either.

Dani is in an emotionally abusive relationship with the gaslighting Christian, and is surrounded by Christian’s friends who reject her and see her as an emotional burden. Imagine how unhappy they are when Dani accompanies them on their trip to Sweden to visit the commune of the Harga people for their Midsummer celebration. Things spiral out of control when Dani unintentionally rises to godlike status within the Harga cult, which leads to, let’s just say, consequences for her dissenters.

On its surface, Midsommar is not queer cinema—at the center of the film is a heterosexual couple. However, Dani is an emotional outcast and feels like an outsider no matter where she is; it’s an echo of queer experience that is heightened when the women of the Harga embrace Dani. She gains status within the group and receives cathartic support from the young women of the commune. This allows her to purge the toxicity she’s experienced at the hands of Christian, his friends, and the outside world.

Sure, the Bacchae and the Harga are both dangerous, insular, microcosmic communities. Those attributes aside, these are two groups that exist separate from society at large, because their way of life is unique only to them.

Noémie Merlant gazes up at the object of her desire in ‘Jumbo’ (2020).

The Allure of Inanimate Objects: Zoé Wittock’s Jumbo vs Ovid’s ‘Pygmalion’

Another story from Ovid’s Metamorphoses features Cypriot sculptor Pygmalion, who swore off women in his city and took to isolation. In his time away from society, he carved a woman out of ivory and fell in love with it. He prayed to Aphrodite to bring the sculpture to life—and she did! Could this be an early case of objectum sexuality? While there is no divine intervention in Jumbo (which premiered at Sundance this year), Zoé Wittock’s film explores the meaning of objectum sexuality, which is a form of sexual or romantic attraction focused on particular inanimate objects.

In the film, Jeanne (Noémie Merlant—yes, Portrait of a Lady on Fire’s Marianne) isn’t interested in human interaction, other than with her mother Margarette (Emmanuelle Bercot). Working for the cleaning crew at an amusement park, she falls in love with the newest attraction, a tilt-a-whirl ride named Jumbo. As Jeanne’s desire grows, the ride comes to life and begins to communicate via colors and sounds.

Jeanne is a societal outcast who rejects human romance; her relationship with Jumbo subverts what society understands about sexuality and connection. Coming out to her mother about her attraction is also a challenge. Margarette isn’t open to what her daughter is feeling and reacts harshly toward Jeanne by coercing her into engaging in sex with men, and, when that doesn’t work, throwing her out of the house.

Eventually, Margarette realizes love is love, and as long as her daughter isn’t hurting anyone, she can learn to accept Jeanne’s love for Jumbo. Being pushed to the fringes of society for being honest (like Jeanne), or isolating yourself (like Pygmalion), is a scenario that queer folks are all too familiar with. At least Jeanne and Pygmalion don’t face tragic ends. The odds of being rejected by loved ones is high.

Coming out to family members is hard enough, especially when your very existence challenges their sense of normalcy. But this is why chosen families are important, and in both stories, the love of an accepting, chosen few is better than the approval of the majority.

Related content

Follow Valerie on Letterboxd

Valerie interviews “Celine the Machine” at the Angelika in New York earlier this year.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire director Celine Sciamma answers your questions in our Letterboxd Q&A.

Jumbo and Portrait of a Lady on Fire star Noémie Merlant answers our Life in Film questions.

Midsommar director Ari Aster talks pagan rituals and psychedelic drugs in a Letterboxd Q&A.

MundoF’s essential list Opening the Vault: A Chronological History of Queer Interest & LGBTQ+ Cinema.

The Top 100 Narrative Feature Films by Women Directors

The Top 100 Women Directors of the 2010s

The 2010s—Top Romance Films

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dramioneasks · 5 years

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HP FESTS: TheMourningMadam’s Fests (Part 2)

Where Gods Dwell Fest 2020:

Forge of Aradia by WordsmithMusings - E, WIP - A dark and angst-filled twist on the story of Pygmalion and Galatea - an enchanting myth about a sculptor who fell in love with his own sculpture and prayed to the goddess Aphrodite to bring it to life. Only here the sculptor is Draco Malfoy, his hands are guided by his three best friends, Hermione Granger is in an abusive marriage with Ronald Weasley, and the Goddess Aradia hears their cries.

Her Only Sunshine by articcat621 - E, one-shot - He was the sunshine in her dark and lonely world.

Sweetest Downfall by BiscuitsForPotter - E, WIP - Seven years after the war began, Hermione is sent on a mission to take down one of the greatest threats to the Order. Rumor has it that this threat has some sort of special power that has made him unbeatable in a duel. Hermione's orders? Find the source of his power and destroy it. Based on a dark interpretation of Samson and Delilah; Written for TheMouringMadam's Where Gods Dwell Fest.

The Clouds, The Wind, The Stars and The Moon Know Not by fandomfairytales - E, WIP - Based on the Polish tale of Miranda and Hero. Draco is the crown prince of a rich island nation, plagued by powers beyond his control and dreams of a woman he has never met; he is stalked, pursued and eventually imprisoned the wicked goddess Astoria (Kosciey) ascended from the underworld.Hermione, a formidable warrior in her own right never put much stock in magic, but when the sun speaks of truths and dangers she had already dreamt, she must embark on a quest to save the man she loves from an impossible, seemingly unbeatable foe.

Tanabata by sleepygrimm - M, WIP - This is a story of a boy and a girl. The way they found each other. The way their love was a force greater than anything that tried to tear them apart. A story of tolerance, respect and trust. That Patience is all you need to deal with life's intricacies.

Taming The Fire by Imotales - M, 2 chapters - can one person change the tide of the war? Voldemort did with her power and politics . So did Draco Malfoy with his love. An old tale of love written for morningmadam's fest with a supernatural twist.The world burned with her power so did she. She remembered only one face. Could he save her? She didn't waned him to.

