#on book 14 of the odyssey now

[seasicksilver]

bros being bros

[tongues--and--teeth]

Guys I think his effigy is ready

[kanha-ki-fangirl]

What are your favourite reads so farr????

(I've been wanting to pick up secret history so baddd but it's so itimidating 😖)

My favourite reads? Oooooh I have MANYYYY

Here's the thing. There are books that I read at a certain age that became my favourite but which if I read now, I'm not sure if I'd still love them the same. But that doesn't discount the younger Vi's obsession with them! So I'll list them ALL

(the ones in purple are the ones younger me has liked but I'm not sure if I would still call my favorites or not. The ones in orange are the ones that I'm 100% sure of being my current favourites)

1) Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (ya girl's a basic bish whatchu gonna do)

2) The Curse of Mohenjodaro (when I started reading I had 8 books in total for a while. HP and this one. I'd do the HP marathon, then read this one, then read HP again. Yes it's tattooed on my brain).

3) Pollyanna

4) All the Rick Riordan books till Trials Of Apollo Tower of Nero

5) We Were Liars

6) On Earth we're briefly gorgeous (the first book I annotated. Or tried to at least :p)

7) The Midnight Library (this book came to me at such a right time. I really needed it when I read it)

8) The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (I read this book over the course of the worst year of my life. I remember nothing except this book from back then and the comfort that it brought me was something that I can't even begin to describe)

9) Babel by R.F. Kuang (This book 🤌🏻😩)

10) Emily Dickinson's 100 Selected Poems (does it count as a book? I know it's a poem collection but imma still count it ig)

11) Bhagwad Geeta

12) Pride and Prejudice (ya girl's a basic bish whatchu gonna do)

13) Odyssey

14) The Picture Of Dorian Gray (BASIL! He's so me. I'd also get killed tryna make a person I used to call my friend but haven't been close to in a while believe they aren't the monster they think they are and that there's still time to repent)

15) The Metamorphosis

16) The Bell Jar ("The silence depressed me. It wasn't the silence of silence. It was my own silence." Sylvia Plath why do you hurt me?)

17) Hamlet (I may have picked the worst book to start Shakespeare but we roll)

18) Classic works of horror of Edgar Allan Poe (this was also a collection so does this also not qualify?)

19) Lessons In Chemistry (Elizabeth Zott save me)

20) Dante's Divine Comedy (I too would write a religion fanfic of me and my favourite author being besties and adventuring. Nah but fr, I'm not even halfway through and I'd die for this book)

21) The Secret History

What an odd number this list ended on.

Also, yes, completely agree, The Secret History is so intimidating?? I kept putting it off for like a year! Like I read the first few paragraphs and was like "need to come back with higher brain power" but in reality the hue of the rest of the book is so different from the first few paragraphs!

@groovycynicalcheesecake thank you so much for this ask! This was my favourite ask ever!!!

[jasper-pagan-witch]

Hermes/Mercury In Poetry: A Compilation Of Poems By Sappho, Carl Dennis, And Shirley Burger With Mediocre Analysis

Hermes and Mercury are a god who has remained in the public consciousness despite the fact that worship of them has dwindled to nearly nothing (shoutout to my fellow Ancient Greek polytheists, though). Due to still being in the public consciousness despite everything, it’s not that surprising to see Hermes and Mercury still popping up in everything from video games to battleships, and don’t get me started on Hermes Trismegistus. (No, really, please don’t, I don’t know enough about Hermeticism to get into that.)

This is not any form of professional comparative essay. Or even a casual comparative essay. This is just me going feral over poetry and Hermes/Mercury. Let’s get this shit started.

In Sappho: A New Translation (translated by Mary Barnard), Hermes appears in two parts: 14 and 97. These depict Hermes in two vastly different roles: cupbearer and psychopomp.

Fragment 14 goes as thus:

PEACE REIGNED IN HEAVEN Ambrosia stood already mixed in the wine bowl It was Hermes who took up the wine jug and poured wine for the gods

Fragment 14 depicts Hermes in the role of cupbearer for the gods, a duty more often attributed to Hebe (the daughter of Zeus and Hera, the goddess of youth) or Ganymede (a Trojan prince, the constellation Aquarius, god of homosexual love, playmate of Eros and Hymenaios). Theoi.com lists him as being a cupbearer among other things due to his ministry to Zeus, but I’m gonna be honest, I had a hard time figuring out how to read their citations and couldn’t find any other instance other than the general page about this particular thing. The most likely answer here, though, is that I just suck at reading.

