#;; underworld blues (prose)
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i think it’s so beautiful how there are certain language features that we reserve purely for poetry and the like; there’s strict syntactical rules when speaking english day-to-day but if you want to play with them? bend them? break them? in the name of art? sure, go ahead. you can go a long way without impairing communication of your message, and on top of that—it just sounds prettier.
#i thought of this when reading some poem last week or the week before#and then i thought of it again listening to the mechs’ underworld blues#when heracles says ‘i came here your dog to seize’#and then the very next day i had a spanish linguistics seminar on syntax where we were discussing when to use verb-object or object-verb#and in translating examples noticed when it’s acceptable to switch them in english too#though of course it works differently#but like ‘a castle stood upon the hill’ vs ‘upon the hill there stood a castle’#that one’s only a mild example of this really though#not just restricted to poetry but common in prose too#of course there’s a lot of crossover and these rules are more lenient when writing prose than when speaking in daily life#but i’m more thinking of the absolute refusal to follow grammatical rules in favour of creating rhythm and rhyme that you find often#in poetry#i just love language#and this is just the standard rule breaking of poetry not even when people make a point of breaking rules as part of their art#poetry#language#dark academia#linguistics#english language
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It seems very strange to me,
to be spoken of in passing and yet
be alive and present still.
Not alive, per se, but living
(facsimile as it may be)
upon the ground that spake
and the words not said
of your untimely demise.
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signed with love and forever yours, mark
postage. lee mark & gn! reader, mentions of death in the context of greek mythos cost to ship. 712 words
growing up, i never understood the tragedy of orpheus and eurydice. how, upon achieving the opportunity to bring back his beloved, orpheus squandered it all with a single look. it frustrated me, that after all that effort--every song he had written and preformed, compositions which moved all, even gods-- he abandoned all success with a single glimpse backwards. a second of a stare that only captured the whisper of eurydice's figure before she was dragged back to the depths of the underworld. i never understood why he looked back, why he had to fail when he was so close to the edge of triumph.
though i suppose that after meeting you, if i took the place of poor orpheus and you, my eurydice, i'm afraid that i would also lose you for a second time. that i would risk everything i had worked towards, everything that i had done just to see your face in that fraction of a second. to look at you, no matter the consequences. no matter what what i had sacrificed to get to you, no matter if i too would be punished for this singular stare. i would do so, even so close to escape, so close to having you in my arms again without a moment of hesitation. i, not only as orpheus but as mark--your mark--would do anything to spare even the slightest of glances in your direction. even if they would only forfeit half of a second of being captured in the reflection of your eyes and nothing more. for that half of a second, that split sliver in time, would be worth more to me than any hours of gazing upon anything else.
i find us to be more likened to paris and helen of troy. a story i've always understood, at any and all basic fundamentals of its core, though doubted. for how could anyone be so beautiful that others would begin wars over them? that their beauty would be more fair, more compelling than that of the gods? that men would be reduced to nothing more than spurned infatuation, fighting battles--killing-- for any brief moment spent within helen's gaze.
i wasn't sure that any such person could exist. but with you, i find myself to be playing the part of poor paris--destined, perhaps, to starting wars over the mere thought of you.
about mark's love letters.
mark's handwriting is rough and scribbled. oftentimes jotted down with whatever pen he has lying around, series of swirls and scratches at the top margins of the page where he attempts to get the ink to flow. his words, in a stark difference to the somewhat chaotic state of his slanted, all-caps writing, are carefully chosen. hand-picked with the utmost care, the upmost emphasis to ensure the quickening of your heartbeat. though short, his letters are poetic and always very true to himself. you can almost picture the look on his face when he writes them, a fantasy that does nothing but conjure heat into the full of your cheeks.
he first writes these down in his notes app of all places. thumbs frantically typing with every out of the blue strike of inspiration (something that happens rather often, both for songs and for you, though mark could argue that these two things are nearly synonymous). and when he does get the time (something he seems to be always running out of) he transfers these pretty proses to the whitened canvas of card stock. a firm choice, made to last. each one of his letters are signed with less-than-perfect stars and a drawing of whichever thing has recently caught of your fancy (usually him).
mark often sends them in the mail to you but prefers to give his letters to you in person. something he often finds himself regretting when you choose to read them outloud, burying his face in his hands as he begs you to stop. you don't and mark often finds himself begrudgingly thinking that you're much too like haechan for your own good (or his). it's not all bad though, not when the reward for withstanding such utter humiliation on his part is all of your affection. and mark would take anything in the world if it met just receiving one shred of your heart.
your mailbox
taglist. @evilsailorsenshi @222brainrot @chriscentric @trourevaille @firstdonutllamafarm @jenaisnte thank you for supporting me! ♡
🧾 © 00127am 2024
#⏱ wake up! it's 00127am!#💌 letters of my love#📋 - nct dream#📋 - nct 127#📋 - mark#🖇️ love letters#nct 127#nct imagines#nct scenarios#nct dream#nct 127 x reader#nct dream x reader#nct dream scenarios#nct dream fanfic#nct dream imagines#nct timestamps#nct dream timestamps#nct dream fluff#nct 127 fluff#nct 127 imagines#mark x reader#mark lee#mark lee x reader#mark fluff#mark lee fluff#mark lee imagines#mark lee scenarios#mark lee drabbles
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For the sweet people who are interested in the really long Hannibal post-fall story I'm writing and asked for a little summary/details, here's what I can let go as a teaser and information without spoiling too much.
It's going to be called ''La Vita Nuova'', which literally means ''the new life'', but is mainly a reference to one of Dante's earlier works which you should read before you throw yourself into his hell, aka La Divina Commedia. Dante's works and interpretation of the underworld serves as layout for each part of the story, every circle becomes a different ''arc'', not literally, but metaphorically of course.
Throwline/synophosis:
''The moment the sea spits them out and Will drags Hannibal from the waves onto the shore on impulse, Will knows that he made his choice. That there’s no going back and that all they can do now is live.
With fear and desire for a shared future and death following closely behind, simply living is not an easy task. The only thing Will finds harder than keeping the both of them alive is living with the likes of his desires. His want. But what else does he have left other than to swallow his words and push through the days as he figures out more and more about both Hannibal and himself? Until they truly are naked and completely alone, in a world that's just the two of them?''
It’s pretty much a story like all other s4 fanfics out there, in which the main thing is that they discover themselves and what exactly their relationship is and how it continues to evolve from that point on. They escape the USA and leave for Paris, from there on they pursue their lives with fake identities, occasional murders, sensual dinners, fights and breakdowns, etc. They move from place to place, from Paris to cliff houses in small coastal towns to Hannibal’s childhood mansion in France, a hotel in Lisbon, back to America, a cabin in the woods, road trips, etc. They separate and come together, ruin and fix each other, they have to deal with the fact that their pasts will always follow them and that all they can do is live and love each other, even if their relationship is a mess built on deceit and mutual manipulation. They love each other, care for each other deeply, unofficially marry at some point in the story, too. Which makes the real murder husbands become a thing haha. Loads of things happen and there’s loads of emotions, subtle scenes that mean more than they give away and a shit ton of poetic prose because I am a poet before I am a writer and that’s visible in the text.
This story has become quite a big project for me, considering I'm not yet done and I'm already on 300k words, I treat it as a professional novel since I also write those HAHA. For that reason I make little summaries/key word structures/in dept analysis' for myself on each part of the story. Here are some of those, IN CASE you're interested and didn't get bored of me yet (Their journey is monitored by locations, each location symbolises a different phase in their relationship/lives):
Oh and also, here's the link to the pinterest board I made for it:
The Past, Childhood (before everything)
A dead snake on cold asphalt, boat yards, absence, guilt, stained hands and trying to erase what stained them, new faces without names, a big office chair, a screaming far away, your father falling asleep in one of the boats, your father crying the next day, them finding him in the lake a week later, wooden fences, darkness, creaky single beds, a hunting rifle above the door, escape.
The apartment, Paris
Late nights of red wine and talking, blood spilled after opera, dark bedroom windows and noisy streets, secrets in vintage drawers, old jewellery and silver knives, an unsuspected gothic quality to life, fire, passion, polished dress shoes and velvet suits, hot baths, aristocracy, a japanese katana above the fireplace, desire, dark blue bed sheets, excitement and anger.
The Cliff House, Etrétat
Blue and white porcelain, rough wooden tables, beach walks but with grey clouds and a dark blue sea, a dream-like atmosphere, fog, a single window, light bedsheets, dog’s fur, contemplating and reflection, sirens in disguise, phone calls, harp music but slightly out of tune, a deep breath on the edge of a cliff.
The Mansion, Essonne
Spiral staircases and high ceilings, paintings on the walls, secrets beneath the floorboards, misty fields, loneliness, frost on windows, a lack of bruises, thorny rose bushes in the garden, ghosts of dead girls in corners, wet gravel pathways that lead nowhere, a broken fountain, melancholy, memory, locks without keys, frustration, dead things in the woods, quiet.
