#September Pagan Challenge | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

stonecoldholly · 20 days ago

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Worldwalker

Summary - After witnessing a ritual at a pagan festival in her hometown, Sam suddenly finds herself in a world where magic exists and dangers far worse than everyday crime lurk around every corner. Accepting her unfortunate situation is one challenge; trusting these otherworldly beings to help her is another. As she uncovers the truth, she often finds that it leads to more trouble than it’s worth. Sam must navigate this new world, find her way back home, and restart her life.

With each passing day, they get closer to sending her back and while Sam dedicates herself to finding answers, Azriel finds himself drawn to her. Together, they search for the solution, but with the multiple rifts appearing across Prythian, rising tensions between courts, and the threat of a possible invasion looming, they are working on borrowed time.

With the weight of the world on her shoulders, Sam embarks on an adventure that only happens in fairy tales, but even the most exciting fairy tales have to end.

Warnings - None as of right now, this will change.

Word Count - 6,738

A/N - I meant to get this out before Halloween but time got away from me. This is officially my return to writing fanfiction and I am beyond excited. I hope you enjoy the story and feel free to comment, message, and critique as it makes me a better writer. Thank you for taking the time to read this as it means more to me than you will ever know. Please bear with me as I continue to refresh my memory on how everything works and what it is supposed to look like behind the scenes of posting, you'll notice I still have yet to figure out how to page break on here. Without further ado!

“Run boy, run! This world is not made for you. Run boy, run! They’re trying to catch you. Run boy, run! Running is a victory. Run boy, run! Beauty lies behind the hills.” Run boy run – Woodkid

Savannah, Georgia, USA October 2024

Savannah, a relatively small city nestled along the coastline of Georgia, had begun to awaken from the deep slumber taken during the hot summer months. With the ushering in of the cooler weather, more and more tourists returned to their hometowns and left the coastal city in the hands of the residents. When the latter half of the year finally came around, specifically September and October, Savannah seemed to come alive. The entire city shifted into a completely different energy. Gone were the dog days of summer, the half-naked people (both drunk and sober) stumbling along the old cobblestone streets, and the poor, unfortunate souls who dared to brave the original stone steps that connected Bay Street to River Street. In their stead, a welcoming scent of freshly baked goods and rich cinnamon danced on the cool breeze between the buildings, coffee shops overflowed with customers seeking a hot beverage, and the storefronts already pushing Christmas decorations out in hopes of being the first to rake in profits.

The very city seemed to have a heartbeat around this time of year. The Old Towne trolley tours that normally showed tourists the more historical locations downtown turned into hearse rides and ghost hunting tours. The magical and haunting energy of the old city pulsed as the sun went down, the oak trees drooping in Spanish moss reached over every street and park square, and the shadows that climbed along the historic cemetery gates only added a layer of mystery and intrigue.

They say Savannah was built upon graveyards. Everywhere a person steps in the downtown area, they would likely be stepping upon bones of those long since passed, having been relocated from their original resting place due to floods, hurricanes, and other disasters. Legend says that almost every house, business, and square in the city has a ghost story of its own, unique to the former residents who lived there and continuously embellished as the years passed on.

Perhaps that’s what draws people to this city. Savannah was dripping rich in history and had a way of accepting those who were just looking for something more. It had southern charm, incredible food, amazing people from all walks of life, and always something happening to entertain you. That’s not without saying it did not have its ugly parts but the way Savannah just seemed to call out to those who wanted something different in life was unlike anything that could be described, at least not accurately. However, it was the last quarter of the year when the city gave its mightiest call, reaching out to those who had questions in their minds. It caressed that small part of the soul of those who questioned life and who needed to seek out the answers.

Was there more to life than this?

Where is my place in the world?

Am I destined for more?

What was I put here for?

“It’s Savannah during Halloween season! We have to go. Do you know how hard it probably was to convince the churches to allow a pagan festival to happen?” A female voice yelled out excitedly from the front end of the small ‘Mom & Pop’ restaurant.

“They probably had a couple thousand reasons to look the other way, Mel.” Another female voice answered from the back end, her deep red hair coming into view through the serving window. “However, it’s not me that you have to convince, I’m down, it’s your fiancee over there who looks like he’s about five seconds away from completely crashing out.”

Melissa turned her head to take in her fiancee, who indeed was looking a little worse for wear, having the early morning shift for the Savannah Police Department. She sighed and turned back towards the serving window, “Poor guy has had it rough this past week. There’s been a lot of crazy things happening around town lately.”

A hum in acknowledgment met Mel’s ear, along with the appearance of food plates on the landing. “Doesn’t help that you won’t stop jumping his bones every chance you can. Maybe the guy can actually get some decent sleep if you and I go out.” Sam grinned while motioning to the three plates of food she made for dinner for her and her friends.

Mel let out a deep belly laugh, a smile stretching across her beautiful face as she took in the chicken parmesan and garlic knots, “Oh fuck you, Sam, I can’t help it if my man just oozes sex appeal.”

Sam made a gagging noise before disappearing behind the wall. Mel walked over to her fiancee, Josh, and relayed the plans for the evening while setting a plate of food in front of him. For a brief second, relief crossed his expression and Sam, who had just emerged from the kitchen, caught the look and snickered, causing Mel to roll her eyes. Josh cracked a smile, pressing a kiss to Mel’s cheek and brushing a strand of hair away from her face. “You two have fun and be safe; I’m going home and relaxing, I only ask that you don’t call me from the jail again.” Josh nodded in thanks for the food to Sam, who nodded back.

Mel whipped around to glare and point at Sam, who threw her hands up in mock innocence, her eyes wide and mouth agape to portray said innocence. “She’s the one who got into the fight, not me!”

“Hey, I was defending you! Ain’t no way I was gonna allow that guy talk to you that way. Ain’t no way.”

“And the firearm charge?”

“It was simply on my person.” Sam defended herself with a halfhearted shrug, grabbing her plate and joining the table. “I’m legal; I have a concealed carry and that charge was dismissed because of my paperwork. You gave me grief enough when you picked me up from the county jail.”

“Anyhow,” Mel interrupted before that particular conversation could go any further, sitting down at the table across from her man. “Maybe tomorrow we can go to the pumpkin patch? I heard there was gonna be hayrides and a corn maze.”

“The big one outside the city limits?” Josh asked while leaning back in his chair, chewing. He pulled out his phone as he did, tapping the screen to find what he was looking for. “If it’s the one I’m thinking of then it has a huge corn maze, it’s a lot of farmland out there.”

“I haven’t been to a pumpkin patch in ages.” Sam sighed, tearing into a garlic knot. “I think the last time I went was when I was like, thirteen? My mom took me the year before she passed.”

Mel grinned and grabbed her hand causing Sam to pull her garlic knot out of the way, thinking Mel was trying to swipe it. “We have to go, relive the good parts of our childhood for like, two hours.”

“As long as I get a candy apple, I’m golden,” Josh said looking down at his phone and waving his hand in dismissal. “Yeah, it was the one I was thinking of. It’s about an hour and a half away, so if we leave tomorrow afternoon at 3ish we’ll get there as the sun goes down. I just have to go to the station and finish some paperwork in the morning.”

“Being mindful of Savannah traffic, we’ll get there at the perfect time!” Mel exclaimed nearly bouncing in her seat. “God, I love fall!”

Sam smiled at her best friend as she watched the excitement spill out of her, Josh succumbing to the pure happiness that Melissa seemed to exude as well. It had been a long time for all of them to look forward to something. Having adult friendships was a delicate act of balancing your personal life and work life and still, somehow, making time for your relationships. In the midst of life’s chaos, going nearly three months and then a year without spending time with those you love sometimes felt like it passed in a blink of an eye. Life has a funny way of either pulling you together or tearing you apart.

Samantha and Melissa had met at a previous job, working in retail brought people together through combined suffering, after all. There was no other way to describe the beautiful friendship that blossomed between the two polar opposites. Melissa was a high-energy, outgoing, and excitable woman who always seemed to breathe new, unfiltered life into any situation she found herself in. She was the person you could count on to lift your spirits up whenever you were feeling down and to offer sound advice in the midst of turmoil. She had this childlike energy to her, a precious and beautiful soul that radiated happiness to those around her. She was the life of any party, loved being around other people, and couldn’t stand to see someone upset thus making it her personal mission to enhance their mood before parting ways. With her golden waves and bright, stunning crystal blue eyes, it was hard not to feel as if you were in the presence of the summer sun personified.

Meanwhile, Sam was her opposite. She was more fiery, headstrong, and opinionated, preferring to “strike first, ask questions later”. While she didn’t mind being around others, she liked the company of herself, having been alone for over half of her life. Her temper sometimes ran a bit too hot, always willing to defend those she cared about even if they were wrong, and took risks that were better left...not taken. She sometimes came off as sarcastic and rude but wasn’t intentionally vicious. With her darker clothes, sleeves of tattoos, and combat boots coupled with her attitude problem, she didn’t have many people rushing up to her to be in her presence. A loyal friend who would go to the ends of the Earth to ensure they knew how much they were worth it. Where Melissa was a summer day, Samantha was a stormy night; two sides of the same coin.

Josh was the perfect match for Melissa. She had met him at a party on the beach four summers ago back when the world was on the verge of going to hell. It was an instant whirlwind, the connection so deep and real that it even took Sam’s breath away. Josh and Melissa fell so hard in love with each other that even God himself wouldn’t be able to pull them apart. Sam could see the difference in her, could see the good it was doing for Melissa, and it warmed her heart to know her best friend was being treated the way she deserved after all the hardship Mel had gone through. Josh worked for the Savannah police as a detective for over six years. Meaning, that he didn’t have a lot of free time but every spare moment he had, he spent with Mel, and Sam by proxy. Josh was level-headed and calm, preferring to get all the information before making a decision. He was sure of himself, knowing his strengths and weaknesses better than the average 30-year-old would. Josh became the equivalent of the brother she never had as Melissa was the sister she was not blessed to grow up with. As Sam’s family was gone, they became the next best thing.

“Well, if we’re gonna go, let’s head out. It’s almost 9 o’clock and I’m missing the Packers game for you.” Sam said, standing up and walking to the drink cooler to grab a Sprite to go.

“Ah, you do love me.” Melissa teased.

“What? Don’t want to see the Eagles make cheese whiz out of your Cheeseheads?” Josh smirked, settling back in his chair and crossing his arms.

Sam raised an eyebrow, turning to face him as she threw two dollars on the table for her soda. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you over our four Superbowl rings. How many do y’all have?” She tilted her head to look at him. “Oh, right, ever since y’all finally won one, you think you made it up here with the big boys.”

“Now, y’all please don’t sta-”

“At least we didn’t buy our championships.”

“Bret Favre wasn’t poppin’ percocets on the sidelines for all those years for you to say we bought our championships and Aaron Rodgers didn’t lead the Packers to the Superbowl within the first two years there. Get outta my face.” Sam said, waving him off. “While you’re wondering if we bought our championships, you should figure out why you go through quarterbacks as quickly as you do.”

“We fought hard for that ring, like Kelce said, hungry dogs run faster.”

“So hard in fact, you had nothing left to give and choked when facing the Chiefs.” She shook her head and gave him a mock pout, her voice dropping to a faux whisper. “I’ll be sure to contact the Eagles and confirm if they are available to be your pallbearers...just so they can let you down one last time.”

Josh, pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, releasing a stressed breath of air from his lungs, muttering under his breath. “I swear to everything that is holy…”

Sam pointed towards the front of the restaurant while Melissa stood there with her hands on her hips, clearly over this argument. “Would that be ‘in vain’ or is that a form of ‘blasphemy’? There’s a church right there, we can go ask.” She took a sip of her soda before adding, “I don’t know why you’re so defensive, you started it.”

“And that’ll do it!” Josh threw his hands up and started to push the two women toward the door. “Y’all have a good time, don’t drink too much, keep your wits about you, and for the love of Christ, Sam, do not get into any fights. I’ll lock up the restaurant.”