The Last Story by TulipsofIsolation - M, 9 chapters - The man could tell a story. That much was a fact. Yet he knew, had been there seen with his own eyes when they pulled Hermione Granger from the woods. She couldn't have possibly survived. Could she?

Anointed by TheMourningMadam - M, one-shot - The world believes he stole her away, dragged her to his own personal hell. Perhaps he did, but she eventually followed willingly, with her heart full of love. And now, with the world closing in, they make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure they stay together for eternity.Influenced by The myth of Hades and Persephone, though more figuratively than literally.

I Have You Etched on my Skin by DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns - M, WIP - She wasn’t a muggleborn, and she was magically bonded to Draco Malfoy.Wait, what?

Searching by pixiedustandbluebutterflies - M, WIP - Hermione and Draco’s hearts were tired of hatred and exhausted of prejudice - but the world wasn’t necessarily ready to accept a relationship between a muggleborn war hero and the son of a disgraced death eater. After years of turning enemies into friends, overcoming public scrutiny, and living through a very public engagement, they were ready to spend the rest of their lives together in peace.Unfortunately, sometimes those closest to you have other plans.

A Woman’s Truth by Charlie9646 - E, WIP - A tale of love, hatred, secrets, but most of all what family truly means.Our choices affect more than just ourselves.

How to Grow Anemone by augustine (aramyn) - M, WIP - May the Gods be ever in your favour.

Unveiled by GracefulLioness - E, one-shot - On the eve of her wedding to Ron, Hermione learns exactly what he wants in a wife, and it's more than she can bear. Running from him and everyone she loves, she finds herself turning to an old flame and wondering why they hadn't worked out.Based on the Hebrew myth of Lilith and Samael for TheMourningMadam's Where Gods Dwell Fest.

The Golden Girl and the Dragon by Art3misiA - T, 5 chapters - There's something developing between Hermione and Draco. The only problem is, her two best friends aren't happy about it and are determined to stop things in their tracks. But will they succeed, or will events take an unexpected turn?

Meet Me at Greenhouse Three by HollyBrianne - T, 3 chapters - A pair of star-crossed lovers, a whispered invitation, a date at greenhouse three. / Dramione fest piece

to seek the light of truth by sparrow_ink - T, WIP - A retelling of the myth of Eros & Psyche.An ancient artifact awakens in Magical Britain, and much drama ensues. Hermione Granger doesn't have time for nonsense like having her marriage arranged by a semi-sentient cup, only it seems she doesn't have much choice in the matter. How is she supposed to help replenish the population of magical Britain when she doesn't even know her husband's name, and she's never seen his face? And is she actually falling in love with someone who might as well be a ghost? Of course not. That would be ridiculous.Herein contains: a library as a bribe (a bribrary, if you will), too much magical chess and tea drinking, and more nonsense than you can shake a wand at. Enjoy

Killing Hermione Granger by NotSoSirius92 - E, one-shot - He intended to kill her. Falling in love was never apart of the plan.

Shriek by Rosella_Burgundy - M, one-shot - He wants her. He'll do anything in his power to get to the object of his desire.

Then We Found Us by CindyBarnard - M, WIP - Prompt: Adam and Lilith - Dark Festival: TheMourningMadam's Where Gods Dwell Hermione had a life plan, and it was going exactly according to schedule, thank you very much. If only her husband hadn't decided he did not like her plan. . . Which led to her finding out exactly what her husband had done... Maybe she would never have known his secret then, living in blissful ignorance. But he did have an issue and therefore she did find out. And now? Well, Hermione never did want to be the supporting character, did she? And if they did not want to change, then she would fix the problem. So she had to do what she had to do. Besides, the devil is not always wrong you know.

Living Death by Kyonomiko - T, 2 chapters - To Hermione Granger, forgetting who she is might just be worse than death. Looking for forgiveness, even absolution, Draco Malfoy gives her a hidden place in his world.

The Equinox and the Garden by Pandorascube - T, 4 chapters - One night at the Malfoy Harvest ball, everything changes.Modern retelling of Ariadne, Theseus, and Dionysus through Hermione, Ron, and Draco. Written in the style of Greek Tragedy complete with purple prose, Deus ex Machina, the three unities, and a poetic chorus of House Elves.

Accidentally in Love by grace_lou_freebush - T, 2 chapters - Theo is brewing a potion when Draco barges in and ruins his night. Now he needs revenge. A Dramione reimagining of the Greek myth of Apollo and Daphne.

Like Souls that Balance by savedprincess85 - T, 2 chapters - Hermione is captured. Harry and Draco must rescue her. Based on the Myth of Lancelot and Guinevere. Written for TheMourningMadam's Where God's Dwell Dramione Fest

This fest is onging.

#themourningmadam's fests #Fests/Exchanges/Challenges

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cheelchan · 7 years

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marble and flesh

Rating: T Pairing: Jin x Reader Word Count: 2.8k Genre/Warnings/AU: romance, angst, greek myth!au Summary: He fell in love with someone who was not even a being. A/N: This is a retelling of the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea from the book, Mythology by Edith Hamilton. However, I revised the story to make it seem like Jin was a devotee of the goddess, Aphrodite (when, in fact, Pygmalion in the original myth isn’t). There are also some references to Heidegger’s concept of ‘being’.

In the whole of Greece, there was one man whose ability to create art was widely hailed. His art was composed of marble statues that seemed like they were alive and breathing. In fact, one felt the need to touch them to confirm that they were, indeed, made of marble and not of human flesh.

“Jin! Did you finish the sculpture I requested you?”

The young man in question turned around to see his friend, only to shake his head in answer to the question. The requested sculpture was something that Jin had yet to finish, especially since he had been burning the midnight candle for his own personal project. His personal project was something that took away the stress that came along with being one of the most formidable sculptors of Greece.

