#ancient allan

[weirdlookindog]

"I knew in that moment Amada had received absolution from her vows to Isis and could wed"

Lawerence Sterne Stevens [?] - Illustration for H. Rider Haggard's 'Ancient Allan'

(Famous Fantastic Mysteries - December 1945)

[spacedace]

Here be the first little bit of the new DP x DC AU I warned about earlier where Tim, due to his constant repeated attempts at cloning Bart & Kon, accidentally summons slightly eldritch Elle who is very interested in what he’s up to.

As always feel free to run with this as a prompt if yall find anything here interesting :D

*

Tim didn’t mean to summon her.

He’d been in the lab, staring at the data on the latest failed attempts at cloning Kon and Bart and feeling like he was cracking in two. Eyes burning, chest tight, world spinning out into shifting impossible shadows around him as his mind and body struggled to push him forward into another day without sleep. The hush of water in the tanks, his unsteady steps on the cement floor, the chill seeping into his bones.

He stumbled and swayed through the maze of the lab, numbers dripping like blood down the screen as he tried to stare at the figures. He needed to try again, needed to bring them back, in whatever capacity he could. This time would work. This time he’d get it right.

When he saw her, feet clumsy as he rounded a corner, he thought she was just another hallucination.

How could she be anything else?

Skin like a polished mirror, hair like the white-hot flash of lightning, eyes as green as the depths of the Lazarus Pits. She floated before a tank, spectral and strange with a long wisping tail that drifted off into nothingness in place of legs, body shifting and changing before his eyes in ways that bodies should not be able to. Outside of the eyes the face was…not there. An impression of the shapes that you’d expect to see in a human face, like the Question’s. Sometimes though the features defined, sharpened. Mirror bright skin crackling as faces took shape in the glass.

In the low light of the lab, he almost imaged one of those faces was Kon’s. Dimples and freckles and high cheek bones and the slant of a silhouette that haunted Tim’s dreams at night. A flicker of her lightining hair and it was gone. Smoothed back into soft blankness once more.

He watched from the of the aisle as she lifted too-long mirror shard fingers and rest them gently on the glass as she seemed to peer in at the lifeless body inside.

Attempt 76.

One of his tries with Bart. The organs hadn’t grown right during the age-up process. Tim had cried for that one as he had for all the others. As he had for Bart and Kon when they had died. As he still did as the fact that it was more maddened grief than hope that kept him pushing forward anyway.

He closed his eyes to the hallucination at the end of the aisle. Breathed deep and steady. It might be gone when he opened his eyes again. It might not be. It might be something - someone - else when he dares look next. He’d been through this time and time again over the days and weeks he’d been throwing himself at this agonizing wall. The only difference this time was the intricate strangeness, the total lack of recognition he had for the figure, baring the moment he almost saw Kon in its face.

Coffee. Maybe some harder stimulants, if he had any left. New data to review, new attempts to be made. He didn’t have time for the effects of sleep deprivation.

Tim opened his eyes.

He jerked back as he came face to face with himself, warped and strange and green in the reflective face of the being where it now hovered so close that if it breathed he would feel it upon his face.

She tilted her head at him, curious. Hands rose to cup his face, rest on his shoulders, wrap around his arms, cradle his hands. More hands than he’d seen before. More hands than he was able to truly comprehend, stomach souring as his eyes stung and strained in the attempt to look at the impossible warping of her body. Despite the glint of shattered glass that made up her fractured palms and splintered silver fingers, her hands were soft and warm where they curled around him. Almost human in the way they held him in place, the hold pleasantly firm.

He’d never had a doting elder aunt to pinch his cheeks and demand to get a look at him, but he imagined this might be what that felt like. The way the being shifted her head from side to side, his reflection warping in the curved reflection of the planes of her featureless face, added to the strange idea. His hallucinations didn’t normally touch him, though. And never so…kindly.

Tim felt his blood go cold as he realized it might not be a figment of his fracturing mind floating before him.

Swallowing nervously, he tried to shift backwards, to slip out of the many grasping hands before the softness turned sharp and began to cut into him. He felt something cool against the back of his legs, hair standing on end as static electricity built up on his skin where he brushed the trailing tail he hadn’t noticed her curl around him. The entity leaned in close, the depthless green of her glowing eyes consuming Tim’s entire field of vision, and he was flooded by the sudden, horrible awareness of being Known.

The world fell away from him, his stomach lurching with the sick-sweet feel of free fall that used to exhilarate him when he’d first become Robin and had flown from rooftops dangling by his grapple and his belief in the magic being Robin instilled in him. The lab, the equipment, the piles of data and desperate scribbles, the failed clones, Tim himself. All swept away in the flood of green and the roar of lightning and the cool press of glass.

He came to would could have been minutes or centuries later. Gasping and sick on the cold cement floor, shivering as he dry heaved. His mouth full of salt and copper and the burning crackle of ozone at the back of his throat.

For a moment, disoriented and dizzy, he thought it had all been a hallucination after all. Or some fractious dream visited upon him by his torn and tattered mind after he’d finally collapsed from exhaustion on the lab floor. That the entity truly had been just in his mind, a consequence of his refusal to rest until his work was done.

Then he felt the glass-cool fingers running through his hair, the warm hand rubbing at his back, heard the low murmurs of reassurance in a voice that was almost, almost human.

He spasmed as he tried to jerk away, hissing with the sharp sting of pins and needles dancing over every nerve. His limbs were heavy and clumsy, and he was crashing back to the cold floor under his own weight before he could even try and drag himself away. His breathing came in short, aching gasps as he tried to twist away, only managing to roll to his back to see the entity where it sat calmly looking down at him.

She had a face now. A solid, steady one that fit her in a way that made him think it must be her real one, though what that meant exactly he didn’t know. The glowing eyes had dimmed and shifted, more human looking with black pupils and white sclera. Button nose marked with silver-tarnish freckles that spread over her cheeks too. A mouth, with lips curled into an apologetic smile. Her hair, still shifting as if caught in a wind that wasn’t there, was still the bright white it’d been before, but the lighting of the locks had settled into faint crackles between the curls. Whatever she was, whatever she’d done to him, he could look at her without feeling like his mind might just crack in two.

“Wha-“ His voice cracked, painful and hoarse like he’d been screaming. Maybe he had been. Swallowing around the burn in his throat, he choked out a hissed, “What are you?”

Her head tilted in that curious slant again, more human features giving her a bright, youthful look as she peered down at him questioningly. “You summoned me, Little Gaffer, shouldn’t you know?”

*

Gaffer is a term used for a glass crafter, as well as light technicians for stage/movie productions. I’m using it as the term for the person who creates a Clone, with the clone themselves being a Mirrorborn, and the person they are cloned from being called the clone’s Reflected. Gaffer is probably a bit of a stretch for this, technically I think someone who makes mirrors would be called a Glazier (Glaziers are glassmakers) but I wasn’t vibing that as much. Besides I like the vibe of glass + light = mirror in a way.

Anyway, opening volley of a new AU where Tim ends up becoming like a warlock to Elle to get his loved ones back, while Elle is just having the time of her sorta eldritch little life watching this absolute mess of a human wreck shit and cause so much chaos even without the powers she starts giving him.

