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yogaplace-yogacentral · 4 years ago

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Lopsided Relationship

The cedars of Lebanon are mentioned over 100 times in the Bible. (In contrast, Noah is mentioned 45 times.)

The mountains of Lebanon were covered with cedars. Like a faithful servant, the cedars were consistently upright, steady and dependable. They embody the phrase living on earth and reaching towards the heavens. In Isaiah 35:2, the cedar was referred to as the ‘glory of Lebanon.’ The cedars of Lebanon stood their ground for centuries and gladly performed their duty to protect the soil and provide shade and shelter for wildlife.

In Mesopotamian mythology the cedar forests were considered the glorious realm of the Gods, and it was said that the cedars were protected by the Gods.

The oldest written story, the Sumerian/Babylonian poetic work the Epic of Gilgamesh, gives ample reference to the wonder and greatness of the cedar forests. "On the Mountain the cedars uplift their abundance. Their shadow is beautiful, is all delight. Thistles hide under them, and the dark prick-thorn, sweet-smelling flowers hide under the cedars … in all directions, ten thousand miles stretches that forest …” The story of Gilgamesh dates back over 4,000 years and was recorded on clay tablets. The Cedar Forest is described in tablets 4–6. Gilgamesh, though endowed with extraordinary strength, power and courage, quakes with fear at the edge of the forest. It is a wise hesitancy, but the story doesn’t end there. Gilgamesh is more impetuous than hesitant.

Humbaba, who guarded the cedar forests, was characterized as demonic and called “a terror to human beings.” In the story, Humbaba is described as having the face of a lion and thorny scales. "When he looks at someone, it is the look of death. Humbaba's roar is a flood, his mouth is death and his breath is fire! He can hear a hundred leagues away any [rustling] in his forest! Who would go down into his forest!" Humbaba was a great test for the heroism of Gilgamesh, and Gilgamesh trespassed and provoked a very avoidable battle and killed Humbaba. In many ways, but especially for the cedars, it would have been better if Gilgamesh had failed. Sometimes success is worse than failure. Gilgamesh became arrogant, conceited and unstoppable—and until the spiritual epiphany near the end of his life, Gilgamesh was much more problematic than the demon Humbaba (but, the faults and folly, and transformation, of Gilgamesh make for a compelling story). And thus, with the death of Humbaba, the pathway to razing the cedar forests lay wide open.

Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu, go on a tree-felling binge. They make a great cedar gate for the city of Nippur. They also build a great raft out of the cedar and travel down the Euphrates.

Alas, the cedars were very good building material. The Egyptians had a large fleet of sailing vessels, consisting mostly of cedar wood. The Phoenicians used the cedars for their merchant fleets. The rulers of many kingdoms, most notably Solomon, used the cedars for their royal building projects. The cedar (cedrus libani) is in the pine family, and has a resin that was used for preservation and mummification in Egypt.

The problem for the noble cedar is all of its good qualities: it is resistant to rot and insects, has virtually no knots, and produces straight lumber. It is a durable and easy-to-work-with wood that has a long-lasting sweet scent. The old forest cedars grew to heights of over 160 feet. (Note: the cedars are resistant to rot and insects, but not resistant to man and his tools.)

The kings of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Assyria, Babylon, Persia and Greece, until the region was ruled by Rome, proudly reported providing cedar timber for building temples and palaces, obtained either through commercial transactions or through military expeditions.

Alexander the Great used timber from Mount Lebanon to build the causeway (mole), towers and catapults that helped him prevail in his siege of Tyre (332 BC).

After the loss of Humbaba, the next great friend of the cedars was the Roman Emperor Hadrian (A.D. 117-138), who was much displeased by the deforestation. (Hadrian’s interests may have been more economical and strategic than environmental.) Hadrian tried to take action and designated what remained of the cedar forests as a protected imperial preserve. This helped for a time, but the destruction of the Lebanese forests never really stopped but worsened as one civilization was defeated, and another took its place. The unsustainable logging of the cedars continued under the Ottoman Turks who used the wood to build railroads. During the First World War, the British and the Turks used most of the cedar that remained for the war effort. (The Turks and British fought each other, and the cedars lost.)

"The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar in Lebanon" (Psalm 92:12). Fortunately, the meaning of Psalm 92:12 is still clear; unfortunately the reality of the moment is different. A cedar left free from the ravages of humans can live to be over 1,000 years old, but few are left unbothered. Only small remnants of the original forests survive. Some of the surviving cedars are part of a Unesco world heritage site. Today, global warming is taking a toll on efforts to bring back the cedars. We know nature is resilient, but people are numerous and demanding. Here is a clinical diagnosis: cedars and humans, historically, have had a dysfunctional relationship. The relationship toppled because it was out of balance: cedars doing all the giving and humans doing all the taking. Here are a few words of hope: humans have a great capacity for learning and changing.

#forest #cedar #preserve

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belladonnabear · 5 years ago

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Dragon Tomura X Reader: Mine LEMON AU

Scenario: This is sort of inspired by my old headcannon Tomura Shigaraki Turns Into A Child And His S/O Has To Take Care Of Him and I briefly mentioned the reader telling him a story about how a powerful dragon took down a powerful kingdom. So this is sort of based on that idea. Enjoy!

Childhood Abuse & Neglect are mentioned! As well as sexual content! You have been warned!

You were a princess of your land. However, that title did not mean much when you had two older brothers and an older sister as well. Your eldest brother Prince Hadrian was supposed to inherit the throne when your father King Ulric died. Your other brother Prince Fendrel spent most of his days training as a knight to protect your people. He was even considered to become Captain of the Royal Guard, much to your father's disapproval. And your wicked sister Princess Dimia, was set to marry Prince Cedric of Vramor.

While you've never cared much for your family, your sister was always the worst. She almost pushed you down an empty well when you wanted to read and not play with her. The last time you played with her, she pulled on your hair because you weren't letting her win when playing tag. Your brothers never even tried to stop her when your back was against the well and you almost were about to fall into it. Luckily you kicked her in the stomach and managed to run away with your book. But your sister had blabbed to your father that you kicked her because she just offered for you two to play together. Forgetting to mention how she could have almost killed you. Even when you tried to explain it to him, he dismissed you because you were the youngest. After that, you were forbidden to leave your room for the next month and had all your books taken out of your room. You thought maybe once she grew older, this phase would change. You were wrong.

She's thrown stones at you for not talking to her, let loose a trunk full of rats into your room when you were sleeping, pushed you off your horse so you fell into the river and has hit you on several occasions when no one is looking. The worst one of all was involving Prince Asher of Thizar. You and him were courting at the time. He was polite, charming and very humorous. It was a shame that your sister didn't like that you had any amount of happiness. So she ended up flirting and seducing the man you had come to love. You had walked by your sister's bedchamber's when you heard their moans. The door was slightly cracked and you saw how she was on top of him riding him and how he kept chanting praise for her. She even managed to look over her shoulder and flashed an evil smirk at you as the two of they came together loudly.

Your heart was crumbled and torn to pieces after that. The man you thought you would marry had ended up sleeping with your very own sister. You wept in frustration and pain that day. You didn't talk to Prince Asher after that and your sister was very smug after the affair. Most of your days since then have been you sneaking out of the castle to be alone. Your father didn't care about where you were going, your brother's might as well not know that you exist and your sister would probably like to see you being eaten by a bear.

You were in the forest on the outskirts of your kingdom. Tears dripping down as you recalled why you were so upset. Your father had made a dreadful announcement this morning. You were to be Prince Asher's wife this summer. This news enraged you but your elder sister seemed delighted as she praised that her younger sister would finally have a wonderful faithful husband. You couldn't hold your tongue. You told your father that you would never marry such a dishonest and heinous man who slept with your sister. Your father didn't listen and insisted that you would marry the prince. You tried convincing your brothers to support you but if it didn't concern them, they didn't care. Your sister smiled the whole time eating her breakfast happily.

With your trusty stallion Achard you fled the palace trying to hold down your sobs as best as you could. You never felt so unwanted and alone in all of your life. Not since disease took your mother's life when you were a young girl. It felt like hours you were huddled up by the oak tree as your horse grazed on the grass. Suddenly, you heard a yelp of pain as you flinched. A gray wolf with a gash on his back leg. He was limping and whining as you slowly approached the poor creature. You did have a soft spot for animals.

"You poor thing, let me help you..." you whispered calmly while approaching the wolf.

His eyes burned as he growled at you. An idea struck you though. In your bag you grabbed a roll of bread and slowly approached the animal. It sniffed he air and seemed interested in the food. You slowly leaned down and handed it the bread. It snatched it out of your hand and began tearing away at it. While the ravenous beast ate, you wiped the blood away gently from the wound with your shawl. Then grabbed some bandages from your bag and wrapped it around the wolf to stop the bleeding.