Sam stepped down onto the sidewalk turning to face Josh and Mel following her lead, stumbling a little bit as she chuckled at her love. “I don’t go lookin’ for them, ya know.”

“Yes, but they do seem to seek you out.” Josh cracked a grin in her direction, handing his credit card to his girlfriend who took it and slid it into her wallet. Sam patted her holster on her hip, double-checking that her weapon was secured and silently letting Josh know that they would be okay. “Be safe. I’ll be at the house, bring me back some candy!”

Mel kissed him with a whispered ‘I love you’ before the two women bounded off down the street. Josh’s chanting of ‘Fly, Eagles, Fly!’ could be heard before the door of the restaurant closed behind him. Sam resisted the urge to throw her drink back at him.

______________________________________________

River Street was bustling with tents, vendors, music, food trucks, and performances by the time they made it the few city blocks. The cobblestone street was swarmed with people chatting excitedly about the upcoming holiday while snacking on the never-ending choices of food, desserts, and drinks. Vendors lined up alongside each other, the Savannah River a beautiful, glistening backdrop to the practitioners doing their workings, teachings, and demonstrations for the surrounding groups.

Of course, there were the faux pagan vendors who were there to simply sell Halloween-related objects and decorations. Harry Potter merchandise littered the tables and tents, gemstones both real and fake were scattered in dishes and bowls, and apparel tables had rock bands on their graphic shirts. It was clear which vendors saw this event as a quick get-rich scheme and who saw it as their livelihood. It was the latter that drew Sam and Melissa to events like these.

Magic had always intrigued Sam. Mythology, tarot, and astrology held a special place in her heart and soul as she was introduced to them at a young age by her mother. She remembers walking into her mother's bedroom and seeing a strange-looking mirror propped up on a table with purple candles on either side of it. Her mother had ushered her over, wrapping an arm around her small shoulders and letting her have a look, saying something she couldn’t understand in her ear. Sam would never forget that night as that was the night that allowed her to fall in love with magic and something other.

Perhaps that’s what brought them to the vendor down by the river.

A middle-aged man, who looked as ordinary and unremarkable as any stranger, was talking animatedly with his hands, gesturing back and forth between the crowd, clearly in the middle of his presentation. “The Wild Hunt! In mythology and at its basic explanation, is a chase. These figures would be hunted by the souls of the dead and they would need to escape and get to safety or hide.” The man explained, pointing to paintings and imagery to make his tale easier for the group to follow along. “It’s a well-known folk myth across Northern Europe; a ghostly leader and his group of hunters and hounds fly through the cold night sky and anyone found outdoors at the time would be swept up into the hunting party involuntarily.

“Most often in the tales,” He went on as he pointed to a painting that looked like the Norse god, Odin, and a hunting party behind him as he led the charge through a forest. “The Hunt was not seen – only heard- typically by the barking of Odin’s dogs or the forest growing deathly silent as a warning of their arrival as seeing the Wild Hunt was thought to forebode some catastrophe such as war or plague, or at least, the death of the person who saw it.”

Sam took a closer look at the paintings as the man motioned to a painting depicting what looked like a warrior woman running through woods, a gang of ghostly figures behind her, lunging forward to grab her but not quite being fast enough. The paintings, she could have sworn, seemed to move. “It is said that if the Wild Hunt catches you, you will be taken to the underworld or the fairy kingdoms,” A few teenage boys snickered. “In some instances, some people's spirits could be taken during their sleep if they had witnessed the Hunt.”

“So, you mean to tell me,” One of the teenage boys started, “If I see a ghost, they’re going to grab me and take me to a fairy kingdom?” He scoffed and Sam fought the urge to roll her eyes. Mel just sighed and shook her head. “Will I be a King if they do?”

The man, ever patient, shook his head with a smile. “No, that’s not what I am telling you. Back then, when people had no other sources of information but their legends, stories, and upbringing, they believed in multiple gods, worlds, and creatures both good and bad. If their crops didn’t fare well that year, they sometimes believed they were cursed by a god or a creature from their lands who had sabotaged them. They needed explanations for what they saw, witnessed. Folklore sought to bring understanding to what was unexplainable at the time. Who's to say that it didn’t happen? Who's to say that it doesn’t still happen?”

The boy looked ready to retort, but the stranger carried on without giving him time to form a response. “Just because you do not believe it, does not mean that others do not believe it. Where do you think the stories of the Bible come from? Old wives' tales? Traditions? All these stories, these legends, came from people who believed what they saw and retold them for generations and generations. Yes, the details do change a bit but they all come from some facet of truth.”

The boy snapped his mouth shut and seemed to reflect on what he had said. He was right in a sense and while the boy probably had multiple arguments against it; he didn’t voice them because he knew there was something in the way the man held himself, how he said it, that told him it was true.

“Some mythologies believe the Wild Hunt falls around the same time as our Samhain, or Halloween, others believe it to be around the Winter Solstice, or near Christmas.” He continued on as if the brief disagreement didn’t happen and handed out a little booklet. “You don’t want to be outside when the ghostly procession of the Wild Hunt surges past. You may be sucked into their dark frenzy, with or without your body along for the ride.”

Sam smiled and took one of the booklets, thanking him in response. Mel did the same and started to leaf through the pamphlet detailing more about The Wild Hunt. Sam couldn’t help but look at the paintings again, the winged beings striking against the sky above with what looked like a human army below them, weapons drawn and aiming for the ghostly host. It was incredible to look at, the paintings seemingly coming to life the longer she stared. A shiver ran down her spine and a metallic taste coated her tongue.

“A ritual….over...right there.”

Sam turned around at the voice she heard, catching the couple down the sidewalk who were having a conversation. She nudged Mel, who looked up confused. “Huh?”

“There’s a ritual happening, that couple said it’s happening over there.” Sam nodded her head in the direction the couple had indicated.

Mel furrowed her brows, looking at the couple and then back at her friend. “You heard them from all the way down there? They’re like...30 yards away.”

Sam shrugged, not thinking much of it. “I only heard snippets and filled in the rest with body language.”

Mel shook her head but nevertheless dragged her in the direction she indicated. “You and your weird hearing.”

Whatever it was that Sam had expected to see when getting to the ritual, did not even come close. The second she crossed into the cluster of people, she felt an energy in the air, and the metallic taste got stronger. Her whole body seemed to respond, vibrating in response, warmth settling in her belly and chills breaking out along her skin. One glance at Mel told her that she, too, felt the shift and her body was at a loss as to what to do.

The moon was vaulted in the sky, shining brightly above the Talmadge Bridge; the light pollution blocked a lot of the stars from being visible. A heaviness seemed to settle along the river and the air was getting thicker. The flickering heat of the small fires scattered around in a circle attempted to chase away the goosebumps rising on the surface of her skin. There was an uneasy shifting of the crowd, some dispersing altogether to try and outrun the energy their bodies clearly were not comfortable with. Sam couldn’t blame them, it was intense. It was one of those moments that you knew you were witnessing something real, without a shadow of a doubt. The very air told your bones to sing, to rise, and join in. The flames beckoned you closer, ensnaring your senses and holding you and your attention hostage and Sam was no different.

It was mesmerizing to watch the participants. The way the fire danced in the center of the circle and seemed to reach out towards the torches in their hands. Their steps were effortless, so graceful it almost hurt to watch how they glided around each other, seamlessly weaving in and out from between the other and flowing towards that centerfire. They went around and around, spinning in a fluid dance, almost willing the fire to rise higher and dance with them.

An older woman, dressed in a long, tweed skirt and simple white tunic, spoke in an old language that Sam couldn’t begin to decipher. Her voice was steady and soothing, reciting the ritual's dialogue as if it was secondhand nature to her, and perhaps it was. The smooth tone of her words completely enraptured witnesses who had stopped to watch, a lot of them clutching their chests and staring wide-eyed as if their god would come down and strike them where they stood for just witnessing this act.

But Sam was spellbound, completely at the mercy of these women spinning around the fire and singing in a language that clearly no one else understood. Whatever the words were, it was awakening something buried deep inside Sam’s bones, something long forgotten or hidden. She stepped closer to the ritual, her eyes unblinking as she lost herself. The women in the twirling circles were blurs around her, the older woman’s voice turning into a murmuring the longer she stared, daring another step towards the ritual.

Come. Come. Come.

She would. She would answer the calling that seemed to tug her closer to the dancing, the music, the voice. It held such promise, such hope that Sam felt the urge to barrel forward into the dance. Such a longing ached so furiously in her chest that it caused a sliver of fear to drop into her stomach.

Come. Come. Come.

It was a whisper, a soft plead. It grabbed hold of her gut and tugged her along, closer, closer, closer. She couldn’t resist the call, not even if her life depended on it. It was like her body wasn’t her own anymore; that it was moving on its own accord and every signal sent from her brain was being intercepted by the energy in the air, diverting it to the ether.

Come and find what you are looking for.

She didn’t even realize she had stepped out of the crowd, almost falling into place with the women who had stopped dancing around the fire and had their hands lifted up towards the night sky. The woman was still speaking but if Sam didn’t know any better, she would have sworn the woman was speaking directly to her; that the language she didn’t understand just a minute ago, were words spoken as clear as day.

It’s waiting for you. A blessing from the Mother.

A burst of color exploded behind her eyes and she stumbled back into the crowd, clutching her head as ringing echoed in her ears. The fire in the center of the dancers flared higher and brighter and a collective gasp was released by participants and witnesses alike but Sam was trying to get her vision back, to shake the underwater feeling that seemed to swim in her ears.

Mel rushed forward and grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face her in alarm, “Are you okay? What the hell was that? You could have gotten hurt!”

Sam rubbed her eyes to clear the kaleidoscope of colors racing through her sight, “I-I don-”

“You almost walked righ’ into the performance! What’s gotten into you?” Mel asked as the southern accent she tried so hard to mask slipped through. Her eyes narrowed as she took in her friend's bewildered expression. “Are you alrigh’?”

Sam reassured, rubbing her eyes and running a hand through dark burgundy hair, the firelight enhancing the deep purple hues. “Ye-yeah, I’m good. Fine.”

Mel stared at her for a few seconds longer, assessing the lie for what it was but nodded along. “Let’s grab those mini pumpkins we saw and head home. I know damn well Josh doesn’t expect me to carry three fully grown pumpkins back home at nearly midnight.” She said in a huff before stalking off towards the pumpkin vendor’s tent down the river.

Sam had enough time to force a chuckle at her and once she was down the sidewalk, she looked up at the woman who had been speaking during the ritual. Their eyes connected, old and wise blue eyes seemed to convey a message to Sam’s own bright green ones. A knowing gaze that made Sam bristle uncomfortably and rush after her friend toward the vendors still selling their wares.

Three mini pumpkins, a caramel apple, and an overabundance of candy were stashed into the bag that Mel toted down the cobblestone streets. Sam was uncharacteristically quiet, her mind still reeling with the events that took place but Mel was trying her best to distract her, chatting aimlessly about whatever vendor she had gotten the pumpkins from. She could feel the beginnings of a headache creeping along her skull and she longed for a couple Advil and some caffeine to help chase it away.

“Sammi, are you sure you don’t wanna stay the night? You know Josh and I don’t mind.” Mel looked at her again, concern gracing her features and Sam felt her heart tug at the emotion there. “You’re more than welcome to the guest room.”

She nodded, nudging her shoulder against Mel’s with a small smile. “I’m sure. Trust me, all I need is my bed and the upstairs neighbors stomping on the floor to lull me to sleep.”

“Oh, you mean the herd of elephants?” She smiled, a little of that concern easing from her face. “I’m worried about you, Sam, something just didn’t seem right with you today.”

“I wish I knew,” Sam started, turning the corner towards Mel’s apartment. “I’m just as lost as you are.”

The night got a little cooler by the time Sam walked Mel to her door, Josh’s soft snoring wafting out from what Sam knew was the living room. She nodded goodnight, telling her she would text when she woke up and made sure she got inside and locked the door before she began her own trek home.