(Elle in this is both the God Queen of Clones/Mirrorborn as well as the Ancient of the Speedforce (which I’ve decided is called the Ever Onward in the Infinite Realms, because I literally can’t be stopped from trying to make normal DC things sound mystical because spooky Infinite Realms aesthetics haha)

Have a tiny bit more written for this, but don’t know how much I’ll end up writing for it with all the other projects I have currently lol, so if anyone is interested feel free to run with it as you so desire haha

[tavolgisvist]

'…Paul McCartney was such a fan of Dominic Behan’s ‘Liverpool Lou’ that he recorded it with the Scaffold'

(Liverpool - Wondrous Place by Paul Du Noyer, 2002; Part (I), (II), (III), (IV), (V), (VI), (VII), (VIII), (IX), (X), (XI), (XII), (XIII), (XIV), (XV), (XVI), (XVII), (XVIII), (XIX), (XX), (XXI), (XXII)

Q: “Liverpool Lou” was another massive hit for The Scaffold. That is linked with the recording of the McGear album. A: It was. The BBC telly wanted The Scaffold to do a sketch with the actress, Rita Tushingham and Derek Guyler. They said “Can you sing the song for us? I couldn’t come up with a song. I was working with our kid and Wings in Strawberry and said “Have you got any ideas for a Scaffold song? I’m doing this telly.” He said “Oh, you wanna do Liverpool Lou.” I said “No, it is too folky, too Spinners.” He said “No, just listen to it.” It was very old and had been around for centuries in Liverpool. I had forgotten how it went and certainly didn’t know the words. I said to BBC telly people “Could you get me a song called Liverpool Lou?” They sent me two versions. One was by Dominic Beehan and the other was by Delaney and Bonnie. Scaffold tried to trad arrange ‘Liverpool Lou’ but Dominic Beehan had got to it before us and copyrighted it. He got all the writing credits and all of the money for Liverpool Lou. The other version by Delaney and Bonnie was absolute magic. Our kid heard those two opposites and said “You want to go in the middle there.” He did it, he made that song. That is just Wings with in the middle of ‘Liverpool Lou’, a 10CC gizmo. That’s the weird sound in the middle. Q:The Godley and Creme invention. A: That’s right. It’s hard to play but I think our kid played it. Norm Yardley does the gob iron on Liverpool Lou, I was with him the other night. Nice track.

(Mike McCartney / McGear – The Strange Brew, 2016)

Scaffold’s latest single ‘Liverpool Lou’ released on May 3rd on the Warner Bros. Label. Record No. K 16400. It’s an old song, credited to Brendan Behan’s brother, Dominic. Paul produced and arranged it. In the middle there’s a gizmo solo, it’s a new instrument invented by Lol Creme and Kevin of 10CC, who partly own ‘Strawberry Studios’. There are only two gizmos in the world.

(From Wings Fun Club newsletter N°1, 1974)

Oh Liverpool Lou, lovely Liverpool Lou Why don't you behave just like other girls do? Oh why must my poor heart keep following you Stay home and love me, my Liverpool Lou When love is pleasing, and love is teasing And love is a pleasure, when first it is new love And as it grows it older, and love it grows colder And that fades away, love, like the morning dew <…> When I go out walking, I hear people talking School children playing, I know what they're saying They're saying you'll grieve me, that you'll deceive me Some morning you'll leave me all packed up and gone <…> Sounds from the river Keep telling me ever That I should forget you Like I never met you Please tell me their songs of Was never more wrong, love Please say I've been gone, love To my Liverpool Lou

Another song where Paul used a Gizmo - I’m Carrying

McCartney originally recorded the song accompanied by just his acoustic guitar during the London Town sessions aboard the stern of the yacht Fair Carol in the Virgin Islands on 5 May 1977. In December 1977, he overdubbed orchestral strings and he also overdubbed his own playing of an electric guitar using a Gizmo. The Gizmo is a device invented by 10cc members Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, which allows a guitar to be played by vibrating the strings rather than plucking them. (x)

By dawn's first light I'll come back to your room again With my carnation hidden by the packages I'm carrying, something I'm carrying something for you Ah, long time no see baby, sure has been a while And if my reappearance lacks a sense of style I'm carrying, something I'm carrying something for you I'm carrying I'm carrying, can't help it I'm carrying I'm carrying something for you

People say, ‘What does this song mean?’ and I say, ‘Well, it’s up to you.’ It can mean a million things. What am I carrying here? I kind of make it clear that it’s packages. So I’m like Dapper Dan, with my carnation hidden by the packages. I’m bringing presents for you, I’m carrying something for you, but also, when a woman is having a baby, she’s carrying. There are a couple of other meanings that rule themselves out. One is carrying a gun. Another is carrying drugs. One meaning that might have a little traction is the idea of one person ‘carrying’ a band, with the others riding on the coattails. I’m not even sure about that. I’m just playing with the word ‘carrying’. It’s a very ambiguous little song, but that was the sort of freedom of Wings, to do something a little bit ambiguous. It’s been suggested that this song sounds Lennon-esque. I’d admit to it if it were, but to me it sounds more McCartney-esque: just the little voice. I couldn’t imagine John doing quite such a little voice. But you know, if it’s seen as Lennon-esque, that’s no great problem. We did learn how to write songs together, after all.

(Paul McCartney, The Lyrics, 2021)

The Tuesday and Wednesday sessions [February 18-19, 1975, New Orleans when John didn'tt come] were spent fleshing out ‘Spirits of Ancient Egypt.’ Paul added Moog and Gizmo guitar, Linda recorded synthesized string swells, Joe added gong at the start of the track, and Alan O’Duffy recorded the sound of a telephone busy signal, to be used at the end of the song. Finally, the whole band, plus O’Duffy, gathered around a microphone to overdub the song’s rich vocal harmonies.

(The McCartney Legacy: Volume 2: 1974-1980 by Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair, 2024)

We knew George Melly from Liverpool. George was a very posh Liverpudlian, and he used to be the vocalist with a band called the Merseysippi Jazz Band. He was a very nice man, flamboyant, slightly eccentric. He had a big collection of paintings by René Magritte, the Belgian surrealist. In the seventies I was very into surrealism too, and Magritte in particular. It goes some way to explain the wacky nature of some of these songs. I always thought I didn’t do quite enough with the title. ‘Spirits of Ancient Egypt’ could have been intriguing and mystical, yet I somehow went the opposite way. ‘You’re my baby / And I love you / You can take a pound of love / And cook it in the stew.’ There are very lyrical moments ‘Spirits of ancient Egypt / Shadows of ancient Rome’ . . . ‘Echoes of sunken Spain’ – all great epic legends, but then set against those moments you’ve got just a love song. It’s the ordinary pitched against the extraordinary.

(Paul McCartney, The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, 2021)

<…> I'm your baby do you love me? I can drive a cadillac* across the Irish sea – but when I've finished doing that I know where I'll want to be Cos I'm your baby, and you love me. Spirits of ancient Egypt Shadows of ancient Rome Spirits of ancient Egypt hung on the telly hung on the telly hung on the telephone…. <…> Spirits of Ancient Egypt Echoes of sunken Spain Spirits of ancient Egypt Hung on the phone – a –hung on the Phone a-hung on the phone …again… **

*Cadillac - first association - Elvis' gold-plated Cadillac ("We’d once heard that Elvis Presley had sent his gold-plated Cadillac on tour, and we thought that was just brilliant. So we thought, ‘We’ll make a record, and that’ll be our gold-plated Cadillac.’" - in The Lyrics)

Also it's funny: I'm your baby <…>I can drive Cadillac - Baby you can drive my car

**a telephone busy signal = Call Me Back Again (was written in the spring of 1974 in Los Angeles after reconnecting with John, recorded 3 and 6 February 1975 in New Orleans: February 6 John phoned Sea Saint Studio and told Paul that he had moved back to the Dakota on February 3)

And the fact that Yoko Ono selected 'Liverpool Lou' on Desert Island Discs in 2007 as the song John had sung to Sean as a lullaby: 'Her third pick was the Irish poet Dominic Behan’s ‘Liverpool Lou’ which was a lullaby. Introduced to the song by Lennon, Ono reminiscence, “I don’t know why but one day John, in England, sang ‘Liverpool Lou’ and said ‘Isn’t that beautiful?’… And when Sean was born, he would just sing this song until Sean went to sleep almost every night.”'

