#i don't celebrate Christmas but like what I imagine it might be like etc etc

[phorever-after]

this is like Christmas for the chronically online emos

[marzipanandminutiae]

Hi, I want to talk to you abou this image:

This illustration is titled "black slave women of different african nations". I find the combination of traditional African elements such as face-paint, necklaces and what appears to be ritual scarification and Western fashion worn by these women incredibly striking, but what made my jaw drop is the idea that these women are slaves.

While I am aware that maids and other lower-class women were sometimes able to access fancy clothing hand-me-downs from their employers, I had expected the nature of slavery in the Americas to make it impossible for enslaved black women to do the same.

So, this is a drawing. Whether it's drawn from life or not, I don't know, but the artist could easily have staged these women in fashionable (early 19th century) dresses or made the outfits up from their imagination. That being said, enslaved women absolutely did attempt to have "best" clothing and follow the fashions when they became aware of them.

Humans are human, no matter the circumstances. You can't crush that drive for beauty out of people, however you oppress them.

I know a bit more about fashion and later generations of Black women enslaved in the southeastern US, after scarification and such had been stripped out of their culture, but that certainly bears out this idea of treasuring beauty and trying to make space for fine clothing in their lives. Church services, weddings, and holidays like Christmas were often occasions for enslaved women to wear the best outfits they had, along with any jewelry or other finery they had managed to make or inherit. Some enslavers did give "favorite" people they held in bondage cloth, castoff clothes, cheap jewelry, lace, etc. At other times, the enslaved people cleverly made things themselves- one WPA Former Slave Interview in the 1930s, which I cannot find again for the life of me, featured an elderly man recalling that he once made hoop skirts from dried grapevine with an enterprising friend, selling them to the women in his community for a nickel (many enslaved people earned small amounts of money taking side jobs outside of their punishing work schedule).

Obviously such clothes could not be worn while working, but like I said, there WERE occasions of joy and celebration even in the harshness of slavery. The tradition of Black women wearing elaborate hats to church may in part originate from enslaved women (and their free but economically disempowered sisters) taking advantage of a rare chance for self-expression and elegance.

(Of course there were also less positive instances in which an enslaved woman might have fine clothing, namely sex trafficking, or habitual rape by an enslaver who then attempted to compensate her for this heinous crime with presents. New Orleans' infamous "fancy girl" market is enough to turn your stomach if you look it up.)

After the Civil War, some white commentators were incensed to see Black women in fashionable attire walking the streets where they'd once been enslaved. For these women, it acted as a visible and tangible way of asserting their freedom- as their ancestors despite wringing what happiness they could from life -had been unable to.

If anyone has more to add on this, please chime in! Enslaved women's fashion specifically is not my area of research, so I welcome input from people who study this more extensively. Cheyney McKnight is a wonderful source on enslaved people's lives in general, and a historical costumer herself.

[needleanddead]

going on a rampage of replying to asks that got abandoned btw. mostly about lucas (as is the way). under the cut, sorry if you see your ask from a million years ago!!!

general tws for cannibalism, murder, injury etc and one question about menstruation

lucas probably (read: definitely) built the cabin himself. the floors are old wooden boards; not the most comfortable, but not the worst! there are a number of rugs that look as though they were woven by hand; perhaps a victim before you? he wouldn't be overjoyed to see you sleeping on the floor - your poor back! - but if it's the middle of the day, and you're looking cute in a patch of sunlight . . . he just rolls his eyes and clicks his tongue and lays a blanket over you with a fond smile on his face. you will have to return to the bed or the couch later, though; lucas is far too old for snuggling on the floor and he really enjoys holding his darling.

you know what anon? you live your best life. lucas is a bit awkward and gruff when he's out in civilised society and sometimes this kind of thing goes over his head, but . . . always nice for an old man to feel like something pretty and young is flirting! and if you're silly enough to flirt all willy nilly with someone who may or may not be a mass-murderer cannibal - well, he's basically gotta take you home and keep you safe, right?

oh, ABSOLUTELY. i do think lucas makes a bit of a thing about holidays; he can take or leave halloween, but he's a sap for romantic christmas time, for valentine's day, for a kiss on midnight at new year's eve . . . so yes, he's celebrating his darling's birthday. hopefully you've told him that (if not, he saw it on your ID before it all got mysteriously waterlogged and ruined and lost at the bottom of a covered well on his property.) or you're going to be in for a mildly disconcerting surprise!

he finds you a present he thinks you'll like. he absolutely does try and get a cake, though he's not a dab hand at baking himself (he much prefers darling to be the one to do that, it just feels so much more homemaker-y!). he might get one in town and say it's for his birthday. little bit of wrapping paper, some streamers . . . no balloons because he can't stand the popping sounds.

and of course, it's not really properly your birthday until you're underneath him in bed and . . . you know . . .

so there isn't a like, canonical 'this is how many darlings lucas has had', but i always imagine the number hovering around eight or so. if this included the victims of all of his kill-and-eats, oof . . . but i think lucas - especially considering his general preference in soft sweet shy darlings - would feel as though he could take them on. they just need to work together . . .

i think if you were very well-behaved and careful what you asked for, you could probably get some kind of personal music device. not an ipod - that way lies computers, finding a way to put music on it - but perhaps a cd player and cds, or even a walkman or a cassette player. the first time you don't hear him when he calls because you're too plugged in, though . . . well. lucas giveth, lucas taketh away.

he's actually really a bit of a sweetheart about it. he's aware of these things, especially if his darling is afab - he's kind of clueless (definitely makes you write down the brand of pads you need and any info, and definitely drives a couple of towns away to get them), but when it comes to being taken care of . . .

lucas loves a darling who's a bit compromised, as long as they're pathetic about it. sniffling and snuggly and sad? he's all over it. so as long as you don't start getting angry and snappy, he's there with a hot water bottle and some of the chocolate he rarely ever buys and big hands gently rubbing over your stomach. won't let you do anything for yourself. he thinks the crying is cute and will snuggle and kiss and reassure and (unfortunately) get hard over it, the dacryphilia is strong.

but the snapping? he'll forgive it the first few times, but unfortunately you're right about the 'stern' correction. face set, voice warning. he won't punish you whilst you're still actively bleeding and in pain, but he remembers - and you'll get the punishment threefold when it's over. hope you didn't plan on sitting down !

honestly, that would be his preference. if you prefer staying inside? he's way less worried you're going to make a run for it. he loves a cute little homebody. it would be nice if, once the two of you were settled together - and lucas ofc is convinced that will happen - you showed a bit of interest in some nice, calm pursuits like gardening or spending time with the chickens . . . but he's not going to try and force you outside, when you're so much safer in the cabin!

he'd be patient!!! he speaks a little spanish (you pick up all sorts of things in the military, after all) though he's not all that great at it - his accent always bleeds through, no matter what he's doing. so if you're a spanish speaker, great! but he'll be patient with you and he'll probably try and learn a bit of your language too. his only irritation would be if he can't quite get across a telling off!