"There you go...it shouldn't be that bad. It'll heal in a few days." you murmured.

The wolf seemed to be much better as it began standing up. Then with a sniff of its tail it took off in another direction. You sighed in relief. At least the wolf would be fine.

"Well...aren't you the charitable one?" a voice spoke.

You looked around wildly as you heard a man's voice. It sent chills down your spine. You didn't have any knights by your side since your kingdom was peaceful and you preferred being alone. So who was watching you all the way out here? And where was he?

"Look above you human..."

With trembling hands you gasped in shock at what was above you. A slim man with pale skin and wrinkled around his eyes. His lips are chapped, a small mole on the right underneath, with visible scars on his right eye and under his lip. He has messy grayish-blue hair. But what stood out to you were the grayish-blue wings on his back. They weren't shaped like a birds, they looked like ones of a dragon. A dragon that can shapeshift into a human. He looked at you in delight at your shocked expression and then dropped down from his spot on the tree. He then flapped his wings and landed down safely. His red eyes beamed as he looked at you.

"W-Who are you? W-What are you?" you inquired.

The strange man chuckled. "My name is Tomura. You might have heard my name from travelers."

You have heard of his name before. He was a powerful dragon that had many other dragons at his command. They were known as the League of Draconian and were some of the most feared dragons in the world. Their leader was Tomura.

"What do you want with me?" you questioned.

"Such an inquisitive thing. Well my dear, I'm here because I want you to be my mate." Tomura stated.

Your eyes widened as your head spun in confusion. This fierce dragon wanted you to be his mate? Why? You didn't want to upset the destructive dragon in case he decided to kill you now.

"Why did you choose me to be your mate?" you asked.

"One of my spies has infiltrated your kingdom. They described to me a beautiful princess with (h/c) hair and (e/c) eyes that had a strong heart and had intelligence that no one could match. I desire such a mate, even if she is human. And I can tell from your dress alone that you are in fact that princess." he replied.

It was then that he took your hand in his own. You could feel his dry skin on your own smooth skin. He brought his lips to your hand to place a soft kiss on it. Then gazed at you with such ferocious passion.

"Darling princess, I promise to make you the happiest woman in your species. I'll praise you till my dying breath. Catch you when you fall. We'll be side by side forever. I'll be faithful to you and only you for eternity. Dragons do mate for life, unlike that degenerate prince from Thizar. I won't betray or hurt you. You're my everything. And you're all mine." Tomura promised.

Your heart started beating wildly. While you knew he could be reciting a false declaration of love, his eyes showed dedication for you. Something no one since your mother, ever showed to you. If he truly wanted to eat you, he would have done so. Instead, he desired your love and loyalty. Something you also desired as well.

"I accept your proposal Tomura." you whispered.

However, he heard it and swept you into his arms so that the two of you could kiss. His lips may have been chapped but the warmth from the kiss was enough to assure you that this was the right choice.

You two pulled away as Tomura took a couple of steps back. You then saw his body change. His muscles contracts and expanded. His mouth began to shift as his eyes began to become more narrow and full of red. Achard fled as he saw the change Tomura was becoming. His wings expanded and grew as scales began surfacing on his skin. A deep snarl erupted that reminded you of an animal.

Finally, you saw Tomura as a dragon. His entire body matched his wings as crimson eyes narrowed at you. He was bigger than the oak trees you two were around. He even managed to knock one over with his long tail. Then you saw how his gigantic head lean down towards you. Carefully with his teeth, he picked you up by your dress and settled you on his back. You grasped onto one of his spines and felt your heart race tremendously when his wings unfurled.

And with one huge flap, they began to take off. You held on tightly as the adrenaline and wind kicked in. With a rather victorious roar, Tomura took off in the opposite direction of where you came from. However, you couldn't' be happier to escape your dreadful life. Now you would never have to see your sisters face ever again. You wouldn't have to hear about how your father excused her terrible behavior. Your brothers wouldn't just sit there in silence as you were left to be tormented. You now had some semblance of freedom.

You now lived in the Crystal Mountains alongside Tomura and is League of Draconian. While it took sometime getting used to, you loved the life you now lived with the other dragons. It turns out the spy Tomura mentioned was your former maid Toga. She had been keeping an eye on the royal family since Tomura wanted to purge the kingdom for all its riches and used Toga as a spy to learn everything.

She kept ranting to Tomura about a nice sweet younger princess who kept to herself. That was when Tomura took an interest in you and wanted you as his mate. To which Dabi, teased him for going soft on a human.

But Tomura by no means was soft around other humans. As you and the League were around the campfire, Tomura explained what he had just done to your kingdom. He and the rest of the League had invaded your kingdom and demanded for furs, gold, food, jewelry and lavish dresses from the king. The king begged the dragon for him to take Princess Dimia instead. Your sister wept and hurled insults at your father for trying to sacrifice his own daughter to a dragon. Your brothers said nothing, much to your sisters distress. Tomura was disgusted by the king and already knew about the harsh abuse your sister put you through. So he let Toga have his fun torturing your sister. After all, the older princess was not as kind to her former maid like you were. Toga bit her with her jagged teeth, scratched her body and stepped on the fragile princess. This went on for an hour until your sister was eaten alive by the young female dragon. Your father was burned to a crisp by Tomura, he decayed into pieces.

The village was set ablaze by the dragons as they came back with many goods from your kingdom. Your brothers fled, no longer having a kingdom to rule or an army to command. You however couldn't find it in yourself to feel sorry for your father or sister’s death. They didn't deserve it. But your sister's abuse and your father’s negligence to not trying to help you, lead you to not care about the fate they suffered. Besides, you had a new family now.

Toga was a very small but energetic dragon who was also looking for a human mate as well. She was like the little sister you never had. Dabi might have had an nonchalant attitude but he wasn't uncaring like your older brothers were. He showed his ways of caring like bringing a wicker basket full of strawberries and claiming some farmer just left these and that you could have them. But you could tell he was looking out for you. Twice was looking out for you in many ways. He always wanted to make sure that you had enough room in the cave and he even taught you how to set up traps to catch animals to eat. Compress was a gentleman, despite eating meat off the brittle bone. He helped pick out some dresses that he thought would suit your complexion and skin tone. Spinner was shy but he opened up to you more. You helped him understand more about humans, since even in his human form he had green scales. So he never really got a chance to interact with them.

Tomura was a loving husband despite his dragon nature. While he did have his grumpy moods, he made accommodations to better suit your needs. Even going so far as to get you an official wedding ring to show that you were his and no one else's. He allowed you to go out of the cave but to never wander too far without someone to accompany you. He was just worried that you would get lost, hurt yourself or someone would try to take you away.

While he wasn't used to human ways, he did slowly learn about etiquette. He didn't know how to use a fork or spoon before. But thanks to you, he knew table manners to avoid looking like a slob in front of you. He even took an interest in reading alongside you. Which lead to many peaceful yet loving moments together.

One day, it was a hot summer day as you could feel the humidity rising steadily. You wanted to go out and not be trapped in the mountain all day. You slowly stretched from your bed of furs as you looked at the sparkling crystals above you. The ones that shined so beautifully like a chandelier. Beside you was your husband Tomura sleeping next to you. While you weren't married by law, being his mate made you his partner for life. So to you, he was your husband.

You brushed pieces of his hair covering his eyes and kissed his sleepy face. He slowly began to wake up stretching as well. His wings flapped a few times as they then began to pull you close to him. Tomura leaned into to give you a deep kiss as well.

"Morning princess..." he whispered.

"Good morning my love. Can we go out and find somewhere nice to swim? The weather is perfect." you requested.

Tomura slowly nodded as he leaned over the bed where the leftover strawberries were from Dabi's raid. He grabbed one and placed it near your mouth.

"Eat first."

Tomura fed you as he watched you with deep interest. He hasn't been around many humans, so he was curious to know everything about you. From your deepest fears to your little mannerisms. He took pride in being a dutiful husband to you.

The two of you then proceeded to get dressed. You wore a long white blouse with a long skirt. While Tomura wore a dark tunic to match with his breeches. He had much more regal clothes but when he was with you, he tended to dress much more relaxed. You two walked out of your corner of the cave hand in hand. Toga was skipping about looking at the multiple dresses she owned.

"Oooh! (Nickname)! I found such a cute human boy with green hair and sparkly eyes! I'm going to try and talk to him today! Wish me luck!" she exclaimed while picking a yellow dress and leaving the area.

"So where are you two heading off?" Dabi eyed.

"We'll be out for awhile. Keep an eye around things here while we're gone." Tomura ordered.

"Sure. Just don't get too carried away lovebirds." Dabi teased.

You blushed at Dabi's remark while Tomura rolled his eyes. You two hadn't exactly have had sex yet. He's been intimate with you, ranging from heated kisses to groping your body. But never actually going all the way with it. Although, this might be a good opportunity to do so. You two would be alone and wouldn't have to worry about prying eyes.

