#modern-lady-trickster

[bookcub]

Chappell Roan Book Rec

like many other, I am currently obsessed with The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess so here are a few book recs based on the songs!!

(you can message me for questions about content warnings!)

Femininomon

A Guest in the House by E. M. Carroll (horror graphic novel)

What happens when you marry a mediocre liar and there's a ghost you are definitely attracted to in the house (that might be his dead wife)?

Relevant lyric: Stuck in the suburbs, you're folding his laundry/Got what you wanted so stop feeling sorry

Bonus Rec: Romancing the Inventor by Gail Carriger (adult steampunk romance)

Red Wine Supernova

Satisfaction Guaranteed by Karelia Stenz-Waters (adult romance)

Imagine inheriting a sex toy shop with a enchanting stranger who you feel incredibly connected to. . .

Relevant lyric: I heard you like magic/I got a wand and a rabbit

Bonus Rec: Sunstone by Stjepan Šejić (adult romance graphic novel)

After Midnight

Ash by Malinda Lo (YA fantasy)

I had to choose a queer Cinderella for this one, especially one whose mother warns her away from the forest at night.

Relevant lyric: This is what I wanted, this is what I like/I've been a good, good girl for a long time now

Bonus Rec: A Restless Truth by Freya Marske (adult historical fantasy, sequel)

Coffee

The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec (adult fantasy)

When your ex is the trickster god Loki and you have prophetic futures, you know you can never just have coffee.

Relevant lyric: Here come the excuses that fuel the illusions/But I'd rather feel something than nothing at all,

Bonus Rec: Seven Days in June by Tia Williams (adult contemporary)

Casual

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi (adult gothic)

Remember that toxic homoerotic best friend you had a child? Who believed in magic and was also the most manipulative person you've ever met? It never was a casual relationship, was it?

Relevant lyric: Hate that I let this drag on so long, you can go to hell

Bonus Rec: Ben and Beatriz by Katalina Gamarra (adult romance)

Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl

A Spindle Splintered/A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow (adult fantasy)

Entering the fairy tale multiverse always leads to the strangest (and funnest) relationships (platonic and romantic) of your life.

Relevant lyrics: We're leaving the planet and you can't come

Bonus Rec: Cash Degado is Living the Dream by Tehlor Kay Mejia (adult contemporary)

HOT TO GO!

The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz (graphic novel)

What if I dressed up as a count to inherit my father's fortune and you were a princess and we both liked grilled cheese???

Relevant lyric: I could be the one, or your new addiction/ It's all in my head but I want non-fiction

Bonus Rec: Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

My Kink is Karma

Mrs. Martin's Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan (adult historical romance)

She said, let's destroy my terrible nephew's life, and how could you say no to such a romantic proposal?

Relevant lyric: Wishing you the best, in the worst way

Bonus Rec: Girl Serpent Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (YA fantasy)

Picture You

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall (adult historical romance)

Oops, I faked my death and reinvented myself and you were way more distraught than I thought you would be. . .

Relevant lyric: Do you picture me like I picture you?/Am I in the frame from your point of view?

Kaleidoscope

The Scapegracers by H. A. Clarke (YA urban fantasy)

What if we formed a coven and what if we were all a little in love with each other?

Relevant lyric: And love is a kaleidoscope/How it works we'll never know

Bonus Rec: The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe (YA thriller)

Pink Pony Club

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang (graphic novel)

He was a drag queen, she was a seamstress, can I make it anymore obvious?

Relevant Lyric: And I heard that there's a special place/Where boys and girls can all be queens every single day

Bonus Rec: Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo (YA historical)

Naked in Manhattan

Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail by Ashley Herring Blake (adult romance)

Isn't it romantic, designing a house with someone with your entirely opposite tastes?

Relevant lyric: Boys suck and girls I've never tried

Bonus Rec: Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust (YA fantasy)

California

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers (adult contemporary)

If a PhD can't save you, maybe a drunken marriage in Vegas can?

Relevant lyric: Cause I was never told that I wasn't gonna get/The things I want the most

Guilty Pleasure

Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner (adult romance)

Fake dating your boss? 0/10 recommended. . . right?

Relevant lyric: I want this like a cigarette/Can we drag it out and never quit?

Bonus Rec: That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming (adult fantasy romance)

Bonus:

Good Luck, Babe

Sorry, Bro by Taleen Voskuni (adult contemporary)

Relevant lyric: You'd have to stop the world just to stop the feeling

Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie (YA contemporary)

[emby-m]

Troubadour and Trobairitz

Sixth in the “Putting Alice into Nort’s Skin Lines” project

A partimen between a trickster and an “innocent lady”

Domna, what is a pretty woman like you doing in these woods?

Amicx, I am crossing these woods to visit a friend.

Domna, you have a bad friend if they make you come through these woods.

Amicx, I would visit my friend if it meant crossing through brambles.

Domna, who is it who moves your heart so?

A dearest one, Amicx, a dearest one.

Will you let me be your friend instead, ma Domna?

Who’s to say you weren’t already, m‘Amicx?

Design and backstory under the cut:

Setting/text notes:

A troubadour was a specific type of poet in Occitan France, roughly in the 1200s. They have a very specific style. A trobairitz is the female version. For interesting renditions, check out Alkemie’s work. (Love to my Liking for period-accurate renditions, A Fine Companion for modern)

This is a partimen, or a type of poem that’s essentially a conversation. A lot of translated works sound similar to this.

Domna is “my lady” – often used with the subjects of courtly love. Amicx is “my friend” – used for lovers by the trobairitz, sometimes to a great understatement.

Norton’s design:

WHAT ON EARTH IS THIS OUTFIT NETEASE!!! THE LONGER I LOOK THE WORSE IT GETS!!!

Ok. so. Pageboy cap, fine. The tailcoat. Ok. Even the breeches. Ok. BUT WHY IS YOUR SHIRT UNTUCKED AND YOUR COLLAR UNDONE!!!!!

Someone trying very hard to look fancy but also be rugged enough – just enough of the outfit says “hunting” that his traversing through the forest makes sense. I imagine he’s kind of a Wolf in Little Red Riding Hood figure here, offering “benevolently” to help out a poor wandering lady…

Alice’s design:

Trying to go for a similar vibe… Dignified but sporting. A military/riding-jacket type coat, a riding skirt in plaid, gauntlets suitable for riding… 

She will very much surprise Mr. Troubadour when she corners him and pins him up against a tree (WROW u/////u)

[sundove88]

Introducing Anime Ever After!!

Ever wanted to experience classic fairytales but through the lens of legendary and lesser known anime?

Well, Anime Ever After is for you!!

Synopsis: An anthropology of famous stories from around the world retold through the lens of legendary and lesser known anime, with modern twists, turns, and lessons about. From the depths of the sea in DBZ: Waves of Freedom (The Little Mermaid) to the realm beyond the clouds in One Piece: Beyond The Sky (Jack and The Beanstalk), this ever expanding treasury of tales has something for everyone.

Framing Device: An anime loving teenager is telling classic fairytales to the kids they babysit as bedtime stories- with a twist!

Side Note: Nursery Rhymes being adapted is more for Shrek. So they won’t be here- sorry about that. But they do a good job at it. This anthology is meant for readers 12 and up, due to some of the themes in some of the stories.

Btw, look for the posts that have anime ever after on them as one of their tags. Here’s the list of tales (So Far):

Dragon Ball Z: Waves of Freedom (The Little Mermaid)

My Hero Academia: Heart of Glass (Cinderella)

Attack on Titan: Red Hood (Little Red Riding Hood)

One Piece: Beyond The Sky (Jack and The Beanstalk)

Naruto: Sleeping Shadow (Sleeping Beauty)

Sword Art Online: The Match Player (The Little Match Girl)

FullMetal Alchemist: Iron Wolves (The 3 Little Pigs)

Fairy Tail: Mirrors of Deceit (Snow White)

Inuyasha: Soul of The Beast (Beauty and The Beast)

Bleach: Brushes of Fate (The Magic Paintbrush)

Fruits Basket: The 12 Dancing Zodiacs (12 Dancing Princesses)

Black Clover: The Frog Knight (The Frog Prince)

Hunter X Hunter: Spreading Your Wings (The Ugly Duckling)

Demon Slayer: Demon of The Northern Wind (The Snow Queen)

Black Butler: Beyond The Tower (Rapunzel)

Yu Yu Hakusho: Sweet Temptation (Hansel and Gretel)

Doraemon; Fearless Feline (Puss in Boots)

Gintama: Peachy Keen (Momotaro)