Sam didn’t live far from Mel, just down three blocks and a turn to the left, where a small (and outrageously overpriced) apartment is what she called home. Living in downtown Savannah, you had nearly everything at your fingertips and it was more of a hindrance to own a car than it was to walk. More likely to have it broken into, stolen, or clipped by a passing car as on-street parking was almost the only option, back alleys the second. No, Sam was fine with walking home no matter the time of day or night, having her own assurance of her protection secured to the waistband of her jeans or strapped to her thigh.

Her mind drifted back to the events of the night and what she felt afterward, her thoughts running near rampant with questions as she sidestepped a break in the cobblestones. She was doing her best to filter the questions and find logical solutions to them, knowing her own limitations of knowledge. While she was staring at the ground just ahead of her, she wasn’t exactly paying a lick of attention.

Did I really witness a ritual, a real ritual? What was it for? Sam definitely believed that what she saw was the real deal and not what movies try so hard to replicate. The air itself had felt different as if it had come to life, not to mention the effects that it had on her body and those around her. She also didn’t know what it was for, having missed any possible explanation by staring at the flames.

The strange colors? She ruled out a brain tumor or aneurysm a while ago. Perhaps it was a migraine, her head did hurt.

Why did I hear a voice? Perhaps it was just her mind filling in the missing information? Provide a reason why for stepping forward and entering the sacred ritual circle? She talked to herself all the time so she knew what that sounded like in her head, but that voice was different.

But why did I enter the circle? Why did I listen to the voice? She felt called to step forward and she did. She answered the call that her body was singing. She had completely lost control over her motor functions.

It doesn’t make sense, something isn’t right. No, she knew something wasn’t right. Why else would she suddenly have what felt like an out-of-body experience?

Something isn’t right. Yes, she already covered that and was aware that something wasn’t right. She wouldn’t pretend that the entire event didn’t scare her, or make her nervous. As of right now, she felt like she was going to jump out of her skin simply by running through what happened. Memories of the ritual flashed through her mind's eye and she suppressed a shudder, the cold sliver of fear settling down in her gut again.

Something is wrong.

Sam stopped walking and looked up from the cobblestones, instantly alert. The street was silent, eerily still, not even a rustle of leaves or a squirrel running along the branches. The breeze stopped and the trees seemed to rear back, pulling themselves away from their natural tilt towards the street. The silence became deafening and Sam turned around to look down the block. Only the lights from the lampposts and shadows met her.

Even though she was alone, something was indeed wrong.

Sam discreetly patted her hip, finding comfort in the heavy weight of metal that consisted of her Ruger. She took a deep breath and continued her journey, never changing her pace as she made her way home. Sam looked at every reflective surface as she passed, trying to get a look behind her while keeping calm. Store fronts, car windows and mirrors, even the shiny gloss layer on the street signs; anything that could aid her in figuring out what was going on as she tried to keep her head.

Clearly, she was either being watched or followed, or both. It made her as uneasy as she had ever been, even with her surefire protection on her. Every intake of breath felt like it was being stolen from her. Her mind wanted to run rampant with anxiety but she willed herself to remain as calm as she could. She needed to stay calm and aware.

It wasn’t until she hit the corner of the square that she felt the immediate urge to run. The intensity of it nearly sent her heart into a wild gallop and her hands started to tremble with the building adrenaline. The sudden feeling lit a fire under her skin, she couldn’t recall making the conscious decision to run but within a split second, she bolted into the square. Dodging trash cans and benches, weaving around trees, and out onto the other side where she took off like a bullet down the cobblestone street.

The intense fear slammed into her body, her legs carrying her as fast as they could and her lungs squeezing every ounce of air out and greedily sucking it back in to fuel her mad dash. She needed a place to hide. She couldn’t go back to her apartment and she wouldn’t go to Mel’s house either. She needed a neutral spot to take cover and wait out this unseen being. She needed to hide.

She heard the footsteps behind her as she ran down the road, skidding to a halt almost a half second too late to swing herself around a lamppost and accelerate herself down the street. The cobblestones made it difficult to run, bits and pieces of stone jutting up or the sand filling in between being nonexistent and creating holes. She did her best to keep her pace, her boot getting caught up twice, in the attempt to lose her pursuer. She was being chased by something she couldn’t see, but she could hear it. She looked down the alleyways and side streets as she passed, trying to find somewhere, anywhere, to hide.

She scrambled around a turn onto a side street and darted down the dirt-covered road. She could feel whoever or whatever was chasing her getting closer, almost like a sixth sense. She could feel the change in the air and knew they were almost on her. All they had to do was reach out and grab her, and if they did, she would go down fighting.

“I need a place to hide.” She breathed out, over and over again as she ran.

Her lungs were on fire and her side cramped but she continued to push herself to her limits. She cut across another main road and down into another side street, spinning herself into a turn towards an alley. Her legs kept pushing and burning while carrying her weight. Her arms pumping as fast as they could and her heart beating so wildly it was about to come out of her chest. She didn’t have anywhere to go, she wasn’t losing her tail, and she couldn’t run anymore. Her body was on the brink of giving out.

She didn’t have time to slow herself down or stop when she realized she was reaching a dead end in the alley. It was already too late. She braced her arms out in front of her, intending to take the brutal impact of her speed coming to a halt at the wall, but the surface rippled.

Sam didn’t have time to think about the shimmering boundary before she fell straight through it and into a void of emptiness.

_________________________________________

A ripple shuddered through Prythian. Feyre’s brow furrowed as she looked up from her canvas and Rhysand turned his attention to the windows overlooking Velaris. Azriel walked to the edge of the balcony, taking note of anything out of place along the Sidra, his shadows scattering away from him at his command.

Cassian set down his training sword as another ripple caressed the wards standing strong around the Night Court, scanning the skies; Amren and Nesta emerged from the House of Wind, glancing around as if something was waiting to attack them.

“What was that?” Nesta asked as Cassian stepped closer to the ledge of the balcony. His eyes searched the sky and the rooftops of the buildings below as Nesta came to stand beside him. “Are we under att-”

Another ripple trembled through the wards, and eerie stillness settled around the city. The birds from the cluster of trees down below took flight and headed north towards the mountain range.

“No, I don’t believe we are being attacked,” Rhysand answered as he joined his family outside on the landing, his eyes still overlooking the city. “But something is definitely wrong.”

“Az, anything?” Feyre called out to the Shadowsinger who had started to walk towards them.

Azriel took another look towards the Sidra as a shadow curled around his ear. “Nothing definitive yet, but whatever it is, it’s coming from the south.” He looked to the High Lord, his face settling into a cool mask as he awaited his inevitable orders.

Rhys hummed in agreement, nodding in the southern direction. “Take Cass with you, scout the territory lines to the southeast, Feyre and I will take the southwest section. Mor, send a message to Helion making him aware that we will be crossing into the Day Court. Thesan as well, just in case this takes us further south into Dawn than we anticipate.”

“Should we be alerting them to what we’re doing? Perhaps we should keep it among ourselves.” Mor responded as she rose from the bench.

“If we all felt that, I’m sure we are not the only ones.” Rhys replied, “Besides, it is common courtesy to inform them when crossing into their lands. I doubt Helion would mind, but until we know what we are dealing with, we do it by the book.”

Mor nodded and set off inside the House to write the messages to the High Lords as Azriel and Cassian tapped their center siphons to don their fighting leathers.

“Amren, monitor Velaris. Nesta, guard the House and keep Elain inside until further notice.” Rhys delegated as Feyre also disappeared inside the House. “All of you, stay on your guard, report back here by no later than tomorrow evening. Do not take chances until we know what we are up against.”

With that, he turned on his heel to follow his mate back inside the House. Azriel and Cassian immediately took flight. Cassian threw a wink in Nesta’s direction and disappeared through the clouds with Azriel, their figures fading in the distance as they headed south.

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mint-in-the-moonlight · 2 months ago

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rethinking the wheel of the year: Autumn Equinox/Mabon

hello everyone and welcome to this post! this is hopefully the first of a series where i will be rethinking the wheel of the year celebrations (originally from Wicca) so that they may fit better into my particular and in general a more modern, urban and let's be honest poor, lifestyle. i'm doing this mainly for myself as i want to celebrate the events but i struggle with finding value in them as i live in an environment that does not fit as well with many of the nature-focused and agricultural-inspired themes.

since i live in the northern hemisphere and in the global north, a lot of my interpretation is based on that and so may not be applicable to people who live elsewhere. i instead invite you to use my post as inspiration for your own interpretation if you so wish.

lastly, this interpretation is not meant to replace any previous associations with the celebrations that you may have. you may use this post to strengthen your understanding, offer some new insights or just be food for thought!

alright, let's get into it!

traditional view of the Autumn Equinox/Mabon

in the traditional view, the celebration that falls on the autumn equinox is supposed to be the second of two harvest celebrations. i'm not going to go too deeply into the history and other influences as there are many other sources that you can look at and this is not the focus of this post, but suffice to say, the harvest and the changing of the season to autumn are the biggest themes.

however to me personally, the harvest theme never really resonated and i found it hard to imagine what kinds of things i would like to do during the celebration. many of the activities usually suggested are also tied to a certain kind of environment or household. as a poor student, i don't exactly have the time, energy or means to go out of my way and bake something from scratch or something like that.

thus i am approaching my reimagining from a more practical perspective and thinking about things that people could do potentially at any point but may have special significance during the autumn equinox. you are of course more than welcome to do big, time-consuming things and find your own significance in it.

highlighting what is personally relevant

since the Autumn Equinox/Mabon falls on late september, it can interact with a lot of other events that usually happen during this time. what i'm mainly thinking about is going back to school or work after the summer break. the Autumn Equinox/Mabon can be seen as the season of change, from the light-hearted summer to a more serious autumn. it may also be good to tackle more important issues during this time, both mundane and magical. the theme of balance can also be relevant as the autumn equinox is a time when the day and night are equal before moving out of balance again.

while in the traditional view the Autumn Equinox/Mabon is supposed to be a time of abundance and happiness, in the modern world it may instead be a time of new stressors and challenges. thus it may also be important to make sure you are grounded and ready to face what awaits you.

in the past, pagan and magical celebrations often involved both magical, but also mundane aspects, such as the harvest in the case of the Autumn Equinox/Mabon. so, in the activities that i propose below, i'm adding a section on the mundane aspect, that can help us feel more connected to the season and the world around us.

ideas for activities (mundane)

prepare your wardrobe for the colder season - make sure your coats and warm sweaters are washed and ready in case you wake up one day to a cold and grey morning

make sure your warm drink supplies are stacked - for example, teas or hot chocolates (i assume for more regular drinkers this is a given at any time of the year)

reorganising or getting back on track after the summer break - catching up on health appointments that you couldn't schedule due to being on holiday, cleaning your house etc.

finding a balance between different aspects of your life - work, school, spending time with those you love, spiritual practice etc.

ideas for activities (magical and mental)

shadow work, if that is something you're interested in doing

magic that invites some kind of change into your life - such as money magic, spells to find new jobs or housing, magic that allows you to find new friends in an unfamiliar environment or start a new activity you're anxious about such as going to the gym

magic that is meant to bring balance into some aspect of your life - similar to the mundane activity but with a magical twist, this is based on the whole equinox part of the Autumn Equinox

going back to the original "harvest" theme - you could also reflect on the progress that you have made in the areas that you may have tackled earlier in the year, thus symbolically "reaping" the fruit of your effort. consider the path you are on and where it leads further.

giving thanks or reflecting on what you are grateful for - also tied to the harvest theme, this could be about the people in your life, a fortunate life situation, your deities or anything else you may find valuable to give thanks to

grounding and magic that helps you overcome stress and anxiety - for a potentially more stressful time of year due to going back to work and/or school

conclusion

at the end of the day, what is most important is that you find value in celebrating the Autumn Equinox/Mabon, no matter what that is or how close it is to more traditional associations with autumn. there's no point in celebrating it if you're just following some prescribed steps and are not feeling connected to your spirituality or your environment. i encourage you, not only in this area, to build your own personalised practice that makes you feel happy and fulfilled and brings meaning into your life. for a long time i just followed what others said but trust me your practice can become much more engaging if you just do your own thing.

you also don't need to celebrate the wheel of the year at all. for me it's something that i've known for a very long time and it's comfortable to me however there are plenty other celebrations that stem from different cultures and religions that you could adopt instead.

do what you want as long as it makes you happy and doesn't hurt anyone in the process.

