#Punch Whalen

[sakuraswordly]

Gilgamesh: You see.....Ea, also known as the Sword of Rupture.....this is Enlil the Sumerian god of the air in the Mesopotamian Pantheon but was more powerful than any other elemental deities and eventually was worshiped as King of the Gods. 

Gilgamesh claims that the sword "knows the truth" of the World where it once existed, and by using its power, it is able to bestow its knowledge upon others. As it is "The Sword That Cut the World Apart", he calls it “something that knows the hellish planet before genesis”, the planet's primordial form before heaven and earth were split, where it was a land filled with naught but lava and gas and a hell of scorching heat and intense cold. Referring to it as hell, Gilgamesh states that it is the source of all legends of the land of the dead. The memory of the time before the existence of the planet, a place and time when organic existence had been impossible, is something possessed by all organisms, but it is no longer found in the imaginations or spoken memories of people. It is the first memory of life that is a genetically inherent and repressed knowledge which can only be shown to those looking upon the sword

Punch: He punished himself....In the Myth of Anzu, Enlil was viewed as the epitome of kingship, acting as a mediator between the higher powers & the mortal world.......even though he's so much greatest

Gilgamesh: Enlil suffered the fate of many Mesopotamian gods. He saved me.....and this is the result.

Punch: Became the nameless sword.....Ea.

Gilgamesh: But.....He gladly for me to use this so it's okay. So in the end.....you also think the same as my father......you wanted me to be a Mesopotamian god associated with air, wind, earth, and storms.

Punch: Wait......what about Enki....?

Gilgamesh: .................

Punch: ................Mr Gilgamesh......

Gilgamesh: I held the Tablets of Destiny, which decreed the fate of gods and humans. I speak of genesis. The elements amalgamate, coalesce, and bring forth the star that weaves all of creation. Enuma Elish or Enūma Eliš is just the name I gave so it kinda not do anything about my magic. 

.

Punch: Because this myth is a creation story that narrates the beginnings of the cosmos and the gods. That's why this art you named "Enuma Elish".

[readanotherbook]

Read This Particular Book: The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

I was planning to record a bonus episode about this 30-year-old classic but then I got too intimidated and anxious so I am writing it here instead. For Now.

You know when you're asked what media you'd engage in again if you could wipe your memory and experience it fresh?

Please read The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. It is the first of six books in the Queen's Thief series, all of which take place in the Mediterranean-inspired (!) Little Peninsula, and are told through the eyes of varied, fantastic characters. This includes:

literally the most annoying man you have ever met, but it's endearing

a tired soldier who just wanted to make some money but then accidentally punched a sovereign and became a main character

a runaway who is actively translating not-Gilgamesh and shares it with This Guy He Definitely Doesn't Respect Or Care About on their homoerotic road trip

Together the six books lay out an epic. There is active mythology, intense political drama, and clever humor that my partner and I quote at each other daily. It set a standard for us; before I launched this podcast, I would rant to him about whatever book I was reading which was not The Thief and conclude with "Megan Whalen Turner would never."

I can't spoil anything. Please do not look this book up, because experiencing it without knowing anything the first time, and then reading it a second time and getting mad and astonished about things in retrospect is the best way to enjoy it.

I have copies of these books. I will lend them to anyone. Also I will buy you copies. Please tell me all of your opinions thank you very much.

(I wrote this post to submit to @meganwhalenturner's contest, wherein she is offering 5 signed sets of the new book covers. Please they are so beautiful).

[saessenach]

Irene and Eugenides dancing on a table somewhere because they are in love 🥺

[mygoldenwolf]

In this house we stan Costis Ormentiedes and his chaotic good energy

[lokisprettygirl]

Hit me Baby, One more Time (Wrestler Loki x Female Reader)

Reader chapter 8 here

Chapter 9

Summary : Loki can't lose a fight, and you can't keep him away from you.

Warning : 18+ , Dry humping, Dirty talk, Dom loki, Dacryphilia, blood

Taglist : @colifower    @karuna11    @vbecker10    @the-wounded-healer05    @hayden429    @offgoodluck    @limiworld    @12-pm-510    @daddylokisqueen    @lokislovingvalkyrie    @3ddiebrock    @chaotics17    @rat-p1ss  @wheredafandomat  @notmesimpingforanothabritishlad  @salinawhite07  @sluttybitchs-world  @dren-whalen  @catalina712 @bouffantofdoom

When you saw Jack that evening and heard him begging for you to see him once, your heart clenched, you have been in love with him these past three years, how could you just ignore him when he begged you like that. So you let him in, but you were not expecting him to kiss you, you were not expecting him to kiss you like he has never kissed you before and then he went down on his knees and apologized to you again and again. 

But how could you forgive him after what he said and did to you? After he ruined your self esteem like that, after he cheated on you and left you like you meant nothing to him "Jack you need to go, I have to be somewhere" you told him and he cried again "Just please, I just need to spend some time with you, I feel so lost and I need my y/n, I'm sorry" he told you and you sighed. When you got a call from Heimdall you told him that your friend jack was here so you won't be able to come. It's not like Loki would care, he would find someone else to spend his time with. 

So Jack stayed around and you had dinner with him, he tried to get as close as he could with you but you didn't allow him to. And a few hours later you sent him home, he wanted to see you again and you told him you needed some time to think about this. As soon as he was gone you called Loki to apologise for not going but his phone was turned off, maybe he was busy with the fight? You wanted to see what was happening so you turned the tv on and what you saw shocked you to the core. Loki was all distracted as he got beaten up again and again, everytime the referee started his countdown, instead of giving up he kept going until he was almost lifeless. 

