#jason had too many gods involved in his life till the very end :(

[somewhereincairparavel]

no thoughts just how jason grace's life started bc of an olympian god's broken oath and ended because of an olympian god's broken oath (apollo/lester swearing to river styx that he'd never use a bow or instruments until he became immortal again, but broke it to save meg, and styx taunted him saying that there will be more deaths in his quests as a punishment)

[imonthinice]

are you taking requests? if so can you pls use the line "is there a problem here, gentlemen?" in a story?

BONUS STORY! 2ND UPLOAD OF THE DAY?? CRAZY. (if there is a second upload it’ll be at 6pm EST)

Author's Note: You fucking bet your bottom dollar that I'm going to do that.

Y/N - Your name

Batfam + batsis story. Y/N is the newest daughter of Bruce Wayne and is following in everyone’s footsteps as the youngest, in years of service, vigilante of the crew. They hold a gala with villains.

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: LMAo Angst whoops, no spoilers but injury and description of injury, Swearing, no beta bitch we die like Jason Todd amen

One-Shot. Not in the Criminal Psychology Majors Continuity.

Y/N packed up her knives into her thigh holsters, apparently, Bruce thought it was a good idea to hold a gala with the known villains of the world. And the kids had to handle it if it got out of hand, Why the fuck are we doing this, She thought, This is a stupid idea.

"Kids, I know you all think this is stupid-" Bruce tried to say before he was cut off.

"You could fucking say that again." Jason snapped at him.

"Kids, I know you all think this is stupid." Y/N mocked Bruce.

"Okay, okay, I get it. It’s a dumb idea.”

“Again, no fucking shit, Sherlock Holmes,” Tim said.

“You guys really don’t need to gang up on me like this,” Bruce tried to say.

“Gang up on you?! You’re the one all like ‘Hey kids! We’re going to do a gala with villains hehe! I hope u don’t mind xoxo.’ Shut the fuck up, Bruce,” Y/N snapped.

“Do you even want to go with that attitude?”

“No! I think that’s pretty fucking obvious!” she snapped again as she went to go grab one of her guns, but Bruce grabbed her arms.

“No. Guns,” he said, trying to be stern with her.

“No. Villains. In. The. House. Oh wait. You’re an idiot, I forgot, silly me,” she mocked before struggling out of his grasp and grabbed her guns and holstered them, one on each side, ambidextrous shooter because she had learned from Jason, quick with knifes and throwing them as well.

“Y/N, there’s no need to be so violent with me,” Bruce tried to say to get her to calm down.

“You just better hope none of those villains make a fucking move, Bruce.”

--------------------------------------

At the party, she wore combat boots and a cat suit under her dress, just so she could slip it off and go into action just as quickly. Her vigilante name was Syndicate, because when she named herself she thought she had the same values as Bruce and his kids. After time progressed, she realized that she was a lot more like Jason than she cared to admit.

They both carried guns into that party like no one was watching and telling them not to. They didn’t trust the villains in their house in any capacity, and that was obvious from both of their outbursts earlier in the day. They were the outliers in the batfam. The ones who did agree with some of what they were shown, but guns and death were necessary sometimes. She and Jason were the true Syndicate.

It was a masquerade ball, so everyone’s faces were hidden, but Jason had his white hair streak, so she knew where to go to talk about the gala and what they would do if the villains attacked the rest of them, and she did so.

Walking over to Jason, she could feel the eyes of many men around her, not everyone recognized her as the newest daughter of Bruce Wayne, so eyes were hungry and they wanted to dance the night away with the temptress. She thought that dating was idiotic, though. And especially if it was a villain trying to sweep her off of her feet.

“May I have this dance, milady?” Jason asked.

“Yes,” she said while accepting his outstretched hand and they went to twirl around the dance floor when she leaned into his ear, “I don’t trust these fucks, Jason,” she whispered.

“Who the fuck does trust it,” he whispered back.

“We need to be on our toes.”

“You’re already on your toes, dancing with me,” he joked.

“You’re the worst, Jason. I mean it.”

“When do you not. But I’m your favourite brother and you know it,” he said as he dipped her.

“While that may be true,” she stopped when she caught some of the people leaving to the backdoor, “We have an issue,” she whispered and pointed towards the people leaving.

“Son of a bitch.” 

And they were off as fast as they could without drawing suspicion.

----------------------------

“Is there a problem here, Gentlemen?” Jason asked when they met up with the people trying to snoop, they assumed.

“Yes, there is,” one of the mystery men said as he pulled a gun and pointed it at Jason, “And it’s you, son.”

“Cute! He even brought his little girlfriend with him!” one of the other men exclaimed as he snooped closer towards Y/N and pulled a gun on her too.

“Festive, truly, you three are,” she said, staring down the barrel of the gun.

“Shut it, girl,” the second man commanded.

“No thanks,” she said as she grabbed the barrel of the gun and struggled it out of her face, it misfired and hit a few different areas of the wall behind her, at the same time, Jason had managed to get the gun out of his attacker’s hands and was pointing it back at him.

She continued to one-hand hold the gun while she tried to find the handle of one of her knives. She managed to grab it and fling it into the shoulder of the third, not speaking, man’s shirt and pin him to the wall. The struggle for the gun was still on though, but she was able to get her other hand onto the gun when it fired off.

 Jason was busy attacking the other two men to notice that Y/N had been shot in the shoulder, and too busy to realize that the party had been evacuated and Bruce was up his ass in texts asking where he and Y/N were.

Y/N slumped to the ground, clutching her wound when the man turned his gun on Jason, she used her boots to her advantage and kicked the man to the floor as hard as she could. Jason ended up being able to tie the three men to each other within 10 minutes, while Y/N was bleeding out on the floor, he didn’t notice she was shot till she was clutching on for her life.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit,” he whispered as he tried to lug her off the ground and run to the front entrance, where he could hear the ambulances going off. When she whispered to him, “I’m...” she breathed, “Sorry...” she breathed again, “Jay,” she didn’t breathe again.

