#olive bough

[incorrect-ionians]

Marius: Tag what you’re majoring in or intend on majoring in.

Kagami: Respecting women.

Buddy: Batman.

Zugg: Minecraft.

Chax: YouTube.

Ares: In the tags, guys.

Felsic: Fuckin' weed.

Ribeye: W

Logan: Criminal justice and psychology.

Piper: I’m terrified that I’ll lock myself into an interest that I’ll no longer be passionate about in a few years like all the other areas of study that I’ve pursued over my life.

Olive: Minecraft.

Gareth: Minecraft as well.

[benmillerfanblog]

Johnny English

The Coronation Scene

[apoemaday]

The Owl Who Comes

by Mary Oliver

The owl who comes through the dark to sit in the black boughs of the apple tree

and stare down the hook of his beak, dead silent, and his eyes,

like two moons in the distance, soft and shining under their heavy lashes --

like the most beautiful life -- is thinking of nothing as he watches

and waits to see what might appear, briskly, out of the seamless,

deep winter -- out of the teeming world below -- and if I wish the owl luck,

and I do, what am I wishing for that other soft life, climbing through the snow?

What we must do, I suppose is to hope the world keeps its balance:

what we are to do, however, with our hearts waiting and watching -- truly I do not know.

[librarycards]

I enjoy many poets whose work I’d call “warm.” I love Billy Collins and Mary Oliver, for example, but I would not depend on them to tell me their whole truth. They prefer, perhaps, to please me, to wish me well, to enable me. There is a place for them on my shelves. After a hard day, tired in the evening, I will reach for them. But they don’t give me that shuddering thrill. They do not, like certain close friends of mine, stop me mid-sentence to challenge the bullshit I’ve been speaking. They do not lock eyes with me and tell me what’s really on their mind. They will never change my life. [...] Cold art, when it enacts the moment of death over and over, isn’t interested in death in itself, but wants to remind us of death. We are, as at a funeral, not the corpse but the attendees. The life force still surges within us. Cold art doesn’t urge us toward nihilism, but reminds us to live now, to get things done, that we are vital. This is the wisdom of it. Without such reminders we risk becoming fools, like Lear. Cold art is not harmful or bad at all, but provides a useful counterpoint to “happiness” in our society, which is severely overemphasized. Our existence naturally oscillates between warm and cold. This oscillation must be allowed, or the pendulum will break. When that deep cold is invoked—in a poem, a song, a painting, a voice on the subway—the windless ice forest wakes within me. And it’s in me always, the cold. The spiritual, psychic cold. While driving my motorcycle through the potholed streets of Philadelphia, while leading a poetry workshop, while chatting to my mother, while eating dinner, while watching Netflix with Tiina. That cold forest, its myriad frozen boughs, bristles within me.

John Wall Barger, In the Cold Theatre of the Poem.

[emphasis added]

[littlemisspascal]

New Writers added to The Pedro Library 🐼

@wrathkitty @perotovar

New Works Added ✨

Many fics aren’t appearing in the tags when searching. If I miss yours, please let me know 💗 Or add me to your taglist cuz I love being tagged 😊

As always, if you would like me to remove your work from the rec list, please let know and I’ll remove them asap 😊

@javier-pena Javier The Hostage

@janaispunk Javier Like Snow on the Beach

@morallyinept Whiskey Glorification / Joel Endure and Survive / Pero Tovar’s Treats

@penvisions Whiskey By the Firelight

@beskarandblasters Frankie Storm Surge / Joel Help Wanted / Oberyn Doves in the Wind 

@undercoverpena Frankie Sunrise / Joel Don’t Move, Honey / Lucien Met You Once, Saw You Thrice

@inept-the-magnificent Frankie Tagged and Bagged

@joelalorian Frankie Beneath the Silent Boughs, Whispers of Danger Flow 

@burntheedges Frankie Do You Feel It Too?

@prolix-yuy Frankie Olive Branch

@swiftispunk Joel Didn’t Catch My Bloody Nose

@alwaysmicado Joel Pretty Eyes + Two Hearts, One Bond

@mermaidgirl30 Joel Pulled by the Scarlet Reins

@frenchiereading Joel Wedding in the Apocalypse 

@criticallyacclaimedstranger Joel My Place or Yours?

@milla-frenchy Joel A Summer with the Millers / Javier And All That Could Have Been

@aurorawritestoescape Joel I Know Better Than To Call You Mine

@stylesispunk Joel You gave me something to lose’

@joelscruff Joel Imperfect For You

@eff4freddie Joel After She Left 

@ozarkthedog Joel Video Games

@alltheirdamn Joel Give Me Tonight

@wardenparker @absurdthirst Marcus M “I’ll protect you”

@pedrito-friskito Marcus P Fortnight

@absurdthirst @storiesofthefandomlovers Maxwell Pretty Woman

@wildemaven Tim Confessions 

@psychedelic-ink Dieter Eat Me 

@missredherring Dieter No Solo Riders

@eupheme Dieter Cabin Down Below

@flightlessangelwings Din A Perfect Day 

@mellowswriting Din New Perspective

@lady-of-glass-and-bone Din Sway The Stars Which Dazzle Like Pearls 

@nerdieforpedro Pero Fire and Fury

[defjux]

64 of my favorite Hip Hop releases of 2024 Anything outside of the top 20-30 the order doesn't really matter much, but I think all of these releases are dope and worth your time. I'll post another list soon with the rest of my favorite albums from this year in other genres, but the hip hop list is tradition for me at this point. Hopefully there's something new here for you to enjoy. I'm sure there's a few releases that went under the radar for me, so if anyone has suggestions i'm all ears. As always, the album titles below will have the bandcamp link/spotify url as a hyperlink if either are available. Oh yeah, feel free to let me know what your favorite albums of the year were, i'd like to know - any genre, it doesn't have to just be hip hop. Peace. Chart with Album Titles included