Sailor Moon: Lady of The Waxing Moon (Princess Kaguya)

Haikyuu: Bear-ly Faltering (Snow White and Rose Red)

Railgun: Little Warriors, Big Impacts (Thumbelina)

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All That Glitters (Rumplestiltskin)

Yu Gi Oh: Diamond in The Rough (Aladdin)

Konosuba: The Royal Test (The Princess and The Pea)

Tokyo Ghoul: The Crimson Amulet (The Red Shoes)

Akame Ga Kill: Fashion Gambit (The Emperor’s New Clothes)

Ouran High School Host Club: Wings of Perseverance (The Wild Swans)

Rurouni Kenshin: The Ronin’s Trials (The Steadfast Tin Soldier)

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagan: Cage of Steel, Heart of Platinum (The Nightingale)

Cowboy Bebop: Written in The Stars (The Weaver Girl and The Cowherd)

Death Note: The Golden Pen (King Midas)

Neon Genesis Evangelion: No Strings Attached (Pinocchio)

Fate: The Chosen Sword (King Arthur)

BanG Dream!: Melody of Deceit (The Pied Piper)

Code Geass: The Princess and The Pig Man (The Swineherd)

Jujitsu Kaisen: The Light Within (The Buried Moon)

Blue Exorcist: Blazing Bonds (The Firebird)

Spy X Family: Secret of The Statue (The Happy Prince)

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic: The Enchanted Key (Alibaba and The 40 Thieves)

Re:Zero: Gilded Feathers (The Golden Goose)

Saint Seiya: Divine Trials and Godly Tribulations (The 12 Labors of Hercules)

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya: Claws of Gold, Hearts of Gold (Goldilocks and The 3 Bears)

One Punch Man: A Hero’s Humility (King Thrushbeard)

Future Diary: Wishful Obsession (The Fisherman and His Wife)

Sket Dance: A Tale of Three Tricksters (The 3 Billy Goats Gruff)

Precure (All seasons): The Sweetest Holiday Ever (The Nutcracker)

Food Wars: A Recipe For Courage (The Brave Little Tailor)

Spice and Wolf: Against All Odds (The Princess on The Glass Hill)

Noragami: Stolen Sun (Amaterasu and The Cave)

Monogatari: Secret Confidants (The Elves and The Shoemaker)

Steins;Gate: Azure Secrets (Bluebeard)

Tokyo Revengers: Neverlanding, Never Faltering (Peter Pan)

The Promised Neverland: Emerald Truths (The Wizard of Oz)

Toriko: Sweet Pursuit (The Gingerbread Man)

Kill La Kill: A Royal Mix Up (The Prince and The Pauper)

World Trigger: The Silent Springtime (The Selfish Giant)

The Seven Deadly Sins: Curse of Shade and Malice (The Shadow)

Cardcaptor Sakura: Salt and Sugar (The Salt Princess/Cap O Rushes)

Assassination Classroom: Honeyed Words (Diamonds and Toads)

Way of The House Husband: Out of The Cage (Jorinda and Joringel)

Danganronpa The Animation (It covers all the games): Makoto in Wonderland (Alice in Wonderland)

D Gray Man: Song of The Sparkling Swan (Swan Lake)

Persona 5 The Animation: Way Down We Go (Hades and Persephone)

Soul Eater: United We Stand (The Six Who Went Far)

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The 5 Magical Musketeers (The 3 Musketeers)

Aggretsuko: Four Man Band (The Bremen Town Musicians)

Tokyo Godfathers: A Holiday Journey (A Christmas Carol)

Revolutionary Girl Utena: Emotions Set Free (The Princess Who Never Smiled)

Sonic X: True, Blue, and Noble (Hans The Hedgehog)

Magiknight Rayearth: Noble Flame, Changing Tide, and Guiding Wind (The 3 Princesses of Whiteland)

A Silent Voice: Beyond All Boundaries (East of The Sun, West of The Moon)

A Whisker Away: A Feline Fairytale (The White Cat)

Your Name: A Little Bird Told Me (The Singing, Springing, Lark)

Love Live: A Fateful Adventure (Journey to The West)

Captain Tsubasa: Winging It (The Seven Ravens)

The Ancient Magus Bride: Entrapped Beauty (The Lindworm)

Overlord: Seeds of Trust (The Juniper Tree)

Delicious in Dungeon: Cooking Up Trouble (The Magic Porridge Pot)

Medaka Box: The Truth Above All (The Goose Girl)

Chainsaw Man: Demonic Assistance (The Golden Bird)

Taikobo: Legend of The Lost Kingdom (Urashima Taro)

Revue Starlight: Masked Secrets (Phantom of The Opera)

Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin: Path of The Canine (The Boy Who Cried Wolf)

Dr. Stone: Into The Wilderness (The Jungle Book)

Fire Force: The Flames of Charity (Robin Hood)

Shaman King: Mystery of The Marsh (The Marsh King’s Daughter)

Rave Master: Cloak of Secrets (Donkeyskin/Many Furs)

Ranma 1/2: Loyal, Brave, and True (Mulan)

Karakuri Circus: The House Within The Woods (Vasilisa The Brave and Beautiful)

Devilman Crybaby: Three Hairs of Gold (The Devil With 3 Golden Hairs)

The Irregular at Magic High School: Ring of Enchantments (The Bronze Ring)

Bobobo: One Hairy Tale (Prince Hyacinth)

Shakugan No Shana: Three Dogs, Three Heroes (The Tinderbox)

Nisekoi: Yellow With Affection (The Yellow Dwarf)

Kaiju No. 8: Don’t Get Salty (Why The Sea is Salty)

Kinnikuman: A Mission in Patience (The Tortoise and The Hare)

Oshi No Ko: The Price of Stardom (Little Brother and Little Sister)

Case Closed: Stolen Hearts and Stolen Fortunes (The Master Thief)

Pokemon The Series: An Electrifying Rescue (The Lion and The Mouse)

Hyperdimension Neptunia: The Animation: A Tale of a Thousand and One Nights (1,001 Arabian Nights)

Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai: A Ribbiting Adventure (The Frog Princess)

Dr. Slump: A Quacktastic Journey (Drakestail)

Katekyo Hitman Reborn: Windows to The Soul (One Eyes, Two Eyes, Three Eyes)

Kochikame: From Faux to Genuine (Don Quixote)

Yo-Kai Watch: Cat Artist Unknown (The Boy Who Drew Cats)

Kaguya-Sama: Love is War: To Love and To Be Loved (Turandot)

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Feathers of Joy (The Blue Bird)

DanMachi: Forgotten Evil Unleashed (Pandora’s Box)

Hellsing Ultimate: Blood Ties (Dracula)

Claymore: The Monster Unleashed (Frankenstein)

Thanks to @sam-rexian and @crystallinedreamsfinelypowdered for helping with some of these!

[blackbloodteeth]

[After-party] @rennikun's Soultember prompt 19: Style / Modern Outfit

Style: Now you see him, now you don't – This trickster can appear (and disappear) in just about any variety of forms; four legs, eight legs, no legs – you name it! He's quite good at being disorientating too, what with his stripes changing in pattern, even on the fly. For as unpredictable as he is, this stylin' Soul's definitely the life of the party.

Modern Outfit: Amidst his quest to finally break free of his dark curse, Soul is sent to some strange land that claims to supposedly be a modern era, clearly some sort of future he knows not much of. The fair lady Maka is helping aid him in adjusting to this foreign, bemusing age, as well as so graciously offering assistance towards his original goal. Although the sharpness of her tongue possibly rivals even his, it's done wonders to teach him of, as they say here, the lingo and street smarts of today's world.

[sianagrace]

Bedknobs and Broomsticks and the Beautification of War and Witchcraft: Siana’s Panel Presentation

Robert Stevenson and Ward Kimball’s 1971 fever dream of a musical combines action and animation, war and witchcraft, feminism and effemination, and a classic Disney fantasy touch. Based on the books by English children's author Mary Norton, the story follows Miss Price, the town's "crazy lady", "spinster", and secret witch, as she takes in three young siblings displaced from London during World War II. The four join with scammer/magician Emelius Browne to search for a spell that could “end the war”. Let’s take a closer look!

Narratives and Myths: The Disney-fication of Witchcraft

Stevenson and Kimball Disney-fy witchcraft through Angela Lansbury’s character, Miss Price. Storytellers throughout history often present witches as antagonists or villains: Hansel and Gretel (1812), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), and The Sword in the Stone (1963), to name a few. Of course, by 1971, people worldwide could associate “Good Witch” with Glinda (1939), but she was not a catalyst for similarly-natured witches. Miss Price embodies a sense of normalcy and country charm that makes witchcraft seem more like a hobby rather than an all-encompassing characterization of evil. More broadly, Bedknobs and Broomsticks presents magic as realistic, providing the audience with an “anything is possible” mindset.