He sat there in shock,, clutching his dead sister’s body in his arms and making no noise when the paramedics rushed in and saw the damage. The called in for the coroner, and went to get Jason off of her.

---------------------------------

In the police station, they told Jason that they just needed him to explain his story, even though they had the footage. Bruce was pressing charges against the men, later to be Harvey Dent and two of his accomplices, for the death of his daughter.

Bruce had not seen his son since the incident, but things were moving quickly and he would get to see him again when the police finished their interviews. But Jason was struggling to get his words out, so they let Bruce go see his son and try to comfort him.

“Jay?” Bruce asked, trying to see if Jason would even look at him, he didn’t, so Bruce went and just hugged his son while he cried into his dad’s shoulder, “I know, son. You did your best.”

---------------------------------------

The funeral for Y/N involved a lot of crying from every batfam member. Even Damien, who struggled to show Y/N a lot of love, cried like no one was watching at his big sister’s grave. He actually laid beside her grave once she was buried for a while as everyone was telling stories about her. Dick found him and picked him up to take him inside. 

No one held resentment for Jason and him not noticing, they all saw the tapes, she didn’t make a damn noise until she was dying in his arms. Stubborn bitch, Jason had joked and everyone had laughed. They could at least remember Y/N for who she was before she died.

------------------------------

The trial was long and winded. Harvey, thank god, confessed in his interigation so he pled guilty to being an accessory to murder. However, both of his accomplices, even the man who shot her, pled not guilty to all charges. So the trial was hard.

Jason testified in court about how he thought she’d be okay, she could carry her own, but the gun shots were so loud and he very easily shot her. Then his lawyer started saying it was self defense.

The rest of the trial started to blur for all of them. But all of them were found guilty for the murder.

The victim’s statement to determined the death penalty was said by Bruce.

“Your Honor, these men took away my daughter. And I honestly don’t want them to get the death penalty. I want them to rot away in a prison. The poor girl was only 19, I want them to spend at least 20 years behind bars, sitting there, knowing they killed my baby girl,” he paused to wipe a tear, “I wish we weren’t here and she got to grow up and have kids. She’ll never know her nieces and nephews, the people her siblings marry, or even get married,” he paused again.

“I want my daughter back, but we’ll never get that. So, Your Honor, I ask for you to not give mercy for these men, Your Honor. Thank you.”

The men got life in prison without the possibility of parole.

----------------------------

Damien actually took his partner to meet his big sister first, before explaining the story to them. He still finds it hard to talk about how she died.

Tim goes to her grave a lot and tells her stories about his life and how he’s doing without her. He always leaves telling her that he loves her.

Barbara visits often as well. Just to talk to her. She says a lot about the missions they go on without her and how the team isn’t complete anymore, and how she worries Jason will never recover from this event.

Cassie doesn’t go often, the memories of Y/N are enough for her most of the time, but she goes every holiday and on Y/N’s birthday just to greet her and say that she loves her.

Steph seems to still have trouble accepting the fact that Y/N is gone. Maybe it's because they fought the night before and it would have been resolved so easily had she not died. It hurts everyone to see Steph talk about it.

Dick will sit at her grave for hours, he’s the one to clean her grave when it gets dirty. He doesn’t always talk to her, but when he does he asks her if she’s met his parents and if they’re proud of him. He’ll probably never know the answer to it, but he likes to think the wind that hits him after that is Y/N saying that she loves him and that his parents ar proud of him.

Jason doesn’t go to her grave on the day she died. He refuses to admit that she died in his arms, so he doesn’t go on the anniversary of her death. He bottles himself up in his room and cries. He has nightmares about her death.

Bruce wishes he could have done more, but when the trial ended he went to her grave and told her about it. He actually laid her to rest by his parents so that she could be near her grandparents. 

Alfred misses her but knows that he couldn’t have done anything, but he leaves nothing in front of the doors and windows so she can enter if ghosts are real.

[magnusurbane]

Roses and a First Date

In which Magnus second guessing agreeing to go on first date with Alec, and Alec is a nervous wreck. However everything works out in the end as it always does, with the help of some flowers of course.

This is an overly fluffy fic of Malec’s first date. It is a slight canon divergence.

***

Magnus was running around his bedroom frantic. Damnit! Why did he think this was going to be a good idea? When a hot shadowhunter stumbled up to his door last Wednesday, thanked him for trying to helping his friends, and asked him out on a date all in one breathe, Magnus was so caught up in the moment that he actually said yes. Granted, over the past month or so, Magnus has been relentlessly flirting with the poor boy, but he never thought something would actually come of it. Sure he’s has been on many dates before, but never, in his long, long life, has Magnus Bane ever been on a date with a shadowhunter. He’s quite nervous to say the least. Why did he say yes? Shadowhunters have always been cruel to Downworlders. Sure they have gotten better in the last decade, but what is a decade compared to hundreds of years of discrimination. And besides old habits die hard and prejudices are still heavily present within The Clave. How could Magnus even think to go on a date with one of them, a Lightwood of all people. His parents were in The Circle for god sake, they tried to hurt Magnus’s people. But Alec seemed different than his parents, than all shadowhunters that have come before him. He was awkward, despite his natural grace on the battlefield, and most of all, he seemed to genuinely want to go on a date with Magnus.