All that blood made you want to hurl but that was the least of your concern, you were worried about him, what happened to him today? How did he lose and lose so badly? You didn't understand, you wanted to see him so you called heimdall, hoping he would come pick you up "I don't think you should see him right now, it would be best for you trust me" he told you sternly but you didn't listen, he was hurt, he invited you and you didn't go but you had to go see him now. 

"Get up, how could you be so weak loki? Look at your brother" Loki heard his father's voice, he was bloodied and bruised from Thor's attack, his father Odin ran a MMA training center, loki was just a kid and thor was older than him, of course he was stronger "You disgust me loki, always losing to everyone, will you ever win a fight in your life? I can't believe I adopted such a wimpy kid" 

He snapped out of the flashback as the hot scalding water burned him in the shower. He was hurt, he was bleeding and the burning temperature of the water hurt him even further, but he didn't care, he didn't care about anything at the moment. Odin's voice kept ringing in his head, Weak, Wimp, A loser 

How did he lose his focus? As soon as he asked himself that, he found his answer too. You. You distracted him, he was so enraged about you spending time with Jack that he forgot his glorious purpose in life, he forgot that he was supposed to win. He always had to win no matter what. 

He punched the wall right in front of him and it cracked. He lost because of you, he fucking lost a fight because of you. After he was done punishing himself enough, he stepped out of the shower and as he came out he saw you. You have never seen him like this before, if you thought he looked bad yesterday, he looked as if he should be in a hospital right about now. He had black eyes, his forehead bleeding, he had cuts all around his chest and back, because his opponent attacked him with a sharp chain like weapon. 

His wounds looked all red and they oozed blood. You felt the pain on his behalf, you couldn't even comprehend how hurt he must be feeling right now "You need a hospital loki" you mumbled as you teared up "What I need is for you to get the hell out of here, understand?" He raised his voice and you flinched as you took a step back "I came to see you loki, I'm sorry about the fight" you said softly and snickered, his eyes burning red as if he cried "Oh You're sorry? Well you should be, I don't ever want to see your fucking face again, get lost" 

Maybe heimdall was right, maybe you shouldn't have come here, was he really this upset about losing a fight? Did his ego get hurt ? You didn't know and you didn't want to know either. You turned around and left again. At this point you should just assume that as soon as you get here you'd be running out of here soon. Maybe you should stop coming here altogether.

You were becoming a distraction and not the good kind, a weakness he didn't want to have, he shouldn't have treated you the way he did, you could fuck Jack or do whatever, you're not his. After dressing up as soon as he stepped out of the arena he was hounded by the paps, he lost a fight, it was a huge deal for them, heimdall worried that it would mess with his reputation but more than that he worried of his mental state. He hates losing and heimdall understood that.

As Loki sat inside his car, Heimdall drove him straight to his condominium. On the way he didn't say anything, but when he reached his place, Heimdall wanted to make sure Loki was okay "I'm not a kid anymore heim, go home and rest, I am fine" he sighed as he heard loki and left. 

His phone was broken so he went out on his own and got another one, he needed to talk to someone right about now. He desperately needed to do so. He laid down on the bed as he dialed the number on his phone and a woman picked up from the other side

"Are you okay, I have been trying to call you since I heard" he heard her soft voice and teared up instantly "I lost mama, I lost again" his voice broken as he whispered like a child "It's alright, you know you can't win everytime loki, we have talked about this my child" he wiped his tears as he sniffed "I have to ma, you know I have to, I have to protect you, I can't protect you if I'm so weak, if I lose" he mumbled and his mother sighed "Come see me, my little mischief " she said softly and this time he sighed, he wanted to but he couldn't "I can't I came last week, I have more matches this week, I need to train and get better, how's your health?" 

He asked her and she smiled on the other side, even though he couldn't see her "I'm good loki, as good as I can be in my condition, Did you nurse your injuries? Martha told me it looked really bad on tv" She asked him and he sniffed again "No I didn't, you know I don't need that ma" he told her as a matter of fact "Sometimes you do, you need someone to take care of you loki, why don't you find a decent girl and get married" she asked him even though she knew it was futile to do so 

"You know how I feel about such baseless sentiments mother, I'll see you soon I promise" he told her before he hung up. He had to focus on his life again, he can't be that weak scrawny little boy he used to be. His mind did drift towards you and he felt bad about how he treated you so he called you, he wasn't expecting you to pick up but you did, 

"What?" You asked him and he smiled as he heard your voice "I can't see you anymore y/n" you heard him and you felt hurt even more "You made it very clear before, didn't have to call me and tell me that" you said in a no-nonsense tone "I can't, but I want to, I want to see you one last time and fuck you, only if you'd want me to" he said to you, how he is so wooden about this? You didn't understand him at all, no matter how much you tried to, you couldn't figure him out "I'm sure you don't want that Loki" you told him and he chuckled "I do, I'll get over whatever this thing is between us, and you can run back to Jack, or do whatever you want" he told you nonchalantly and you're again taken aback by his aloofness

"I don't want to do that, I can't do that , I am not you" you told him as you sighed "Would it help if I was there right now? Would you change your mind?" Oh You absolutely would but you can't do this "I'm coming to see you" he told you and before you could stop him he hung up. So you tried calling him again but he didn't pick up. You shouldn't have buzzed him in, you shouldn't have opened the door for him, you shouldn't have kissed him as soon as he was in your apartment but you did all of that. 