Depictions of Femininity and Masculinity: Just Feminist Enough

Being a witch simply slots into Miss Price’s identity: she is a single, private, middle-aged woman who lives alone in a large home fairly far from the town center. From our first encounter with her character, we can tell that she does not conform, and has no interest in conforming, to 1940s societal expectations regarding how a woman her age should present herself.

In her article “My Fair Lady: A Voice for Change”, scholar Marcie Ray notes that as America and Western Europe called in second-wave feminism, there came a filmic trend of musicals “[employing] the single girl character to depict the changing nature of (white) female sexuality” (293) as opposed to following a strict love plot. In a later section, “Eliza as the ‘Other’”, Ray discusses the tool of othering the lead female protagonist so she appears to have room for improvement, growth, and assimilation into proper society. Miss Price follows this formula, presenting palatable white femininity and feminism, but ultimately reverting to heterosexual expectations: Mr. Browne, once her anonymous professor of witchcraft, quickly becomes her love interest.

Aligning with the ongoing feminist movement at the time of this film’s production, Mr. Browne’s masculinity, and attached agency, come into question rather than being accepted as fact. His introduction in the film establishes him as a trickster, con artist, and coward. Miss Price turns him into a bunny multiple times, to which he replies “Miss Price, a word about your tactics: if I know I’m being changed into a hawk or a tiger, or something with a bit of flash, but always a fluffy white rabbit? It’s incorrigible!” This power dynamic cements Miss Price, and her playful, modern take on femininity, as the authority and lead throughout the film.

Class and Racial Subtexts: “Portobello Road”

The backdrop of World War II connects all the characters in this film through an environment devoid of abundance, and an expectation of having “less than”. Any hints of wealth or a British upper class can only be seen in what’s left behind during the height of the war rather than through individual characters.

The over ten-minute-long “Portobello Road” musical sequence demonstrates this time of unity through scarcity through color, music, and performance. The street, either through set building or editing, appears gray in itself and tinges everyone walking along the street similarly. This area of London feels communal and bustling while simultaneously being economically disadvantaged. The song, sung by all five of our lead protagonists and by the large ensemble, speaks of riches, fantasy, and possibility: the Portobello Road market is a symbol of hope, even if momentary and unfeasible.

There is little racial or ethnic subtext in this film - past, of course, the significance of WWII and all those groups ostracized, interned, and killed during the time. Portobello Road, however, curiously introduces a densely diverse enclave of London, including spotlight moments of Sikh soldiers, Scottish dancers, and Trini performers. Past their brief musical moments, we do not analyze or revisit these characters. We are, however, shown our five white protagonists interacting with these minority groups in a normalized, meaningful way: dancing, playing, and smiling alongside each other in this utopian street fair. This scene aligns more with the decade of the film’s production (late-60s and early-70s) than it does with the period in which it’s set (1940s). 

Significance to the Audience and Temporality

As briefly mentioned earlier, the character development in Bedknobs and Broomsticks is critical to ensure the comfort of 1970s audiences. Miss Price is just feminist enough, the children as just boisterous enough, Mr. Browne is just crass enough, and everyone is just poor enough. There are many things a contemporary audience can problematize about this film: Miss Price’s reverting to patriarchal expectations of marriage, love, and motherhood; the romanticization of war and, specifically, WWII; Mr. Browne’s sexist remarks about women's memories and professional capabilities. At its core, however, this is still a Disney fantasy with loveable, quirky characters, catchy musical numbers, and an entire additional animated world to fall in love with. There’s a steadfast formula that makes this film enjoyable despite its generational immobility.

Critical Discussion Questions

How do we create lovable characters whose backgrounds are classically/traditionally/stereotypically rooted in horror, antagonism, and/or villainy (ex. witches, con-artists, monsters)?

What generational differences do you see embedded in your film / what changes should/would be made in a remake?

Are love plots actually necessary to the plot of your film or other musicals? What would look different about the trajectory and public reception of the film without a love plot?

@theuncannyprofessoro

[use-your-telescope]

Wow, WOW. It has been... a *hot minute* (cough-sixmonths-cough) since I've shared any real teasers/snippets of my big writing project, WHICH NOW HAS A NAME - that's right, it's no longer going by the working title of "the Trickster!" The fic is officially titled "When Everything's Made to be Broken." Linked the synopsis page, which should link out to the snippets that I've previously posted, in case anyone is like "what was this fic again?" So here we go! I'm getting to a point where even though the story as a whole isn't finished, I might start posting the first few chapters just so I'm no longer sitting on them... The first seven chapters are pretty much done (minus a final read through), and the end is there, it's just the middle of the story that's vexing me. Anyways, this takes place after the other snippets I've posted. Enjoy!

Tag List: @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @thedistractedagglomeration @lokisgoodgirl @simplyholl @mochie85 @coldnique @lokixryss @gigglingtiggerv2 @infinitystoner @loopsisloops @mischief2sarawr @crzyplantladyvibes @buttercupcookies-blog @vickie5446 @the-lady-amphitrite

Send me an ask if you want to be added to the tag list!

Warnings: None. This is on the soft side, all things considered?

Song: Cosmic Love - Florence + The Machine

Word Count: 1,281 words

You Were in the Darkness Too

Before long, they were outside of Marquette, driving down backroads that made Loki question whether or not his phone’s GPS was accurate. However, when they turned down a long gravel driveway that led to a clearing with a small farm, he received confirmation that he was, in fact, in the correct location when Theo pointed at where to park.

“Welcome to the farm,” Theo gestured to the property around them, her voice and expression lacking any enthusiasm. Approaching a wooden porch, she gestured towards a shed. “In that shed is the portal I usually use to go home; you’re welcome to use it - get home and actually sleep in your own bed.” Rather than move towards the shed, Theo fished a set of keys out of her pocket and started fiddling with the door. 

“Are you not planning to return home for the evening?” Loki furrowed his brow, glancing between the shed and the door that Theo had, by that point, unlocked and swung open.

“I– no.” Theo grabbed her bag from where she had set it on the porch, slinging it over her shoulder. “This is the house I grew up in; I know it’s just as close as New York with the portal and all, but I think I’d feel better if I stayed here, at least for tonight.”

Her rationale was, though not necessarily logical, understandable. The idea of a familiar setting providing comfort made sense. And though he would have loved to reunite with his own bed, the idea of Theo alone still seemed… wrong.

Why that was, Loki was uncertain.

“Perhaps I might stay with you, then?” Loki blurted out the question. “I don’t mean to impose, however if anything were to happen I think it would be in your best interest to not be alone.”

Theo stilled, mouth hanging slightly open as she processed Loki’s request.

“Loki, you’ve already done so much for me.” She shook her head. “I can’t ask you to cancel all of your plans and postpone going home after such a crazy, exhausting week.”

“You are not asking,” Loki countered, “I am offering.” 

She pursed her lips and peered at Loki. The breeze rustled the trees around them, and in the distance the ebb and flow of waves off the lake provided a wash of ambient sound.

“Um, yeah - come on in.” Theo pushed the door open, reaching in to flick on a light before gesturing for Loki to follow. “But if it’s too much at any point, or you need to go do something, promise me you will go.”

“I swear it.” Loki retrieved his own bag and followed her inside. 

The farmhouse was a sharp contrast to the tower - unlike the modern, minimalist architecture of the tower, he found himself charmed by the quaint, mismatched nature of Mémère’s home. In many ways, the home reminded him of the houses he’d see in Maximoff’s old sitcoms: the furniture seemed to be from decades past, though they weren’t quite as coordinated as on television. 

Photos adorned the walls of the hallway - some old enough to lack color, while others looked as though they were taken yesterday. 

“You can take my bed, I’ll just take the couch.” Theo said, leading Loki into what appeared to be a sitting room.

“You need not sacrifice your bed for me—“

“You just changed all your plans so you could fly with me to a place you’d never been and probably never wanted to visit, all because I was upset about someone you’ve never even met having health problems. Not to mention you just dropped a shit ton of money to change both of our flights, and on a rental car…” She shook her head, turning on more lights as she escorted him through the house. There was a certain sense of relief that came with the realization that some of the fire which Loki associated with Theo had returned. “You deserve a real bed to sleep in, if nothing else.”

“You’ve also worked tirelessly over the previous week, and you carry a great emotional weight,“ Loki countered, “Perhaps we can share?”