This was all incredibly new to Magnus, which is a rare phenomenon to an immortal, and now he was left cluelessly trying to get ready for his date. What should he even wear on a date with a shadowhunter? Magnus had never, ever, been put in a situation where he couldn’t find the perfect outfit. Clothes were covering the floor and he looked like one of his famous New Years parties, the morning after. To make matters worse, Alec should be here any second! In total desperation Magnus threw on his go-to dinner date outfit: tailored black dress pants that hugged his ass perfectly, a scandalous red shirt that had a slit in the front that practically went down to where his belly button should be and showed off his abs just enough, and a blue blazer, complete with a pocket square the same color as his shirt. He looked in the mirror. Damnit! Magnus knew that he usually looked like sex on legs in this outfit, but Alec was barely out of the closet. You couldn’t exactly fly under the radar in this (although flying under the radar has never been Magnus’s strongpoint, or his style for that matter). He shook his head and snapped his fingers to change. His new outfit was the same pants from before, but a gray button up shirt. He had a maroon, victorian style waistcoat and a black blazer. He frowned before shrugging off the blazer, deciding it was a little too formal for a first date. Finally Magnus was contempt with his outfit. He looked over to Chairman meow, who was currently lounging on his bed.

“What do you think Chairman? Do I look fabulous? Will he faint when he sees me?” Magnus got only meow in response, and decide that was as good as it was going to get with him. He looked at himself in the mirror again, his outfit was quite fashionable if he must say so himself, classy yet subtle. He was sure Alec would appreciate that he played down his usual glam and glitter. However, Magnus Bane changed for no man, so with a flick of his wrist he applied his makeup. His eyes were heavily lined with kohl, and shades of red and gold painted his eyelids. Usually he stopped after foundation and eyeshadow, but he wanted to look extra special, so he applied some highlighter and blush to his cheeks. He smiled at his reflection, finally contempt with his appearance. Now all that was left to do was wait for Alec. He sat down in his living room and picked up the book he had been reading.

Fifteen minutes passed since the time Alec was supposed to arrive. It was too early for Magnus to feel like he was being stood up, but too late that the thought hadn't crossed his mind.

Twenty-five minutes since the time Alec was supposed to arrive and Magnus was getting ready to accept that he wasn't coming. What if Alec had never really wanted to go on a date with him. He was still kinda hung up on his childhood crush and parabatai, that painfully straight, blond guy (Jason maybe?). Or maybe he hadn’t been ready to go on a date with a guy. He had certainly come from a homophobic society. Or maybe he had looked up Magnus’s files in the institute archives and decided he didn’t what to get involved with someone who had such a long history.

‘Why am I so hung up on this guy?’ Magnus thought, ‘It’s not like we’ve even been on a date yet. I barely know him!’ his thoughts were interrupted, however, by a slightly urgent knock on the door. Magnus stood up a little faster that he would like to admit, and opened the door to find a somewhat disheveled, but nonetheless handsome, Alec Lightwood. He was wearing something much different to the ratty sweaters he was wearing when they had seen eachother in the past. While he was still wearing his signature black jeans, he was also wearing a navy blue button up. While it wasn’t as extravagant has something Magnus would wear, he was shocked that Alec owned anything remotely nice and mundane. He was touched that Alec had made an effort to look nice. He also appreciated that the top two buttons wear undone and a little bit of dark chest hair visible. His hair was another story. It was unruly and damp from sweat. His face was also bright red, as though he had run from the institute to the loft. Alec looked at him a smiled sheepishly, and before Magnus could make a witty comment out his tardiness, or maybe his current state of disarray, Alec held out a small bouquet of roses. If Magnus has any less self control, his jaw would have dropped.

“Magnus I’m sorry I’m late. Jace wouldn’t let me leave the institute till I told him where I was going dressed so nice, and then there was a super long line at the florist. I didn’t even know so many mundies needed flowers, and I didn’t know what kind of flowers you like and the florist lady suggested rose. I’m sorry if you don’t like roses, or flowers, or if it’s too much for a first date. I’m obviously new at this, and I wanted to give you something, and boys used to give Izzy flower, so I just thought…”

“Alexander,” Magnus laughed, cutting off Alec’s rambling, “it’s okay. I’m not mad that you’re late. I get it, things happen sometimes. Thank you so much for the flowers, I adore roses, but you didn’t have to get me anything.”

“Sorry” Alec said sheepishly.

“Nonsense, don’t apologize. That was very sweet of you darling.” At the world “darling”, Alec’s face grew into a crimson red, and Magnus’s smile only got bigger. Alec was so cute and thoughtful. Suddenly Magnus thought that maybe this date wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

[forthemultiverse]

Jason Todd x Reader - Time - Finale

Part One , Two , Three , Finale

- You had been seeing Jason a lot recently. Just as friends.

- Though both of you wanted more, you were both just to awkward to make the first move.

- It was a really rainy night and you hadn’t been able to sleep. Your apartment was on the top floor and never felt completely safe on stormy nights.

- Instead you were sitting on your sofa and drinking green tea, going through Tim’s Netflix on your TV.

- When you had rich friends, you used them for free Netflix.

- Jason was bleeding and probably going to die.

- He had been in a pretty bad fight and Tim was on his way to get him.

- There wasn’t a chance he was going to get there on time. Tim was having to hack into his helmet and locate him as well as actually reach him.

- Jason knew a possible solution. You lived nearby and you were training to be a doctor.

- But if he went to you, he would have to explain the whole Red Hood situation.

- Then again, you were Tim and Steph’s friend, they had probably told you by accident and trying to keep it on the down low.

- Jason managed to get himself to your apartment building, luckily you were on the top floor and he could swing down to your fire escape without causing too much trouble.

- You almost screamed when Red Hood forced your window and collapsed on to the floor.

- “What the hell!” you yelled before noticing all the blood “Crap,”

- “Y/N…” Jason managed to choke out. He was struggling to breath.

- “Jay…” you froze when you heard his voice. Then you yanked the stupid helmet off and his identity was confirmed.

- You didn’t waste time demanding an explanation or freaking out. Your training kicked in and you managed to move him onto a table.

- You pulled out your home kit, it didn’t have everything you wanted but it had enough.

- After a very stressful hour, Jason was breathing normally and stitched up.

- “Hood! Where are you?” Tim’s voice buzzed from the helmet.

- You wanted to slap Tim in that moment. He had no sense of direction and if Jason had waited for him, he would have died.

- “He’s at mine.” you spoke into the helmet.