#autumn equinox #mabon #wheel of the year #witch #witchcraft #pagan #paganism #mint in the moonlight

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eternal-echoes · 1 year ago

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“We know that secularism and dechristianization are gaining ground, that relativism is growing and that the influence of Catholic ethics and morals is in constant decline. Many people abandon the Church or, if they stay, accept only a part of Catholic teaching, picking and choosing between only certain aspects of Christianity.

The religious situation in the East continues to be worrying. Here, as we know, the majority of the population is not baptized, has no contact with the Church and has often not even heard of either Christ or the Church. We should recognize these realities as challenges.

Dear Brothers, as you yourselves said in your Pastoral Letter of 21 September 2004, on the occasion of the Jubilee of St Boniface: "We have become a mission land". This is true for large parts of Germany.

I therefore believe that throughout Europe, and likewise in France, Spain and elsewhere, we should give serious thought as to how to achieve a true evangelization in this day and age, not only a new evangelization, but often a true and proper first evangelization.

People do not know God, they do not know Christ. There is a new form of paganism and it is not enough for us to strive to preserve the existing flock, although this is very important: we must ask the important question: what really is life?

I believe we must all try together to find new ways of bringing the Gospel to the contemporary world, of proclaiming Christ anew and of implanting the faith.”

- Pope Benedict XVI, APOSTOLIC JOURNEY TO COLOGNE ON THE OCCASION OF THE XX WORLD YOUTH DAY - MEETING WITH THE GERMAN BISHOPS, 21 August 2005

#Catholic #Christianity #quotes #Pope Benedict #world youth day

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thepastisalreadywritten · 1 year ago

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SAINT OF THE DAY (September 28)

On September 28, the Catholic Church honors Saint Wenceslaus, a Central European ruler who died at the hands of his brother while seeking to strengthen the Catholic faith in his native Bohemia.

During his 2009 visit to the Czech Republic, Pope Benedict XVI called the country's patron saint “a martyr for Christ who had the courage to prefer the kingdom of heaven to the enticement of worldly power.”

St. Wenceslaus was born around the year 903. His father, Duke Wratislaw, was a Catholic, but his mother, Princess Dragomir, practiced the native pagan religion.

She would later arrange the murders of both Wenceslaus and his grandmother Ludmilla, who is also a canonized saint.

During his youth, Wenceslaus received a strong religious education from Ludmilla, in addition to the good example of his father.

He maintained a virtuous manner of living while attending college near Prague, making significant progress both academically and spiritually.

But with the death of his father Wratislaw, the devout young nobleman faced a spiritual and political crisis.

His mother Dragomir, who had never accepted the Catholic faith, turned against it entirely.

She seized her husband's death as a chance to destroy the religion his parents had received from Saints Cyril and Methodius, through methods that included purging Catholics from public office, closing churches, and preventing all teaching of the faith.

Dragomir's Catholic mother-in-law Ludmilla urged Wenceslaus to seize power from his mother and defend their faith.

His attempt to do so resulted in the division of the country into two halves: one ruled by Wenceslaus, advised by Ludmilla; the other ruled by Wenceslaus' younger brother Boleslaus, who had absorbed his mother's hatred of the Church.

Wenceslaus, who would have preferred to become a monk and not a duke, fortified himself in this struggle through fervent prayer, extreme asceticism, charitable service, and a vow of chastity.

Meanwhile, his mother carried out a plot to kill Ludmilla, having her strangled in her private chapel.

St. Ludmilla's liturgical feast day is September 16.

The Bohemian duke also faced the threat of invasion from abroad, when Prince Radislaus of Gurima demanded that Bohemia submit to his rule.

When Wenceslaus sought to avoid a war by challenging him in single combat, two angels are said to have appeared, deflecting the javelin thrown at Wenceslaus, and immediately inspiring Radislaus to drop to his knees in surrender.

During his period of rule, Wenceslaus received the relics of several saints from the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I, who also conferred on him the title of “King Wenceslaus.”

However, some noblemen of his own country resented the saintly king's strict morals and allied themselves with Dragomir and Boleslaus.

Wenceslaus' brother sought to appear as a peacemaker, inviting the king to his realm for a celebration.

When Wenceslaus was praying in a chapel during the visit, Boleslaus' henchmen attacked and wounded him.

Boleslaus himself delivered the final blow, killing his brother by running him through with a lance.

St. Wenceslaus died on 28 September 935.

Emperor Otto responded to St. Wenceslaus' death by invading Bohemia and making war against Boleslaus for several years.

He succeeded in conquering the region and forced Boleslaus to reverse the anti-Catholic measures he and his mother had taken.

There is no evidence that Dragomir, who died soon after the murder of St. Wenceslaus, ever repented of killing her family members.

Boleslaus, however, came to regret his sin when he learned of the miracles that were taking place at his brother's tomb.

He moved St. Wenceslaus' body to a cathedral for veneration by the faithful.

#Saint of the Day #Saint Wenceslaus

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grogusmum · 2 years ago

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Joining up with @oonajaeadira @writeforfandoms for "A Year Of Themed Creations" (self) challenge.

Mine, the wheel of the pagan year. Fics centering or inspired by the 8 sabbath and 4 moons

January: Quiet Moon (Oberyn Martell x F!Reader) Oberyn travels to the North and meets a beguiling sorceress.

February: In the Belly a Hedge Witch and the Mercenary short for Imbolc (Pero x "mariposa" f!reader) Pero is tested as he tries to do the Imbolc ritual in his mariposa's stead.

March: In Which, Bean Are Not Beans, Eggs Are Every Place And I Have To Eat Them (That is doing my part, people!) As Told By Grogu Djarin A Grogu pov fic for Ostara/Eostre

April: Budding Moon, a Seven Tears Short (selkie!Ezra x f!Reader) Ezra tells his Pearl about his first love, a handsome sailor.

May: Yes, You May : a Beltane Story part one (Oberyn x f!Reader)

It's a maypole meet cute!

June: Litha a Javi and the Beeheeper one shot (Javi x gn!Reader) Javi helps his Bee Charmer make litha candles.

July: Buck Moon a Your Spot Companion (Frankie x "Rocket" gn!reader) it's the smut folks, under the moon, cowboy camping style. Don't look at me

August: Lughnasadh (pairing TBD)

September: Mabon (pairing TBD)

October: Samhain (pairing TBD)

November: Mourning Moon a Conversations with Dead People Companion (Frankie x f!reader w/ Holly)

December: Yule A Galaxy Far Far Away (Din x f!reader w/Grogu)

You are welcome to come into my DMs and asks with questions, thoughts and ideas.

#year of fic #wheel of the year masterlist #hazel's masterlist #grogusmum

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beardedmrbean · 2 years ago

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran announced Monday that the country's supreme leader has pardoned more than 22,000 people arrested in the recent anti-government protests that swept the Islamic Republic. There was no immediate independent confirmation of the mass release.

The statement by Iran's judiciary head Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehi offered for the first time a glimpse of the full scope of the government's crackdown that followed the demonstrations over the September death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by the country's morality police.

It also suggests that Iran's theocracy now feels secure enough to admit the scale of the unrest, which represented one of the most-serious challenges to the establishment since the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Tens of thousands also were detained in the purges that followed the revolution.

However, anger still remains in the country as it struggles through the collapse of the nation’s currency, the rial, economic woes, and uncertainty over its ties to the wider world after the collapse of Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

The state-run IRNA news agency quoted Ejehi as announcing the figure Monday. Iranian state media had previously suggested Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could pardon that many people swept up in the demonstrations, ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when the pious fast from dawn to dusk. Ramadan starts later next week.

Ejehi said a total of 82,656 prisoners and those facing charges had been pardoned. Of those, some 22,628 had been arrested amid the demonstrations, he said. Those pardoned had not committed theft or violent crimes, he added. His comments suggest that the true total of those detained in the demonstrations is even greater.

In February, Iran had acknowledged “tens of thousands” had been detained in the protests. Monday's acknowledgment from Ejehi offered an even higher than what activists had previously cited. However, there's been no mass release of prisoners documented in recent days by Iranian media reports or activists.

More than 19,700 people have been arrested during the protests, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group that’s been tracking the crackdown. At least 530 people have been killed as authorities violently suppressed demonstrations, the group said. Iran has not offered a death toll for months.

“From day one there was no transparent accounting of who was arrested and imprisoned — before or after the mass protests these past months — which is why there’s no way to verify how many are being released now,” said Jasmin Ramsey, the deputy director of the U.S.-based Center for Human Rights in Iran.

“We also know that more than five months after the death of ... Mahsa Amini in state custody, not a single Iranian official has been held accountable for the mass killings of street protesters, nor the arbitrary imprisonments of tens of thousands.”

The judiciary's announcement also came ahead of next week's celebration of Nowruz, the Persian New Year. On Tuesday, some in Iran also mark nearly 4,000-year-old Persian tradition known as the Festival of Fire that's linked to the Zoroastrian religion. Hard-liners discourage such celebrations, viewing them as pagan holdovers.

There had been calls for anti-government protests around both events. While mass demonstrations have cooled in recent weeks, nightly chants against Iran's theocracy can still be heard in some neighborhoods of Iran's capital, Tehran.

The announcement followed a major development last week, when Iran and Saudi Arabia said on Friday that with China's mediation, they agreed to reestablish diplomatic ties and reopen embassies after a seven-year freeze in relations. That agreement could help aid an end to the yearslong war in Yemen, which sees a Saudi-led coalition battle the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who hold its capital, Sanaa. It has also helped boost the rial in recent days against the dollar.

Meanwhile, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko visited Tehran and met Monday with his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi. Iran has been supplying the bomb-carrying drones that Russia now uses in its war on Ukraine. Lukashenko, the authoritarian leader of Belarus, remains close to Russia, which used Belarusian territory to launch Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Lukashenko said his country and Iran would sign an unspecified set of deals valued at $100 million.

Iran “opposes external pressure, attempts to impose someone else’s will," Lukashenko said, addressing his hosts. "And how, in spite of everything, you develop modern technologies and nuclear energy. And, as we decided today with the president of Iran, we can be very useful to each other if we truly unite our efforts.”

#nunyas news #that's not a mass execution anyone could pull off #only real option he had here

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troybeecham · 2 years ago

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Today, the Church remembers Pope St. Gregory the Great.

Ora pro nobis.

Pope Saint Gregory I (c. A.D.540 – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 3 September 590 to 12 March 604 AD. He is famous for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregorian Mission, to convert a pagan people to Christianity. Gregory is also well known for his writings, which were more prolific than those of any of his predecessors as pope.

A Roman senator's son and himself the Prefect of Rome at the age of 30 years, Gregory tried the monastery but soon returned to active public life, ending his life and the century as pope. Although he was the first pope from a monastic background, his prior political experiences may have helped him to be a talented administrator, who successfully established papal supremacy. During his papacy, he greatly surpassed with his administration the emperors in improving the welfare of the people of Rome. He also was an able theologian, and successfully challenged the theological views of Patriarch Eutychius of Constantinople before the emperor Tiberius II. Gregory regained papal authority in Spain and France and sent missionaries to England. The realignment of barbarian allegiance to Rome from their Arian Christian alliances shaped medieval Europe. Gregory saw Franks, Lombards, and Visigoths align with Rome in religion.