Trudging up a flight of stairs, Theo waited until they were both upstairs before replying. “It’s only a queen-size bed, not the California Kings that we have in the tower, so it might be a bit cozy… but if you’re okay with it then sure.”

“We’ve spent time in far closer proximity,” Loki pointed out, to which Theo cracked a smile and rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, but uh… I’m not really feeling up to that tonight.”

“It was not something I even considered, given everything that has taken place.” 

“I didn’t think you were, but I figured I would clarify.” She pushed open a door, flicking on the light. “Welcome to my bedroom.”

In the late night, Loki was presented his first chance to take in the room that Theo called her own. Soft, pale yellow walls and sheer white curtains felt familiar - it was a lighter, softer version of the quarters Theo kept at the tower. The furniture here was not remotely cohesive - a heavy wooden dresser sat in the corner, assorted knick-knacks atop it. Above the dresser, a Van Gogh poster was tacked to the wall - a still-life of a turquoise vase with sunflowers. 

In the corner, an acoustic guitar sat. Next to the guitar, Theo’s closet door sat open - inside, a colorful mix of plaid filled the cramped space. The bed was as large as one could rationally fit in the tight space; atop it, a patchwork quilt provided an injection of color and warmth to the room. 

Perhaps this room was a time capsule of her youth, or maybe it became a melding of her past and present - he couldn’t be entirely sure. 

Neither of them wasted any time getting ready for bed - then again, after capping off a long week with a particularly exhausting day, it was a small miracle that they hadn’t skipped pajamas and fallen asleep in their dayclothes. Loki was the first to lay down; Theo quickly followed, shutting the lights off before slipping beneath the bedclothes and settling in.

Loki stretched out as best he could on the mattress, though Theo was right when she said it was much smaller than Loki’s bed in New York - unless he slept with his head touching the headboard or curled up on his side, his feet would hang off the end of the mattress. 

Theo rolled onto her side, facing Loki. Moonlight from the window reflected off her silver hair, casting an ethereal glow in the dark of night. When Loki turned to face her, he caught her watching him.

“You ought to rest, darling.” He murmured, arching an eyebrow at her.

“I know,” she whispered, “I’m just thinking…”

“About?”

“Today.”

Loki hummed. “Would you like to talk about it?”

Theo faltered for a moment, then shook her head. 

“Is there something I might do to help you rest?” Loki leaned forward until his forehead rested against Theo’s. 

“Just having you here helps.” Theo shrugged, “but, um…”

“What is it?” Loki frowned, trying to catch Theo’s gaze. 

“Could you, um…” Theo shimmied a bit closer, stopping just before they touched.

Relief flooded through Loki at the request. He lifted an arm and nodded, a shy smile curling up on his face. Theo rolled over and slid back until her back pressed against Loki’s chest; he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

“I’m here, dove.” He whispered, burying his nose into her hair. The faint whiff of shampoo, with notes of rosemary and lavender, tickled his nose. “Whenever you need, however you need.”

He meant every word.

[cyberpunkonline]

Unraveling Discordianism in David Lynch's Oeuvre

In the realm of contemporary cinema, few auteurs have embroidered their work with the esoteric thread of Discordianism as richly as David Lynch. Discordianism, a modern, somewhat satirical religion that worships Eris, the Greek goddess of chaos, offers a theological justification for embracing disorder, paradox, and the absurd. It's a cosmic giggle in the face of convention and authority, a sentiment that finds an echoing laughter in Lynch's filmography.

Non-Linear Narratives: The Discordian Storytelling

The traditional narrative arc bends toward order: a beginning, middle, and end where loose ends are tied, and moral lessons are gleaned. Lynch, however, splinters this arc, creating mosaics of narrative chaos. In "Mulholland Drive," he constructs a cinematic labyrinth without a Minotaur, leaving the audience to wander in interpretive circles. This film plays with the very fabric of storytelling, a move reflective of the Discordian principle of creative disorder.

Duality and the Illusion of Order

Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” serves as a beacon of Discordian themes, with the dual existence of its characters (and their secrets) juxtaposing the apparent tranquility of small-town life with a hidden, chaotic underworld. The Double-headed Eagle in Discordianism, symbolizing order and disorder, finds its echo in the duality of characters like Laura Palmer - the homecoming queen with a dark double life, embodying the Discordian belief that chaos and order are two sides of the same coin.

The Absurdity of Existence: Rabbits and Radiators

One cannot discuss Lynch’s foray into the Discordian without a nod to the unsettling sitcom featuring humanoid rabbits in "Inland Empire." Their disjointed exchanges in a nondescript living room, accompanied by canned laughter at non-jokes, invoke the absurdity of existence central to Discordianism. It's here Lynch’s work becomes an Easter egg of sorts, where Bugs Bunny could be the trickster archetype of Eris, albeit more likely to wield a carrot than the Golden Apple of Discord.

The Surreal as a Gateway to Truth

Lynch’s worlds are teeming with surreal elements that break the illusion of reality, a core principle in Discordianism that what we see is but a structured facade over the intrinsic chaos of the universe. “Eraserhead’s” Lady in the Radiator, singing in a dream sequence amidst giant spermatoid creatures, challenges the audience’s comfort with the familiar, urging a confrontation with the chaos that underpins existence.

Chaos Magick and the Artistic Process

Lynch’s creative process itself mirrors the chaotic magick intrinsic to Discordian practice. His reliance on Transcendental Meditation to dive into the depths of consciousness and emerge with the pearls of avant-garde storytelling aligns with the Discordian idea of tapping into chaos for enlightenment. Lynch’s films don’t just represent Discordianism; they enact it.

Conclusion

David Lynch's films are tapestries woven with threads of paradox, absurdity, and chaos, where the audience is often left to their own devices to make sense of the spectacle. While Lynch may not explicitly identify as a Discordian, the parallels are striking. From the double lives of "Twin Peaks" to the unnerving performances of "Eraserhead," Lynch channels the essence of Discordianism, proving that within chaos, there is a strange order to be found - and within his cinema, an unsettling enlightenment awaits the brave. Whether the rabbit hole leads to a hidden lodge in the woods or a lady living in a radiator, Lynch assures us the journey through chaos is never just a wild hare chase - sometimes, it's a pilgrimage to the heart of artistic truth.

- Raz

[lunarnights95]

Okay, we're about to go into a debate that I want everyone's opinions on.

Question for Debate:

Can Loki cook?

Yes? No? Maybe?

I personally can not, as hard as I've tried, decide my opinion on this. I've read fics about Loki preparing a lavish meal with skill and finesse, I've read fics about Loki acting like a hurricane of disaster in the kitchen, and I've read fics where he knows basics but nothing extensive.

I can personally see Loki knowing how to cook but also not knowing how to cook, especially with modern technology. I can imagine him learning to cook as well if it meant surprising you, too.

I would appreciate any opinions to be shared for this topic and the reasoning of WHY you think that.

(I'm tagging writers, readers, anyone I can get that I am following. If you don't wish to be on these lists in the future, let me know)

@anonymousfiction211 @sarahsineire @superficialdomina @fictive-sl0th @gigglingtigger @lindsey-laufeyson @lokischambermaid @lokisgoodgirl @lovelysizzlingbluebird @lokiprompts @tom-hiddleston-voice @trickster-maiden @the-lady-amphitrite @muddyorbsblr @maple-seed @michelleleewise @vbecker10 @currish-rosewolfe @cheekyscamp ++++

The list is not limited! Tag more people if you wish!!

#Loki #LokiLaufeyson #LokiOdinson #LokiFic #MCU

[witchcraftsymbolsblog]

Freya Goddess Symbols- Nordic Goddess of Love and War

Freyja is technically not a name. It is translated in old Norse to mean “lady.” The modern spelling of her name is Freja which was anglicized to Freya. She had a brother named Freyr, which meant “Lord.” They were the offspring of Njoror, the sea, and Herta, the earth. Freyja goddess symbols are just as powerful as the goddess herself.Freya Goddess Symbols

Although she went searching for pleasure and passion, she was a complicated character. The Vikings saw her as a mighty force, a goddess on the same level as Odin and Thor in Norse mythology.

Freya Goddess of Love

Although Freya was known as the goddess of love, she was also the fertility goddess and goddess of war and death. Old Norse literature highlighted her insistence on everything sexual. However, she has been completely omitted from childbirth, which is an element of fertility within the confines of other goddesses of similar nature.

