#i am surely in the toils etc etc

[judasisgayriot]

Truly sorry that I only post about fall out boy at the moment. Don’t know what the fuck is wrong with me and I never will. xx

[icewindandboringhorror]

Apparently I can meet my goal of roughly 400,000 words in 6 months if I just somehow write at least 2,200 words a day ghbjh... Almost 2,500 today... huzzah...

[victusinveritas]

Writing advice from Nick Mamatas.

Some science fiction/fantasy creative writing students I have encountered, a field guide

1. World-Savers: these are generally older students, have no real interest in SF/F, are writing a book to express political or metaphysical ideas they consider to be radical and necessary for the future of life on Earth. In reality, they're writing long Platonic dialogues about their ideas, and authority from various culture and pop culture tropes (aliens, noble savages, fairies, resurrected presidents)–to the extent that their work has a plot at all, it involves a Christ figure transforming the world via a sacrifice. The ideas aren't very radical either: "pollute less" and "love your neighbor, unless they're a dick" are common. Occasionally the message for the world has to do with something more prosaic: reverse budgeting, the evils of Affirmative Action, the importance of installing solar panels, how dare Eileen divorce me and fuck like three guys in the six months after she moved out, etc. These students are utterly confused by actually existing SF/F stories they read, and often interpret them in bizarrely sexual ways. They don't believe in numbering the pages of their manuscripts, and often attempt to submit work in PDF so it won't be stolen.

2. Children with Money: recent college grads, or drop-outs, these people have read Harry Potter, Twilight, and perhaps three or four other best-selling young adult series and nothing else. They are easily upset, especially when someone suggests reading more. Their main interests are YouTube personalities, video games, and a sort of Puritanical pansexuality that actually makes smut boring. They often "forget" to read the work of other students, and have no idea how to use a printer. They warn the other students that their story might be "too intense" because it contains, for example, a depiction of a car accident. Their stories are routinely awful, and always contain a character named "Aidan." Sometimes their parents come to class to make sure I am "not a serial killer", as though they could possibly tell from looking at me. (Oh, "Mamatas" IS a white person name...I guess?)

3. Anointed Ones: They contact me, or the people running the workshop, beforehand, to make sure that "the class is right" for them. They have file cabinets full of their stuff, and after many decades of toil, they are ready to reveal their work to the world. They just need a mentor, and an ally—could I be the one they've been searching for lo these many years? Prior workshops were full of callow teachers and jealous students. Why they were only allowed to submit ten pages a week! Some of them have actually read fairly widely, but you wouldn't know it from their work: three adjectives per noun, a fetish for speech tags other than the word "said" or no tags at all. Often these stories include as characters philosophical prostitutes with very sensitive nipples. They never miss a class and often show up more than thirty minutes early. One time, I had to hide in a closet to avoid an extensive pre-class conversation with one.

4. Frightened Proles: These have read Stephen King and Dean Koontz and sometimes even horror writers from this century. They generally have working-class jobs and write about working people who encounter the supernatural on the late shift. They really hope they can sell their novel soon, but they know it'll take a lot of work. (Ten more drafts oughta do it!) They wear baseball hats to class and look like enormous eight-year-olds. They get very excited when I mention professional wrestling or do a taiji move in class. Their significant others are often nameless—"my girlfriend" "my wife." They buy my books and bring them to class for autographs. Some of them get published after, especially flash fiction.

5. Repairables: decent writers, often involved in the SFF "scene", who need to be fixed after a bad experience with Clarion or another workshop or an overeager editor at a semipro magazine who told them some idiot nonsense they decided to believe because they were told it was "unprofessional" not to consider editorial feedback. These either get published...or lost to MFA programs, video game jobs, fandom, podcasts, or other writing-shaped pursuits. Most of them are ferocious name-droppers; the ones who heard of me beforehand know to keep quiet though.

[indig0trolls]

I heard there's a witch in these woods....

Toil & Trouble - 25$ // You look Familiar, Have we met? - 45$ // Gathering Herbs - 25$

As a courtesy to your fellow community members, please limit yourself to 1 design for the first 24 hours! Thanks!

TOS UNDER CUT!

TOS

By purchasing you will be agreeing to follow these terms as follows. PLEASE make sure you read them in full to understand them.

You MAY change the design/species of any design i’ve made after youve bought it, but you must leave credit with INDIG0TEA for the design, and the design itself must be recognizable.

Gender/sex/etc is ultimately up to the buyer.

You may NOTresell the design for more than you paid for it, unless it comes with extra art either made by you (listed for your current or historical  commission rates), or commissioned by you. Gift art/free art does not count towards the value of any design I make, ever. Additionally: You may not ever ask for, recieve, or offer full resale plus non-currency add ons (such as, but not limited to: art, characters, merchandise, games, game currency, etc.). Yes, even if the offer as couched as “free art/commission/character”. Partial resale may be negotiated only for designs whose original buying price was 30 or more dollars USD, and split dollar amount may be for no less than 2/3 of the list price to prevent people trying to workaround this TOS to encourage other people to accept their offers. (For example: Partial resale on a 30$ design may be a maximum of 20$ partial + non-currency add on.) This is to prevent overoffering/artificially inflating resale value. I am willing to make exceptions to this clause, but you will have to speak to me directly to ensure my TOS is being respected.

If the design is gifted/traded at any point, all financial value up to that point is lost and it may not be resold until further art is made/commissioned for it.

You may not include my designs in resale bundles. Period.

You may not EVER feed ANY of my art into an AI interface of ANY kind.​​​​​​​​

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You may not resell, gift, or trade this design (or any of my designs) to anyone on my blacklist, which is linked below for your convenience. Doing so will result in immediate  blacklisting/blocking of your accounts.

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You MAY use your design for any other purpose, so long as you are not profiting financially off of my work nor passing it off as your own.

You are allowed to store it in your deviantart sta.sh, post it to tumblr profiles, or upload it to websites like toyhou.se with proper credit.

However, you may not reupload to toyhou.se, to keep the ownership log intact, and to keep the original tos consistent.

For my personal comfort, you may not delete original listings from toyhou.se and resell it separately. This is again to keep the ownership log intact, and to keep the original tos consistent. If the person you wish to resell it to does not have a toyhou.se, I have plenty of invite codes I can give out as necessary.

Please credit to INDIG0TEA the first time you post art of them to websites other than toyhou.se 

Violation  of many of these terms will result in permanent blacklisting/banning  from buying or owning designs by me in the future.

BLACKLIST

[serial-serializednovelreader]

For the ask game: 10 and 17, Jonathan Harker!

Yay! Always happy to get an ask about one of my favorite characters in fiction :))))))))))

10. Best moment on screen (or in the book):

This is super hard, since he has SO many good moments!! I am going to keep this spoiler-free, since I'm not sure if you've read Dracula all the way through or not and I don't want to spoil anything (if you have read the book, I do talk about a few of my favorite moments with Jonathan that take place later in the book in this ask!).

I would have to say him attempting to save the child he hears the three sisters feeding on in Dracula’s room. I think it's truly a defining moment for him. We've just seen Jonathan (understandably) scream in fear for his life after seeing the three women again and only feeling safe in his room. He knows as long as he stays in there, he will remain safe. But as soon as he hears a child in danger, he's willing to risk facing those women again *and* Dracula to save a child he doesn't know and doesn't even know if he can save. I don't think he even considers any of that in the moment — he's just ready to do it. That's what makes him a hero in my eyes. Being willing to do what's right, no matter the cost. Of course, Dracula prevents him to do so by locking the door and...he cries. It's such a human moment from him and I appreciate that we get this moment of raw honesty. It's the first time we see him do so in his time at castle Dracula.

I think Shovel Day is very important too, don’t get me wrong. I just think that this moment is what truly defines him — in my eyes — as a hero and is his best moment on screen followed by him hitting Dracula with a shovel!