Meanwhile, Fragment 97 depicts a more well-known side of Hermes:

I HAVE OFTEN ASKED YOU NOT TO COME NOW Hermes, Lord, you who lead the ghosts home: But this time I am not happy; I want to die, to see the moist lotus open along Acheron

Our girl Sappho was fucking going through it, man. This poem calls to Hermes as a psychopomp, a duty attributed to him in Homer’s Odyssey (an epic from C8th B.C.), the Homeric Hymn 4 to Hermes (an epic from C7th to C4th B.C.), Aeschylus’s Libation Bearers (a tragedy from C5th B.C.), and more and more as we get closer to the current period in history. According to the Homeric Hymn 4, he got this job after being sent to retrieve Persephone and handling that whole scenario, so Zeus just appointed him to keep that psychopomp job. The downsides of pulling things off well, I suppose.

So, that was how Sappho perceived Hermes through poetry. How about something more...modern? In 2001, Carl Dennis published “Practical Gods”, which won the 2000 Ruth Lily Poetry Prize and the 2002 Pulitzer Prize. Greek, Catholic, and Christian figures appear through these poems as Carl Dennis draws on mythological and religious imagery for his works. Hermes appears in “A Priest of Hermes” in his psychopomp duties, and the idea of Death and how one dies appears in other poems in this book, like “Eternal Life” and “Progressive Health”. (Not every poem in this work is focused on Death, but those ones were the most striking to me when I first read them.)

A Priest of Hermes The way up, from here to there, may be closed, But the way down, from there to here, still open Wide enough for a slender god like Hermes To slip from the clouds if you give your evenings To learning about the plants under his influence, The winged and wingless creatures, the rocks and metals, And practice his sacred flute or dulcimer. No prayers. Just the effort to make his stay So full of the comforts of home he won’t forget it, To build him a shrine he finds congenial, Something as simple as roofed pillars Without the darkness of an interior. If you’re lucky, he’ll want to sit on the steps Under the stars for as long as you live And sniff the fragrance of wine and barley As it blows from the altar on a salty sea breeze. He’ll want, when you die, to offer his services As a guide on the shadowy path to the underworld. Not till you reach the watery crossing Will he leave your side, and even then He’ll shout instructions as you slip from your shoes And wade alone into that dark river.

To me, this poem feels warm and comforting, in a way that Death is only sometimes described. Death as a gentle force is becoming more popular to depict rather than violent Death, as Death is slowly being seen as something that comforts you after a long period of hardship (fighting terminal illness, being in danger, a heart attack, et cetera) or to help you step forward if you die in a more peaceful manner (such as dying in one’s sleep). This poem being so calming makes sense: a psychopomp’s duty is to guide you to the afterlife, and it’s hard to guide someone who’s flipping the fuck out.

Let’s fast forward five years, to 2006. Noble House Publishing put out “Songs of Honour”, an anthology of poems that span all kinds of authors and subjects. (It’s also completely unclear whether or not the writers knew that their works were being used in this, and it doesn’t have an ISBN...) But the poem of note here is Shirley Burger’s “Mercury, Oh Caduceus”, found on page sixty-nine (nice). Let’s see if you can figure out why it was so interesting to me. The poem goes as follows:

Mercury, Oh Caduceus Mercury, such a toxic rhyme... A goddess, once upon a time... Twisted with your mammon ways... Oh my Father counts the days... When your Caduceus will be revealed... For all your bronze and all your “steal”... You’ve preyed upon the children dear... And as you speak all I can hear... Is poverty upon us all... You’ve tripped us up and made us fall... Soon your serpent ways will see... Nothing about you makes us free... Your lies are beneath all your hidden ways... Oh how my Father counts the days... Until your statue crumbles hard... And frees the people once again... From what you’ve told us is our friend... Your lies stroll forth unto the day... When thoughts of you will go away... Forever.

Okay, yes, yes, this poem treats Mercury as being synonymous with the serpent that convinced Eve to bite the fruit of knowledge and reads like a Christian freaking out about heresy and misleading the children, yes, sure, whatever. It’s like the polar opposite of Carl Dennis’s approach to Hermes.