1. ELUCID - REVELATOR 2. Ka - The Thief Next To Jesus 3. AKAI SOLO - DREAMDROPDRAGON 4. Mach-Hammy - #RICHAXXHAITIAN 5. Cavalier - Different Type Time 6. The Fortunate Ones (Anwar HighSigh & Dr. Quandary) - RESIN 7. Armand Hammer - BLK LBL 8. Kenny Segal & K-The-I??? - Genuine Dexterity 9. ShrapKnel - Nobody Planning To Leave 10. Sunmundi & klwn cat - Lived and Born 11. Nakama - EMBERGO_ 12. Lee Scott - To Tame A Dead Horse 13. Dead Players - Faster Than the Speed of Death 14. Oliver The 2nd & Heather Grey - Desert Camo 15. Navy Blue - Memoirs in Armour 16. Nuse Tyrant - Juxtaposed Echoes 17. Phiik & Lungs - Carrot Season 18. Nickelus F - MMCHT 19. DJ Muggs & Raz Fresco - The Eternal Now 20. Joshua Virtue - Black Box: JOSHUA IS DEAD

21. Duncecap & Steel Tipped Dove - The Need To Know 22. Jak Tripper - The Wild Dark 23. Mary Sue - Voice Memos From A Winter In China 24. Midnight Sons - Money Has No Owners 25. Revival Season - Golden Age Of Self Snitching 26. JPEGMAFIA - I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU 27. Boldy James & Conductor Williams - Across The Tracks 28. Sasco - The Hottest Year on Record 29. yungmorpheus - WAKING UP AND CHOOSING VIOLENCE 30. Hester Valentine - Valenta 31. Deca & Deal. - Bough 32. Serengeti - KDIV 33. Mavi - Shadowbox 34. cunabear - What Dollar$ Can't Buy You 35. Rap Man Gavin & postureless - Memories, Dreams, Reflections 36. Sadistik & Maulskull - Oblivion Theater 37. Oddisee - And Yet Still 38. Roc Marciano - MARCIOLOGY 39. Noveliss & Hir-O - Cyberpunk Rhapsody 40. Tyler, the Creator - Chromakopia 41. Rich Jones & SINAI. - Sour Dub 42. Freddie Gibbs - You Only Die 1nce 43. Vince Staples - Dark Times 44. Javi Darko - DEATH OF AN IMMORTAL 45. bromethugzine - THUG ZINE issue 002: WORLD-SPIRIT 46. Teller Bank$ & Ed Glorious - The Pride & Glory 47. Nxworries - WHY LAWD? 48. Cavalier & Quelle Chris - Death Tape 2 49. R.A.P. Ferreira - The First Fist to Make Contact When We Dap 50. Lupe Fiasco - Samurai 51. Lt Headtrip X Bloodmoney Perez - EMBLEMS 52. Chuck Strangers - A Forsaken Lover's Plea 53. Daniel Son & Futurewave - BUSHMAN BODEGA 54. MIKE & Tony Seltzer - Pinball 55. Kendrick Lamar - GNX 56. Estee Nack - SYSTEMATICALLY WE WERE NEVER FREE 57. Ja'king the Divine - Children of the Scorned 58. Big Flowers x Messiah Musik - Save The Bees 59. Shape - Midnight Geometry 60. Sleep Sinatra & bloomcycle - Memory(ummm…) 61. Skyzoo - Keep Me Company 62. Common & Pete Rock - The Auditorium, Vol. 1 63. NAHreally & The Expert - BLIP 64. IMP - Idle Hands

[superscrub323]

A thought occurs to me about Nike and Ares.

For those who don't know Nike is a minor Goddess of War and Victory, well minor is a stretch considering she helped lead Zeus to victory against the Titans, and in one Homeric hymn is described as a daughter of Ares*.

Now granted most people more or less disregard that and write her as part of the Pallas and Styx Quartet. BUT what is true is that she often works with Ares and seems to have no issue occasionally working with him** and beyond being on the same side in the Typhon and Giant War hasn't worked with Athena beyond giving her Athens in that contest with Poseidon.***

Which in turn makes me think of the idea of Athena wondering why the Winged Goddess of Victory would want to be anywhere near Ares when she can be with a dignified Goddess of War...and it cuts to Ares in his kickass metal palace with Nike and Enyo having an arm wrestling competition with Eris cheering on her GF Enyo and Ares and the Horror Twins partying and drinking divine wine before all of them getting laid as much as godly possible with as many willing mortals and nymphs as possible because it turns out the Goddess of Victory also likes to CELEBRATE her victories and finds Athena to be boring once the job is done.

Which considering Nike has been compared to Athena**** it really does say something that Nike would rather hang out with Ares rather than Athena.

*Homeric Hymn 8 to Ares 4 (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th - 4th B.C.) :

"[Ares] father of warlike (eupolemos) Nike, ally of Themis."

** Simonides, Fragment 15 (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric III) (Greek lyric C6th to 5th B.C.) :

"The Greeks, having driven out the Persians by the might of Nike (Victory) and the work of Ares (War)."

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 2. 414 ff :

"[In the battle between Zeus and Typhoeus :] Nike (Victory) lifted her shield and held it before Zeus : Enyo countered with a shout, and Ares made a din."

*** Ovid, Metamorphoses 6. 82 (trans. Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :

"[In the contest between Athena and Poseidon for the dominion of Athens :] She shows an olive tree, springing pale-green with berries on the boughs; the gods admire; Victoria (Victory) [Nike] ends the work."

**** Suidas s.v. Nike Athena (trans. Suda On Line) (Byzantine Greek Lexicon C10th A.D.) :

"Nike Athena : Alternatively [she stands] allegorically for the notion that even winning is completely dependent on thought; for thought contributes to victory, but being thoughtless and impetuous while fighting leads to defeat. When she has wings she symbolizes that aspect of the mind that is sharp and, so to speak, swift-winged; but when she is depicted without wings she represents that aspect of it that is peaceful and quiet and civil, that by which the things of the earth flourish, a boon of which the pomegranate in her right hand is a representation. Just as the helmet in her left [is a representation] of battle. Thus she has the same capability as Athena."

[queen-penelope-of-ithaca]

Olives are bitter at first

Inedible

Plucked straight from the bough of a tree,

You shan't eat them,

Lest you wish for an unpleasant surprise

I learned the hard way

Olives in hand

Under a tree, swaying over the land

He was in the branches

I was in the roots

"Why do we soak these in water for a week, when we could eat them from the tree?"

I ponder

You look down

"I dunno."