17. Quotes, songs, poems, etc. that I associate with them:

Going off of this moment, I have two quotes that I think go great with it:

"There are stories about every hero. How they became great. Most have one thing in common. Their bodies moved before they had a chance to think. Almost on their own." -- All Might, My Hero Academia (dubbed version of S1 Ep.2)

"Crying does not indicate that you are weak. Since birth, it has always been a sign that you are alive." -- Charlotte Brontë

Now for my favorite quotes from Jonathan Harker (again, spoiler-free!):

“(Mem., get recipe for Mina.)”

“‘Do you know what day it is?’ I answered that it was the fourth of May.”

“Solicitor's clerk! Mina would not like that. Solicitor—for just before leaving London I got word that my examination was successful; and I am now a full-blown solicitor!”

“If there were any one to talk to I could bear it, but there is no one. I have only the Count to speak with, and he!—I fear I am myself the only living soul within the place.”

(about Dracula yeeting his mirror) “It is very annoying, for I do not see how I am to shave”

“(Mem., this diary seems horribly like the beginning of the "Arabian Nights," for everything has to break off at cockcrow—or like the ghost of Hamlet's father.)”

“Once more have I seen the Count go out in his lizard fashion.”

“I am surely in the toils.”

“Despair has its own calms.”

“This morning, as I was sitting on the edge of my bed cudgelling my brains…”

“It makes me rage to think that this can go on, and whilst I am shut up here, a veritable prisoner, but without that protection of the law which is even a criminal's right and consolation.”

“Let me not think of it. Action!”

“Yes, there is a way, if one dares to take it. Where his body has gone why may not another body go? I have seen him myself crawl from his window. Why should not I imitate him, and go in by his window?”

“As he went down the wall, lizard fashion, I wished I had a gun or some lethal weapon, that I might destroy him; but I fear that no weapon wrought alone by man's hand would have any effect on him.”

“Good-bye, all! Mina!”

As for songs, I made two playlists about Jonathan Harker, one about his time trapped in the castle and one about his relationship with Mina (here's the post with the playlists included, for your reference!). I'll highlight one song from each that are my personal favorites.

Striking and ominous with an epic feel, Run Boy Run by Woodkid definitely embodies what we're all shouting to Jonathan while he's going to the castle. However, I can definitely picture this song taking place as he's climbing down the castle walls (lizard fashion, of course) and attempting to escape. I imagine the musical interludes are flashbacks during his time at the castle and the various horrors he experiences. What happens at the end with the hopeful swell of the song is up to you...

Lyrics to highlight:

Run boy run!/ This world is not made for you Run boy run!/ They're trying to catch you Run boy run!/ Running is a victory

Tomorrow is another day/ And when the night fades away/ You'll be a man,/ boy! But for now it's time to run,/ it's time to run!

An 80s rock ballad, You're the Inspiration by Chicago is swoony and romantic with an electric edge. This is one of my favorite love songs and it definitely embodies how Jonathan feels for Mina! If Dracula was set in a modern time period, I could definitely see Jonathan serenading Mina with this song during karaoke night (bonus points if he can’t sing, but it’s the sweetest music to her, lol).

Lyrics to highlight:

You should know,/ everywhere I go/

Always on my mind,/ in my heart

In my soul,/ baby

You're the meaning in my life/

You're the inspiration/

You bring feeling to my life/

You're the inspiration

And I know,/ yes I know that it's plain to see/

So in love when we're together/

Now I know that I need you here with me/

From tonight until the end of time

Ask game here

[travalerray]

13 and 24 for the ask

hiiiiii! Thank you for the ask!

13. that helped me understand a character better

Hm, so this was tough. I picked an excerpt from "Drunken Dream" which is effectively a Lan Wangji character study:

"You are three when your uncle calls for the presence of you and your brother in his room.

You are three when you learn of your awful birth, you are three when you learn that your mother is a reprehensible criminal and your father a disgrace for protecting this reprehensible criminal. You are three when the stone cold reality of the statement descends down upon you.

You must not be like your father.

It takes a while for the both of you to understand why everyone hated your mother. Your brother came around to it first, but then again he has three years on you and had a far more sensible head on his shoulders. He is going to be a sect leader—if he isn't sensible, then who will be? It was six when you really start questioning the world around you.

(Or perhaps it had started a long time ago, on some meeting with your mother, when you began to wonder about the validity of the claims that the sect imposed upon you like a prison.)

You wonder whether your father was a disgrace for "protecting" your mother, only to leave her to perish at the cold and clammy hands of isolation, or whether he was a disgrace for not having gone further. For doing more. These thoughts keep you up at night—shameful their nature, and you punish yourself accordingly.

It's cold kneeling on the winter grass, waiting for the doors to open.

The two of you—brothers by blood—don't understand death until a while later, when shufu sternly said that your mother would never open the door again. You learn of death as isolation, as something that takes and never returns."

It's something I did write to really get into the Feel of writing him, since the next one in the series is very much focused on him and Nie Huaisang. His extremely tragic backstory with his father atticwifing his mother and then shutting himself up as well, leaving the reins of the sect to his younger brother, which all inform his present day complex of how he perceives love and responsibility(love as pain, to be exchanged for suffering etc)—which I find deeply fascinating to explore character wise. It was also my first time writing in second person present tense so! It was an exciting piece to write for sure!

24. that makes me go "huh...i wrote that?!"

I had to think about this, since my writing really doesn't deviate much, so maybe this one I wrote after listening to Speed and Friction on a loop (under the cut because I am cheating and putting the whole thing here, tw for blood, gore and tragic (?) death):

"Five years ago, she had jumped on the back of a pickup trunk and arrived in this town.

"..."

"Ai, Ai!"

She turned around to look at the kindly grandma who had taken her in, face smeared with the dust accumulated by the hours of toil on the roadside. Her face was wrinkled like the most dried of raisins and she wore a sunny smile to match the month of the year.

"Ai! You shouldn't go wandering about, you are still sick, you know."

Right.

She was sick.

The girl called "Ai" smiled at the kindly old lady and put on the proffered sunhat. She had been sick for quite a while. For as long as she could remember, she had been sick for one thing or the other—of the world, of the eternal dreadful march towards death, of... everything.

The sun made her sick, the moon made her sick, the air around her made her sick, the people, the plants, the animals....

"Ai, get inside before it gets worse."

"Hai...."

Agreeably, amicably, she stepped in.

It was a simple straw hut with a thatched roof. It was falling apart in sections, but the grandma's eyesight was poor, and the girl did not care much. The wind blew in when it rained, making them shiver with the cold. The grandma would complain, futilely lighting fires. The first snow of the year would make the both of them fall sick, yet she would drag herself out to work.

It was a lot of work.

Kokoro had a lot of work to do and plenty of love to spend for those who did none.

The girl had gotten here five years back, half dead on the roof of the pickup truck she had clambered into. Family and friends she had none, worldly attachments she also had none. None of them mattered in the face of the brain numbing, heart shattering boredom—she had simply felt an "impulse" for the first time after she had been born and followed it to this town.

If this impulse had taken her to the grave, she would have gladly followed it.

It was said that when she had been born, she had not cried. Her doctors and "parents" had been so worried that their daughter had been a stillborn child. Yet, upon conducting various tests, it had been revealed that their daughter had been physically alive.

Life had not been harsh onto her parents.

Life had not been harsh onto her siblings.

Life had also.... not been harsh onto her.

She had simply found herself unable to care enough.

School, friends, family—all seemed to fade. The people around here felt wooden, like puppets in a play, coming and going for their designated roles. She alone stood awkwardly in the middle of the stage, without a script, just a background character, just a background character whose inaction or action would be unnoticed by a greater audience.

This girl lay dormant for the first few years of her life.

It mattered not what she did.

She was called something by the people around her, but like anything else, it was a placeholder—it was something to melt into the background better, to stay unnoticed like the countless blades of grass in a meadow. If a single one behaved strangely, there would be no fuss in any world. No one would ever know.

This girl had been going about their day the same bothersome way, listening to the gaggling flock of incessant teenagers speak about some boring things. That was when she saw it—the truck unloading a mass of red. She did not quite know what it was, but it had a strong metallic smell, unlike anything she had ever smelt before. It felt like a natural calling to her, as her feet led her to the truck, to lie down onto the reddened roof, letting the trails of the liquid seep into her white blouse as she lay in wait for her impulse to lead her to the next destination.It was a strange sensation.