[samduqs]

these are the books I've read this December!!

I absolutely adored the Rook and Rose trilogy and can’t wait to dive into it again <3

I had been looking forward to reading The Secrets of the Nile duology, but it turned out to be quite a disappointment. On the bright side, the Sworn Soldier series by T. Kingfisher was a fantastic discovery!

Also, I have finished the second book of the Bloodsworn Saga. Even though it has a slow beginning, I absolutely can’t wait to read the final book (Orka, my baby, she’s doing nothing wrong, and I support her unconditionally!).

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

-Breve historia del Antiguo Egipto by Juan Jesús Vallejo ⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Love Letters: Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West with an introduction by Alison Bechdel ⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Labyrinth's Heart by M. A. Carrick ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

-What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez ⭐️⭐️⭐️

-What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

-The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe ⭐️⭐️

-Resting Scrooge Face by Meghan Quinn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

-What Feasts at Night ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez ⭐️⭐️

-The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[khajiitclaws]

I just think life is when cave painting of a horse

[wally-b-feed]

[stick-ball]

Jerejean this, Neil ordering a hit that.

There's one thing I need to know. Was if Nora's intention to reference the ancient Greek myth Paris with Jean being given that as a nickname from Thea? Or is it just about the city? I need to know I need to know.

Paris being thrown out as a little child by his parents due the prophecy that he is going to be the reason for a kingdom's collapse. Paris becoming a Prince of Troy.

Jean being sold off by his parents due to their debt to the Moriayamas. Jean being blamed for the fall Edgar Allan Ravens took. Becoming a Trojan.

Paris being tempted by three goddesses promising him great things.

Jean being fucked over by a pretty face mentioned three times.

Paris and Jean being the scape goats of their stories when acting from love and due to powers stronger than them.

[000bachelor]

I like Allan he looks like an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic

[missmeringuemorgue]

Hello and Welcome!

In this PAC reading we will find out hints about your Future Spouse! How exciting! For those who want to listen to this PAC in audio format, be sure to check this out!🥰

My best wishes and onto the reading…

Group 1

1. I see something related to Ghostbusters so they could be into ghosts and the paranormal, perhaps even ghost hunting. I’m getting a sense of someone who is adventurous. Your future spouse would definitely want to go on a ghost hunting adventure!

2. I see they could have dark hair. They are also fit - might go to the gym. Could have tattoos. Might have a platform online, like YouTube or Twitch. The letters “C”, “R”, “B”, also the letter “S”. Might listen to rap.

3. You might not like them at first or they aren’t your usual type. This is someone who isn’t what they appear to be and what I mean by that is they might put on a mask when meeting new people and it might take some time to get to know them. Perhaps, you will see right through this mask and will not like them hiding their true face. I’m not saying that they are two-faced or anything like that. They are more like guarded which makes me think they have been hurt in the past when opening up too soon, so they wear this mask in order not to get hurt again.

4. Could be from Europe or a small country. I’m getting a sense of someone returning home, so they might not live in their birth country or just travels a lot outside of it.

5. Could have a sibling of the same gender.

6. There’s just a lot of spirits around them and the theme keeps popping up which makes me think they are well spiritually protected. If you ever wondered how they are doing, just know that whatever happens is happening FOR them not TO them. Also they could be good at manifesting.

7. They could be either your Twin Flame or Soulmate (if you believe in those things), because I see a strong spiritual bond between you.

8. This is someone you’ll likely have kids with.

9. Some of you need to hear that you aren’t delusional. If there’s someone you feel a strong pull towards, they might be your person. Put logic aside and trust your intuition on this.

10. Something related to Shrek, Puss in Boots to be specific. So cats might be significant or it could also mean that like I’ve mentioned earlier you wouldn’t like your future spouse at first or you might even be rivals, enemies to lovers kind of trope if you will.

11. Edgar Allan Poe keeps popping up, so they might read some of his poetry to you and that’s one of the ways you’ll know it’s them. Speaking of poetry, they might be a poet as well. They might just write their poems on paper or they might create music from it.

12. Twenty One Pilots might be significant. So they might like this band and listen a lot to them, also when with them you could hear a Twenty One Pilots song and that’s yet another way to help you realise who is your future spouse.

13. Snow White or Disney Princesses in general might be significant. I’m getting a sense of something forbidden, and what I mean by that is your love might seem forbidden in some way, like maybe you come from different backgrounds or cultures and not all people agree with your decision to be together. Also I feel distance, so you might be from different countries too.

14. I’m getting a sense of ancient civilisations and it feels like you have been searching for this person since the beginning of time. You could always tell that something was missing but couldn’t figure out what. It’s this. It’s them. When you are reunited, everything will make sense. It will make sense why it didn’t work out with someone different; everything will fall into place.

Group 2

1. Elon Musk comes to mind, so they might be the CEO type and they could be well-off, perhaps even rich. Also they could be into robots/computers/technology in general, I’m also hearing video games, specifically Doom, Counter Strike and Call of Duty. They might also drive a Tesla/their dream car is a Tesla or they just want to buy it for whatever reason.

2. I see teddy bears, so they might have a good, kind heart and are a true softie. They give great hugs and they might have a chubbier body type, well proportioned though. Also Valentine’s Day might be significant.

3. The letters “G” and “J” or more specifically the names “George” and “James”.

4. Germany/Austria might be significant, so they might be from one of these countries or you might be from one of them which would be a confirmation this reading is for you.

5. Water sign vibes: they could have a lot of water placements in their birth chart or it could also mean they have a lot of qualities to water signs.

6. I see paintings, so they might be into museums and art, also they could be studying or studied something related to art.

7. I see pearls and the sea: again with the water energy. This could mean they are in tune with their emotions, and I’m also hearing when they get angry it feels like a mountainous sea with rain and lightning above, it’s like you can see it in their eyes. They don’t try to hide their emotions.

8. I have to keep this pg rated, but maybe some of you need to hear this: I heard they are great in the sexy department. They could have a Leo Venus, but not necessarily.

9. I see Cupids and Angels, so they might seem too good to be true when you meet them but trust me they are for you and they are here to stay. Also you could be mesmerised by them on your first meeting. It’s like they captured your heart the moment they walked into the room.

10. Opera, movie theatres or theatres in general might be significant, like you could meet them there or they might invite you to see something in a theatre. Also they could be an actor. The letter “E” and specifically the names “Evan”, “Eva” or “Evelin”

11. Something related to islands and pirates. They might be the “bad boy”, “bad girl” type. Not in a bad way but they just always get what they want. But more importantly they always know what they want so you won’t have to question their actions or feelings because their actions match their words.

12. Good at noticing details. Very diligent. I see them never forgetting special occasions, they might even put them in their calendar so they don’t forget. Might like to surprise you with a home cooked meal or “just because” and “this reminded me of you” gifts. Gift giving might be their love language.

13. Countryside, cottage core, gathering berries and mushrooms: this might be their vibe, they might live in the countryside or they would love to own a home outside of town.