The two of you were outside as Tomura handed you his clothes. You tried not to pry at his nude appearance but you had no such control when it came to your husband. His lean body with muscles and strong arms were a sight to behold for any woman. Though you did look away when he came to take off his pants out of some sort of modesty. That's when you saw him turn into his dragon form.

Large scales began forming around his body. His hands changed to that of talons and scaly feet. His teeth grew to the size of maple trees. His whole body extended and grew as his wings began to grow during the shift. He even had a tail that swished around to help keep his balance. Tomura suddenly bowed his head down to you. A sign that he wanted you to hop on and hold on. You gripped the horn on his head as his nostrils flared as his wings extended. Then he took off with a burst of speed.

The wind blew past you as Tomura soared up high to where the clouds were. You always loved flying with him. Even when he first took you off, you loved the feeling of flying in the air. His wings spread out as you could see the blue sky all around you. His scales were pretty too.

"You know Tomura, you're quite handsome as a human. But I do love your dragon form as well. You look quite majestic in this form!" you praised.

Tomura snorted at you but you could tell he loved your compliment deep down. You knew life as a dragon was probably tough for him when he was little. But you swore you would make up for all the compliments he should have received when he was younger.

He eventually landed down onto a patch of grass as you saw a spring with roaring water flowing down. You hopped off Tomura and placed his clothes on a tree while he shifted back to his human form. Sticking your hand down, you felt the gentle cool water under your finger tips. It made you want to take a dip more than before.

You quickly shed your clothes and hopped into the spring water. Unbothered by Tomura's piercing stare at your nude form. The water felt so relaxing to be in on this humid day. Tomura couldn't stop staring at your peaceful face. You were so beautiful to him. He couldn't believe you accepted his initial proposal. He thought he would have to kidnap you to get you to stay with him. But you stayed with him. You never tried to sneak out to leave or tried to get help. You were comfortable enough to stay with him.

It made his heart flutter in his chest. This has to be what love is. This was more than what he felt before. He was genuinely happy to be with you. In that moment, Tomura smiled brightly. He was very happy.

He dived into the water and emerged to be at your side. You stood up next to him, exposing your naked chest. He gulped as he stared at your sublime body. Not a single trace of you, did Tomura hate. He wanted to touch all of you. Claim all of you until you were undoubtedly his in everyway.

His arms wrapped around your waist slowly, as yours wrapped around his neck. Your naked bodies touching each other. You could feel Tomura's erect cock and...there was another one. After this discovery, you could just feel you were getting wet down below. And it had nothing to do with the spring water.

His wings spread out so you could only gaze at him. Like nothing else mattered in this moment, expect for him.

"Do you want me?" he asked.

"Yes." you murmured.

"Are you mine?" he leaned forward more.

"Yes!" you agreed.

His lips slammed onto yours as you two began devouring each other's lips. Warm yet persistent kisses touched your body as you gave into the dragon. A whine escaped your throat as you felt his sharp fangs nip at your body. Hickies were planted along your neck and collarbone.

"Mine! You're mine!" he growled.

You thoroughly enjoying the calloused hands of your lover as he urgently rubbed your body, stopping to squeeze at the flesh of your waist before moving his way up to your chest. His hands rubbing your breasts as he began sucking on your left nipple. While toying with the other one. His thumb brushed against it as you let out a moan. He then moved his mouth to the other one as he began sucking on your left breast. The little whines erupting from your mouth made Tomura ache and he wanted to claim more of you.

His mouth pulled away from your chest and began latching onto your neck to suck and bite. One of his hands moved to grope your ass lovingly. His other hand began to slide down the expanse of your abdomen, palming your core. A deep sigh left your lips as he did this. Tomura's slick fingers sliding up and down your wet folds teasingly. He let out a low laugh.

"Do you want me beloved? Do you want me to touch you?"

You nodded as another moan escaped your mouth. Tomura slid a single finger inside you, moving it back and forth slowly. You began bucking your hips desperately as he moved you the rocky wall of the spring for you to lean back against. He was roughly fingering you into bliss, groaning in desire as he released his fingers from your heat. Catching your lips once again, his needy tongue ventured out to find its way into your awaiting mouth all too eager. You wrapped your legs around his waist as his wings spread out to shield you two from the world around you.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"I want you Tomura!" you pleaded.

"You want me to fuck you on both of my cocks? Is this how you want me to fuck you? Are you going to be a good princess and take both at once?" Tomura questioned as he began roughly humping against your core.

"Yes! I want both of them! Please fuck me with both of them at once! I need it!"

He grinned maniacally at your screams. He slowly begin to insert the first one into your cunt. Causing your legs to wrap around his waist tightly.

"M-More!" you gasped.

Tomura loved seeing you squirm for him. To see just how desperate you were to take all of him. Meanwhile you couldn't comprehend how good he felt pressed inside you. Then he wrapped his hand around his second one and slowly began to insert the other one in as well. Causing you to shake and moan loudly. Desperately rocking against his second dick as to entice him. Which it did. In one quick thrust your grinding hips were met with his pelvic bone.

"Ah!!"

Your heated gaze met with Tomura's as you saw his lustful expression directed at you. He then began to thrust, fast, but he had returned to entering you only halfway with both cocks. The sounds coming from both of you were already pushing him not just cum inside of you right now. He wanted this to feel good for both of you. He then started pulling all the way out, then he paused, only to slam back in with a brutal force. You shrieked as he continued pounding into you. During his violent thrusting, you vaguely noted the vicious snarls and growls emanating from your husband.

"Faster! H-Ah-Harder!" you whined.

Tomura growled at his mate, his hips snapping faster than ever before. He kept jolting his hips forward and your cries of ecstasy filled the spring. His wings were flapping rapidly as he kept filling you up with both cocks. You were stretched out beyond all conceivable belief. Tomura let his feral side run wild as his massive cocks tore through your walls. Your orgasm shook you through your entire body as you called out your lover’s name. As you came on his twitching shafts, Tomura spilled his seed into your tight womb. Tomura’s seed kept spilling into you as the two of you kissed each other lovingly.

“I’m all yours Tomura.”

#shigaraki imagine #bnha lemon #shigaraki x reader #bnha x reader #shigaraki tenko

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randomnameless · 4 years ago

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I was browsing a tag (i know i shouldn’t do that) and i read an old post nerding about ancient civilisations and parallels with FE16 which made me glee bcs i love to nerd about history

But then i was disappointed

Important Agarthans seem to have greek names (?) so they could be ancient greece, okay why not (the superiority complex over the rest of the world feels adequate but then idk if Socrates (Soloncrates?) would call actual humans beasts or not).

But then it was affirmed that Rhea, not the Nabateans, but Rhea, was Ancient Rome (Romea?). She 1) razed the Agarthans, 2) expanded the Church in the continent and 3) allied with Wilhelm of Adrestia and later Loog who represents the various germanic tribes.

Which made me raise an eyebrow.

1) I’ve already posted earlier about the Sothis/Agartha war but here it seems a bit odd to single out Rhea amidst her people for having rekt Agartha when it was, at most, a collective action of several Nabateans, regardless of the fact that Rhea may or not have participated in the first war.

Also, in FE16, the Nabateans gave their technology to Agarthans, who in turn developed it and turned against them. Ancient Rome was tsun-tsun with their greek neighbours, but it is now commonly accepted that the first romans tried to “copy” or at least were heavily inspired by Ancient Greece to build a national identity. I mean Virgil even wrote a poem to make a Trojan ancestor to what would later become the roman people, and that’s not talking about how the old Roman pantheon borrowed the Greek one but with aliases worse than Danved and Devdan...

In FE16, “Greece” actually borrowed/received their technology from “Rome” but tried to attack “Rome” and failed. “Rome” retaliated, destroyed “Greece” to the point where romans don’t even know what “Greece” was and can only make suppositions about its existence.

This doesn’t match RL history.

2) Expanding the Church in the continent : this is actually speculation, but afaik, when Adrestia conquered the continent, its religion would have automatically been spread? Still, comparing the Church of Seiros to another religion starting with a C doesn’t really work.

Adrestia was founded by a dude who had been annointed by Seiros herself. The Church, or at least Seiros and her pals, already existed before the Empire. Constantine the Great was the first Emperor to convert to christianity, but he was not the founder of Rome! Christianity became a “state” religion after Constantine. Heck, Julian thought his uncle’s religion was lousy so he returned to a polytheist cult.

In FE16, the only schism between Adrestia (the Empire) and the Church happened after the Southern Church was expelled, giving a good 1000 years of church approved Empire.

