#interceding

[knightsickness]

ik its popularly assumed that hizdahr is going to be one of the first victims of dany's new fire and blood targaryen ethos in twow because he tried to have drogon killed but that fails to consider that the team in meereen rn is 1. barristan (thinks hizdahr is a poisoner who should be put to death) 2. victarion (means to marry dany. hizdahr as her current husband is in the way) 3. jorah (in love with dany) 4. daario (in love with dany) 5. tyrion (hizdahr tried to feed him and penny to lions for fun like two days ago) 6. the shavepate (hizdahr's longterm blood feud rival who definitely framed him for the poison thing) + also every single guy here is a murderer. if he survives long enough for dany to kill him i'd be impressed thats the worlds most executed man

[vaguely-concerned]

can u believe that back in the day it really must have been like...

viago: you threw my pet snake out a window in my dream and just so you know I will be holding it against you personally and indefinitely. so first of all, how dare you, secondly --

lucanis Beholding him while he rants: ...I want to kiss him under the pale moonlight

[nelkcats]

The Cat Statue

In the center of Gotham stood a cat statue, its eyes were emeralds and glowed toxic green. It always seemed to be looking at you.

No one in the city dared to do anything against the statue. There were rumors that the last time people tried to demolish it, all the construction equipment was damaged, and the workers were sick for weeks. There were people who tried to steal it eyes, but their skin burned without explanation after touching it.

Unlike most inhabitants in Gotham, Selina was not afraid of the statue. She adored it. She asked it questions from time to time, and though no one believed her, the statue always answered; a whisper in her ears, snowflakes in summer, the touch of a hand on her shoulder.

Selina knew the statue wasn't normal, she'd known it since she was a child. But instead of fearing it, it made her feel safe. That's why she used to keep the bats and other rogues out of the place, it was her place, no one else's.

Danny was trapped in the Infinite Realms so he'd been looking for ways to entertain himself. One of them: Statues. Statues hidden in every dimension, statues that brought comfort to those who leaned on them. Though the connection was tenuous, Danny could interfere with their lives if they asked.

Selina had become one of his favorite persons. It was for that reason that when he saw her injured and she asked him for shelter, a great dome of ice formed around her, the statue's eyes glowing brighter than ever.

The Joker backed up a few steps, frowning as he noticed the dome, he had chased Catwoman to the spot and thought he had her cornered. He was about to make another move when spikes of ice began to form on the dome as a warning. Honestly, Danny wouldn't mind killing the clown.

For his part, Batman watched the scene from the roof. An indescribable look on his face.

[terristre]

you guys seen that canon vs ur style thing?? i fucking killed this man

[love-and-doom]

I think that people may miss that Sauron is bounded to Morgoth and in absolute despair about it to the point that even his rings project and his desire to heal middle earth are his attempts to break this connection and get rid of his influence and that this wanting of being saved colors every bit of his love and actions towards Galadriel That's why and how he sees her as god because he believes that she can liberate him from his form boss and he really want (more than anything) to cease to be a thrall and go back to his former self before he was corrupted

He wants to be forgiven and he wants to fix the mess he help made but Morgoth influence doesn't allow him to get into the rigth path

[gingermintpepper]

As usual I read your tags always and so you said Apollo did not ask for resurrection of Asclepius and Hyacinthus so i just wanted to share this. About Asclepius death I read it on theoi.com, that earlier authors don't make him resurrect as a god but that's a later development mentioned only by Roman authors like Cicero, Hyginus and Ovid. But still Apollo has a role in Ovid's version

Ovid, Fasti 6. 735 ff (trans.Boyle) (Roman poetry C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) : Clymenus [Haides] and Clotho resent the threads of life respun and death's royal rights diminished. Jove [Zeus] feared the precedent and aimed his thunderbolt at the man who employed excessive art. Phoebus [Apollon], you whined. He is a god; smile at your father, who, for your sake, undoes his prohibitions [i.e. when he obtains immortality for Asklepios].

So here it is actually because of Apollo the decision was taken to resurrect him as god. And with Hyacinthus, I don't think I've read about Artemis playing the primary role. I know in Sparta there was a picture of Artemis, Athena and Aphrodite carrying Hyacinthus and his sister to heaven.