You look back at the stars

I shrug

I bite down

And then I know

The tounge-curdling taste

The bitter flavor

I spit them back out

You laugh

There is no malice in that laugh

I laugh with you

I never ate one fresh again-

But I looked at those Olives

With a fond kind of respect

You'd never let me live it down

I know

But I looked at you with that same fondness, too

Mem poem about me and @king-odysseus-of-ithaca

- Penelope

[ruknowhere]

“None of your knowledge, your reading, your connections will be of any use here: two legs suffice, and big eyes to see with. Walk alone, across mountains or through forests. You are nobody to the hills or the thick boughs heavy with greenery. You are no longer a role, or a status, not even an individual, but a body, a body that feels sharp stones on the paths, the caress of long grass and the freshness of the wind. When you walk, the world has neither present nor future: nothing but the cycle of mornings and evenings. Always the same thing to do all day: walk. But the walker who marvels while walking (the blue of the rocks in a July evening light, the silvery green of olive leaves at noon, the violet morning hills) has no past, no plans, no experience. He has within him the eternal child. While walking I am but a simple gaze.”

Frédéric Gros - A Philosophy of Walking.

Boris Shcherbakov - Towards Evening, Lake Malenec, 1978.

source: Ravenous Butterflies

[incorrect-ionians]

Olive: All classification systems are ultimately arbitrary because no matter how objective we try to be, our attempts at categorizing the world are fundamentally rooted in the values we hold.

Olive: Which brings me to my next point about horses being reptiles due to Vibes.

[is-the-thing-actually-jewish]

Okay i saw your answer on etrogs so it made me wonder: etrog vs rimon, which is more Jewish?? (I’m not actually invested in a definite answer, but I’m VERY invested in the debate)

Rating: HERE’S THE DEBATE YOU WANTED 

Answering this question necessarily requires a working definition of what makes something “more” or “less” Jewish, and what that definition is results in several different answers with their corresponding justifications. Does “more Jewish” mean “more important to Judaism religiously”? Or “more important to Jewish culture?” Or “belonging uniquely to Jews as opposed to any other enthno-religious group?” So, here goes: 

More religiously important: ETROG. The etrog, also known as the citron, is one of the four species critical to the celebration of the Festival of Sukkot. Leviticus 23:40 commands that “on the first day [of Sukkot] you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before your God seven days.” “Hadar” translates to “splendor” or “beauty” and is traditionally read to refer to the etrog tree. Interestingly, the Jerusalem Talmud suggests the possibility that “hadar tree” could refer to pomegranates before dismissing it, as the pomegranate has a “beautiful fruit but not beautiful wood,” (or possibly vice versa, scribal texts disagree), whereas the etrog has both beautiful fruit and beautiful wood, along a beautiful scent. (Jerusalem Talmud Sukkah 3:5:2). All that aside, there is mitzvah d’orieta (a religious obligation directly from the Torah, as opposed to an obligation established by the rabbis, a mitzvah d’rabbanan) that requires the use of the etrog, whereas all religious use of the pomegranate, such as at a Tu B’shvat Seder or as a siman on Rosh HaShanah, have merely the force of minhag (religious custom, not law). 

More important to Jewish culture: RIMON. Pomegranates feature in a huge amount of Jewish art, especially as decoration on pretty much any Jewish ritual item. You can find them on everything from ketubot (marriage contracts) to hanukkiot (hanukkah menorahs). I’ve seen pomegranate tallitot, pomegranate mezuzot, pomegranate tzedakah boxes, etc. Personally, in my house, we have four different pomegranate mezuzot, a pomegranate hand-washing cup for ritual handwashing, pomegranate candlesticks, a pomegranate kiddush cup, and, ironically enough, an etrog box decorated with— you guessed it— pomegranates. (I also have pomegranate earrings and pomegranate socks, thank you fiance) (At the time of this writing, this blog is also a Jewish thing decorated with pomegranates). A search for “pomegranate” on Judaica.com offers 197 results, whereas a search for “etrog” turns up 4 actual lulav and etrog sets, plus 13 decorative boxes designed to safely hold one’s etrog during sukkot and not as decoration at all. 

Pomegranates are one of the seven species biblically associated with the land of Israel, along with wheat, barley, grapes, fig, olives, and dates (Deuteronomy 8:8)-- a list that does not include etrogim. They are also an important motif throughout Shir haShirim (Song of Songs), in which the lovers frequently compare each other’s beauty to that of a pomegranate. Pomegranates symbolize beauty, fertility, fecundity, mitzvot, and merit, as in the annual Rosh HaShanah wish that “our merits be as plentiful as the seeds of the pomegranate.” A common (though inaccurate) bit of folk wisdom gives the number of seeds in a pomegranate as 613, one for each of the commandments given in the Torah. 

In a particularly entertaining digression in the Talmud (Bava Metzia 8a) in which the rabbis are comparing their physical attributes (yes, this means exactly what you think it does), the narrative voice pauses to explain that if you want to understand just how unbelievably gorgeous Rabbi Yochanan was, you should take a “silver goblet from the smithy and fill it with red pomegranate seeds and place a diadem of red roses upon the lip of the goblet, and position it between the sunlight and shade. That luster is a semblance of Rabbi Yoḥanan’s beauty.” Does this really support my thesis? As minor evidence at most, but I will seize any opportunity to share that description. 

Meanwhile, the etrog does not appear as a symbol or decoration in and of itself, only in the context of Sukkot and the other three Sukkot species. You may indeed see an etrog on the Torah curtain in Tishrei or in a panel of stained glass in the synagogue… but you’ll only know it’s an etrog because it has the lulav right next to it, generally as part of an array of holiday-related symbols. (I do, in fact, also own an etrog earring, but just the one— the other one is a lulav, thank you sibling.) There are a plethora of midrashim on what exactly the etrog symbolizes, but always as part of a set. For example, it’s often associated with the heart, to go along with the palm frond’s spine, the myrtle’s mouth, and the willow’s eye. As my fiance put it, “If you see a pomegranate on something, there’s a decent chance it’s Jewish. But without the lulav, an etrog just looks like a lemon, and there’s nothing particularly Jewish about lemons.” 