- “Y/N…bats is going to kill us…”

- “He’s alive, created a mess though.”

- “Should I come get him?”

- “No…no…he can crash here tonight.” you noticed Jason perk up slightly when you said that. He’d been completely silent, and refusing to meet your eyes.

- You put the helmet away. “So you’re Red Hood…That would make Tim…Red Robin?”

- “So you don’t hate me…?” he asked, genuinely confused.

- “Why would I hate?”

- “Because I didn’t tell you? Because I kill people? Because I’m involved in the Gotham Underworld?”

- “Almost everyone that lives in Gotham has been involved in the Underworld at some point. I had a teacher in university who became a villain instead of marking our course work.”

- “Killing people?”

- “Not my place to judge. You do what you think is right. At least you’re doing something to try and stop crime.”

- “I didn’t tell you?”

- “Sounds like you want me to hate you, I don’t. Plus, it’s a pretty big deal. You can’t just go around telling people that your Red Hood.”

- “But you aren’t people…” he whispered, hoping you wouldn’t hear.

- You did.

- “How did it start?” you asked quietly.

- “You want to know?” he sat up now.

- So many things made sense to you now. That night when he’d shown up at Steph and yours movie night. He was half naked because he had been finishing patrol.

- Why he was busy most nights

- The family matters Tim always had.

- Why Jason had travelled so much.

- “I do, what happened that made you put on a helmet and get a gun?”

- “It’s a long story…”

- “I have time…” you tried to smile at him, but he was looking at the floor. “And you can take yours.”

- “What?” his head shot up.

- “Sure, I have questions. But if you don’t want to tell me yet, you don’t have to. I’m going to be demanding why it’s taken Tim so long to tell me, but you don’t have too. I have all the time in the world and you can take that long.”

- “It’s a really long story.” he swung his legs round so he was sitting

- “You stole his tires?” you laughed “Why would you think that was a good idea?”

- “I was as street rat! I saw a nice car and didn’t put two and two together till Batman was already there” he defended

- “I went looking for my mum.” he started, this part was going to be the hardest. “She sold me out t the Joker…”

- “Jay…”

- He didn’t even try to sugar coat it. He told the story of his death in all the gruesome details. “So that’s how I died…”

- You gripped his hand, having joined him on the table. “You feel alive to me.” you leant your head on his shoulder.

- “I came back with a bone to pick, Bruce and I didn’t get on…I was pretty awful to Tim and the others.”

- “But that’s when Batman was gone briefly, when Red Hood was super big?” you remembered. “Tim disappeared for a bit…”

- “Yeah…He was lost in time. Tim was the one who figured it out. Damian became Robin and Tim went looking for Bruce, didn’t believe he was dead. Dick became Batman.”

- “So Roy and I ended up doing a lot of stuff, the number he gave up is still called every now and again.”

- “The Royfriend.” you remembered what Stephanie had called him.

- “He’s the best. Set my shower on fire once, still the best. Me and him had some stuff with the Joker’s Daughter.”

- “So you three became the outlaws…” you were trying to keep up with everything.

- “The first version of them. After we split up, I met Artemis and Bizarro.”

- “And here we are…” he finally finished.

- It had been about seven hours, and he had skipped out some details. You both had been through about three cups of coffee so far.

- “Here we are.” you agreed.

- “You want to kick me out? Zobie, killer, and asshole.”

- “At least you own it.”

- “I knew you’d hate me.” he looked to the floor for some comfort.

- You definitely didn’t hate him. Not at all.

- Whenever people asked it the future, Jason always claimed to have made the first move, you let him.

- You kissed him passionately but quickly. Pulling away to check his reaction.

- “What?” he asked, not trying to hide the smile forming.

- “I know everything now?”

- “Yeah.”

- “I definitely don’t hate you, Jason.”

- “But you don’t want this life. You can’t, it’s a nightmare, uncomfortable, messy!”

- “But I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin. I want you, Jason,” you quoted, thinking a book reference would mean a bit more to him.

- “Aldous Huxley…are you sure?”

- “Are you trying to talk me out of it?” you laughed at him.

- “Never.” he did make the second move at least, kissing you over and over again.

- “Well isn’t this sweet.” Tim had opened the door with his spare key, arriving to collect Jason.

- Neither of you cared though.

- For Jason, you had offered all the time in the world last night.

- He was already falling completely in love with you , and he had all the time to be with you.

Message from me - I could be really mean and say something like the Joker appeared and shot you in the head, but I’m not like that. I hope everybody that read these parts liked them! I loved writing them - Scarlett xx

[beyondmistland]

Hidden History of the Westerlands: Lost Lore

 Letter #1: The singers tell us that in the days before the coming of the Andals, when the writ of House Lannister reached less than half the Westerlands, there was the savage War of the Lions between the Lannisters of Casterly Rock and the Lannisters of Lannisport when the latter refused to give up its crown to the former in a conflict that would consume the lives of no less than seven Kings of the Rock (though that number may well be an interpolation of the Faith). In the aftermath the two lines of Lann the Clever reconciled but only after Casterly Rock solemnly swore never to grant a city charter to any town in the Westerlands, of which it has the most after the Reach. (The Crakehalls and Baneforts, who had supported Lannisport, did not meet near as kind a fate, losing land and wealth that took centuries to recover, not to mention kinsmen. The Greenfields and Yews, on the other hand, did not even fare that well, being reduced from lords in their own right to the rank of master, a position they have kept till the present day as landed knights after the coming of the Andals. Those that had sided with Casterly Rock from the beginning prospered however in the years that followed such that by the turn of the century the Reynes, Westerlings, and Plumms were amongst the foremost lords in the west for example.)

 Letter #2: Much frustration and confusion has arisen around House Lannister's long-lost Valyrian steel sword, Brightroar, given that it is repeatedly mentioned as having been wielded by Lancel IV despite him having lived thousands of years prior to the Doom of Valyria, around which time it is known to have been bought. Maester Theomore, in his book, Questioning Inventories, however, posits a reasonable explanation for this discrepancy. That the Lannisters once had another Valyrian steel sword whose name has since been lost to history and thus the name Brightroar was applied to it as well without regard for the headache such a decision would inevitably give rise to.