According to Norse myth And Freya goddess Symbols, Freya was the Norse goddess of love, fertility, sex, war, death, magic, beauty, and witchcraft. She supervises battles, can grant and remove fertility, can be beseeched for love, and was born knowing the sacred secrets of witchcraft and the Runes. Because she belonged to the Norse Vanir tribe, people thought she practiced witchcraft and was strongly connected to the earth.

She considered pigs sacred and rode a boar with golden bristles. She also had a chariot drawn by cats as another means of transport. Freya was privileged to have the opportunity to choose half of the warriors slain in battle for her great hall in Folkyangar, while the rest were taken to Valhalla by the god Odin.

She had a famous necklace known as Brisingamen that was stolen by the god Loki, the trickster, and later recovered by Heimdall, a watchman to the gods.

Freya is believed to have done the evil act of teaching the Aesir, a tribe of gods, witchcraft.

Like the Egyptian goddess Isis and Greek goddess Aphrodite, Freya traveled the world looking for a missing husband while shading golden tears. She had four nicknames: Horn, Mardoll, Syr, and Gefn.

Freya’s themes included strength, devotion, the sun, passion, and magic. Her symbols consist of lions and strawberries.

Freya was not a mysterious goddess; on the contrary, she was loved and worshipped all over European territory in places such as Iceland, Greenland, Scandinavia, the Germanic lands, Anglo-Saxon Britain, and Holland. She remains among the most loved and idolized Pagan goddesses to date.

The spirit of Freya angered Christian authorities. Ironically, this anger propelled Freya to survive more vividly than any other European female spirit. Continuous condemnation ensured Freya remained relevant.

Freya was criticized as the Queen of Witches. Women who idolized her were automatically labeled as “witches’. Freya’s rites and traditions encouraged magical practice, shamanism, mediumship, and female autonomy, while Freya acted as a role model. The new regime viewed this behavior as an abomination and symbolizing deadly sin.

The Vanir

The Norse gods are divided into two: the Vanir and the Aesir. Freya and her family belong to the Vanir, and unlike their counterparts, little is known about the rest of Freya’s family.

All that is known is that there was a war between the Aesir and the Vanir, with the Aesir emerging victorious. Freya and her brother Freyr were sent to live with the Aesir as part of the truce agreement.

According to Norse mythology, the Vanir lived in what is presently referred to as Scandinavia when the Aesir arrived. The Vanir provoked greater hostility from the Christian church than the Aesir; therefore, limited information concerning the Vanir survived.

The only information available about the Vanir was retrieved from those sent to live in Aesir.It is believed that the Vanir were shapeshifters linked to creative energy, magic, the sea, eroticism, fertility, prophecy, and shamanism.

According to the myth, Freya shared all her knowledge with the Aesir after being taken hostage. The Norse god Odin was the first member of the Aesir to befriend Freya. By becoming close to Freya, the god Odin learned about the ways of Seidr. Seidr was a form of magic perceived as a woman’s magic and unsuitable for men.

Freya knew all about the Runes, but according to the myth, her knowledge of the Runes directed Odin to gorge out one of his eyes and hang himself from Yggdrasil upside down while looking into the Well of Wyrd. After staring into the well for nine days and nights, he finally understood what the Runes meant.

Freya and Warfare

Freya, the queen of love and war who goes by the name Valfreya, leads the Valkyries into battle. The Valkyries are angels of death who transport the souls of the recently departed to the next realm, and in battle, the souls are transported to two different destinations.

The Valfreya get the first picks of the departed souls, followed by Odin, but finally, all the souls of the dead are evenly split. The souls chosen by Odin are taken back to Valhalla, whereas those chosen by Freya are taken to her realm, which goes by the name of Folkvangr, a meadow with a large hall known as Sessrumnir. In Folkvangr, love songs are always played.

Freya and Frigg

There are similarities between Freya and Odin’s wife, the Norse goddess Frigg. Some people have reasons to believe that Freya and Frigg are one person. This argument is supported by the fact that Freya is technically not a name but a title, whereas Frigg is a name.

Frigg is also referred to as the “well-beloved lady.” She can also be called Frigga, Sacka, or Fricka. She is the goddess of childbirth, fertility, matrimony, and divination. It is unclear whether she is part of Aesir or Vanir.

Since she is the wife of Odin, she is linked to marriage and fidelity. In the afterlife, married people spend their time in Frigg’s hall, known as Fensalir. It is not easy to differentiate between Freya and Frigg.

They are two different spirits in Scandinavia but seem to have merged into one spirit in German land. The distinctions can still be made even if some information has been lost or suppressed.

Ironically, even though Christian authorities were against Freya, there is still substantial information about Freya and her beliefs.The theory that Freya and Friggs are the same people is exacerbated by the belief that Freya’s husband, Odr, is Odinn, and their two daughters go by the names Hnoss and Garsemi. Not much is said about the two daughters.

Freya Attributes and Association

According to Norse myth, the beautiful Norse goddess Freya has long blonde hair. We must know that she is a shapeshifter capable of assuming any form. She has a magical falcon cloak, which she uses to fly. She also wears a necklace mentioned earlier in this article that the Brisingamen dwarfs made.

Her chariot is pulled by two silver cats, which some people think are called Bygul and Trjegul. These cats might be lynxes. Freya is associated with different animals, such as cats, rabbits, falcons, cuckoos, ladybugs, swallows, boars, and oxen.

Her preferred colors are green, red, yellow, light blue, pink, and white. Freya’s materials of choice include gold and amber. She is also a fan of flowers. Plants associated with the queen include:

Primrose

Opium poppy

Rose, clover

English daisy

Hemp, Arnica

Almond, Bedstraw

Bird Berry

Benzoin

Henbane

Strawberry

Essential oils linked to her include sandalwood, Birch, Benzoin, Cypress, Myrrh, and Rose. You can include any of the mentioned items when offering to the goddess. You can also add her favorite foods: pork, honey, mead, ale, apples, edible flowers, and barley.

Because of her love for cats, you can pay homage to the goddess by treating cats well. The goddess of love is a fan of love poems and songs continuously playing in Folkvangr.The Freya goddess can be considered a source of inspiration among ancient and present cultures. The mythology also proves that the Nordic people had a rich culture that is present to date.

[pillowbeast]

DOES dragon!Maddie hoard anything? Also show me yo FOXES

I like to imagine Dragon!Maddie hoards a LOT of crap ngl, I've always imagined them hoarding like, plushies and pillows cos they get cozy a lot of the time and that kinda like, bleeds into their other forms a little and they end up very protective over their belongings.

As for FOXES I have 3 that I can remember off the top of my head!

We have Mira, who I've shown before! Adventuring braixen who ends up using the materials she finds on her adventures to brew potions for her shop and the like! Very well fortified, very strong and self driven and all that, very gesture heavy the like. She'll often trace lil symbols in the air using magic and stuff for those that can't sign considering she's mute. She tends to be VERY studious with her potion brewing, keen to experiment and not one to just stick to the known formulas, even if it blows up in her face sometimes.

(I don't have all their up to date/coloured images on my phone ahaha whoops)

After that you've got Mai, who's a lesser kitsune deity! She mostly goes around chilling with mortals and stuff, using her inherent trickster abilities and magic to grant boons and the like! Her magic revolves around like, storing spells into balls/spherical objects and casting them through that, which can involve something as small as marbles or like? exercise balls! She can also convert her tails into spheres to use if she doesn't have any on her but otherwise you'll see her lobbing baseballs with fireball spells in them to make them blow up for fun.

She'll often just sorta chill in public spaces? Very down to earth, playful but only to those who she is aware are up for the banter and dynamic rather than random passers-by and all that.

And now this lady, whose design isn't fully figured out yet, her name is Atsuki but she goes by Tsuki for short.

She's a kitsune who has a deep obsession with magic and dark magic in particular, putting great amounts of personal research and hyperfixation hours into studying them. Being the modern era however, a lot of this research is done online due to the ubiquity of resources! Naturally though, she tends to hang out on forums, to which she tends to find herself quite irritable on. Often times she'll get a bit grumpy with people who start asserting false knowledge online (She grows more tired every single time she has to tell someone that shadow magic is classed under light based magicks due to their reliance on light to operate at their most powerful/most fully formed).

She's also a bit corrupted? Not like, evil, but her dabblings in dark magic have left parts of her palette and her form altered just a little, she constantly grows horns that she has to cut and file down in order to be less prominent in public. Not that she finds herself in public very often as, for as assertive as she can be online, she is VERY socially anxious in person.

Thank you for letting me go off about my foxes 🥺

[inkdragonworks]

Is there gods in your world?