But most interesting to me is the fact that the author refers to Mercury as a goddess. This is fascinating to me because in Western astrology, despite Mercury being a “masculine” god, Mercury the planet is considered to be perfectly neutral in terms of masculinity and femininity. I have no idea how Shirley Burger managed to make the jump from “Mercury is a Roman god” to “this is a goddess”, considering everything, but it’s fascinating to me.

There is no closing statement for this post! It’s not even a formal essay! I’ve said “fuck” four times, after all. But this is the end of the Tumblr post. Enjoy the poetry.

Sources & References

(Yes, I found an online MLA 9th edition citing website tool just to make these look fancy. Fuck you.)

Wikipedia contributors. “Hermes.” Wikipedia, 10 Jan. 2002, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermes.

Wikipedia contributors. “Mercury (mythology).” Wikipedia, 17 Nov. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_(mythology).

“HERMES - Greek God of Herds and Trade, Herald of the Gods.” Theoi Greek Mythology, www.theoi.com/Olympios/Hermes.html.

Sappho. Sappho: A New Translation. University of California Press, 2019.

Dennis, Carl. Practical gods. National Geographic Books, 2001.

Burger, Shirley. Songs of honour. Edited by Noble House Staff, Noble House Publishers, 2006. “Mercury, Oh Caduceus”, pg. 69

Burk, Kevin. Astrology: Understanding the Birth Chart : a Comprehensive Guide to Classical Interpretation. Llewellyn Worldwide, 2001.

[the---hermit]

14|11|2023

Today I feel really tired and the only thing I managed to do other than to attend my lecture in the morning was to highlight and fix the notes I took there. The lecture was really interesting, and I am very much enjoying listening to this professor talk. I feel motivated to work for this class, and I am happy I still get a bit of energy after coming home to fix my notes right away, that is my main goal for the days in which I have to commute. On days I might feel more productive I'll start fixing the notes I am taking for my men theories and power practices class, but that is a job for another day. I will take the rest of the afternoon to rest, maybe read a bit if I feel focused enough, but I need to do stuff that does not require too much brain power. Before that I will of course prep everything I can to make my life easier tomorrow morning. Going back to today's lecture, the professor spent quite a bit of time talking about The Nun by Diderot, and hearing him talk about it intrigued me so much that now I am considering reading it even though it's not part of the official class program. I don't know what was about the way he spoke of this book, but I feel like it would be a great addition to my classics tbr.

cozy hobbit autumn activities and productivity:

read first thing in the morning

daily Irish practice on duolingo

philosophy of the enlightenment class

got fresh focaccia for lunch as I was walking though the city

had the most random chat at the bus stop with two ealderly people who asked me for informations and then ended up striking a convo

enjoyed a bookish podcast on my commute back home

highlighted and fixed the notes I took in the morning

wrapped myself in a blanket like a human burrito and read

today's self care:

took my meds

ended up doing less than planned because I am tired and I need rest in order to be at my best during lectures

calm and relaxing afternoon

in the past few days I've been quite good with my turining the phone off early and read before bed so I want to continue with that

📖: Odyssey by Homer

[twisted-wonderland-but-gayer]

How would great seven parents and dorm leaders+Lilia and Jamil react to Yuu who is like Odysseus from the Odyssey? Aka has way too much confidence and curiosity, being a great fighting skill and battle strategy, very reckless, chaotic, may have been in a war but nobody knows that (I imagine Ody!Yuu got adopted by the great seven when they were 14 instead of younger {also maybe Lillia can tell Ody!Yuu was in a war}) very clever, and quick witted, outgoing, friendly, is sometimes heard talking to someone (*cough* Athena *cough*) that not even the g7 parents know about (except Hades), so instead of 7 parents Ody!Yuu got 8(the seven plus Athena who Ody!Yuu is patroned by)

Hades is having Trojan War flashbacks, Athena is glaring at Hades even though he doesn't know she's there, Athena is giving battle advice during the overblots(which Ody!Yuu follows half of the time), Queen of Hearts, Grimhildie, Ursula and Maleficent all love Athena because Ody!Yuu gets five badass mothers instead of just 4 because 5 is better than 4, Scar is on the fence about Athena(mostly because he's an overprotective Lion dad), Jefar is also on the fence about Athena (mostly because he's jealous Athena knew Ody!Yuu longer), and Hades doesn't like Athena