 Letter #3: Gerold III cast aside worship of the Old Gods to take up the Faith of the Seven, with his people quickly following his example for then as now the Westermen were infamous for their (supposed) lack of piety when compared to the men of the Vale, Reach, and Stormlands, the last of whom they reserved a special disdain for on account of their "poverty".

 Letter #4: Some of the Lannister kings were famed for wisdom, such as Cerion II, who, with the help of his twin sister, the famous Septa, Ceryse, unified the laws and taxes of the Westerlands, earning the sobriquet "the Consolidator".

 Letter #5: Others on the other hand were known for their valor, such as Tywin (I) the Brave, who, while young, extended the writ of Casterly Rock to the Shield Isles in the south and Stone Hedge in the east only to then lose those gains once he grew feeble, having failed to take Highgarden from its child king, Garland VI, who, in the fullness of time, became known as the Hammer of the West.

 Letter #6: All, however, were noted for their generosity...save perhaps for King Norwin Lannister, better known as Norwin the Niggardly after he refused to ransom his youngest son, the future Lancel V, when the latter was captured by Perceon II Gardener near Red Lake whilst returning from a pilgrimage to the Starry Sept in Oldtown, forcing his long-suffering queen, Alys Farman, to pay for the release of her favorite child herself though it took seven years to raise the necessary funds and beggared her personal holdings in the process. As for the Lion Prince himself, he would live out the remainder of his days (and later reign) in peace following his Golden Victory over his erstwhile captor at Old Oak, earning the sobriquet "the Kind" for allowing Reachermen fleeing the grey death to settle in the Westerlands despite the protests of his lords, merchants, council, and kin. (As an aside I thought it would be remiss not to mention that King Norwin (I) was also well-known for three other things of interest. One, founding House Payne of Chequers from a long line of able tax collectors. Two, raising taxes to the highest they have ever been in the long, glorious history of the Westerlands. Three, spending most of his days in the vaults of Casterly Rock counting coins and examining tax ledgers such that by the end of his long life the shriveled king had been both blind and deaf for years.)

 Letter #7: Yet Casterly Rock also housed many a weak, cruel, and febble king, such as Tyrion (III) the Tormentor, who died heirless after all three of his wives disappeared once they could no longer bear him children. (Here I must make note of the controversy which surrounds Tyrion II and III, who are so often confused for one another on account of the Tormentor’s fondness for killing Maesters, particularly if they came from the Riverlands.)

 Letter #8: Norwin II was none of those things though, being instead known for his plain debauchery. Indeed, if the tales told of him are to be believed, he not only slept with every woman in the Rock, maiden or married, but also took his pleasure even in the middle of holding court, for which he is known in the histories as "the Lusty". Tywell III, on the other hand, was simply mad given that he not only refused to accept the fact that his betrothed, Jeyne Stackspear, had perished the morning they were to be wed but even went so far as to have her corpse crowned and seated beside him whenever he rendered judgment or entertained guests.

 Letter #9: On a somewhat less morbid note, Jaime II Lannister became known as "the Just" after he celebrated the seventh anniversary of his marriage to Cersei Lydden by sponsoring the construction of seven new towns and septs in the Westerlands as well as roads to connect all of them to both Lannisport and Casterly Rock, from which the royal couple rode forth on a never-ending progress. Their son, Joffrey (III) the Precious, in turn, would build a golden sept at Lannisport twice the size of the Starry Sept. When it was destroyed during a great fire three generations later his grandson Jason I built a new one twice the size of the original. That one too was destroyed a century later but by Ironborn under the command of Othgar the Degenerate rather than fire and, just as before, it was again rebuilt, this time thrice the size of the second. As a result, when a merchant from the Reach later shat in it while services were being given a long, terrible war ensued between the two kingdoms that left both realms crippled for generations and for once the golden sept was left to lie in ruin, which it still does to this very day, its beauty having slowly faded from memory into myth.

 Letter #10: Jason (II) the Upright later made amends with the Gardeners by loaning gold to the reconstruction of Highgarden during the reign of Mern VI though many found his sudden death shortly after proposing to build a bank in Lannisport quite suspicious, leading to the common but erroneous belief that the Faceless Men killed him given that he lived a thousand years before the founding of Braavos.

 Letter #11: Tywin (III) the Titan, greatest of all the Lannister kings, conquered the Iron Isles in the aftermath of the Famine Winter with the intention of scouring Westeros of the Drowned God's menace forever but died trying to hold them when his attempt to involve the Faith Militant instead led the Reach, Riverlands, and North to aid the rebellious Ironborn. (The Shrike, who had led the Ironborn against Tywin III initially, met a particularly gruesome fate, having been tied naked to a sharp rock and fed seawater until he died, whereupon his corpse was given over to crabs so as to deny him the right to join the Drowned God beneath the waves of the Sunset Sea.)

 Letter #12: House Lannister reached the nadir of its power during what the Westerlands call till now the Century of Defeat, which started under Tybolt IV, during whose reign King Garse V Gardener overran the Westerlands with the aid of the treacherous Lord Crakehall and may well have conquered them had Tybolt IV not threatened to release all the gold in Casterly Rock so as to ruin trade and thus make Highgarden's victory worthless. After Tybolt IV came his son, Stafford I, who died in battle at Goldengrove fighting against the one and only Gardener queen, Olenna I, known as "the White" due to her unusually pale skin, which was said to be cold to the touch all year long due to her blood having frozen in her veins when she was born during a long, cruel winter in the time of her great-grandfather, Garth XI. Stafford I was himself then followed by his brother, Tywald II, during whose reign the Farmans broke away when it became clear the king could not stop the reaving of the Ironborn under Wulfgar Blood-Drinker. Finally, this cycle of shame came to an end with the ascension of Tywald II's second son, Tywin IV, a strong king who restored law and order to the Westerlands after setting the Reach aflame from Old Oak to Red Lake and Goldengrove.