Whether or not there's a sentient entity divinely creating life and driving events, is something I think wouldn't be good to discuss since that would take away from the world to explicitly say.

What I can say instead is that there are characters, groups, races with their own beliefs and religious figures that they share with each other.

In Kindin, which is Tiera's setting, there's one major religion dominating the major city that forms that setting, which is used to add legitimacy to the monarchy and gives churches more political sway. Long ago, there wasn't any kingdom but different groups of Chia, until one day, a member of a group saw visions of an angel coming to them and guiding them with specific knowledge and goals of uniting all the groups and conquering another race of creatures and subjugating them.

This formed the royal family of Kindin that's been going on ever since, and while I haven't gotten a chance to show it yet, there are a lot of churches around Tiera's setting, some symbolism, but the bigger impact is that a lot of the church's superstitious views impact a lot of the people living there. They look down at modern medicine and see those with physical/mental issues as "impure"... creating a stigma against someone who, say, claims to see ghosts. Like Tiera.

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

For Jugendin, which is the world Poppin and Jupa are part of, religion is extremely varied based on the different species. The Ibbix believe in a great goat-like creature named Vulcan, with a horn made of fire and a horn made of ice, that used his powers to shape mountains and caves and such filled with resources for the Ibbix to find and thrive. Mount Glitteroam is where they believe Vulcan resides and specifically made that mountain for them as a kind of promised land. That's why you find all those save statues everywhere... they're depictions of him.

The other species are Cinmin and Rikki, these guys respectively:

They both believe in the "same creator" being some kind of feline, but Cinmin believe it to be a large lion while the Rikki assume it's a normal-sized lady Rikki like themselves, and acts more as a trickster spirit. The two of species bicker about this sorta thing.

Bugs believe in a creature called "Beelzebug" that created all the insect species, but his exact image is pretty controversial. When the bee-centric Hive empire was briefly ruling the world it was a crime to depict Beelzebug as anything besides a... well, a bee. This caused some sects of, uh, insects to retreat and form their own closed cults, mainly with Moths.

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

Not all characters care much about this sorta stuff: Tiera acknowledges it but doesn't really practice or look at it for guidance or fulfillment, she's got her own personal problems to worry about. And she might be more disillusioned in her modern times where she sees more of the negative impacts of these religious systems than anything. Poppin is aware of those stories but is a more of a "I'll believe it when I see it" guy, even if he'll be polite and respect others for what they think. Jupa thinks they make for neat stories and want to see for herself as well, but doesn't really think about a specific divine creator, she's more about... fate and destiny as some abstract thing guiding people where they need to be.

There's more stuff I'm leaving out but I just want to offer a little bit to give an idea. They aren't going to be major themes in any stories right now, but a part of the world-building and history.

[legend-collection]

Bodach

A bodach (Scottish Gaelic pronunciation: [ˈpɔt̪əx]; plural bodaich "old man; rustic, churl, lout"; Old Irish botach) is a trickster or bogeyman figure in Gaelic folklore and mythology. The bodach "old man" is paired with the cailleach "hag, old woman" in Irish legend.

Bodach (Old Irish also botach) is the Irish word for a tenant, a serf or peasant. It is derived from bod (Old Irish bod) "tail, penis".

Pic by Mary-Ann Caruthers

The word has alternatively been derived from both "cottage, hut" (probably a borrowing from Old Norse, as is English booth). The term botach "tenant farmer" is thus equivalent to a cotter (the cotarius of the Domesday Book); a daer botach was a half-free peasant of a lower class. In either case, the name is formed by the addition of nominal suffix -ach ("connected or involved with, belonging to, having").

In modern Gaelic, bodach simply means "old man", often used affectionately.

In the Echtra Condla, one "Boadach the Eternal" is king of Mag Mell. This name is derived from buadhach "victorious" and unrelated to botach in origin. However, the two names may have become associated by the early modern period, as Manannan is also named king of Mag Mell, and the bodach figure in Eachtra Bhodaigh an Chóta Lachtna (17th century) is in turn identified with Manannan.

*Buzdākos is the reconstructed Proto-Celtic form of Old Irish Botach and an element in the name of the Badacsony wine region in Hungary. The name dates back to at least 1000BC but is likely much older.

In modern Gaelic (Scottish and Irish) folklore, the bodach or "old man" becomes a type of bugbear, to the point of being identified with the devil.

In the early modern (16th or 17th century) tale Eachtra Bhodaigh an Chóta Lachtna, the bodach is identified with the Manannán mac Lir. This identification inspired Lady Gregory's tale "Manannan at Play" (Gods and Fighting Men, 1904), where Manannan makes an appearance in disguise as "a clown ... old striped clothes he had, and puddle water splashing in his shoes, and his sword sticking out naked behind him, and his ears through the old cloak that was over his head, and in his hand he had three spears of hollywood scorched and blackened."

In Scottish folklore the bodach comes down the chimney to kidnap naughty children, used as a cautionary tale or bogeyman figure to frighten children into good behaviour. A related being known as the Bodach Glas ("Dark Grey Man") is considered an omen of death.

[derpcakes]

10 Books I Want to Read in 2023

About this time last year I filled out a meme with books I wanted to read in 2022. I can’t find that post, and no one’s tagged me in anything this time around, but I thought it could be fun to post a 2023 update. Feel free to tag me in your own lists!

Sequels: Lost in the Moment and Found (new Wayward Children book! New Wayward Children book!!), A Venom Dark and Sweet (second half of the Book of Tea duology), Heavenly Tyrant (sequel to Iron Widow), Godslayers (sequel to Gearbreakers that I just haven’t gotten around to despite how much I liked the first one. Not to be confused with Godkiller down below. Man, those will look confusing if they end up next to each other in a list…)

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner (coming 2023)

In this world, gods are very real, and our fiery, vengeful heroine makes her living hunting them. She’s all set to take out the God of White Lies when it turns out he’s attached himself to the young daughter of a noble house, who will die if he dies—and vice versa. I don’t know much about this one save for seeing it recommended/highly anticipated by a couple of people I follow. But apparently, its main characters are a traumatised godslaying lady, a former knight who just wants to bake, and a child whose bestie is some sort of trickster god… and that just sounds like a whale of a time even if the setting itself is apparently quite dark.

She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran (coming 2023)

Jade Nguyen goes to stay with her father in Vietnam for the summer and finds herself in a very haunted French colonial manor. I’ve been in the mood for haunted house stories recently (it’s the plot bunnies for a potential new original project, methinks) and this one sounds super interesting for its cultural context and character dynamics.

Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything by Justine P. Winans (coming 2023)

A teenaged bird nerd accidentally becomes embroiled in a murder mystery while out birdwatching. One for my bibliography of YA with non-binary protagonists, but also just sounds like a fun ride.

Nettleblack by Nat Reeve (already out)

1893: Welsh heiress Henry Nettleblack flees an arranged marriage and disguises herself among a ramshackle group of vigilantes who call themselves the Dallyangle Division. Described as “a neo-Victorian queer farce” and highly recommended by one of my current favourite reviewers. It sounds basically completely different to anything I’ve ever read before and I think will be a light and zany way to expand my literary horizons.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo (already out)

A story of young love and queer discovery set in San Francisco Chinatown in the 1950s. I’ve had this for ages but The Stars Have Not Been in Position for me to read it. I’d like to get to it this year!

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth (already out)

At the turn of the 20th century, two secret lovers attending a prestigious all-girls school are tragically and bizarrely killed by a swam of wasps. In the modern day, a film crew descends on the school to make a movie dramatizing the events, and find that the place is haunted (literally?) by more than the girls’ memory. I got this one from a generous friend who was clearing out her shelves and it’s been staring at me from my shelf ever since. PBH is a long-term goal since she’s a thiiiiick book. I’m going to try and dip into it across the year. Or maybe I’ll go feral and get through it in a month! Let’s see.

[envihellbender]

Child units of BE ladies ?

Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Next Generation

Edelgard

Name: Johannes

Class: Cavalier / Paladin

Johannes is tall and lanky, dwarfing Edelgard by the time he was a teenager. He has light brown hair which he keeps short and smart, he has closely cropped sides and a fringe that risks falling into his eyes. His eyes are a light purple just like Edelgard’s and shares her pale skin tone. However, his is healthier, he has rosy cheeks and plenty of freckles. Edelgard made sure he was taken care of as a child, never wanted for anything and never had to fear for the dark. He is an extremely loyal person, to a terrifying fault. His hackles are raised whenever the slightest insult is aimed at or implied about his loved ones.