An impulse.

She had never felt it before.

She had gone through life mechanically, like a pre programmed robot, going through the motions that every other "human" was supposed to. Yet now, finally she had been given a "role" to play, an "impulse" she had been handed by her body, sizzling underneath her skin, buzzing in a pleasant way, down to her very bones.

The truck underneath her had vibrated, as if it could sense her feelings too.

It had gone on for miles and miles, stopping for a rest here and there.

And it had brought her to the grandma calling herself "Kokoro", who had taken in the battered girl who found herself losing her "impulse" once more as she was given a new name of "Ai".

The girl sat huddled in the blankets, watching another section of the roof fall onto their bedding with a huff. Kokoro-san would never notice this, her eyesight was too bad. She regularly got scammed by the lowlifes at the village stores and returned home with subpar goods.

She huffed out a breath of her own.

It was summer, yet she was cold.

It was summer and her birthday the next day, yet she was going to die.

The illness was not a particularly severe one if one were to live in the big cities. If one did live there, a kindly doctor would sit you down, and they would dole out the treatment plan. You could either go with the "embarrassing" ordeal of making things known to the whole wide world and still meet your end, or you could go through the clinical procedures and never go through any of the troubles ever again.

This girl had seen many people cough up blood before. Many a times, she had seen petals mixed in them, flowers taking root in their lungs. They had taken leave from school, some returning with a drastic change in who they were while some.... chose a different path.

This girl had sometimes wished that she could go out that way. She had never felt a thing for the people she had been meant to bleed for. The people around her were wooden puppets starring in major roles of a play, surrounded by flashlights, while she was a background extra without a script, a wooden doll without an owner.

This girl lived had followed an impulse into the gloom of a faraway village that trafficked humans. It was an impulse that had brought her there—yet, life was as mundane as it could have been. If you stay at a place for a year, it becomes the same as ever. "Kokoro" at the end, becomes just Kokoro. "Blood" just becomes blood.

The flowers in the dustbin are just the flowers that had twisted their way through her chest into her throat.

Ai coughed, blood dribbling down her lips.

It was odd.

Kokoro was yet to return.

The world turned a peaceful dark, thrumming with the white of a youthful rose. Blood dripped onto it slowly, bit by bit. "Ai! You didn't take your medicine, did you?"

Kokoro-san bent down, heaving with the effort.

The world was thrumming soothingly.

A crinkled hand of paper brushed against her forehead and the grandma cooed.

"Oh dear, you are burning up."

Ai hummed, curling up.

She coughed up more blood, feeling the pressure of a flower pressing up against her tongue. That was the physical form of the "impulse" that had brought her here, manifested by five years of hard work.

Kokoro-san was grinding down something in the mortar when she silently placed the flower in her hand.

The both of them understood then, what a lovely place the world was.

Kokoro-san bent down, kissing her tiny forehead.

"Happy Birthday, Ai.""

"Ai" here is for love, while Kokoro is for "heart". This was written in a daze but it's basically an original piece about interpretation of the Hanahaki disease—twisted love of any and all forms that takes its roots into someone. It's more depressing than my other works I think😂

[bgsbracelets]

About

Hi! I’m Erica, and I like colors! I identify first and foremost as a fanfic author of over 20 years, and it is through this hobby I’ve come to enjoy expressing my love of the fandoms that unapologetically consume my soul.

I identify secondly as a crafter. If I’m not actively making something, I will explode – knitting, crochet, papercraft, etc. are my main jams (just don’t ask me how to turn on a sewing machine). And now, bracelet-making! Which is hilarious because, as a writer and a person with some sensory issues, I hate wearing bracelets. You’re lucky I wear my Apple Watch and a hair tie on my non-dominant wrist. I digress.

Why am I making bracelets if I don’t wear them? Good question! Short story long, I am very active in the Back to the Future fandom, and in the summer of 2023, @mjf-af started a #BttFBFFs friendship bracelet exchange on Tumblr that a lot of fans participated in. And because I love BttF and the community I’ve found with my fellow fans, I wanted to channel it all into making the best bracelets I could for them. They deserve it. :)

I started with pony beads and string. Then acrylic, glass, stone, and metal beads with spacers, charms, and clasps. I made bracelets for specific characters, time periods, and vibes in the trilogy, and they were a hit! It felt good making these niche pieces of jewelry for people who would absolutely treasure them, and I want to keep doing that!

Why? Because I like to make people smile. These bracelets are the Grandma’s Cookies of bracelets. I toil over them with a furrowed brow, making the same faces I make when editing my fanfiction while true crime and/ or The IT Crowd reruns play in the background. I am picky because this bracelet is for YOU. And I will not let you down. Love is the driving force behind creating these one-of-a-kind pieces, and colors are my steering wheel.

If you like what you see, HECK YES I do custom stuff! Even if I’ve never heard of your fandom/ favorite character, send me a picture of them for inspiration, and I’ll show you what I come up with! And if it needs tweaked, it needs tweaked. I want you to love it like a girl loves a dress with pockets. So don’t be afraid to tell me what you want!

HOW IT WORKS

Tell me what bracelet(s) you want, your mailing address, and an email address. I’ll send you a tracking number when I mail them out!

FRIENDSHIP EXCHANGE OPTION:

This whole obsession started because of a friendship bracelet exchange, and I very much want to keep the spirit of that alive. So, I will send you a bracelet of your choosing free of charge if you send me one (or some other craft you make) in return! That easy!  PRICING (BY TYPE):

Euro: $16

Charm: $15

Glass/ Stone: $12

Heishi: $10

OTHERWISE:

Check out my Etsy! It's currently a work in progress and you'll find more stuff here right now, but I appreciate the support! Or just make an offer. :)

Domestic (USA) shipping charges are included in the price of each bracelet. International friends, I’m super happy to ship to you if you’re cool with the extra shipping charges. Also, the U.S. Customs form requires a first and last name; initials will unfortunately not suffice.

Outside of Etsy, I take payments through PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App at this time. I send the invoice to your provided email address when I ship, but you don’t have to pay until the bracelet(s) get to you; you and I both want to make sure you like it and that it got to you safely!

If anything is wrong with your bracelet, I’ll happily send you a replacement!

This is very much a crude operation at this point in time, but your information is handled with care, and your privacy is respected. It’s just me, my beads, and my food-scented candles.

What are these bracelets made of??

Aside from love? I use a variety of acrylic, glass, and stone beads. I also use (mostly) Tibetan metal spacers and charms which contain nickel, so if that’s a no-no for you, we can totally discuss metal-free designs for a bracelet you’re interested in!

The beaded length of most bracelets are 6” plus the clasp and chain (extenders are typically 1”). If you need a smaller or larger size, just let me know so I can alter the design.

I use a transparent 0.7mm semi-elastic cord for stringing unless otherwise noted. It allows for a little give, but it’s not insanely stretchy (so please, do use the clasp when you put them on!). I do have wire as an option, but a precise measurement of the wrist would need to be supplied.

Why are you doing this?

A couple of reasons. The main one being hyperfixation; I literally cannot stop churning these things out if they’re making people happy, so I might as well! That said, as an amateur genealogist who found out her family name is tied to an existing castle, I feel the need to visit it someday, and travel isn’t something financially available to me. I’ve never even been on a plane. So, I want to save up and say what’s up to my family castle! I will send you all postcards when I get there. :)

[alatismeni-theitsa]

hello! i know you don’t speak for every Greek person, but as the content of your blog is what it is i thought you’d be a great person to ask: I worship the Hellenic Pantheon and i try to learn original myths, history and traditions of Greece, and thanks to your posts I think I should also learn more about current Greece. I plan to learn some Greek (i don’t think I could ever learn a full language at this point sadly) and wanted to ask if it was appropriate to get a Delphic Maxim tattooed on me & what else I should be doing to be aware of Greek culture and it’s people in my practice. thank you! and feel free to ignore if this is a silly question.

Hello! Let me give some context for English speakers and Greek speakers for what these tenants are.