Gregory was born into a period of upheaval in Italy. From A.D. 542 the so-called Plague of Justinian swept through the provinces of the empire, including Italy. The plague caused famine, panic, and sometimes rioting. In some parts of the country, over 1/3 of the population was wiped out or destroyed, with heavy spiritual and emotional effects on the people of the Empire. Politically, although the Western Roman Empire had long since vanished in favour of the Gothic kings of Italy, during the A.D. 540s Italy was gradually retaken from the Goths by Justinian I, emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire ruling from Constantinople. As the fighting was mainly in the north, the young Gregory probably saw little of it. Totila sacked and vacated Rome in A.D. 546, destroying most of its population, but in A.D. 549 he invited those who were still alive to return to the empty and ruined streets. It has been hypothesized that young Gregory and his parents retired during that intermission to their Sicilian estates, to return in A.D. 549. The war was over in Rome by A.D. 552, and a subsequent invasion of the Franks was defeated in A.D. 554. After that, there was peace in Italy, and the appearance of restoration, except that the central government now resided in Constantinople.

On his father's death, Gregory converted his family villa into a monastery dedicated to the apostle Saint Andrew (after his death it was rededicated as San Gregorio Magno al Celio). In his life of contemplation, Gregory concluded that "in that silence of the heart, while we keep watch within through contemplation, we are as if asleep to all things that are without."

Gregory is known for his administrative system of charitable relief of the poor at Rome. They were predominantly refugees from the incursions of the Lombards. The philosophy under which he devised this system is that the wealth belonged to the poor and the church was only its steward. He received lavish donations from the wealthy families of Rome, who, following his own example, were eager, by doing so, to expiate their sins. He gave alms equally as lavishly both individually and en masse.

The state in which Gregory became pope in A.D. 590 was a ruined one. The Lombards held the better part of Italy. Their predations had brought the economy to a standstill. They camped nearly at the gates of Rome. The city was packed with refugees from all walks of life, who lived in the streets and had few of the necessities of life. The seat of government was far from Rome in Constantinople, which appeared unable to undertake the relief of Italy. The pope had sent emissaries, including Gregory, asking for assistance, to no avail. In A.D. 590, Gregory could wait for Constantinople no longer. He organized the resources of the church into an administration for general relief. Gregory began by aggressively requiring his churchmen to seek out and relieve needy persons and reprimanded them if they did not. To pay for his increased expenses he liquidated the investment properties of the Church, including his own vast holdings of land, and paid the expenses in cash.

Money, however, was no substitute for food in a city that was on the brink of famine. Even the wealthy were going hungry in their villas. The church now owned between 1,300 and 1,800 square miles (3,400 and 4,700 km2) of revenue-generating farmland divided into large sections called patrimonia. It produced goods of all kinds, which were sold, but Gregory intervened and had the goods shipped to Rome for distribution.

Distributions to qualified persons were monthly. However, a certain proportion of the population lived in the streets or were too ill or infirm to pick up their monthly food supply. To them Gregory sent out a small army of charitable persons, mainly monks, every morning with prepared food. It is said that he would not dine until the indigent were fed. When he did dine he shared the family table, which he had saved (and which still exists), with 12 indigent guests. To the needy living in wealthy homes he sent meals he had cooked with his own hands as gifts to spare them the indignity of receiving charity. These and other good deeds and charitable frame of mind completely won the hearts and minds of the Roman people. They now looked to the papacy for government, ignoring the rump state at Constantinople, calling him a fool for his pacifist dealings with the Lombards.

Pope Gregory had strong convictions on missions: "Almighty God places good men in authority that He may impart through them the gifts of His mercy to their subjects. And this we find to be the case with the British over whom you have been appointed to rule, that through the blessings bestowed on you the blessings of heaven might be bestowed on your people also."

He is credited with re-energizing the Church's missionary work among the non-Christian peoples of northern Europe. He is most famous for sending a mission, often called the Gregorian mission, under Augustine of Canterbury, prior of Saint Andrew's, where he had perhaps succeeded Gregory, to evangelize the pagan Anglo-Saxons of England. It seems that the pope had never forgotten the English slaves whom he had once seen in the Roman Forum. The mission was successful, and it was from England that missionaries later set out for the Netherlands and Germany. The preaching of non-heretical Christian faith and the elimination of all deviations from it was a key element in Gregory's worldview, and it constituted one of the major continuing policies of his pontificate.

Throughout the Middle Ages he was also known as "the Father of Christian Worship" because of his exceptional efforts in revising the Roman liturgical worship of his day.

Blessed Gregory, we live in an age of poverty, famine, and war; and in the Church we face heterodoxy, even apostasy, and often the debasement of worship, even as did you in your earthly life. You who worked so tirelessly for the plight of the hungry, the poor, and refugees; for making peace with enemies; for sending out missionaries to share the orthodox and catholic Faith with those who had never head the Good News in Jesus; and labored for the enrichment and ennoblement of Christian worship. Amen.

Almighty and merciful God, you raised up Gregory of Rome to be a servant of the servants of God, and inspired him to send missionaries to preach the Gospel to the English people: Preserve in your Church the catholic and apostolic faith they taught, that your people, being fruitful in every good work, may receive the crown of glory that never fades away; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

#father troy beecham #christianity #jesus #saints #god #salvation #early church

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brookston · 4 months ago

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Holidays 7.31

Holidays

African Women’s Day

Air Force Day (Nicaragua)

Always Live Better Than Yester Day

Apricot Day (French Republic)

Black Top Day (a.k.a. Black Tot Day; UK)

Brunhilda Asteroid Day

Change Your Ringtone Day (Australia)

Cool Japan Day

Crossfire Hurricane Day

Devoted Couples Day

Emancipation Day (Belize)

Father’s Day (Dominican Republic)

George Jetson Day

Garda Asteroid Day

The Great Mullein Day

Gryphon Appreciation Day

Hapje Tapje (Leuven, Belgium)

Happy Potter Day

Hot August Nights begin (Reno, Nevada)

Insect Appreciation Day

International Lifeguard Appreciation Day

International Seriously Single Day

Joust of Quintana: La Sfida (The Challenge; Italy) [Pt. 2 in September]

Ka Hae Hawai'i Day (State Flag Day; Hawaii)

Law Enforcement Day (Louisiana)

Mac Davis Day (Lubbock, Texas)

Martyrdom Day of Shahid Udham Singh (Haryana and Punjab, India)

Milton Friedman Day

Mutt's Day

National Blood Donor Day (Iran)

National Commando Day

National Diana Day

National Eisteddford of Wales (Wales)

National Heatstroke Awareness Day

National #Love Day

National Mom Bod Day

National Mutt Day (a.k.a. National Mixed Breed Dog Day)

National Orgasm Day (UK)

National Parent a Biracial Child Day

Operation Motorman Anniversary Day (UK)

Rabbit Rabbit Day [Last Day of Every Month]

Saui Sura (Javanese New Year; Suriname)

Saxophone Day

731 Day

Treasury Day (Poland)

Uncommon Instrument Awareness Day

U.S. Patent Day

Warriors’ Day (Malaysia)

World Day Against Electronic Torture

World MS Trend Day

World Ranger Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Cotton Candy Day [also 12.7]

Jump for Jelly Beans Day

Make Homemade Ice Cream and Invite the Neighbors Over Day

National Avocado Day

National Raspberry Cake Day

National Spam Day

Rum Ration Day (a.k.a. Black Tot Day)

Shredded Wheat Day

Independence & Related Days

Sovereignty Restoration Day (Hawaii)

Vanuatu (from UK/France, 1980)

Weimar Constitution Adoption Day (Germany; 1919)

5th & Last Wednesday in July

OSHC Educators Day (Australia) [last Wednesday]

Weekly Holidays beginning July 31 (Last Week of July)

Oregon Brewers Festival begins [Last full weekend; Wednesday thru Saturday] (Now merged with the Portland Rose Festival in May and June)

Festivals Beginning July 31, 2024

Beyond the Gates (Bergen, Norway) [thru 8.3]

Grays Harbor County Fair (Elma, Washington) [thru 8.3]

Iowa Hunger Summit (Des Moines, Iowa)

Maine Lobster Festival (Rockland, Maine) [thru 8.4]

Montelago Celtic Festival (Serravalle di Chienti, Italy) [thru 8.3]

NC Watermelon Festival (Murfreesboro, North Carolina) [thru 8.3]

Northern Maine Fair (Presque Isle, Maine) [thru 8.4]

Ventura County Fair (Ventura, California) [thru 8.11]

Viagem Medieval (Medieval Journey) (Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal) [thru 8.11]

Feast Days

Abanoub (Christian; Saint)

Bill Gates Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Birthday of Nephthys

Cameons (Positivist; Saint)

The Clodhoppers (Muppetism)

Dress Up Day (Pastafarian)

Erich Heckel (Artology)

Feast of Joseph of Arimathea (Anglican; Roman Catholic)

First Sermon of Buddha (Bhutan)

Germanus of Auxerre (Christian; Saint)

Helen of Skofde, Sweden (Christian; Saint)

Ignatius of Loyola (Christian; Saint)

Jacques Villon (Artology)

Jean Denis Attiret (Artology)

Jean Dubuffet (Artology)

J.K. Rowling (Writerism)

John Columbini (Christian; Saint)

Joseph of Arimathea (Eastern Orthodox)

Ka Hae (Hawaii Flag Day; Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Lammas Eve (a.k.a. ...

August Eve

Hlafmesse (Loaf Mass; Anglo-Saxon)

Lammas, Day 1 (Celtic, Pagan) [5 of 8 Festivals of the Natural Year]

Lughnassad Eve

Lithasblot (Norse Harvest Festival)

Loki and Sigyn’s Day (Norse)

Lughnassadh (Grain Harvest)

Oiche Lughnasadh (Pagan)

Martyrdom Day of Shahid Udham Singh (Haryana, India)

Mary Vaux Walcott (Artology)

Neot (Christian; Saint)

Primo Levi (Writerism)

Real Ale Day (Pastafarian)

Seedy Birds (Muppetism)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sensho (先勝 Japan) [Good luck in the morning, bad luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

Bad Animals, by Heart (Album; 1987)

BASEketball (Film; 1998)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Film; 1992)

Confidence (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1933)

Dad’s Army (BBC TV Series; 1968)

The Dark Tower (Film; 2017)

Death Becomes Her (Film; 1992)

Enchanted April (Film; 1992)

Ever After (Film; 1998)

Farmer Al Falfa’s Prize Package (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1936)

Four Weddings and a Funeral (TV Series; 2019)

Hang ‘Em High (Film; 1968)

Hot Shots! (Film; 1991)

I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson (Novel; 1954)

Lego Aquaman: Rage of Atlantis (WB Animated Film; 2018)

Little Boy Blue (Castle Films ComiColor Cartoons; 1936)

The Living Daylights (James Bond Film, US; 1987) [#15]

The Lost Boys (Film; 1987)

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (Film; 2015)

Murder Included, by Joanna Cannan (Novel; 1950)

The Negotiator (Film; 1998)

Night (Silly Symphony Disney Cartoon; 1930)

Only the Lonely, by Roy Orbison (Song; 1960)

The Pink Pill (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1968)

Plenty of Money and You (WB MM Cartoon; 1937)

Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect (Book of Poems; 1786)

Rascal Flatts, by Rascal Flatts (Album; 2000)

Rushing Roulette (WB MM Cartoon; 1965)

The Shadow (Radio Series; 1930)

Still the One, by Orleans (Song; 1976)

Urban Cowboy (Film; 1980)

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (Film; 2017)

What a Night! What a Moon!, recorded by Teddy Wilson (Song; 1935)

The Wiggles (TV Series; 1998)

Today’s Name Days

Hermann, Ignatius, Justinus (Austria)

Ignacije, Vatroslav (Croatia)

Ignác (Czech Republic)

Germanus, Helena (Denmark)

Ave, Meevi (Estonia)

Elena, Helena (Finland)

Ignace (France)

Herrmann, Ignatius, Joseph (Germany)

Iosif, Sifis (Greece)

Oszkár (Hungary)

Barbara (Italy)

Angelika, Renita, Rūta, Sigita (Latvia)

Elena, Ignotas, Sanginas, Vykintė (Lithuania)

Elin, Eline (Norway)

Beatus, Demokryt, Emilian, Ernesta, Ernestyna, Helena, Iga, Ignacja, Ignacy, Justyn, Ludomir, Żegota (Poland)