 Letter #13: Since then Casterly Rock has seen all manner of kings. Thus, we have Lyman IV, who was crippled in a tourney mishap and had been known outside of battle as "Nail-Biter". Willem (I) the Hunter, who sponsored hunts against mountain lions throughout the west, leading to their near-extinction. Kevan (II) the Bold, who invaded the Reach after buying dozens of elephants from Volantis and attempting to carry them across the Narrow Sea on a hundred ships. Tyland V, who died drinking molten gold in the blasphemous belief that it would turn him into a golden version of the Warrior. Tommen (III) the Bad, who renamed his seat Tommen's Rock and beggared the Westerlands by ordering the construction of an enormous statue of himself that was upon his untimely death immediately torn down by a mob which, to add insult to injury, then ran off with all its adornments without ever being brought to account. Jaime III, who proposed building a bridge connecting Fair Isle to the mainland. Tyrion (IV) the Judge, who called for a Holy War against the Starks and warred with them for control of Cape Kraken. Tytos (V) the Noble, who sailed into the Sunset Sea alongside his best friend, Ronard Reyne, after spending most of his rule building, restoring, and fortifying castles throughout the Westerlands without once raising taxes. Tygett II, whose murder sparked bounties as far as the Free Cities. Willem (III) the Solitary, during whose reign disease ravaged the Westerlands, with Casterly Rock in particular being so badly affected it is said that even today on a full moon's night the king's lonely ghost can sometimes be seen wandering the halls calling out for company. Tymond (I) the Traveler, who died fighting the Jogos Nhai in Yi Ti after abdicating the throne, having spent as king less than a moon's turn in the Westerlands, which he left under the regency of Rupert Reyne until his son came of age. (His bones were interred alongside those of Bu Han, the first azure emperor, making him the only Lannister king not to be buried inside Casterly Rock. Indeed, to hear the tales, he is today worshipped by the men and women of Yi Ti as a demigod child of the sun.) Loreon VI, who gave sanctuary to House Tarbeck when it was forced to flee the Reach three centuries before the Manderlys. Jaime V, who was said to animate the bones of miners using black magic. Tywin (VII) the Tall, who had a menagerie to rival that of the Prince of Pentos. Loreon VIII, who, on a sudden whim, ordered his face carved into Casterly Rock's seaward side before later that same day rescinding the order. Tommen (IV) the Glad, who played with stray kittens even upon reaching manhood and may well have been poisoned less than a year after donning the crown by his own wife, Johanna Sarsfield, who was said to love a man other than him. Kevan III, who died trying to steal the Valyrian steel sword, Vigilance, from House Hightower whilst on a pilgrimage to Oldtown. Gerold X, whose youngest daughter, Rohanne, married Robert the Ruin, grandfather of Arrec Durrandon, and finally, Tion (V) the Able, father of Loren (I) the Last, who gave his people the Golden Peace after defeating Halleck Hoare in no less than two wars. As always, share, comment, and critique. Next month, we head to the Vale of Arryn.

[unworthy-stars]

Embracing Greece- Week 3

This week’s theme: Mythology!

Last week we embraced Greece via Naming! Now this week I have decided to show you a first dose of Greek Mythology (Basics).

You may perhaps know the Dodekatheum (Δωδεκάθεο- Dodekatheo), the whole Greek Pantheon and that we, Greeks, have a rich Mythology thanks to our ancestors. Perhaps the names “Zeus” (Δίας- Dias) , “Persephone” (Περσεφόνη-Persephoni) , “Hera” (Ήρα- Ira) sound familiar…

But what are all these? And how are they connected?

Let’s find out!

So, this whole “Mythology” (Μυθολογία- Mithologia) started when the old Greeks wondered “Why does this happen? Why is nature like this? Who is in charge?”. So they tried to explain all nature phenomena by putting a deity in charge of them. Specifically, twelve main “boss” gods and goddesses.

~Zeus (Δίας), the God of Thunder and all Weather Phenomena as well as Hospitality. Son of Cronus. ~Hera (Ήρα), the Goddess of Marriage and Zeus’s wife. Daughter of Cronus. ~Athena (Αθηνά), the Goddess of Wisdom and Knowledge also daughter of Zeus (yes, entirely Zeus. No woman involved. A big story) ~Poseidon (Ποσειδώνας), the God of Sea and Ships. Son of Cronus. ~Demeter (Δήμητρα), the Goddess of Agriculture. Daughter of Cronus. ~Dionysus (Διόνυσος), the God of Wine and Entertainment. Son of Zeus and Semele (heroic mortal) ~Ares (Άρης), the God of War. Son of Zeus and Hera. In love with Aphrodite. Also a big story. ~Apollo (Απόλλωνας), the God of Music, Prophecy, Poetry, Healing, Truth, Light, Archery and the list goes on and on forever. He is the son of Zeus and Leto and also brother of Artemis. ~Artemis (Άρτεμης), the Goddess of Hunting, Wilderness, Animals, Virginity, Pureness and protector of young girls.  ~Hermes (Ερμής), the God of Trade, Thievery, Travelling and Athletes. The Messenger of the Gods. ~Hestia (Εστία), the Goddess of Home, Family, Hearth. Daughter of Cronus. ~Aphrodite (Αφροδίτη), the Goddess of Love, Beauty and Sexuality. Her birth is still not clearly discovered. ~Hephaestus  (Ήφαιστος), the God of Fire and Craftsmanship. Child of Zeus and Hera, making the other Gods’ weapons.

Okay but…how did they exist? Like they always existed?

Nope. No, my pal, they didn’t.

First existed Chaos (Χάος). Then out of a sudden came Gaia (Γαία), the personification of Mother Earth. She created Uranus (Ουρανός) by herself who is the personification of Sky with whom she bore the Titans, the Giants, the hills and Pontus (a sea). Yes Mother (?) x Son (kind of).