Belonging Uniquely to Jews: ETROG. The citron is widely agreed to be one of three “true” members of the citrus family, along with the mandarin and pomelo, with all others the results of hybridization. Archeological and primary-document research confirms that the citron originated in eastern India and southern China, and was found in Sumerian ruins dating from more than six thousand years ago. It is referenced in the Vajasaneiy Samhita, a compilation of Vedic religion texts, called Yajur-Veda (ca. 1200-1000 B.C.E), and early Greek and Latin writers describe the citron clearly, mentioning its use as an antidote to poisons and a way to ward off moths from one’s clothes.* However, a 2015 study found evidence that the diffusion of the citron throughout southern Italy and the surrounding region dated to the destruction of the Second Temple and subsequent Jewish diaspora. The study concludes that their results “evidence the special role played by Jews in the spread of the citron as the authentic sacred fruit used in their Tabernacles ritual.”* It is worth noting that there is a variety of citron known as “Buddha’s Hand” that may be used as offerings in Buddhist temples, but it looks so dramatically different from what we know as an etrog as to be a different item entirely (and, indeed, multiple rabbis have ruled that it should not be used for fulfilling the mitzvah). Thus, the etrog is inextricably and uniquely linked to Jews. 

On the other side of the debate, pomegranates appear frequently in art, stories, and cultural artifacts throughout the world, particularly in the Middle and Near East. These stories range from the Ancient Greek myth of Hades and Persophone, whose consumption of pomegranate seeds kept her in the underworld for the winter each year, to a Buddhist legend of a child-eating/stealing demoness whom the Buddha convinced to only eat pomegranates and become a patron goddess of children.  Greece, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, among others, consider the pomegranate to be one of their important symbols. Traditions regarding pomegranates abound, including a Greek custom of smashing a pomegranate on the new year for good luck. They are widely considered a symbol of fertility, abundance, and good luck, similarly to their symbolism in Judaism. In short, while Jews are very into pomegranates, so are a lot of other cultures. 

*Gina Maruca, et al. “Religious and cultural significance of the citron (citrus medica L. ‘diamante’) from Calabria (South Italy): A biblical fruit of the mediterranean land.” Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering A, vol. 4, no. 4, 28 Apr. 2015, https://doi.org/10.17265/2162-5298/2015.04.006.

[clouseplayssims]

So, sim holidays.

I sat down and really focused on my mega list of things to do and implement in Edirann, and one of the bigger chunks was a functional holiday system. I plan on the general holidays being based on a mix of real holidays and sims-canon holidays, which are below the cut, and I'll be using this mod as my baseline.

But it did make me remember that I'd like religion traits, potentially with holidays of their own. My question there would be: is it possible for a trait (item in inventory essentially) to trigger pop ups at all? Like "It's x, time to begin morning prayer." etc.

Anyway, time for my rough drafts for holidays!

WINTER ---The Purge First Day of Winter Celebrate in home.

Clean all objects, place brooms outside every door, reset fields for spring. Said to purify the home and keep Our Lady of the Glitch at bay. In the evening set lighted candles at the front door.

---Winterfest ? Celebrate in home.

Sims should decorate their home, put up a traditional Winterfest tree in their front yard, and have a holiday meal. The king provides 1 butcher parcel of duck to all indentured and peasant families.

---Snow Flake Day & Bonfire Night Last Day of Winter Celebrate in home, the fields, festival grounds, and feasting grounds.

Give gifts to friends, neighbors, and family - apples, wheat and oranges favored. The king will also provide gifts. Ice skating, snow activities. Followers of Zeus should make promises for accomplishments for the year to come. Bonfires in the fields. Toast tress and crops with spiced cider. Decorate the home with evergreen boughs. Hang mistletoe above main door - it will also be hung in public spaces. Chop down tree on land and burn in small ceremony (yule log) with the mantle decorated with evergreen and dusted with flour. Keep fire going for 2 days. Common to set out gold pillar candles, wreaths, holly, poinsettias. Feasting grounds serves all who attend a turkey dinner and dessert.

SPRING ---Feast of Fools First Day of Spring Celebrate in the festival grounds.

A child sim is randomly selected as King For A Day.

---Love Day Third Day of Spring Celebrate in the field, festival grounds, and feasting grounds.

Traditional day to celebrate courtship and romance, as well as fertility and the first bloom of spring crops. Sims should send love letters, go on dates, and kiss under the mistletoe. Dancing is common, and a lucky woman will be crowned the Queen of Love & Beauty and hand out prizes. It's good luck to gather flowers on this day.

*Followers of St. Persephone should visit the grounds in hopes of creating a Luck Baby.

*Followers of Mara often marry on this day or propose. A child born on this day is considered a blessing from Mara.

---Flower Day ? Celebrate in festival grounds and feasting grounds.

A celebration of fertility and motherhood. All ladies wear flower crowns and hunt for colorful eggs. Men are expected to try and catch a live rabbit to bring good luck to their homes, presenting the rabbit to a sweetheart is considered the highest of regard. Stay up until midnight dancing and drinking around the maypole. Sims should also wake early the next morning to watch the sun rise. ( Traditional foods of the season include leafy green vegetables, dairy foods, nuts such as pumpkin, sunflower and pine, flower dishes, sprouts. Herbs and flowers of the season include daffodil, jonquils, woodruff, violet, gorse, olive, peony, iris, narcissus and all other spring flowers.)

SUMMER

---Leisure Day ? Celebrate at home.

Sims are to do no work on this day. They should spend the day relaxing, swimming, or exploring the festival ground. Many games are played on this day and the king awards ribbons and prizes to the winners of multiples tournaments like log rolling and axe throwing.

---Stendarr & Artemis Festival ? Celebrate at home.

Sims should do their best to earn a skill point or learn something new. Acts of charity are encouraged. This is the day before the first harvest and it is tradition to bake barley loaf on this day to eat.

---Humble Day ? Celebrate in festival grounds and feasting grounds.

The bones of St. Humble are moved to the festival grounds and displayed where they can be touched for luck before being returned to the shrine. (The custom of placing a cabbage on the doorstep of girls who had behaved imprudently through the year was a more novel method of social control. Regardless of the care they may have undertaken with their flirtations and indiscretions, they were surely to be found out on Mayday.) Foods traditionally served at this time include apples, grapes, crab-apples, pears, grains, breads and berries. Herbs and flowers favoured for the celebration include all grains, heather, blackberries and sloe.

FALL ---Harvestfest ? Celebrate in home and in fields.