Saying Romea expanded the reach of the church through out all of Fodlan isn’t wrong, iirc part of the mediation accepting the Kingdom’s existence is to allow the church to preach in the newly formed kingdom, but i’m not sure it could be tied to RL history, because in Fodlan, Wilhelm walked side by side with Jesus, and Jesus crowned him Emperor. Jesus won against Nemesis. Adrestia’s legitimacy/creation comes from Jesus.

So I don’t think it’s Rhea expanding the reach of the Church through Fodlan, but more Seiros is part of the Empire’s lore, she’s that actual saintly figure who defeated the strongest man ever so everywhere in the Empire tales of Seiros and her deeds are heard of, it makes sense to follow/buy her story.

Also, if the “religion” the church of Seiros preaches is the rewritten history, people must have “converted” after the unification of Fodlan and yet, if Seirosism is the state religion, and the state is controlling Fodlan, can we say Romea expanded her religion through the continent, or Fodlan, after being conquered by Adrestia, automatically became Seirosist?

It would actually echo the bid to allow the Church to preach in the newly formed Faerghus, if Loog wanted to fig off Adrestia, he might even want to have a different religion than the one from the Empire he came from, hell, the Kingdom even returned to the former naming practices existing before Adrestia.

The Church would have wanted to make sure that no matter what Loog was doing with his bunch of humans in the North, he would still believe crests are a gift from the goddess, they shouldn’t be misused and if you ever find Macuil don’t murder him to make weapons out of his body.

short story long story : it’s the story of the egg and the chicken, did Seirosism became the leading religion in the continent because Rhea actively preached around, or because it was Adrestia’s state religion? idk.

3) Rome “allied” (well, TC said Rome lorded and traded with germanic tribes until shit hit the fan) with germanic tribes. They could be traded with. But they were not roman citizens. I’m not that well versed in this part of the Roman Empire (even if some part of France was classified as Germania at that time! RIP Franche-Comté T-T). Thing is, Rome never asked for Germania’s help to defeat some enemy, hell, when barbarians invasions happened, it hit Germania first and then Rome.

This is where the Romea analogy falls.

First of all, Wilhelm became Wilhelm of Adrestia thanks to Seiros who annointed/crowned him, without Seiros there is no Adrestia. (iirc in one of Seiros’ books it is said Seiros makes emperors out of men, and the tradition needs the archbishop to bear witness each time a new emperor is crowned, so i suppose Rhea crowned/proclamed/anointed/made Wilhelm an Emperor).

Rome never had that kind of influence (afaik?) on the various germanic tribes.

Before Adrestia we had Enbarr and, I guess, several tribes. As I see it (it may be wrong!) Adrestia is made to mirror Rome, sort of. Wilhelm “of Adrestia” set out to conquer unify the world. Now, did Seiros told him to conquer the world or did he came to that conclusion alone, we will never know. And yet, in the time period we’re speaking of (antiquity?), there’s no “Germanic Empire”. Adrestia started as an unified state, not as several tribes. Adrestia thus cannot be likened to “germanic tribes”.

Second, Loog did not receive help from Rhea, but it’s implied (still it’s from the shadow library so i’m not holding it against the TC) he received help from Mole People.

But from what we know, in the Vanilla game, Loog defeated the Emperor of Adrestia. It is during the aftermath that the Empire, House Charon and the Church negotiated and decided Loog could found his Kingdom. I do not see how Rhea “allied” with the guy, nor, again, what kind of germanic tribe he represents given how he actually got his independance from the Empire to create his own Kingdom.

Then we have another set of facts which are less about history and more about the game, but for the history ones :

Romea cannot 4) enforce the will of the Church and Western branch rebelling mirrors Rome’s western’s provinces being unruly and Romea gradually losing grasp on Adrestia 5) The Church isn’t completely sacked but still remains in CF to mirror Rome’s “gradual” fall/out of powerlessness (for funsies 6) Edel and the Agarthans make Rome face what they did to Greece and represent the germanic tribes coming after Rome after they managed to free themselves from its influence)

4) Unless I’m mistaken, the most occidental border of the Empire was the Atlantic Ocean? astérix is a product of french chauvinism

Northern borders were more problematic, we had Hadrian’s Wall to keep Picts at bay and in the 3rd century the “Saxon Shore” to fend off against invaders coming by the sea.

Of course around this time there was an important crisis that weakened the Empire, so it might explain why there was unrest everywhere. This crisis saw the birth of the Western Gallic Empire, but also of the Eastern Palmyrene Empire (everyone was happy when Diocletian unified the empire afterwards). After, let’s say, 300ish, the Empire, in general, had difficulties to deal with and keep its borders.

Back to FE, the western church rebelling is actually at odds with Rome, because when it comes to religious stuff, the eastern provinces were the most concerned/active, not the western ones (1st council of nicea was made because of the arian controversy (The Son and the Father are the same entity or not? Discuss) in the eastern provinces).

Apparently, the Western Church rebels because they don’t like/follow the creed of the Central Church, but if we wanted to keep the Rome analogy, it should have been the Eastern church rebelling. From what we see, it is not because they follow another religion, but they have a difference in doctrine (but then it is muddled because mole people, otoh, it is never said that the western church thinks seiros is a hax or the goddess doesn’t exist, they want to claim lands on behalf of Saint Cichol which means they adhere, at least, to the main dogma about saints) and really don’t like Rhea for some reason. tbh i think some “germanic tribes” converted to arianism but they weren’t the theologists who theorised it

Central Church lost its grasp on Adrestia in 1065 (iirc?) when the southern branch was expelled. Idk if everything was fine and dandy before, but given how Rhea oversaw the construction of Garreg Mach after the WoH and tried to resurrect Sothis with the Chalice, I’d say she already said “peace i’m out” to Adrestia and would just be there for some ceremonies (crowning/being a witness for new emperors i suppose).

I’ve said it earlier, but Adrestia is not supposed to represent the “germanic tribes”, Adrestia is Rome. Adrestia having german names could also mean that the devs were lazy because Gaius Claudius isn’t a funky name, but the HRE was situated in western-central europe. Edel’s rebellion against the central church could mirror HRE and the Reformation, save for the fact that Edel dgaf about the goddess bcs humanity doesn’t need gods or something. So the analogy doesn’t really work...

5) Coming to which, CF!Church is not anything like Seirosism or, i suppose, the former Sothisism cult. Various bloggers already tore this take apart, but the “Church” in post CF-Fodlan seems to be less spiritual and more of an organisation which is overseen by the Emperor.

I mean, if Edel says humans don’t need gods, what is the Church supposed to do? Fodlan has a cult? A religion? Faith? Faith in what? People are supposed to be free to chose what to believe in, but it is clear that “humans” don’t need gods, so what? You can believe in whatever you want, but not in Sothis because we don’t need her, and fig to the children of the Goddess or fig you if you’re still a follower of Seirosism? Rome still exists nowadays as a capital of a living country, I cannot affirm the Church exists, or if whatever the church of Seiros did is still maintained.

Also, “Rome” as in the Roman Empire (kind of) survived with the Byzantine Empire and the HRE. I don’t think offshoots of the Church of Seiros would be allowed to prosper in CF’s Fodlan.

6) :)

I cannot remember if Romea’s people (well a civilisation cannot have brethrens it’s not a being!) were turned into various weapons by Socrates and Plato (if they had been blacksmiths i’d have been more interested in philosophy classes i swear) but as far as i know Edel’s Adrestia didn’t wage war against Romea because of her conquests or what she did to Soloncrates/Ancient Greece, nope or to free Adrestia from Romea (especially since Adrestia got rid of the church since 1065). Edel wants to conquer the world and change the “system” in place.

Bonus : About names, yes, the devs validated the “Adrestia is both rome and germany combined” which is as WTF as it seems, and yet, last Emperor from the HRE was named Francis II with his birth name being Franz Joseph Karl which is very far removed from, idk, Trajan being Marcus Ulpius Trajanus. I don’t think the devs thought a lot about names tbh, still, if Emperor Wilhelm might sound “german” and yet his second name Paul, is latin (paulus) so idk. Ionius was apparently a name used in Rome?