“I’m in the middle of making it, as you can see, right? I was just really busy lately, Namjoon,” Jin reasoned out as he turned back to the sculpture of the goddess, Athena, that his longtime friend had requested of him weeks prior.

“It’s been weeks and I know that sculpting is an art that takes time, but you do know that the feast of Athena is coming and I just need to finish it by then,” Namjoon sounded exasperated as he sat on one of the benches by Jin’s workroom. The young philosopher was a strict devotee of the said goddess, especially as she was the goddess of wisdom, though Jin knew that there was an even more underlying reason why Namjoon seemed agitated.

“Relax, Namjoon. We all know that it’s Aphrodite’s feast first, before the goddess, Athena’s. Your goddess’ feast isn’t coming until five weeks after!” Jin reassured the younger man, while he hammered a part of the medium-sized sculpture that was requested of him. The sculpture was the size of an average human being, though was a bit smaller than Namjoon’s height. It might have seemed despicable, but the young philosopher could not afford the materials for a bigger statue.

“So, have you finished all the sculptures you’ve made for the goddess Aphrodite’s feast?” Namjoon asked, curious on what the sculptor was able to finish.

“All the commissioned ones, yes,” Jin replied without missing a beat.

“So, you have un-commissioned ones?” Namjoon obviously didn’t miss what Jin seemed to imply. Jin nodded in response, chipping off a part of the Athena statue he was making for his childhood friend. “What are you going to do with them? Are you putting them for display for the city to enjoy during the feast or are you going to offer them to the goddess, Aphrodite?” He quipped as Jin hummed a light tone, a focused look on his face, while he paused from his actions.

“I want to make the most beautiful statue just in time for the goddess’ feast. I mean, the goddess of beauty and love deserves such statue, after all. Will I offer it? Of course. I mean, what else would I need a statue for?” Jin chuckled as he turned to his longtime friend who nodded in response, though seemed skeptical. “Oh, come on, Namjoon. What else am I going to do with it? I can’t sleep with it, you fool!” Jin chided the other guy who grimaced at the thought of his friend sleeping with a statue.

“Well, of course,” Namjoon agreed, clearing his throat, “it would be entirely weird if you did sleep with a statue. I mean, you already hate women, so, why would you sleep with a female statue, then?”

“Well, at least, female statues don’t chatter out loud and screech in annoying voices,” Jin muttered silently, just enough so that his friend won’t hear his words. By that time, Namjoon already took his leave, since he had to go to the archives. Jin, on the other hand, decided that it was about time that he finished working for the day, so that he could resume working on the statue he was hoping he would finish in a week’s time.

Y/N.

That was the name of the statue that Jin was working on. He aimed to make it the masterpiece of his lifetime, enough so that even the goddess, Aphrodite, would be ecstatic to reaffirm that the gift of creating beauty she had bestowed on Jin was worthwhile. After all, his ability was even acknowledged by other gods, themselves, as they were always elated when the said man created a sculpture in honor of them.

Despite being in his mid-twenties, Jin’s ability in sculpting was considered as one of the best in Greece. Most of his competitors were already in their late thirties or forties, equipped with years of experience in sculpting. Yet, Jin didn’t seem like he was behind them, even when he was short of experience by a decade or two. At a young age, he was granted with the said talent by Aphrodite. And while his talent of creating beauty extended to any sort of art, but it was sculpting that he had grown attached to, especially with how he was able to make sculptures seem like they were actual human beings and alive. And that was why Jin decided to make a statue so exquisite and full of life, that even human beings would fall in love with the statue.

He hummed to himself as he continued on shaping the marble to the form of a woman. It was odd why he would think of making a sculpture in the form of the being that he despised the most, but it was for the goddess, Aphrodite.

Besides, he only hated women for their vile charms and their annoying voices that only seemed to know how to gossip. They never seemed to know when to stop and do things that were actually productive. He couldn’t even enumerate the number of times that he rejected women, even before they could invite him to go somewhere. Besides, Jin knew that they only wanted him for his name and his handsome features, but never because of who he really was inside.

Days passed by and Jin continued to refine the sculpture, making sure that it had the face, body, and shape of the perfect woman, just below the goddess of love and beauty herself. Of course, he wasn’t foolish to think that there would be anything more beautiful than the goddess, Aphrodite, herself. He would even dress the sculpture in different female robes, just so that he could see how the sculpture was becoming more human with each passing day he spent on refining its features to become more full of life, to become more alive, and to become more human. He would find himself talking to you when he felt the pressures of the world coming on to him, confessing to you his greatest fears and even his darkest secrets that he would never even dare to admit to Namjoon, whom he had always known since he was born.

Later on, he found himself hoping that if there was any female human being whom he would fall in love with, it would be you. The female human being, who was you. Yet, your only imperfection was that you weren’t even a being. Jin sighed as he stroked the cheeks of the statue, hoping to feel the warmth of human flesh, but it was hard, cold marble that greeted his fingers, instead.

Alas, the very gender that he greatly discriminated and hated had found its revenge on him, and it was through you, a mere female sculpture. Because no matter how hard Jin tried to pretend that you were alive, no matter how he painstakingly would try to dress you in beautiful clothes, and no matter how hard he would kiss your beautiful lips, you would always be cold marble. For you were a mere statue – a cold sculpture that he created from marble and his chisel.

“Jin, are you okay?”

His friend, Namjoon, had visited him on the night before the feast of the goddess of love and beauty. Jin could only turn to his old friend with sadness creeping on his shoulder, his heart obviously crushed by his sad reality. But, Namjoon, who was always wise beyond his age, knew that it wasn’t just any woman. In fact, it wasn’t even a woman, because it was you.