Johannes was born with what in our world would be known as Cerebal Palsy but his own world didn’t have such a name for it. Unfortunately he instead was called a variety of disparaging names, and every time one was said in ear shot of the Emperor she made sure to make an example of them. As a result, Edelgard was determined to figure out a way he could spar with others his age and attend the Officer’s Academy just like he wanted. After hassling several of her subordinates - mostly Hubert, Ferdinand, and Linhardt - they created a mechanism which meant Johannes could ride a horse with ease and fight in a way he wouldn’t have been able to on his feet. He excelled faster in his lance training than anyone expected, many were amazed with how he took to it. He was an extremely tough opponent, and the first time he beat Edelgard in a duel she nearly cried she was so proud.

Johannes likes cats, music, gardening, fishing, drawing, and taking naps. He dislikes gossip, cruel jokes, dancing, the church, and rodents (a phobia inherited from his mother.)

Bernadetta

Name: Gabriel

Class: Trickster

Gabriel has short, untidy purple hair, with brown eyes that are little the bark of a tree. They have a heart shaped face, and freckles primarily on their nose. They’re short and chubby, they find fading into the background rather easy and preferable. However, unlike their mother they love socialising and parties. They enjoy spending time with their friends, and whilst they dislike being the centre of attention they enjoy being on the sidelines and watching people have fun. They’ve inherited the mothers love to carnivorous plants, drawing, and painting. However they find reading and writing extremely difficult, in the modern world they’d probably be diagnosed with dyslexia. They are fine once someone reads the information aloud, then they can process it properly.

Gabriel identifies as genderfluid and enjoys presenting in different ways depending on the day. They are however happy with their birth name of Gabriel, as it feels gender neutral to them. Bernadetta calls them ‘Gabby’ which they accept but if anyone else does their fury will not be contained. They have always enjoyed lockpicking, simply to watch mechanisms to see how they worked and for the thrill of hearing it click. They adore sword fighting as well as using a bow, they love target practice with their mother, they do it every morning and sometimes Gabriel looks forward to it so much it gets them through the day.

They like sweets, stuffed animals, carnivorous plants, birds, their friends, parties, and fashion. They dislike reading, spicy food, fishing, gender stereotypes, and singing.

Dorothea

Name: Nellie (short for Manuela)

Class: Mage / Warlock

Nellie had always been more rough and tumble than her mother, she had her bright blue eyes and long wavy dark brown hair. But she kept the latter hidden in a messy pony tail and hated wearing dresses ever since she was a small child. She was shorter, and slimmer. She never knew who her father was but it never bothered her, she knew he hurt her mother and in her eyes that made him the scum of the earth.

Dorothea always hoped that her daughter would follow in her footsteps as a member of the Opera company. Nellie enjoyed singing, and wasn’t too bad at it but it wasn’t her true passion. As for dancing, she hated it. She could never get the hang of it and never showed up to lessons. Dorothea attempted to push her but due to Nellie being just as stubborn as her, gave up. After a long, explosive argument where Nellie asked why Dorothea never tried quite so hard when it came to Nellie’s interests Dorothea had a wake up call. After that their relationship improved dramatically. Dorothea found that they did share some common ground, Nellie may have hated performing but she loved watching operas primarily for the stories involved. She adored listening to her mother sing. Her primary passions however were magic and herbalism, and she was exceptionally talented at both.

She likes poisonous plants, reading, magical creatures, magical history, spicy food, and the songs her mother wrote for her. She dislikes sewing, dancing, parties, nobility, and fish.

Petra

Name: Mairenn

Class: Wyvern Rider / Wyvern Lord

Mairenn has black hair and light brown eyes with the same brown skin tone as her mother. She keeps her hair in traditional braids and has gorgeous red facial tattoos that swirl across her cheeks and around her eyes. She lacks the subtlety in fighting that her mother has, she could never get the hang of a bow and arrow or a sword but she was a natural with an axe. She also soon discovered how much she adored being the air, flying as high as possible on her beloved Wyvern before swooping back to the ground at a great speed. She had the bravery of her mother but an impulsive brashness that often got her into trouble.

Petra was deeply concerned when Mairenn expressed interest in attending the same Officer’s Academy she had. It was hard to explain to her daughter why, she had been forcibly taken to a foreign country and had no choice but to try and assimilate. She wanted Mairenn to have the freedom she never had and for her to embrace her culture. However, eventually she relented, accepting that giving her daughter freedom meant allowing her the choice to attend the academy. Mairenn made a promise to keep her faith to the old ways and Petra was relieved to hear that Mairenn despised the Fodlan Church more than she did for how they harmed her mother.

Mairenn likes nature, animals, learning everything about Brigid’s history and culture, sparring, swimming, climbing, and flying. She dislikes waiting for any period of time, the cold, the Fodlan Church, losing her independence, and tea.

Monica

Name: Diedrich

Class: Brawler / Grappler

Diedrich towers above his mother, by age ten he was taller than her, and by 15 he’d grown to over six foot tall. He’s broad shouldered, muscular, but a soft gut. He has a messy, patch of brilliant red hair that often falls in his eyes, and soft brown eyes. He often has a smile, being quite optimistic and charming by nature. He has dimples, crooked teeth, and is missing the tip of his right thumb from an old fighting injury from when he was 12. He wears a brace on his right knee, that was from an injury he earned jumping in a too shallow river at age 14.

Monica is extremely protective over him, still seeing him as the tiny little toddler who’d always go running off and getting into trouble. With a glare she can still cause him to cower to her will. He often comes home bruised and worse for wear from a brawl, or even a monster or beast he needed to fight and overpower. He always has a grin on his face and an embellished tale of his heroism but his mother nearly always responds by scolding him when she finds out. She has ensstilled in him a great devotion to the Empire and to Emperor Edelgard herself, causing him to be the youngest General the Empire has seen in centuries.

Dietrich likes swimming, running, fighting, sparring, sweets, fairytales, and learning about the history of the Empire. He dislikes enemies of the Empire, anyone who gets close to Monica without him ensuring they are not a threat, and chores.

[theic-manic]

(Helpol blog @divine-thievery)

Helluu!! Your consent post replying to that user talking about Lord Apollo was so eye-opening for me. I named myself a devotee to Lord Hermes because I felt it was the right thing to do.

I became a Hellenic Polytheist in april 2024 and he had actually been on my mind since 2020 (possibly earlier, im bad with dates and remembering) when I first saw him in lore Olympus, to my assumption it was on purpose that i took a liking to him straight away, when I asked if it were true he pleaded the fifth 😂, anyways, so that's why i named myself a devotee, so i will be apologising to Lord Hermes after sending this ask Because as you stated in the post I hadn't asked for consent.

And I would like to thank you for making that post it's really helped me. 🧡 also, I'm Australian, too 😂

Hey mate!

All good and I am glad you appreciate it, it only took me a few hours and asking both Apollo and Hermes nicely to assist.

From my observation, Hermes is certainly a great choice for beginners as he's quote friendly and doesn't quite have Apollo's BPD-coded RSD however Hermes isn't to be taken lightly either.

One notable example

He's a trickster deity and rather amoral at that because his roles simply can't be held back by traditional morals.

I'll note here that our modern morals also don't entirely align with the societal standards of the past, which is why extra care is needed with establishing boundaries and also judging their actions through a modern lense.

This is touched upon in a decent post about rape in Greek mythology

I will also add that Apollo and Hermes just ignored the concept of consent to create this Olympus-level Maury Povich paternity test eposode event of conceiving twins together to the same woman...

Personally, Hermes became my patron deity after appearing to me as other deities... since he does participate in so many domains it's real easy for him to perform jobs for other gods.

However I had, for about a year, lightly worshipped him and included him in my daily prayers so after a while he revealed to me that it had been him all along and not Hekate and Hades those times I thought they were working with me.

While I am glad that you enjoy his portrayal in Lore Olympus (though he especially likes his visual appearances in the Hades games) the webcomic doesn't totally align with mythology...

Admittedly, I've not read much of the comic yet since I am trying to focus on more traditional portrayals of my deities for now (Blood of Zeus is somewhat decent) I did find it very nice that both the author of LO and myself interpreted Melinoe to be deaf/non-verbal (based on some comic panels I came across on tumblr featuring her anyway).

That said, Melinoe was thought to be conceived by Zeus disguised as Hades, something I assume isn't covered in the comic(?)

I'm particularly mindful to consume minimal to no fictional content about deities when I first become acquainted with their energies as I don't want my interpretation of their character to taint how I perceive them.

Even then I only consume such media as devotional acts to deities I already have a firm relationship with, but I do see modern adaptations as a way to gauge whether I'm interested in researching the original lore in-depth.