The road, Europe
Regret, exhaustion in the form of quivering hands around a steering wheel, empty towns, having a hard time leaving the past behind, the smell of old leather car seats, crossing borders, sunlight, getting back into the skin of real people, undone belts, shadowy figures in the distance, a new perspective.
The Hotel, Lisbon
Truth, coloured walls so bright it hurts the eyes, the return of voices behind corners and walls, a suit and a golden ring, oysters on a terrace at sunset, patterned tiles that make you dizzy, ignorance, making up, a small knife carved out of bone, the curse of time passing by, dancing, wind caught curtains light as feathers embroidered with gold, disguises.
The Boat, the Atlantic
Blood seeping into soft carpets, illness, nights in a dimly lit bedroom, care, handwritten letters, Jazz in the background of a smoke filled room, the bitter taste of martini’s and realisation that there is only one life left now, rain, charismatic strangers and seductive faces, maze-like hallways, mystery, constant nervousness, a pair of very unique cufflinks, entrapment, a familiar shade of red lipstick in the crowd, punishment.
The Roadlife, Louisiana
Betrayal, forgotten churches, hurting legs and torn jeans, a gun in a jacket’s pocket, man-shaped beings in the distance, hallucinations, pain, life blending in with dreams, dried blood under the rims of nails, abandonment, hatred, minimal living, sticking together, open roads that need to be repaired, looking for motel signs in the dead of night, turning into the scary stories you used to be told in your childhood, a ticking clock, grief, leaving traces hoping somebody will follow, encountering the past, childhood bedrooms, relief.
The Cabin, USA
Trees that seem black rather than brown, dirty footprints in snow, familiarity, a few bottles of liquor in the cabinet, isolation, winter, empty fields full of brown grass and colourless skies, a forgotten cemetery, visiting an old acquaintance, unfriendly locals, the metaphor of beasts huddling together when they have only each other in a society that doesn’t want them, a dirty kitchen, nostalgia, cycles and loops, a fireplace like a heart on fire, becoming familiar, embracing the future, calmth before the storm.
/
A familiar place, somewhere warm
Reunion, blurry rooms, a face that seems to be made of smoke, warmth, the pain of a needle in the arm and the burning of medicine in the throat, touch, leaving, an empty house, a cliff, chasing invisible signs, snow, a night sky full of stars, a sea you’ve longed for before, words, cold breaking into the spine, unsavable and relieved, love.
/
-
The two ''/''s are for places that spoil too much for the end of the story, I'm not going to post those yet. Right now I just finished the boat part, everything else still has to be written. That's how much I still have to go #sendhelp.
Anyway, long story short, it's pretty much the, I quote ''ridiculous, angsty, petty gay husbands because they still don’t 100% trust each other after everything thats happened'' idea. Key words for me were angsty, sexy, as close to the canon characters as possible, emotional, experimental and with a lot of unresolved issues between two killers who are hopelessly in love with one another despite the issues.
(Ya'll got me so excited I've been making this post instead of finishing the new version of The Picture of Dorian Gray I'm writing for which I have set my deadline next month.)
It can still take a while before I start posting it on ao3 though! Exams are coming and I'm applying for different universities and academies this year so I have to divide my time and attention. I write whenever I feel like writing, though I can promise that once I start posting, this fic will have weekly updates and many looonggg chapters :) Thanks for the enthousiasm! I appreciate it a lot!
#hannibal#hannigram#hannibal fanfiction#fanfic#ao3#What have I gotten myself into#is a question I asked myself throughout hundreds of pages#and still I thrive#the devil works hard but Hannibal nbc fans work harder
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Hel Norse Divine
@ghosting-medium helped write and edit this!
ᚺᛖᛚ (elder futhark)
Hel (old norse) Hell(e) (old english)
Her name comes from a root meaning, covered or hidden kinda like Hades and Frau Holle, and like a helmet or a helm, which is also the name of the realm which she resides in Helheim (old norse=Hel) also meaning “the grave” or to be put in your grave this land is not a place of punishment like the Christian Hell, it was more of a waiting place where Lady Hel takes in the “unchosen souls of the dead”. Helhiem was believed to be guarded by a giant wolf it’s disputed whether it’s her brother Fenrir or another wolf named Garm, Helheim is in one of the nine realms which is Niflheim, her plate and knife are named “hunger” and “famine”
She is the daughter of Loki and the giantess (or a jötunn) Angrboða; her brothers are Fenrir (Vánagandr or Fenris) and Jörmungandr (Midgard serpent). Some don’t realize the gods and giants aren’t different races but different families and titles as Hel was born of a god/goddess parent she has the title of goddess but she can also be referred to as a giantess.
She appears as half-blue or sometimes some say it translate to black both mean she’s half corpse/rotting and the other half is a flesh colored beautiful woman, she’s known to appear to her followers as either or both if she feels the need to scare you or shock you she may come as her rotting side or if she wants to come off more motherly she may show up as her flesh side, some say she has white or black hair it varies to person.
She also had a 3 legged horse also known as “Hel-horse” a scrawny boney white/yellow horse which in the “prose edda” she brought plague and death
She’s said to lead an army of undead souls into battle during Ragnarok to fight in a valley against the undead warriors of valhalla (Old Norse: Valhǫll) aka the hall of the slain or hall of the corpse.
She appears in Baldrs draumar and the Voluspa in the poetic edda also known as the “Elder edda”.
In Baldrs draumar you see her when she refuses to give Baldrs soul back to the other gods and keeps him in Helheim unless everything in the universe weeps for his “death” (gods in norse mythology don’t “die” they’re reborn in a way) when one giantess refuses to weep Hel keeps Baldr in Helheim till Ragnarok. It was known she treated him fairly and even gave him a seat beside her as a guest of honor in her hall.
Ullr was another god who visited Niflheim often so he often visited Hel in Helheim.
Why she was thrown from Asgard is disputed; some believe it was due to her looks that she made the other gods uncomfy, or that like her brothers the Æsir gods condemned her before she really did wrong leading to a self fulfilling prophecy, or that Odin gifted the hall to her.
Hel is the queen of afterlife and the caretaker of the dead in some sources she was also the main god who made decisions on judgements for who received punishments in Helheim as not all who went to Helheim go as punishment and it was said that Helheim had 2 sides.
General association
Death
The afterlife
Ancestor work
Shadow work
Bones
Sickness/plague
Cold/winter
Revenge
Scrying
Hidden places
Tombs
Gold / Sliver
Rotting/wilting
Spirits and death work
Necromancy
Animals associated
Ravens
Horses (black or white sometimes bay)
Wolves (due to her brother and the guardian of her hall)
Crows
Vultures
Any black animals
Elderly animals
Scents
Pine
Amber
Earthy scents
Apple
Cinnamon
Homey scents
Spice scents
Musky strong scents
Colors
Black
White
Blue
Sliver
Gold
Runes/Tarot
Hagalaz (hail)
Eihwaz (yew)
Death
Queen of wands
Queen of swords
Numbers
3
9-Upg this number comes up with her a lot due to her being a ruler of one of the nine realms
Element
Earth - because of her ruling of the underworld, and being under the earth
Zodiac Sign
Scorpio - upg, but Scorpio deals with a lot of secrecy, privacy, shadows, and death
Cancer - upg, she’s “the one who hides or is covered”, since Cancer’s animal is the crab, and that is an animal that is covered by its hard shell. Many individuals that work with Lady Hel associate her with being motherly, but also strict. Cancer is the sign of nurturing, and emotions so it makes sense.
As for other zodiac signs, I would consider any zodiac signs near the end of the cycle. The zodiac cycle is associated with the cycle of life and death; so near the end of the cycle is going to be death. This could be signs like Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. There is no historical basis for this, as Norse Paganism didn’t really document or use zodiac signs.
Day of the Week
Saturday
Crystals
Any type of obsidian
Black onyx
Hematite
Smokey quartz
Labradorite
Moonstone
Jet
Black tourmaline
Plants
Yew (do not consume yourself EVER)
Any poisonous plant really (deadly nightshade, foxglove, etc) (do not handle unless you are a pro and know how to handle poisonous plants)
roses/dried roses
fungi/mushrooms and other decomposers
Mold
Juniper berries/bush (do not consume yourself EVER)
Pine
apples/apple trees/apple blossoms
Plantain
Black roses
Drinks and food
Mead/alcohol (especially spiced flavors) - classic Norse offerings that are appreciated by all Norse deities
Meat
Bread
Coffee
Tea - Black tea is a type of tea that might be best for Lady Hel due to her strong association to the color Black. If you don’t have this tea don’t worry, I bet she’ll be grateful for any tea you have.