“I-I’m hopeless, aren’t I?” Jin asked, an empty smile present on his face. Namjoon could only sigh, unsure on the words of comfort that he could offer to the sculptor, whose heart had been crushed by his own masterpiece. Namjoon knew the pain of hopeless love that would never bear fruit, his heart having broken by one a few years prior, in exchange for the knowledge and wisdom he garnered at a young age.

“You could always pray to your goddess tomorrow to find you a woman who looks exactly like her. It’s Aphrodite’s festival. Surely, she would give you this favor, especially with how the sculptures you had made for her festival were so beautiful,” Namjoon suggested before taking his leave. Jin obviously needed to be alone at the moment, to have a time on his own to reflect. After all, he had to be in high spirits for his patron goddess’ festival.

But, what his longtime best friend stuck to him the entire night.

The next day, Jin dressed in the best robes he could find and decided to leave his home for the goddess’ temple in his city. He also doused himself in the sweetest and most fragrant oil he could find before he headed to the goddess’ temple to pray before her. Right before her statue, he bowed in front of her, praying that she would grant his wish to find a woman who was exactly like you. The said woman need not to be as perfect as you were, but he was willing to stay, despite the possibility of her screeching voice, as long as he would find someone, more or less, similar to you. He just needed to.

And then, he heard a masculine snort.

Jin decided to look up, but a great force stopped him from looking up. It was as if there was an invisible power that was preventing him to look towards the direction where the snort came from.

“Don’t even try, okay? You’re going to die if you decide to look straight to my face, you know,” the voice said as Jin’s eyes widened. He was obviously in the presence of a god, but the said god’s identity was unknown to Jin. Clearly, it had to be someone who was in the good graces of his goddess, since this temple was one of her favorites.

“Mother told me about you, actually. And well, she’s not here in the temple, obviously, because she wanted to see the procession in the city. Which is why I’m surprised to see you here and not there in the city, where you should be making jolly,” the male god mumbled the last part in wonder. Jin didn’t have to think twice to realize which god was before him. It was Aphrodite’s son, the god of love, Eros.

“My lord, I do not deserve to be in your presence,” Jin whispered as the male god looked at him with amusement. Eros actually knew everything about Jin, having always heard Jin’s story from his own mother, the goddess of love and beauty.

The goddess always appreciated Jin’s sculptures that he always dedicated to her, but at the same time, she was always frustrated on how Jin never seemed to fall in love with even just one of the beautiful women surrounding him, always rejecting them outright before they could even make a move. And while a male lifetime companion was also possible for Jin, the goddess, however, knew that the mortal, Namjoon, was off-limits. Yet, Jin, on his own, fell in love with the very statue that he made. Somehow, in the midst of the way he carefully and meticulously crafted the sculpture, he forgot the lines of humanity.

He fell in love with you.

“Tell me, honestly, Jin. Would you really want a woman who just looked like your sculpture or do you earnestly want her?” Eros asked.

Jin swallowed the growing lump on his throat. Was this a trick question or not? He wondered. He knew that the gods and goddesses of Olympus were always tricky enough to ask mere mortals questions, and only depending on the mortals’ answers, will they find out if they were to live a blissful life or be cursed to the ends of Tartarus. Oh, how Jin wished he had Namjoon’s knowledge and wise brain to be able to make a decision.

“M-My Lord,” Jin stuttered, hoping that the answer his heart genuinely spoke of would satisfy the god, “a mere mortal like me may have his wants in life, but it is only my lord who knows what is best for me. And so, I cannot dictate what a god like yourself must do,” he resigned to his fate, making the god break into laughter.

“Jin, you give me too much credit. But, now, I see why my mother dotes on you a lot,” the male god chuckled in amusement. “Well then, you shall see your answer when you get home. I shall take my leave now, mortal,” he added as smoke surrounded the whole temple. It took a while before Jin could finally look up as the said smoke disappeared, as well as all traces of the god of love ever appearing before Jin.

Jin gave another bow to the statue of his patron goddess before taking his leave, running towards his home. A part of him wished that they granted his wish of seeing you become human. After all, it was always his heart’s desire to see you in the flesh. But, he also knew that he should not let his desires get in the way. After all, the god might grant what he felt was best for Jin and that was a real human being.

Yet, when he arrived right before the door of his home, he was greeted by the sweetest voice he has ever heard in his life, humming to a familiar tune that he knew. It was the melody that he would always sing whenever he made a sculpture. It was odd, however, because he would never sing it when he was with someone else. He only sang when he was with his sculptures. He opened the door to his house and saw you, all flesh and full of life, standing by the window of his house. You were wearing the very same robes that his statue was wearing. You looked exactly the same way as he imagined his statue would look if it were human. He turned to the direction of his statue, but the statue could not be found. It definitely couldn’t be-

“It’s me, Jin. It’s me.”

He immediately lost control of his self and went to you, holding your arms – oh, they were not cold – and pulling you into his chest, embracing you, feeling your warmth and your frailty from your humanity. You were actually being and not inexistent. He felt his cheeks wet from the tears falling from his eyes, from the feeling that he missed you so much, even if you didn’t even exist beforehand. “I’m never going to leave you. Never,” you reassured him as he broke away from the hug that he gave you. You tilted your head in surprise, however, you could only gasp as his lips engulfed yours, his lips finally met with the warmth that only human lips could give, your lips soft and reciprocating, not cold and still.

“I’ve loved you, even before you came to be,” he said in between kisses as you moved your lips against his. Even if it hasn’t been a day since you became human, but the instinct that came along with you becoming human came along and you knew how to reciprocate the very actions that he showed you, as he made love to you that very night if only to show you the passion and love he had always harbored for you. The goddess Aphrodite and her son also gave you the memories from the time Jin had finished sculpting you to perfection and started to fall for you from mere admiration. And so, it also made sense why you would fall in love with the man who had sculpted you from mere marble.