listen, anon. he's my OC and as my wish fulfilment OC i get to say 'yes'. he still might not deal well with it, but he'd at least make an effort. a couple of things, unfortunately, might get used against you if he thinks it will be to the advantage of keeping you inside - but lucas himself is suffering with something that might be ptsd (read: is), so he's not going to dismiss it out of hand.

i daresay SOMEONE will be offering to assist with the whole back blown out thing. not my fault. he's got to pay attention to his darlings, you see, because some of the others haven't worked out--

paranoia absolutely activated. he brings it up CONSTANTLY. he's worse about leaving you (locks you in, gets bars for the windows, even if he trusted you entirely before this, his trust in human beings otherwise is completely gone and keeping you safe is more important than keeping you happy). holds you so tightly you think you're going to suffocate. jumps on every syllable you stress strangely, like walking on a tightrope edge.

it's . . . it's not a good time for anyone. there's a reason he works so hard to be as off the grid as possible.

from february... crying.....

honestly i think he should get a dog. i think his darling deserves a dog. i think that your guilt tripping would work and you two would end up with a fluffy friend who slept on the couch with you and has to occasionally be shut out of the bedroom at night for a while. bonus - dog has plenty of bones to chew on!

piggy backs are free and allowed but he would prefer to princess carry you around if it's an option (and it has been, in the times he's broken an ankle to prove a point). when he's mad he's very much the 'fireman carry toss you over the shoulder' kind of man. doesn't even break a sweat.

[punks-never-die205]

What do you think the Kid pirates think about religion? Like to me they seem like they'd be either satanists (the proper version and not the bullshit kind), atheists or pagan or something🤔or a mix of everything?

Hmmm....

I'd have to lean toward the Satanist vibes, honestly. While not 100% eye for an eye, the vibes are similar. Hate what deserves it, love what deserves it, etc. (I am super simplifying because I'm not trying to make the entire post about it XD -- but I know you mean the "not devil worship")

It aligns well with what they've shown us in the show.

I feel like there's some [Catholicism] in what they believe - since we see Bibles and nuns with some regularity in the world, I'd imagine that's the "proper" religion, whatever it happens to be called. Something like that edges its way into a lot of social and cultural practices on purposes.

Which is to say, I feel like they'd celebrate Christmas, but I don't think anyone's going to church on Sunday unless they feel like it for whatever reason.

Heat, I think, probably has the closest to religious vibes - but I only think that cause I head canon him having a big family. Big families tend to fall into popular religion for a lot of reasons, but the structure is often useful. I feel like it was pretty relaxed though, and not orthodox or strict.

He probably looks to the sky and makes a cross when he's convinced the captain's about to get them all killed, but he's not kneeling at an enemy's corpse and lighting candles while he prays.

House is stoutly atheist, but she doesn't hold faith against anyone. Killer might actually be the only one of the crew who even knows that fact about her.

Kid has faith, I think, but it sits in the back of his mind and he doesn't worry about the details of it. In form and function it's probably more pagan and earthy than anything else.

Wire could recite the WG's Bible, but I can't say I think he believes any of it. He's too apathetic to be religious or anti-religious, but I think he has a head full of like a dozen different religions or more. He vibes with a few recurring ideals, but that's about it.

[devskindawritingblog]

Dating Natalie Scatorccio Christmas HCs (1996)

Disclaimer: I'm still learning how to do this writing thing. Also this might not be truly in character but they are headcanons so 🤷‍♀️.Another thing is I live in Canada, specifically northern Ontario. So I would assume winters here are way colder and different from those in New Jersey.But I will try my best :) And I use canadian spellings ( colour, favourite, etc )

Natalie had a very shitty childhood and teenage life in general

Her family was never a warm, loving environment

So she probably never had a good Christmas experience 

For that reason, I don't think she liked Christmas at all 

She was always jealous of her classmates showing off their new toys or new clothes

After a while, she stopped trying to enjoy Christmas

She would try to get into the Christmas spirit if you truly wanted to celebrate it with her

Forcing her to wear those cheesy Christmas sweaters with her

You would probably have to bribe her, but eventually she rolls her eyes and agrees

( I was searching up ugly Christmas sweaters, looking for a funny one, but instead I found matching ones. One of them says I don't do matching sweaters, and the other says but I do!)

Just imagine showing up to a holiday party with Nat, wearing those sweaters

She's dragging her feet the whole time, scowling at anyone who brings it up

Van finds it fucking hilarious 

That girl is going to be freezing as well

The only thing is that she is very stubborn about it

Wears her leather jacket all year, any season, any weather

Winter is not her favourite season by a long shot

Likes to go on walks throughout the neighborhood

Nice, peaceful walks when the only lights are from the street lights

It's all very calm until she hurls a snowball at you

Hitting you directly in the face

She thinks it’s funny and chuckles to herself until you toss one right back at her

And soon it’ll be a full snowball fight at 9 o'clock at night

It ends when you shove a handful of snow down her shirt and she calls for a truce

You both walk back to your house, soaked and covered in snow

So you both get a change of clothes

Making a snowman with Nat on a Saturday morning

Gathering some rocks and sticks for the eyes, mouth, and arms

And a carrot from your kitchen 

Then Nat puts the carrot in a place it shouldn't go

“ what! Its cold outside; maybe he got a snow boner”

She spends a lot of time over at your house for the holidays

Which is actually all of time

You end up buying her more gifts than she “needs”

You just wanted to give her a nice Christmas

And sure, she tries to get you to take them back

When you don't break, she is excited to actually get gifts 

Buying her a Nirvana vinyl and seeing her excited face when she opens it up on Christmas morning

She feels bad for not getting you something expensive 

But I feel she gets you’re a very sentimental gift

She thinks your going to hate it, but you end up loving it

I have no explanation for this, but I feel she would watch gremlins; don't even ask I have no idea where this came from

[95jezzica]

how do you think sweden is as a parent? any headcanons?

It's canon Sweden kind of spoils his kids quite a lot (with that I mainly mean Sealand and Ladonia, but to a degree this also includes Iceland). Not really spoiled in a bad way though? At any rate Sweden pays a lot of attention to his kids, constantly defends Iceland against Nor's and Den's teasing, and even pretends to lose wars against Ladonia. It's sweet, and I figure it's worth mentioning.

As far as headcanons go, this also means I headcanon Sweden as a pretty chill parent in general. As long as they don't endanger/hurt themselves or others, he allows them to do a pretty much what they want (within reason) - but he's still able to put his foot down if he thinks something is going too far.

With that said, if they want a tree house to hold their micronation meetings in? Then you'll be damn sure he's going to build a gigantic treehouse for them. If they're hungry they can usually just go and eat something from the kitchen - though Sweden likely has some rules about what they eat and when.

(Example: If dinner will be ready in 30 minutes they're probably allowed to eat a quick fruit like a banana, but not stuff themselves full on sandwiches. Sweden would probably also tell them to avoid sugary stuff like candy until after dinner, but as long as they don't overdo stuff he wouldn't be too strict on which days they decide to eat their candy).