This is not on theoi.com but I saw on Tumblr it's from Dionysiaca by Nonnus

Second, my lord Oiagros wove a winding lay, as the father of Orpheus who has the Muse his boon companion. Only a couple of verses he sang, a ditty of Phoibos, clearspoken in few words after some Amyclaian style: Apollo brought to life again his longhaired Hyacinthos: Staphylos will be made to live for aye by Dionysos.

So since he is singing inspired by amyclean stories it probably means in that place it was believed Apollo was the one to bring back his lover to life.

Apollo as god of order was very important so i think it shows how special these people (and admetus too) were to him that he decided to go against the order for them 🥺

ANON!! Shakes you like a bottle of ramune!! BELOVED ANON!!!!! I'm littering your face with kisses, I'm anointing you with olive oil and honey - you absolutely made my night with this because, not only did I get the pure serotonin shot of having someone interact with my tags (yippee, wahoo!!) I also got to have that wonderful feeling of "oh wow, have I misunderstood something that was integral to my understanding of this myth/figure this whole time or is this a case of interpretational differences?" which is imo vital for my aims and interests as someone who enjoys mythological content and literature.

I'll preface my response with this: Hyacinthus is by far the hardest of these to get accounts for because his revival itself, as you very astutely point out, is generally accounted for in painting/ritual format which muddies the waters on who interceded for what. I wasn't actually familiar with that passage from the Argonautica - and certainly didn't remember it so thank you very much for bringing it to my attention!

That said, what I've come to understand, both about Hyacinthus and about Asclepius is that in the accounts of their deaths, Apollo's position is startlingly clear.

For Hyacinthus, it is established time and again that Apollo would have sacrificed everything for him - his status, his power, his very own immortality and divinity. Ovid writes that Apollo would have installed him as a god if only he had the time:

(Ovid. Metamorphoses. Book X. trans. Johnston)

Many other writers too speak of how Apollo abandoned his lyre and his seat at Delphi to spend his days with Hyacinthus, but they also all agree that when it came to his death - he was powerless. Ovid gives that graphic account of Apollo's desperation as he tries all his healing arts to save him to no avail:

(Ovid, Metamorphoses Book X. Apollo me boy, methinks him dead. trans Johnston)

Bion, in one of his fragments, writes that Apollo was "dumb" upon seeing Hyacinthus' agony:

(Bion, The Bucolic Poets. Fragment XI. trans Edmonds)

Even Nonnus in the Dionysiaca speaks constantly of Apollo's helplessness in the face of Hyacinthus' fate where he writes that the god still shivers if a westward wind blows upon an iris:

and when Zephyros breathed through the flowery garden, Apollo turned a quick eye upon his young darling, his yearning never satisfied; if he saw the plant beaten by the breezes, he remembered the quoit, and trembled for fear the wind, so jealous once about the boy, might hate him even in a leaf...

(Nonnus, Dionysiaca, Book 3. trans Rouse)

And the point here is just that - Apollo, at least as far as I've read, cannot avert someone's death. He simply can't. Once they're already dead - once Fate has cut their string - all Apollo's power is gone and he can do nothing no matter how much he wants to. And this is, as far as I know, supported with the accounts of Asclepius as well!

Since you specifically brought up Ovid's account, I'll also stick only to Ovid's account but in Metamorphoses when we get Ovid's version of Coronis' demise, he writes that Apollo intensely and immediately regrets slaughtering Coronis. He regrets it so intensely that he, like he does with Hyacinthus, does his best to resuscitate her:

(Ovid, Metamorphoses Book Two. Apollo's regret)

And like Hyacinthus, when it becomes clear that what has happened cannot be undone, Apollo wails:

(Ovid, Metamorphoses Book Two. Apollo wept.)

Unlike his mother, Asclepius in her womb had not yet died and so, with the last of Apollo's strength, he does manage, at least, to save him.

(Ovid, Metamorphoses Book Two. Apollo puts the 'tearing out' in Asclepius.)

But it goes further than even that because Ocyrhoe, Chiron's daughter, a prophetess who unduly gained the ability to directly proclaim the secrets of the Fates, upon seeing the baby Asclepius, immediately prophesies his glory, his inevitable death and then his fated ascension:

(Ovid. Metamorphoses, Book Two. Ocyrhoe's prophecy. trans Johnston)

Before she too succumbs to her hubris and is transformed by the Fates into a horse so she can no longer speak secrets that aren't hers to share.