“I came to love you as soon I came to be,” you responded to his earlier declaration as he caressed you in his arms before the two of you would be engulfed by sleep, the next day promising you of nothing but hopes and dreams for the future.

It wouldn’t take soon after when Jin would take your hand in marriage, a union that was obviously blessed by Aphrodite and her son, Eros. The two of you, in return, would continue to bless her temples with wonderful statues and sculptures that beautified her temple, something that should be a given for the temples of the goddess of love and beauty. Your story would be a tale that would be passed on through generations about how a seemingly-hopeless love always turned out for the better, especially when there was an earlier story of a hopeless love that didn’t turn out like yours and Jin’s.

But, that was going to be a story for another day.

#btswriters #bangtanwriters-net #bts writing squad #jin x reader #Kim Seokjin #jin scenarios #jin fic #jin fanfic #bts fic #bts fanfic #bts scenarios #jin #Kim Namjoon #bts angst #Jin angst #Jin scenarios

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justparisianthings · 5 years

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Paris Day Seven

Waking up before nine is not fun at all.

Today was the day we went to the Louvre and got to see all the cool artwork inside. It’s a very extensive museum with several sections of different artwork. I really loved the Greek and Roman sections with the many statues. Sculptors are so skilled at making stone look soft like skin or clothes. I got to see famous artworks like the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo too! Ok, about the Venus de Milo though… It’s accepted that she’s a Greek statue, but for some reason, they use the Roman name of the goddess in her title? Like, the statue depicts the goddess of love and beauty, which in Greek mythology, is Aphrodite. Her name is Venus in the Roman myths. So, why is she called the Venus de Milo if she’s Greek? It’s just something that bothers the mythology nerd in me.

Mads and I ended up in the Luxemburg Garden again after the Louvre. She brought a book to read and I totally meant to read myself, but I ended up falling asleep in one of the chairs out there. I guess all the exhaustion finally caught up to me! It was really relaxing though and a nice break. That break didn’t last long though, because today was also the day of the FIFA World Cup championship game! It was the US versus the Netherlands. Mads and I found a restaurant for dinner that was also playing the game and we stayed there the entire time. It was a bit of a stressful game, but we came out on top in the end! 2-0!! The restaurant actually seemed to have many American families in there and we were all super happy to get this win.

After the World Cup game, the group met up again at the Comédie Française to watch the play Galileo. It was kind of confusing and hard to follow since they performed a different version than the one we read. There were several scenes that were added in and some that we read about that weren’t included at all. And, of course, I couldn’t understand anything because it was all in French. Although it was hard to follow the story, that allowed me to pay more attention to things like the lighting and backdrop of the stage, both of which were beautifully done. The actors also seemed really emotional and into their characters and seemed to do a very good job. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience.

Well, tomorrow is yet another early day, but it’s totally going to be worth it because Mads and I have an awesome trip planned for our first day off. Stay tuned!

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lineffability · 7 years

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In Every Living Thing #5

“In every living thing there is the desire for love.” ~ D. H. Lawrence

Nalu | Sculptor/Greek Myth AU part 5/7 read: all | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | on FF.net words: 2000 rating: T

Yes, it’s been more than a week since I last updated this. Yes, I am both sorry (that it took so long) and proud (that I wrote it at all). Yes, it is an actual update! I can’t believe it either!!

moon ii.

Old romance might have failed, but modern romance surely wouldn’t.

At least that’s what Lucy thought when she signed Natsu up for online dating.

“But Lucy,” Natsu whined, “Do I have to?”

“Absolutely,” Lucy huffed, “The best way to learn about love is to be in love, so that’s what you have to do in order to be able to stay here; I told you. Got that?”

“I guess,” Natsu grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

It had been a month since he had become part of the lonely Heartfilia household, and what he had contributed, mostly, was life. Life and the unexpected, but more frequent company of not only Wendy but also Gajeel, who seemed to slowly but surely grow more accustomed to being more than just the guy who left Wendy at the door and disappeared.

Change had come slowly, and it was still happening, but it had not gone unnoticed.

The fact that Natsu had decided that romance wasn’t for him and he’d rather hang with Lucy and Wendy to play video games and listen to their stories wasn’t exactly helping Lucy’s love mission along. Especially not her new plan of making him fall in love, instead of merely talking about it and continually failing to explain.

“You promised me!”

“Right, right.” Natsu sighed theatrically. “I’ll go and try to love her! But only for you.”

Lucy rolled her eyes, giggling softly. Then she faltered and pursed her lips. Something about his words, and the carefree way in which he said them, touched her in odd places, but then… What was it about them that bothered her? She wasn’t quite sure, but there was an unpleasant feeling in the very back of her stomach, rearing its head, and it sat there quite uncomfortably.

Shaking her head, she looked back at the screen. “Look, this girl is perfect! Good-looking, nice smile, has a proper job… likes reading! Natsu, you’re taking this one.”

“...sounds more like you wanna go yourself.”

She glared at him with pursed lips, producing a dismissive smacking sound. “Trust me, you’ll be going on this date, and if it’s the last thing I do.”

“You’re cruel, Lucy.”

“You’re living under my roof. My rules.”

And however more of his feeble protest he tried to plead to her, there was nothing he could do.

Rarely had an evening ever been this long.

And it had only been an hour since she’d dropped Natsu off. She’d given him some of her own precious money before leaving him in front of her favourite restaurant, where he would meet the date that would hopefully turn out to be the love of his life.

But why could Lucy not find it in her to be happy about this great plan of hers? She sank deeper into the couch, hoping it would swallow her up. She just couldn’t stop thinking of the two.

“Lucy, is something wrong?” Wendy looked at her with large, worried eyes, and Lucy immediately felt guilty. This was Wendy’s time, she shouldn’t waste it away with thoughts about someone else.