Okay here’s what happened with the Titans. Oops, we will skip this whole gruesome story and proceed to where Cronus and Rhea (Sibling Titans) bear six familiar children known as the big six; Zeus, Hades*, Poseidon (Big Three Alpha Males) and Hestia, Hera, Demeter (Big Female Deities of the Dodekatheum ).

*Side Note; Hades (Άδης) isn’t part of the Dodekatheum even if he is in the Big Three Cronus’ sons. You wonder why? Simply, because he is the God of the Dead and the whole Underground is his kingdom so he doesn’t need to be together with the rest of the Gods in Mount Olympus (their hideout). He is kinda like the emo cousin at the corner of the event.

So basically in the past Cronus overthrown his father Uranus. So Zeus decided that it would be pioneering to overhtrown his parent too. So he overthrown Cronus.

This is a long story called; Titanomachy (War of the Titans). Basically something like Attack on Titan but with Greek Gods. 

The most important divine struggle in Greek mythology was the Gigantomachy, the battle fought between the Giants and the Olympian gods for supremacy of the cosmos.

Guess who won?

The Squad™

So, yeah that’s basically i- oh no wait there is more. Woops  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So how do all these happen with Odysseus? Helen of Sparta? Like ya know the fun stuff!

Slowwwww down there kid. Sheesh.

I shall explain you basically how every single Myth works. Including Heracles’s and Helena of Sparta’s:

(open to see better)

Yes. That’s basically the thing.

B-but the fights and swords? Calypso? What do I read in a Percy Jackson book?

Basically, my dear friend, you read a wonderful piece of fanfiction. It is proven historically that Homer’s Iliad and later Odyssey were the first fanfictions in history *praise*.All the action is spread across many plays, poems and tablets that haven’t been found or finished. Currently everyone hopes to find a miracle that will add a clue about the whole religion and let us know more about our ancestors and their beliefs.

There are though some myths that are actually note-worthy! Check them below;

a) Prometheus and Fire

Prometheus (Προμηθέας) was one of the Titans. Till some point fire was only available in Mount Olympus to protect the Gods. He was the one who saved mankind and brought fire to the people. This of course was against Zeus’s order. Theories vary about his punishment.

b) Persephone and the Lily

Persephone (Περσεφόνη) was Demeter’s, Goddess of Harvesting/Agriculture, daughter due to her sexual bonding with Zeus. Persephone was a young lad when Hades tricked her and abducted her. To be precise, she saw a beautiful flower called Κρίνος (Lily). She approached it and Hades took her away from her mother and forced her to become his wife and Queen of the Underworld.

c) Moirai

The Moirai (Αί Μοῖραι in Ancient Greek) are the main deities concerning life and death of a human. In English they are known as “Fates”. They are pictured as three old ladies; Clotho (Κλωθώ), who was the spinner, Lachessis (Λάχεσις), the allotter, and Atropos (Άτροπος), the unturnable.  The gods and men had to submit to them, although Zeus's relationship with them is a matter of debate: some sources say he is the only one who can command them.

d) Heracles and the 12 Tasks

Heracles was a divine hero in Greek Mythology. He is said to be a demigod, a child of Zeus, himself, (what a surprise really) and son of Alcmene (pretty mortal). Hera despised the poor baby because of him being a child of Zeus’s infidelity. Zeus made love to her after disguising himself as her husband, Amphitryon, home early from war (Amphitryon did return later the same night, and Alcmene became pregnant with his son at the same time, a case of heteropaternal superfecundation, where a woman carries twins sired by different fathers). How cool is that?  Thus he was always cursed. However as a symbold of masculinity and manliness he was always successful with his 12 Labours to do unbelievably difficult tasks. 

Perhaps you should read the Wikipedia Page for that or if you want I can have a post explaining The Myth of Heracles. It’s up to you.

e) Theseus and the Minotaur

Like many other heroes of myth and legend, Theseus was born and raised in unusual and dramatic circumstances. His mother was Aethra, daughter of King Pittheus of Troezen. Son of King Aegeus of Athens, who had stopped at Troezen after consulting the oracle at Delphi. The oracle had warned Aegeus not to get drunk or father a child on his way home to Athens—or one day he would die of sorrow.  Upon arriving in Athens, Theseus found King Aegeus married to an enchantress named Medea. Medea tried to poison Theseus. But when Aegeus saw the young man's sword and sandals, he realized that Theseus was his son and saved him from the poison. Anyway. There was this law in Athens that every year they should send as a wage 7 girls and 7 boys to get eaten by the Minotaur, a creature with the head of a bull and the body of a man, which existed in Dedalus’s Maze in Crete, That ship had black masts in grief. One time Theseus went there and with the help of Minos’s daughter (King of Crete at the time. The evil one here), Ariadne, he managed to kill the Minotaur and get out of the Maze. He then started his way back. Though he had forgotten to change the mast from black to white thus when Aegeus saw the black masts he feel into the sea in despair and grief for his “lost” son. That’s why the sea is called by his name.

f) Jason and the Argonaut Campaign

In Greek mythology, Jason (Ιάσων) was the hero who led the Argonaut Campaign. Little Jason was raised in Pelion by Centaur Chiron, who taught him Medicine. At that time, Pelias (brother and king of Iolkos) ordered Jason to perform this mission’ bring the Golden Fleece. Yet another tradition, however, states that Jason took the decision to go and carry the fleece himself: With the ship “Argo” they sailed all the way to Pontus. There Jason was supposed to fight a mighty monster to get it, however Medea (an enchantress) fell in love with him and thus gave him a liquid to prevent the flames of the dragon to hit him. Though, he promised he would take her to Greece. He took the fleece and Medea and returned home. However...yeap Medea didn’t have a nice ending  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  (shame on you Jason)

g) Pandora’s Box

Hephaestus was once told by Zeus to make a beautiful woman named Pandora (Πανδώρα= all gifts). Zeus sent Pandora down to earth and gave her as a present to Prometheus' brother, Epimetheus. Zeus told Epimetheus that he should marry Pandora. Also, Zeus sent Pandora with a little box, with a big lock on it. He ordered not to ever open the box. But Pandora was very curious about what was in the box. She begged Epimetheus to let her open it, but he always said no. Finally one day he fell asleep, and she stole the key and opened it. Basically all bad things happened after that. Disease, fear, despair, hurricanes etc.But the very last thing to fly out of the box, as Pandora sat there crying, was not as ugly as the others. In fact it was beautiful. It was Hope.