These things ultimately are important because it establishes two very important things: 1) Apollo can't do anything in the face of the ultimate Fate of mortals, which is, of course, death and 2) even when Apollo is Actively Devastated, regretful, yearning, mournful, guilty or some unholy combination of all of the above, when someone is dead, he accepts that they are gone. Even if he is devastated by it, even if he'll cry all the rest of his days about it - if they're dead? Apollo lets them go. In Fasti, when Zeus brings Asclepius back, he does not say Apollo asked him to - Zeus, or well, in this case Jove, brings Asclepius back because he wants Apollo to stop being mad at him.

(Ovid, Fasti VI. Apollo please come home your father misses you. trans. A.S Kline)

Even Boyle's translation which you used above in your findings hints that Zeus made Asclepius a god because he wanted Apollo to stop grieving. (i.e 'smile at your father', 'for your sake [he] undoes his prohibitions')

And like, Apollo was deeply upset by Asclepius' death - apart from killing the Cyclops in anger, in book 4 of the Argonautica, Apollonius writes that the Celts believe the stream of Eridanus to be the tears Apollo shed over the death of Asclepius when he left for Hyperborea after being chastised by Zeus for killing his Cyclops:

But the Celts have attached this story to them, that these are the tears of Leto's son, Apollo, that are borne along by the eddies, the countless tears that he shed aforetime when he came to the sacred race of the Hyperboreans and left shining heaven at the chiding of his father, being in wrath concerning his son whom divine Coronis bare in bright Lacereia at the mouth of Amyrus.

It all paints a very clear picture to me. Apollo did not ask for either of them to be brought back. Though bringing them back certainly pleased and delighted him, they are actions of other gods who are moved by Apollo's grief and mourning and seek to mollify him. Him not asking doesn't mean he didn't want them back which I think is a very important distinction by the by, but it simply means that Apollo knows the natural order of things and, even if it hurts, he isn't going to press his luck about it.

Which, of course, brings us to Admetus. And I'm really not going to overcomplicate this, Admetus is different because, very vitally, Admetus is not dead. Apollo can't do a thing once Fate has been carried out and Death has claimed a mortal but you know what he absolutely can do? Bargain like hell with the Fates before that point of inevitability. And that's what he does, ultimately for Admetus and Alcestis. He sought to prolong Admetus' life, not revive him from death or absolve him from death altogether and even after getting the Fates drunk, he's still only able to organise a sacrifice - a life for a life - something completely contingent on whether some other mortal would be willing to die in Admetus' place and not at all controllable by Apollo's own power.

All of these things, I think come back to that point you made - that Apollo's place as a god of order is very important and therefore these people are very special to him if it means he's willing to go against that order but, I also wish to challenge that opinion if you'd let me. Apollo's place as a god of order is very important and therefore, I would argue, that it is even more important that it is shown that he does not break the divine order, especially for the people that mean the most to him. The original context of my comments which started this conversation were on this lovely, lovely post by @hyacinthusmemorial which contemplated upon Asclepius from the perspective of an Emergency Medical personnel and included, in their tags, the very poignant lines "there's something about Apollo letting go when Asclepius couldn't that eats my heart away" and "you do what you can, you do your best, but you don't ever reach too far" and I think that's perfectly embodied with the Apollo-Asclepius dichotomy. Apollo grieves. He wails, he cries, he does his best each and every time to save that which is precious to him but he does not curse their nature, he does not resent that they are human and ultimately, he accepts that that which is mortal must inevitably die. There is nothing that so saliently proves that those who uphold rules are also their most staunch followers - if Apollo wants to delight in his place as Fate's mouthpiece, he cannot undo Fate. And, if even the god of healing and order himself cannot undo death, what right does Asclepius, mortal as he is, talented as he is, have to disrespect it?

The beauty of these stories isn't that Apollo loved them enough to bring them back. The beauty is that Apollo loved them enough to let them go.

[anghraine]

I was just thinking about the through lines of Elizabeth's characterization and her relationship with Darcy, and I'm really fond of this one:

[Mrs Bennet:] “Ay, that is because you [Bingley] have the right disposition. But that gentleman,” looking at Darcy, “seemed to think the country was nothing at all.” “Indeed, mamma, you are mistaken,” said Elizabeth, blushing for her mother. “You quite mistook Mr Darcy.”