#FE16 #wew that was long #semi-rant?#history of fodlan?#not going to pick everything apart of course #this post was made before the DCL and the Dev's interview #but i thought it was clear since the beginning that Adrestia was Rome #it fell apart and now it's a shell of itself like HRE #especially with the von switch #Romea #I'm not that knowledgeable on ancient roman history btw #or the roman empire through the ages #yes rome had trouble to deal with germanic tribes #but at one point rome even had trouble dealing with itself so #After Trajan Rome kind of fell apart and was never able to recover #i was bored to death by a class of the council of nicea and arianism so if i can use it for once in a fandom related post i will #now i know i'm hammering wilhelm/lycaon being emperors of the world #but lbr if seiros really wanted to rule she would have been able to who was going to challenge her?#she defeated nemesis she is the prophet #otoh when the church doctrine started to become wide-spread?#what was even the church of seiros during the war? Rhea cannot rewrite history if people are living in the same era #i mean more of this looks like a rant but i felt the Greece/Rome antagonism was misunderstood #jupiter is totally not zeus because we thought your pantheon looked cool so we wanted to copy it nope #nabateans were the more advanced ones who shared with aghartians not the inverse #and then i went on a wiki spree #pre imperial era #if we have to HC everything about Fodlan then i'd rather waste my time pondering about pre imperial Fodlan than anything else #i am very proud of soloncrates if you wonder

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tomfooleryprime · 6 years ago

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Hello! I just wanted to say how much I love your writing! No Winter Lasts Forever was brilliant! And I’m throughly enjoying your newest OC-centric story. Question: do you fully outline before you begin writing? Do you have any advice on how to do that? Also, do you create character sheets to get to know them better and such? One of my biggest challenges is characterization, and I can’t seem to be able to outline. So, any advice in that department would be much appreciated. Thank you! :)

Thank you so much!

I do outline before writing. It’s the only way to go, as far as I’m concerned. No writer’s block once you have an outline.

You can outline for plot, setting, characterization or all three, however, outlining still has its drawbacks, especially if your story is super long and full of original details.

This is the problem I ran into with No Winter Lasts Forever. I had hundreds of characters spread over a colony world I basically designed from scratch and it ended up being more than 300,000 words long and took me two years to write. The amazing thing about an outline is it organizes little details and it reminds you to include certain things in current and foreshadow things for future chapters. I call it “sprinkling details.”

For example, you might casually mention your character has a lot of scars in the first chapter. Then in a later chapter, maybe they’re rubbing their neck and they’re reminded of how they got one scar in particular—say, a crazy sword fight with a pirate where they almost got their throat cut, I dunno? Then later your character is abducted and has a bag over his head, about to be shot execution style when he’s rescued at the last minute by a guy who owes him a favor. Your character asks, “I had a bag over my head so how did you know it was me?” Favor dude points to his neck and replies, “I would recognize that scar anywhere, boy-o.”

Ugh, so cheesy, but you get the point. If you wait until that very chapter to inform readers, oh, he has a scar on his neck and this is how the other guy will recognize him, it just seems like some weird afterthought.

Sprinkling details throughout the story gives your readers a chance to get to know your characters and their situation slowly, just like you would get to know anyone in real life. When you sit down next to a coworker for the first time, you don’t get the exhaustive Wikipedia version of their life in the first sitting, you notice little details and ask little questions over time. You see a picture of kids on their desk and think maybe she’s a mom.

There isn’t some narrator to inform you, “Hey readers, this is Susan. She has three children and their names are Lucy, Bobby, and Asshole. She’s really self-conscious about the mole on her cheek. In her spare time she enjoys pilates and bareknuckle boxing.” If you want to show rather than tell, maybe you mention that you see Susan constantly pulling her hair over her left cheek and eventually realize she has weird bruises on her hands and you resolve to ask her about it later.

In a normal human relationship, you would discover these things about your new coworker over time. Giving a giant info dump in the beginning is tedious and it’s telling rather than showing. It’s been one of the biggest challenges of bettering myself as a writer: learning to show though dialogue, actions, and details rather than just tell my readers what they need to know to get on with the story.

Unfortunately, there comes a point at which no matter how detailed your outline is, you will start forgetting details as the months wear on because it makes no sense to have an outline so detailed that you invent a whole life story for a character you barely mention once, unless you’re J.K. Rowling and still milking a wildly successful boy wizard series nearly two decades later. There were many times I had to go to AO3, click “Entire Story” on my own story, and search for tiny details like, what color is Hadrian Moore’s hair or what was Ann Svendsen’s second-oldest kid’s name again?

I would say most stories aren’t as stupidly ambitious as that one though. I don’t think I can stress this enough: if you want to become a fiction writer, fanfiction has to be the best place to dip your toe in the pond. It’s a ready-made template. It’s easy to spread your wings in a world that has already been designed for you so that you don’t have to worry about making everything from scratch and can focus on storytelling, dialogue, and voice instead. Spock has a very well-formed character, so if you start writing him as a guy who drops f-bombs for no reason, you’ve royally screwed your characterization.

The same goes for outlining. Creating an outline using canon characters who already have fairly established backstories and personalities is so much easier and if you’re just starting out writing, I’d recommend doing that. It’s too easy to just go to Memory Alpha if you can’t remember how old Leonard McCoy is, or if you’re writing for another popular fandom, most have their own wikis. Bless the people who compile such websites: they’re doing the Lord’s work.

So if you need help with characterization and outlining the plot, that’s my advice: start small. Start with familiar characters in a familiar setting, and write a short fic of 10,000 words or less. Then write a longer story. Then incorporate your first central original character and spend a lot of time fleshing this person out. The more you do it, the more you’ll learn what works for you and what doesn’t. My first outlines were really bare bones, my later outlines were too detailed. I think I finally hit a happy medium with my new OC story.

If you want, I can email you my outline for my latest chapter of my new story so you can get an idea for how much information I include. Hit my up at [email protected].

#writing #outlining #storyboarding #fanfiction #fiction #characterization #show don't tell

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masterslong · 2 years ago

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We were here together alchemist

We were here together alchemist crack#

The Fortress, the Vatican and the Passetto

We were here together alchemist crack#

“Animula vagula blandula, Hospes comesque corporis, Quae nunc abibis? In Loca, Pallidula rigida nudula, nec ut soles dabis Iocos.” "Little soul, you charming little wanderer, my body’s guest and partner, where are you off to now? Somewhere without color, savage and bare You’ll crack no more of your jokes once you’re there.” (Hadrian) But, when reading the verses that Hadrian dedicated to his own soul, and engraved on a plaque in the imperial urns hall, we discover a much more intimate dimension to his feelings and fears about his inevitable passing away. Hadrian's dream became reality, and the emperors, which were adored as deities after their death, would have had a proper burial. Among the emperors that were laid to rest here, there are Antonino Pio, Commodo, Marcus Aurelius and Caracalla, together with most of their wives and sons. Hadrian was finally buried here, together with his beloved wife Sabine. The construction works took some years, and were only completed by the successor of Hadrian, Antonino Pio, in 139 AD. For this reason, a bridge was built to connect the site to the rest of the city. The mausoleum was located in the suburbs of the city, on the other side of the Tiber river banks, where the Forum and the other important buildings stood. At the top, it was surmounted by a huge shiny bronze statue of Hadrian riding a quadriga (a four-horse chariot). The monument had a square plant, and was built with precious marbles and decorated with statues. As inspiration, he used the mausoleum of Augustus. when the emperor Hadrian, who wasn’t only greatly fascinated by art and philosophy, but highly regarded the spiritual world, decided to build a monument that would have served as the burial site for him, his family and his successors. A visit to this site, is not just a travel back in time, but an exciting travel through time, from 2000 years ago, up to the present day. This very special castle, just a stroll away from the Vatican, doesn’t have the gloomy and grim looks of the Medieval fortresses, but, as we will see, its mighty walls, halls decorated with frescoes and grids of passages, do hide more than one secret. The site has undergone an incredible number of changes and structural alterations: from monumental burial site to fortress, from horrific prison to splendid private residence, from military headquarters to world famous museum. Surrounded by massive walls, the central structure has a peculiar circular shape, which stand 48 meters above the ground. With more than a million visitors each year, Castel Sant’Angelo (also known as Mole Adriana) is one of the main landmarks in Rome.

#We were here together alchemist

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serious-dorkdom · 4 years ago

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►Go moon your friends and momma

(Since I don’t exactly know which Hadrian this is technically for, you get all the ones I run. Going to vary ages a bit.)

Main!Verse

The Valmese prince would’ve never done this usually, but something about the command, and more probably Lady Tharja’s potion that had gotten mixed in his drink, made him follow the command in the middle of the camp. He pulled down his pants with unusual confidence and mooned all present. His sister Aliya, his father Nobunaga, his mother Daedra, and his friends from Yslisse, Cynthia and Owain. Then, not aware of what he did simply walked away.

Royal!AU

Maria and Owain both get a full view of the young man’s backside. Owain, being an equally impressionable youngster moons Maria with him. At least until Lady Lissa and Maria both tan their hides.

Nohr!Verse

Siegbert, Clara, and much to his embarrassment when he’d come to realize what he’d done, Sophie, get to see a very different side of the usually stoic and taciturn cavalier. His mother, wherever her soul has gone is likely rolling in her grave. And Llorna, his stepmother is thankfully spared, for it would likely bring nothing but unbridled fury from his father if he’d done so in front of her.

Hoshido!Verse

Friends? He doesn’t have any. But after working in the fields and tending to the army’s pegasi, it’s time for a tick check he wasn’t planning to do twice. “Mom does this look like a tick, or a mole?”