Margarita, Marina (Russia)

Ignác (Slovakia)

Fabio, Germán, Ignacio (Spain)

Elin, Helena (Sweden)

Ignacio, Inigo, Reed, Reid (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 213 of 2024; 153 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 3 of Week 31 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Tinne (Holly) [Day 26 of 28]

Chinese: Month 6 (Xin-Wei), Day 26 (Bing-Shen)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 25 Tammuz 5784

Islamic: 24 Muharram 1446

J Cal: 3 Purple; Threesday [3 of 30]

Julian: 18 July 2024

Moon: 17%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 16 Dante (8th Month) [Cameons]

Runic Half Month: Thorn (Defense) [Day 8 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 42 of 94)

Week: Last Week of July

Zodiac: Leo (Day 10 of 31)

#calendar #Holidays

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brookstonalmanac · 4 months ago

Text

Holidays 7.31

Holidays

African Women’s Day

Air Force Day (Nicaragua)

Always Live Better Than Yester Day

Apricot Day (French Republic)

Black Top Day (a.k.a. Black Tot Day; UK)

Brunhilda Asteroid Day

Change Your Ringtone Day (Australia)

Cool Japan Day

Crossfire Hurricane Day

Devoted Couples Day

Emancipation Day (Belize)

Father’s Day (Dominican Republic)

George Jetson Day

Garda Asteroid Day

The Great Mullein Day

Gryphon Appreciation Day

Hapje Tapje (Leuven, Belgium)

Happy Potter Day

Hot August Nights begin (Reno, Nevada)

Insect Appreciation Day

International Lifeguard Appreciation Day

International Seriously Single Day

Joust of Quintana: La Sfida (The Challenge; Italy) [Pt. 2 in September]

Ka Hae Hawai'i Day (State Flag Day; Hawaii)

Law Enforcement Day (Louisiana)

Mac Davis Day (Lubbock, Texas)

Martyrdom Day of Shahid Udham Singh (Haryana and Punjab, India)

Milton Friedman Day

Mutt's Day

National Blood Donor Day (Iran)

National Commando Day

National Diana Day

National Eisteddford of Wales (Wales)

National Heatstroke Awareness Day

National #Love Day

National Mom Bod Day

National Mutt Day (a.k.a. National Mixed Breed Dog Day)

National Orgasm Day (UK)

National Parent a Biracial Child Day

Operation Motorman Anniversary Day (UK)

Rabbit Rabbit Day [Last Day of Every Month]

Saui Sura (Javanese New Year; Suriname)

Saxophone Day

731 Day

Treasury Day (Poland)

Uncommon Instrument Awareness Day

U.S. Patent Day

Warriors’ Day (Malaysia)

World Day Against Electronic Torture

World MS Trend Day

World Ranger Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Cotton Candy Day [also 12.7]

Jump for Jelly Beans Day

Make Homemade Ice Cream and Invite the Neighbors Over Day

National Avocado Day

National Raspberry Cake Day

National Spam Day

Rum Ration Day (a.k.a. Black Tot Day)

Shredded Wheat Day

Independence & Related Days

Sovereignty Restoration Day (Hawaii)

Vanuatu (from UK/France, 1980)

Weimar Constitution Adoption Day (Germany; 1919)

5th & Last Wednesday in July

OSHC Educators Day (Australia) [last Wednesday]

Weekly Holidays beginning July 31 (Last Week of July)

Oregon Brewers Festival begins [Last full weekend; Wednesday thru Saturday] (Now merged with the Portland Rose Festival in May and June)

Festivals Beginning July 31, 2024

Beyond the Gates (Bergen, Norway) [thru 8.3]

Grays Harbor County Fair (Elma, Washington) [thru 8.3]

Iowa Hunger Summit (Des Moines, Iowa)

Maine Lobster Festival (Rockland, Maine) [thru 8.4]

Montelago Celtic Festival (Serravalle di Chienti, Italy) [thru 8.3]

NC Watermelon Festival (Murfreesboro, North Carolina) [thru 8.3]

Northern Maine Fair (Presque Isle, Maine) [thru 8.4]

Ventura County Fair (Ventura, California) [thru 8.11]

Viagem Medieval (Medieval Journey) (Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal) [thru 8.11]

Feast Days

Abanoub (Christian; Saint)

Bill Gates Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Birthday of Nephthys

Cameons (Positivist; Saint)

The Clodhoppers (Muppetism)

Dress Up Day (Pastafarian)

Erich Heckel (Artology)

Feast of Joseph of Arimathea (Anglican; Roman Catholic)

First Sermon of Buddha (Bhutan)

Germanus of Auxerre (Christian; Saint)

Helen of Skofde, Sweden (Christian; Saint)

Ignatius of Loyola (Christian; Saint)

Jacques Villon (Artology)

Jean Denis Attiret (Artology)

Jean Dubuffet (Artology)

J.K. Rowling (Writerism)

John Columbini (Christian; Saint)

Joseph of Arimathea (Eastern Orthodox)

Ka Hae (Hawaii Flag Day; Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Lammas Eve (a.k.a. ...

August Eve

Hlafmesse (Loaf Mass; Anglo-Saxon)

Lammas, Day 1 (Celtic, Pagan) [5 of 8 Festivals of the Natural Year]

Lughnassad Eve

Lithasblot (Norse Harvest Festival)

Loki and Sigyn’s Day (Norse)

Lughnassadh (Grain Harvest)

Oiche Lughnasadh (Pagan)

Martyrdom Day of Shahid Udham Singh (Haryana, India)

Mary Vaux Walcott (Artology)

Neot (Christian; Saint)

Primo Levi (Writerism)

Real Ale Day (Pastafarian)

Seedy Birds (Muppetism)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sensho (先勝 Japan) [Good luck in the morning, bad luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

Bad Animals, by Heart (Album; 1987)

BASEketball (Film; 1998)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Film; 1992)

Confidence (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1933)

Dad’s Army (BBC TV Series; 1968)

The Dark Tower (Film; 2017)

Death Becomes Her (Film; 1992)

Enchanted April (Film; 1992)

Ever After (Film; 1998)

Farmer Al Falfa’s Prize Package (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1936)

Four Weddings and a Funeral (TV Series; 2019)

Hang ‘Em High (Film; 1968)

Hot Shots! (Film; 1991)

I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson (Novel; 1954)

Lego Aquaman: Rage of Atlantis (WB Animated Film; 2018)

Little Boy Blue (Castle Films ComiColor Cartoons; 1936)

The Living Daylights (James Bond Film, US; 1987) [#15]

The Lost Boys (Film; 1987)

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (Film; 2015)

Murder Included, by Joanna Cannan (Novel; 1950)

The Negotiator (Film; 1998)

Night (Silly Symphony Disney Cartoon; 1930)

Only the Lonely, by Roy Orbison (Song; 1960)

The Pink Pill (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1968)

Plenty of Money and You (WB MM Cartoon; 1937)

Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect (Book of Poems; 1786)

Rascal Flatts, by Rascal Flatts (Album; 2000)

Rushing Roulette (WB MM Cartoon; 1965)

The Shadow (Radio Series; 1930)

Still the One, by Orleans (Song; 1976)

Urban Cowboy (Film; 1980)

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (Film; 2017)

What a Night! What a Moon!, recorded by Teddy Wilson (Song; 1935)

The Wiggles (TV Series; 1998)

Today’s Name Days

Hermann, Ignatius, Justinus (Austria)

Ignacije, Vatroslav (Croatia)

Ignác (Czech Republic)

Germanus, Helena (Denmark)

Ave, Meevi (Estonia)

Elena, Helena (Finland)

Ignace (France)

Herrmann, Ignatius, Joseph (Germany)

Iosif, Sifis (Greece)

Oszkár (Hungary)

Barbara (Italy)

Angelika, Renita, Rūta, Sigita (Latvia)

Elena, Ignotas, Sanginas, Vykintė (Lithuania)

Elin, Eline (Norway)

Beatus, Demokryt, Emilian, Ernesta, Ernestyna, Helena, Iga, Ignacja, Ignacy, Justyn, Ludomir, Żegota (Poland)

Margarita, Marina (Russia)

Ignác (Slovakia)

Fabio, Germán, Ignacio (Spain)

Elin, Helena (Sweden)

Ignacio, Inigo, Reed, Reid (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 213 of 2024; 153 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 3 of Week 31 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Tinne (Holly) [Day 26 of 28]

Chinese: Month 6 (Xin-Wei), Day 26 (Bing-Shen)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 25 Tammuz 5784

Islamic: 24 Muharram 1446

J Cal: 3 Purple; Threesday [3 of 30]

Julian: 18 July 2024

Moon: 17%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 16 Dante (8th Month) [Cameons]

Runic Half Month: Thorn (Defense) [Day 8 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 42 of 94)

Week: Last Week of July

Zodiac: Leo (Day 10 of 31)

#Holidays

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sheetmusiclibrarypdf · 5 months ago

Text

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)Three Movements from Petrushka: The Shrovetide FairThree Movements from Petrushka: The Shrovetide Fair ·Arthur Rubinstein, piano · Igor StravinskyNew Highlights from "Rubinstein at Carnegie Hall" - Recorded During the Historic 10 Recitals of 1961Please, subscribe to our Library. Thank you!Best Sheet Music download from our Library.Igor Stravinsky's PetrushkaIgor Stravinsky (short bio)

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

Three Movements from Petrushka: The Shrovetide Fair

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSSWuIfb0LU Three Movements from Petrushka: The Shrovetide Fair · Arthur Rubinstein, piano · Igor Stravinsky New Highlights from "Rubinstein at Carnegie Hall" - Recorded During the Historic 10 Recitals of 1961