You were grateful Tonya wasn't here, he was wearing a black t-shirt and you could feel him bleeding through it as you pressed your hands on his chest while he kissed you "Loki you're bleeding" you pulled your hands up and you saw your fingertips all bloodied. He grabbed your wrist and he sucked on your index finger, cleaning the blood off, the action made you so hot for some reason, it was because of the way he did it probably, he made everything sexual "Leave it be, I'll heal" he whispered as he picked you up and pressed you against the wall "Do you want me to fuck you Little thing?" He asked as he sucked on your neck, his teeth grazing over your soft skin 

"We shouldn't do this Loki, please" you mumbled and he looked at you "That's not the answer to my question, I asked you if you want me to?" You sighed and you pulled him into you "I want to but I can't and even if I do, I would suck at this loki, I am not good at this" you teared up instantly as you remembered what Jack said to you and he looked at you confused.

You were both hurting for two completely different reasons, you didn't love him, he didn't even know what love was, but you wanted him to touch you and he wanted to touch you like this and do more. He wanted to get over whatever this was. 

"Why would you say that y/n?" He put you down as he asked you and you looked down "I just know" you mumbled meekly and you stepped away from him, you walked inside your bedroom and he followed you, he needed to know why you would say that , you frantically opened the dresser and you took out a first aid kid, then you walked back to the living room and he followed you again "Stop walking" he told you "Sit down on the couch" you raised your voice and he did almost immediately 

"Shirt off please" you told him and he shook his head before he took his shirt off, his skin looked patchy and red from the hot water burns, he had deep cuts all over his chest, you worried about him, how is he not feeling all that pain ? You sat down on his lap and you tried to stop the bleeding first, there was this huge cut in the center of his chest so you worked on it first. The rest of them didn't seem deep enough but he was still bleeding "How did you burn yourself?" You asked him as you cleaned his wound and he smiled "What did you mean when you said you'd suck at it y/n?" 

"Can we not talk about that?" You asked him and he shook his head in no "We have to, you brought it up" you sighed and you applied a butterfly bandage to seal his wound. He watched you clean him up and he didn't want to feel whatever he was feeling in the moment, the care that you showed him. 

You need someone to take care of you loki

His mother's voice rang in his head, You don't care about him so why are you pretending to do so? Why are you being so nice to him even after he hurt you so many times?

"Did you fuck Jack today, is that why you didn't come see me?" He asked you and you glared at him "It's none of your business loki" you told him and he chuckled and then he pulled you closer to him as he leaned back on the couch and then you got lost in the feeling of his lips on yours, you do love how soft his lips felt on yours and how good he tasted. "Mmm you say you don't want me but it takes me mere few seconds to melt you like this, you don't even know what you want do you birdy?" He whispered in your ear and then he kissed down from your chin, to your neck, his hands wandering under your shirt

"As if you do, you throw me out, you tell me that you don't ever want to see me and then you think it's completely okay to barge in my space like that" you pressed his head back on the couch as you kissed him, for a second he was taken aback, in a weird way he made you feel confident sexually, it could be because he wasn't afraid to show how attracted to you he was. 

"Mmm you don't seem opposed to it so what's the problem little thing?" The nerve.

"You have no sense of boundaries" as if you do

"You don't seem to care, you're all over me, do you not realise you're grinding over me? Don't talk to me about boundaries sweet girl" 

You were embarassed, so embarassed as he mocked you, but god you'd be lying if you said you didn't feel so hot in the moment and you were slightly moving your hips over his thighs so he wasn't wrong "Fuck youuu" you mumbled in frustration and he snickered as he gripped your hair in his fist "Oh darling you're dying to do that aren't you? And I'll fulfill your wish, don't you worry sweet girl, keep moving" he grabbed your hips and made you move back and forth on his thigh.

You could feel the sweet sensation starting to build up again, that feeling that you have only ever gotten with him, this feeling you get when you're willing to do anything for him, you have never had it before. You moaned as he flexed his muscles and it rubbed perfectly against your clothed clit "Pretty pretty girl, look at you so desperate, so needy, so very much eager to let go aren't you?

He whispered and then sucked harshly on your neck, he squeezed your breasts from over your shirt with one hand while the other one helped you move "Ohh loki please I'm so close pleasse don't stop" you teared up and he looked at you. You're beautiful and he knew he was making a huge mistake,  he lost because of you today and as much as he wanted to push you away he couldn't when you warmed up like this around him. 

He stopped your movements and you groaned in frustration but then you felt his hand right between your legs, he sneaked his hand inside your shorts  as he cupped your clothed cunt and you sat up a little as you shivered  "Sit down" he warned you and you did it instantly, you sat down on his fingers, you knew he could feel your warm wet pussy, your underwear was soaked and he loved it "Fuck you're drenched little thing, you don't want me then why are you dripping like this hmm?" He whispered but you didn't put your head up from the crook of his neck. 

He brought his thumb up to rub your clit and you bit on his shoulder, god he loves each and every reaction he gets out of you like this "Move, hump my palm pretty girl" he whispered in your ear and you moved your hips back and forth again, you build a slow paced rhythm but got faster soon "There you go, look at you, you look so damn pathetic right now Little thing, keep humping, you're soaking my fingers with your juices" he praised you or degraded you, you didn't understand but it felt so good nonetheless. You were so close, so damn close "Close?" He asked you "Yes please make me cumm loki please"  he watched the tears dripping down your cheeks and he sucked on it , he loved watching you cry for him like this and he wanted to ruin you "So close that you're crying for me hmm? Feel this desperation? You'd want more of this I know you would, I'm going to make you cry more and more like this and you will learn to enjoy this, I'm going to hurt you so good and you'd beg me to do so" 

He whispered filthily and you felt as if you were floating, he was so wrong but he felt so right, learn to enjoy? you were already enjoying this more than you should "Cum little thing" that's all you needed to hear and you exploded, the coil in your belly snapped at the command of his voice, your gripped onto his shoulder tightly as you ride your orgasm, his thumb rubbed against your clit "Beautiful, so beautiful, so perfect" you could hear his faint voice but you felt too far gone in your head. 