Dark chocolate
Apples
Yew/Juniper berries (do not handle unless you are a pro and know how to handle poisonous plants)
Marshmallows/or marshmallow fluff
Molten/lava cakes
Fudge
Anything bittersweet or spiced
Things to offer/do in devotion to her
Bones/skulls
Learn runes, and casting runes
Learn bone throwing/casting
Raven bones/skulls
Mirrors (especially black or silver mirrors)
Any art you make for her
Black or white cloth
Black/white/silver candles
Crystals
Food/drink, Raw meat
Learning your shadow self
Learning your family history or connecting to your an ancestors
Visiting a cemetery or graveyard and pay your respects to the dead
Cleaning up cemeteries or volunteering at one - make sure you know how to properly clean graves and have the spirits permission before cleaning the grave
Respecting the dead and spirits wherever you are
Saying a prayer to her when you see or find dead animals
Veiling
Skeleton imagery
Wolf imagery or wolf teeth
Learning a scandinavian language (old norse, dansk, norwegian, icelandic, swedish)
Learn runic writing
Flowers/dried flowers/flowers that are near dead if not already dead
If your experienced in norse folk magic a blot (ONLY IF YOU KNOW HOW AND HAVE PROPER UNDERSTANDING AND GUIDANCE AND EXPERIENCE)
Feathers
Fur/animal hides - make sure you get these ethically, do not just injure an animal for its hide, and not pay respect to the animal or Lady Hel during it.
Things that respect that dead like something from your ancestors
Any kind of animal imagery related to her
Signs she could be reaching out
Sudden interest in her
Hearing her name brought up a lot, either in conversation or subconsciously
Sudden interest in death work or spirit work
Seeing black animals
Seeing animal death and bones
Her being in your dreams a lot or her name mentioned a lot
Suddenly wanting to learn to scry or do runes
Drawn towards obsidian, or smokey quartz suddenly
Getting her rune or tarot card a lot
Being drawn towards norse mythology or her myths
seeing dead bugs in unusual places
Hel music/meditation
https://youtu.be/eXl6iGuV_44
https://youtu.be/uIDWg-KqX8c
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0XwuUkj1u31j90LCq3ftau?si=b60faa340c2a45bf
Resources
https://www.angelfire.com/journal/ofapoet/hel.html-A really good article of info on Lady Hel but of course take everything with a grain of salt
http://ydalir.ca/norsegods/hel/- A decent run down on Lady Hel with some good info
The “Prose Edda” also known as the “younger edda”
The “Poetic Edda”-translation by Jackson Crawford also known as the “elder edda”
“The Viking Spirit”-Daniel McCoy
“Tales Of Norse Mythology”-Helen A. Guerber
https://angelorum.co/heathenry/connecting-with-the-goddess-hel/ - A decent article with some UPG and well known facts
https://youtu.be/yg5QyIPXdAI- Info on Lady Hel from a witches view with some UPG.
https://youtu.be/6r_iPQA2vZw- The historical research on Hel including her names roots, what she does, and her realm
https://youtu.be/Ac2veVpMPWA- A complete basic intro to Norse mythology from a historical view
https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/going-hel-and-back-travel-helheim-where-goddess-darkness-reigned-006174- A little bit of info on Lady Hel
https://www.worldhistory.org/Hel/ - quick blurb on Lady Hel’s history
https://youtu.be/WeW1-oXEubk-Jackson Crawfords run through on the main norse gods and goddesses
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLATNGYBQ-TjqOIFzdVApjXXpWXOzZHKFp- Jackson Crawford norse mythology playlist and run through from a professor and historical standpoint
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLATNGYBQ-TjrPCf9YGy0qzqca1ypcGs50- Jackson Crawfords run through of all the Nordic runes and how they work from a historical standing
https://youtu.be/mhMHTZ2jfXM- Grimfrost academies documentary on Viking age culture and how the norse people lived and used things
#witchcraft#witchythings#beginner witch#witch tips#witchyvibes#witchblr#study notes#norse paganism#norse gods#norse pantheon#norse mythology#norse heathen#hel goddess#helheim#norse runes#cold#nordic#paganism
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𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐌𝐘 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄!
whether it be melodies that give you inspiration for your muse or songs that get you into the writing mood — pick 10 songs you find to give you the urge, the drive, or the creativity to write for your muse!
Kill V. Maim by Grimes
I got in a fight, I was indisposed, I was in despite all the wicked prose, but I'm only a man, and I do what I can [...] B-E-H-A-V-E, arrest us! Italiana mobster looking so precious, B-E-H-A-V-E, never more, you gave up being good when you declared a state of war! I don't behave, I don't behave, oh eh, are you going to the party? Are you going to the show? [...] Oh, the fire hurts alright... the people touch it, I can't touch it, even though it's mine
Butterflies... by Slayyyter
Crystal blue in my head, butterflies, now all dead. Tears for you, crack the whip, heart in two (heart in two), in your bed... Candy hearts in my eyes, you brought me back to life, star crossed love in the nighttime, then you pushed me aside again (Ow!)... I feel sick 'bout the things you put me through, once again I'm not holdin' out for you, I won't watch, now your life is invisible, what the fuck ever made you so miserable?
Born Slippy (Nuxx) by Underworld
Drive boy, dive boy, dirty numb angel boy, in the doorway boy, she was a lipstick boy, she was a beautiful boy, and tears boy, and all in your inner space boy, you had hand girls boy and steel boy, you had chemicals boy, I've grown so close to you [...] Let your feelings slip boy, but never your mask boy
Circus by Britney Spears
There's only two types of people in the world, the ones that entertain and the ones that observe... well, I'm a put-on-a-show kinda girl [...] I feel the adrenaline moving through my veins, spotlight on me and I'm ready to break, I'm like a performer, the dance floor is my stage, better be ready, hope that you feel the same, all eyes on me in the center of the ring just like a circus
Celebrity Skin by Hole
Oh, make me over, I'm all I wanna be, a walking study in demonology [...] No second billing 'cause you're a star now, oh, Cinderella, they aren't sluts like you... Beautiful garbage, beautiful dresses, can you stand up or will you just fall down? [...] When I wake up in my makeup, have you ever felt so used up as this? It's all so sugarless, hooker, waitress, model, actress, oh, just go nameless! Honeysuckle, she's full of poison, she obliterated everything she kissed, now she's fading somewhere in Hollywood, I'm glad I came here with your pound of flesh... You want a part of me? Well, I'm not selling cheap
Drunk Walk Home by Mitski
I will retire to the Salton Sea at the age of 23, for I'm starting to learn I may never be free, but though I may never be free, fuck you and your money, I'm tired of your money... And I sit on the curb 'cause it's the prettiest night, with no one else in sight... You know I wore this dress for you, these killer heels for you... See the dark, it moves with every breath of the breeze
Panic Attacks in Paradise by Ashnikko
Panic attacks in paradise, piña coladas, I'm terrified, I swear I'm not cryin', the sun's just bright, I'm havin' the best time of my life! Panic attacks in paradise, hyperventilating under candy skies, tellin' myself that this is fine, I'm havin' the best time of my life... It's a big joke, ha ha, I love laughin', it's a big hoax, your self-help happy, 'cause I'm okay, I'm pure propane on an open flame, watch me blow up
Addiction by Doja Cat
I am addicted (a little), under the influence (a little), and it makes me want to dance (a little), an itch I just can't scratch, addiction... I've got such a pretty body, looks prettier when I'm a mess, and I just like to call him daddy 'cause the first one he up and left, and you can relate to broken girls, I've been a day without it, I'm proud of myself, baby can you break the curse? I'm so gone I believe in magic
Judas by Lady Gaga
When he calls to me, I am ready, I'll wash his feet with my hair if he needs, forgive him when his tongue lies through his brain, even after three times, he betrays me [...] I couldn't love a man so purely, even prophets forgave his goofy way, I've learned love is like a brick, you can build a house or sink a dead body [...] Ew! In the most Biblical sense, I am beyond repentance; fame hooker, prostitute, wench vomits her mind!