Igor Stravinsky's Petrushka

Petrushka (French: Pétrouchka; Russian: Петрушка) is a ballet and orchestral concert work by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1911 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company; the original choreography was by Michel Fokine and stage designs and costumes by Alexandre Benois, who assisted Stravinsky with the libretto. The ballet premiered at the Théâtre du Châtelet on 13 June 1911 with Vaslav Nijinsky as Petrushka, Tamara Karsavina as the lead ballerina, Alexander Orlov as the Moor, and Enrico Cecchetti the charlatan. Petrushka tells the story of the loves and jealousies of three puppets. The three are brought to life by the Charlatan during the 1830 Shrovetide Fair (Maslenitsa) in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Petrushka loves the Ballerina, but she rejects him. She prefers the Moor. Petrushka is angry and hurt, and challenges the Moor. The Moor kills him with his scimitar. Petrushka's ghost rises above the puppet theatre as night falls. He shakes his fist at the Charlatan, then collapses in a second death. The gestation of Petrushka was not a straightforward matter. While completing The Firebird during the spring of 1910, Stravinsky had a "vision" of a solemn pagan rite: sage elders, seated in a circle, watching a young girl dance herself to death. They were sacrificing her to propitiate the god of Spring. Such was the theme of The Rite of Spring. Immediately following the stunning success of The Firebird in June 1910, Diaghilev approached Stravinsky about a new ballet; the composer proposed the Rite theme. Diaghilev accepted in principle and suggested that the premiere might take place during the Paris season of the Ballets Russes during the spring of 1912. At the end of September 1910, Diaghilev went to visit Stravinsky in Clarens, Switzerland, where he was living at the time. Expecting to discuss the new ballet, Diaghilev was astonished to find Stravinsky hard at work on a totally different project. Stravinsky, it seems, had had another vision: "I saw a man in evening dress, with long hair, the musician or poet of the romantic tradition. He placed several heteroclite objects on the keyboard and rolled them up and down. At this the orchestra exploded with the most vehement protestations – hammer blows, in fact …" Later, Stravinsky wrote: "n composing the music, I had in my mind a distinct picture of a puppet, suddenly endowed with life, exasperating the patience of the orchestra with diabolical cascades of arpeggios. The orchestra in turn retaliates with menacing trumpet blasts." Although Stravinsky had conceived the music as a pure concert work—a Konzertstück, Diaghilev immediately realized its theatrical potential. The notion of a puppet put Diaghilev in mind of Petrushka, the Russian version of Punch and Judy puppetry that had formed a traditional part of the pre-Lenten Carnival festivities in 1830s St. Petersburg. Stravinsky composed the music during the winter of 1910–11 for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. It was premièred in Paris at the Théâtre du Châtelet on 13 June 1911 under conductor Pierre Monteux, with choreography by Michel Fokine and sets by Alexandre Benois. The title role was danced by Vaslav Nijinsky. The work is characterized by the so-called Petrushka chord (consisting of C major and F♯ major triads played together), a bitonality device heralding the appearance of the main character. The original 1911 version of Petrushka is scored for the following orchestra. Stravinsky's 1946 scoring is for a smaller orchestra: Compared to the 1911 version, the 1946 version (given in 1947) requires 1 less flute; 2 fewer oboes, but a dedicated cor anglais player instead of one doubled by the fourth oboe; 1 less clarinet; 2 fewer bassoons, but a dedicated contrabassoon; neither of the 2 cornets, but an additional trumpet; 1 less snare drum and no tenor drum, thus removing the offstage instruments; no glockenspiel; and 1 less harp. While the original idea was Stravinsky's, Alexandre Benois provided the ethnographic details of the Shrovetide Fair and the traditions of the Russian puppet theater. And although Petrushka is frequently cited as an example of the complete integration of libretto, music, choreography, and scenic design, Stravinsky had composed significant portions of the music (chiefly the Second Tableau) before Benois became involved with the project. Petrushka begins with a festive orchestral introduction based, in part, on historical Russian street-hawkers' cries. The curtain rises to reveal St. Petersburg's Admiralty Square during the 1830s. The stage set (also by Benois) depicts several hucksters' booths, a ferris-wheel, a carousel, and (upstage center) a puppet theater. A crowd has gathered for the Shrovetide Fair (known as Maslenitsa), the carnival (analogous to Mardi Gras) preceding Lent. In Fokine's original choreography, a group of Drunken Revelers emerges from the crowd, dancing to Stravinsky's adaptation of the folk-tune "Song of the Volochobniki" ("Dalalin' Dalalin'" from Rimsky-Korsakov Op. 24 No. 47). Suddenly, the festive music is interrupted by strident brass announcing the appearance of the Master of Ceremonies on the balcony of his booth. The equivalent of a carnival "barker", he boasts of the attractions to be seen within. The squeaks of a street-organ are heard (clarinets and flutes) as an Organ-Grinder and Dancing Girl emerge from the crowd, which at first pays little attention as the barker continues to shout. The Dancer moves downstage and begins to dance to another Russian folk-song, "Toward Evening, in Rainy Autumn", while playing the triangle. At the other end of the stage, a second Dancing Girl appears, accompanied by a music box (suggested in the orchestra by the celesta). The two Dancing Girls compete for the crowd's attention to the strains of a ribald French music-hall song about a woman with a wooden leg: "Une Jambe de bois". Both tunes are repeated. The Drunken Revelers return (again to the "Song of the Volochobniki") interrupted several times by the Barker's boasts. The street-hawkers' cries of the very opening are heard once more. Suddenly, two drummers summon the crowd to the puppet theater with deafening drumrolls. The Magician (sometimes called the "Charlatan") appears to mystical groans from the bassoon and contrabassoon. When he has everyone's attention, he produces a flute and begins to play a long, improvisatory melody. The curtain of the puppet theater rises to reveal three puppets hanging on the wall: the Moor, the Ballerina, and Petrushka. When the Magician touches them with his flute (to chirps in the orchestra), they seem to awaken. The astonished crowd watches as, with a wave of the Magician's hand, the three puppets begin a vigorous Russian Dance (based on two more Russian folk-tunes: "A Linden Tree Is in the Field" and "Song for St. John's Eve"). In Fokine's masterly choreography, they first begin to move their feet (while still hanging on the wall), then burst forth from the puppet theater into the midst of the crowd. The Moor (resplendent in turban and exaggerated pantaloons) is swashbuckling. The Ballerina dances perpetually en pointe. Petrushka, on the other hand, is wooden and awkward. It becomes apparent Petrushka loves the Ballerina; but she has eyes only for the Moor. The Magician calls the dance to a halt; the curtain falls rapidly. Although Petrushka's room is inside the puppet theater, the Benois design is fantastical, portraying the night sky with stars and a half-moon; abstract icebergs (or snow-capped mountains), and a prominent portrait of the Magician. Drumrolls announce the beginning of the Second Tableau. Without an Introduction, the music begins menacingly. "A foot kicks him onstage; Petrushka falls…" As Petrushka gradually pulls himself together, we hear a strange arpeggio in the clarinets: this is the famous "Petrushka chord" (consisting of juxtaposed triads of C major and F♯ major). Petrushka gets to his feet (although shakily) to the accompaniment of waves of arpeggios from the piano (revealing the music's origins in Stravinsky's Konzertstück). The "Petrushka Chord" returns, now violently scored for trumpets, marked in the score "Petrushka's Curses", directed at the portrait of the Magician. The music turns lyrical as Petrushka falls to his knees and mimes (in turn) his self-pity, love for the Ballerina, and hatred of the Magician. The Ballerina (still en pointe) sneaks into Petrushka's room, at first unnoticed. As soon as Petrushka sees her, he begins a manic, athletic display of leaps and frantic gestures (although he was barely able to stand before she arrived). Frightened by his exuberance, the Ballerina flees. Petrushka falls to the floor to the mocking of the clarinets. Another passage of arpeggios for piano grows into a second round of curses directed at the Magician, again represented musically by the "Petrushka Chord", this time scored for full orchestra. For just a moment, Petrushka peers out of his room at the crowd assembled in Admiralty Square (Stravinsky provides a brief reference to the "crowd music" of the First Tableau). Then, Petrushka collapses as we hear a taunting reprise of the clarinets playing the "Petrushka Chord", followed by an odd trumpet call signalling "blackout, curtain." As before, drumrolls link the Third Tableau to its predecessor (in the 1911 score, Stravinsky directs that this drumroll should be omitted in concert performance). In sharp contrast to the darkness of Petrushka's Room, the brilliant colors of the Benois design for the Moor's Room evoke a romanticized desert: palm trees, exotic flowers, sand. In Fokine's choreography, the Moor reclines on a divan playing with a coconut. He then jumps to his feet and attempts to cut it with his scimitar. When he fails he believes that the coconut must be a god and proceeds to pray to it. The Charlatan places the Ballerina in the Moor's room. The Ballerina is attracted to the Moor's handsome appearance. She plays a saucy tune on a toy trumpet (represented by a cornet in the original 1911 orchestration) and then dances with the Moor in a waltz (the themes taken from Joseph Lanner's Op. 165 No. 1 and Op. 200 No. 1). Petrushka finally breaks free from his cell; he interrupts the seduction of the Ballerina. Petrushka attacks the Moor but soon realizes he is too small and weak. The Moor beats Petrushka. The ballerina faints. The clown-puppet flees for his life, with the Moor chasing him, and escapes from the room. The fourth and final scene returns to the carnival. Some time has passed; it is now early evening. The orchestra introduces a chain of colourful dances as a series of apparently unrelated characters come and go about the stage as snow begins to fall. The first and most prominent is the Wet-Nurses' Dance, performed to the tune of the folk song "Down the Petersky Road". Then comes a peasant with his dancing bear, followed in turn by a group of a gypsies, coachmen and grooms and masqueraders. As the merrymaking reaches its peak, a cry is heard from the puppet-theater. Petrushka suddenly runs across the scene, followed by the Moor in hot pursuit brandishing his sword, and the terrified Ballerina chasing after the Moor, fearful of what he might do. The crowd is horrified when the Moor catches up with Petrushka and slays him with a single stroke of his blade. The police question the Charlatan. The Charlatan seeks to restore calm by holding the "corpse" above his head and shaking it to remind everyone that Petrushka is but a puppet. As night falls and the crowd disperses, the Charlatan leaves, carrying Petrushka's limp body. All of a sudden, Petrushka's ghost appears on the roof of the little theatre, his cry now in the form of angry defiance. Petrushka's spirit thumbs its nose at his tormentor from beyond the wood and straw of his carcass. Now completely alone, the Charlatan is terrified to see the leering ghost of Petrushka. He runs away while allowing himself a single frightened glance over his shoulder. The scene is hushed, leaving the audience to wonder who is "real" and who is not. The work is divided into four tableaux (scenes). The score further indicates the following episodes: During rehearsals for the 1911 premiere, Stravinsky and other pianists including Russian composer Nikolai Tcherepnin used a piano four-hand version of the score. This has never been published, although Paul Jacobs and Ursula Oppens, among other pianists, have played it in concert. In 1921, Stravinsky created a virtuosic and celebrated piano arrangement for Arthur Rubinstein, Trois mouvements de Petrouchka, which the composer admitted he could not play himself, for want of adequate left-hand technique. Herbert Stothart, who composed the score for The Wizard of Oz, was visited by Stravinsky at MGM in 1936. Stravinsky gifted Stothart a personal, signed copy of Petrushka. As the main characters in the film run through the Deadly Poppy Field, the opening to the fourth tableau can be heard briefly. In 1946, he thinned the ballet's scoring, in part because the original was not covered everywhere by copyright. The rapid continuous timpani and snare-drum notes that link each scene, optional in 1911, are compulsory in this version, which was published in 1947. The Ballerina's tune is assigned to a trumpet in 1946 in place of a cornet, and the 1946 version provides an optional fff (fortississimo) near the piano conclusion. Stravinsky also removed some difficult metric modulations in the First Tableau. Separately Stravinsky created a suite for concert performance, an almost complete version of the ballet but cutting the last three sections. In 1956, an animated version of the ballet appeared as part of NBC's Sol Hurok Music Hour. It was personally conducted by Stravinsky himself and was the first such collaboration. Directed by animator John David Wilson with Fine Arts Films, it has been noted as the first animated special ever to air on television. In 1988, Maddalena Fagandini directed a version of Petrushka along with The Sleeping Beauty (Tchaikovsky), The Nutcracker (and the Mouse King) (Tchaikovsky) and Coppélia (Delibes) in the BBC puppet film Musical Tales which was released in VHS. Basil Twist debuted his puppetry version of Petrushka at Lincoln Center in 2001; it was performed as well at New York City Center's 2009 Fall for Dance Festival. A full transcription of the 1911 version for symphonic wind ensemble in the original key was made by Don Patterson.