This is undoubtedly the best orgasm you have ever had in your life, you have never felt so euphoric before and you were afraid you'd never feel so good ever again in your life.

Once you calmed down enough you looked up at him, and he was smirking. Jerk. He saw you blushing and your face felt all warm to his touch. You really are something else. "That felt good?" He asked you and you nod but then you realised that you had to answer "Say thank you like a good girl now, I made you cum" he lifted your chin up so you could meet his eyes and you mumbled a meek thank you. 

Then you got up from him swiftly and you ran towards your room so you could get cleaned up, change and breathe properly. You just humped yourself to orgasm, on his hand, you needed a moment alone to process that. He's a trouble for you.

He chuckled as you ran away from him, he was so damn hard after watching you like this, he got up and used the common bathroom in the living room, he didn't want to jerk off like a teenager but he had to, you won't let him fuck you and he's not going home like this, he touched himself to the thought of you, your juices still on his fingers and he used it as a lube, he thought of your face as you seemed so lost, the way you moaned so sweetly, the way you soaked him while you humped his hand, he thought about all of it until he came. You're a trouble for him.

He cleaned himself up, and When he came out of the bathroom, you were in the kitchen, trying to avoid his gaze. Probably felt embarrassed and he would comfort you but he enjoyed your state way too much. "Tea?" You asked him and he wrapped his arms around you which made you shiver. Too close, too coupley "Yes, you still need to answer me birdy, don't think even for a second that I would forget about it" he whispered in your ear and you turned away from the stove and towards him. Your eyes teary again as you looked at him, now he had a feeling that this isn't the type of crying he would want to see from you. He hated it .

"I uhh.. okay..fine if you insist.. the reason Jack broke up with me was because I sucked in bed, I wasn't good, I was not exciting enough..I.. sucked okay? I'm not good at that so you're only setting yourself up for disappointment" 

Your voice broke as you told him that and he chuckled at first because he thought you were joking but then you weeped in his arms.

And then he saw red.

[gotta-get-back-to-hatchetfield]

I rewatched the Nightmare Time opening today, and would thus like to present an official cast ranking based on how extra they decided to go with their clips.

Note: this ranking will not factor singing or performance ability, but exclusively considers staging and cinematography.

Joint 13th - Mariah Rose Faith, Corey Dorris and Kim Whalen

Special shoutout to Mariah’s dress/lipstick coordination, but with plain white backgrounds, neutral lighting and no props these three legends are just resting on pretty. Corey’s hat is not only not in slightest bit scary, but also adorable and I want to adopt it and give it a hug.

Joint 10th - Angela Girratana, James Tolbert and Curt Mega

Very static with little going on by way of scenery, but these three do switch it up a bit with their use of lighting, so credit where credit’s due. Special mention to James Tolbert for going with blue lighting which is non-obvious as a spooky lighting choice, but it really works.

9th - Robert Manion

Now we’re starting to get into people who understood the assignment. While I do appreciate the black eye filter for being genuinely terrifying, the fact that he decides to use three different filters in this video (including the contradictory white eye and the gold fleck effect shown on the right above), means that this ends up giving off ‘I just discovered filters’ vibes as opposed to spooky ones. This attempt is also undermined by costuming. I feel like this shirt is just what he was already wearing that day and while the hat is significantly less adorable than Corey’s, it is not any spookier.

8th - Jaime Lyn Beaty

Despite having gone to the MaCorKim school of backgrounds and lighting, the skull is fun and well used to fit with the lyrics of the song. My only question is who’s skull is it? (Probably Sam’s lets be honest)

7th - Nick Lang

Is this man wearing makeup??? Did this man put on makeup for a 3 second appearance??? That is commitment to his craft. We also have to mention the fact that he only appears for the line ‘Daddy’s gonna get you’. Does this imply he will be playing the eponymous role of Daddy in season 2. Who knows? (he does). Also, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again STAR. WARS. LIGHTING.

6th - Jeff Blim

Look at this absolutely feral beast. Despite the fact that out of everyone he would have been the most able to get away with just singing in front of a wall he decided to kick it up a notch anyway. The use of the hair dryer is inspired, and I hope Beyonce is looking into replacing her famous hair fans with this absolute madman. I would also like to shoutout his camera and lighting set up for being so high definition that it genuienly makes AVPM look like it was shot in the middle ages. Werk bitch.

5th - Matt Dahan

This man punched a hole in the 4th wall so hard he should start drinking monster and change his name to Kyle. I would, however, like to draw your attention away from him and towards what is on his computer. As far as I can make out it says ‘Hatchetfield High School’ I can’t read the line below it (maybe a school motto) and then ‘[something] the apotheoses since 1834′. WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN WHO THE FUCK IS PEPE SILVIA. The picture looks like 3 men with massive hands chasing another guy with normal hands in a planetarium (????)

@hatchetfieldtheories​ you got anything here??

4th - Jon Matteson

Excellent choice going for the TGWDLM background and given that the colours change I’m actually not sure how he achieved this effect. We also need to appreciate the fact that he is the only person who’s gone to the effort to dress up as a Hatchetfield character. While admitedly Paul’s costume is by far the easiest to replicate, as we learned from AVPSY tying a tie can be deceptively difficult. I would also like to question, based off this, whether this is actually Jon Matteson or is in fact actually Paul himself. Infected of course, otherwise he would not be in a musical. Great work from Jon.

3rd - Dylan Saunders

We get it Dylan, you have a garden. He is the first person on this list to not only take us to an interessting setting but also make use of space by moving about. Whether he’s being chased by a serial killer, is a serial killer chasing us, or a la Aladdin in Twisted it’s a bit of both, the way the man creeps about his garden definitely gives off evil murderer vibes and I am living.

