#St. Xenia

[prehistoricpatristics]

Christian Iconography relating to marriage

Icon as Christ as a Bridegroom

Christ the Bridgegroom is symbolic of marriage within the Orthodox Church. The ropes that bind his hand are a universal symbol of marriage within the Orthodox Church, symbolising the unification of the souls under the marriage. The reed, a symbol of humility in relationships, and his crown a symbol of Christ as the head of families and relationships.

Christ as Pantokrator

Christ as Pantokrator is a common wedding gift, symbolising the rule of Christ over relationships

St. Argyre

St. Argyre the New Martyr is the patron saint of marriage, one who was killed in order to respect her marriage vows. She if often called upon to find a spouse, and to strengthen the current relationship.

Priscilla and Aquila

St. Priscilla and St. Aquilla are two married Saints themselves named in the New Testament. St. Aquilla is traditionally listed among the 70 disciples of Christ who lived with St. Paul the Apostle. The two saints are referred to as the patron Saints of Love and Marriage and the strength they gave to the early churches was based on their love for eachother.

Saint Basil the Elder and his wife Saint Emmelia 

St. Basil and St. Emmelia are two Orthodox Christians who greatly influenced Christian history. Of their 9 children, 5 are remembered as Saints, many of them being influential in theology and patristic writings. They are the perfect example of a godly marriage and family.

St. Xenia of St. Petersburg

St. Xenia of St. Petersburg was a Saint who wrote widely on the impacts and theology surrounding marriage, specifically she wrote about equality in marriage. In every marriage the love between spouses is manifested by the mutual offering of emotional and material support of each other. St. Xenia's believes on love are incredibly influential.

SS. Anne and Joachim

Ss. Joachim and Anna serve as a model for marriage, Mary the Mother of God is the fruit of their marriage. They also serve as a great example of a model relationship, with them coping with and dealing with the trials and struggles of infertility.

The Theotokos

In the context of a wedding, the Prescence of the Theotokos serves as a reminder of the importance of marriage union, and the sacred bond between spouses.

Wedding Feast at Cana

The Wedding Feast at Cana is a clear example of a happy wedding, one of praise and celebration that Christ himself was present at. The depth of celebration, praise for the couple but Christ himself too is a perfect example of what a wedding should be.

Iconography of the song of songs

It is much harder to find, and not widespread, but iconography of the Song of Songs is perfect for a wedding, not only symbolising the love between spouses, but the love between mortal and divine.

[rabbitrah]

St. Xenia of Petersburg, by Alexander Prostev

[dandelion-de-deus]

I’ve been contemplating it and I think we really need to bring back the concept of the holy fool. I’ll go first

[tankgotstuckinthecircusgate]

Pov company is located in the center of saint p

[orthodoxadventure]

Saint Blessed Xenia. Last years by Alexander Prostev.

[rabbitprayer]

St. Xenia of Petersburg, by Alexander Prostev

[lavenderrosiefan]

Aikatsu: The Stars of Legend-Birthdays, star signs, and ages

Author's Note: Season 1 takes place from August 2022-December 2023, while Season 2 takes place from January 2024-August 2024. Season 3 will take place from September 2024 onwards.

Season 1:

Raki Kiseki-December 7, 2005 (Sagittarius; S1: 16 years old; S2: 18 years old)

Wakaba Harukaze-September 3, 2004 (Virgo; S1: 17 years old; S2: 19 years old)

Radiance MacCreary-April 23, 2005 (Taurus; S1: 17 years old; S2: 18 years old)

Clara Anderson-March 18, 2005 (Pisces; S1: 17 years old; S2: 18 years old)

Susie Sokolova-January 23, 2006 (Aquarius; S1: 16 years old; S2: 17 years old)

Alexandra Johansson-March 18, 2006 (Pisces; S1: 16 years old; S2: 17 years old)

Noelle Otoshiro-December 25, 2004 (Capricorn; S1: 17 years old; S2: 19 years old)

Yvoria Tristess-July 16, 2005 (Cancer; S1: 17 years old; S2: 18 years old)

Ruthie Riaz-Cockburn-May 3, 2005 (Taurus; S1: 17 years old; S2: 18 years old)

Rachel Riaz-Cockburn-May 3, 2005 (Taurus; S1: 17 years old; S2: 18 years old)

Season 2:

Queen Alexandra-December 1, 1844 (Sagittarius; 179 years old)

Empress Maria Feodorovna-November 26, 1847 (Sagittarius; 176 years old)

Crown Princess Thyra-September 29, 1853 (Libra; 170 years old)

Queen Wilhelmina-August 31, 1880 (Virgo; 143 years old)

King Charles XIII-October 7, 1748 (Libra; 275 years old)

King Charles XIV John-January 26, 1763 (Aquarius; 260 years old)

King George IV-August 12, 1762 (Leo; 261 years old)

Prince Edward-November 2, 1767 (Scorpius; 256 years old)

Princess Victoria-August 17, 1786 (Leo; 237 years old)

Rosetta-March 27, 2007 (Aries; 17 years old)

Theodora-September 18, 2005 (Virgo; 18 years old)

Season 3:

Marcella-February 19, 2005 (Pisces; 19 years old)

Grand Duchess Charlotte-January 23, 1896 (Aquarius; 128 years old)

Grand Duchess Xenia-April 6, 1875 (Aries; 149 years old)

Princess Alice-December 25, 1901 (Capricorn; 123 years old)

Queen Desideria-November 8, 1777 (Scorpius; 247 years old)

[discoveringorthodoxy]

St. Xenia of St. Petersburg

My joy, Christ is Risen!

Hello my brothers and sisters in Christ! I pray that you all have a blessed Triodion! Today I would like to look into the life of St. Xenia of St. Petersburg.

A few months ago, I had briefly read over this saint when looking at patron saints for dating. However, I ended up forgetting about her story. A few weeks later, I was talking with my boyfriend at the time about my concerns on getting a job after I graduate from college. We were also going through some conflicts in our relationship and I felt like I didn't know what I was going to do. That night, I had a beautiful dream. While I don't remember the exact details of the dream, I do remember one thing. On my kitchen counter sat an icon covered in silver of a saint. And despite not recognizing who this saint was, I was able to call out her name: St. Xenia.

Ever since then, I've felt like St. Xenia has been watching over me and has been interceding for me. So, I want to look more in depth about her story today.

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While not much is known about St. Xenia (Feast Day: January 24th)'s early life, we do know that she lived during the reigns of the Empresses Elizabeth Petrovna (reigned 1741 -1762) and Catherine II (reigned 1762 to 1796). She was also the wife of an imperial chorister, Col. Andrei Theodorovich Petrov, which hints to the fact that she may have been of the lesser nobility (Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg).

After her wedding to Col. Andrei, the two of them lived in Saint Petersburg. However, one night, despite being young and in good health, Andrei suddenly passed while at a drinking party. This caused St. Xenia to become a widow at the age of 26. She was especially distraught because he had died without partaking in the Holy Mysteries of Confession or Holy Communion (Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg). This incident caused her to examine herself and she began to lose interest in all earthly joys. This caused her to begin to follow a difficult path of foolishness for the sake of Christ.

St. Xenia began to wear her husband's clothing, insisting that she be addressed as "Andrei Theodorovich". She would tell people that it was she, not her husband, who had died that night. While she didn't experience a physical death, she had abandoned her former way of life and underwent a spiritual rebirth (Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg).

St. Xenia then began to give away all of her possessions, including her house, money, and personal belongings. After St. Xenia gave her house to her friend Paraskeva Antonova, her relatives had concluded that the saint had gone insane. So, they petitioned to the trustees of her husband's estate so that Xenia would be unable to dispose of her wealth. However, after speaking to her, the trustees decided that Xenia was in a right and sound mind and had the right to dispose of her property. After leaving nothing for herself, the Saint began to walk through the poor section of Petersburg and lived on the streets. She refused any assistance from her relatives and was happy to be free from worldly attachments. Eventually, when her husband's red and green uniform wore out, she wore rags of the same colors (Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg).

After a while, she vanished from St. Petersburg for 8 years. It is believed that during this time, she visited holy Elders and ascetics in Russia to seek instruction in the spiritual life. She may have also visited St. Theodore of Sanaxar (February 19), who was also formerly a military man. St. Theodore's life had changed when a young officer died at a drinking party. This officer could have potentially been St. Xenia's husband (Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg).