Farming sims should take in their first harvest on this date. Other sims can symbolicly harvest in the royal fields. Cook a large family meal that all sims sit down and eat together. Socialize with friends and family. ( The Druids call this celebration Mea'n Fo'mhair and honor the The Green Man, the God of the Forest, by offering ciders, wines, herbs and fertilizer to trees. Symbols of Mabon include wine, gourds, pine cones, acorns, grains, corn, apples, pomegranates, ivy vines, dried seeds, tobacco, and horns of plenty. Herbs and foods associated with Mabon include acorns, benzoin, ferns, grains, honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed, myrrh, passionflower, rose, sage, Solomon's seal, thistle, vegetables, breads, nuts, apples, pomegranates, potatoes, carrots, and onions. )

*Followers of Kynareth sacrifice a small animal to the goddess.

---Spooky Day ? Celebrate in the home, field, festival grounds, and feasting grounds.

Sims should put out treats for friends and neighbors, paint faces with skull paint, and honor their dead. ( Bonfires were lit and fortune-telling were popular activities. Mask wearing was also part of the celebrations. The festivities were similar to those of Carnival, just before Lent, though on a smaller scale. There was much feasting, drinking and playing of games, as well as story telling and sometimes, plays. Cock fights, pig baiting and sport events such as racing, leaping or wrestling were other favourite activities. Food was plentiful right after the harvest. Meat, from the autumn slaughter of those animals that it was not possible to house and feed over winter, could be salted or smoked to preserve it, but sausages and other foods made from offal would not last long. They had to be consumed fairly quickly before they spoiled. It also was the day that marked the end of old contracts. Hired help moved on to new positions and there were farewell and welcoming banquets for them and the new staff.)

*Followers of Kynareth sacrifice a small animal to the goddess.

---Festival of Talos ? Celebrate in the field, festival grounds, and feasting grounds.

A large tournament is held and the best swordsman, archer, and fighter are provided places of honor at the feast and prizes from the king. ( This feast marked the sowing of wheat, the brewing of ales for winter and the preparations for the winter season. The feast of St. Michael and All Angels or Michaelmas fell about the time of the autumnal equinox. His feast was celebrated with a traditional well-fattened goose which had fed well on the stubble of the fields after the harvest. In many places, there was also a tradition of special large loaves of bread.)

LOCATIONS Festival Grounds Fields Feasting Grounds Humble Shrine

[thebitetheapple]

...Oliver misses him. Oliver wishes he could have been there when he won big at the poker game and took the ‘old boys’ for a twelve-hour lunch to a local trattoria. Oliver can’t wait to kiss him and fuck him and hold him in bed until the sun rises and the low hanging boughs, heavy with apricots, glisten with early morning dew. Oliver loves him...

Link here

#OLEEVER

[katzkinder]

I'm curious, do you know who the other soulmates are grouped up in that au?

In regards to this fic

I do! For some at least. Stupidly, I didn’t write all the combinations down, so this is what I remember and managed to scrounge from searching chat logs. I also have their flower combinations all set to go, and some of the placements as well

So, a couple things to get out of the way before I go further. My soulmate au plays with a few different concepts, one of which being that your soulmate isn’t necessarily the person that’s best for you, or a romantic interest. That your soulmate can in fact be someone who is objectively bad for you

This is the case with Touma and Tsurugi, who sport bird of paradise (Touma’s flower) and white camellia (Tsurugi’s) Tsurugi’s mark of placed on his calf so it’s difficult to make out because of Higan’s little “painting” he did. Touma’s is on his back in a spot that’s difficult to see without a mirror. Easily perceived by others but not himself. I chose the white camellia for Tsurugi because it means “waiting” and the bird of paradise for Touma because not only would he hate it, his symbolic animal is the peacock!

Higan and Licht are another pair like that (red spider lily and lily of the valley) Licht’s is on the inner wrist of his left arm (astute readers might notice this is the arm Jeje shot) usually covered by the sleeve of his hoodie. Higan’s is on the back of his left hand, usually covered by his gloves.

Tsurugi’s soulmate is Touma, but he chooses his friends

Licht’s soulmate is Higan, but he rebels against ‘destiny’ and chooses Lawless to be his shadow

Misono and Lily are another duo, white rose and white lily. Misono’s is on the bottom of his foot, while Lily’s is on his stomach

I don’t remember where I placed Gear’s but I do remember that he and youtarou have lupine and cotton, and that Youtarou’s is on the back of his neck.

Lawless has his on his tongue, olive and clover, while Ophelia’s is in the hollow of her collarbone. His literal one and only.

Jeje’s is on his cheek and Mikuni’s is on the left side of his rib cage, just under his heart, the place you’d choose to slip a blade between someone’s ribs. Red anemone and yellow roses choked with thorns.

Kuro is the third flower for Mahiru, of course! Ash blossom. His mark is on his hip, a place Mahiru wouldn’t really be looking lol

Okay but I love how much this would mess with a lot of the way the world works though.

Like if you’re an adult and you meet your soulmate as a child, like Jeje would have, there’s definitely an undercurrent of prejudice against that, no matter how the relationship goes. Of course Jeje’s immortal so he doesn’t give a shit, and neither does Gear, but he did have to triple take when he saw Youtarou’s cotton puffs with curved boughs of Lupine framing it on the back of his neck after the little brat managed to find his home

“... You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Like the “proper” thing to do would be limit contact with your soulmate as much as possible until they’re a more appropriate age, but what if you’re a teacher and it’s one of your students? Does the student have to transfer out? Be moved to a different class?

What if you find your soulmate through them being on the news for murder? What then? People faking their marks to try and get with celebrities, illegal operations to alter them, the view of relationships outside your soulmate as “lesser” or “doomed to fail”

Siblings being born with matching marks, especially twins like Yully and Mary

Mikuni sees the mark on the bottom of his baby brother’s foot and knows instantly All of Love will not be his partner.

Misono giggles and gurgles while Mikuni beams at him, already so in love from the very first meeting.

“Congratulations, Misono! ○○○ is the best, you know? He’s really nice, and he knows lots of different things, and he’s super fun to pull pranks on! He’ll always protect you... Just like me~!”