-

Elizabeth tried hard to dissuade him [Mr Collins] from such a scheme; assuring him that Mr. Darcy would consider his addressing him without introduction as an impertinent freedom, rather than a compliment to his aunt; that it was not in the least necessary there should be any notice on either side, and that if it were, it must belong to Mr Darcy, the superior in consequence, to begin the acquaintance. [...]with a low bow he left her to attack Mr Darcy, whose reception of his advances she eagerly watched, and whose astonishment at being so addressed was very evident. Her cousin prefaced his speech with a solemn bow, and though she could not hear a word of it, she felt as if hearing it all, and saw in the motion of his lips the words “apology,” “Hunsford,” and “Lady Catherine de Bourgh.”

-

In vain did Elizabeth endeavour to check the rapidity of her mother’s words, or persuade her to describe her felicity in a less audible whisper; for to her inexpressible vexation she could perceive that the chief of it was overheard by Mr Darcy, who sat opposite to them. [...] “For heaven’s sake, madam, speak lower. What advantage can it be to you to offend Mr Darcy? You will never recommend yourself to his friend by so doing.” Nothing that she could say, however, had any influence. Her mother would talk of her views in the same intelligible tone. Elizabeth blushed and blushed again with shame and vexation. She could not help frequently glancing her eye at Mr Darcy, though every glance convinced her of what she dreaded; for though he was not always looking at her mother, she was convinced that his attention was invariably fixed by her.

-

That he [Darcy] was surprised by the connection was evident: he sustained it, however, with fortitude: and, so far from going away, turned back with them, and entered into conversation with Mr Gardiner. Elizabeth could not but be pleased, could not but triumph. It was consoling that he should know she had some relations for whom there was no need to blush. She listened most attentively to all that passed between them, and gloried in every expression, every sentence of her uncle, which marked his intelligence, his taste, or his good manners.

Elizabeth was now most heartily sorry that she had, from the distress of the moment, been led to make Mr Darcy acquainted with their fears for her sister; for since her marriage would so shortly give the proper termination to the elopement, they might hope to conceal its unfavourable beginning from all those who were not immediately on the spot. She had no fear of its spreading farther, through his means. There were few people on whose secrecy she would have more confidently depended; but at the same time there was no one whose knowledge of a sister’s frailty would have mortified her so much. Not, however, from any fear of disadvantage from it individually to herself; for at any rate there seemed a gulf impassable between them.

-

During their [Elizabeth and Darcy's] walk, it was resolved that Mr. Bennet’s consent should be asked in the course of the evening: Elizabeth reserved to herself the application for her mother’s. She could not determine how her mother would take it; sometimes doubting whether all his wealth and grandeur would be enough to overcome her abhorrence of the man; but whether she were violently set against the match, or violently delighted with it, it was certain that her manner would be equally ill adapted to do credit to her sense; and she [Elizabeth] could no more bear that Mr Darcy should hear the first raptures of her joy, than the first vehemence of her disapprobation.

-

Lady Catherine had been rendered so exceedingly angry by the contents of her nephew’s letter, that Charlotte, really rejoicing in the match, was anxious to get away till the storm was blown over. At such a moment, the arrival of her friend was a sincere pleasure to Elizabeth, though in the course of their meetings she must sometimes think the pleasure dearly bought, when she saw Mr Darcy exposed to all the parading and obsequious civility of her husband.

-

"I [Lydia] am sure Wickham would like a place at court very much; and I do not think we shall have quite money enough to live upon without some help. Any place would do of about three or four hundred a year; but, however, do not speak to Mr Darcy about it, if you had rather not." As it happened that Elizabeth had much rather not, she endeavoured in her answer to put an end to every entreaty and expectation of the kind. Such relief, however, as it was in her power to afford, by the practice of what might be called economy in her own private expenses, she frequently sent them.

me, every time: oh, Elizabeth.

[stagefoureddiediaz]

I can be totally normal about Eddie failing to ‘talk to god’ in confessions - thereby failing to convince god of his need to get Chris back - and so going invoking the Virgin Mary to get his prayers answered in holy mother of god!

I really can be totally normal about that pipeline!!!

[wiirocku]

Romans 8:26 (NIV) - In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

[lichqueenlibrarian]

Ooh shots fired!

[millionsknives]

please keep a family friend in your prayers, she and her 2 kids (3yo and a baby) are staying at our house tonight because they had to escape a domestic violence situation

[tankgotstuckinthecircusgate]

1932. I DON'T GIVE A FUCK! JUST KILL HIM. I AM NOT ASKING!

[myremnantarmy]

"𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘺."