Does anyone else feel like this wasn’t so much a performance, as just where Dylan was at mentally in lockdown? If so, mood.

Joint 1st - Lauren Lopez & Joey Richter

COUPLES THAT SCARE THE SHIT OUT OF PEOPLE TOGETHER, STAY TOGETHER. These two have it all. Matching costumes (take note Corey and Robert this is how you do spooky head gear), upwards facing lighting and crucially movement about the space to reflect shifting tones in the song. These two were dynamic, genuinely scary, and met the brief perfectly.

I am, however, only going to give this one a 9.8 out of 10 because there’s always room for improvement (specifically a lack of Dianne in a matching black hoody)

[artfrostedleaf]

Part 2/2 of the one-two punch that is every scene written by miss Megan Whalen Turner… the Window scene, in this case. I just LOVE tonal shifts, and she writes hers so flawlessly – subtle yet striking. I love it and I want to hug Pheris and I am so happy that now he has several parents now who love him. Also, I’m endlessly in love with the depictions of this scene by Emily and Sheb and you should DEFINITELY check them out

[danamartist]

Eugenides and the Queen of Attolia

from The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner

Day 6 of favorite book characters.

The first book in this series came out in 1996. THE FINAL BOOK, RETURN OF THE THIEF, IS RELEASED TODAY! After waiting FOREVER, we are finally going to find out what happens to Gen and Attolia! I am beside myself.

Turner’s writing is pure witchcraft. The books are swift, tense adventures, and yet somehow also explorations of politics and religion. Despite all the forces bearing down on them, the characters are never helpless puppets. The emotional stakes are beyond high. Everyone risks everything. Nobody pulls a punch. There are intrigues, there are sacrifices, and then there’s the bloody aftermath. If I’m making it sound too grim, there is also Gen’s complete inability to keep his mouth shut. Read them, they are wonderful and nothing I can tell you will actually give you a clue what you are in for.

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

In a review of the play, Tom Whalen writes

If we can imagine what it is to be an ant on a human body, we can imagine what it is like to be a mouse on a mouse body.

In other words, if you get to the punch line, that's good, but if you miss the setup and the punch line is funny for unrelated reasons, you have missed the point entirely and missed the point as it was meant to be experienced.

[audreycritter]

Let's talk about a scene in Thick as Thieves.

I've talked to two friends recently about the scene where Kamet kicks Costis between the legs after they were captured by slavers, and Costis' extreme reaction. Was Costis finally snapping due to pain and stress? Is the response very intentional, calculated to produce a specific result? Both options seem possible, but it still felt like something was missing.

Today, revisiting the scene, a possible explanation punched me in the gut.

Let's look at set-up first:

“I swung around toward the Attolian and without warning shouted in his face. “This is all your fault, isn’t it?” I shouted. “I would be safe at home if I hadn’t listened to you.” The Attolian looked at me, as bewildered as I had expected. He hadn’t understood the Setrans. “I am sorry,” he said, as if an apology in this predicament was helpful. He didn’t call me Morik, and this wasn’t an act. “You would be better off if you had stayed with N—” Not even these stupid slavers would believe our story if he mentioned my master by name. I shifted my weight, and using both feet, I kicked him as hard as I could between the legs.”

— Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner

Costis doesn't understand the slavers. I'd noticed this before but I assumed what followed was more about what Kamet knew than about what Costis did. Costis doesn't understand, and I think he misinterprets Kamet's panic as a response to the threat of being handed back over to the Namreen. Costis doesn't know that Kamet thinks Nahuseresh is dead. Costis just knows that his friend and charge is terrified of being caught in a country with reprehensible slave treatment. Costis wouldn't make this mistake of nearly giving them away unless he thought Kamet was reacting to the slavers already putting it together. He's not mentioning it because he forgot, he's mentioning it because he thinks the jig is up and the slavers already know.

And then Kamet's fear and anger are so intense, in Costis' perspective, that he lashes out as hard as he can. Costis screams, pants for breath, hisses something that might be a promise, a threat, or a prayer, and repeatedly tries to strangle Kamet. Kamet fights him, and Costis eventually is dragged off and has time to cool down and think again. But why does he try so hard in that moment to kill him? It doesn't seem like just loss of temper-- Costis can lose his temper, but he can also kill quickly (like he does paragraphs later with the slavers).

I think it's a desperate attempt at a mercy killing he doesn't really want to commit, like the Minister of War and his son, chained in Attolia's fortress. Chained up, identities revealed, the only thing that waits for Kamet is torture and hard slave labor or death-- possibly slave labor after being disfigured or maimed. He can see the wasted bodies of disgraced slaves on the other end of the chain. For a few minutes, Costis is in intense physical pain and also thinks that he's failed-- he's failed his king, his country, and his friend. Death is the kind escape.

So, he tries to kill Kamet to spare him.

[sakuraswordly]

Knowledge 29.1

Thanksgiving is a national��holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory of Norfolk Island. It began as a day of giving thanks for the blessings of the harvest and of the preceding year. Various similarly named harvest festival holidays occur throughout the world during autumn. Although Thanksgiving has historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, it has long been celebrated as a secular holiday as well.

Date: Thursday, 28 November 2024

What's the history of Thanksgiving?

"We thank you, Lord, for food and friends, and for all of the joy this holiday lends." 🙏

Make the day even more special with these ideas:

[starkiddreamcasting]

Starkid 9 to 5

Shine like the sun, for I have returned bearing a Starkid dreamcast for 9 to 5: The Musical! With our (wonderful) CInderella run having just ended, this is the next musical that people are discussing doing around this parts. So I figured I would beat them to the punch with a dreamcast of my time! With more time I’ve got several plans for this blog so stay tuned!