That’s all for this week folks! What would you like me to explain next?

Image Source (the second one is my drawing): http://elviajedelahistoria.blogspot.gr/2017/01/bloque-3-mitologia-y-religion.html

Little aid from some sites: http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Sp-Tl/Theseus.html http://quatr.us/greeks/religion/myths/pandora.htm

[riverdamien]

Peniel September Newsletter of Temenos Catholic Worker

JOURNAL OF AN ALIEN STREET PRIEST: The Invisibility of Aging As we move into September we will soon see the leaves of trees begin to turn to beautiful colors (at least in some parts of the country), and the weather will be getting chillier (at least in some parts of the country), Autumn will arrive. We are moving towards winter, and in that movement we celebrate, and we have joy with our friends and loved ones. And than Winter arrives, all is dead around us. That is the way our lives are as we move through the seasons of change, from infancy, to old age. This is the way people who are homeless and have very little to live, they move through their lives invisible, and become even more so as they get older. And this time of year is a good time to think about the Autumn of our lives, our hopes, and our fears. This time of year is a good time to reflect upon our actions that we give people as they age, and to those who are invisible as we pass them on the street, the homeless. Polk Street is filled late at night by young people. They are partying, having fun, the only older people around individuals who are homeless, whose lives are broken, and have been beaten down with years on the street. Some of them are young, but already old. They are gaunt, many with out teeth, dirty, and keep their eyes down to the street, and are ignored. They are invisible as are people who are over thirty five. People who live on the street, who have nothing, are symbolic of all of us, as we get older, and become invisible. We become unseen. We have heard it said many a time by young college men, "You are too old to be out here once you hit thirty," and in many ways that is true. We witness young men who live a life of partying, having fun, and than as they move into their thirties their lives seem to be over with. This is especially true of young gay men. The same is true of all of us as we move into our older years, we become invisible. Our street youth in the Haight experience that invisibility in their teens, because they are homeless. People become invisible when they do not fit into the expectations and the usefulness of society. People rarely look back at homeless individuals, as they rarely look back at older people. In South Africa, the people greet one another on the road by saying, "Sawubona." It means "I see you." The answer in reply is "Here I am." In other words, you are not invisible. You are someone. You are God's beloved child, whatever race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation you may be. We need to look at others and also ourselves in this way. We must not be passively invisible. We need to help each other know what this invisibility means as we age, and as we move among people who are homeless, and are different from us by race, creed, and sexual orientation. We need to have faith that each of us has a purpose, everyday, until God calls us into his Kingdom at last. Teilhard de Chardin calls this Kingdom "communion," and he prays that it is truly a great holy communion: "You are the irresistible and vivifying force, O Lord, and because yours is the energy, because, of the two of us, you are infinitely the stronger, it is on you that falls the part of consuming me in the union that weld us together. Vouchsafe, therefore, something more precious still than the grace for which all the faithful pray. It is not enough that I should die while communicating. Teach me to treat death as an act of communion." Last month I was called to the hospital when nineteen year old Jason overdosed, and he had died by the time I arrived. Standing over his body, the thought that went through my mind, was that "Jason you are finally at rest." I reached out for his hand, barely cool. Poured some water from a drinking glass on my hand and blessed him on his forehead, with the sign of the cross. I rested in the silence of him entering into the invisible world, the great communion. As we enter into our Fall routines let us remember the "invisible" people around us, let us remember the aged, the homeless, the disable, the people of color and other religions, and let us recognize them by saying in our own way, "Sawubona", ("I see you.") and in so doing recognize them as God's beloved children, and remember that homelessness, will not end until each of us does our part. Deo Gratias! Thanks be to God! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly Meals: We continue to have at least one meal a week through the help of our interns, Cale and Aaron. The days very because of their schedule. The meal involves packing it in "Chinese Take Home Boxes", and than serving them to the Haight. It is heavy work, and takes at least four hours, because of the preparation and spending time with people. If interested please give us a call. People asked if they can fix a meal, pack it, and meet us in the Haight. We are certified by the City to cook meals, and it has to be done in a kitchen that is certified as well. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- We Are Beggars: Our finances are very low. We are in need of socks, we are in need of money for food, and so we beg, for your support. We continue to minister to 500 plus young people a month through our pastoral care, socks, food, and needle exchange. And so as you reflect during these days we pray you will remember us. Please give: Temenos Catholic Worker P.O. Box 642656 San Francisco, CA 94164 Or Pay Pal at www.temenos.org Our web site has been changed to a new server it is much easier to go directly to Pay Pal and give directly through your Pay Pal account. We have discovered that you can also give through Pay Pal by using your phone. You have to go into the website of Pay Pal and set it up. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Death Penalty Protest: Each Wednesday at Noon we gather at McAllister and Polk in from of the Earl Warren Office Building to protest the death penalty. We remember those who are victims, and those who committed the crimes, and pray that our State will no longer live in a culture of death. We have not heard one word mentioned during the political campaigns about the death penalty and so let us write our candidates, and our elected officials and urge them to over turn the death penalty. There is a story told of two warriors who would have a battle, and when the battle was over would put down their weapons, greet each other with a kiss, and say, "Till tomorrow," so let us remember to do the same with our differences, give a good fight, but end in peace and reconciliation.