Bag of Bones by Mitski
I'm all used up, pretty boy, over and over again, my nail colors are wearing off... See my hands, pretty boy, what do they tell you? 'Cause I've looked down at them not knowing why, and after everything's done and I'm all undone, you can hear my high heels walking on, clickity-clacking through the night; I'm carrying my bag of bones [...] I know my room is a mess, over and over again I tell myself I'll clean tomorrow; just move the stuff up off the bed and do what you came here to do, but first open up a window for me and let the cool air in, feel the night slip in as it softly glides along your back, and I hope you leave right before the sun comes up so I can watch it alone
tagged by: @hazbinned tyty this was so much fun!!
tagging: @top-shelf-tender @arcanepactguile @sirserpentine
#sorry not sorry for going crazy picking a million lyrics#ooc: behind the scenes#tag game#angel's playlist
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What was read 2024
What follows is works read in the last year, in order. Some collections of poetry in here and a couple of plays. Faust is broken in two as I read the supplementary works with it & needed a breather. Just one was abandoned (Arabian Nights). One huge disappointment in Neil Gaiman's collection. Some were loaned from libraries, some were bought new, some were recommended from people I admire, some were gifts, some travelled a great distance to sit on my shelves. Most enriched, some inspired and from all something has been learned.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle Haruki Murakami (1994)
Tender is the Flesh Agustina Bazterrica (2017)
The Mamba Mentality Kobe Bryant (2018)
The Devil’s Cup Stewart Lee Allen (2000)
Of The Farm John Updike (1965)
A Confederacy of Dunces John Kennedy Toole (1980)
Death on Credit Louis-Ferdinand Celine (1936)
Wilt Tom Sharpe (1976)
Odyssey - Homer (Samuel Butler translation 1879)
Hard Times Charles Dickens (1854)
A Good Man Is Hard to Find Flannery O’Connor (1953)
Lincoln in the Bardo George Saunders (2017)
Wolf Hall Hilary Mantel (2009)
Underworld Don DeLillo (1997)
The Turn of the Screw Henry James (1898)
The Satanic Verses Salman Rushdie (1988)
Trigger Warning Neil Gaiman (2015)
Child of God Cormac McCarthy (1973)
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit Jeanette Winterson (1985)
The Centaur John Updike (1963)
Porterhouse Blue Tom Sharpe (1974)
Don Quixote Miguel de Cervantes (1605 & 1615) (Thomas Lathrop translation 2005)
Summer Lightning P.G. Wodehouse (1929)
Castle to Castle Louis-Ferdinand Celine (1957)
Purgatorio Dante Alighieri (~1321)
Plexus Henry Miller (1953)
Paradiso Dante Alighieri (~1321)
The Pale King David Foster Wallace (2011)
Don’t Look Now. Not after Midnight. A Border-Line Case. The Way of the Cross. The Breakthrough. Daphne du Maurier collection (1971)
Last Exit to Brooklyn Hubert Selby Jr. (1964)
The Bostonians Henry James (1886)
The Covenant James A.Michener (1980)
The Arabian Nights. Nights 1 through 10 & The story of Ali Baba and the forty thieves killed by a slave girl. Malcom C.Lyons & Ursula Lyons (2008)
Rebecca Daphne du Maurier (1938)
Faust Part I Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1808/29) Albert G. Latham translation with supplementary text 1908
The Vegetarian Han Kang (2007)
The Prague Cemetery Umberto Eco (2010)
The Stranger in the Woods Michael Finkel (2017)
As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning Laurie Lee (1969)
The Exorcist William Peter Blatty (1971)
Faust Part II Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1832) Albert G. Latham translation with supplementary text 1908
The Road to Los Angeles John Fante (1985) published posthumously. (1936)
A Month in the Country J. L. Carr (1980)
The Winter’s Tale William Shakespeare (1609)
Candide Voltaire (1759)
Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa (2021)
The 120 Days of Sodom or The School of Libertinage The Marquis de Sade (1785) (published first in 1904)
UZUMAKI Spiral collection. Junji Ito (1998-99)
Vagabonding Rolf Potts (2002)
The Snows of Kilimanjaro et al Ernest Hemingway (1944)
Love Is a Dog from Hell: Poems 1974-1977 Charles Bukowski (1977)
Spring Snow Yukio Mishima (1969)
Mortality Christopher Hitchens (2012)
Disloyal A Memoir Michael Cohen (2020)
Orbital Samantha Harvey (2023)
Inside Story Martin Amis (2020)
Coleridge Poems & Prose selected by Peter Washington (1997) S.TC
The City and Its Uncertain Walls Haruki Murakami (2023)
V. Thomas Pynchon (1963)
Whiskey Words & a Shovel I R. H. Sin (2015)
Collected Poems 1938-83 Philip Larkin (1988/03)
Nexus Henry Miller (1959)
America at Middle Age Louis Galambos (1983)
Mysteries Knut Hamsun (1892)
Sylvia Plath Poems collection by C.A.Duffy (2012)
Experience Martin Amis (2000)
Sonny Boy Al Pacino (2024)
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Moon Knight City of the Dead Issue 1… why…?
So. New MK side run has begun, the hyped up full on debut of Layla/new Scarlet Scarab in the comics, with a premise that most writers would twist into an epic and breathtaking journey.
We don’t get that here.
And I have a lot of thoughts on why and how I feel so frustrated with what we got. There’s pieces of something awesome, potential to go to some really fascinating places, and yet it is held back in almost every aspect, creating something messy and clunky that makes me mad to read.
(This is long btw)
First off though, some things I did enjoy!
I really love the art and coloring of this issue. The anatomy and movement and shadows, the stylization of character’s faces and costumes, the sprawling city with its deep reds and blues that feel saturated and weighty. It’s great. Besides a few moments that it comes out of left field with some bad stuff (Layla’s whole face at the end or the MK mask w teeth during the memory slideshow like whaTtt is that), it’s super solid and made for a very enjoyable looking comic.
It was also really fun to see Badr for a little. I think it would’ve been cool to get more, and the pacing of things as I’ll get to later sapped his importance in the story for me some, making him feel more like a prop or a plot device to get it going, but overall it was lovely to see him again. And it was cool to see him being a doctor as well, as we haven’t seen that as recently in MacKay! Always a joy my dear sir please come back soon.
The story in concept. Going to the underworld, detaching a headmate supernaturally to journey to a different plane of reality to save one life, and meeting a dead ally along the way is fascinating stuff, an idea that inspires me to want to explore it myself.
Because (and now it’s time to get into the stuff I didn’t like) the writing doesn’t do this idea justice at all.
This is not the worst MK comic ever rn, not their worst writing. It’s not as violently ableist or antisemitic as things like Bemis or making a joke out of MK like some others, but it’s just stupid, and what it glosses over or gets wrong is weird and uncomfortable and harmful in its own right.
To start this isn’t my Marc. His guilt is not one of punishment for penance, of believing he’s sinned and needs to be washed clean by pain. He is a man stuck in bad coping mechanisms and trying to pretend he’s not. He’s a man who hates himself and uses violence as what I would describe as a form of self harm. But it is not with the goal of erasing his past.
Yes, he runs from the person of Marc Spector, he runs from the idea and the responsibility, but Marc doesn’t try to forget. He holds onto things with a vice grip and never lets himself drop it. He believes in his own mythos and is grappling with his complicated and traumatized history to remember he can love and care and trust people again, that the work of making his life better is not solely on his shoulders. That’s what MacKay’s been dealing with.
MacKay Marc is guilty and self flagellating but in a way he tries not to think about, that he brushes over. He puts on an air of confident collectedness and has more hate for Marc as a concept then specifically his actions, and he’s still able to move forward and find a type of momentum and bravado in the MK suit.
Or in simpler terms: yes Marc has guilt. He does not have this kind of guilt.
The first few pages read so strangely, just this over dramatic spiel that feels more like daredevil than moon knight, like a rehashed dramatic intro to a moody sad 90s comic. And not in a good way. It’s not deep it’s just annoying and tedious and the prose is clunky and again, extremely off in its vibes and message. I think it could’ve been alright, if some of the talk of his guilt had been shifted and the narration hadn’t continued constantly throughout the rest of the issue (which I’ll get to later), but as is in its full context it’s just… weird.
In addition to the weird guilt vibes, there’s further issues with the Khonshu religiosity in this.
Khonshu isn’t something Marc worships, he’s something he uses for his own means. He’ll call on him or talk about being the priest of the mission, but that’s because Khonshu doesn’t have oversight, he’s a tool and form of direction and theming, and at the story’s core Marc is the priest for his mission, not this god’s.
At points in this issue he genuinely sounds dedicated though, and it shifts the flavor of earlier pieces more in line with his usual monologuing to seeming more like strange spiritual devotion. Especially calling Khonshu the greatest of great gods, or saying that him being in the underworld is Khonshu’s mission. It changes his actions from that of Marc to that of a real Khonshu follower and its…. Just weird. It’s all just weird and very ooc.
On top of that, there’s no mention or interrogation or even presence of discussing Judaism alongside all of this. I’m not Jewish myself but have had multiple convos around the topic w those who are n who have made their own posts discussing it and can add on more nuance n info to this should they like (bc more thoughts for discussion are always awesome), but just on a surface level it’s strange. It’s strange to have a plot revolving around going to another belief system’s afterlife and not at all bringing up how it clashes or relates to Jewish beliefs. Yes Marc isn’t really actively practicing anymore but I’d hazard Jake probably is, and Marc has still talked about his connection to his faith and how it’s impacted his time as moon knight and serving Khonshu.
The text treats the Egyptian pantheon belief system as the True and Accepted default here, with Marc not even discussing anything about going to an afterlife he doesn’t belong in (and shouldn’t even have) as a Jewish man, or even thinking about how Badr discussing Ka conflicts with Jewish beliefs on the soul and how Neshamah differ.