Prosecutor!Verse

Mrs. Tokugawa, Clara, and Maria by proxy all see the boy’s backside. The youngster thinks he’s being funny, but it takes a while before he’s allowed to come back to the VonKarma’s home.... After a very well thought, but pretty unreadable letter is written as an apology for his behavior.

#Anonymous

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arathos · 7 years ago

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It has come to our attention that some millennials on Tumblr people don’t like 1st person narrative in fiction. We were quite baffled by the notion (”But... like... Song of Achilles is 1st person. And half of Bleak House. And Gone Girl!”). Immortality AU, of course, is 1st person, and so are the books on this list which we compiled off the top of our heads because they are immensely popular and/or personal faves:

British and Irish Classics:

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Villette by Charlotte Bronte

Tom Jones by Henry Fielding (the omniscient narrator narrates in the 1st person)

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

all (?) of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

half of Bleak House by Charles Dickens

Vendetta by Marie Corelli

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

as well as other Christie stories, including Poirot ones

loads of classic horror short stories

American Classics:

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

all or most of Edgar Allen Poe

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

Other Classics:

Justine by the Marquis de Sade

Much of Pushkin’s work

La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils

Modern English-language novels

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann

half of The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

also: some of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s short stories, most notably the one with the Lesbian Reveal

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

half of House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

Mysterious Skin by Scott Heim

Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z. Brite

The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

The Quiet American by Graham Greene

Modern non-English novels

The Tin Drum by Günter Grass

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

Foucault’s Pendulum by Umberto Eco

A Heart So White by Javier Marias

ALL epistolary, memoir and diary-style novels:

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Les Liaisons dangereuses by Choderlos de Laclos

The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Fanny Hill by John Cleland

Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter by Simone de Beauvoir

Just Kids by Patti Smith

Carrie by Stephen King

I, Claudius by Robert Graves

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ by Sue Townsend

The Diary of Bridget Jones by Helen Fielding

We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar

World War Z by Max Brooks

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

half of Emily Climbs by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

Children’s Books:

How to Survive Summer Camp by Jacqueline Wilson

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

There’s also books that pass by English speakers because they’ve never been translated or never caught on, but are popular in other countries:

Der abenteuerliche Simplicissimus by Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen (the first novel in the German language)

Six Bullerby Children by Astrid Lindgren

Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren

Felidae by Akif Pirinçci (cat detective mysteries)

Der Rumpf by Akif Pirinçci (thriller from the PoV of a disabled mastermind)

Confessions of Felix Krull by Thomas Mann

Olfi Obermeier und der Ödipus by Christine Nöstlinger (coming-of-age story of a boy who grows up in a household ruled by women)

Konopielka by Edward Redliński

The Devil's Elixirs by E.T.A. Hoffmann

Aischa by Federica de Cesco (coming-of-age story of a Muslim immigrant girl in Paris)

Lélia by George Sand

Chronicler of the Winds by Henning Mankell

The Manuscript Found in Saragossa by Jan Potocki

#1st person narration #is great #between them your Authoresses read 99% of these books #many of them are all-time faves #what's the rationale behind disliking 1st person?#has it ever been explained?#or is it just an edgy thing that kids-these-days do?

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iamshopping · 5 years ago

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˙·٠•●♥ ƒοяτяєѕѕ - ƒοяτєzzα ♥●•٠·˙ Castel Sant'Angelo, originally Hadrian's Mole, built to honor the ashes of the emperor, his family (and then succeeding emperors until Caracalla),was then converted into the Pope's military fortress and a prison. This leds to losing almost all the urns ashes by the various attacks endured by Rome. The version you see today differs a lot from the original one... It's been a national museum since 1901. Owes its late name to the appearance of Archangel Michael sheating his sword atop the Castle, as symbolizing the end of the plague (590). Have you ever had the chance to visit❓⬇️⬇️⬇️ 🇮🇹 Castel Sant'Angelo, originariamente Mole Adriana, costruito per onorare le ceneri dell'imperatore, la sua famiglia (successivamente anche di altri imperatori fino a Caracalla), fu convertito a sede papale, fortezza militare e prigione. Questo portò alla perdita di gran parte delle urne cinerarie, durante le varie invasioni subite. La versione che vediamo oggi è molto diversa dalla prima costruita. Dal 1901 è stato convertito a museo nazionale; deve il suo nome odierno all'apparizione dell'Arcangelo Michele sul castello a simbolizzare la fine della peste (590). Lo avete mai visitato❓⬇️⬇️⬇️ 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥! 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐢𝐨! . . . . . . . #viaggiaresottocasa #planningnextvacation #inverno #viaggiatriceinside #viaggiatricesenzameta #viaggiatriceperlavoro #viaggiatricenonturista #prossimameta❓ #cheaptraveller #viaggiatorisognatori #viaggiatoripercaso #viaggiatorisilenziosi #travelblogger #wanderlust #sheisnotlost #castelsantangelo #moleadriana #hadriansmole #fortress #rome #pontedegliangeli #pontesantangelo (presso Ponte degli Angeli roma) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8lW-pfomi3/?igshid=eei8xiw1iee7

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jo-shanerome18 · 5 years ago

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Vatican, Castel Sant'Angelo & Trastevere

14/05/2018: Today was a big day. Firstly, a trip to the Vatican to look around the Vatican Museums, something to fill in the middle of the day and then to the Trastevere for an evening food tour.

We made our way there by way of a couple of taxis, asking for Viale Vaticano and to be dropped off at Caffee Vaticano, straight across the road from the entrance to Musei Vaticani, the Vatican Museums. Waiting with the rest of the tourists on the steps at the end of via Tunisi and leading up to the Vatican from via Sebastiano Veniero, progress was made once everyone was identified and we were allocated our guide. As with the last time, although we did queue up in the Skip the Line line, we passed most of the people outside and went straight in, through the security and into the foyer of the museum.

Vatican Museum entrance

Making sure the ear plugs work

Unlike our last visit, this time our guide took us to the Cortile della Pinacoteca only to overlook the Giardino Quadrato rather than be part of it. Focus then quickly shifted to the Museo Pio-Clementino which was founded by a couple of popes from which it received its name, Pope Pius VI and Pope Clemente XIV. It held several galleries including Sala a Croce Greca and the porphyry Sarcophagi of Helena and Constantina.

The red porphyry Sarcophagus of Costantia held the remains of the daughter of the Emperor Constantine the Great. A similar sarcophagus nearby once held the remains of her grandmother, Helena

Next stop was to check out the Flemish tapestries displayed within Galleria degli Arazzi. They were in pretty good nick, not sure if they were faded or not. One would think so if they were first displayed in the Sistine Capel during the first half of the fifteen hundreds.

Taxi!!!

From the tapestries to the maps. With both being in hallways, the only complaint would be that no one could get back far enough to appreciate the works from a distance. The Galleria delle Carte Geografiche was as before, excellent. Possible one of the best displays in the whole joint.

Old Italy, one of forty geographical maps painted on the walls depicting Italian regions and the possessions of the Church at the time of Pope Gregory XIII

By ten we were well into the museum thing and well into the Stanze di Raffaello including Sala Sobieski e dell'Immacolata and stanza dell incendio di borgo. We had to move on though. The Sistine lay ahead.

She was Raphael'd out

One more room to go, the Sistine Chapel. But no, there was one before that, a contemporary display of more recent artists. They were long since gone but not as long gone as most in there. The small rooms contained the likes of Rodin, Morlotti, Van Gogh and Salvador Dali amongst other Spanish displays.

Franco Gentilini: Cattedrale con natura morta e cane

Unless one wants to clinically identify all the stories within the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, it doesn't take too long to check out. As magnificent as what it was, ten minutes pulled the place up. We all walked into the room and were immediately under the watchful gaze of the Noise Nazis. There were people everywhere which made it doubly uncomfortable. Wandering around like Brown's cows, our necks cranked upward, it was not hard to appreciate the beauty of the artwork, the striking scenes and stories, the complicated layout and above all, the tremendous feat Michelangelo managed in laying on his back for so long to get it all done. The room morphed from silence to rowdiness and back to silence depending on the frequency of the "shooshes" from the Noise Nazis as well as the constant bellowing of "No Photos", "No Photos". Stuff 'em. Typical Vatican, only allowing photographs of what they say. We got a few good ones in though.