Eventually, St. Xenia returned to the poor section of Saint Petersburg, where she was most often found in the vicinity of the parish of St. Matthias. This area is where the poorest people lived in shabby hats (Holy Blessed St. Xenia). Once she returned, she was mocked and insulted because of her behavior. At first, the people thought that this woman was a simple minded beggar and would often persecute and laugh at her. However, the saint remained meek. There was only once where the people of the Petersburg Borough saw her angry. The street boys, after seeing the ragged old woman, began to laugh at and torment her. While she normally took this without so much a murmur, this time was different. This time, the boys not only verbally abused her but physically abused her. They began to throw mud and rocks at her. So, she flew at them, waving her cane in the air at them. The residents in the area were so startled to see this that they took immediate steps to prevent any further offenses toward her (Holy Blessed St. Xenia).

Occasionally, the Saint would receive support from the community. People began to invite her into their homes and offer her warm clothes and money. However, she wouldn't accept the clothes and only took a small amount of money (small copper pennies that were also called "the king on horseback") from people, which she would immediately use to help the poor. One time when she was distributing her coins to the poor, she came across a devout woman on the street. After handing her a 5 kopeck coin, she told her, "Take this five piece, here is the king on horseback; it will be extinguished." After accepting the piece, the woman went back home. As soon as she arrived at her street, she realized that her house was on fire. The woman ran to her home and she arrived as the flames were being quenched (Holy Blessed St. Xenia). The woman then realized that this is what St. Xenia was prophesying.

When a new church was being built in the cemetery, St. Xenia would secretly bring bricks to the site.

Soon, everyone began to notice her great virtue and spiritual gifts. Despite not wanting to, she became known as someone pleasing to God. People would say, "Xenia does not belong to this world, she belongs to God." People thought of it as a blessing when she would come to their home or shops.

45 years after the death of her husband, St. Xenia reposed at the age of 71. She was buried in the Smolensk cemetery. By the 1820s, people would flock to her grave to pray for her, asking her to intercede for them. Because so many people would take earth from her grave, it had to be replaced every year. Eventually, a chapel was build over her.

Today, St. Xenia is known as an intercessor for finding a job, spouse, or home. She is also known as the patron saint of St. Petersburg.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

St. Xenia is a blessed woman and an inspiration. It must have been really hard living the life she did, especially if she came from a nobility background.

I love St. Xenia's story. She had everything and gave it all up for God. She indeed was "dead" but became alive in Christ. If I were to do what she did today, I know it would be a struggle, especially with how modern life is. I would be mocked and scorned for it, but St. Xenia took that mocking wit meekness. It's beautiful. Knowing me, my first response would be to take revenge on the people mocking me by saying something back, but instead I need to learn to follow St. Xenia's example.

I'm blessed that such a saint is looking out for me. Recently, I had been praying for her intercessions in regards to finding a spouse. And while I'm nowhere near getting married (and not yet dating), I know that she is interceding for me.

Until next time and may God bless all of you!

Your sister in Christ,

Joanna

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Works Cited:

“Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg.” Orthodox Church in America, https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2011/01/24/100297-blessed-xenia-of-st-petersburg.

“Holy Blessed St. Xenia.” St Xenia Orthodox Church, https://www.stxenia.org/stxenia.

“Xenia of St. Petersburg, Fool-For-Christ .” Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, https://www.goarch.org/chapel/saints?contentid=402.

[electracx]

on a lighter note…. for some reason i had a feeling to watch some video on st xenia and hear some akathist to her this morning and found out it’s her feast day :)

[ameretat]

Gerontissa Xenia, To God

A soul, of lamentations worthy, and sorrows, is sighing,

and with a loud and fervent voice, the name of God crying,

and saying, my God save me now, my God, have mercy on me,

O God, You’ve seen my darkness now, so shed Your light upon me,

my God, don’t turn away from me, but quickly hear my pleading,

enlighten my soul’s eyes, O God, spiritually leading;

because they have been blinded from the sins within my depths.

O wretched self, I cannot see; my God, I lose my steps.

Miserable me, I cannot see, my God, where I am going,

or where I stand, or that I am a stranger, past my knowing.

Many clouds and mists my soul in darkness shroud and cover,

and without measure I embitter You, my sweetest Savior.

O wretch, within I feel upheaval, mourning pierced my side,

for Your All-Holy Spirit, Lord, to me must be denied;

my soul must weep eternally her poverty of grace,

and without ceasing to lament in tears that woeful place.