And yes, Marc works regularly with the very real Egyptian pantheon and mystical systems but it’s in a different way, and under a different context and understanding by readers of his acceptance of it.
A whole other layer of depth, conflict, and exploration could’ve been added by really digging into the theological implications of this plot, of a Jewish soul in the Egyptian afterlife, and yet it’s not brought up at all, not referenced or mentioned and it makes it all feel weirdly out of place, or like stuff is being glossed over.
That, on top of Jake and Steven (not to mention the entire rest of the main mission cast) being completely absent in mention, consultation, presence, or anything just feeds into this strange sense of Pepose wanting Marc to be the idea he has of him in his head, this guilty, sad, and violent merc serving a moon god with not a ton else. And yes again those are all aspects of Marc, but there is nuance to each of those aspects and treating him as a singlet with no thoughts on the conflicts in faith of his present is… just weird.
I don’t know if he’ll be treated as a singlet the whole run, but the fact that the body’s soul being sent into the afterlife has not already brought in any system conflict at all is an issue. Is it their collective soul? Is it just Marc’s? How does this comic understand alter soul distinction? Has it thought about it at all? I mean the answer is no but the thing is it should’ve.
That’s where so many of my issues with this come from though: choices just being… not good. Not thought out or in line with the characters and world. The writing is off and out of place and gOD THE CONSTANT NARRATION IS GRATING!!
I don’t know why it was chosen for Marc to novel write his thoughts and observations the whole issue but it’s bad. It goes past introducing plots or observations that can’t be shown in text to either:
1. Filling space that doesn’t need to be filled
2. Restating what has just been said or shown in a panel (“we have the power of the four horsemen” “wow they just got the power of the four horsemen”)
3. At worst, telling us stuff that was not indicated at all by anything else (“oh I know something is wrong here even though I have not been given enough reason to pique that suspicion” “oh I reunite with Layla and hold her and take her in but haha you don’t see that ig”)
It’s annoying and makes reading things difficult because he’s blabbering on the whole time in places he DOESNT NEED TO!! And it makes the action and emotional movement feel awkward and forced. I don’t need to know every second of Marc’s thoughts Pepose I can parse out things with my eyes I promise you that. Also can he stop talking about penance for TWO SECONDS!!!
The worst part is narration works when done well! When it highlights things that can’t be shown in art or gives some bits of exploration into feelings or exposition, but we don’t need it in every panel. It actually confused some parts of where to look for me by telling me what was about to happen before it did. Stop being like “I thought it was over but—“ JUST LET US SEE ITS NOT OVER!!
Another moment (similar ish to the start) where the narration would’ve worked for me (if it was not surrounded by just more constant narrating monologue) is when Marc first arrives in the Duat. The prose is pretty, it’s vibrant, it describes things the audience wouldn’t be able to pick up from static pictures and helps to set the scene. The only issue is that it doesn’t stand on its own, it’s not an interjection of observations and thoughts, it’s another entry in the never ending cycle of Marc just talking. And it loses some of its luster because of that.
There’s also just a handful of pieces of either dialogue or thoughts that (in the context of Steven and Jake being absent at the moment despite not being absent at the point in time this should be taking place) make me feel very uncomfortable with Pepose’s vibes on their mental health. Some lines that rubbed me the wrong way in context include “The rage fills within me—and suddenly I have a plan. That said, it would help if my plan wasn’t dangerously insane.” “You know me Badr, mental discipline is my middle name.” And a few similar ones I don’t want to reread again for.
They’re just unnecessary man. We don’t need vaguely or directly ableist vibes in words with MK anymore. It works if it feels like it’s coming from Marc’s internalized ableism IE when he was talking about being called crazy during the discussion with Steven and Jake and Jake called him out for it, but when it’s obvious it’s just how the author sees things it sucks!
Stop using insane, stop using crazy, stop being like “oh I’m so good at keeping myself in check,” WE DONT NEED IT!! ALSO THEY R AT A GENERAL POINT OF SYSTEM COMMUNICATION N HARMONY RN!!
Which also just… man this feels like it’s trying to introduce MK instead of continuing an already established and well under way arc. Yea, this isn’t MacKay writing it, but it’s still in the continuity and set up for his run and like… sorry not sorry but I think you should take that context into account if you’re going to be working within it???
Instead the story props itself up by trying to introduce everything at once and Marc feels like he’s starting from the bottom of development.
And speaking of introducing everything at once! Oh boy the pacing!
No one besides Badr is consulted before Marc goes into the Duat, Badr just. Sends him there. There’s no real build up for why there’s a need go that far, for what the threat is or why Marc would go to these lengths so suddenly. Like yeah I know he wants to save a kid who’s a traveler of the night, but like… Others have died or almost died on his watch and he’s never gone to this point before, even though it seems like it’s always something they’ve had as an option. Like… ok ig if Soldier hadn’t been vamped he would just be dead lmao (though also hey! Why and how do souls end up in this afterlife? Do they have to believe in the gods? Do they have to be in some way tied to the pantheon? Is it just where souls go if they’re near moon knight lmaO? If you want to have your afterlife plot you have to do the worldbuilding for it)
And while yes, a lot of this is because This Plot Wasnt Thought Up During Earlier Parts Of Mackay, it also isn’t introduced in a way that feels natural or makes sense.
Events just Happen. Mysteries or drives are just Said without a good basis for why they’re there. Again, this cult was talked about as just kinda a sadistic gang but then they’re a big deal? And oh the kid is dying and oh he’s worth going to the afterlife for and OH WERE JUST HERE NOW and “oh there’s a conspiracy I’ve decided with no real evidence” and HEY FOUND THE GUY and—Suddenly a whole lot of what is happening. God heart full on cult horsemen of the apocalypse memory flashback and BOMBS NOW APPARENTLY and LAYLA and MK BIG PAST BADDIES BOSS FIGHT INCOMING!!
Like ohhhh my god stuff is so rushed and happens so inorganically and with no time to really understand what’s happening. It’s a type of story where my suspension of disbelief isn’t there and it fully just feels like seeing the writer trying to get to the end goal of what they want to write about (moon knight fighting old villains) as quickly as possible. And it SUCKS! Like this genuinely should’ve been more than one issue, there should’ve been at least sOme more build up to gEtting to the city of the dead in the first place, no matter additionally uncovering a plot of some sort happening and Layla turning up.
It’s just…. It’s so rushed and strange and forced and it didn’t have to be and IT MAKES ME MAD IT IS and it’s just not enjoyable to read. It all feels so shallow and stilted and weird, all while having this underlying idea with so much weight, some generally gorgeous art, some moments that could’ve been really awesome, and last but not least…. Literally a good reference to doing a Duat plot well.
This whole mini run is for MCU synergy, bringing Layla in, exploring the Duat and it’s lore, and again yes, the run isn’t done, but it just…. Compared to the MCU plot for the Duat this feels so…. GraaggHhggh. Especially when it comes to system interaction and exploring different painful memories that effect headmates in different ways.
It’s just. It was an extremely frustrating read from both a technical writing standpoint and a character exploration standpoint, and it worries me and doesn’t excite me at all for future issues. Like we’ll sEe but goddamn this is not a good start no matter how it plays out and it doesn’t give me confidence if it turns out I have to read several more issues of this kind of stuff.
Petty nitpicks speed run because there wasn’t enough enjoyable padding for them to not stand out!
I don’t know if Pepose could’ve specified or not but Marc’s not drinking vodka in the opening scene, it looks more like whiskey or something similar by the bottle, again nailing home how strangely off this Marc is from the Marc he’s meant to be with how Mackay has built him up.
Why do they use Duat and City of the Dead like they’re interchangeable titles it’s just the Duat like I get calling it “the city of the dead” since it is that but like. Let that just b the run title they shouldn’t be calling it that like it’s a final name.
They misspell Dr. Alraune’s name lmao
How did the kid get… hurt..? The only point in the opening fight I can think he maybe got hit was with the gunfire but it didn’t seem like that was aimed towards him and there wasn’t any moment of having a detail in the background showing him get injured. And he wasn’t lethally injured at the start so ???
What… is the continuity between the Hydra vs Karnak Cowboys fight we see in MacKay and the flashback here. They were on an empty road there when they crashed? And now they’re in the heart of the city? AlsO bOMBS???
Anyway all I’ll wrap it up with is when the only thing I genuinely smile at is the cameo and namedrop of Apocalypse you know something is wrong with your story lmaO
#moon knight#moon knight comics#moon knight city of the dead#the fruit is talking again#marc spector#mikes mk meta
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A Little About Me:
I wanted to give you all some insight into who I am. I'll probably periodically update this blog post. Sharing more about myself as time goes on.