14. Might wear glasses, might own a cat, wants to own a cat or cats are in one way or another connected to your person or your relationship with them.

Group 3

1. I feel a safe place, so they could be your safe haven. You could also have a safe place where you go in your dreams or during astral travel, you could meet them there. They might have also created a safe space for you to be and to protect you during sleep or astral projection.

2. I see cherries, blueberries and the forest, so they might live near a forest, they like to go on walks in the forest, you could meet somewhere with a lot of nature or near a forest or it simply means they just love nature.

3. Very intelligent, they could be the brains behind many projects. Also they could like old cartoons, like cartoons from the 90s or early 00s. Scooby-Doo could be significant. Also they could like solving problems, like they could be a lawyer or somehow related to law even.

4. They could have darker features and what I mean by that is they could have darker skin, darker hair, darker eyes or something like that. Also Ibiza/Maldives could be significant.

5. I feel they like to party a lot or at least did in their early years. I’m not saying they are old but they could have had a party animal past. I don’t feel them this way anymore though. They could party here and there but not as intensively as they did in the past.

6. The number “nine” could be significant, so it could be their life path number or it could be your life path number which would be a confirmation this group is definitely for you. Also they could be ending a toxic cycle right now, like a toxic relationship or an addiction of some sort. This addiction could be related to them partying as I mentioned earlier.

7. I see letters or messages of some sort, so it could mean they will contact you soon or they have contacted you in the past with a letter. I feel it could have been a small letter, like the ones you exchange during class when the teacher doesn’t notice.

8. The seven wonders of the world might be significant, like you could meet them at one of them or something like that. Also you could meet while travelling whether it be a long or short trip.

9. Your future spouse has a great fashion sense, almost iconic as some would say. They also could be into modelling or have dreamed of becoming a model. Very stylish, indeed.

10. Lady GaGa could be significant, like you could meet while Lady GaGa’s song is playing or while with them, you might hear a Lady GaGa’s song and that will be a confirmation.

11. The reoccurring theme of numbers keeps popping up, so they might as well be somehow connected to various numbers, like they could have their own business, they could be an accountant or an office worker, also the show “Office” and Britney Spears might be significant.

12. Asia, more specifically Korea might be somehow connected either to them or to you. I’m hearing your love story could be similar to the love stories in KDramas.

13. I keep seeing dogs, so they definitely could be a dog person or perhaps even have a dog. Also this could signify loyalty and friendship, so you might as well be friends first before you start dating.

14. There’s lots of symbolism to music and musicians, so your future spouse might be a musician or is somehow related to the music industry.

[romanceyourdemons]

thinking about the affective link between vampires and slaveownership in american literature. a surprising number of the most popular works of vampire fiction set in america, from the vampire chronicles to the twilight saga to abraham lincoln, vampire hunter (2012), has one or more vampire characters either personally own a plantation and slaves or fought to defend slavery. and the interesting thing is you would think this is largely because of the parallels between vampirism and enslavement as the ultimate dehumanization and violation of another person’s will, or because the american civil war has a historical narrative as the ultimate battle against the forces of evil lurking among us, but abraham lincoln, vampire hunter (2012) is the one work i’ve seen that actually presents it from that angle. most other works, including interview with the vampire and twilight, just present the plantation as flavoring, with the humans that the vampire has openly and legally enslaved relegated to set dressing. which suggests to me that those works are using it as the traditional solution to the traditional american gothic problem—that is to say, that gothic fiction typically centers around ancient and deep-rooted aristocratic families, something a settler colony like america obviously lacks, so american writers from edgar allan poe onwards who wanted to write gothic fiction in as non-revisionist a style as possible seized upon the pseudo-aristocracy of the southern gentlemen for their setting. this doesn’t make it any less of a lazy and unexamined choice on the authors’ part, but it does offer an interesting insight into america’s affective geography

[kimberly-spirits13]

Growing Up in the Justice League HC

Purely self indulgence cause I've been on this and idk why so bear with me here

I can just easily romanticize growing up in the Justice League too easily and it would be a problem

you're brought in at as a baby to be trained by Diana

Apollo brings you to her and tells her that you are an ancient being that regenerates as a new person when you die and this is the form that you have taken. As you get older, you will remember the skills and memories of your past lives but you will have to be raised with someone who can handle you

Diana just loves babies so she had no problem with that

I'd say the league has been established for some time during this point and everyone knows each other's identities in the core group

You grew up in Paris and New York being raised as a mama's child

Bruce is the closest you get to a dad and he does his best

SPOILS YOU ROTTEN

all the Barbies and Legos and whatever toys you'd want as a child

They know that you've been trained as an assassin, wizard, queen, knight, sorceress, scientist, all of these other things that can be traumatic so they just want you to have a great, decent childhood

when you start remember things they begin training you to be a hero

It's like PE and recess all in one since they're really just trying to figure out what you can do

Clark treats you like a fragile piece of glass up until you're a teen cause teenagers confuse him and he just cannot not see you as an innocent beep boppin child sometimes

Barry keeps up with the culture and knows all the songs from your favorite childhood movies and tv shows that you grew up watching on the massive computer in the watch tower when you were up there

will dance to any Barbie song since he knows them all by heart

Hal makes fun of you two but secretly enjoys the movies and is very emotionally invested in Princess and the Pauper and Diamond Castle

Diana and Bruce make sure that you have a great education and training

They are the mature parents of the group and want to make sure you're a functioning member of society

you've got a bag full of grandparents in the Kents, Allans, Princes, Alfred and they all love you to death

Alfred teaches you to make the best tea and gardening, Ma Kent teaches you to quilt and make bread, Pa Kent teaches you how to drive a tractor and farm, Hippolyta teaches you about the Greek gods and ancient cultures and how to ride horses, the Allans would have loads of board games to play and love having you over

Once Young Justice or Teen Titans comes around you don't join since you're officially a Justice League member and get along better with the adults since you were raised by them

That doesn't mean that you don't like or hang out with the kids, it's just that you have better inside jokes with Hal and Barry

When Superboy comes around and the League disappears, you were the only one not taken by the portal since you were helping out some civilians

You knew that Clark wasn't dead and you knew the League was somewhere

What kept you afloat was humor and Kon attached to that since he just needed someone that wasn't insane in his life

you probably won't develop romantic feelings for each other but it's more of a camaraderie since you were both raised in a really unorthodox way

when the league finally comes back, you say it's the happiest day of your life and rant to them that you were the only one who knew they weren't gone but no one understood it

Hal and Barry are known for having a thing for chicken tenders and make sure to instill an addiction in you for chicken tenders

Arthur (Aquaman) really really really likes them too but he doesn't realize it until he comes to the League

Clark would be the one to take you out for ice cream randomly or if you're having a bad day

the mother hen therapist type

You're America's favorite Justice Leaguer and often go viral for in uniform interactions with the League

Dancing with Flash at a Presidential ceremony because the music is too beep boopin good and you can't help but bop around a little bit

Media also loves you as a civilian and it's been suspected that you are the love child between Diana and Bruce since I mean- that would make the most sense

it's a running joke in the league

[tavolgisvist]

Once the basic track [Spirits of Ancient Egypt] was finished to Paul’s satisfaction, Denny attempted to record the lead vocal. But he struggled with it, particularly in the refrain, where the first syllable of the word “Egypt” was just beyond the top of his vocal range. “You know what, Den, I think that’s psychological, that,” Paul told him after one failed attempt to hit the note. “I know you can get that,” he added, singing the elusive top note and holding it, while Laine tried unsuccessfully to match him. Paul proposed that it might be easier to hit the note if Denny sang “AY-gypt,” which didn’t work either, so perhaps to avoid further embarrassment, Paul changed the subject, addressing the song’s opening. “I think the first bit may be better down low—and kind of smoochy, to the mic,” he said, and offered a sultry reading of the line, “you’re my baby . . .” Denny made a few more attempts, at a couple of points singing “I’m on the road again,” to point up the similarity between the boogie-like playout and the 1968 single by the American band Canned Heat.