I must avenge myself for all the pain sin makes me suffer,

and with the rivers of my tears, my deep repentance offer;

the tender earth to which I will return, with weeping drench,

to cleanse and flood away the traces of my sins’ foul stench.

I am no longer worthy, Lord, to hope in Your compassion,

I’m worthy only of hell-fire, and suffering, damnation.

But you, my refuge is in You, my God and my Salvation…

(transl. by Fr. Demetrios Serfes)

[beauty-and-passion]

Lore Olympus: a golden mine of bad writing

As I said, one post wasn’t enough.

There is still a lot to say about this webcomic and in this post I would like to talk about how Zeus, Apollo and Kronos have been treated. Here I will focus on the first two acts only, because the third act is not over, as well as the story. And yes, that means I will write another post when this whole thing is over.

I wanted to focus on these three gods in particular because are treated in a way that baffles me and makes me question what did they ever do to Mrs. Smythe. Tell me, Rachel: was it something personal? Did they do something to your family? What happened?

But maybe you don’t understand my point, especially if you haven’t read the Greek myths at all and you think that these three are just “Unfaithful Guy”, “Rapist” and “Evil Villain Har Har Who Also Wants To Rape”. Seriously, what’s with this weird obsession with raping everyone and with sex? Did Mrs. Smythe ever see anything else in myths, besides sex?

So please, allow me to explain why their characterizations are wrong and boring - and no, not just from a mythological point of view. 

_______________________________

Zeus: the walking clichè

Making Zeus an asshole is understandable, even if utterly boring and clichè. Oh wow, he's an unfaithful husband and he's vain. Very original. Groundbreaking, I'd say. I’ve never read about him being unfaithful to his wife, not even once in all the 200 million retellings made during the history of mankind.

It's a shame because Zeus is much more than that. He's a mighty ruler with a strong sense of justice: in several myths, he punished the assholes for their wrongdoings. He's very clever and strong. He's also associated with xenia, the custom of offering protection to strangers, which means Zeus is also a protector of foreigners.

I mean, this information alone offers so many new perspectives about him! Just imagine if, instead of hanging around and doing nothing useful aside from being everyone’s favorite punching bag, Zeus fought against every corrupt system of the mortal realm, in order to protect the foreigners and the innocents. It would’ve been so cool to see a different side of him, instead of the same thing over and over again!

But nope, Zeus = unfaithful husband only. Let’s ignore all the other aspects of him, to focus on the one everyone focuses on. Let’s make him the umpteenth version of the same guy, instead of offering a new vision. This will surely make the story worth everyone’s time!

Rachel, this could’ve worked if I was 12 and had never read a retelling in my entire life. But since I’m more than twice that age, seeing Zeus as an unfaithful husband again doesn’t get my interest. And I’m sure this doesn’t only apply to me, but to everyone who already saw at least two retellings of him. Isn’t this story supposed to be new and original? Then why are we still picking from the same old clichè visions of these gods? Where is the writer’s personality and ability?

_______________________________

Apollo: king of wasted potentials

I am absolutely, completely, 100% baffled at how Apollo has been treated in this story.

It's insulting to see the most beloved Greek god treated as a bidimensional piece of shit. Not only because he doesn't make any sense in the story (why is he here in the first place? Did Persephone and Apollo even interact in any myth?), but also because there are so many different possibilities for him, that seeing him being this is the biggest waste of potential I’ve ever seen.

A brief recap of who Apollo really is: Apollo is the embodiment of the sun. He is the god of arts and crafts. He's the most beautiful god, he embodies the concept of perfect Greek beauty. And he is associated with a lot of cool stuff, like medicine, truth and oracles. Also, like most of the other Greek gods, Apollo had many male and female lovers.

Now, look me in the eye and tell me that, with all of this, your first idea about him is "yeah, let's make him a stupid rapist, so stupid to not realize that hey, maybe forcing a girl to sleep with you will not make her fall in love with you". Oh and let's not forget he randomly decided he wanted Zeus' throne just after the fertility plot point had been introduced Because Yes. And he’s running for president of Whatever-Land Because Yes. Also, he’s currently involved again in another evil plot Because… yeah, you got it.

It’s just so frustrating to see him being the biggest loser of all time, considering how much cooler he could’ve been. Just think about it: we could've had a bisexual musician, who does concerts with his band (the Muses) and has a shit ton of lovers. We could’ve had a heartbroken doctor, who does his best to save everyone because he has not been able to save his own son from death (Asclepius). We could've had a mysterious advisor who can see the future because of his foresight powers.