Should you decide to become a devotee of Hermes then please remember to establish firm boundaries and I hope that you represent Hermes well as one of his many "smol ambassadors" (his term).

Thanks for the ask!

I wish you luck on your spiritual journey and may Hermes guide you to the right path.

[seewetter]

Mythic Creatures by Region & Culture

Part 10: Other

Modern

Acarus Crossii; Caveman; Chupacabra first in Puerto Rico; Cryptid; Cryptid whale; Cyborg; Doppelgänger; Fort Manoel Ghost; Globster; Gremlin; Hammaspeikko; Holly King and Oak King; Lariosauro; Living Puppet ; Doll; Loys Ape; Ningen; Owlman is predates by Owlman from DC Comics; Phantom Cats; Red Lady; Sewer alligator; Snow Queen; Sooterkin; Springheeled Jack; The Devil Whale broad category, includes Sindbad and medieval accounts; Tree Octopus; UFO

George Luis Borges

Á Bao A Qu; Peryton

Theosophy (included for completion's sake & because sometimes artists want to make art about fucked up 19th century cults that would make Lovecraft either proud or quake with fear or both)

Root race (theosophy)

Universal (not always universal to all cultures, but these wiki entries covered too many cultures to not basically put them in a category of their own)

Death; Deity; Dema deity; Demigod; Demon ; Demons and Demon (list); Eagles in Myth; Elf ; Elfs, Elves; Fairy ; Fairies; Fairy Queen; Ghost; Giant; Green Man; Hellhound; Lake Monster; Lynx; Mermaid and Merwomen; Merman; Mummy ; Mummies; Night Hag; Nightmare; Ogre; Poltergeist; Sack Man; Sea Monster; Sea Serpent; Shadow Person; Skeleton; Snake_Worship; Spirit spouse; Spirit ; Spirits; St. Elmo's Fire; Trickster ; Tricksters; Vampire; Vampire folklore worldwide; Werecat; White Lady ; White Ladies (ghost); Will-o'-wisp; Winged cat; Winged lion; Witch

Entries not on Wikipedia

Frau Holunder; Frohn; Frost Giant; Fuddittu; Fuglietti; Fujettu; Fuochi Fatui; Füttermännchen;

Ga-gorib; Ghostly Rider; Glucksmännchen; Goblin-Groom; Gommes; Good Folk; Good Neighbors from the Sunset Land; Gotwergi; Grandinili; Grey Alien; Grey Man; Grigs; Groac'h Vor; Guerrionets; Guriuz; Guter Johann; Gwarchells; Gwaryn-a-Throt; Gwazig-Gan;

Haaf-Fish; Hadas; Hags; Häkelmänner; Hakenmann; Ham; Härdmandlene; Haugbui; Hausbock; Havfrue; Havmand; Hayyot; He-Mann; He-Männer; Heerwische; Heidenmanndli; Heidenweibchen; Heinzelmann; Heinzlin; Heinzlin; Hejkadlo; Hemann; Herdweibchen; Herne the Hunter; Hidden Folk; Hille Bingels; Hillmen; Hitte-Hatte; Hob-and-his-Lanthorn; Hob-Gob; Hob-Thrush Hob; Hoihoimann; Homme de Bouc; Hommes Cornus; Hongatar; Hooters; Hopfenhütel; Houggä-Ma; Houpoux; Hsigo missspelling of Xiao; Hüamann; Huckepoten; Hulde Folk; Huldre Folk; Hulte; Husbuk; Hütchen; Hutzelmann; Hyldeqvind; Hyter Sprites;

Ice Mannikins; Ice Queen; Ignis Fatuus; Intulo; Irrbloss; Irrlichter; Iskrzycki; Jack o'Lanthorn; Iaculi;

Jashtesmé; Jean de la Bolieta; Jeannot; Jezinky; Jinnalaluo; Joan-in-the-Wad; Jolabukkar; Jüdel; Judys; Juggernaut; Julbuk;

Kållråden; Karlá; Katajatar; Kaukas; Kepetz; Kerions; Kielkropf; Killcrops; Kit-with-the-Canstick; Klaubauf; Klopferle; Knockerlings; Knocky Boh; Korandon; Korn-Kater; Kornikaned; Kourils; Koutsodaimonas; Krosnyata; Kyrkogrimm;

L'Homme Velu; Lachesis; Le Criard; Le Patre; Le Rudge-Pula; Lebraude; Leipreachán; Lešni Mužove; Lešni Pany; Löfviska; Lohjungfern; Lord Nann; Lord of the Forest; Lord of the Mountains; Lorggen; Lörggen; Loumerottes; Luchtenmannekens; Lundjungfrur; Lupeux; Lurican; Lurigadaun; Lurikeen; Lygte Men; Lyktgubbe; Lysgubbar;

Maćić see Massarioli; Maciew; Macinghe; Maemaeler; Maere; Mahjas Kungs; Maighdean Mara; Malienitza; Mamalić see Massarioli; Mamucca; Mantellioni; Mara Daoine; Mara-Warra; Marantule; Maratega; Mara-Warra; Margot-la-Fée; Markopolen; Martes; Marui; Master Hammerlings; Master Johannes; Mazapegolo; Mazzamarelle; Mazzamerieddu; Meerminnen; Meerweiber; Melch Dick; Merry Dancers; Meryons; Metten; Miodrag; Miri; Moine Trompeur; Monachetto; Monachicchio; Monoloke; Mora; Morgans; Moswyfjes; Mother's Blessing; Mountain Monks; Muse; Mützchen;

Nachtmännle; Nachtmart; Näcken; Näkku; Napfhans; Natrou-Monsieur; Necker; Neckers; Necks; Niägruisar; Nick-Nocker; Nickel; Night Folk; Nikkisen; Nikkur; Nimble Men; Nion Nelou; Nip the Napper; Nisken; Nissen god Dreng; Nörglein; Nörke; Nörkele;

Oaraunle; One with the White Hand; Onnerbänkissen; Orchi; Orculi; Orculli; Otterbahnkin; Owd Lad; Oxions;

Painajainen; Pandafeche; Panes; Pantegane; Pantegani; Para; Parcae (Moerae); Parzae (Moerae); Pechmanderln; Penette; Persévay; Petit Jeannot; Petty Fairie; Phooka; Pilwiz; Pingel; Piskies; Pitzln; Poludnitsy; Poppele; Poulpikans; Povoduji; Powries; Preinscheuhen; Pulter Klaes; Pumphut; Pundacciú; Purzinigele; Puschkait; Putzen; Puu-Halijad; Pysslinger-Folk;

Quaeldrytterinde; Queen of Elfland; Queen of Sirens; Querxe;

Redcombs; Rhagana; Rhiwallon; River Men; Roane; Robin Goodfellow; Robin Round Cap; Robot; Rododesa; Roggenmuhme; Rojenice; Rôpenkerl; Roughby; Rukh; Salbanelli;

Samovila ; Samovily; Sarván; Sauvageons; Scazzamurieddu; Schacht-Zwerge; Schlorchel; Schneefräulein; Schrätteli; Schrecksele; Seefräulein (Gwagged Annwn); Servant (Serván); Shishimora; Shopiltee; Sibille; Sileni; Silvane; Silvani; Skogsjungfru; Skogsnufvar; Skogsråt; Skougman; Skovmann; Skulld; Söedouen; Söetrolde; Soeurettes; Soltrait; Sotret; Souffle; Spunkies; Stendel; Stoicheioi; Strashila; Straszyldlo; Stroke Lad; Strömkarl; Sumascazzo; Swetylko;

Tan Noz; Tangye; Teuz; The Lovers; Thomas Boudic; Thumblings; Thusser; Tiddy Ones; Toggeli; Tom-Tit; Tomtevätte; Tomtrå; Tontuu; Trois Marks (Moerae); Tsmok; Tuometar; Unners-Boes-Thi;

Unterengadin; Untüeg; Urisk;

Vairies; Vardivil; Vardögl; Vardöiel; Vardygr; Vattar; Vihans; Vilenaci; Vileniki; Vili Čestitice; Vivani; Vivene; Vodni Moz; Vouivre; Vrukodlak; Vyatka;

Waalrüter; Wag at the Wa'; Waldweibchen; Waldzwerge; Watermöme; Wechselbalg; Wicht; Willy Rua; Witte Wijven (Moerae); Wives of Rica; Wolterken; Wood Folk; Wood Maidens; Wood Men; Wood Trolls; Wood Women;

Yarthkins; Yarupari;

Zinselmännchen; Ztrazhnik; Zuibotschnik