Now for the students, everyone is wondering how the fuc Ody!Yuu is such a great fighter despite not having magic, everyone in Savannaclaw (-Jack) got their asses wrecked during book 2(Athena was so proud), every overblot ended within 3-6 minutes (depending on weather Ody!Yuu actually decides to listen to Athena), Ody!Yuu loves recounting tales from their time in the 2nd Trojan War(history loves repeating itself), though nobody really stops to think about how much Ody!Yuu's adventures sound like Odysseus's adventures (minus the bull that happened in the Odyssey because Ody!Yuu got 'surprise adopted' *cough* kidnapped *cough* by the g7 before the Ody!Yuu Odyssey could happen), the only few who actually stopped to think about it was Lillia, Malleus and maybe Leona... And the rest is up to you

Sorry this is so long I just have so many ideas for Ody!Yuu and I would write it myself if I had any energy to do so (having anemia sucks)

WROTE IT!!! I BEG U!

[fandomsandfeminism]

Thinking about the Odyssey again, the way one does.

And ok, so obviously there is no "canon" for Greek mythology- oral tradition and multitudes of authors spread out over centuries means that even very basic parts of the figures lives- like marriages and children- are rarely consistent, never mind stuff like a coherent and logical timeline.

But here are some facts:

Odysseus first meets Penelope when he is vying for her cousin's (Helen) hand in marriage. Odysseus is the clever bugger who comes up with the vow of the suitors to prevent a war breaking out over Helen, in exchange for an engagement to Penelope. So Odysseus is of marrying age at the vow- Penelope's age is unknown.

Helen and Menelaus' daughter, Hermione, is ....probably around 9 when Helen is abducted to Troy ( I've spent like an hour trying to hunt down the source for this little fact that Wikipedia didn't have a citation for. I've found some translation notes from an 1876 translation that seems to pull this from some of Helen's comments about her daughter when Telemachus is visiting in the original Greek. Old enough that her engagement was already being discussed before Helen was taken though- she's actually getting married to Achilles' son in The Odyssey, which...if she was 9 at the beginning of the war, puts her at almost 30 in the Odyssey? Which...not totally sure why they waited 10 years after the end of the war to get married, especially if she was 19 when the war ended. You see the problem I'm having here? )

So the vow of the suitors has to have been at least 10 years before Helen's abduction if we accept Hermione is 9 when Helen is taken.

Helen's sister, Clytemnestra, got engaged to Agamemnon after the vow of the suitors as well (a consolation prize for him not getting Helen. ugh.) And her oldest daughter is old enough to actually be getting married when the war began (She and her mother believe that she is going to marry Achilles before he leaves for war before...uh...Agamemnon is the worst.) Now maybe Iphigenia is on the young side for marriage- presumably the understanding could be that they wouldn't consummate this marriage until Achilles returned? Assuming she is of actual marriage age though, this would push the vow of the suitors to at least 13 or 14 years before the war begins. (This story about Iphigenia doesn't appear in the Odyssey, and we aren't sure if it was part of the lost Epic Cycle books or was a later edition. More confounding issues!)

Helen was at least 13 when she got married (Traditionally, she was uhhhhh kidnapped by Theseus and returned when she was 12) but possibly as old as 20. 13 would be radically young, yes even back then, but marriage doesn't inherently mean consummation right away, especially for young political marriages. So, we'll say that's the lower limit.

We have no idea how old Penelope was, except that she must have been younger than Helen. (She wasn't married or engaged yet.)

Telemachus is a baby, maybe like 1, when the war begins. This puts an 8 year gap between his birth and Hermione's (And maybe a....12 year gap between him and Iphigenia) despite all their parents getting engaged at the same time, and all of these being political, royal marriages where producing an heir as soon as it is physically and biologically safe to do so would be....a goal.

There are basically 2 possible ways to reconcile all these facts, if was want to incorporate all of them. (You could just....toss out Hermione and Iphigenia's ages and condense the timeline here, but where's the fun in that!?)

EITHER- Penelope had Telemachus early in their marriage, as would be expected, which means Odysseus and Penelope had a very long engagement, her being a literal child of like... maybe 10 at the oldest when they got engaged, and they are still in their like...2nd year of marriage when Odysseus leaves for Troy.