What did we get instead? A fucking rapist.

Apollo is nothing but wasted potential. He’s an insult to himself, the story, common sense, and the Greek culture. Of all the incredible things he could've been, he became the most insulting of them all. I really cannot bear to see this fucking idiot and his punching-bag face, pretending to be Apollo. He’s not Apollo.

But if there is a guy I can see less than him, then let me introduce you to…

_______________________________

Kronos: Supreme Master of Wasted Potential

First of all: why is Kronos here? Why does this love story need Persephone to defeat a big bad guy? Just to show how cool and badass she is? Considering that their fight was a joke, it didn't work very well.

But okay, let's say we need a villain Because Yes. Kronos is still a huge waste of potential, probably the biggest waste of potential of the whole series until now. He could’ve been an interesting, multifaceted character, but he became a cartoonish supervillain har-har I want power.

Sigh.

But let’s take a step back and talk about the real, mythological Kronos. His story starts with his parents, Uranus and Gaia. The two had a lot of sons, including Titans (like Kronos) and Hecatonchires (monsters with fifty heads and one hundred arms). Disgusted by their monstrous nature or maybe just out of fear of being overthrown, Uranus chained his sons away into Gaia's womb (aka the Tartarus) so that they could never come out again.

Gaia suffered from this decision, so she devised a plan: she made a stone sickle, gathered her sons and tried to persuade them to castrate Uranus.

All of her sons were afraid of Uranus, Kronos was the only one brave enough to do it. And he was successful: he overthrew his father and became the new ruler of the universe, along with his wife/sister Rhea.

However, after becoming king, he didn't free all of his brothers as his mother wanted, but locked Hecatonchires and Cyclopes away once again. And so, Gaia told him that, one day, he would meet his father’s same fate and be overthrown by one of his own children.

Scared by these words, Kronos devised a plan: every time he had a new child, he took the baby from Rhea and swallowed them. Rhea was desperate and, in order to save her last son Zeus, she sought Gaia's help.

So Rhea gave birth to Zeus in a secret place, then handed Kronos a stone wrapped in clothes: he swallowed it, thinking that it was his son. This way, Zeus managed to escape the same fate as his siblings and was raised in secret, away from his father, until he was old enough to come back and fulfill his destiny.

And now, you may think Zeus overthrew his father with a sword and killed him and nah nah nah, myths are not that stupid and predictable. Zeus didn’t use violence to overthrow his father, but intelligence. He disguised himself to reach Kronos' court and, at the right time, he gave him a drink. That drink was an emetic (given by Gaia), that forced Kronos to throw up everything he swallowed, in reverse order: first the stone he thought was his last son, then Zeus' brothers and sisters.

After freeing his siblings, Zeus did what his father would've never done: he released the Hecatoncheires and the Cyclops to help him in the following battle against Kronos and the other Titans, a battle known as Titanomachy.

The war ended with the victory of the Olympians (i.e. Zeus and his siblings). Many Titans were confined in Tartarus, under the Hecatonchires' control, others were not imprisoned and kept appearing in other myths.

And Kronos? His fate differs depending on the myths. In some versions, he was imprisoned in Tartarus. But according to other, more interesting versions, Zeus forgave him after years, freed him and Kronos became king of the Elysian Fields: the famous earthly paradise reserved for the greatest Greek heroes.

Now. Just look at all of this beautiful, beautiful potential.

We have Gaia, a powerful goddess who overthrew two rulers of the universe, without moving a finger. A goddess strong and clever, but also a mother who wanted all of her children to be free - even the most hideous ones. She could’ve been a tragic figure, a master manipulator, or an evil schemer. Or all these things!

We have the Hecatonchires: fighters so powerful, to turn the tide of any battle. They could’ve been scary and intimidating, but also tragic monsters who just wanted to be accepted. They could’ve taught a beautiful lesson about the importance of accepting the ugly and giving everyone a chance to prove themselves.

Then we have Kronos. And Kronos had everything to be the greatest character.

Think about this concept: Kronos has always been afraid of Uranus, just like his brothers. He was just better at hiding his feelings. And that visceral fear is still inside him, it still haunts him after centuries, just like the memory of how he overthrew his father. And that fear takes the shape of paranoid thoughts about his father coming back to take the throne.