For Sealand specifically I reckon Sweden & England have shared custody, and as a result Sealand technically has several rooms. (One in each house). To avoid Sealand having to choose between them on holidays they also make sure to celebrate major stuff together or alternate the days between them.

For an example Sealand's birthday is celebrated with everyone together. Meanwhile Sealand celebrates Christmas with the Nordics on the 23-24/12, then goes to that big party America is said to have (which probably is on the 25th), and then Sealand celebrates "Boxing Day" (26/12) with the "eyebrow family", NA-brothers and France.

They'd also have things they celebrate on their own, such as Sealand being with the "eyebrow family" to celebrate things like St. Patrick's Day, St. George's Day and Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes). Then Sealand would be with Sweden and the Nordics to celebrate things like the June birthdays (Ladonia/Den/Swe), Midsummer and Lucia. Just to mention a few examples.

I'd say Sweden and England try to keep the days where Sealand spend his time time pretty even, but they also don't stand and count every minute to make it "fair". One year Sealand might spend a few days/weeks more with Sweden, and another year Sealand might be a little more with England. Living costs are similarly divided. For an example I imagine England was the one who bought Sealand a mobile phone when it became more necessary, but Sweden was the one who bought Sealand a tablet.

Sealand strikes me more as a boy longing for adventures. Sure, he enjoys to sit down and play games/watch TV from time to time, but he's also boy with endless energy. I can imagine him and Sweden doing stuff like going on hikes, building rafts to sail on the local lake - etc - as quality time when they're alone together. Sealand strikes me as someone who if they don't get to DO enough stuff in a day to run off some energy he'll have a hard time falling asleep in the evening.

Now, Ladonia spends pretty much all his time living with Sweden unless he's having a sleepover with a friend or one of his many uncles. As a micronation who nowadays mostly functions as an internet nation, Ladonia has a lot of the latest technology available to him (through Sweden) since he's also more dependent on them.

Because of this Sweden obviously also make sure the house their family lives in has excellent internet connection. Though Ladonia mainly uses his own laptop while moving/traveling around, I headcanon Ladonia also has a robust PC inside his bedroom ("home base" in a sense) and a back-up laptop that he SOMETIMES let's Sealand borrow if they want to play games together.

(At some point Sealand got to choose between getting a computer, laptop or a tablet from Sweden. He chose a tablet).

I've mentioned in earlier posts that I headcanon Ladonia as literally having been born looking like a newborn baby, and as a result of that I think Sweden is/was very protective of him. Obviously Sweden is also protective of Sealand, but it's on a much higher level for Ladonia after Sweden spent YEARS not sure if Ladonia would even survive or how much "nation" Ladonia was since he grew at roughly the same speed as a human for the first 3-5 years of his life. It wasn't until Ladonia's aging slowed down a bit that Sweden could start to breathe easier.

Ladonia also has a big canon interest in Pokémon, so it wouldn't surprise me if he has most of the consoles and Pokémon games. Heck, some of the Quality Time stuff Ladonia and Sweden do together alone is likely a lot of video game playing, and they might even go watch tournaments and regionals being played. Sweden likely even ask Japan for favours to get tickets for the World Championships. I reckon Ladonia would enjoy amusement parks too, so that's another one of the few things Sweden can use to "get Ladonia away from the screens" for a few hours if Ladonia isn't having friends over. xD

Originally I also wanted to write about Sweden and Iceland's relationship as a bonus, but this post is getting really long and I've already done a few posts with them before, so I think I will end here for now. xD

Thanks for the ask, and hope you enjoy this!

[adhd-merlin]

Dnsvvdnfkjdk idk if you are also Druid (I call myself that tentatively as I'm still very much educating myself) but your comments on my recent post and a quick scroll through what you've posted recently has got me pumped about the Merlin/Arthurian/Pagan/Etc discussions - I feel like I've found my niche of the particular intersectional way I enjoy the show dnsbvdvdkclsljsj

yeah your post triggered me into digging out some old meta, haha

I'm not into druidism or paganism myself, no, but I like thinking of religion in Merlin from a worldbuilding perspective. The hints we get are fascinating — I think the scene that got me thinking was Merlin promising his sick mother that "the gods" would look after him (in 1x13), which implies he was raised as a polytheist by Hunith?

And then I started wondering about Arthur, given he did mention "God" (singular) a few times — but I don't think it's something the writers put a lot of thought into. I mean, the religious aspect in the show is all left deliberately vague, apart from the "Old Religion" stuff and mentions of gods that would be hard to link to any actual major religion practiced today.

I can see why that is, of course, but I like it when fanfiction writers delve into it — The Hands of a Hundred Winters, for example, is a fanfiction series that takes many of the premises of the series entirely seriously (which might be great for some readers and not so much for others — I happen to like it) and there's a couple of scenes in which Merlin and Arthur discuss religion which I was very intrigued by.

I'm (vaguely) aware of what happened historically in Britain, with Christianity replacing paganism, but in Merlin's fictional universe I like the idea of the nobility still observing some pagan celebrations, but with the most "offensive" elements removed — more of traditional celebrations that religious holidays. If that makes sense. Kind of like non-religious people "celebrating" Christmas.

I also like the idea of a class divide also marked by religious customs and beliefs — I can see rural communities like Ealdor being more in touch with pagan gods and elements of "the Old Religion" compared to the nobility.

And whatever "the Old Religion" was, Merlin doesn't seem to identify himself as one of its followers, despite being (vaguely) pagan — which means whatever beliefs Hunith observed were separate from it (though I imagine there were common elements).

It's just—! All that's left unsaid is so interesting to me actually! Bendrui and High Priestesses! A magical matriarchy!! I've got so many questions.

Sorry for rambling 😅

[glitch-pep]

Mina's parents Intro

Sooo... you might be wondering... who are these characters, and where are their heads?

Well, the answer to those and many other questions is under the cut.

[Background taken from Ed Edd n Eddy.]

When it comes to Ed Edd n Eddy we have never seen any of the parents entirerly, the most we've seen was Ed's mom from the neck down. So, I've only designed Mina's parents from the neck down.

It's quite silly but I think it also adds a sense of mystery to it. Not even I know what their faces look like, because I've never thought of it.

I'm not gonna give them any names either, I'm just gonna call them "Mina's mom" and "Mina's dad".

I like to stay true to the show for stuff like this, in the same way Mina doesn't have a last name because the kids in the show don't have them either. They mostly never mentioned this stuff because the kids are the main focus, but I still find it interesting.

I'll give ya some info about her parents, and you can fill in the blanks yourself if you want.

Mina's mom is basically the most known parent in the entire show because Mina keeps mentioning her just as much as Eddy mention's his brother. Although, while Eddy keeps talking about his brother in a good light which we eventually find out isn't true, Mina keeps talking about her mom in a more bad light, but as the show goes on we'd slowly catch onto the fact that Mina's mom is an incredibly nice person.

I like to imagine that it's the little details that give it away, like Mina's lunch having her name written on it with hearts around it, which her mom made.

Mina's mom genuinely loves Mina, but she's very concerned about her as well. I mean a child spending the entire day in front of the TV really isn't a healthy hobby.