<...>

When they arrived [17 March 1975, Los Angeles], O’Duffy was set up to record Denny’s lead vocal on ‘Spirits of Ancient Egypt,’ the album’s only missing element. He now had most of the song under control, and even brought some of the nuance to the opening lines that Paul demonstrated for him in New Orleans. But he was no closer to being able to hit the high G in the refrain. Paul was committed to Denny having a showcase on the album, though, so he found a way around Denny’s vocal shortcomings: sharing a mic with Laine, Paul joined him in the chorus, taking the spotlight as Denny dropped back.

(The McCartney Legacy: Volume 2: 1974-1980 by Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair, 2024)

+

[lobselvith8]

Regarding Gaider's "Modern Elves are Partly to blame for their own oppression"

In a conversation with Christina Gonzalez and a few other people on twitter, David Gaider, the former headwriter of Dragon Age, mocked fans of the Dalish. I took issue with his statement and pointed out why people are critical of how he and the other writers handled the Dalish in Dragon Age (while Allan Schumacher of Epic Games had nothing of substance to say in response). The Dalish are nomadic as a consequence of Andrastian societies violently attacking them if they stay too long in one area. The Andrastian Chantry outlawed their religion, making them criminals as a consequence of their faith. Andrastians will threaten the Dalish with violence in an attempt to force conversion to the Andrastian faith. Templars will hunt down the Dalish, and will even torture children. Andrastian elves also suffer from Andrastian oppression as Andrastian humans can massacre all of them, down to the children in an orphanage.

Gaider postulates that one could discuss how the ancient elves were "partly to blame" for their enslavement (let's keep in mind that being slaves is what he's talking about, even though he's careful not to put that into his tweet) or how "modern elves are partly to blame for their own oppression" which is essentially what we are told throughout the whole of Inquisition and the DLCs that accompanied the game (even JoH tries to romanticize the genocidal tyrant Drakon and place all of the blame on the Dales for the elves not trusting the tyrant who was invading their neighbors, forcing conversion, and massacring the people who would not convert - like the peaceful pacifists known as the Daughters of Song).

Inquisition even rectonned previously established lore on the Dalish in order to have characters like Iron Bull denigrate the Dalish. It's a game that will side-step Celene burning thousands of elves alive in Halamshiral while it will demonize the Dalish for wanting to maintain their autonomy from what's essentially a group of colonizers who want to rule over them and force them to convert, and the white Canadian writers (who are from Canada, a place known for its long history of horrific treatment towards Indigenous people) are firmly on the side of those who think that the Dalish (who, as Gaider himself once said at the Dragon Central forums before the release of Origins, were modeled after "Northern Native Americans") are wrong not to subjugate themselves to white Andrastian rulers.

Andrastian elves similarly face hardships because of Andrastian rule. In Ferelden even the efforts of the Night Elves fighting to free the nation from Orlesian rule didn't the elves any greater freedoms once Maric came to power. The Boon of the City Elf faces a number of dire consequences unless the Warden assumes control themselves as the new Bann. Inquisition ignores the plight of the elves of the Dales entirely to focus on a white human noble as the focus of the storyline in the Dales, and you can potentially help chevalier Michel de Chevin (a white man with blonde hair who is part of the chevaliers, a group who murder innocent elves as part of their initiation rite, although this isn't properly addressed in-game) while Briala's role is marginalized in-game despite being the leader of an elven rebellion across Orlais (and she strangely became white despite her in-book description making it clear she's a woman of color, which accompanying artwork confirmed).

Whether you're talking about the slavery of ancient elves or the 'modern' oppression of Andrastian elves and Dalish elves, I don't see how you can blame either the victims of slavery or the victims of racial (and in the case of the Dalish religious) persecution for the oppression they face. And Gaider doesn't seem to understand that at all, which explains the inherent problems with how the plight of the elves is framed within Dragon Age.

[yanderestarangel]

⋆ 𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐋𝐅 𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍!𝐌𝐈𝐆𝐔𝐄𝐋 𝐎'𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀 ⋆

A/N: He's back bitches, DADDY MIGUEL O'HARA.

SYNOPSIS: Miguel is a 45-year-old man who works in a local library, also giving tutoring classes in literature to the local village community, you decide to go visit him after being on vacation, awakening a side of himself that Miguel didn't know.

TW: Yandere themes, age gap, afab anatomy, betrayal, dark themes, threats, manipulation, smut, au.

YANDERE DILF LIBRARIAN!MIGUEL O'HARA -He leads a peaceful life, always opening the library at 9 am and closing at 9 pm, sometimes staying overtime to look at the landscape outside the large windows, to try to forget his failed marriage with his wife.

YANDERE DILF LIBRARIAN!MIGUEL O'HARA - Who has the same patterns every day, namely: taking both children to school by car, buying the same fruits to eat throughout the day - a few dates, an apple and a bottle of coffee aluminum portable, hot and sugar-free in the dark green side pouch he carries everything he needs for that day -

YANDERE DILF LIBRARIAN!MIGUEL O'HARA - What you see in a boring life, everything was the same, he worked out, went for walks on the weekends, watched the same period films after 11pm, in the same leather armchair that got hot in the uncomfortable summer heat, drinking the same beer while the black and white images of the Hollywood film passed through the lens of his glasses, while he smelled the cold food made by his wife, who as always, had left the children with him and gone out.

YANDERE DILF LIBRARIAN!MIGUEL O'HARA - Who woke up late that day due to the hangover from the several beers he had on Sunday, rushing to drop his children off at school and avoid an argument with his wife early in the morning. He calmly went to the library, after all, there was no one there at that end of the world. But he was wrong. He soon saw you, sitting on the steps of the cold concrete stairs while waiting for someone to open the library, he had never seen you in the community, so it was a surprise for him to see someone so beautiful and different from the routine faces in the village. Miguel got out of the car, adjusting his round glasses, giving you a polite "good morning", his strong accent mixed with the smell of coffee coming from his lips, he opened the library while looking you up and down, he would casually ask you your name and what you do there. You spoke your reasons politely, while explaining that you were on vacation and decided to visit the tourist attractions of that village, such as the lighthouse and rough sea, as well as the large library, which, in addition to needing some literature classes, you two were taking Miguel O'Hara nods and gives a practically invisible sideways shy smile.

YANDERE DILF LIBRARIAN!MIGUEL O'HARA - Who gets excited like a young man when he sees you interested in literature, Miguel would make a point of giving you some books as a gift, explaining about each one, especially if you like gothic literature, such as: Bram Stocker, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stocker - or horror stories, he automatically falls in love if you, speaking excerpts from his favorite stories while pouring you some coffee, sitting in front of him while the two of you did a literary duo circle, the voices echoing through the ancient wood.

"-With a long scrutinizing look at the shadow, which frightens me, which haunts me, And I dream of what no mortal has ever dreamed of, But the vast and silent silence, silent remains; the quiet stillness." -O'Hara reads with a strong, hoarse accent, his voice was raw, reverberating his passion for each verse and word he spoke, holding the book in his thick fingers, now, with the abandonment of the wedding ring he wore, even though he was still married, you didn't need to know that detail.