Kronos could’ve seen his father haunting him, but he could’ve also dissociated and seen himself as his father. In his altered state of mind, he could’ve been both the king and the one who overthrows him.

That could’ve made him a truly dangerous, unhinged character. A god who can’t see what’s real anymore, obsessed with the ghosts of his past. A god with nothing to lose and everything to gain. After all, if he kills his children again, the throne would be his once more. And, since he sees himself as himself and as his father at the same time, he would think that he is the "true king" coming back to take his throne.

That could’ve been awesome. Kronos could've been complex, desperate and multifaceted, a villain to pity and to be afraid of. A truly new, interesting version to know and love.

And do you have any idea how incredible Zeus could’ve been in this version? We could see him facing Kronos again, still as strong and determined as when he was young. And while everyone would expect him to kill Kronos, he would use his intelligence once again. He would prove to Kronos (and to everyone else) how intelligence is always superior to violence and how he's a good leader, despite his thousands of flaws.

Also, we could've seen Zeus talking to the defeated Kronos and making him the ruler of the Elysian Fields. We could've had a meaningful ending, in which Zeus understands Kronos' fears and shares his own.

I would’ve adored this, because according to the myth, Zeus was also supposed to be overthrown by a son! Hence why he swallowed Metis (his first wife) while she was pregnant.

The myth never truly clarifies who this supposed "son" is, but according to the different versions, Metis was pregnant not with a son, but with a daughter. A daughter who, one day, would be born, full grown, from Zeus' head. A daughter who would become Zeus' favorite child: Athena.

Honestly? I ADORE the idea that there was never a son to overthrow Zeus, but a daughter. And she would not overthrow his father by violence like her grandfather or by intelligence like her father, but by love. Athena doesn't need to take the throne from her father physically, she doesn't even need to sit on that throne: not when her father loves her more than anything else.

And I love the idea that Zeus is aware of that. He knows his daughter is his weakness. He knows that, if she asks, he will willingly give her that throne, because he loves her too much. And I would've loved to see him sharing these thoughts with the defeated Kronos. It could've been a beautiful moment, to see Zeus talking with the fatherly figure he always missed from his life. It could've led to a beautiful, meaningful ending for a dramatic story.

But can you see the problem here? This concept works for a story about Zeus, not about Hades and Persephone! These two have nothing to do with Kronos! Heck, even Rachel Smythe knows it, considering she had to pull a stupid plot point out of thin air, to explain why Kronos would give a damn about Persephone!

In case you were wondering: yes, the fertility-magical-power-battery-thing is bullshit. Gods don’t need a magical battery to be powerful. And no, fertility goddesses are not rare either: Aphrodite, Demeter, Hera, even Artemis are just a few of the fertility goddesses in Greek mythology. Kronos could’ve picked his favorite from a large pool, instead of becoming an absolute creep with Persephone in the stupidest fight of all time.

And speaking of that, two words on the supposed “fight”. First of all, apologies to all fights for being associated with this thing, because this was anything but a fight: it was a cartoonish conversation accompanied by the umpteenth sexualization of Persephone, who first appeared fully naked, then with a dress so stupid to defy the laws of physics and perspective.

And if you don’t believe me, please see it by yourself: this is how the dress was supposed to be, according to episode 75

This is how it ended up. Apparently, the Fates didn’t predict how huge Persephone’s boobs would be and the neckline didn’t grow accordingly: I feared to see one of them slipping out from it anytime during the “fight”

Also, please appreciate how Persephone is turned to the side, but the dress’ stupidly huge neckline is shown from the front, otherwise we would’ve seen her full naked boobs.

And that stupid neckline kept bothering me throughout the whole “fight”, because it kept changing size. Check the episodes and see it by yourself: sometimes it’s smaller, other times it’s wider and it keeps moving in impossible ways. It drove me insane.

But since we’re talking about drawings, please allow me a very brief parenthesis about them too.

_______________________________

The drawings are a joke

I am not an artist. I can barely draw a straight line by hand. But I studied art history, perspective, proportions and colors, so I’m not completely clueless.

But you don’t need to be clueless, to notice how bad the drawings became. If you have two eyes and saw another human being in your life before, then you can notice by yourself how bad they are.