“Oh no, I’m fine,” she was quick to deny with a weak laugh.

“She’s not fine,” Gajeel grunted, and both girls turned their heads. “She’s pining like a schoolgirl.”

“I’m not!” Entirely scandalized, Lucy gaped at Gajeel. She was not! The bundle of fur currently sprawled out on her lap raised its head and yawned. Lucy pouted down at the little cat, who began purring.

“See,” Wendy giggled, “Even Happy agrees.”

Lucy puffed her cheeks. When even the cat teamed up against her, maybe she should be giving Gajeel’s words more thought. But she refused stubbornly. What did he know! Did she really have feelings for a guy who wouldn’t know love if it slapped him in the face? No way! Huffing, Lucy rearranged her legs, and Happy jumped off her lap to tip-toe over to Charle’s side. She promptly moved away. Lucy smiled.

If her home had become more lively with Natsu’s appearance, then the cats were just the cherry on top of the cake. Fondly, Lucy recalled the day the four of them -- Wendy, Natsu, her, and even a very grumpy Gajeel -- had went to the local shelter to adopt a cat for Wendy’s birthday. One. Singular. How exactly they wound up with three, she still wasn’t sure.

She should have known that Natsu would be awfully excited inside an animal shelter, but when even Gajeel had wordlessly handed her a large, black cat with only one eye she’d actually considered if she’d ended up in an alternate reality.

The only cat who took up permanent residence was the odd one Natsu had named Happy, and while Lucy had declared the kitten was his responsibility alone, she found herself stealing him from Natsu more often than not. She’d always considered herself more of a dog person, but she had to admit she was entirely smitten with the little thing. But nobody loved Happy more than Natsu…The duo of doom, she’d dubbed them.

Lucy looked at her watch for the hundredth time, caught herself doing so, and grumpily sat on her hand to hide it from view. Really, what was wrong with her?! She was sure everything was going fine. Otherwise he would’ve called her on his emergency phone, she’d made sure of that.

Or what if… everything was fine? Absolutely fine? What if it was going great?

Lucy fidgeted nervously. “So this is a fun movie,” she said a little too loudly, trying to keep her mind from wandering, “”Who do you think she will end up with?”

But her question never was answered.

“Yo, Lucy!”

“Natsu?!” Lucy almost fell off the couch. His entrance was s sudden, for a second she wondered if she’d fallen asleep. “You’re back already?”

Gajeel shot her an incredulous look. As if she hadn’t been checking the time frantically all evening. But Lucy didn’t notice. Her attention was on Natsu.

“Natsu!” Wendy chirped, a large smile on her face, and he smiled back as he peeled himself out of his jacket.

“Was it not good?” she asked, wondering if she sounded too hopeful.

“Oh, yeah, it was nice! But I got bored.”

“Natsu! Don’t tell me you… ditched her?”

“Oh, nah! I invited her along.”

“Wait, what?!”

All blood left Lucy’s face as she forced her gaze away from Natsu and leaned sideways, her terrified eyes landing on a small woman who stood awkwardly in the doorframe. Lucy recognized her face from the dating website.

“Oh my god,” she wailed, “I’m so sorry! My friend, he’s-- well--”

“Oh no no, it’s alright!” the other woman quickly rescued her, waving her hands as they both tried to overplay their embarrassment. “Natsu was actually really nice! It was uh...fun?”

“But we can’t go back to that place because, apparently, I stole food.” Natsu informed Lucy, looking rather annoyed.

“What?!” Lucy felt like evaporating. Why had she ever thought letting Natsu leave the house on his own was a good idea?? “Natsu, that was my favourite restaurant! I can’t believe you stole from them!”

“I didn’t! I just tried some food that wasn’t on my plate… didn’t know that was such a bad thing.”

Helplessly, Lucy fixed her eyes on the unfortunate date, who just shrugged and then -- to Lucy’s amazement -- proceeded to giggle.

“It was kind of funny, you know…” she recalled, holding a hand to her mouth as her laughter became more frequent.

Poor thing, Lucy thought, probably wanting nothing more than to disappear into a hole in the ground. And she was so nice! Really, this Natsu… (But again, there was this part of her that felt oddly relieved to find him back, at home with her.)

Remembering her manners, Lucy scrambled off the couch and strode past Natsu, pointedly ignoring his offended expression, and held out a hand to the woman. “It might be too late for a proper introduction, but hi, I’m Lucy. You must be Levy.”

The words left her lips and immediately Lucy could have slapped herself. Levy’s brows rose, but in amusement rather than affront.

“Checked me out, have you?” she said with a little grin, and Lucy grasped the lifeline and laughed in relief. “It’s okay; this whole blind date thing wasn’t my idea anyways. I figured it’d be a disaster.”

“No offense,” she quickly added, but Natsu just grinned and put an arm around Lucy’s shoulders.

“I knew you’d like her!” he said to Lucy, and then leaned forward towards Levy with a conspiratory air, “I told ya, she would’ve liked to go out with you more than me.”

“Natsu!” Lucy yelped, her entire face turning red. Now everyone was laughing. “I’ll go and make you some tea!” she called towards Levy, already halfway out of the room, and then waved at the empty place beside Gajeel. “Please, take a seat!”

Gajeel, who had been curiously eyeing the newcomer, quickly turned his face in another direction, acknowledging her presence beside him only with a curt nod. His cat, Lily, promptly nudged her leg. It did not escape Gajeel’s attention.

Natsu made himself comfortable on the ground, where Lucy joined him after she’d brought in a big jug of camomile tea for the company. Levy fit in surprisingly well, and soon it felt like she was an old acquaintance rather than a spurned blind date. Lucy could have sworn Gajeel was taking a special interest in her, even if he was trying his damn best not to show it.