I don't think it would be disrespectful to have one of those as a tattoo. However, I feel like many of the tenants are not fit for tattoos..? I don't know which one you'd like to get, and it depends on the phrase, but many of them are simple life rules, like "respect your elders", "be happy with what you have", "listen always" etc. If it's something philosophical like "Ηττώ υπέρ δικαίου" ("Toil towards what's just") then it would fit a tattoo, I believe. But something like "Ἑστίαν τίμα" ("Honour your house/hearth") is too simple a phrase to put on a tattoo and it's so simple that tattooing it could end up looking a bit... tacky? (for lack of a better word)

Please don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that anyone is going to be harmed by you getting that tattoo. I think it's technically appropriate for the tenants to be on tattoos because they are not religious tenants or strictly tied to religion. They are more like folk wisdom also tied to the religion because such things happen when you have an ethnoreligion. It's not a bad idea, and I am sure that some Greeks also have the most known of those tattooed (like Γνῶθι σεαυτόν and Μηδὲν ἄγαν).

I am just wondering if the phrase you're thinking of tattooing would be better as a carving on jewelry or drawn/stitched on a ribbon-bracelet? This way you can still have it on you. Since you worship the Hellenic pantheon and you are interested in the culture, you might want to go the more formal manner. The tattooing is not inappropriate but there are "more appropriate" ways to go about it.

From a modern Greek perspective, the philosophical tenant miiight still be a bit tacky, as well? Since tattooing is usually seen as a form of adornment, people can think that a body might not be the best place for an important phrase told from a Wise one and passed down even after 2.000 years. Since the phrase was on an inscription, for my personal taste, it would be a bit better if it was carved also on an object - some sort of a keepsake/reminder. Cause I haven't seen the Greek guys with the "Γνῶθι σεαυτόν" tattoos get many compliments tbh. Again, not a bad tattoo, but not a great one either, if that makes sense?

The tattoo placement matters, too. If you get it on the calf, or the back, or the torso... nope 😬😅 On the arm? Better.

One more thing; As you probably know, the worshipers of the Hellenic pantheon in the eras that this pantheon was shaped to be what we know today also thought of it as a negative thing. The society which held these tenants in high regard wasn't fond of tattoos either (they only tattooed criminals and slaves, and it was a humiliation to get tattooed. Also tattooing was something connected to foreigners). I have nothing against tattoos, and you live in a time and country favorable towards tattoos. Since a tattoo is not something negative, and it's considered an Art, I don't think it will be an offense to any Greek deity or to the Greek culture. I'm just wondering if the ancient Greek attitude is something you'd like to take into account in your decision.

TL;DR: I don't think anyone will be offended by a tattoo but I am leaning towards suggesting carrying the tenant on you by other means.

But as you also aknowledged, I am just one person with certain experiences. To the Greeks who might see this: feel free to comment your thoughts and experiences here!

As for how to be more aware of the Greek pulse, I'd say take a look a this blog from time to time (if you like, follow, if not, that's okay). I try to gather such posts here, and from time to time I also reblog opinions and content from other Greeks (usually they also state it in their bio). You can also check the tags #ancient greek religion , #greek gods , #greek speaks , #xenoi doing bs , #greek customs , #news #modern greece . I had made a post which detailed all the ways one could be respectful but I didn't manage to find it.

It mostly boils down to this: Keep in mind that Greeks still revere the ancient gods and religion (they were the ones who passed down the knowledge of the ancient religion and the myths, after all). Today they give it as much respect as their current religion and expect others to respect it the same way. Due to the long continuity of the Greek culture there are many elements that hold on since antiquity and Greeks have more or less a decent grasp on the how and why of some ancient customs (the possibility of that gets even higher if they are well-read). So learning about modern Greek culture can tell you things about the ancient Greek religion. Also, distinguish between ancient Greek sources and Roman Greek sources and study mostly the first. While Pausanias is fine, Ovid is a no no because what he was writing was not Greek mythology (he was kinda doing his own thing, motivated by political enmity). Generally, study the writer before reading the text, so you understand the intent behind the text. Of course make sure that you read the ancient Greek hymns to the gods, tales, and plays, too. Additionally, you can ask questions to more Greeks. I know that @/gemsofgreece , @/wordsmithic , @/margaretart and @/purple-amaranthe answer such questions from time to time. Finally, I have this post about the misuse of "Hellenismos" which you might have seen already but doesn't hurt to spread because many in the helpol community still don't know about.

You are doing well to learn some Greek since It's useful to practice and to avoid misinformation regarding ancient Greek religious texts, and it goes without saying that Greeks would be elated to see that you're making an effort to learn a few things!

That's all, I think! Have a great day! 😁💙

[trentcrimminallybeautiful]

"tavern/grendel/hercules" sounds absolutely fascinating and I think I will have to read it even though I don't go here

May I ask why both "grendel" and "hercules", since they're from different mythologies?

Olim sudor Herculis (Latin) - Carmina Burana // Beowulf trans. Seamus Heaney (Old English)

okay, so. this isn't really fully based on either of these things. so much as i am rotating them in my brain as i'm writing something. "olim sudor herculis" is a latin drinking song of sorts from Ye Olde Times (this is the version i listen to lol. unironically i love this song. i originally heard it in a class about medieval history and stuff, but like. i literally listen to it for fun. it's part of what inspired this fic, because i was listening to it for fun. ...i probably have weird taste) and the lyrics when translated are about like, love ruins glory, a lover can't be a hero because they're unable to resist their heart and/or sexual desires, and that even the strongest men like hercules can be made fools by it--the only way to win against love is to not have it, and run away from it. which is. lmao. anyway, there's a little more to it than that, but that's the basic kinda run down. and it's really less that the fic is based on that (although i'm thinking about this as a flawed, old perspective--that the only way to not lose to love is to run from it, and then spinning what the song presents as negative--A lover has no regret for wasted time, / But stupidly and pointlessly toils at Venus' comand--as like. the time isn't wasted, the work is worth it, do not run from it--idk that's all just vibes rn) so much as the whole thing has that Medieval Vibe and all which helps lend to the atmosphere for the fic and get me in The Mood as i'm writing hence i listen to it on loop while writing it. so there's the "hercules" part.

grendel is also more metaphorical/below the surface as i'm writing than literal, because the fic is going to deal with loneliness and like. a pretty obvious (not the only, but not a reach either) interpretation of why grendel attacks in the first place is loneliness, feeling like an outsider, being an outsider--obviously, it's not so simple as that, as grendel is a literal monster, but the question of monsterhood and what makes a monster, how we relate to monsters for their loneliness and their bodies and their alienation and their rage and boundless emotion and "disgusting" nature, etc, really comes into play. but like it literally says that like, what harrows grendel is the "hall-joys", the joy and celebration and laughter, the community he is irreparably separate from?? you know?? and that can be interpreted a lot of ways--the extreme version of your neighbor who keeps having loud parties at 3 am and the dorm walls are so thin and you're about ready to rip their arms off? sure. the deep and piercing loneliness of hearing other people laugh and have fun and love each other and be a community knowing that not only are you explicitly not welcome but that you will probably never find that ever? (grendel's mother loved him, was willing to rend people limb from limb for him, but did she like him? did they spend time together? did she kill for him out of the love of a mother, one might call obligatory or biological? did she kill for him out of honor, the bloody cycle the whole fucking epic is about? did they love each other? how alone were they? does it matter, when in the end, they both die alone?) yeah also valid! or the more textual interpretation that grendel's just eeeevil and mean and hates all things good and holy and light and wants to kill it just for the sake of killing it? etc. anyway the point is i have a lot of feelings about monsters and loneliness and beowulf is about cycles and monsters and cause and effect and blood and honor and heroes and the end.

ALL OF THIS however is mostly just vibes that im rotating while writing a much smaller fic which is really more about trent and friendship and loneliness, set in a fantasy tavern setting lol

[thatdesklamp]

WAIT OMG-

been reading intrinsic warmth for a WHILE and your writing is top tier!! i always wondered to myself every time i’d read a chapter why the writing just STICKS, yk? i’m a MAJOR book girlie, i read 24/7.