Which is why she keeps tyring to get her interested in different stuff to get her out of the house more often, which is difficult considering how difficult Mina is.

And this leads to the famous "Mina's mom getting mad at Mina" which Mina tries to avoid at all costs.

It isn't the yelling and messy type of mad, but more of the quiet type. Mina's mom can be genuienly terrifying when she's just looking at her in silence.

And Mina loves her mom as well. But currently she's far too grumpy to admit it.

As for her mom's personality besides being a nice person... I'll just say that she's the kind of person that walks through an IKEA for the entire day carrying 5 bags and she's still enthusiastic and full of energy after it.

Also, I've said it before but she works at a cosmetics shop.

Also, another important thing is that Mina's mom and Jonny's mom are bff's, so that's why Mina and Jonny have to spend a lot of time together (besides because they're cousins). I imagine that the two families often have lunch together or that they celebrate Christmas together, that kinda stuff.

And, finally, onto Mina's dad.

A very mysterious figure as he'd maybe be mentioned once or twice in the show by Mina.

Him and Mina basically always have silent solidarity going on. Whenever he gets home Mina moves over on the couch so that he can watch TV with her, without saying a word to one another which they prefer.

He's known as the electrical wizard of the culdesac, the other neighboors always call him to fix stuff for them. (mostly because they know he'd do it for free)

He works at an electrical shop, where they sell parts for things but also stuff like toasters, washing mashines etc.

As for their marriage It's basically those tall and short person relationship dynamics. :'D

I also keep imagining him buying flowers for her and cute little gestures like that.

I can also imagine that the other adults in the culdesac are secretly jealous of them...

Like how can someone have a such nicely put together life without a million problems?

Behind their backs they probably gossip about how they're faking it and that there's something bad going on behind the curtains, which makes Jonny's family the only one that's truly loyal to them.

And that's about it! I really like the designs I came up with. If anyone can pinpoint what I did with them you'll get a gold star. >:]

[sereniv]

I hope it's okay I'm sending this to you, I just wanted to talk to someone who maybe would understand.

My grandpa is native, and he likes celebrating Thanksgiving, which is a little strange to a lot of people, because like "why would you want to celebrate that?"

But he says it's like... celebrating what could have been. Because my grandma was not native, and they had a beautiful life together. For him, the Thanksgiving holiday is a celebration of that, and mourning that the entirety of US history wasn't that way.

Colonization isn't inherent, it was a terrible CHOICE that some people made in the past and keep making in the present, so I guess he likes celebrating those moments in history that were just good and kind human connection.

I don't know. I just think it is an interesting way of looking at it, and wanted to share it with someone who might understand.

Yeah ive seen a lot of people celebrate thanksgiving and are native, and have different reasons

some people mourn, some people celebrate, some people use it as just an excuse to eat certain food

i don't celebrate or mourn, i just eat the food. Because thanksgiving has been so sanitized and commercialized, and i didnt grow up with anything that made it significant to me, that its just a day i have to go to my racist uncles house to eat stuffing.

But its same with Christmas with me is i dont celebrate, i just like the look. like the lights and what not. whatever history or meaning it had isnt there for me.

and with thanksgiving its never just a day. when i actually think of thanksgiving i think of the before and after. the way before, the immediate after, the far after.

so when I think of thanksgiving i think of the commercial holiday, not anything past that

Its a nice idea that your grandpa has and im glad he happy in that. I personally feel different when it comes to thanksgiving as an idea, because all i can think of is the reality

but outside of it i do often think about the people who did good, the people who were always against colonization and bigotry

i love thinking of those people because idk. it shows that colonization, bigotry, its not in our blood to be that. no matter how bad it gets there will always be people who die and fight for those being oppressed

so though i probably wont change my mindset about Thanksgiving, i understand your grandpa. its something i think about constantly, what could have been, about the good people, etc. i definitely think people should think about it more

i cant really explain how it feels, but it feels better to imagine how there were good people and recognize the allies, then just focus on the bad ones. in any identity.

if that makes sense. like allyship is meaningful, its not an afterthought. and to remember that we (as any marginalized identity) have always had people stand beside us and stood up for us, makes it feel less lonely. idk how to explain but yeah

i hope you and your grandpa have a good thanksgiving!

[babbushka]

This might be a dumb question but what’s up with the goat thing burning? Am I out of the loop on something??

Oh!!! Not a dumb question at all lol, I definitely can imagine that it's not a very widely known thing. I only became aware of this when I was seriously considering moving to Sweden and was studying up on the language, culture, food, etc, and one of these cultural celebrations is that of the julbock (Sweden), julebukk (Norway), or olkipukki (Finland).

The julbock, translated to Yule Goat, is a symbol of Christmas before there was Santa Claus and Elves and all that commercialized stuff, and it was traditional to create little goats out of straw to put around the town and house. It is symbolic in that the julbock is the one who delivered the presents!

The largest of these goats is the Gävlebocken, aptly named because it is put up in the town of Gävle. And one might think that that's just a nice piece of tradition -- but! Every year, people try and burn down the goat. It is made out of straw afterall. Sometimes people succeed, and sometimes they don't. People get really into this whole thing, sometimes there are goat protectors, and now there's even a webcam where people can keep an eye on the goat 24/7.

The last time that the goat was burned, was in 2015.

Which, arguably, can be called like, the last bastion of hope for society, considering everything that has happened since 2016.

The goat being burned this year feels almost like a sign -- the goat is turned to ash along with the horrible tragedy that has been the past few years.

It was never intended to be a sign of luck, good or bad, but that's what it's become, and I for one, am very glad that the goat has burned. Let's hope that it means a new beginning for us all in 2022!

[postmodernmulticoloredcloak]

I would love for you to talk more indepth about the montage. To me it feels so off and weird. Almost like a parody? So many scenes in it are "funny" moments that just don't make sense in the context of an emotional overview of the road so far... (Like all the scenes where Dean is eating, Donna with donut dust on her face, Sam getting hit during the game show.) I don't know. Isn't the montage supposed to make me nostalgic, teary-eyed? This one definitely doesn't do it for me!

Here I am! Yes, I absolutely agree. The montage is Weird(TM). It’s kind of a tone rollercoaster. It’s very full of funny/silly moments, with some serious moments smacked in. And it definitely looks like... there’s something about it.

For an easier consultation I will reference the gifs I have made of the montage sequence here.

[Gif 1] It starts pretty much like I’d expect a Supernatural goodbye montage to start. The two brothers meeting for the first time in the pilot, a reminder of their childhood with John, their banter still from the pilot, a couple moments of them driving in the car in the first seasons, Dean saving Lucas in 1x03 which is the first Dean-heavy episode and also an extremely symbolic moment for Dean’s entire journey - just think at how Lucas as a mirror was still relevent during the “drowning” Michael possession arc. Everything feels normal so far. We’re starting from the beginning! Now--

[Gif 2] Interesting and weird choices start here. Them pretending to be high school teachers from After School Special 4x13 - actually a very iconic moment for the fandom, remember that post of Dean in shorts from that episode that you had to reblog when it came on your dash? (Actually I’m not sure if I ever reblogged it lol.) Dean celebrating getting young again from The Curious Case of Dean Winchester 5x07 (and Jensen showing off his agility). The two of them showing their FBI badges to Jesse Turner’s biological mother in 5x06. Dean mowing the lawn of Mary’s house in the Djinn dream and immediately after Jess and Sam kissing also in the Djinn dream, from What Is And What Should Never Be 2x20. Then Dean after killing the witch when he was under the memory loss spell, in Regarding Dean 12x11. Sam happy when they celebrate Christmas in A Very Supernatural Christmas 3x08. Them being “lucky” under the effect of the rabbit’s foot in Bad Day At Black Rock 3x03. Sam also happy in Baby 11x04.