She grinned to herself, but Natsu was the only one who saw. He leaned in closer, and she became acutely aware of his presence beside her. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing,” Lucy replied quietly, and with a smile, “But maybe you can soon learn more about love from these two.” She chuckled at her own little joke. Natsu turned to look behind him, but was stopped by an elbow to his side. “Don’t!” Lucy warned.

“You’re really weird, you know,” he grumbled, but then suddenly grinned at her. “But it’s more fun that way. The date was okay, but I just wanted to go back home and hang out with you, Lucy.”

Lucy’s heart jolted. Did he even realize the kinds of things he was saying? Did he even realize what his words were doing to her? Oh, this was not good.

She was beginning to realize just why she’d been so nervous all evening. Why her heart was suddenly doing weird things to her when he looked at her with so much fondness in his eyes. Oh, this was not good at all.

This should not be happening. This wasn’t part of her plan!

Carefully, she snuck a glance at Natsu, who seemed absorbed by the movie. But he noticed her look and smiled at her before returning his attention to the screen. Lucy’s chest ached.

It was so like her to fall for a supernatural man without a proper understanding of the most important of human emotions. To him, how could she be anything more than a friend?

She had created him. It was her duty to look after him and to do everything she could to make sure he could stay here in this world, whether he chose to stay with her or not.

Lucy hadn’t expected to feel what she was feeling now.

It would make things so much more complicated.

Biting her lip, she carefully leaned her head against his shoulder. She had done this before, but today her heart skipped a beat, and a part of her disliked it. But then Natsu leaned against her, just slightly, and all her worries went to hell.

Natsu looked down at the top of Lucy’s head with a smile. His right hand was busy cuddling Happy, and his left was trapped between himself and Lucy, but he wouldn’t have moved an inch. He felt content and warm, and more at ease than anywhere else.

If there was one thing Natsu had realized in his time here, it was this: There was nowhere he’d rather be than by Lucy’s side.

#fairy tail #nalu #nalu fanfiction #my writing #ielt

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4wordletter · 6 years

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I appreciate your friendship very much, and all the effort you’ve given to me; probably more than I deserve. and I’m sorry things took a weird turn. part of me wants to say, “start over?”, but there’s no second chances, really.

i think starting fresh sounds like a good idea! there’s a zillion chances really don’t you think? if there’s someone worth keeping around you don’t really count chances. at least i don’t :)

if you want some more time away from me that’s okay too. I’m sure if I had to deal with me that’s what I’d want, ha. but uh. I do want to stay friends. the thought of you being out of my life entirely did upset me a lot.

i don’t “deal” with you, that sounds terrible. i didn’t want time away from you, if you see what i mean. i wanted time for us both to reflect. that’s what i’ve used the time for: to figure out, well, what factors led to this, what role have i played, how can i do better.

I meant it when I said you’re one of the most positive things in my life as of late. after the year I had last year… talking to you was like a breath of fresh air. I do need to work on being a better friend, and not just for your sake. I’d hope we’re not incompatible on a friendship level, because I agree with what you’ve said before: I also think we bond well.

i still think we bond well. i’m skeptical when you say “being a better friend” because i hope you’re not planning on trying to modify yourself in order to fit in with people (myself or otherwise). you should never have to jump through hoops to keep someone in your life. if you feel there are aspects of yourself you’d like to change for your own happiness then i think that’s fine. but don’t let other people, the external world, shape you like that. most importantly don’t let me shape you like that. there’s a greek myth about this sculptor guy pygmalion who makes a sculpture of a woman and then falls in love with it. i don’t wanna be that guy lol

but you’ve seen some pretty ugly sides of me by this point and if we’ve finally hit your breaking point, then that’s that.

you haven’t showed (shown?) me anything ugly lmao. U NEED TO CHILL

I’m not going to beg you to stay in my life if you don’t want to. I’m not going to bend over backwards or try to change myself to be someone you’d like more. if it seems like I’ve done that, I apologize for that too. I don’t think I do it consciously, if I do it at all.

yes! that’s good. i like that attitude a lot more :D

our conversations have gotten me to introspect a little more, and it’s always nice to learn more about yourself, I think. but I’m not that desperate to keep anyone around. it’d suck if you left. like, majorly. but I’ve hurt worse. you gotta take care of yourself too.

okay. let’s call it a day with this then. let’s learn from it and move on :)

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howwelldoyouknowyourmoon · 6 years

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When God Was a Woman

Merlin Stone spent approximately ten years engaged in research of the lesser-known, sometimes hidden depictions of the Sacred Feminine, from European and Middle Eastern societies, in preparation to complete this work. In the book, she describes these archetypal reflections of women as leaders, sacred entities and benevolent matriarchs, and also weaves them into a larger picture of how our modern societies grew to the present imbalanced state. ... The book is now seen as having been instrumental in the modern rise of feminist theology in the 1970s to 1980s, along with authors such as Elizabeth Gould Davis, Riane Eisler and Marija Gimbutas. Some have related it as well to the work of authors Margaret Murray and Robert Graves. LINK

It wasn't until Indo-European religions (which eventually developed the Judeo-Christian cultures) came through with their male-dominator culture, that the Goddess was first suppressed. With this suppression of the Goddess came the suppression of women's rights. This is also demonstrated when we look at the Judeo-Christian (Abrahamic) religions, and we see the subjugation of women (double standards, rape, slavery, etc.).

On top of this, we see women blamed for the fall of man (as in the Old Testament of the Bible), and this is believed to be an artifact of the patriarchal religions' suppression of the Goddess. The fig tree was a symbol for the Goddess in many areas around the Fertile Crescent, as well as the serpent. If we look at the book of Genesis in the Bible, we can “coincidentally” see these symbols (namely the serpent) as something representing “evil” or “deceit”.