AND THEN IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN I READ ONE OF YOUR TAGS THAT YOU PUT UP ON ONE OF YOUR POSTS WHERE YOU WERE ANSWERING A QUESTION FROM ANOTHER LOVELY READER AND I SEE THAT YOU TOOK AN ENGLISH A LEVEL?

first of all (not 100% sure on this) but i’m pretty sure only british ppl take gcses, a levels, etc. YOU’RE BRITISH?

i feel like i’ve met my other half rn over something so tiny but yeah. IT LITERALLY EXPLAINS WHY YOUR WRITING IS SO GOOD:

i could point out the NUMBER of times i’ve seen juxtaposition, symbolism, foreshadowing in your fic to someone if they’d asked me to point it out for them. at first i thought you might’ve done it unknowingly, and then i decided that nope, bc foreshadowing is such a BIG writing technique that it simply couldn’t have been by accident.

it’s one thing to know about a writing technique and another to actually be able to SUCCESSFULLY incorporate it into your writing. if it isn’t clear enough, i’m saying that you did it AMAZINGLY. you’ve got a natural talent and i’m envioussss (in a supporting way ofc 😭).

you should really look into making your own book, and i think you EXCEL at the supernatural aspect of plot in stories. your writing is so unique and different yet so warm, it reminds me of autumn (my favourite season).

idk how to end such a long message, ultimately i don’t have a reason for typing this up and shit. ik you have tons of people probably saying the same thing and it might just get repetitive for you, but i wouldn’t feel comfortable not being part of said bunch-of-ppl-probably-saying-the-same-thing.

oh! and take your SWEET TIME updating. it’s your story, your fic, your writing. the ONLY thing we readers can give you as a payback and thanks is time, patience, and understanding <3333

RAHHH BRITTANIA 💪💪💪💪

Agh. Yes—I’m British (English to be precise, sweet sweet caroline etc), hence the use of ‘u’s in words like ‘colour’ and ‘humour’, and also why everyone’s parents are their ‘father’ or ‘mother’ and not mum/dad. ‘Mom’ feels too American but ‘mum’ feels too rah engerland, yk? I’ve mentioned previously that I’m looking forward to writing fics where the characters are actually from England and where I’m actually allowed to write them the way I talk, mostly. Good lord am I excited.

And yes lol I took English for an A-Level. Bloody smashed it too, if I get to brag, mwahaha. Didn’t take it any further (I’ve also previously said that I’m a # woman in stem uni student, which is true), but I still write a killer essay imo. Give me 10 minutes to do a refresher on ‘Othello’ (it’s been a while okay) and I can talk for donkeys about his tragic fall and how much of a wanker he is. Which he is! I’m a Desdemona defender for life.

You say ‘natural talent’. PLS. No!! God no. Not at all. I wish—that would’ve made it a lot easier, but whatever I can do rn is down to bloody years of toiling away on my shitty little laptop, I promise. I’ve got another anon ask that asked about some writing tips so I’ll do the bulk of them there but my number 1 will always and forever be to practise. Whatever skill I have now has been earned over the many years. You don’t even want to see some of the stuff that will never grace my ao3 page (atla had me in a chokehold through covid and I have never been the same).

But you are genuinely so complimentary: this is so so lovely of you. Thank you?? It’s really weird being someone who writes and also someone who enjoys analysing literature; you’re right, half of the ‘techniques’ are intentional (the number of times I’ve flicked through some chapters’ drafts and thought, ‘fucks sake none of this makes sense, I need to add some decent foreshadowing or none of this will make sense in two chapters’), but also so much of my writing is just thinking, ‘hmm, this doesn’t really feel right. No no, I don’t like the vibe of this. I want this to feel more GRAAHHH and less lalalala. Lemme change this up a bit’. Whether that leads to the whole, short sentences->speeds up the pace of the reader when reading the section->increased tension, mimics actual fight encounter, etc etc (all the stuff you blag on about in eng lit), then maybe that counts as intentional? And maybe not.

Making my own book? That’s lovely of you to say but I also really don’t have any ideas for anything non-fanfic’y! Lol. I love a good bit of canon compliance, that’s my issue. That being said—hey, another eng a level reference—I’ve made multiple references here to being the world’s #1 ‘Atonement’ hater. Unfortunately, it also lives damn rent free in my head and I’ve got the bare bones of a WW2-era, perhaps epistolary, longform fic buzzing around. (Fandom: Marauders. I’m a disgrace but here we go). I’ve written nothing for it and maybe I never will, but that’s one of the only things I can see as being more standalone from original canon. Anyway: it’s the fanfic life for me. Ali Hazelwood’s life is but a distant dream.

But anyway! Thank you again for your lovely words. The next IW chapter will take a very long time, I have to be frank, so thank you for the reassurance that that’s not absolutely disgraceful lmao T_T Thanks again!! <3

[bnnuy-wabbit]

The cockroach incident? 👀

ok. picture me, your average flightless, featherless, biped animal. This happened roughly 2 months after i decided i wanted to drop out of college, but 2 months before classes were over, so i really was just Not Having It. I hated most of what i was studying and saw no point in continuing. I was 5 states away from my family, living in a shared apartment with a deadbeat roommate who was in the same house as me like once a week. It was the middle of the hottest summer i have ever experienced in my entire life. My apartment complex was this old moldy hole, full of spiders the size of a closed hand, bats in the attic (i had never even SEEN an attic but here we were and mine had BATS in there). and a brand new cockroach infestation. I was slowly going insane very quickly.

On top of all that I had a very stressful practical anatomy test to study for. It was hard ok? over 300 names to memorize across several different animal species. I was studying solely through videos because the teacher didn't let us actually study with the anatomical pieces. So there i was. 1am on a sunday. Sitting at the kitchen table, a white, plastic lawn table, broken. if you put too much weight on it it just came undone. Sweat is dribbling down my asscrack. I am studying to the sound of friday night funkin songs because it's the only thing that could keep my adhd ass awake while i binge studied.

Out of the corner of my eye i catch some movement and i see a Giant Flying Cockroach approaching rapidly. It was the size of my pinky EASILY. It lands on the wall opposite to my room's door. It stays there, its little antennae moving and flickering DISGUSTINGLY. I stare at it. I can't move. At that moment i am 300% sure if i move itll move and i really dont want that. I stare at it. unmoving. for half an hour. it doesnt move. but of course, im intelligent enough to know that sooner or later one of us WILL have to move, and the other one will die. So i figured, well, better for it to be me! So i get up. slowly. carefully. i walk towards the kitchen to get the broom. really fucking slowly. still staring at it constantly (it didnt move). i get closer to it again, broom in hands, shaking like a leaf. utterly terrified of the horrid animal in my house.

it begins to move.

i stop moving.

it stops moving.

every single time i moved it moved. i couldnt get my broom any closer to it without it Walking Around. It wasnt even running away or scuttling. it was just walking little steps, like it was mocking me. mocking me and my existence. mocking my every daily toiling.

i went god im SO FUCKING FUCKED! This is it! This is how i die! Death by trashbug!

so i stop moving. i dont move. i stop breathing. i become stone. my white ass camouflages within my landlord white surroundings. once again i go back to staring at it and its horribly long antennae. I just stare at it, trying to find the courage within me to stab the fucker. But one thing you need to know about me: i am a scared little animal who just happens to be very big. my soul is very small. it is puny even. i am proudly a coward. but being a coward doesnt fix the fact that there is a very scary bug threatening my livelyhood and my hopes and dreams and that im ALONE and have to deal with this myself.

and so i whack it. i whack the beast. i stab it. i shove the broom up like REALLY HARD against the ceiling. i am confident i smashed it because i very vigorously whammed a broom on the wall. it was very loud!!!! still, i keep it there for a moment, trying to gather the courage to let it go now because thats another entire beast. thats another task within itself. but like. im confident i killed it at this point. im confident my efforts paid off in the end and that courage wins every fight etc.

so i let it go!

and what does it do? It FLIES OFF! And i yell. i begin yelling. my throat gets hoarse.

the thing didnt even get a scratch! On top of that, it just flew STRAIGHT INTO MY ROOM.