My name is Yosefina Justice Nikole Orlando. I am a transgender activist and artist. For a time, I traversed the S&M underworld. Studying under a dominatrix to learn the craft of dominance and submission. I had hopes of pursuing a career in sex work and adult entertainment. Traveling in the set, I came on the fringe of disgusting things. Heard rumors, became aware of tales of what happened to other girls, and bought myself a stun gun to stay safe.
Now stopping human trafficking is something I'm passionate about. And I plan to work with my digital graffiti enclave, The Kollectiv, to spread awareness and raise funds for the cause. We as a group also champion women's rights, climate activism, lgbtq+ issues, and food disparity, and we also support war-related relief efforts.
I dedicate a significant portion of my life to art and music. And I love hip-hop. The fashion and culture have influenced all my art, including my collages and prose. The candor in reflecting lived experience with a gritty realism that doesn't fall into the blue but maintains its resistance is a thematic element in a majority of my work. I am currently exploring the scanner as a vehicle for artistic expression. I find it occupies a middle ground between collage and photography, and I'm excited to see where it leads.
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Hel (from Old Norse: hel, lit. 'underworld') is a female being in Norse mythology who is said to preside over an underworld realm of the same name, where she receives a portion of the dead. Hel is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century. In addition, she is mentioned in poems recorded in Heimskringla and Egils saga that date from the 9th and 10th centuries, respectively. An episode in the Latin work Gesta Danorum, written in the 12th century by Saxo Grammaticus, is generally considered to refer to Hel, and Hel may appear on various Migration Period bracteates.
In the Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, and Heimskringla, Hel is referred to as a daughter of Loki. In the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, Hel is described as having been appointed by the god Odin as ruler of a realm of the same name, located in Niflheim. In the same source, her appearance is described as half blue and half flesh-coloured and further as having a gloomy, downcast appearance. The Prose Edda details that Hel rules over vast mansions with many servants in her underworld realm and plays a key role in the attempted resurrection of the god Baldr.
Scholarly theories have been proposed about Hel's potential connections to figures appearing in the 11th-century Old English Gospel of Nicodemus and Old Norse Bartholomeus saga postola, that she may have been considered a goddess with potential Indo-European parallels in Bhavani, Kali, and Mahakali or that Hel may have become a being only as a late personification of the location of the same name.
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Last time's setup doesn't work for these parameters, but that's fine. I can take a leaf out of a particular fic I've been enjoying.
"I love you," she whispered. She let the power go. She held the capacity to become a deity in her hands, and she gave it away, releasing it to the waiting void. She gave up Elend. Because she knew that was what he wanted. The cavern immediately began to shake. Vin cried out as the flaring power within her was ripped away, soaked up greedily by the void. She screamed, her glow fading, then fell into the now empty pool, head knocking against the rocks. The cavern continued to shake, dust and chips falling from the ceiling. And then, in a moment of surreal clarity, Vin heard a single, distinct sentence ringing in her mind.
<If you wish, I can give you powers that no other human being has ever had.>
(I'm not going to try to blend the prose styles for the rest of the writeup. But I figured if I was going to pull her out of the end of WoA I might as well do it with a quote, and at that point it would have been unfair to not pull a quote from The Invasion to match.)
(It's important to me that Vin be crossed over before she learns that she's released Ruin, so that she doesn't feel like there's any special urgency to get home. She solved the Deepness, right? Everything's good! So she can make everything good here too.)
So Vin shows up in the construction site as the offer's being made. The others are all "whoa, wait, who's this high-school girl?" and she reflexively starts Soothing their suspicion while trying to figure out where she is and what's going on. Elfangor struggles to get things back on track - this is an all-or-nothing tactic anyway, one more human isn't likely to make that much of a difference one way or the other, and he has to trust that the Ellimist would have this under control after all that setup.
When the group scatters, she follows Tobias home for plot convenience. (Hork-bajir may be intimidating, but they're no Steel Inquisitors, and between experience and pewter she has no problem getting away.) Once she's sure he's alone she knocks on his window, and they introduce themselves and he brings her up to speed on what Elfangor didn't have time to repeat for her.
(I'm split here - on the one hand, I don't know if it would occur to Vin that humans are a type of animal, but on the other, it would be absolutely delicious to have her acquire Tobias so he can spend twelve books going <the new girl could be me if she wanted, but I can't.>)
In the morning she has a bit of blue-sky-green-plants freakout, and then mostly ignores the other Animorphs' concerns about school in favor of getting to know the city and its underworld and finding out what she can and can't do with no legal identity.
I'm not at all sure what her preferred combat morph would be. I want to say human, so she can use her Allomancy, but that would blow the Andalite Bandits thing out of the water from the get-go. Possibly a monkey? Similar overall bauplan, great ability to get up high... Or maybe an owl, for one of the animal kingdom's better overall sensory boosts plus death on silent wings?
There's a running side-plot, particularly before Ax shows up, of the others trying to figure Vin out - where she comes from, why she can do these weird things, where she sleeps, etc. For her part, she takes a good bit of pleasure in offering them minor details that explain nothing ("I never saw such a clear sky before I came here," "Half-skaa like me aren't supposed to exist," <There's nothing like this morph back home. What did you say it was called? "Trout"?>) Nobody is entirely sure how she knows when they call a meeting, although of course it's usually because Tobias tells her.
She never objects to Jake's leadership the way David does, but she does have a distressing tendency to do what she feels like, whether or not he approves. She generally suggests assassination as a solution, although before long the others are pretty sure she's no longer entirely serious. (And after #15 she never suggests it about Eva/Edriss.)
Notable events:
The Message: Vin is convinced the dream is a trap, but she eventually goes along anyway. She doesn't trust Ax, to the extent that she point-blank refuses to let him acquire her.
The Predator: Vin is, if anything, more freaked out by the ant morph than Marco. She spends a few days trying to see if she can control ants the way she can control koloss, with no success.
The Capture: Vin shares Jake-ing duty with Ax, making the situation that much more bizarre for his family. Her perspective on Ax begins to soften. Also, her first obviously-not-serious assassination suggestion ("He just admitted he's a yeerk! Jake would agree, it's worth it to kill him!")
The Stranger: Right after the Ellimist reverts them and unfreezes time, it occurs to Vin that she could have at least asked him for Atium. This will be repeated every time he shows up.
The Android: "Oh, that's why he's made out of metal! I thought that was weird." Everybody else: "what." (Vin isn't sure how, but between missions Erek manages to get her to explain a lot about her Allomancy.)
The Unknown: Vin tells Captain Torelli that her name is Shan Elariel, and gives him the first phone number that she thinks of - which happens to be Rachel's. (Fortunately, Naomi is a busy lawyer who's never heard of any Elariels.) She gets extremely frustrated about the "Gondor Industries" thing, the way that the rest of the group seems to see a joke there that she doesn't get.
The Warning: "Vin, we morphed to get here. Like three times. How do you have all those knives?"
The Departure: For like a week and a half straight after the end of the book, Vin shadows Karen constantly, just to make sure.
The Discovery: Vin is on team "kill David", for real this time. She also wants to straight-up infiltrate the summit, but the others keep insisting on the "no morphing humans if we don't have to" rule.
The Threat: Vin, having no school or home life to worry about, is on "keep an eye on David" duty (with a "no killing" rider) after Jake finds him at the hotel. Unfortunately, this means he knows to attack her on the fateful night. (Fortunately, Vin has a lot of practice at seeming weaker and more hurt than she is.) This means the others know to expect him to attack, but that knowledge doesn't help much, and things play out fairly close to the canon ending.
The Solution: Having lost track of David once, Vin puts a lot of effort into re-finding him (and then actually killing him, no matter what Jake said). Unfortunately, she keeps looking in the wrong places. (After he gets trapped on the rock, she goes there and puts a dime through his brain.)
The Exposed: I'm inclined to think this is the first time Vin undeniably uses the more obvious Allomantic abilities (iron/steel) where yeerks can see. (Sort of; I'm picturing the fight inside the pemalite ship, and when the others go to battle morphs and drop out of the water spheres, she stays demorphed and starts launching bits of metal from inside the ink.)
The Sickness: Vin gets sick around the same time as Marco, but as none of her teammates are around at the time, they don't know that for sure. They're pretty worried about her until she shows up at the barn, acting like nothing's been wrong.
Elfangor's Secret: Vin discovers that, due to handwaving, she can't use any Allomancy during this mission. Also, she is completely unaccounted-for in the alternate present.
The Separation: Nobody really registers it, but Vin never says a single word to Mean Rachel.
The Prophecy: Vin offers to stay behind on the hork-bajir planet to fight yeerks there, finally revealing what they've suspected for a while: that she's as alien as Ax, so one unfamiliar planet is as good as another. The others persuade her that the risk of being seen in human form is too great, and also that Earth is a much more reliable place to get metals.
The Familiar: Nobody in the "future" mentions Vin, or remembers her existence if Jake brings her up. At least twice he thinks he sees a mistcloak disappearing around a corner, but he never finds out what that's about.