Igor Stravinsky (short bio)

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (17 June 1882 – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century and a pivotal figure in modernist music. Born to a famous bass in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Stravinsky grew up taking piano and music theory lessons. While studying law at the University of Saint Petersburg, he met Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and studied under him until his death in 1908. Igor Stravinsky met the impresario Sergei Diaghilev soon after, who commissioned the composer to write three ballets for the Ballets Russes's Paris seasons: The Firebird (1910), Petrushka (1911), and The Rite of Spring (1913), the last of which caused a near-riot at the premiere due to its avant-garde nature and later changed the way composers understood rhythmic structure. Stravinsky's compositional career is often divided into three periods: his Russian period (1913–1920), his neoclassical period (1920–1951), and his serial period (1954–1968). During his Russian period, Stravinsky was heavily influenced by Russian styles and folklore. Works such as Renard (1916) and Les noces (1923) drew upon Russian folk poetry, while compositions like L'Histoire du soldat (1918) integrated these folk elements with popular musical forms, including the tango, waltz, ragtime, and chorale. His neoclassical period exhibited themes and techniques from the classical period, like the use of the sonata form in his Octet (1923) and use of Greek mythological themes in works like Apollon musagète (1927), Oedipus rex (1927), and Persephone (1935). In his serial period, Stravinsky turned towards compositional techniques from the Second Viennese School like Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique. In Memoriam Dylan Thomas (1954) was the first of his compositions to be fully based on the technique, and Canticum Sacrum (1956) was his first to be based on a tone row. Stravinsky's last major work was the Requiem Canticles (1966), which was performed at his funeral. While many supporters were confused by Stravinsky's constant stylistic changes, later writers recognized his versatile language as important in the development of modernist music. Stravinsky's revolutionary ideas influenced composers as diverse as Aaron Copland, Philip Glass, Béla Bartók, and Pierre Boulez, who were all challenged to innovate music in areas beyond tonality, especially rhythm and form. In 1998, Time magazine listed Stravinsky as one of the 100 most influential people of the century. Stravinsky died of pulmonary edema on 6 April 1971 in New York City, having left six memoirs written with his friend and assistant Robert Craft, as well as an earlier autobiography and a series of lectures. Read the full article

#SMLPDF #noten #partitura #sheetmusicdownload #sheetmusicscoredownloadpartiturapartitionspartitinoten楽譜망할음악ноты

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i-am-theseeker · 6 months ago

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The light of the water

Water • September Pagan Challenge # 26 In OBOD Druidry, Autumn Equinox is called Alban Elfed, the Light of the Water. So here are some photos of water and light. I think Alban Elfed is a wonderful name — light and water are a natural pairing and the reflective nature of water does amazing things […]The light of the water

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thetoxicgamer · 1 year ago

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Far Cry 6 & the Rest of Ubisoft’s Series is Really Cheap Right Now

The entire Far Cry series is currently available at heavily discounted prices, ranging from the original game to the latest Far Cry 6. Ubisoft's series caters to fans of open-world FPS games, offering something for everyone. Thanks to a significant Steam sale, you can select any of these games that pique your interest without a significant financial burden. Two standout titles for me are Far Cry 2 and Far Cry 4. Far Cry 2 presents a gritty and intense experience, transporting players to a jungle survival scenario where they must take down the notorious arms dealer known as The Jackal. You'll grapple with challenges like navigating treacherous dirt tracks while consulting an in-game map, using unreliable firearms that can jam at critical moments, and managing a severe malaria infection that requires regular medication for survival. However, you're not alone, as the buddy system, a feature later incorporated into the series, is present here as well. You can recruit any of the eight other playable mercenaries to fight alongside you. But keep in mind that they too are susceptible to the dangers of the jungle. When things go wrong, you'll face tough decisions, such as whether to use your limited medical supplies to save a comrade or leave them to their fate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVYl-PwFCss Far Cry 4, on the other hand, stands out as a modern, more over-the-top adventure. The enigmatic antagonist, Pagan Min, played by Troy Baker, offers an unpredictable mix of open-handed generosity and chilling violence. As Kyrati-American Ajay Ghale, you find yourself unwittingly thrust into a world of factional warfare, constantly forced to choose between two morally ambiguous options. The game's action shines amidst the Nepal-inspired landscape of Kyrat, allowing for exhilarating activities like ziplining from mountaintops, flying with a wingsuit, unleashing explosive salvos from a miniature helicopter, or dismantling entire encampments with a silenced sniper rifle. For those seeking a more domestic setting, Far Cry 5's Montana backdrop and eerie doomsday cult storyline may capture your interest. If you prefer a more distant and unique experience, there's Far Cry Primal, which transports the series to the Stone Age. Alternatively, Far Cry New Dawn plunges you into a vibrant post-apocalyptic world, and Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon offers a neon-soaked cyber shooter experience that will delight fans of classic '80s action movies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av5pqJaIeCk This enticing Far Cry Steam sale is available until Thursday, September 21, 2023, and includes the following discounts on base games: - Far Cry 6: 75% off ($14.99 / £12.49) - Far Cry New Dawn: 80% off ($7.99 / £7.59) - Far Cry 5: 85% off ($8.99 / £7.49) - Far Cry Primal: 75% off ($7.49 / £10.49) - Far Cry 4: 80% off ($5.99 / £5.19) - Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon: 75% off ($3.74 / £3.12) - Far Cry 3: 75% off ($4.99 / £4.24) - Far Cry 2: 70% off ($2.99 / £2.57) - Far Cry: 70% off ($2.99 / £2.57) You can access these discounts on the Far Cry franchise page on Steam, where you can also explore premium editions and bonus downloadable content, much of which is also part of this sale. If you're a fan of expansive open-world experiences, don't miss out on these breathtaking offers. Additionally, if you're looking to save even more money while enjoying games, we've compiled a list of the best free Steam games to keep you entertained without spending a dime as we enter the latter part of the year. Read the full article

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lowkeynando · 1 year ago

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The Radical Faeries are a loosely affiliated worldwide network and countercultural movement seeking to redefine queer consciousness through secular spirituality. [1]

Sometimes deemed a form of modern

Paganism, the movement also adopts elements from anarchism and environmentalism.

Rejecting hetero-imitation, the Radical Faerie movement began during the 1970s sexual revolution among gay men in the United States.

[2] The movement has expanded in tandem with the larger gay rights movement, challenging commercialization and patriarchal aspects of modern LGBTQ+ life while celebrating eclectic constructs and rituals. [3] Faeries tend to be fiercely independent, anti-establishment, and community-focused. 3]

The Radical Faerie movement was founded in California in 1979 by gay activists Harry Hay and Don Kilhefner [4] Influenced by the legacy of the counterculture of the 1960s, they held the first Spiritual Conference for Radical Fairies in Arizona in September 1979. From there, various regional Faerie Circles were formed, and other large rural gatherings organized. Although Kilhefner and a later, pivotal member, Mitch Walker, broke from Hay in 1980, the movement continued to grow, having expanded into an international network soon after the second Faerie gathering in 1980s. CLONES

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sleep-deprived-luka · 3 months ago

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Oh there's still allot about the Wolf au (Thank almost two years of deranged scribblings for that) and I'm really happy that you're interested :D It's always a delight to see my selfindulgent projects garner someone's interest!

(another cut for obvious reasons)

It's admittedly a bit hard to decide what I could talk about next. There is a remarkably fine line between explaining important world building and counting down street names and their history/etymology.

But I think talking about religious aspects is a safe bet.

Wolf is mostly set in a medieval german country, so the religion at hand is a weird imitation of Christianity. It's Hatsune Miku as the god and the other cryptonloids as lesser ones.

The religion is admittedly simple at its core. Miku created the world through song, constructing it in melodic order etc. etc.

Everything revolves around that really, especially the calendar which I loosely based of geocentrism

We have Empyreum as January, Terra as February, Luna as March, Mercurius as April, Venus as May, Sol as June, Mars as July, Iupiter as August, Saturnus as September, Astra as Oktober, Zodiak as November and Purgatorio as December

The order follows a loss of sanctity in a way. Starting from Empyreum(Purity) then going Earth (being born) experiencing the various pleasures and troubles of earthly live inbetween Luna and Mars, followed by Iupiter where the Thunderfestival symbolizes repentance and separating the good from the bad (the bad being saturn) then the final travels to return to sanctity through the stars and purgatory starting it all over.

Every Month has one big event, that has some sort of lightmotive I desperately want to convey in my writing. For example Sol has soft glass bells, Zodiac has nightly songs played by the organ, Iupiter has the thunder of countless pots and pans being bashed together and Astra the song of merry people meeting each other. They all then get featured in the grand orchestra of the Empyreum festival, where a new year gets celebrated.

But with that purity theming there's also what makes the main conflict of Wolf. The queer, the strange, the others.

With defined borders of what is and isn't holy. It's a us vs them world, the ones and the others. (the others are a generalized term for anything not made by Miku or not following Miku. It includes Fea/Fairy/Wolves/Owls/Pagans/Apostates and other things)

A good chunk of what makes Sekai is making those borders clear. Knighthood is a very prominent tool for that, since as Airi described (rough translation) "Knights only serve to move and defend these arbitrary mortal lines" so to hinder the others from mingling with what is pure and precise. (the arbitrary is more because Airi is speaking from the perspective of a semi-imortal)

But hey I'm a prsk fan on dungle.com, I am nothing but a fan of the queers (pretending like I'm not very queer myself)

(Trying my best not to get lost in a side tangent)

I also conveyed that black and white thinking in other parts of world building. The Tenmaepos is built from it really, but there are other tales. In the Shizuai wip the most prominent is the lynx and the hound, a story I used to explain the two accepted roles of the other. It's about a lynx trapped in a snare having a conversation with the hound. At first the beast tries to be on even ground, calling the hound his brother, but eventually it just becomes a "Why are you serving man?" discussion. Both points are presented neutrally, the wild beasts in the forest and the domesticated hound are both accepted roles, the issue is that the lynx has to die, because he can neither be free nor kept.

In the same fic Tsukasa has a play where he basically restates that moral (Tsukasa isn't the best ally pre bloodmoon. He likes his dazzling tales and hasn't had them challenged yet) It's about a poor fisherman who saved a sea fairy forcing her to help him. It went fine when they were on uneven grounds, but the second equality hits he dies. "Man can only be apart from the others or make them subservient, but it's best to kill the vile than have them on your side" that's the moral (some conservative ass message pff)

The Mizuena fic has some tales aswell. We have the purple beast, that's more of a "behave well or 'x' monster gets you" Mizuki mentioned as a joke. In the same chapter there's a mention of "the small Oliver" (Mizuki named a cat after Oliver) that's about a boy that went into the forest and got kidnapped.

There are multiple stories, because this tale was some random taletellers weekly project, but the short version is: Lala makes friends and finds 12 magic objects. Mia is there aswell, a trickster fae who initially worked for the Faeking. She betrayed him to help Lala. She dies in that story. Her death is depicted in complete neutrality. Well she is one of the others yk?

A bigger one would be the fanatstical story of the cursed Lala, obviously based on the Anime Mizuki liked lmao. The premise is Lalas parents promiseda Faeking, that if they'll make it through the winter they'll give him their unborn child. They in the end tricked him (with a trick I'll never gonna mention, cuz Ena didn't want to hear Mizuki gush about it >:( ) saving their child, but well making the king mad. To punish such a thing the faeking went "Fuck you! Now nobody can have the child!" Cursing Lala so that she can't be with her parents until she finds something to make up with the Faeking.

WHich segways into a currently disputed topic (the despute is between I,me and myself)

One major difference between humans and the others (the humanoid kind) is that the others have no soul. That's basic nordic myth, but needs to be considered with some kind of understanding of what having a soul means.

In some way having a soul means true immortality. The others mostly have a very long lifespan (Airi for example is older than the mountain on which the Hinomori forest grew. It was a fun lil imitation of some mythological animals going "Well I witnessed the life of the tree from which acorn this elder oak grew from") but if they die it's over. In comparison humans die faster, but since they have a soul they have true eternity waiting for them.

There is the additional thought that maybe immortality could be portrayed as someone being remembered. So that the appearance of the others vanish from ones memory. For example: I've been thinking of making Nagi the beast of rad weekend. And well after being slain the actual Nagi died, but two shadows remain. Nagi the knight and Nagi the beast. The true memory turns vague almost fading and a legend fills it's place. Like a vacuum exposed to air. It gets filled, but with other stuff.

The death of the others is such a interesting thing tbh. It's the most fucked up form of oppression. Cuz if the others stay away they may live forever, but one wrong move and it's over. So the second way out is sharing the soul with a human, meaning to do the big bad of mixing with the ones.

jeeesh that's another long one it's been... 5h??????

It could be even reasoned that changelings happen because of that. Oooh don't let me ramble about changelings for this au, this would swiftly turn into a thousands world long collection of me going "born in between!" sniffling and sobbing....

Talking about this au is like jumping into a wormhole, like wtf (I am actually really happy, since sundays usually only contain me being a sad blob of inactivity)

There's still soo sooo much more I could talk about, I have older rambles in the #wolf au on this blog, but they still don't all contain all my thoughts and ideas lmao

Inside of you there are two wolves:

#I really like exploring worlds with harsh black and white thinking since the conflicts are a bit like my experiences lmao #It's also ngl a bit funny to cite my own writing in these rambles. I wish I could just hand you the fic like that dr phil meme image but #even if I finish that beast of a project there won't be a english translation :'<#all I can do is bombard you with various analysis and incoherent rambles like a dog #zondesrambles #wolf au

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