"-Only you, unique and beloved word, Lenora, you, like a scarce sigh, leave my sad mouth; And the echo, which heard you, whispered to you in space; It was just that, nothing more." -You completed, reading your part in the tale of "The Crow" while feeling the older man's gauze on your body, while Salvatore's hands massaged your bare shoulder, lightly adjusting the clothes you wore, a long and possessive touch.

YANDERE DILF LIBRARIAN!MIGUEL O'HARA - Who offers you a ride home, turning on the radio while asking you everything about yourself, if you were dating, if you had traveled with someone, he expected you to be totally alone, totally for him. Miguel drops you off at home while he says a quick goodbye, but he actually just hides the car in the middle of some trees, looking out your windows, writing down your nighttime habits in a diary - he got home later that night, his wife noticed the delay, but he just made up an excuse, mostly lying that he had lost the ring in a library cleaning, which was a lie, he got rid of the ring in the sea, near the local town port -

YANDERE DILF LIBRARIAN!MIGUEL O'HARA - Who studied everything about you on the days you two were alone in the library, becomes his refuge. Don't get him wrong, O'Hara loves his children, but he hates coming home and seeing that his marriage is a failure, and that the woman he was once so in love with, young days that passed through his life in long ago, Now she's just a strange and cold woman, but you? You are his treasure, always happy, smiling sweetly, asking if he is okay, or if he has eaten that day, if he needs help with something in his work as a librarian, you are so angelic, so beautiful, so his. You're totally his, aren't you?

YANDERE DILF LIBRARIAN!MIGUEL O'HARA - Who lies to you about his private life, saying that his wife and he are divorced and he just lets her live close to the children, he lies so naturally that even he himself believes in the madness of his mind.

YANDERE DILF LIBRARIAN!MIGUEL O'HARA- Who finds an excuse to leave you up late with him in the library, telling you about some more books, and giving you a letter, letters that were always sealed in luxurious black paper like an envelope, with a red coat of arms with an 'M' for Miguel, big in the center, he always asked you to open it at home, they were poems and poetry written by him, about you, but each time, with each letter given to you, they became darker, more intense, more... Intimate.

YANDERE DILF LIBRARIAN!MIGUEL O'HARA - Which makes you sit on his muscular legs that night in the peace of the library, while his big, calloused hands lightly run over your thighs, while he praises you. "-Your skin is soft like the finest and purest silk, your lips are full and shiny with life, your smile is like the epitome of beauty, I look at you and see an angel, not even the richest kings who had harems with several women And men, none of them come close to your beauty, mi angelito, did you know that? Your heart is so pure and beautiful, your soul is practically eradicated from your carnal being." -Miguel spoke hoarsely, as he forced you to look at him, his eyes shone, not only with enlightenment but with love, a sick love for you.

YANDERE DILF LIBRARIAN!MIGUEL O'HARA -He fingers you slowly and lightly, giving you kisses on the head, feeling the smell and softness of your hair, his fingers enter and curve slightly, he was an expert in that, he wanted to make you come, to make you see the stars in the sky pleasure he could give you. Miguel praises you even more when he sees you moaning so beautifully, writhing in his lap, while he whispers in your ear how well you do it, being such a good girl/boy for him, giving yourself to him like that, like you It's beautiful when your pussy tightens around his fingers, how perfect you are when you let your sweet saliva run down your lips like that, while he gives you all the pleasure, making you squirm on his arm full of veins and scars from the time he had, dirtying the papers and reports he signed, but he doesn't fight with you, no my sweet girl/boy, you are his, Miguel just applies a chaste kiss to your temple, salty with the sweat of sexual effort and the heat of lust from your body, while he just said everything was going to be okay.

YANDERE DILF LIBRARIAN!MIGUEL O'HARA - Who was worried when you didn't show up after a few days, so he left work early, seeing you at a local fair. He tried to talk to you, but you were disappointed in him, you had found out he was married, and you felt dirty for giving yourself to him. Miguel O'Hara froze immediately, but he soon recovered his posture, telling you in a serious and cold air that she didn't mean anything to him and you did, but you didn't want to listen, just saying how rubbish he was as a human being and leaving the room. running, hiding in the crowd, he didn't go after you, just walking away with a neutral and serious air, thinking about the next step he would take, and he knew exactly what it would be. He spent every day at your house, placing flowers, chocolates, teddy bears, gifts and books on your doorstep, even if you threw them in the trash, he bought more and more, even more expensive and extravagant. Miguel didn't leave you alone, going to your house every day, even trying to knock on the window, but you didn't pay attention to him, but he didn't care, he wasn't going to give up, he stopped the car every day after his shift from work to look at you,or look at the lighting in your house, where you were, what you were doing, and who you were with.

YANDERE DILF LIBRARIAN!MIGUEL O'HARA - That on your last day in the village, he left you a letter, in a red envelope, you didn't want to read it, but your curiosity got the better of you, with you finally reading the content of the man's letter.

My dear, (Y/N) This may sound strange, but I like it when you hide like a scared little bunny, running away from me like that, as if I were a predator? so I am offended my dear. Do you know how far I'm willing to go for you? Do you know exactly what things I can do to try? Do you know the dark thoughts I can carry out with your friends or family? If you gave in. We would be even more than perfect together, we were born to be each other's my love. Just as the sun rises day after day, just as the moon appears in the dead of night. Just as the stars shine in the black sky of the dark and cold night, void of voice. Just as birds spend their lungs in a melodious song, unable to be stopped by foolish men. Just like every natural phenomenon and incapable of being stopped, I will make you mine. just mine. You can try to scream, try to escape or even ignore me, like a mirror covered with a fine linen fabric, I'm still there, watching you, attentive to your smallest details, your flaws, your sins, your darkest, hidden fears. inside your mind, the intimate and core of your most secret suffering... I know everything, I know you more than you know yourself. We are destined to be one, drawn by a happy and unhappy destiny, a piece of the gods perhaps, who are we to question love? In fact, I'll ask you one more time, you love me, right? Just try to say you don't love me... Then I will destroy you... I k-

You didn't even finish reading the letter, hearing heavy footsteps coming from the back door, while you saw a tall figure standing in the dark shadow of the hallway, something dripping on the floor while those familiar and maddened brown eyes stared at you, deep in your soul, Miguel O'Hara.

"-And you know, (Y/N)... you shouldn't leave the door open."

©YANDERESTARANGEL 2023

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Hi there, I’m planning on writing gothic/gothic romance fiction. Do you have any tips?

Do you also have any tips to not make your writing too repetitive? I have a habit of repeating words a lot.

Writing Notes: Gothic Fiction

Gothic Novel

European Romantic pseudomedieval fiction having a prevailing atmosphere of mystery and terror.

Its heyday was the 1790s, but it underwent frequent revivals in subsequent centuries.

Called Gothic because its imaginative impulse was drawn from medieval buildings and ruins, such novels commonly used settings such as castles or monasteries equipped with subterranean passages, dark battlements, hidden panels, and trapdoors.

The Gothic is characterized by its darkly picturesque scenery and its eerie stories of the macabre.

It draws its name and aesthetic inspiration from the Gothic architectural style of the Middle Ages ⁠— crumbling castles, isolated aristocratic estates, and spaces of decrepitude are familiar settings within the genre.

Gothic fiction is rooted in blending the old with the new.

As such, it often takes place during moments of historical transition, from the end of the medieval era to the beginnings of industrialization.