1. Meredith Stepien as Violet Newstead 2. Jaime Lyn Beatty as Judy Bernly 3. Denise Donovan as Doralee Rhodes 4. Jeff Blim as Franklin Hart Jr. 5. Rachael Soglin as Roz 6. Curt Mega as Joe 7. Dylan Saunders as Tinsworthy/Ensemble/Franklin Hart Jr. (u/s) 8. Joey Richter as Dwayne/Ensemble 9. Lauren Lopez as Kathy/Ensemble/Violet Newstead (u/s) 10. Britney Coleman as Ensemble/Kathy (u/s)/Anita (u/s)/Margaret (u/s)/Daphne (u/s) 11. Robert Manion as Josh/Ensemble 12. James Tolbert as Ensemble/Joe (u/s) 13. Mariah Rose Faith as Maria/Ensemble 14, Brian Holden as Dick/Ensemble 15. Corey Dorris as Ensemble 16. Kim Whalen as Missy/Ensemble/Judy Bernly (u/s) 17. Janaya Mahealani Jones as Anita/Ensemble 18. Brian Rosenthal as Ensemble/Dwayne (u/s)/Josh (u/s) 19. Joe Walker as Ensemble/Franklin Hart Jr. (u/s)/Tinsworthy (u/s)/Dick (u/s) 20. Bryce Charles as Ensemble/Maria (u/s)/Missy (u/s) 21. Jamie Burns as Margaret/Ensemble/Violet Newstead (u/s)/Roz (u/s) 22. AJ Holmes as Bob Enright/Ensemble 23. Jon Matteson as Ensemble/Josh (u/s)/Dick (u/s) 24. Ali Gordon as Daphne/Ensemble/Judy Bernly (u/s)/Maria (u/s) 25. Nick Lang as Ensemble 26. Alle-Faye Monka as Ensemble/Doralee Rhodes (u/s) 27. Tyler Brunsman as Swing/Joe (u/s)/Dwayne (u/s)/Bob Enright (u/s) 28. Jim Povolo as Swing/Tinsworthy (u/s)/Bob Enright (u/s) 29. Alex Paul as Swing/Doralee Rhodes (u/s)/Missy (u/s)/Anita (u/s)/Daphne (u/s) 30. Lily Marks as Swing/Roz (u/s)/Kathy (u/s)/Margaret (u/s)

Make sure to leave any show suggestions or any questions on my casting choices so I can explain them.

[cricketnationrise]

Quarantine Reads Part 7

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6

151. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver: one of my mom’s buddy read pick. alternating pov. accidental baby acquisition. road tripping.

152. His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik: HOW did I miss that Naomi Novik had a whole dragon series??? HOWMST??? these are seriously right up my alley: dragons can talk and are partners with their riders, some dragons only let LADIES ride them (!!!), alternate history. plus there’s like 9 OF THEM??? amaze.

153. A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner: book 4 in the queen’s thief series (now complete!). political intrigue, gods are real and semi-present in people’s lives, greekish adjacent.

154. Heartstopper: Volume Two by Alice Oseman: yes i had already read these panels online, but my print copy came in so obviously it was time to reread (it’s going to be a tv show!) (also its still updating!)

155. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson: meticulously researched, interwoven personal stories, the book is HEFTY but reads pretty quick

156. The Architect’s Apprentice by Elif Shafak: really cool story set in the height of the ottoman empire, follows Jahan, the elephant keeper, and how he came to be there and him growing up

157. Longbourn by Jo Baker: a retelling of pride and prejudice from the servants’ point of view, content warning: wickham preying on like a 12 year old, witnessing a whipping, descriptions of starvation, being a soldier in the napoleonic war

158. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks: a ridiculously old Hebrew manuscript thought to be lost is found in Sarajevo, a conservator goes to examine it and finds several clues to the provenance of the text, follows the clues through history and flashes back to the present as the conservator tries to follow up on the clues, based on the true story of the Sarajevo Haggadah; content warning: murder, Holocaust, giving birth, the Inquisition

159. Goalie Interference by Avon Gale: hockey m/m romance between a set of tandem goalies on a fictional professional hockey team, lots o sex

160. What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli: coming of age story set in nyc the summer before college, trying to figure out who you are, missing connections, some bad communication that gives way to good communication

161. Trade Deadline by Avon Gale: a hockey player gets traded after many seasons on the same team to his hometown team that is struggling to bring in fans, he reconnects with a childhood friend (and first kiss) who helps run the local aquarium, cuteness ensues, romance (so there’s sex)

162. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead: two slaves manage to escape Georgia on the Underground Railroad, which, in this imagining is a series of safe houses and actual trains, follows their lives after that; content warning: violence, whipping, hunting people with dogs, severe illness, murder, racism

163. Small Gods by Terry Pratchett: 13th in the discworld series, this one explores the makings of a religion and how gods that have fallen out of favor can get a resurgence, very funny, highly ridiculous

164. Are You Listening? by Tillie Walden: graphic novel, Bea is on the run, runs into Lou, they find a cat, strange and dangerous stuff starts happening to them, magical realism, towns appearing and disappearing, haunted by a group of threatening men? creatures? unclear

165. The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix: a fun fantasy novel, old gods still exist, demons exist, a special family of booksellers are the main ones in london trying to stop them from wreaking havoc on the mundane population, a girl discovers her father is not what her mom told her

166. Bloom by Kevin Panetta: graphic novel, ya m/m getting together and falling in love, a boy is helping out in his parents’ bakery reluctantly when he is given permission to hang a help wanted flyer and meets the boy who becomes one of his best friends and maybe more