Again the present, then the montage starts again with the water-related ghost from Red Sky At Morning 3x06, a Bela episode, and then Bela herself from her first episode, 3x03 again.

What do these moments have in common? Not all of them, but for many of them I’d say reality being manipulated. The Djinn dream, the rabbit foot, Dean’s aging, the Antichrist... and it’s not over yet. Also, them pretending to be teachers, agents etc - not “real”.

[Gif 3] The tone suddenly gets more serious and relevant to current events: Chuck in The Monster at the End of This Book 4x18 (eh). Death in Two Minutes to Midnight 5x21 (the first appearance of Death, while now we’ve had Billie’s last and a very short-lived new one), and then two major moments from Lazarus Rising - Dean emerging from the grave and finding the handprint on his shoulder. Crowley’s first episode, Abandon All Hope 5x10. Zachariah’s death in Point Of No Return 5x18. Anna from The Song Remains The Same 5x13, where she is the antagonist having been brainwashed successfully by heaven. Michael burning and Sam jumping in the cage with Michael in 5x22, then another moment from 4x01 (the brothers hugging after reuniting). A moment from The French Mistake 6x15 (reality fuckery again!). Sam in Frontierland 6x18.

[Gif 4] Reality fuckery continues with Becky marrying Sam in 7x08. Funnily enough, this is the peak of Becky’s obsessive behavior which she went to therapy for and grew away of - it definitely emphasizes how far Becky has come. Donna’s first appeance in 9x13. That iconic shot of Dean in Bloodlust 2x03 because he’s pretty. Charlie’s first appearance in 7x20 while she dances to Walking On Sunshine (relevant?), Kevin’s first appearance in 7x21 when he becomes a prophet (lots of firsts). Abaddon’s first appearance in As Time Goes By 8x12. Then there’s the first appearance of the bunker, in the next episode, a couple shots in fact. Then more 4x01, Ruby pretending to mistake Dean for the pizza man (eh). Then more present...

This section seems to be mostly “first appearances” - including Ruby’s s4 meatsuit, i.e. Genevieve’s first appearance.

[Gif 5] We suddenly jump to more recent events with Kelly and Jack in heaven in Byzanthium 4x08. Jack’s iconic hello from 4x16 Don’t Go In The Woods. Dean teaching Jack how to drive in 14x07 Unhuman Nature. But then we suddenly go from Jack things to something completely different on the surface: two consecutive moments from Changing Channels 5x08, including the iconic Nutcracker scene, and Sully from Just My Imagination. We are actually back to the previous theme: reality fuckery. Gabriel’s episode was about placing them in “television shows”, Sully, while real, is literally a child’s “imaginary friend”. And then... a moment from the cartoon part of Scoobynatural! It doesn’t get more reality fuckery than that. Oh, wait! Charlie and Dorothy going to Oz in 9x04. That’s a pretty strong contender. Dean being hit in the face by a fairy in 6x09 - also about a realm Dean briefly went to. And, in case we felt like we hadn’t gotten enough 4x01 yet, Pamela’s first appearance (her last, albeit a hallucination, was about the whole “How come you only want what you can't have?” thing).

[Gif 6] We continue again with a mixture of firsts and weird things. Ellen’s first appearance in 2x02, Dean and Cas in 4x18 (we saw Chuck from that episode earlier), Jody’s first appearance in 5x15 Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid. Rufus in 6x04 Weekend At Bobby’s (not his first but a good episode...), Garth in 9x12 Sharp Teeth (not his first but the first in which he is a werewolf and is married... relevant to recent lamp events??), Missouri in 1x09 (her first appearance).

Then Gabriel from 13x21 Beat The Devil (an episode where he plays a trick on Lucifer) and Rowena from the same scene (in fact a scene where they’re flirting).  Then Eileen coming back to life in 15x06 and smiling at Sam. Jo flirting with Dean in 2x02 - her first appearance, again. Funnily enough, she had been introduced as a love interest, but ended up being repurposed as a sisterly figure. Tempted to say it’s relevant in an ironic way. Mary in 14x11 Damaged Goods, when Dean has a goodbye mother-son moment with her. Amara in 11x09 Oh Brother Where Art Thou when she was looking for her brother. Then Lucifer in two different vessels (12x07 Rock Never Dies and 12x21, when Lucifer regains control over the vessel).

Then Metatron doing the find a wife make babies speech to Cas in 8x23! Relevant??? Dun dun dun. Then Ketch for some reason (the first episode where we see his face, 12x08 LOTUS).

[Gif 7] Then Jo/Anael in 13x13, another first appearance. (I cropped these horribly I should have cut them when the present happens lol.)

Sandwiched between two shots from the present, Dean Sam Mary and John having dinner together in 14x13 Lebanon.

Then we start again with Dean riding Larry in 12x11, Dean and Cas dressed as cowboys in 13x06 (mini pattern here...), Asmodeus with the archangel blade in 13x13 (insert meta about Asmodeus in Christian lore here), and the really intriguing “Intermission” shot from the play in 10x05.

[Gif 8] To continue a certain pattern we might be tempted to see, Dean eating piecake from 14x06 Optimism (an episode about a distorted version of romantic love), then Dean eating noodles from 10x13 Halt & Catch Fire (the ghost is a husband that passes on thanks to his wife). Dean after his dentistry session with Garth in 15x10. Meg from 6x10 Caged Heat (the episode with the pizza man porn). Dean and Sam investigating in 4x12 Criss Angel Is a Douchebag (an episode about growing old poorly). Crowley in 10x16 Paint It Black (that episode). Dean playing that game in 14x17 Game Night (the episode Cas calls for God, and when Mary dies - the one playing the game was God...). Sam and Dean getting out of the car in 13x05 when they visit the traumatized kid (peak mourning Dean episode...). Then we go into reality fuckery territory again with 14x15 Peace of Mind, Sam under the psychic’s control and Cas disgruntled about it.

[Gif 9] Mick Davies from 12x16 Ladies Drink Free, when he learnt a lesson about monsters. Dean geeking out about the Hatchet Man - so heavy with mirror significances - in 14x04 Mint Condition. Belphegor - Jack’s dark mirror - in 15x03 The Rupture, the break-up episode. Donna’s first episode again, this time Dean and she eating donuts. Dean, Sam and Mary hugging in 12x22 after the confrontation in Mary’s head. Kaia in 13x09 The Bad Place, when Jack uses her to find the way to where Mary is (Mary pattern?). Claire&co rescuing Jody and Donna in 13x10 Wayward Sisters. Dean in 1944 dresses as a sailor in 11x14 The Vessel. Baby nyooming in 15x11 The Gamblers...