[ciginatree]

Olive Bough

Grim reaper/death!Chris Motionless x unnamed, gender neutral character

Content Warnings: language, abuse, domestic violence, death, angst, alcoholism

Word Count: 2.4k

Author's Note: PLEASE READ THIS: I really debated writing this story at all, let alone posting it. It's based heavily on a poem I wrote in college, which is one of my favorite pieces of media I've written. The way death (Chris) is portrayed in this is also heavily inspired by The Book Thief. This is a lot darker than any other fic I've written so far, but I really felt like I should write it. I don't even feel like I did the idea justice, but who knows. Y'all are seeing a piece of my soul with this one. <3

This story is a complete work of fiction portraying the likeness of a real person or persons in a fictional situation.

The day had an air of finality to it. The kind of day where you can’t really picture another one coming, but you can’t place why. A solemnity, I suppose. I had just clocked off from work, waiting for the bus. The sun was low in the sky, melting off the mountain line and onto my skin so it could rest. My eyes felt hollow, the skin protecting them was thin and weak much like my bones. A sharp hiss of air alerted me to the bus I hadn’t seen coming. I waited for the doors to screech open before climbing the stairs, fishing my bus pass out of my pocket as I did so. I trudge to the middle of the bus, sliding into the musty seat and leaning my head back with a heavy sigh. I look to my left and see a girl with a backpack at her feet, earbuds wedged in her ears, bobbing her head to an unknown melody. A college student. I should have a backpack at my feet, I should be running myself into the ground with theses and slideshows. I check my phone, opening my banking app to check the balance. My heart aches. Soon. I turn my head to the dusty window, everything blurring past like a zoetrope. 

Eventually, it slows and the familiar greenery of the downtown park comes into view. I stand, bracing myself on the chair in front of me as the bus jolts to a stop. I trod down the steps and onto the sidewalk, the sun barely draping over the rocky cliffs. I proceed down the crumbling path back to home. The evening breeze tangles itself in the overgrown bushes and I plug the hole in my jacket pocket with my fist before it can dance its way in. The trailer park peeks around the corner and I enter through the fence, trudging along the gravel until I travel the rotting steps of the stained white trailer home. The paint is flaking and the stair railing is armed with exposed nails. I shove my key in the lock, opening the door with a sighing creak before clicking it closed behind me. I kick my shoes off next to the mud caked boots by the door. He’s home. I take three steps before the violent sound of a door being thrown into a wall halts me. A quick current of adrenaline stabs through me and my heart is pitched into a panic, but I don’t move. Heavy footsteps thunder around the corner as a sweaty, precarious figure stumbles into the main room. 

His pace quickens and I take a short step back before being thrown into the wall next to the door. I ricochet off the surface, but a calloused forearm pins me back to it by my chest. He leans in and the smell of pungent rot and body odor permeates around him, invading my nose. As he snarls out his words, his beer belly pushes into my abdomen. 

“Where’s my fucking money?” His eyes are bloodshot, watery, and wild. I turn my head so my cheek is pressed against the wall and my eyes turn down, staring at the musty carpet. 

“I don’t know,” I mumble. A curled fist strikes a myriad of colors into the side of my head and I yelp.

“Speak the fuck up.”

“Dad, I don’t know!” The last syllable of my reply trembles as I’m shoved harder into the wall and the wall trembles with me. 

“There’s five dollars missing from that jar over there on the counter. Do you wanna tell me where it went or do you wanna keep getting smacked around like a pussy?” 

I choke on a sob. “I didn’t have enough cash for lunch I was gonna pay you back with my tips the second I got home I swear, you always-!” My rambling is cut off by a blow to my stomach and I gasp for air. His hand crushes my wrist between us and I cry out as he blows more of his intoxicated breath between his fat, stubbled lips.

“I’m fucking tired of you takin’ my shit.Takin’ my money, takin’ my space. I’ve fucking had it!” He bellows, accentuating his last sentence by hurling me around his body and back into the trailer. I stumble, feet scraping the floor and my heart plummets as I fall. I register what’s about to happen right as my head smacks the iron rim of the coffee table, then follows my body to the floor with a wet thump. 

I feel numb. Crimson tattoos my vision and I take a rattling breath. Dark gray static overtakes the blood pooling beneath my eye and narrows until all I can see is the coffee table leg in the foreground of a shit brown couch. I hear a deafening nothing in my ears as the static overtakes all of me. 

* * *

I feel cold, rigid. Like waking up on the hard floor of a tent after a chilly night of camping. I’m on my side, and it’s dark. Well, it’s more of an emptiness; like being surrounded by thick clearness. A fog, I suppose, and it has stained my vision.  My head is dazed and I start to tremble. I expect to feel my heart rate increase, but there’s nothing there. No warmth, no beating. I try to take a breath, but my lungs have vanished. My airway is empty; filled to the brim with a lead-like weight, I am permanently holding my breath. I can’t move, save for my eyes and I flick them around desperately to find anything to anchor myself to.

And there. In the distance. There’s a glow, a shadow surrounded by a fuzzy, warm yellow tinted light. It’s out of focus, but growing bigger, getting closer. A man. He comes into focus and everything about him counters the aura he portrays. His hair is long and black, matching the shade of his lipstick and color on his eyes. He has piercings decorating his lips and tattoos painting every inch of his skin. He crouches down beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder, and I can see his eyes now. They’re kind. A soft mossy brown that seems to luminate in the darkness shrouding me. 

“Shh, it’s ok now. I’ve got you,” he whispers as his hand trails along my arm. His touch leaves a soothing warmth that spreads throughout me. It drips into me and I close my eyes. It fills the emptiness where my heart and bones should have been, supporting me. I feel him gather me in his arms, lifting me into a sitting position. In his embrace, the fog starts to dissipate leaving only the glow of his candle like warmth. I open my eyes and look up at him.

“Are you Satan?” 

He chuckles. “No, I’m not Satan.”

I take in his appearance with an even more bewildered expression. “Are you God?”

“No, no, I’m not God either.”

“So, who…?”

He takes a breath, sitting down in a cross legged position in front of me. “Think of me like an olive bough. Your olive bough, a sign that there’s hope after your previous life.” 

Fear spreads suddenly throughout me. “So I’m dead?” 

The man gives a sympathetic nod that makes my chest heave. I suppose I had known, but the confirmation sealed my suspicions. I knot my fingers in my hair, shaking. “No, no, no I was so close. I was so close. I-” I sob as a tear blooms in my eye, sliding down my cheek like rain. Through my tears the man seems to flicker like an aurora. He watches me with sad eyes before reaching out to brush away the tears with a feather light touch.  