167. The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman: short story, follows a father and son’s relationship

168. The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore: non-fiction, follows the author of the original wonder woman comics and his life, he seems like an ass to me though

169. Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson: a hacker and his network is targeted after sleeping with/romancing the fiance of the government official tasked with rooting out those people trying to avoid the regime, alif is forced to go on the run with the literal girl next door and manages to accidentally stumble into the world of the djinn; content warning: imprisonment, torture, starvation, riots, murder

170. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig: in the space between life and death, there is a library, full of every what if you can think of and many more that you didn’t, follows the protagonist as she explores her own life many times if she had made different decisions along the way

171. A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers: a crew that punches wormholes through space to make travel easier is given a huge contract that would set them up financially, but will take a massively long time to get to, and when they do, all is not as it seems, changing POV throughout the crew of a couple humans, a few differing alien species, and an AI as they go to do this job,

172. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows: epistolary novel set just after WW2, juliet ashton is a writer who receives a letter from Guernsey Island in the English Channel and they spark a friendship, after learning more about his experience during the war and his relationship with books, she starts corresponding with others from the island and eventually goes there herself. this is my actual favorite book. the love story is super sweet plus the friendships are A++++

173. Unshelved by Bill Barnes: comic strip collection set in a local library, follow the librarians as they battle loud teenagers, preteens who don’t want to read, and people who think the library is for anything but finding books to read

174. Ms. Marvel, Vol 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson: Ms. Marvel origin story, follows a teenager in Jersey City as she accidentally and suddenly acquires superpowers while trying to still make her curfew and not disappoint her parents and get good grades

175. Feast of Famine by Naomi Novik: short story set in the Temeraire series, won’t make sense unless you’re familiar with the worldbuilding

[mygoldenwolf]

Irene talking to Gen about literally anything he's done, ever:

[huilian]

Once they had taken Kamet away--after that declaration from the king that showed even Costis had no idea of the scope of Eugenides’s planning and interventions--they showed Costis to a room in the palace. It was a nice room. Nicer than the ones he had in the barracks, and far, far, nicer than the dungeons.

He would have traded the room for that well in Zaboar if it meant seeing Kamet again.

He was technically no longer under arrest. He could leave if he chose; there were no guards outside his door, and the attendants who had shown him this room hadn’t said anything. There was nothing stopping him from leaving, except for the unshakable certainty that Eugenides will come to find him.

He could still leave, if he wanted to. There was no place in the palace of Attolia that Attolis could not get to. But the feeling that was growing in his chest, a combination of disbelief and incredulity and fury and grief and bitterness and even, shockingly, a sense of betrayal, stopped him from stepping a foot outside the door.

His patience was rewarded, hours later, with the sound of a door opening. It was a reward, because Eugenides is more than capable of opening the door without a sound.

Costis knew that much.

"Your Majesty," he said deliberately.

Eugenides stood in the doorway, with an expression that was as blank and cold as the mountains of Eddis. It was a far cry from the kind smile he had given Kamet earlier, or even the tired expression that he had had when he entered the courtroom. Costis has never seen him look like this before--he has seen the king deliberately made a fool of himself, he has seen the king so furious he turned green, he has seen the king look like a god reincarnated to walk in this earth, but he has never seen him look like this before, utterly blank and devoid of any emotion.

Right now, with all of his own emotions rumbling inside his chest, Costis couldn't bring himself to care.

"I would have done it again," Eugenides said evenly, meeting Costis’s eyes. It was like he knew exactly what to say and how to say it to infuriate Costis even further, and said it for just that purpose.

Costis didn’t trust himself to not punch the king in the face again if he allowed himself to react, so he simply stared back at him. Even his eyes, the ones that were normally always glinting with mischief, were flat and dead.

They stayed in that silent staring until eventually, still with the same even tone and blank expression, the king said again, "You may hate me, if you wish."

Costis thought about everything the king had done, and about everything the king had inadvertently caused Costis to do. He thought of his journey through what felt like the entirety of the Mede Empire, and of everything he now knew Kamet felt every second of that journey. He thought about every single lie the king had told him, and about every single time he infuriated Costis.

It would have been so easy to hate him, if only it wasn't so hard.

Costis allowed himself a small sigh. He plucked the ring from his ear, the one that Eugenides himself had given him, and walked across the small length of the room, stopping right in front of the king. Eugenides still wore his blank expression, but this time, Costis remembered how easily the king had been able to hide everything about himself, so much so that only when he was half-asleep and delirious with a nightmare did he sound like an Eddisian.

The king was able to weave his emotions into a cover so well no one even tried to look beyond, and so what did it mean, that the only cover left in the king’s face was a blank expression?

Costis dropped to his knees in front of his king, placed the seal ring back into Eugenides's finger, and pressed his lips to the ring. Then, he pressed Eugenides’s hand onto his eyes, and said, "I do not wish to hate you, My King."

He stayed there, until Eugenides said, “Oh, get up, Costis.”

The king’s voice didn’t change, but when Costis stood up, he could see the life coming back to the king’s eyes. Here was his king, and if he had lied and deceived and schemed his way around Costis’s life, well, Costis knew that when he had sworn to follow him and his god.

Eugenides sat down on one of the chairs in the room, and gestured at Costis to do the same. The closest one to where Eugenides was seated was the bed, so Costis shrugged and sat down on it. It reminded him of a day months and months ago, the day that had changed his life forever.

Unlike that day though, this time he didn’t need unwatered wine to loosen his tongue. “It wasn’t just spite, was it, Your Majesty?”

Eugenides sighed and placed his head on his hand, which was in turn placed on his knee. He looked, once again, like a printer’s apprentice, and Costis had never been so glad to see him look like one.