It was “Eve” who ate the fruit first, so not only is the serpent symbol demonized, but also women in general. Ironically, even if we read the fable of Adam and Eve straight out of Genesis, we see that Eve was actually deceived by a trained deceiver (the serpent), where Adam was deceived by his wife (not a trained deceiver). So Adam was co-erced into “sin” by someone he trusted that was apparently just ignorant, and Eve was co-erced into “sin” by a trained deceiver — yet it is Eve that takes the bulk of the blame? This is further evidence of how ridiculous the fable is, and how there were so many political reasons behind the religions that suppressed women's rights. Stone does a decent job presenting the evidence and findings and basically summarizing what happened to women as a result of these patriarchal religious shifts.

Greece was invaded by northern peoples several times. Robert Graves, in his introduction to The Greek Myths, wrote in 1955, “Achaean invasions of the thirteenth century BC seriously weakened the matrilineal tradition... when the Dorians arrived, towards the close of the second millenium, patrilineal succession became the rule.” With these northern people came the worship of the Indo-European Dyaus Pitar, literally God Father, eventually known in Greece as Zeus and later in Rome as Jupiter. This transition period of the change from the worship of the Goddess to the male deity, the change most intensively brought about by the Dorian invasions, was the subject of E. Butterworth's Some Traces of the Pre-Olympian World, written in 1966. — Chapter 3 page 51

Kirsti Nevalainen:

The Fall story in Genesis 3 was an attack against Sex Rites

The Fall account in Genesis 3 was authored by a Yahwist theologian and it represents a theological and political attack against the Sacred Marriage Rites of Canaanite people. LINK

A History Of God – The 4,000-year quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam

#Merlin Stone #Adam and Eve #Kirsti Nevalainen #Jim Goad #Sun Myung Moon #Divine Principle #Fall of Man

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sjohnson24 · 6 years

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Statue Stories

The term statue came around in the fourteenth century. A statue is a three dimensional figure of mythical creatures, leaders, objects and animals. Many times a statue is erected as a memorial to somebody’s spirit that has made an impact on the city, town or place that they are posted. Statues of Gods and Goddess were made to show honor and respect for the particular cosmic being. Often times when their reign in the city was done, the statue would be pushed down and a new one erected in it’s place.

Statues are very important for many spiritual reasons. A small statue can be placed on an altar as a point of worship. Directing your energies at a statue can make it become alive. Statues can be used to ward off evil entities when shaped like a gargoyle or gnome. A statue has a significant presence in the middle ages and modern mythologies. I am going to share some statue stories with you; Buddha Buddha statues can be seen in many mainstream places today. In many businesses, restaurants and temples you will find the Buddha. The Buddha brings good luck and prosperity to those in his presences. The statue is a representation of a spiritual teacher from 6th century B.C. Nepal, whose philosophies are still popularized today. He was raised as a prince, but one day on his forbidden journey outside of the palace he recognized suffering in his people. He let go of his materialistic ways to live an enlightened life much to the benefit of tons of souls.

Medusa Medusa is a hideous monster in Greek mythology. She has hair of snakes and her gaze turns living beings into stone. She was once a beautiful maiden until she was raped by Poseidon in the temple of Athena. Her hatred was spurred for all living men and so began the horrifying curse.

Pandora Pandora is the first woman in Greek mythology to be created by the Gods.

She held onto a jar, which contains all of the evils of the world. She opens it and unleashes it, without ever knowing why. She is said to be molded from clay by Hephaestus and styled by Athena. Pandora is a curse upon the human race. Her name means “all-gifted” because she has been blessed by all of the gods.

Pygmalion An ancient myth from Greek mythology involving a statue is Pygmalion. He is a sculptor who sculpts the most exquisite work of art. This tale is told by poem in Metamorphosis by Ovid. He creates the most beautiful women made from Ivory whom he falls into love with at first sight. He wishes to Aphrodite for her to fall in love with him. When he comes home, he kisses the ivory statue and she turns into a real woman whom he weds. They have a son named Paphos, from whom the city was named.

Satan Statue A public statue of Satan, who is named in the Christian and Catholic bible as the adversary to God has been erected this week. It was created by a satanic church in Detroit, Michigan. The statue is nine foot tall and made of bronze.

Tom Cruise Statue This same week, a statue of Tom Cruise is set to be placed at the Church of Scientology in St. Petersburg, Florida. The statue is a celebration of Tom being with the church for 25 years. The statue is a traditional spiritual nude displaying a cross with a four sided star on top.

Statues from all over the world pop up in unusual places. Statues have become long living pieces of history, often times surviving for lifetimes. If you have a statue made of you, or made in your time, the chances are that it is going to survive for many generations.

Statues are rediscovered all the time, just this year two statues were found in a cave in Tochigi. They were of the Sanuki Buddha. The cave is sealed by a wooden door and cannot be reopened for sixty two more years.

The Buddhist priest Kukai carved the statues around the year 765.

Statues are able to hold energy imprints for a long time. If there was a popular legend, leader or beauty the chances that a statue were made to honor them is pretty good. A statue is an artifact that holds the power of the one it was created about. Sometimes people would deface certain parts of a statue to curse someone in the afterlife. A broken nose could have you suffocating in the next life, missing eyes and you are blinded…the list goes on and on. My best advice would be to repair the statues for spiritual karma can be changed unless it was done for a better purpose

Cloud Eyes Poetry by Deanna Jaxine Stinson.

I have this dream My corpse is like a statue Frozen, crystal cased human

My skin is ivory and blue Clouds and castles house me Vampire cities in the skies I can foresee everything But, I cannot stop the pain

The Immortality…

My soul from bleeding Blood becomes gold With your eyes behold I sleep and my visions come alive

By Deanna Jaxine Stinson Halo Paranormal Investigations – HPI International https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/HPIinternational/

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