Aaand more Changing Channels, the genital herpes ad. It’s almost like reality fuckery is a theme. Followed by Sam drinking the anti-cold concoction at Garth’s in 15x10 and the two of them outside the monster fighting pit in the same episode. Then Cas, Dean, Sam and Jack on a video call with Ketch in 14x09 The Spear when they talk about the egg to trap Michael.

[Gif 10] We stay in the same episode with the four of them heading to Michael. Then the four of them celebrating Jack’s return to life (after Cas’ deal with the Empty). More present, and then the iconic “we’ve got work to do” [trunk closes] moment from the pilot.

So: some of these moments seem like genuine moments you’ll want to put in a montage, but there’s a weird predominance of characters smiling and looking happy or goofy. It’s kind of... not exactly representative of the show as a whole, you know? There are moments that fit as, you know, iconic steps in the story, but surprisingly few, and many moments you’d expect to be in a “final” montage are blatantly not there. Several moments with, let’s put it like this, suspicious meta connotations. Moments that, well, we don’t know what happens in the finale yet, but smell like they might be relevant to future developments. (Metatron’s speech to newly human Cas anyone?)

What really strikes me is the amount of moments connected to reality being manipulated or distorted in some way. Lots of Changing Channels, fantasy elements of various kinds (the Djinn dream, Scoobynatural, Oz, the imaginary friend Becky’s wedding to Sam, the fairy, ...), them acquiring luck (s3) or losing it (s15), and so on. It’s almost like the sequence is telling us something...

Thoughts?

[tysukis]

Okay hello I am back to get way too into this au! Also I do technically write, in that I love to outline the hell out of something and then never put real stories together. This is my favorite part, and the compliments from you and @zukkau have made my day. :)

I think it was @procrastinatingqueen who mentioned Sokka dating Suki in a Zuko-Left timeline and it got me thinking about the band situation. Let's say the band is three members at first - Sokka, Suki, and Jet. (He's a shit but he deserved better....) Sokka lands them the gig, Suki is adrift and immediately on board to bounce. I like the fanon that the modern Kyoshi Warriors are a roller derby team, but regardless they're not quite an anchor for her and might even push her to take the opportunity. Sokka is the same. I imagine he and Katara are navy brats, they're used to moving and his sister just demands tickets and facetime calls, "No I don't care how tired you'll be."

Jet, though. He's not the primary caretaker on paper for Smellerbee and Longshot but he's the de facto caretaker. He can't just *do* that. So they replace him - Haru? Teo? Jin? I'm not picky, a handful of canon folks would work. So newly single Sokka goes off with Suki and their new bandmate, and Zuko is simmering on the fact that he's touring with his ex and probably always wanted her anyway. (Probably not, I imagine Suki has at least one supportive partner in their hometown, but maybe also yes for drama?) And Jet, who understands commitment to passionate goals and hard-won family, who now also understands the anger of being abandoned by Sokka in some way, is just so conveniently there. Like, they're not healthy together for sure. But Jet would be chill with Zuko keeping his emotional distance (whether real or just perceived) because Jet also does that?

I promised myself I wasn't going to send you a novel and here we are. But I haven't nailed down why they come back - end of tour? Do they piggyback onto another tour immediately or is this a relatively short separation and the aftermath is still messy?

[context]

Hello! Okay, yes, let’s run with this.

(I like that we now definitively have both a Zuko-Leaves Timeline and a Sokka-Leaves Timeline lmao)

I am proposing: front man and lead guitar Sokka, punk drummer Suki, Haru on bass. (If you wanna make it 4 - Teo on keys.) Of course Zuko would assume the worst, what with Sokka and Suki touring together (and probably misjudged Suki’s reasons for how eager and down she was to just up and leave) but we, the audience, know that she has a covert thing going on with fellow-roller-derby-skater Ty Lee; it’s probably pretty low key for the professional sake of the team.

Sokka and Katara growing up being moved from place to place, and therefore Sokka going on a new adventure with minimal reservations makes sense, I approve. Also Katara and Aang would definitely tag along for at least one leg of it for fun until they have to return to whatever careers/education they persue in their own lives.

I LOVE the idea of Jet and Zuko being brought together by scorn (and I love the way you phrased it - seriously dude I know you said you rarely go further in writing than an outline but that’s a tragedy) it slots in nicely with the canon. I’m a big believer that Jet was a traumatised child in the show and I think translating that into him being A Massive Shithead in fics can be a bit of a played out trope. It’s high time for Complex Character But Not Terrible Person Jet™️. I think they’d bond nicely and, in addition, I think because Zuko never got that whole older/younger sibling dynamic growing up he would adapt and be really good with the freedom fighters.

Whilst we’re looking into how the other characters slot in; Toph? Mai? Azula? What are our thoughts for them? I like to think Toph would be the one to set Zuko straight in the end with his constant moping and pining (I think their friendship was and is chronically under-utilised in both canon and fanon) but I can really see it being any of them.

Dw about not sending a novel, I’m happy to talk about this au all day frankly. I can see them being gone for a while, long enough for Sokka to assume Zuko has moved on etc. I’ve had multiple suggestions for why they come back but a common one is the good ol’ visiting the family excuse. Galaxy brain rachel @zukkababey immediately suggested tis the damn season by taylor swift as a fitting song and I think that works really well - idk if they’d celebrate Christmas per se but I can deffo see them coming back for at least some holiday or celebration. (perhaps an important birthday or graduation?)

[assless-chapstick]

Hi Noble, I am in a bad place right now just feeling sad and low. Wanted to ask you for some Charthur ranch life headcannons? Your writing always cheers me up and distracts me when I'm sad. No pressure if you don't want to, just the act of writing this helped a little already 💕

Aw feller, I’m sorry to hear that you ain’t feelin so hot. Times is rough all over, and some times it feels a little difficult to keep on pushing, don’t it? Hopefully I can whip up something that might help cheer you up.

I been thinking a lot lately about what Arthur and Charles do around the ranch, especially in the winter time. The spring, summer, n autumn are more busy for them than the winter is, I imagine. In the spring Arthur spends a couple weeks our at the different ranches in the area, helping out with calving and foaling and what not. He’s real good with animals, and hes got a much smaller property than some of the other ranchers in the area, so he don’t mind helping out none. He trades his services for like, meat n stuff from his neighbours.

Charles goes away hunting on a big fur trip in the autumn, most years. He and Arthur of course hunt together during the summer, but in the fall Charles goes away for a couple weeks to get a bunch of furs, spends the winter tanning them. Winter is really for things like that, building furniture, etc… things he can do in his workshop.

I also think Arthur spends a lot of time in the garden during the summer. It’s a huge garden, too, with rows and rows of corn, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. Any given day from May til September, Arthur’s out there weeding and watering and checking for pests. He likes the sun, ain’t really able to get used to living indoors.