“To everyone else, I would have said yes. But no, Costis, it wasn’t just spite. Though I’m sure you know that spite played a part in it.”

“Are you going to tell me what it is?”

“No,” Eugenides said. Costis fought a sigh of disappointment at that word, but before he could do anything more than that, Eugenides continued. “At least, not now. I won’t even know whether or not he has it until later tonight.”

“Are you going to see him?”

“Yes,” the king said. “Actually,” he stood up from his chair and brushed out his clothes, “I should get going now. We’ll talk more later. I do want to know everything about your adventure. But unfortunately, I have an appointment with the kitchens.”

The stories that Kamet had told him about the sandal polisher he had met during his stay in Attolia, and the revelation that that boy was the king in front of him chose that moment to come together in Costis’s mind, and, before he could think better of it, he said, “Did you truly bite Onarkus?”

The king turned around in astonishment. “Did he tell you about that?”

“He told me you bit him. Twice,” Costis said, still having trouble imagining Attolis biting the head cook.

Eugenides let out a soft laugh. “Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have done it too, given the chance.”

“I told him that you liked the gardens,” Costis hammered on. “And he told me that that kitchen boy had also liked the gardens.”

The king’s eyes turned distant. “Yes,” he said, before the mask snaps back into place. “And now I must face Brinna,” he continued with a cheer that Costis now knew to be false. “Let us hope she doesn’t follow your example, Costis, and punch me in the face.”

Eugenides turned around again, but before he could leave, Costis remembered something he should have said earlier. In the midst of all his anger and bitterness, he forgot. He shouldn’t have.

“My King,” he called out.

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry,” he said. He didn’t say that he had promised ten gold cups for his king’s safety, and he would have promised ten, twenty, one hundred golden cups if it meant that the child that Attolia had been carrying would have been safe. Would have promised one hundred more if it meant that Attolia herself was safe and healthy.

After a small silence, Eugenides said, “Thank you, Costis,” and Costis knew that it was for more than the condolence. “Get some rest. I have more planned for you, if you would still accept orders from me.”

“Always, My King,” he replied. Then, the king exited the room, without a sound this time, and Costis was left, once again, alone, wondering about how Kamet was.

[readingaccountability]

the king of attolia - megan whalen turner

my playlist

final thoughts:

i love costis. i love attolia. i love eugenides and his batshit and very effective plans. the raw power... like obviously he was the protag and so was costis, but eugenides was very much the anchor of the book and his arc was central, while costis played both a central role in growing himself, and a supporting one protecting and getting to know gen. i did feel like attolia was more static in this novel, having done most of the setup and growth near the end of the one prior. everytime she was present i was glued to the page <33

costis.... i love him...... favorite trope is the royal and guard dynamic where they can banter and rely on each other and watching them grow into that was SO fucking amazing. but also the like, exhausted straightlaced guard and bitchy tiny king... OBSESSED!! and the amount of maturing they both did... i loved the one bit where it was pointed out how long ago their initial meeting punch felt, after everything that had happened since.

costis is honestly perfect for the tone of this novel, because as he gets to know and respect eugenides, it parallels how far along he is in his plans, and you can slowly see more of his mindset. by godd the reveallllll of him having promised attolia to rid her of her biggest rival house within six months, and then doing it in like three months... literally there is no word for it other than sexy. he is a sexy awful conniving little man and he is so steadfastly loyal i can barely wrap my head around it. im PASSING AWAY.

and also costis as a pov character for intimacy between the king and queen is like, so deeply heart eyes. they spend such a long time obfuscating things (eugenides visiting her in the dark of night, incognito... im obsessed. the element of public vs private difference in interaction). costis, their loyal protector... at last understanding the truth of their regard for each other. sobbing

there are so many moments between them ive been thinking about nonstop. the part where he flinches from her in surprise and shes hurt for a moment, and then he kisses her in front of everyone and. hold on let me hunt down the quote because scream:

“The king lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her. It was not a kiss between strangers, not even a kiss between a bride and groom. It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead in the hollow of the queen's shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day.”

!!!! like damn!!! also there was that passage where theyre dancing in front of the court and the language was so gorgeous i just. such a striking mental image is now going to be in my head forever <3

the scene as hes drunk on the roof and costis gets called to coax him back in, god that was so good. the themes of him interacting with the gods are always one of my favorite parts of these books, and honestly this was my favorite scene so far that centers on that. like Fuck Dude. absolutely sublime. my mental image of him dangling in midair as the gods tell him to go to bed still has me in stitches honestly, but also it was so weighty. i think thats one of my favorite things about these books, is that theyre so entertaining and smart and have emotional depth, often all in the same moment!!

also this just occurred to me but like, the way costis (and everyone really) is really shaken after the encounter with the gods, really reminded me of book one, when eugenides is unwilling to fully explain what had happened in the temple, and could feel their favor weighing on him. i think the narrative mentions how costis for a moment knew that the world was thin like paper and the only real thing present was the god holding eugenides up, or something along those lines, and that was really intense!

and! the sparring at the end!! i loved that ultimately everybody had a hand in bringing eugenides to the mental place of accepting the mantle of leadership, and that he did that by finally showing himself. (losing my mind when he knelt to her after the sparring and called her 'my queen' and she responded 'my king' like aaaah!! how long was she waiting and hoping to say that...)

the scene in the guards bath at the end was incredible, and equally impressive. something about openness symbolized in him being naked and thus not having the smoke and mirrors anymore, especially contrasted with book two where hes still coming to terms with the loss of his hand!! and then explaining his scars to his guard, teleus vowing to protect him... so good!!

so yeah. holy FUCK does this series just keep getting better.