The Revelation: At Jake's urging, Vin moves to the hork-bajir valley along with Marco's family, partly so that they'll have human company but mostly so that they know where to look for her.
The Return: Actually happens as in canon, except that "David" is wholly fabricated by Crayak (because Vin killed him almost half the series ago).
I feel like Vin should be believed dead - though not witnessed dying, like Rachel and the auxiliaries - by the end of the war. Let her have a little ambiguity, and possibly a return to Elend and her own war, as a treat.
What if Vin from Mistborn was part of the Animorphs?
Ooh, tricky. It'd have to be the version of Vin we get after Final Empire, since she'd otherwise never join up with a team even if her life literally depended on it. She needs the influence of her platonic polyparent polycule (Full House situationship?) to trust that much, but of course that raises the issue of everything else she's doing after the first book... Really runs into the fact that Brandon Sanderson is a plotter and worldbuilder first, a characterizer (characterer?) second.
Does anyone else have ideas for how to make this work?
#brandon sanderson#mistborn#animorphs#crossover#this went considerably further than i expected#but it was fun the whole way through#i wish i'd found a place where it would make sense to dust off the valette persona#but animorphs isn't really that kind of series#maybe in one of her own books between the canon ones
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Disney Villain Polycule Posts Part 4 - DV'Cule SQUAD UP
Holy shit welcome to over 1500 words of actual prose becuase the muse has a glock to my head and won't take no for an answer. This is the first time I've written actual prose since I graduated...three years ago?! MAN. DV'Cule stops for nobody.
Mal's been snubbed politically, and her partners assemble to plan VENGANCE. Enjoy! Under a cut because jesus christ I'm not going to kill your dashboards like that.
“You’re kidding me.”
Jafar shifted in place, eyes locked somewhere in the dark beyond the Underworld throne room. “No.”
“You. Are kidding me.”
“Hades. I like to think I wouldn’t attempt to frame this as something so trivial as a joke.”
Said God of the Dead made to roll his eyes, but Jafar could see the way they kept flicking over to the darkness he himself was trying so intently to parse. He hoped a Cthonic God could see further into it than him.
“I just- what purpose does that serve, y’anno??” He gestured wildly as he spoke, and Jafar can’t help the habitual appreciation for Hades’ long, thin, expressive hands even as most of his energy is aimed toward attempting to fix the situation they’d been dumped into this morning. “It’s so cliché! It’s a repeat so stupid even Snoring Beauty wouldn’t have thought of it! I just- Just- What the hell was the aim here??!”
A cold draft and echoing breath comes from the stairs to their right. “The aim is of no importance.”
They turn toward the Horned King as he ascends the final steps, the foot of his robe sodden with Styx water. “The intent was to insult and it was...successful. What matters-” Jafar narrowed his eyes as bits of charred fur fall from the back of the matted stole. “-is how we move forward from here.”
“Well we know that!” Hades huffed and threw himself onto the raised dais of a throne, snapping his fingers for a flame so the King could begin drying off. A small ‘hmm’ of thanks came from the lich’s chest as he began to gently steam.
Jafar takes the moment to take a deep breath in and out, turning from the window. He makes contact with the King’s eye sockets and finds he can’t even muster up the energy for their usual biting commentary. By Allah, what a day. “...How is she?”
His Majesty sighed. “I suspect it is worse than we initially thought.” Both god and sorcerer suppressed a wince. “She had already destroyed several chambers by the time I was able to reach her. By the time I did she would not acknowledge me, nor respond verbally.”
“Fantastic.” Jafar rubbed at his temples, feeling a migraine coming on.
“...She also seemed to be stuck between forms.”
“Well Shit.”
“Language.” He can’t stop the reprimand before it slips out, an incredible sticking point from being forced to help raise a bratty little princess that made his teeth grind.
Luminous yellow eyes narrowed. “Fuck the Mouse and Fuck You, this is my home and I’ll swear when I feel it’s appropriate. Which is now!” Hades flame roared orange for a brief moment before smoothing back to blue. Jafar doesn’t miss how it remained several feet down his arms and robes.
He feels the fizz of magic under his suddenly forked tongue and makes the effort to swallow it down before he starts spitting venom in the literal sense. No need for that towards his allies. Lovers. Confidants. All of that and whichever.
Hades finally takes notice of the burnt back of the King’s robes. His eyes widen. “Fuck. She, uh, she didn’t..?”
Jafar knows that that is as far as any of them are willing to ask, but holds his breath anyway.
He can’t describe the relief when the King started shaking his head almost immediately. “No, no this was...” he grimaces. “...accidental.” He seems to gather himself, almost as if bracing, and growls. “Part of the ceiling came down. I flinched. Stumbled backward into a brazier and caught alight.” he folds his arms, and Jafar feels his face twist as he catches another whiff of the Styx all but pouring off the lich, ice cold and faintly ringing with voices. “She flung me into the river to put me out. May have miscalculated the force. I was almost thrust upon the shores of Acheron.”
Jafar feels more than sees the air escape Hades lungs and lets him slump back on the throne with no further comment.
That part of their contract is written in blood and stone – they may be villains, but to raise magic, hand and/or weapon against each other would be an instant nullifier, and Jafar knows he’s not the only one afraid that their entire partnership would unravel if but one of them turned on another.
They aren’t good, and they’re well aware of it. One can only hope that keeping this arrangement mutually beneficial keeps it stable. For now, at least.
“I assume Charon was able to fish you out?” he asked. The bony boatman seemed able to materialise out of the river at will.
The unmistakable sound of squelching and popping heralded their final arrival. “Oho no, angelfish, that was all me.” Ursula hefted herself gracefully over the windowsill, tentacle arms braced against the stonework. “His Highness swims like a rock. All that fur doesn’t help.” She snickered. Said undead royalty raised his shoulders in the approximation of a shrug.
“I stopped being able to float about five centuries ago. Were the current not so strong I would have walked back along the river bed. The banks are too sheer to climb up.”
“That’s by design.” Hades grumbled. “You have any idea how many schmucks used to climb out and wander off?? It was a nightmare. The imps used to have to herd them all into the floodplains so I could blast them back in four times a week.”
“Regardless.” Jafar strode forward, before stopping suddenly. “The throne room is twenty stories high. Ursula. Why. The stairs are right there.”
The sea witch inspected her fingernails. “Stairs are for two legs, walls are for eight.” She smacked her lips and grinned. “And I’m not wasting magic on shapeshifting when I can get here and look good at the same time, sweetheart.”
Jafar tried very very hard to not imagine Ursula latched to the ceiling like some kind of vast, malicious, be-tentacled bat and resolved not to walk near to any of the underworlds walls for fear of ambush. Ursula finally seemed to bore of her fingernails and slid further into the room.
“Anyway, I can confirm what the tabloids are blowing bubbles about.” At this her grin dropped. “Invites for the newest arrivals welcome have been issued to everyone.” She glanced at the King and emphasised. “Everyone. Except our Dragon.”
They reabsorb the news with a background of malcontent and dash of something vile.
Maleficent had been seen by the general populace and, eventually, the forces of good as the de facto leader of the Disney Villains for decades. This wouldn’t nearly have rankled so hard if no villains had been invited – that would just be a moral difference and a wish for a quiet party, which they could have left alone.
No. Someone had gone out of their way to not only invite every villain under the sun, including those ignored for decades (no offence to the Horned King, but he kept to himself and when thought of it tended to be with horror), but specifically exclude Maleficent. That’s personal. That’s petty.
That’s downright stupid given that the disrespect shown in exactly the same manner regarding the royal christening of Aurora led to a 16 year curse.
It’s a great big, giant flag absolutely daring her to do something about it.
Jafar gripped his staff so hard his knuckles cracked. “She’s being baited.”
The Horned King’s eyes were already beginning to take on a faint scarlet glow. “The situation requires caution. If she reacts, especially violently, she will lose face, and so will we as a faction.”
“And if she does nothing it tips our hand to our enemies and invites a repeat.” Ursula snarls. The King growled, but did not back down.
“...A united front then.”
They turn to look at him. “The other villains have already seen the jab and will be expecting a riposte. Failing to do so highlights weakness and opportunists within our ranks will not hesitate to explore the new power balance, which is tedious to put down.” He twirls his beard around one finger, not missing the way Hades eyes light up as the elder god cottons on to his line of thinking. “We have kept the nature of our...arrangement obscure enough that reacting as a unit highlights our allyship without revealing anything more than is strictly necessary.”
“It also demonstrates that we are not as separate as the heroes would like to believe, even in matters that do not seemingly concern us individually.” His Majesty nodded. “I am willing to continue with this course of action.”
Hades clapped his hands together, flame crackling. “Get in, cause a scene, block the doors, get some popcorn for Mal’s next level retaliation. Heh, if I didn’t know any better I’d say this is the best date you’ve ever suggested, Jaffy!”