Contemporary technology and science are set alongside ancient backdrops, and this strange pairing helps create the pervasive sense of uncanniness and estrangement that the Gothic is known for.

Past & present fold in on each other; even as man’s technological advancements seem to make him increasingly powerful, history continues to haunt.

Elements of Gothic Literature

The Gothic is a genre of spiritual uncertainty: it creates encounters with the sublime and constantly explores events beyond explanation. Whether they feature supernatural phenomena or focus on the psychological torment of the protagonists, Gothic works terrify by showing readers the evils that inhabit our world.

CHARACTERS

Characters in Gothic fiction often find themselves in unfamiliar places, as they — and the readers — leave the safe world they knew behind.

Ghosts are right at home in the genre, where they’re used to explore themes of entrapment and isolation, while omens, curses, and superstitions add a further air of mystery.

ATMOSPHERE

Eeriness is as important as the scariness of the events themselves.

In a Gothic novel, the sky seems perpetually dark and stormy, the air filled with an unshakable chill.

THEMES

In addition to exploring spooky spaces, Gothic literature ventures into the dark recesses of the mind: the genre frequently confronts existential themes of madness, morality, and man pitted against God or nature.

Physical and mental ruin go hand in hand — as the ancient settings decay so do the characters’ grips on reality.

History of Gothic Literature

The vogue was initiated in England by Horace Walpole’s immensely successful The Castle of Otranto (1765).

His most respectable follower was Ann Radcliffe, whose The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794) and The Italian (1797) are among the best examples of the genre.

A more sensational type of Gothic romance exploiting horror and violence flourished in Germany and was introduced to England by Matthew Gregory Lewis with The Monk (1796).

The classic horror stories Frankenstein (1818), by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, and Dracula (1897), by Bram Stoker, are in the Gothic tradition but introduce the existential nature of humankind as its definitive mystery and terror.

Easy targets for satire, the early Gothic romances died of their own extravagances of plot.

But Gothic atmospheric machinery continued to haunt the fiction of such major writers as:

Charlotte, Anne, and Emily Brontë, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and even Charles Dickens in Bleak House and Great Expectations.

In the second half of the 20th century, the term was applied to paperback romances having the same kind of themes and trappings similar to the originals.

Tips on Writing Gothic Fiction

SETTING

Gothic fiction can, of course, be set anywhere – but 2 key components of Gothic settings are as follows:

Gothic settings are isolated – a small community, a rural town, a single-family home on the open moors… wherever your Gothic story takes place, make sure that the setting is in isolation from the rest of the world. Places that are difficult to get to, with small populations, or are only home to one family or small group of people are ideal for weaving a Gothic tale. Even if your characters are not physically isolated – maybe they live in a city, for example – their isolation should be present in some way; maybe emotionally, maybe socially. There are plenty of options therein.

Gothic settings revolve around a home base – not necessarily a home or house, though that is quite common; but, with almost every Gothic tale, a central setting is introduced very quickly and almost all the action takes place inside or around it. This furthers that feeling of isolation, and also helps the house or laboratory or island or whatever else feel alive, as if it is a character itself.

These settings are often fun to develop and aid the story so, so much by being atmospheric and anthropomorphic.

By creating a strong setting and central location, you are setting up your Gothic fiction for success.

VOICE & CHARACTER

A strong voice, usually in first person, is a staple of Gothic fiction.

Gothic main characters are usually curious, determined, and unable to rest until whatever is going on around them is uncovered.

They are not faint of heart and often have experience dealing with hardship in the past; they are uniquely qualified for whatever disturbing events are going on.

Your character’s voice should be curious, but not paranoid; apprehensive, but not frightened or cowardly; and, above all, interesting.

As many Gothic are written in first person, you want your main character to take action and investigating the goings-on.

ATMOSPHERE

Similar to setting, it’s important to focus on atmosphere. Make sure you appeal to the five senses – let your reader know how it sounds, smells, feels!

The more details, the better; immerse your reader by making them feel as if they are actually in the space.

Often, as mentioned, Gothic novels take place in areas that are remote, experience frequent storms or bad weather, or otherwise have a very ominous environment.

Of course, Gothic novels can take place anywhere, but the takeaway here is to remember to highlight aspects that go beyond the visual.

SUBGENRE

Know what the genre within your Gothic work is or is going to be.

Are you writing a Gothic romance? A Gothic thriller? A Gothic horror? There are even types of books one might categorize as a “cozy Gothic” – taking the elements of a cozy mystery, but with a Gothic setting and characters.

There are some very specific geographical locations and time periods for Gothics, Victorian or Regency-era Northern England being a couple of them; but they are not all set in Europe in the 19th century, nor should they be.

Consider such settings as seen in Southern Gothic in the 2020s, for example, or Canadian Gothic (set anywhere in Canada, but usually southern and rural Ontario) in the late 90s, among many others. These are only a few examples of hundreds!

Dark academia titles can often fall into the Gothic genre as well, and, of course there are Gothic fantasy and sci-fi titles as well.

Carefully consider what sub-genre your Gothic fiction falls under before writing it, or during the early stages of writing as your work gets fleshed out. It may fall under just one category, or multiple! Either way, knowing this will help you write and later market your title.

MARKETING

Think about marketing at an early stage. Make it clear that it is a Gothic novel!

And consider publishing your title at a time when the Gothic genre might be in higher demand, such as during the month of October or the winter in general.

Appeal to fans of grim stories, horror romance, and what have you by theming your marketing.

If writing a Gothic novel is new for you, be sure to highlight that!

It can be exciting when an author tries out a new genre and moves into a new literary space. Be sure to let your readers know of this new venture.

Gothic Romance

As a genre, gothic fiction was first established with the publication of Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto in 1764. Characterized by a dark, foreboding atmosphere and outlandish, sometimes grotesque, characters and events, gothic fiction has flourished and branched off into many different subgenres in the centuries since its creation.

While Walpole introduced what would later become the definitive tropes of the genre (creepy castles, cursed families, gloomy atmosphere), it was not until Ann Radcliffe’s A Sicilian Romance in 1790 that gothic romance began to develop as its own legitimate subgenre.

Radcliffe kept many of the same tropes established by Walpole’s work, such as isolated settings with semi-supernatural phenomena; however, her novels featured female protagonists battling through terrifying ordeals while struggling to be with their true loves.

This concept is what separates gothic romance from its cousin, gothic horror.

Female leads would come to dominate gothic romance, especially after the publication of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre in 1847.

A young woman struggling to maintain her independence as she falls for a dark, brooding, handsome man became a genre-defining plot of gothic romances published in the decades that followed.

A renewed public interest in gothic romance came on the heels of Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca upon its publication in 1938.

Authors such as Victoria Holt, Mary Stewart, and Phyllis A. Whitney dominated the gothic romance trade paperback market from the 1960s to the 1990s.

The image of a young woman running away from a darkened castle became a staple of gothic romance novel covers.

In 1983, Gaywyck, by Vincent Virga, became the first published gay gothic romance.

Modern additions to the genre continue to reflect its interest in both terror and romance, while also delivering updated or reimagined versions of familiar tropes.

Tips for Avoiding Word Repetition

While repeating a word or phrase can add emphasis and rhythm to your writing, it can also make your writing awkward and difficult to read. When you’re not using repetition as a rhetorical device, repeating words can get in the way of good writing. Here are some tricks for avoiding unnecessary repetition of words:

Read your work aloud. Reading aloud will help you avoid unintentional word repetition. Reading your work aloud is an excellent way to both hear the sonic effects of your prose and catch awkward repeated sounds or other unintended effects.