At this point im this 🤏 close to a mental breakdown.

so my first idea, of course, is FUCK I SHOULD CALL MY MOM. She picks up despite the fact that it is now almost 3am. that does very little to comfort me because 1. shes 5 entire states away. thats half a country. 2. shes also terrified of cockroaches.

so yeah. dead end.

i tell my mom "im going to ask my elderly neighbor for bug spray" and she says "its past 3am dont wake up your elderly neighbor for bug spray".

so what do i do? i desperately bang on my elderly neighbors door for 10 minutes. Her 2 dogs bark a lot. Never once does she open the door, but i could very much hear her flipflops squeak on the floor, so she was just Standing There. I beg for her help, i ask for bug spray, im full on crying at this point and my voice is hoarse from the yelling from before. She begins praying like im some sort of apparition i guess. I can hear her praying to god or some shit and then leaves me to be. she doesnt ever reply to me directly. So i sit against her door like a very normal person, curl up on fetal position and lose my shit right there. i am shaking. i am crying. theres snot running down my face. im bawling.

eventually i drag myself back home. stand at my bedrooms door and i look at the fucking mess my room is. depressed grad student, ok? keep that in mind. theres dirty clothes all over the floor. actually. let me Show.

as you can see there are Many places for a cockroach to hide. so i decide to remove everything from my room. item by item. until i either find its hiding spot or die trying.

i find the cockroach. or rather, it finds Me.

It sneakily crawls up my leg just as i was about to move my clothing pile.

I scream. It fucks off.

I remove every last fucking thing from my room.

i flip the bed upside down, under it i find a lone galoshe. I figure that's where it was hiding. im too scared to touch it seeing as the thing has already flied several times and tried to CLIMB ME. I'm tired and Already out of my mind. I have no more fucks to give. Scared (still, as always) i sack the boot and throw it off my apartment. like, i just yeet the thing out. lock the door. Look at the clock. its like 3.30. i spent over half an hour hastily empting out my bedroom.

Honestly at that point i wasnt even sure the cockroach was in the boot. i felt i couldnt be sure it was dead until i found the body. it was late, so i called a friend to call down and broke into my roommate's room because my room no longer had furniture in it. I slept in his crusty ass sheets, the very ones he was fucking his very annoying girlfriend on top of a week earlier (he only had 2 sets and he hadnt washed anything bigger than socks in like a month. the apartment was small. his laundry was my business and i was Very Aware of its existence in the middle of the living room). so yeah. they were cummy. they were crusty. it was cracker solid. i could Not care less though.

i slept shittily until 7am. i ran to the store first thing in the morning to get the strongest bug spray i could find and also bug repellent.

I sprayed the entire house. I mean this. The walls were slick with bug spray. You could NOT breathe inside my room. Not even the kitchen was spared. I walked out of it smelling like mothballs and cancer and walked straight to the university so i could study to my effing anatomy test (it was monday, the test was on tuesday), eat and watch my classes.

I did just that. The entire day was unremarkable.

Oh actually. the elderly neighbor complained in the complex whatsapp group about a certain incensitive and unruly neighbor disrupting the peace late in the night. LM fucking AO.

I got home late, but still decided to clean my room from the chemicals. my roommate was home for once, so i told him what was going on, that id be cleaning the house because of the bug spray. I deep cleaned the whole house. I took special care of my room tho. At the end there was nary a speck of dust on my furniture (1 wardrobe, 1 bed, 1 beach chair). my clothes were folded. it smelled CLEAN IN THERE for the first time in weeks. i lit up the bug repelent. it was one of these babes.

I was SURE it was dead. the room had soaked all day in bug spray. i caught every single crevice in that room. i even sprayed INSIDE my box bed. it had to be dead. there was no way it wasnt dead. right???? right???????

i sat on my bed. i changed the sheets so it felt really good. i grabbed my computer and went back to studying. i was just vibing, man. i was just vibing.

The cockroach appeared from nowhere, climbed the wall, got sucked by the fan, flied, whacked me in the face.

I yelled, grabbed the my newly acquired spray can and then yelled some more. Then i remembered my roommate was home. I banged on his door until he opened it. shoved the thing on his face and dragged him into my room (me. tall guy. btw. dense. him, taller guy, confused, thin as a rail. just funny. to keep in mind). he went holy shit, thats big.

he sprayed it and everybodys biggest fear at that moment became true. again. it started flying. again. it went all over the room. he sprayed all over the room. it landed on my pillow, he drenched my freshly washed pillowcase in bug spray. it landed on the window, he sprayed the window until it was no longer see through. it scurried across the floor, he sprayed the floor. it went under my bed. then he stopped. i lifted my bed. he got it with his flipflop.

the evil was finally defeated.

but so was i... my clean sheets man......

[muted5ilence]

Do you wonder if the rising prices and shitty economic and political and societal and environmental stuff as a whole is kind of just to do

Erm

I dont know terms well enough, but…

Weaken everyone who can’t afford it so only the elite few survive selfishly?

If you are weak you will eventually die off

If you are weak you wouldn’t be able to fight back

But this is why a bundle of sticks is so strong compaeed to a single stick.

But they’re making sure that bundles cant form. And even if we could, they use growing technology and destroying those sticks from the inside out to ensure those bundles can be broken. Every time. Without fail.

The longer it goes on, one of two things happens. One day these twigs will finally piece themselves together, and be able to overpower the technology that breaks them repeatedly

Or they all die, rot in the ground, to be consumed by the fungi and such that take the decay to keep themselves and their interconnected web alive.

Like the whole deal with capitalism at this point (which is why I’ve liked other ideals a little more when its combined for the BETTER) is that you take advantage of others for your own gain. Be unique enough to be successful to survive, but be smart enough to abuse those that are not smart enough. Eventually it perpetuates a cycle of stupider and stupider people, weaker and weaker, more compliant and complacent. That’s what work has always been, afterall. Which is what school was meant to teach. It teaches you to be compliant, to obey, to work and toil away with your life for meaningless grades until you die. The teachers dont benefit much beyond their meager pay. Students dont benefit because the system actively DENIES what they need to learn to FUNCTION. The only beneficiaries are the ones above ALL of them. The government and corporate entities that feed off of those stupid drones. Teachers, like many workers, are NOT paid enough to actually care, and are stuck being unable to do anything. If they tried to change things or speak out or do anything that might be considered manipulating the kids to believe smth specific, anything to get people to care, they could get fired and lose their lifeline. So they’re stuck in complying in order to survive.

This should not be how a society functions EVER, but it’s the BARE BONES ENDLESS CYCLE. Wars, revolution, etc etc. Every dystopia has this. I am reminded of the promised neverland.

We shouldn’t have to feel like we need to fight back against oppressors. You always root for the underdog because that’s literally how it works in society anyways.

I’m getting mixed up in my train of thought, hard to focus, but my point still stands. Flowers blooming in antarctica had made me break down over life. I want to die but I know I can’t. I can’t kill myself or let myself die. I care too much, I think. I can’t really tell inside my head, but I think some part of me (could be survival instinct, could be smth else) is just too stubborn. I can’t NOT have hope for the future!!! I can’t!!

I can’t stop myself from hoping things will be okay in the end, which is the only reason I can’t die. Because I need to live to see better days again. Despite the objective fact that there may never be better days in all senses.

Society sucks because people are just… selfish, close-minded, and disrespectful? Like in general? All things that have likely been cultivated BY the whole capitalist system.

Politics sucks because it became capitalist. And considering the whole Palestine genocide, I am pretty sure that capitalism is just as bad if not worse than communism at this point. Could be fascism but like I said before, I’m not great with terms. But its colonialism, too. Politics sucks because it’s ran by the elderly usually, or by idiots. I stand by statements I’ve made that experts should be the ones in charge. People who have done the research, have the knowledge, who care about it actively and always, SHOULD BE THE ONES IN CHARGE OF THOSE THINGS.