Sneaky one in the Sistine Chapel. Scenes from the bottom up, the Separation of Land and Water, Creation of Adam, Creation of Eve, the Fall of Man and the Sacrifice of Noah

A sea of admirers continually flowed in and subsequently out of the Sistine Chapel, mostly shoulder to shoulder for the duration of their visit. The few minutes spent inside were both congested and claustrophobic and as such, we joined in the outflow and rode the wave, past Scala Regio, down the ramp and into the courtyard, Cortile San Gregorio l'Illuminatore below. It was time for a short break. People could refill their water bottles with Holy Water from the fountain in the courtyard while the guide advised everyone of what was on offer around the area. Tickets to the top of the dome, the elevator if one was too lazy to climb the stairs and the gift shop. The next stage was to enter the Basilica so if anyone wanted to avail themselves of what was on offer in the courtyard they would have to return later. It was time to press on.

Looking down Scala Regia. The Bernini equestrian statue, Vision of Constantine was somewhere down there

Before long we were in the portico at the front of Saint Peter's Basilica and confronted by several doors which in at some point of time or for some reason allowed access to the Basilica. The first of five doors was the Holy Door, so named as it only opens during Holy Years which are twenty five years apart. Not only is it closed but bricked in so it cannot be opened inadvertently. The second was the Door of Sacraments, the one which allowed entry once through security. While queueing there was plenty of time to check out the oldest door from the early to mid fourteen hundreds. The Filarete Door was in the centre, showing six panels of religious stuff like Saint Paul losing his head and such, next to it was the Door of Good and Evil with each doors' panels showing as much and to the extreme left, the Door of Death which was the exit for funeral processions and the door where we would later leave the Basilica. Yes, we would be leaving via Death's Door.

On the first day of a Holy Year, the Pope strikes the brick wall with a silver hammer and opens the Holy Door to the pilgrims.

The first stop inside, and a very popular one, was the Pieta, one of the great religious works carved by Michelangelo over five hundred years ago, depicting the Virgin Mary holding the body of Christ after he was released from the cross. An equally interesting spot was further down the front, past many other treasures to near the altar. As far as Shane was concerned, an equally interesting spot was right down the front where Ewan McGregor self combusted at some stage in some famous Tom Hanks movie. It was a no go area though.

The Pieta, the only signed sculpture by Michelangelo. Not unlike Palestrina Pietà in Florence. Now behind glass due to some nutter taking to it with a hammer years earlier

Old mummified pope

Following the guide around the place, we ended up almost where we started, suggesting the tour was finished, but there was one more treat for us. She talked to someone in the know and ended up leading us down a tight staircase to an area within the foundations of the joint and to where many former popes were buried. We were warned that within this area no photos were permitted so we obliged by only taking a few.

Tomb of Benedict XV, Giacomo Della Chiesa, from Genova

Upon leaving through Death's Door, we hooked a right and checked out the shenanigans of the Swiss Guard. This dedicated and deadly security force that is charged with protecting the Pope could easily be underestimated given their clown suit outfits. But don't be fooled. The Swiss Guards have been the "Defenders of the Church's freedom" ever since a hundered and fifty of them passed through the Porta del Popolo and entered for the first time the Vatican, where they were blessed by Pope Julius II. It was right on twelve so the changing of the guard was underway. That was it. Tour over.

Changing of the Swiss Guard. Defenders of the Church's freedom

Upon exiting Piazza San Pietro and keeping to the southern colonnade, we walked along via della Conciliazione and sat down at the entrance to Parco della Mole Adriana. Once the women caught up, Cecilia was thinking of her stomach again and insisted on finding a restaurant somewhere to eat. Shane and the boys chose a panini from Gastronomia, a food van parked nearby. For a few euro instead of many they were fed, and within a few minutes instead of many. With the time saved they joined the short queue for Castel Sant'Angelo, the Mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian come fortress come Papal apartments. Jo and Cec looked for lunch.

Mausoleum Hadriani was built between 128 and 139 by Hadrian for Hadrian, his adopted kids and their adopted kids. Up until the rule of Emperor Nerva, Roman emperors' ashes were all put inside the Mausoleum of Augustus but the monument filled up. With no room left he had no choice but to build his own, not as big as Augustus's though. Cassius Dio wrote, "He had lived sixty-two years, five months and nineteen days, and had been emperor twenty years and eleven months. He was buried near the river itself, close to the Aelian bridge; for it was there that he had prepared his tomb, since the tomb of Augustus was full, and from this time no body was deposited in it." Nerva's successor, Trajan, was buried under his column in Forum Traiani leaving Hadrian out on a limb. Hadrian died in 138 leaving it up to his adoptive soon Antoninus Pius to finish the job.

One hundred and thirty years later the mausoleum was incorporated into Rome's Muri Aureliani, the defensive walls begun by Emperor Aurelian and converted to a fortress, protecting Hadrian's ashes and his descendants until the Visgoths and King Alaric sacked the joint in 410, thereby seeding Rome's demise over the coming decades. Hieronymus, commonly referred to as Saint Jerome, in a letter to Principia wrote, "My voice sticks in my throat; and, as I dictate, sobs choke my utterance. The city which had taken the whole world was itself taken."

Hadrian's Mausoleum come papal residence

As the boys paid and moved into Ambulacro di Bonifacio IX, an annular corridor of darkened walkways encircling the main structure within and bounded by the protective rectangular walls, founded on the original square base of the mausoleum, fragments of ancient statues lined the path which eventually led to the diametral ramp. This passageway was cut through the monument as part of the fortifications but halfway up was a substantial chasm based with earth and rubble, originally the sepulchral cell below. A nineteenth century iron bridge now breaches the gap, replacing the long gone drawbridge constructed almost five hundred years earlier.

They had reached the second level of seven and at the rear of the structure, walking along the ramparts that linked all four bastions, and the first stop was to look around the area from above, passing a sentry box attached to what was said to be the armoury, a building modified by Pope Clement X Altieri during the late sixteen hundreds. The armoury at the top, prisons in the centre and powder deposits at ground level (could have been trouble if the prisoners escaped), all located adjacent to Bastione San Luca , at the northeast corner of the castle.

Armoury of Clement X. Notice the curvilinear tympanum and two lateral volutes above

Moving back toward the Tiber, the next bastion, Bastione San Giovanni was the next of the polygonal bulwarks, within which the gunboats were located. This one also had a small representation of a sixteenth-century gunsmith's workshop.

Ponte Sant'Angelo from Bastione San Giovanni

A small section of the "march ronda". The marching rounds refer to the walkway around the top of the walls that link the bastions where sentinels would march and lookout while on duty. Suppose they were continually marching around

Cordonata of Paul III, leading up to Level 3. Busts of Hadrian and a togate in the niches halfway down

Level three contained the historical prisons. Three to be exact and were effectively built underground as the only light came from an opening to the level above. One of the cells hosted the celebrated Renaissance sculptor and goldsmith, Benvenuto Cellini (remember Perseus with the Head of Medusa in Loggia dei Lanzi). He was a passionate craftsman, draftsman, soldier, musician, artist, poet and braggart. You name it he was good at it. He was also good at doing time, repeatedly prosecuted for sodomy, theft, and murder. He done time here for about a year and escaped after getting wind of the pope going to lop off his head for one of his crimes. The pope put it off though due to Corpus Domini in 1538. Getting wind of what was about to happen, he escaped with outside help but was recaptured and relocated in a more secure area, a cell and large cistern for water. Complaining of the tarantulas, poisonous worms and also of the fact that there was "a lot of water " must have done some good as he died many years later in Florence.

Sunlight from Cortile d'Onore above

The next level consisted of courtyards and linkages to the papal apartments. Cortile d'Onore was the first one that was visited, dominated by a marble and bronze statue of Saint Michael the Archangel after whom the castle was dedicated. This courtyard was bounded by the armoury to the outside and the rooms of the papal residence behind Saint Michael. On the other side of the papal rooms, the Courtyard of Alexander VI joined the off limits Courtyard of Pope Leo X.

A weather worn Saint Michael the Archangel. It sat atop the fortress until 1747 after exposure to the elements got the better of it

Overlooking Bastione San Matteo and the Tiber

It was then up to the Giretto of Alessandro VII, a walk around the periphery and above Cortile d'Onore. There were several places of interest there. Firstly the Armoury, consisting of four rooms which had displays of military uniforms, weapons, armour and other military memorabilia and secondly the café where we could have a rest and have a beer. The terrace café was quite popular with most tables for more than two taken. There was an impressive view across the city available from several tables as well but the stiff cold breeze explained why. A table was bagsed out of the wind and a reintroduction to Saint Stephanus was made. Not since Caffé Pitti all those days ago in Florence did the two meet.

Rest time at Caffetteria Ristorante Le Terrazze Castel Sant’Angelo

Meanwhile, not impressed with just a panini, Cecilia took Jo and went in search of "proper" food, heading off through some alley ways where they finally settled in at the little café, Panico Ristorante Pizzeria just across the Tiber. Cec could now have what she had been yearning for ages, an authentic Italian pineapple pizza.