“Don’t call me Jaffy.” His face betrayed him, he can’t stop smiling. A manic thing that made him look wrong in all sorts of lighting. He knew made his partners weak in the knees.
“Aaaalright then.” Hades cracked his knuckles. “HK, Ursie, call up your mens! I’ll get the word out to Sephie and Facilier – feels like Mal’s on the move towards Asphodel so I’ll head out that way and lay out the plan to her, see if she wants us to do anything extra juicy.” He licked his fangs and dropped his voice and Jafar wasn’t going to get weak knees while plotting, he wasn’t, he wasn’t-
“Alright then.” He chuckled, drinking in three faces full of vitriol and malicious compliance. “Let’sssss crash thissss party.”
#they gon' WRECK SHIT#disney villains#the DV'Cule#the horned king#hades#maleficent#Jafar#Ursula#hee hoo I love my terrible bastard group and their terrible bastard ways#I also love it when the group acts as a unit#of course they're image focused and think of politics like a battlefield#they've got backache from holding up their entire source materials!#This is the 'core' polyam group since they're all seeing Maleficent#Their extended loves aren't quite as plot critical#I should clarify that while HK and Ursula both have a partner not present#Jafar is dating both Hades and Maleficent#and has an on-off thing with Facilier#who is more consistently dating Hades and Oogie#Persephone is besties with Jafar and more than willing to be an Olympic double agent in order to support her hubby
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there is something divine in immolation there is some kind of divinity in it, and i don't mean what is standing behind me, see i know something i should not know; i'd be a prophet if i lived to twenty-nine (i don't think that was ever meant to be).
there is something divine in destruction, in hellfire, in raining bombs, there is something divine in pain and it isn't the divine i grew up with, it isn't the divine i know and the divine i love, and it isn't the sublime i find in my brother— i don't know what it is, but it is there and it has won.
i know who i am, but not what. i know what will happen, but not why. i know that i am the end, and i do not want to be. i know i will die surrounded by friends, and i know none of will want it, and one of them will do it. i know nobody has any choice in the matter. it's not because of fate, but because of inevitability. it's not that it's predestined, it's just that nothing else ever would've happened. you were too kind, you were too trusting of me and he believed, truly, that i knew what i wanted i don't— or, i do, but i never told him. truly, none of you could've stopped this, but only because of who you are. if you were someone else, this never would've happened. if i were someone else, this never would've happened.
i don't regret for a single moment the path that led us here, but i do regret how it will end even knowing it cannot be changed.
i love you. i promise. i love you in ways i cannot say. i love you i love you all and yet i have to be the one to destroy it.
i have no choice, i have no want or wish or will for this, but it doesn't matter. i started it, and i shall end it, just as that which started me shall end me.
it is a cycle and i am just the middle link.
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God I love the Mechanisms.
There are so many little details included in each album about the mythology that’s just so~
Odysseus (the Greek name for Ulysses) tells the giant Polyphemus that his name is Nobody, thus the song “My Name is No One”.
The line “I was sent here your dog to seize” in Underworld Blues refers to one of Heracles’ tasks being to steal Cerberus.
Most of Norse mythology has been compiled into either the Prose Edda or the Poetic Edda, so the narrator telling us about the fates of Norse gods has the last name Edda.
Oedipus being referred to as a motherfucker.
The Mechanisms know their shit and it shows. They take old stories and turn them into their own while still keeping the spirit alive - portraying the Greek Gods as gangsters and mob bosses is so perfect - and still manage to weave in easter eggs that fellow nerds will spot. Disney could never.
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UDAD Translations Masterpost
Here’s links to all my “Ulysses Dies at Dawn” translations, as well as additional information that doesn’t pertain to any one song.
Broken Horses
My Name is No-one
Riddle of the Sphinx
Sirens
Favoured Son
Trial by Song
Underworld Blues
Ties that Bind
Torn Suits
Elysian Fields
Translator’s notes:
The character of Ulysses is a bit difficult to render. Firstly, “Ulysses” is a Latin form of the Greek “Odysseus” and, unlike “Ilium,” doesn’t have a dictionary-certified Greek transliteration of its own. To preserve the separation of Ulysses (and Ilium) from the rest of the setting, I’ve come up with “᾽Υλύσσης” to stand for Ylyssēs/Ulysses. My greater concern was one of grammatical gender, however. Ancient Greek makes the tragic and all-too-common mistake of making noun classes based on gender and not anything cool, like whether something is cute or can die. The neuter gender is a bit more concerned with inanimate objects than individuals of indeterminate gender, so I thought it might be a bit rude or simply confusing to use (don’t want a participle to be mistaken as a noun or anything like that). Trying to alternate genders may also run afoul of making the antecedents of adjectives and participles unclear. The solution I have come up with is a poor one: ᾽Υλύσσης declines as a masculine noun in verse (masculine participles can be shorter; words like παῖς—child—always have a feminine meaning if paired with a feminine article but can be gender neutral is paired with a masculine one, though that’s its own deeply rancid can of worms) and a feminine noun in prose. I’m sure there’s a joke about gender roles to be made or an implication to be noticed about using different pronouns in narration than Ulysses uses in monologue. If anyone has a better idea I’d love to hear it. I suppose the title of the album would be “ὁ/ἡ ᾽Υλύσσης τῇ ἕῳ ἀποθνῃσκει.”
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I have only been studying Ancient Greek for a few years, and my reading experience has been much more the textbook than the epic. There’s a whole world of vocabulary and colloquialisms and grammatical constructions that I’m unfamiliar with and which surely would make these translations much smoother. If you know any of that stuff, please tell me! If there’s a word you think would suit a line or a misconjugated verb somewhere or simply a misplaced particle irritating your eye, I will gladly take your suggestions for how to improve it.
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In terms of the prose sections specifically, I don’t know how I would truly go about capturing the tone and style of the narration. As far as I know, there isn’t much preserved of casual spoken Ancient Greek; the closest we might have is plays. I don’t know anything about Modern Greek. I once had dreams of having each character speak in the dialect of the region their myth is set in or originated from, but I don’t know nearly enough for that. Everything instead is largely in Attic Greek, with some vocabulary pulled from all over. I doubt anyone sounds much like a mobster.
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The main dictionaries I referenced were the Woodhouse English-Greek Dictionary and the Perseus Digital Library, with some help from Wiktionary (sometimes you want someone else to decline your aorist passive participles for you).
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I translated all the lines to fit the melodies of the original songs. They tend to run long, since individual words in Greek are usually longer than English ones, but they should fit with a little bit of grease applied (subdivide those notes). A lot of lines have lost details, and I’ve stripped out conjunctions, particles, and articles in a way I imagine is rather appalling, but it should all be reasonably legible. If someone out there wants to translate the songs to fit actual epic meter, that would be incredible, but that someone probably won’t be me.
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I will warn any intrepid singers that some lines only fit if you sing ι/i + another vowel as [j]/y + that vowel. Otherwise, I think you can be rather loose with pronunciation. I’ve drawn the transliterations from the Wikipedia page on Greek transliteration conventions, but I’ve never had much cause to pronounce anything entirely correctly myself. If I really wanted to waste my own time I’d write all instances of θ, φ, and χ as t^h, f^h, and k^h to communicate that they’re aspirated versions of T, P, and K rather than “th,” “f,” and “[actually I don’t think English speakers have much of a consensus on how to ‘mispronounce’ χ].” But if you just want to say “th” and “f,” I promise I won’t manifest physically in your house or anything.
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I haven’t yet done all the narrative songs, and while I’d like to get to those eventually, I don’t have a timetable for that. I’m also interested in doing some translations of HNoC, but I don’t yet have a good dictionary—if anyone’s got links to searchable versions of the D.P. Simpson and John Traupman Latin dictionaries, I would be mildly in your debt.
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Some of the songs have been edited by an acquaintance of mine with a much greater experience in Ancient Greek, if a much smaller passion for filk. His help has been invaluable in my working on this project/understanding what elision is. The vast majority of the work is mine, but some grammatical and vocabular edits were made at his suggestion. “Sirens,” “Trial by Song,” “Elysian Fields,” “Riddle of the Sphinx,” and “Broken Horses,” were all edited thus. Rawdogging the rest of ‘em, though.
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If you have questions about the way a line was translated not addressed in the notes, feel free to ask about it. I only noted what I thought were the most significant details, and I’m sure I missed something fascinating.
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"In the Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, and Heimskringla, Hel is referred to as a daughter of Loki. In the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, Hel is described as having been appointed by the god Odin as ruler of a realm of the same name, located in Niflheim. In the same source, her appearance is described as half blue and half flesh-coloured and further as having a gloomy, downcast appearance. The Prose Edda details that Hel rules over vast mansions with many servants in her underworld realm and plays a key role in the attempted resurrection of the god Baldr."
From Wikipedia
I dont have any conclusions to draw from this but I think others might find it interesting...
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