It kinda bleeds into the whole mental health issues that happen, because you have people who aren’t professionals saying that people dont have any issues. Inherently, those people must have issues of their own. But they have to be out of touch or selfish or close minded (which ig is related to out of touch) BUT ESPECIALLY disrespectful to do such things. And the only ones who can actively make things RIGHT with the people who HAVE the problems, say it with me… ARE PROFESSIONALS!!

Professionals, being people who were interested in the topic, did the research, learned the skills and have the knowledge, and actively care.

You are not a professional if you do not care. Then it’s just a profession. You are simply a worker at that point.

We are led by idiots. Not professionals. Perhaps professional politicians. But that just means professionals at looking good and appealing to others. Professional actors. Actors should not get that seat of power. You cannot act your way out of your genuine beliefs and behaviors—or even lack thereof. The fate of society should NOT be determined by a popularity contest, but even in school that’s promoted!!

I stand by my belief. Professionals in the specific fields of study should be in charge, and not the ones who haven’t done the research or put in enough work (like they insist the newer generations should do). This is an idealized and general series of statements from someone who doesn’t have in-depth knowledge of language: Historians should probably be in office in the way that they could be advisors. They know what has happened, how it happened, how it affects things, and how it should be avoided. Economists should probably be the ones in charge of how the economy goes, even though I’m sure they work more like commentators. I think just in general that a whole advisory council should be made of professionals. And you need someone who knows how to listen and critically think, who cares about society as a whole, to run the country if we follow a similar structure. Traditional checks and balances are not working!!!

I was told by my U.S. History teacher, a male history teacher that I enjoyed for the time I had him (before covid hit): Normal people should be running this country. But they wouldn’t want to.

It’s so fucking true, too. But like… have a council. Of professionals. Professionals IMPLYING that they care. Not workers. Workers leads to compliance, complacency. To a damn salary.

Have people who actively research things and always want to learn and keep up with those specific things, be in charge of those things!! They know more! And it should be because they fucking CARE!

If you want this stupid structure to work, with a president, then a qualifier should NOT be age. Obviously boomers are fucking stupid anyways at this point because they’re out of touch, stuck in the past. You need an open-minded individual, who actually has a heart, that can make the right decisions! Especially in times of crisis.

Please. Let it be that people who are stronger than I am are able to fight for these things. Fight for the good causes.

I’m not mentally, physically, nor emotionally strong enough for this. I’ve been sheltered. I’m cursed with so many mental issues from trauma and abuse and likely the ways my brain wouldve been structured anyways. I could never progress at the fast pace that is expected. And I am not strong enough to fight like I wish I could.

I am simply a dreamer. Someone that has been left isolated for so long that I can only think. About nothing, about everything. And I wish I could lose hope, that I could kill myself, but I can’t. I’m a coward, always have been. I could never set myself free in rebellion to fight. I would get killed by someone sent to do so. And you would lose another human life. Insignificant only when you consider humans as stock, a number in a category. But every individual matters, I promise you. I don’t do much, but I’d like to be a person who supplies hope.

(Seriousness aside, I’ve literally been called an “emotional support creature /aff”, and a “perfect friend”, so I am completely fine with this support role.)

Please… Let there be people who can understand such messages, and who are stronger than me. Because power has always mattered in societies. Don’t let money = power in the end. Money can change, because that’s what is valued in exchange. It’s all bartering. Please, do not let cotton and paper have a higher value than that of human lives. Houses have a higher value than human lives do in the current economic state. The VALUE placed on HUMANS and THEIR POTENTIAL should NOT be LESS than that of the OBJECTS MADE BY HUMANS

Break this system down. Make it bad for business if thats what they care about. And once one thing ends, dont stop. Keep forcing their hand. Make sure that the corrupt system used to overpower us is unable to do so. If you recognize they are making advancements to increase force used, I see no reason that we couldn’t do the same. Dont play games. Its not a game. It’s life. They will see it as a game because they are winning, they made the little game with a handicap in thei favor. Turn the tables. Treat them like a game. Show them it’s more than that. Show them that it is good to care. That they dont care, and they should.

Ideally no mass self-destruction lmao, ik they need workers to supply themselves and we are the workers, so dying would mean no more supply, but they have technology on their side as time goes on, so they still dont care.

You have to make sure they CARE. CARE can do good.

Have hope for a better future where people care. Dont stop caring. If you stop caring, you comply. If you comply, you die. Hope fosters care. Have hope. If you lose hope, you cant care, and that is quite literally why suicide rates get so high, isn’t it? A hopeless situation?

That is my message. My belief. And I have certain beliefs I will always hold. They are what keep me from killing myself, afterall.

Let Hope foster Care to work with Action to bring Change.

Its the ideal family system (/hj).

[anthologiemystika]

Potions: Their Uses, Forms, and Misconceptions

Potions. We have all heard of them, from “Double Trouble Boil and Bubble” to the “PolyJuice Potion” and everything in between. Indeed, one of the first things that comes to mind in regards to witchcraft is the image of a crone, stopped over a cauldron, stirring up a potion. While this might not be the image of a modern witch, potions are still considered to be a staple and basic foundation for many forms of magic. In this lesson we will be covering their uses, forms, and misconceptions.

***It is VERY important that for any potion you make that you intend to ingest, that all ingredients are SAFE for consumption or contact with skin. Many crystals, mushrooms, and even herbs can be very DANGEROUS when ingested or touched to the skin. Please always do your research for your own safety***

Uses

Webster’s Dictionary defines a potion as a mixture of liquids and that the first usage of the word appears in the 14th century. While in practice a potion is a liquid, it might also contain herbs, stones, spices, etc. Contrary to popular belief, potions have a wide variety of uses. They can almost be considered spells in a bottle, or a “break glass in case of emergency” type of spell, one where the magic is bottled up and contained, only activating on who, or what, the intended target it.

Most people use potions for various reasons, including glamours, protection spells, safety during travel, and love spells. I mean, lets face it, what better way to feel confident than to literally toss confidence down the hatch. Who hasn’t thought of giving the one they love a brew infused with apples, cinnamon, and intention for the one they love to want them back. While protection potions are not as widely talked about, having a potion of protection in your handbag or backpack will always help to make sure you are safe, no matter where your travels take you. 

That being said, the single most common form of a potion is actually used in healing spells. Think about it, all the times you were sick as a child and a family member whipped up their “home made remedy”. Something that was always made in a pot, smelled of death, tasted worse, but brewed by a loving hand, and always making you feel better. This form of magic, simply stirring love into a recipe, is indeed one of the oldest types of magic and potion making. So next time your loved ones don’t feel well, remember that the simplest health potion is one made with a slice of lemon, a bit of honey, and a stirring of love. 

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Quick and Easy Wake Up Potion

Heat a cup of water and add your favorite tea to your cup

While you wait for the tea to steep, light an orange candle on your altar or table

Say: “I am healthy and grateful for this day.”

Meditate as you drink your tea

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Forms

Contrary to popular belief, potions come in many forms. Indeed, some of the most powerful forms of potions are not even ones you drink. Did you know the Moon Water is a potion? It is a liquid, cleansed and charged with intent. That 4 Theives Oil you made? Also a potion. From hand creams, to tinctures, teas, and oils, potions have evolved much as humans have. Coming in a wide variety of forms, and even uses, potions in magic have evolved from “double double toil and trouble” variety, to any liquid item imbued with intention and magic.

In their oil form, most people use it to consecrate their altar items, or help open the third eye or chakra work. As tinctures they can be used for healing, cleansing, and charging. I mean, teas, do I even need to say more? There is a tea type or tea leaf for just about anything magical you could ever need, especially when trying to bring something into your life, letting others see a certain aspect of yourself, or increasing something you have. Teas are one of the most powerful potions that exist in the magical world, and also one of the easiest forms of potion magic there is. As for waters, magical water such as Florida Water, Moon Water, Sun Water, etc is even a form of potion making. Remember, potions just take a liquid and an intention.

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Waterfall Ward Protection Potion

For use to protect yourself and your home from unwanted energy

Ingredients: Vinegar, Water, Salt, Protection Herbs and Essential Oils

Actions: Mix it all together and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then take a rag or cloth and let the water drip from the top of your windows and doors. Then wipe down the edges of the windows and the thresholds.