[eddis-not-eeddis]

I'll be on a plane for several hours tomorrow with nothing to do, who needs prayer?

[mollypollykinz]

So... I haven't finished Tactica yet... but the brainrot is unending so hear me out:

“I can’t believe this is happening,” said Akechi Goro for maybe the tenth time. “I can not believe this is happening.” Toshiro appreciated the running commentary. It echoed his own thoughts exactly. “We’re going to need a new car,” Toshiro muttered to himself as they finally broke free of Tokyo’s city limits. The car was brand new—a “gift” from his father—and the technology on the dashboard was advanced enough to give Toshiro the heebie-jeebies. If this car had a GPS, could other people track the car? “A car?!” Akechi screeched with an indignance that Toshiro had never possessed when he was fifteen. “We’re going to need to leave the country! Don’t you realize what you’ve done?” “We’re not leaving the country,” Toshiro said, trying to sound more confident than he actually was. “It’s going to be fine.” “Fine? Fine?!” Akechi had refused to put his seat-belt on, even though Toshiro was driving as quickly past the speed limit as he dared. He turned toward Toshiro furiously, and Toshiro forced himself to keep his eyes on the road. “We are now both on Shido’s hitlist!” “Well, if you feel like killing me, you can do so any minute now,” Toshiro said. “At least my heart will stop trying to beat out of my chest.” Akechi screamed so furiously that Toshiro half expected his ears to start bleeding. He gripped his steering wheel tighter. “Okay,” Toshiro whispered to himself. “First thing first, new car. Do you know how to hot-wire a car, Akechi-kun?” “Does it look like I know how to hotwire a car?!” “Okay, that’s a no. Guess we have that in common.” “I’m sorry, what’s your grand plan here?” Akechi asked. “We’re going to steal a car, drive as far as possible, and then what?” “Well, do you have any better ideas?” “Here’s an idea,” Akechi snarled. “We turn back time, and you skip the part where you interfere with my business!” “We’ll abandon the car,” Toshiro decided. Akechi laughed derisively. “Great.”

[davenportdavenportdavenport]

I've been rewatching lab rats with my wife (who's never seen it) and the whole arc with Adam and Chase in the third season has been living in my mind rent free.

Because Adam is a dick, right, there's no way around it. He went from hapless and mean-but-well-meaning to outright cruel, beyond the point of normal sibling animosity. Their typical push and shove took a turn and I've seen a lot of analysis that it was mischaracterization, but I can honestly see the turning point.

In the first episode of season three, "Sink or Swim," we see the three siblings rescue an underwater submarine at great personal risk, particularly for Adam. Adam was sent into the ocean, with no gear, to redirect the sub. When he took a long time to surface, Bree and Chase initially thought he was dead, until Adam appeared and brought up his bionic ability to breathe underwater- something Chase didn't know. I think Adam put it best: "You didn't know I could breathe, and you sent me down there without oxygen?" It was the most genuinely hurt and angry Adam appeared in the entirety of the show, and his relationship with Chase really took a turn after that episode. His brother had sent him on a mission that, in Chase's mind, stood a very good chance of killing Adam. And that realization was devastating.

In addition to several other factors (Adam imitating the way others treated Chase at school, Donald refused to meaningfully intervene in their conflict, Adam never faced repercussions for bullying his brother, it was possibly the only avenue Adam felt he could exert control in his life), this likely played a major role in the shift in Adam's demeanor in the third season.

The show built this up, too; the fights between Adam and Chase continued to escalate, with Douglas giving both boys additional abilities, until episode sixteen "Spike Fright." Previously, the show established that Spike takes the place of Chase's fight-or-flight response. We see Spike triggered by social situations--when Chase feels anxious--and some bodily threats at the school. It's interesting that this episode specifically demonstrates Spike being triggered by Adam's actions. To me, that's the most damning evidence that there was an intentionally written shift in their dynamic: Chase's chip/brain registered Adam as a threat to life and limb. The playful sibling teasing had crossed the line.

And honestly, like most conflicts, the show never entirely resolves it. Adam "learns his lesson" and backs down with the severity of his taunts, but Chase is still expected to deal with some level of physical and emotional warfare in his own home, and there's no meaningful resolution in proportion to the situation's severity.