Sometimes, he works the garden shirtless, on really hot days. Every spring, Charles teases Arthur about how white he is, and every summer he rinses Arthur’s back with cold water after he (inevitably) gets his first sunburn. After that, Arthur always gets tan and golden brown with the sun, and his hair gets all sun bleached and he looks so healthy that Charles just has to kiss him when he finds him between the rows of corn.

A couple summers in, Arthur plants beets, cuz they’re hardy and do well in the soil. He learns that winter that Charles hates beets – Arthur’d canned a whole bunch, and over dinner one night Charles asks how many cans they have left.

Arthur is like, “aw hell, I don’t know, maybe eight or nine? Why?” and Charles is just like “no reason.” And goes back to eating… the beets…. But Arthur can read him so well, knows by the set of his shoulders that Charles is disappointed, and he can’t help but laugh, cuz it’s so damn cute. Charles never complains about food or cooking (except to tease Arthur) so for him to actually dislike a food is just so novel, and they’ve been together for years and Arthur is delighted that there are still things he doesn’t know about Charles.

So Arthur kisses him and steals his plate and finishes the beets… they have them much less often after that, and Arthur plants turnips instead the following year. And he trades some of the beets away to Mrs Shevchenko (who’s daughter is 21 and engaged to be married but still makes big moony eyes over Arthur, who is pushing 40, at mass every Sunday) in exchange for some of her pickles, because the garlic and dill she uses is just the best….

Oh! And during the summer, the boys both like to stroll through the strawberry patch to eat the ripe ones… and Charles will sometimes pull a carrot from the garden and rinse it n eat it right there as he watches Arthur try and wrangle the goats so he can sheer them… (can you shear goats?)

So I think they spend much of the year outside, gardening, caring for the animals (along with the goats they’ve got like 6 horses and some chickens and a few dogs that roam around and of course, Cheater the cat), hunting and fishing…

The winter is harder on Arthur, I think, because he likes to be busy and can’t stand to be inside all day long. I think in the winter, he paints, just to have something to do with his hands; he don’t like being stuck inside all day. He’s a pretty garbage painter, though…. Charles buys him some pastels and charcoal, and he does much better with those. His pastel portraits are beautiful, though he mostly does wildlife and florals.

They both try to take up knitting and mending, and are both pretty horrible with it… Arthur does a lot of the mending because he’s marginally better, but it’s still Pretty Bad.

They spend a lot of evening in the winter by the fire, reading to one another or playing cards, or dominos… Arthur will lie between Charles’s legs as Charles massages his shoulders, might hum something for him …

They don’t really celebrate Christmas, I don’t think. Neither of them did it growing up, and they’re not religious – Arthur only goes to mass on Sundays because to not do so would draw suspicion. So they don’t celebrate Christmas…. But the lesbians, Sue and Louise-Anne, do, and they always invite Charles and Arthur over for Christmas dinner. They mother the boys, a little (one of the women has an estranged son but we don’t talk about him), and give them socks or jumpers for Christmas… the first year the boys didn’t get them anything (they didn’t know!!) and they felt awful…. Now they get ladies yarn or furs or furniture that Charles made in his workshop (Arthur does a beautiful job on carving the details and adding inlays)

All in all, it’s a peaceful existence, and they keep busy. I think, on nights like this where it’s cold and snowy and the sun sets early, they make love under the guise of getting warm… there ain’t much to do once the sun goes down, save for curl up in bed n kiss slow and lazy til they’re grinding up against one another and Charles is cooing in Arthur’s ear about what a pretty little housewife he makes and how soft his tits feel now that he’s got his winter weight on…

I hope that cheered you up a lil bit, mister!! Happy trails!!

[wolfgangamaderik]

Secret Santa here! Thanks for the detailed answer about the holidays :) In my country, people don't often celebrate St. Nicholas' Day, but my family likes to put little treats in each other's shoes to honor the legend. I also celebrate Christmas and New Year's. Leroux, Kay, and the musical are some of my favorites as well! I did a long project on Leroux earlier this year. Who is your favorite POTO character? What are some songs, colors, imagery, etc. you associate with them?

Hello Santa! :D *claps*

So great to see you again :D

I have read St. Nicholas isn’t very common in much countries, I needed to research it for a fanfic idea about POTO once, and it is surprisingly underrated. Here it is mainly for the kids too, but you can never be too old for some chocolate Santa, can you? :D

That is so good to hear you love good old Leroux as well, I just can’t read it enough, I always find something new in it after each and every rereading. :) I also like Charles Dance Erik, but mainly his voice. I think Leroux! Erik might have something similar kind of voice, calming and kind of deep.

My favorite character is definitely Erik, with all his musical genius madness, but I also love the Daroga, and of course, Christine. My least favorite character is Raoul, though I don’t hate him anymore like I used to. I always link Erik with classical pieces such as, pretty obviously: Toccata and Fugue in D minor, Danse Macabre of Saint-Sainesor Dies Irae from Mozart’s Requiem. When I hear these I always think of him. Colors: Erik: - black, red, purple, gray, dark blue. Daroga: green, yellow, golden, dark red. Christine usually wears blue or peach or lavender colored dresses in my imagination.

Erik is tall, but not as tall as in Kay, might be 1 m 80 or something like that. Daroga is slightly shorter, not too much though. Erik looks much taller because of his thin body frame, and compared to Christine, who is most likely no taller than 150 cms. I like to imagine Erik with his hair falling to his shoulder lenght at the back of his head, but he has very few hair left (I always daraw him more hair than how much he should have actually.)

Sorry for the long reply. :D

Hope you are well and enjoy the season as much as I do :)

[mie779]

Hey there!

It is Santa again. Glad to have you on board at Tumblr then :)

The app takes a little getting used too. For this event, it can be easy to tag your replies to my posts, so that they are easy to find ;)

Do you usually celebrate Christmas? Are there any special traditions in Denmark? I have visited once before, but like a typical tourist, I only went to Copenhagen haha.

Now for your gift, you should know that my skills lie (only) in fic. But since you mentioned you love to read about Captain Swan, I imagine that will be allright :) Could you tell me a little about what you usually like to read?

Yeah I'm slowly getting used to how things work both in the app and in the computer version ;)

I celebrate Christmas, I think the main difference to how we celebrate in Denmark is that we do all the festivities on dec 24th. Like all the food eating, and gift giving etc...

I do love a good fanfic so that won't be a problem ;) I have read so much, I do mostly read the mature and explicit ones, but if you don't like writing that I understand ;) (that would be the T and M rating in fanfiction net ;) )

My favorite tropes can be set in both canon and AU settings, I have a wide range of tropes I like:

Pirate Emma (AU stories)

Enemies to lovers

Sports romance (I'm a huge sucker for sports romances right now, also outside of OUAT fics.... been reading several great sports romance books in the past year... any sport is good, but dang Colin looks fine in soccer gear ;) I know I've read a few OUAT sports romance stories over the years.)