Read your work backward. Reading your work backward is an editing trick that forces your brain to slow down and pay close attention to the individual sentences. Start at the end of a chapter, paragraph, or page and read the last sentence of that section. (Don’t read the sentence itself backward—it won’t make any sense.) Next, read the second-to-last sentence, and so on. This will allow you to work at the sentence level, catching any unintended repetition or other small mistakes that your brain naturally skims over.

Consult a thesaurus. So you’ve found a repeated word. Now what? You can try rearranging your sentence to get rid of the repeated word, or you can keep the sentence the same and plug in a different word in its place. If you’re at a loss, consult a thesaurus for a list of synonyms. You want your writing to sound like you, and to be accessible to your audience, so it’s best to avoid using words you aren’t familiar with. But if you find yourself unintentionally repeating the same word over and over, a thesaurus can help you identify another word that more precisely captures your meaning.

Some Writing Strategies to Avoid Repetition

Excerpts from writing tips on repetition by Dr. Ryan Shirey:

While repetition is not an inherently bad thing (and can quite often be used to great effect as in the classical rhetorical technique of anaphora), most of us want to make sure that we’re not boring our readers by saying the same things over and over again without any variation or development.

If you’re worried about repeating ideas, then one of the easiest and most illuminating things that you can do is to reverse outline your draft. When you reverse outline, you take your draft and distill each idea and piece of evidence back into an outline. Some writers like to do this in the margins and others prefer a separate sheet of paper. Whatever your preference, a reverse outline will let you see rather clearly whether or not you’ve returned to the same idea or piece of evidence multiple times in the same essay. If you find that you have, you can think about rearranging or cutting paragraphs as necessary.

Another strategy if you’re worried about repeating ideas is to use different colored highlighters, colored pencils, or coloring tools in a word processing program to mark areas of your text where you’re working on specific ideas. If I’m writing a paper on the history of the run up to World War I, for example, I might decide to mark all the areas where I discuss treaty arrangements in green, all the areas where I discuss colonial expansion in blue, the parts that discuss arms manufacturing and trade in red, and so on. Once I’ve visualized these ideas with color, I can see more easily whether or not I keep returning to the same topics or whether I need to restructure any portions of my essay. Be careful, though–you don’t want to create artificial distinctions that might negatively impact your overall point. For instance, if a conflict over colonial expansion leads to a treaty arrangement, I would need to be very careful about using the context in which I’m discussing that treaty dictate how I code that sentence or paragraph.

If you’re worried about repeating words or phrases, you can use the “find” feature in your word processing program to highlight all of the instances where you’ve used it. Once you’ve identified the problem areas, you can look for ways to combine sentences using coordination or subordination, replace nouns with pronouns, or (very carefully) use a thesaurus to diversify your vocabulary.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References

Hope this helps with your writing!

[deathlessathanasia]

Greek mythology books (nonfiction)

I was asked about this, so here are some books I like, in no specific order:

Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources by Timothy Gantz.

The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology by Robin Hard.

A Companion to Greek Mythology edited by Ken Dowden and Nial Livingstone.

The Cambridge Companion to Greek Mythology edited by Roger D. Woodard.

The Gods in Epic: Poets and Critics of the Classical Tradition by D. C. Feeney.

The Daily Life of the Greek Gods by Giulia Sissa and Marcel Detienne.

Greek Nymphs: Myth, Cult, Lore. by Jennifer Larson.

A new Companion to Homer edited by Ian Morris and Barry Powell.

The Cambridge Guide to Homer edited by Corinne Ondine Pache.

Homer's Divine Audience: The Iliad's Reception on Mount Olympus by Tobias Myers.

The Iliad – the Poem of Zeus by Pietro Pucci.

Zeus in the Odyssey by J. Marks.

Brill's Companion to Hesiod edited by Franco Montanari, Chr. Tsagalis and Antonios Rengakos.

•The Oxford Handbook of Hesiod edited by Alexander C. Loney and Stephen Scully.

Hesiod's Theogony: from Near Eastern Creation Myths to Paradise Lost by Stephen Scully.

The Hesiodic Catalogue of Women and Archaic Greece by Kirk Ormand.

The Hesiodic Catalogue of Women: Constructions and Reconstructions by Richard Hunter.

Hesiod and Classical Greek Poetry: Reception and Transformation in the Fifth Century BCE by Zoe Stamatopoulou.

The Greek Epic Cycle and its Ancient Reception: A Companion edited by Marco Fantuzzi and Christos Tsagalis.

The Tradition of the Trojan War in Homer and the Epic Cycle by Jonathan S. Burgess.

The Epic Cycle: A Commentary on the Lost Troy Epics by M. L. West.

The politics of Olympus : form and meaning in the major Homeric hymns by Jenny Strauss Clay.

Traditional Themes and the Homeric Hymns by Cora Angier Sowa.

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter: Translation, Commentary and Interpretive Essays edited by Helene P. Foley.

The Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite: Introduction, Text, and Commentary by Andrew Faulkner.

Orphic Traditions and the Birth of the Gods by Dwayne A. Meisner.

The Derveni Papyrus: Cosmology, Theology and Interpretation by Gábor Betegh.

The Derveni Papyrus: Unearthing Ancient Mysteries edited by Marco Antonio Santamaría Álvarez.

Chaos, Cosmos and Creation in Early Greek Theogonies: An Ontological Exploration by Olaf Almqvist.

When the Gods Were Born: Greek Cosmogonies and the Near East by Carolina López-Ruiz.

Mythica by Emily Hauser.

Women and Weasels: Mythologies of Birth in Ancient Greece and Rome by Maurizio Bettini.

Ancient Stepmothers: Myth, Misogyny, and Reality by Patricia A. Watson.

Gender and the Interpretation of Classical Myth by Lillian E. Doherty.

The Story of Myth by Sarah Iles Johnston.

Drakon: Dragon Myth and Serpent Cult in the Greek and Roman Worlds by Daniel Ogden.

Zeus by Ken Dowden.

Classical Zeus: A Study in Art and Literature by Karim Arafat.

Aphrodite by Monica S. Cyrino.

The Origin of Aphrodite by Stephanie Lynn Budin.

Entre ciel et guerre. Figures d’Aphrodite en Grèce ancienne by Gabriella Pironti.

The Hera of Zeus: Intimate Enemy, Ultimate Spouse by Vinciane Pirenne-Delforge and Gabriella Pironti.

Hermes by Arlene Allan.

Artemis by Stephanie Budin.

Apollo by Fritz Graf.

The Power of Thetis: Allusion and Interpretation in the Iliad by Laura M. Slatkin.

The Staying Power of Thetis: Allusion, Interaction, and Reception from Homer to the 21st Century edited by Maciej Paprocki, Gary Patrick Vos, David John Wright.

Athena by Susan Deacy.

Dionysos by Richard Seaford.

Perseus by Daniel Ogden.

Herakles by Emma Stafford.

The Oxford Handbook of Heracles edited by Daniel Ogden.

Heracles in Early Greek Epic edited by Christos C. Tsagalis.

Helen of Troy: Beauty, Myth, Devastation by Ruby Blondell.

Achilles in Love: Intertextual Studies by Marco Fantuzzi.

Medea by Emma Griffiths.

Looking at Medea: Essays and a Translation of Euripides’ Tragedy edited by David Stuttard.

Medea: Essays on Medea in Myth, Literature, Philosophy, and Art edited by James J. Clauss and Sarah Iles Johnston.