Mmmm….. She finally got her pineapple pizza

When the breeze was braved the Roman roofscape was on offer. Looking out the embrasures allowed a view of Bastione San Marco and the Passetto di Borgo, the protected walkway that shielded the Pope as he made his way between the Vatican, some eight hundred metres to the west and Castel Sant'Angelo. It paid for itself in spades during the Sack of Rome of 1527 when Pope Clement VII Medici and his entourage fled to the safety of the fortress through Passetto di Borgo while the remnants of a massacred Swiss Guard Unit held off the attacking Habsburg soldiers of Emperor Charles V. The rest is history.

Bastione San Marco and the Passetto di Borgo leading off to the Vatican

After the break the men pressed on to the papal accommodation and associated rooms. Keeping to Giretto of Alessandro VII and moving clockwise, they found themselves within Loggia di Paolo III, built during the mid fifteen hundreds and overlooking the area to the north and west. Overlooking Prati and out to Monte Mario, and over towards the Vatican area. Adjacent to the loggia was the entrance to the private apartments of Paolo III Farnese.

Welcome to the mad house. Door to the Pope's pad

Over the threshold, a right turn, and they were in what was once one of the most protected areas in the fortress, Sala della Biblioteca and Sala del Tesoro where the Archives of the Papal States and the Secret Archive and other documents were stored as well as the treasury and other precious objects. Sala del Tesoro was a round room utilising the original roman central tower of the mausoleum, secured by two closed doors and only opened with keys held by the Pope's Secret Treasurer and the Cardinal Dean.

Sala del Tesoro. The "treasure" was held in the large iron treasure chest, only accessible through the opening of six locks. The keys entrusted to different people

The seventh and last level consisted of a couple of small rooms, one of which contained some sort of modern type art. Sala Rotonda was located directly above Sala del Tesoro and was created by building a floor to separate it from the room below. Originally a chapel, around sixteen hundred it was utilised for storage of the secret papal archives that the Sala del Tesoro couldn't handle. These documents took the name of the "Old Archive". Sala delle Colonne was built in the mid seventeen hundreds to house the "New Archive". Two smaller adjoining rooms, Saletta dei Labari dei reparti d’assalto and Sala degli Stendardi della Cavalleria were decorated in patriotic war themes, after World War I and intended to hold Italian war relics.

Sala degli Stendardi della Cavalleria, horse head ceiling decorations

They were finally at the top of the fortress, overlooked only by the Statua di San Michele Arcangelo perched on high, sword drawn from his sheath as if protecting all from those who would dare to strike. The archangel also overlooked the terrace that had been the scene of the Girandole, the fireworks that, for hundreds of years marked pontifical elections and religious or city celebrations (after ensuring that the shutters on the Sala Rotonda windows were well shut). The terrace also provided a beautiful view of the surrounding city, from the Vatican Museum to the west, across the Tiber and to the Mausoleum of Augustus to the east. After some time enjoying the scenery, it was time to move back down to pick up what they missed on the way up.

Terrazzo dell'Angelo. Archangel Saint Michael has been overlooking the terrace for nearly 270 years

Basilica di San Pietro from Terrazzo dell'Angelo

Retracing their steps somewhat, dropping a couple of levels and moving counter clockwise through the Revolution and rooms of Pius IV, they moved through the Giretto displaying Hadrianic fragments from the original mausoleum and to where they were a bit earlier, the Loggia di Paolo III. A set of stairs leading to Cortile di Alessandro VI in turn led to impressive papal rooms including Sala Paolina, Sala del Perseo and the Sala di Amore e Psiche, culminating in a collection of arms at the Armerie and the Sale di Clemente VIII.

Big weapon

Sale di Clemente VIII and the monumental fireplace decorated with the heraldry of the Barberini, family of Pope Urban VIII. The doors either side came along a bit later

That was it. Exiting through Sala di Apollo, the exit was made via Rampa elicoidale to the Dromos e Atrium. The helical ramp, built around the time of Trajan and Hadrian and significant with the funeral procession and the emperor's last journey, was sealed during the sixth century for defensive reasons. It wasn't dug up again until the early eighteen hundreds.

The helical ramp leading out

The ramp ended out onto the street to some extent, so heading back down through more tunnels and walkways to a section that would have been below water when a moat existed, remnants of the fortresses past with architectural bits and pieces positioned in rooms and in varying stages of decay appeared. The rooms also had scale models of the fortress depicting the different constructions over the centuries. This display should have been in a more prominent place. The end was nigh, everyone exiting Castel Sant'Angelo very satisfied with the effort. This place was money well spent.

Model of the castle

By mid afternoon it was time to return to the apartment via Piazza Navona and the Temple of the Nymphs along via delle Botteghe Oscure. Upon arrival, energy was being expended on washing clothes. Jo and Cec had had their afternoon nap, were catching up on some chores and preparing for the soon to be, Trastevere Food Tour.

Shortly before six, we jumped into a cab and were duly dropped off across the Tiber from Piazza di San Bartolomeo all'Isola, the meeting place and where the tour would commence. It was a little after six when we headed off to the first restaurant due to one couple being a few minutes late. There were the five of us, two other Aussies and four Yanks.

Crossing the Tiber again, our group were taken through a few side streets until we were in Via dei Vascellari and shortly after outside of Da Enzo Trattoria. From the roadway we were given a piece of advice. We were eating before the evening rush hours of the restaurant as later on it was so popular that it was always booked out, and as such there was plenty of room so we were shown inside and introduced to the owner (or just the waiter). The two courses that stood out was the Carciofi alla Giudia (fried artichoke) which had the centre removed and deep fried, positioned upside down in the middle of the plate and covered in a sprinkling of olive oil, salt and pepper. An apt choice given that the meal is Jewish in origin and we were in the Jewish Quarter. The other was a delicious serving of Burrata cheese, served as a ball of what looked like runny, lumpy yoghurt covered in a mozzarella skin. We could have had more of that.

Da Enzo on Via dei Vascellari

Next was a trip through the narrow streets to Restaurante Spirito di Vino a short distance away. The front door was on Via dei Genovesi where we entered the last time but this time went through a side entrance from a side lane, Vicolo dell'Atleta. This took us straight down the stairs to the basement to sample some wines and morsels. The building itself was extremely old but where we were served, cavernous ancient cellars were B.C. type old. The room was quite dark with wine racks covering some of the walls, bottles covered in a healthy layer of dust. The mood wasn't dark though, everyone loved it.

Restaurante Spirito di Vino side entrance

Ancient cellars of Spirito di Vino

Cheers, big ears

After the experience at Restaurante Spirito di Vino and on the way to the biscuit shop, the guide pointed out a distant Santa Cecilia. Declaring her interest, Cec suggested that we drop in their in the coming days for a look. After all she was named after Saint Cecilia. Years ago Cecilia's mother had piano lessons as a young girl, taught by the nuns at the convent. She hated the lessons but loved the paintings of Saint Cecilia that hung on the wall near the piano.

The biscuit shop, Biscottificio Artigiano Innocenti was on Via della Luce.

We were sat down here and given samples of their produce. The Brutto ma Buono (translation-ugly but good) made from sugar, egg whites and nuts was particularly nice so we took a bagful with us.

Then given the opportunity to work off the biscuits with the hike to the next place, we moseyed onto the delicatessen, Antica Norcineria Iacozzilli, porchetta being their specialty. The slow roasted pork was nice and juicy within and crispy without. Three generations have made it so.

Antica Norcineria Iacozzilli

Waiting for the porchetta

Then the hole in the wall on Via di San Francesco a Ripa. The I Suppli sell takeaway suppli only. Once you buy the risotto, marinara and mozzarella egg shaped rice balls, take them outside and eat on the footpath. As we did.

Rice ball heaven

Another long walk then ensued, onto Casa Mia in Via della Renella. Our guide stopped for a while at a church in Piazza di Santa Maria called Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere. This place, we were told held the head of Saint Apollonia, the Patron Saint of dentistry who had her teeth smashed in by an unruly mob some time back. They then built a fire to burn her but she jumped in before they had the pleasure of throwing her in. Bits of her are all over the place in European churches.

Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere holds the head (probably toothless) of Saint Apollonia as well as a couple of holy men. Pope Callixtus I and Lorenzo Cardinal Campeggio

Then to Casa Mia on Via della Renella.

Plenty of pasta and plenty of wine was consumed here

The conversation must have been a bit boring. For Jo anyway

To finish off, it was back across town to Fatamorgana ice cream shop on Via Roma Libera. The gelato here wasn't the fluffy stuff in the tourist areas. It was fair dinkum gelato, characteristic of the natural colouring that would be expected if nothing artificial were added (we eat all types).

With gelato gone, we said our goodbyes to the other foody tourists and headed to the nearby taxi rank. Tomorrow, Cec and the boys are booked into the Coliseum. Jo and Shane will tackle Forum Romanum.

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