Also love the Swan-Jones home life situations, and mainly including Hope (and any other kids that might have come later ;) ) Been doing a Hope fic myself lately that has been great to write out. Maybe Hope becoming a big sister, her reactions etc... (always imagined they would call a baby brother for Liam, <-- that is her brother's name in my own Hope fic when she became a big sister at the age of 3 )

That is the tropes that can be made PG friendly if you're most comfortable writing such, but I also have a few favorite tropes that are slightly on the "darker" side...but won't share them unless you're comfortable with that ;)

I think that was it for now... let me know if you want more details on any of this... :)

EDIT

realized I needed a more “personal” tag so will change what I save it under...

[kirukkals]

GEORGIA - The little Europe!

When I mention Georgia, not many people living outside the middle east have even heard of this tiny beautiful country. It borders Russia, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and just about 3 hrs flying from UAE. This was on the cards right from 2016 as a quick getaway holiday place. It happened now in Jan 2019 and we never imagined it would be another different experience all together.

Two reasons we chose Georgia - small country close to UAE which meant 3 to 4 days would do, and this time of the season would mean experiencing snow. We did a 3 day trip but I wish I had another couple of days to explore all parts of the country. Our friends had just been to the place for over a week, so we took their advice, booked ourselves the same guide for the entire 3 days.

We landed early morning in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. We headed west to Bakuriani, in search of some snow and were not let down. It was my first time to see an entire city covered with snow. Houses, fir trees, cars buried in snow, white roads and it felt like we were a part of a Christmas fairy tale movie. Our hotel apartment had a beautiful mountain view where all the Christmas trees were covered with snow.

Then of course, we did all the things that someone who has barely seen snow does, throwing snow ball at each other and attempting a snow man but what came out was infact a snow witch. We even tried sledging in steep slopes. Skipped the skiing, partly coz we were already tired after these games. It was freezing and though we had jackets and caps, it was too windy and cold. We weren't prepared with the right footwear, thought we could rent them, there was no such option and had to manage with ours. The first night we stayed in Bakuriani and experienced heavy snowfall. The entire night it rained snow. And WOW! The next morning, I couldn't take my eyes off the mesmerising mountain view. Nature is truly wonderful.

The next morning we wanted to do the Bakuriani to Borjomi train journey. So when our guide dropped us at a place, it didn't look a bit like station and all of a sudden a real sized train emerged from the corner. Only after the train arrived, did we notice that the place had tracks, had a platform that was hidden and a station exists and it was covered with a blanket of fresh snow. This train, with just 3 coaches, lazily covers 37kms in 2.5 hrs, just the right thing to do first up on a holiday morning. The train journey was absolutely snow scenic. We passed through snow forests, villages with colourful huts covered with snow, distant snow capped mountains and I could go on & on about the snow! If you have watched The Polar Express movie, you will know what I am talking about. Borjomi is yet another beautiful little town which is popular for its mineral rich water. We did a quadro bike ride in the Borjomi park which took us deep into the snow forest, middle of nowhere and white and blue were the only covers. That evening we moved to Tbilisi, the town centre.

Now, our guide Sukho is a Georgian, a proud native and he thoroughly enjoys explaining the richness of his country. All the 3 days that he showed us around, he made sure we appreciated the history behind the place. He was very helpful, open, good natured, friendly, humorous and all that. But what I could not stop noticing was that how much he enjoyed portraying his country and its culture to all other people. He is a good singer, a guitarist, worked earlier in media and quit his regular job to do what he likes the most.

Now you might even wonder why I am writing so much about him in my travel blog. We felt good to have had a guide who is a local. That way, we got to learn a lot about their way of life, food, festivities, history, culture, languages, their music, and so on. Can you imagine that Georgian music recorded on a golden disc and sent on the Voyager into space?! UNESCO has termed one of their writings as an ancient one?! Pagan was their religion and Christianity came in much later?! Their territory is still unstable and they had a war as recent as 2008?! They have been invaded over and over that they are always ready for a war?! Well, this and a lot more inside info is possible only with a native guide. That too a proud one! I definitely don't regret being an Indian, but at the same time I might not be a proud one. But looking at such people, I feel I should try to be more appreciative of my own culture and country and propagate it better to people around me. So, I started with Sukho himself and told him to visit India someday soon!

Getting back to the places, we visited the Uplistshike cave town which lies near the Gori city. The cave town is an amazing place to visit if you like to see and hear about ancient history. Made out of sandstone many centuries back, it still stands out as a massive structure on that mountain. We got some climbing to do and it was a windy place. The hill town has seen many great rulers, influencial queens, successful clay pot wine making, pagan worship, sun god worship, back to back invasions, it has been burnt down a few times and reconstructed, Christianity started taking form, and so on. The prison, fireplaces of common people, rulers main hall, pharmacy and many such spots are still seen. It takes us back to that age to imagine people would have lived there and walked the sandstone steps. The highlight was the secret tunnel through which they escaped during war. Easy steps are now built for us to pass through, but to think that people used that way to get out to the fast flowing river and escape, it is all quite incredible. What an easy, comfortable, modern life we live in today!

Gori in itself looked like a city that has been in and out of war many times. Burnt down structures, isolated houses, and the winter trees gave an eerie war feel to it. When mentioning this to our guide, he briefed us about the prevailing unstable conditions and the war that took place in 2008 between Georgia and the separatists with Russian backing. It is terrible to hear about such war in the 21st century. Joseph Stalin the great communist leader was born here in Gori. And on the way, we saw a few refugee camps, neatly built row houses with basic amenities given by the Georgian government. And to mention again, felt the sincere patriotism in our guide who said every Georgian will fight till his last breath to save his territory and culture.

Mtskheta is a beautiful old town with shops lined up showcasing the artisans work. Local sweets made out of walnuts, hazelnuts, honey, apples, pomegranates etc are mouth watering delicacies. Georgian salt and pepper tastes unique, similar to our Indian spices and could make a good seasoning for salads and soups. Honey is also a popular product being sold there. Georgia's main export is wine. Woollen clothes and art on clay wine pots are not to be missed. The cathedral in Mtskheta and Jvari Monastery are historical buildings. The belief is that the sacred robe of Jesus, the one that covered him during his crucifixion, is buried there. The winding roads up the hill to Jvari is a beautiful drive.

In Tbilisi, we stayed right at the city centre. Freedom Square is a popular happening place in the city and Hotel Marriott stands facing this. Well, being a budget trip (always!), we stayed in a small hotel apartment just behind the Marriott. All Seasons Hotel had a spacious comfortable room, neatly done. For the location, room, and breakfast, the rent was very less. Just like in the European cities, we saw cobblestone streets, freelance music bands, people wining and dining merrily. Because Romans & Greeks lived there ages back, we see a lot of their influence in the architecture.

The other attractions in the heart of the Tbilisi city are the Bridge of Peace, Roman bath, waterfalls, Narikala fortress, river cruise and the St. Trinity church which is the modern day construction. Georgians celebrate Christmas on Jan 7th and walking around on the eve helped to see the colourful city. The city was lit up and it was a festive mood all around.

For the very short time that we had, we could only cover so much. Still, it is a very memorable holiday which will be cherished.