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Misconceptions

Over the years there have been many misconceptions regarding potions, most notably that they must be drunk in order to work. This is not the case, indeed many potions are not safe to be ingested or exposed to your skin. A lot of the potions you will find in older grimoires are made from ingredients that are not safe, and were created long before modern medicine was even a spark or thought. Remember that they used to think that demons in your brain caused headaches? Probably not the people you want telling you what to put in your body.

Another common misconception is that something will “happen” when the potion is ready. I mean as cool as it would be, when a potion is complete at the end of the day it is still made of normal ingredients. There is no sparks, no fireworks, no smoke, no *boom* (and if there is, you have MUCH bigger issues, namely to call the fire department and hope they don’t ask why you were using explosive ingredients over a hot stove). When a potion is ready, much like anything else you do in the kitchen, you should know. Whether that is by instinct, smell and touch, or simply using an egg timer for 20 minutes on simmer. While not as satisfying, it is still magical and remember, that is all that is needed.

Finally, remember to simply DO YOUR RESEARCH! Items used in potions can be very dangerous, and sometimes don’t play well together.  Just think about what happens when you mix baking soda and vinegar. Potion making is as much witchcraft as it is chemistry so if you start looking for those random or rare ingredients, just make sure you research them first to prevent any “happy little accidents” (as Bob Ross would say). 

*All images were taken from Pinterest*

[charmingsaturday]

@talldarkandsuperman Happy Swiftie Halloween!!!! 🔮 I made you this mood board and a playlist! I had so much fun making this! I couldn't pick just nine so I am also including the pinterest board I made based on this vibe/concept. @swiftiehalloween

I kinda created a little story in my head as I put it together, I was thinking: Friends to lovers, bandmates, the singer is a witch with fire powers and the drummer is a non-binary superhero archer with electricity powers. You could say they… have a spark… Anyway. Secret identity trope where double life meets double double toil and trouble. 🔥🩷💜💙⚡️

The playlist is a little long and it is mostly taylor, but there's also some maisie, gracie, lorde, and phoebe and olivia. Not sure if this is going to all come together well, but it was fun to come up with a vague storyline and tell it through pictures and music!!! I don't know much lore about superheroes but I looked into Cissie King-Jones and also played off your aesthetic board you sent!!

Hope you enjoy it :) If you ever wanna chat abt superheroes or taylor, music in general, stories, etc., that’d be great!!

Happy halloween and enjoy the rest of october! 🔮🎃💥

[art-of-manliness]

Odds & Ends: September 1, 2023

Benchmade Bugout Knife. I’m always on the lookout for new pocket knives. I recently picked up the Benchmade Bugout based on reviews that I’ve read about it, and I’m digging everything about this simple folding knife. It’s a great EDC knife — slim and lightweight but incredibly sturdy and strong. You can open the blade easily with one hand, and holding the knife feels great. The length of the blade is perfect too.  “How Chuck Norris Facts Gave Birth to the Modern Meme.” If you’ve been on the internet for more than 15 years, you remember Chuck Norris Facts. Notable examples: * When Chuck Norris does a pushup, he’s pushing the Earth down. * Chuck Norris doesn’t read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants. * Chuck Norris drinks napalm to fight his heartburn. This article from ESPN takes a deep dive into the history of Chuck Norris Facts and makes the case that they gave birth to the modern-day meme. Make sure to check out our podcast episode about 1980s action heroes, including Chuck Norris.  Concluding Unscientific Postscripts by Søren Kierkegaard. My deep dive into Kierkegaard this year continues. I just finished his beast of a book entitled Concluding Unscientific Postscripts. It’s been on my to-read list ever since Jacob Howland mentioned the book in our podcast episode about Kierkegaard’s The Present Age. Kierkegaard’s big idea in this book is the distinction between objective and subjective truth. Objective truth consists of facts about the world that we can all agree on. The world is round, 2+2=4, etc. Subjective truth consists of personal, religious, and existential experiences that can only be experienced by a person individually. Feeling passion about life, love for a child, or faith in God are examples of subjective truths. For Kierkegaard, life is about cultivating those inner subjective truths. To be clear, Kierkegaard’s idea of subjectivity isn’t that truth is relative or whatever you want it to be; rather, it’s about experiencing life with vitality and passion. Concluding Unscientific Postscripts is a long book and hard to read, but packed with some great insights about life, faith, and being a human being. Did People Look Older? If you’ve ever looked through your parents’ high school yearbooks, you probably felt like the 17-year-olds in 1962 looked like they were 30. I’ve got some magazines from the 1940s called Pic: The Magazine for Young Men. They feature “young men” on the make, and the guy will look like he’s 45, but the caption says he’s only 29. What gives? Did people actually look older in the past or do our brains think they look older because we’re looking at old pictures? YouTuber Vsauce investigates in this fascinating video.  Quote of the Week Labor is one of the great elements of society, the great substantial interest on which we all stand; not feudal service, or predial toil, or the irksome drudgery by one race of mankind subjected on account of their color, to another; but labor, intelligent, manly, independent, thinking and acting for itself, earning its own wages, accumulating those wages into capital, educating childhood, maintaining worship, claiming the right of the elective franchise, and helping to uphold the great fabric of the State—that is American labor; and all my sympathies are with it, and my voice, till I am dumb, will be for it. —Daniel Webster The post Odds & Ends: September 1, 2023 appeared first on The Art of Manliness. http://dlvr.it/SvVfrW

[bookwyrminspiration]

Do you think that Sophie is the only Moonlark? As much as I want to believe that Sophie is special, I do not think that she is. The genetic experimentation that the Black Swan conducted on her was extensive, enough so they were able to alter her face so she does not look like her parents and give her abilities that that do not normally exist in elves. For them to achieve that degree of skill, I think there was a lot of trial and error involved. Mr. Forkle and his twin experimented on themselves, but what if they had to create a child to see exactly how their genetic alterations would work? After all that work, toil and trouble, there certainly had to be a way to make sure that their efforts were not wasted if the child died. This child would be coveted for their abilities and pursued their entire life, so there would be a chance they would meet a grim fate. The Black Swan anticipated something like this, so they created multiple embryos that were similar in power to Sophie in the case of an event where she died so their plan could continue on without any issues. This is a really crazy theory, but this is how I imagined it. I think there are other Moonlarks that are still in their embryonic stage that can be used to replace Sophie if she chooses to stop using her abilities or if she dies. I don’t think all of the embryos are related, but they all have abilities that are more than a normal Elven child.

Interesting question! My answer is that within the story itself, I do think Sophie's special. Departed from the story, then it makes more sense for her to be one of many, as you said.

I am nowhere near an expert on genetics and embryos and all that went into making Sophie, but from what I do know if they'd created a single embryo that would've been super risky. Everything riding on that one? Not a good plan--at least if we're thinking of this like humans. Elves reproduction is shown to have a marked difference (painless, no miscarriages, etc.), so it's possible that in Sophie's creation one embryo was enough when it got down to it.

However, you make a very strong point about trial and error. It seems far-fetched to think they'd make no mistakes in a single, first attempt. Realistically, there were probably failures, and Sophie was just one of several attempts. More could be made after her.

That's looking at it from an outside perspective that sees the Black Swan as a completely rational, independent entity. Looking at it from within the story, Sophie's unique. The Black Swan doesn't need to be separate and do what makes most sense disconnected from her existence, they need to explain her existence. They are her background for where she comes from, so they only need to account for Sophie. Which they do! They give a reason for her creation and the reason she is the way she is and fulfill that purpose.

So in that context, Sophie's the only moonlark. Her existence shows the experiment worked, and that's what matters. No need for the story to focus on anything outside of her. And because the story follows Sophie, if there are other embryos we won't see or hear of them.

That's how I understand it all, at least! Also, question for you: where does it say that Sophie doesn't look like her parents? You've mentioned it in another ask as well, but I can't remember that part. Sophie does look like Oralie (blonde hair, fair coloring, etc.), which is why that detail confuses me. However if there's mention of that in Stellarlune please don't include that or let me know because I'm trying to avoid spoilers! Thanks :)