“I know,” is all he says. It’s simple, just two words. And yet, there is so much unsaid that eases my mind. I sniff wetly and exhale through my mouth. He brings me back into his embrace, holding me to him. The black sweater that adorns his body is comfortable against my cheek and I cling to it, inhaling staccato breaths followed by long exhales. Somehow, I feel at peace here with this strange man, my Olive Bough. I cling to him like a leaf clinging to a branch in a storm, afraid that if I let go the fog will come back to consume me. 

“Is there any way you can send me back?” I sob. 

“Would you want to go back?” I think back to the musty trailer housing my drunken father. To dreading the walk home from work everyday, trembling in my bed as I hear my father stumbling around, and to never quite having enough money to sustain myself. 

I shake my head against his chest, crumpling in defeat. He tightens his grip around me, his cheek pressing against the top of my head. More of his warmth seeps through the crown of my head and into my mind creating a pleasant fuzzy sensation. The tears that haven’t already been absorbed into his sweater start to dry. I hiccup softly and bring a hand to dab at my puffy eyes and he pulls away slightly to look at me.

“Why don’t you tell me a happy memory you have?” He suggests as he tucks away a wet, stray piece of hair stuck to my cheek. 

“I don’t really have that many,” I sniff.

“There’s got to be something. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate, just something simple that makes you happy.” I look down at his tattooed hands, thinking hard. I sniff and chuckle under my breath before answering.

“One time when I was a kid, before everything went to shit, we visited the Oregon coast. I couldn’t have been older than six, so I only remember bits of it. We rented a trailer and stayed right on the beach. I mean, it wasn’t much of a tourist type beach. There wasn’t any sand, just rocks, and it was really cold. But it was nice. It was really quiet and I was able to run right up to the shoreline to chase the seagulls and throw rocks into the waves,” I smile and laugh at the memory, another tear slipping down my face. He laughs softly, offering his kind smile as he listens. “We went and saw the cliffs too. It was really green and there were some jellyfish that washed up on the rocks. I’d never seen a jellyfish before then, it was really cool.” My words settle and we sit in momentary silence before I ask the dreadful question.

  “So, do I get to go to heaven?” I’m scared of the answer, gripping the hem of my shirt without looking at him. He takes a breath and pulls away a little more, holding me at arms length. 

“I’m sorry, but… it doesn’t really work like that.” I look at him warily, my eyes filling with dread and he hurries to explain. “It’s not the kind of heaven you’re thinking of is what I mean. It’s not really a place. It’s more of… a feeling.”

“I don’t understand,” I shake my head, trying to comprehend what he means. The man thinks for a moment before answering.

“You know when you’re watching a sunrise and that first warm beam of light hits your face? Or when you finally drift off to sleep after crying for hours? It feels like that.”

I think of those moments, trying to imagine it. “Does it feel like you holding me like you were?”

He chuckles, rubbing my arm. “Yeah, I suppose it could feel like that too,” he says softly. 

“I don’t really have any family or friends, who will I see there?” His expression turns solemn and compassionate again.

“You won’t see anyone. You won’t see anything really. Essentially, you melt into a feeling.” My eyebrows furrow and my chest flutters with anxiety.

“Well, will I ever see you again? No one’s ever been this gentle with me,” my eyes start to waver and I blink quickly to dissipate the tears. “I don’t want to be alone again, I really like being here with you. It feels so nice, I’ve never felt that before I-” he shushes me gently, taking both of my hands in his.

“I’ve always been with you and I’ll always be with you. I’m the only thing that’s ever been certain in your life, the only thing you could ever hope for that will, without a doubt, come true. I’ve been there all those times your father has wandered home drunk and every time you’ve held a blade right on the verge of giving up. I’ve been there, waiting to catch you. Every time. I’ve been waiting to hold you like this and let you know that everything is ok. That I’ve got you.” He smooths his thumb in circles over the back of my hand, gazing at me with more empathy and kindness than I could muster in a lifetime. “It’s going to be ok, I promise,” he whispers, barely audible. I nod, blowing out a breath.

“Do you have a name?” I ask. I want to have a name I can think of that will conjure up his image in my mind. A tangible word to pin his being to.

“Not exactly.”

“Can I give you one?”

“You might get too attached to me if you give me a name.”

“I already am, besides you said you’d always be with me.” His mouth twitches up.

“Then if you’d really like to, go ahead.” I think for a bit, analyzing him.

“You look like a Chris.” His smile widens and he lets out a breathy laugh. 

“Chris it is then. I like it,” he says, squeezing my hands and falling silent for a moment. “Are you ready?” he asks gingerly. I shake my head, holding tighter to his hands. “I know.” He pulls me back into his embrace. I cling to him again as I bury my face into his neck and try to memorize the feel of him holding me. 

“I don’t wanna leave,” my voice shakes. Chris keeps one arm tight around my back, trailing the other up to tenderly pet my hair. 

“Don’t think of it as leaving, think of it as moving forward. Things will only get better, I promise,” he whispers into my ear. His affection seems to surround me, drawing me impossibly closer to him. The sunset of his aura absorbs my senses and everything else starts to fade away. I don’t feel my limbs anymore, there’s no stiffness, no pain. I can’t see the fog anymore, only warmth. With no heartbeat to keep track of time, I sit in the feeling and drift away.

Tags: @abiomens @rumoured-whispers

[wizardingworldlibrary]

Christmas (3) Masterlist

part one, part two

A Game (ao3) - QuellerKay hermione/draco T, 3k

Summary: A game over the holidays goes a little too far. Or does it?

A Good League Hence (ao3) - eyra sirius/remus T, 14k

Summary: Remus has always believed that December is the Hall’s very best month. It’s like the place was built to have boughs of holly and fir strung from every wall sconce and picture rail; like its architect, all those hundreds of years ago, designed it specifically to bear the big, fat garlands he and Lily wind around its balustrades and bannisters, and the jolly wreaths that they hoist into place on every door, and the towering, beribboned tree that stands proudly in the hotel reception and takes four of them a whole afternoon to decorate.

A country hotel in the wintertime. Plenty of snow, plenty of mulled wine, and a feeling that this Christmas might be different.

A Malfoy’s Recipe For A Draught of Peace (ao3) - WillowingScribe hermione/draco E, 28k

Summary: In a chance encounter, Draco runs into Hermione in the storage room for potion ingredients on Christmas Eve.