It’s not a secret that Lore Olympus’ art style changed over time. In the beginning, this comic was characterized by a lot of straight lines and geometric shapes, alternating and mixing with gentle curves. There were blur effects, colored outlines, a lot of details that gave an overall dreamy, ethereal vibe to every chapter (like the soft glow that accompanied the gods).

But as the story progressed, these elements disappeared. The geometric shapes gave way to an overall “softness” and roundness. The dreamy vibes and blur effects were replaced by sharper, clearer drawings. A distinct black outline now marks every character.

And speaking of characters, they were the ones who changed more. Lore Olympus always had funny, silly faces but the characters were also able to be serious and look natural. Now all we have are grotesque faces: the characters are a collection of caricatures and no one has a normal expression anymore. Check by yourself, by confronting a random episode of the third act with the first one: they’re two different worlds.

The disproportions were common too, since episode one. But at least they were somehow plausible, while now they’re completely absurd. It’s as if Mrs Smythe completely forgot what a human being looks like.

And this is pretty evident in how all characters became a rough draft of the two protagonists: all women got Persephone’s face, all men become buff and huge, with wide-ass shoulders and teeny tiny heads. This is particularly obvious at the end of season 2 / start of season 3, when we see some of the funniest images ever, like Hades with a tiny head and shoulders as wide as the entire USA

Or this hilariously bad image of Zeus with clown shoes and a head as big as his deformed hand.

No excuse can justify these drawings: no one is running after Mrs Smythe, nor forcing her to draw, and people are paying her real money to work on this webcomic. The least she can do is draw something that doesn’t look like a bad distortion of a human being.

Unless this isn’t her drawing, but her staff’s work. In that case, they are still paid to do their job, right? Or do they think this story is a joke and decide to show how much of a joke it is, by turning everyone into a grotesque caricature?

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In conclusion

Lore Olympus is hilarious because of how bad the writing is. It’s a manual example of how not to write a climax for your story. It’s a perfect demonstration of how you can still fail, even with great characters with endless possibilities. It’s a list of all the mistakes you can make as an artist.

If you’re a writer or an artist in general, please check Lore Olympus and study it. Here you will find everything you should never do and all the mistakes you should never make.

As a writer myself, I appreciate Lore Olympus, because I need works that teach me what I shouldn’t do. Good teachers are useful, but bad ones are even more useful, because it’s thanks to them that I can learn and grow and make better stories. Lore Olympus might be a failure from an artistic and writing point of view, but it might also serve as a foundation, from which other people can develop better ideas.

Actually, it already did it! Do you want to read a better story, rose from the disappointing ashes of Lore Olympus? Then check Lore Rekindled and @genericpuff: you will find their work here on Tumblr. They planned everything ahead and it’s pretty clear by reading it. The characters make more sense, the events have a more logical explanation. And the art style is much, much better than the last Lore Olympus.

We will meet again for the third and (for now) final post about this series, a much-needed post about the protagonists of this story: Hades, Persephone and Demeter.

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(How about a coffee? ☕)

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[thepastisalreadywritten]

Imperial court gown worn by Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna (1875-1960), sister of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia (1868- 1918).

1890′s-1900′s

📍: The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

[breakingournecksforhome]

i hate the feeling of wanting true romantic love because it seems stupid compared to everything else in the world but. i am praying to God with the intercessions of St. Xenia that I can go through with discernment. and not longing. and not get myself into a stupid mess like i did with california boy. because i know i have a lot of love to give, it seems like no one is interested

[orthodoxadventure]

[varley-of-torment]

Father's daughter: Mercedes von Martritz

For Your Own Good by Leah Horlick

St. Xenia of Petersburg, by Alexander Prostev

― Franz Kafka, Letters to Milena

Bad Daughter by Franny Choi

no origin found

Chemical Overreaction / Composure Francture by Will Wood and the Tapeworms

by Ryu Eune 류은혜, website (cropped)

satanay on tumblr

An Oresteia by Anne Carson

[xeniassteamroom]

If the random guy at the sauna was a random Good Samaritan do you think Xenia intended to kill him too for being a witness?

Given he only seems to enter as Bond is ramming her and Xenia is screaming, I think she could successfully convince him - once Bond was restrained or knocked out - that she was being sexually assaulted by the man throwing her around and that she was oh so grateful for the intervention. Then she'd probably contact some St Petersburg police on the take (or other Janus operatives) to get rid of Bond's body.