Trying to convince her that she doesn’t need to brew a Draught of Peace, she surprisingly accepts his joking offer to show her better methods to calm her frantic nerves.

Now Draco has one week to prove that he wasn’t just bluffing.

An Unexpected Christmas Gift (ao3) - Affectiion hermione/draco/harry M, 5k

Summary: When Harry returns the wand of Narcissa Malfoy to her son, he reconnects with Hermione Granger, who is both the same as he remembers, yet different. As is Draco Malfoy. Somehow, he knows this will be a Christmas to remember.

bake my wish come true (ao3) - downn_in_flames james/lily M, 6k

Summary: All I want for Christmas is you (to stop singing so off-key).

candy canes (ao3) - moonywithstarz regulus/james, sirius/remus G, 2k

Summary: Regulus has never had a normal Christmas until he ran away and has spent all of summer, and now winter break with the potters. After regulus opens up about his past christmases, james wants to make this a memorable one for his boyfriend.

includes: Jegulus, Wolfstar

Fireworks and Quills: a Fremione Christmas Romance (ao3) - moonfairy13, Yulefest hermione/fred E, 22k

Summary: It started with a post-war Samhain party, after which two people wake to find find that unusual marks have appeared on their bodies.

When Fred sees the gently moving quill on his left hip, he naturally sees it as confirmation that he’s meant to be with the witch he’s fancied since she punched Malfoy on the nose.

When Hermione sees the exploding firework on hers, she naturally assumes it’s one of Fred and George’s pranks and decides to ensure that they don’t have the satisfaction of finding out that their trick worked.

Will the fated pair work things out in time for a Happy Christmas at The Burrow?

And who else awoke to find similar marks?!

Holiday Boredom (ao3) - AshJuillet hermione/draco T, 3k

Summary: Hermione is so bored that she decides to follow Draco around the castle during the holidays. Apparently, he has a secret he doesn’t want anyone else to know.

Home for the Holidays (ao3) - Nymphadorable hermione/ron, arthur/molly, harry/ginny, luna/rolf E, 18k

Summary: Christmas Eve celebrations at the Burrow are in full swing. The absence of Hermione’s parents, however, temper their festive celebrations. But Ron Weasley is on the case…

It’s a Family Thing (ao3) - Asexual_Enjolras scorpius/albus, harry/ginny, hermione/ron, alice/james, astoria/draco, percy/oliver, mentioned sirius/remus G, 38k

Summary: It’s the Christmas holidays at Hogwarts, and Albus Severus Potter is still struggling with his separation anxiety, so Harry and Ginny invite Scorpius and Draco Malfoy to the extended Potter-Granger-Weasley family holiday at the Potter household. While Albus and Scorpius try to enjoy their time away from Hogwarts together, James Sirius and Rose continue to have their own relationship problems - and Draco struggles to build a relationship with his new extended family.

Basically, Albus and Scorpius try to survive a week with their families all trapped under one roof. There’s a lot of laughs, a lot of tears, and a lot of family feels.

love in a family dose (ao3) - dracculaura draco/harry T, 10k

Summary: He lays his head down on the table and groans again. The room is spinning just a little, and he can hear the ticking of the grandfather clock, the crackle of the fire. He hears Harry’s chair loudly scooting closer, all thoughts of keeping the children asleep gone.

Harry’s closer than expected when he speaks. “So you’ve never been in love?”

Draco looks up, and, like every cliché book he’s ever read, like every cheesy romance movie Pansy has dragged him to, without even thinking about how terrible it will be once the fallout comes, Draco answers by kissing Harry.

(or, the single dad christmas fic no one asked for)

One Fuzzy Christmas (ao3) - VioletBehaviour draco/ron N/R, 3k

Summary: Draco was determined to impress his boyfriend’s family during their first Christmas at the Burrow. Everything went alright, didn’t it? If only Draco could remember

Snowed In (ao3) - Leiria hermione/harry M, 4k

Summary: While driving back to the Burrow for Christmas, Harry and Hermione are forced to stay the night in a roadside motel due to a heavy snowstorm. The only problem is that there’s only one room available and it only has one bed. Harry and Hermione have been living together for a year, but they aren’t /together/. Will a night in a shabby motel room change all that?

The Best Christmas Present Ever (ao3) - ProximaShining lucius/narcissa, hermione/draco G, 9k

Summary: When their son Draco married the Muggle-born Hermione Granger, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy erased him from their lives. But how can the two proud pure-bloods keep their resolution when their little granddaughter is so cute? Especially when it’s Christmas time.

The choices we make (ao3) - UntestedFerns hermione/ron T, 4k

Summary: It’s Christmas eve, and some questions are asked by Hugo and Rose.

The Twelve Days of Yule (ao3) - MarsPotter, Yulefest hermione/fred, angelina/george, harry/ginny, luna/ron, + more T, 79k

Summary: Yuletide is the greatest holiday, in Hermione’s opinion, when spent with the Weasley family honoring all of their Yule traditions and mixing it up with some new ones too. It is a time of celebration and family time that lasts twelve days and nights. Little did she know that her favorite twin was planning to make this Yule one that she would never forget!

‘Tis the Season (to Wear Ugly Christmas Jumpers) (ao3) - persephoneapple draco/harry G, 10k

Summary: Finding the perfect jumper for Draco to wear to the Weasleys’ Christmas dinner is not going to be easy, especially when there are limited options and they are all terrible.

Unfortunate Timing (ao3) - debjunk hermione/snape M, 15k

Summary: Severus and Hermione fancy one another, but their timing is terrible, and every time one of them tries to ask the other out, something interrupts them. Will they ever get together?

Vigil (ao3) - Quartz hermione/fred G, 4k

Summary: “She’s at it again.” He slid over the arm of the sofa, coming back in for a cuddle with his girlfriend, for warmth of course. They really needed to fix the warming charms around the flat. “Apparently, Mum is trying to single-handedly revive every old magical tradition that exists.“

Or, where the Weasley’s celebrate Yule, and there is mulled wine and bonfire cuddles.

Working Late (ao3) - orpheous87 draco/harry, hermione/ron T, 3k

Summary: After a late raid, Harry and Ron decide to stop off at The Leaky Cauldron for a quick drink. Hermione and Draco join them for drinks and they end up reminiscing until late.