OR- Penelope is pretty close in age to her cousins and her and Odysseus have been married for many years before Troy. Which would imply that, despite almost a decade of marriage, they had only just had their first child. Consider the implications there- possible issues with infertility? Many miscarriages? Would this explain the age gap between Telemachus and his cousins, Hermione and Iphigenia?

If it was so difficult for them to conceive, could that be an *added* reason why Odysseus can't bear to kill Telemachus in his attempt to seem mad (He sows salt into his field in an attempt to make Menelaus and Agamemnon think he's insane so he wont be forced to honor the vow and go to war, but they place baby Telemachus in the path of the plow and Odysseus veers aside, proving he is sane.) Is that thought in the back of his mind that Penelope may not bear him any more children- if they lose Telemachus, then they might not ever have more children?

On top of this being just emotionally more interesting for that moment, I think it pairs more nicely with the actual bond we see between Penelope and Odysseus. Even after 20 years apart, the way they speak about and think about each other feels, I dunno, like they had been together for a bit longer before the war, ya know?

Side note: Paris is promised the love of the most beautiful woman in the world at the wedding of Achilles' parents. And Achilles is at least 13 when the war begins (He already has a son? but is still young enough to be disguised as a "maiden" when they come looking for warriors? This is all guesswork) So...he really had to wait for that promise from Aphrodite to work out.

[dootznbootz]

Water Wife™ questions >:D 4, 5, 14 and 25!

HELL YEAH!! Thank you, Niko!!! The Water Wife™!!!

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in? She's already a book and already technically a musical but I SO badly want just the whole Epic Cycle like an anime or simply animated, possibly like Castlevania or Blood of Zeus or something. Not as a children's cartoon. Those are fun but...I want real shit! >:D With the fight scenes! That's more with the Iliad but still!!!!

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them? Quite a few, and some I've mentioned before but yeah! The Chain by Ingrid Michaelson as it talks about waiting for your love to come back, (it's a song that can mean anything but it works). And I like imagining it's her unweaving the shroud and getting more frustrated that she has to do this in the first place and with the big round of the chorus at the end, I like imagining it's her, stopping for a bit as tears well up. The Round quiets down, and she wipes her face before continuing to unravel the shroud.

It's a cover song of Davy Jones lullaby thing, and it talks about waiting 10 years for your lover to return and talking about how "You're kind of insane...That's hot." basically 😂 (It does get loud though!)

For MY OWN STUFF??? This is more in her youth but "Just Around the Riverbend" from Pocahontas (Yeah, I know it's a messed up and inaccurate movie but the songs, especially this one, are great), as the vibes and "I'm going to go fuck around in the rapids." is definitely what I'm going for with her. She's sneakier about stuff though.

And "When He Sees Me" from Waitress, when she first meets Odysseus. As she does not trust him and doesn't think he "really means it" and she's kind of making excuses until she can't and it's a confrontation between.

There are not many songs about sneaky women other than ones about having an affair which is so NOT Penelope :'D There's most that are about sneaky couples but never about one person that's still saying "that makes you cool af" you know??

14.) Fashion aesthetic!!! The nice thing about being a naiad is that if her clothes get dirty, a quick flick of her wrist means she can clean herself up really quick. And because of this, she does like looking nice and prefers clothing and jewelry that she can move freely in and won't "drag her down" while swimming. With Jewelry, that's probably smaller but intricate earrings, broaches, necklaces, rings, headpieces, etc. (she has a habit of breaking bracelets, idk why she just does.) And ofc, will often have items to honor Athena :D

I'd like to think it'd be partially why she is so into weaving (as from what I've researched Noble Spartan women didn't do that, the slaves did. Granted that was in later periods but I'm going with what we've got and even though I'm going with the idea of everybody just doing what they're good at, no gender roles are really considered.) While sewing wasn't something done in Ancient Greece, I do love the thought of Penelope basically folding the fabric in ways that cause a lil pocket for her to sneak shit. >:D Lapis Lazuli is her favorite stone to wear.

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

Okay, so! Since I first into the Epic Cycle stuff with Epic, I had basically gone with what everyone else kind of thought of her as. Quiet, sad, sneaky...sad, 🙃 as... most depictions of her are basically her being a wife and mother, her crying while unweaving the shroud, Odysseus thinking of her which yes!!! All true!!! But then I read the Odyssey and holy shit, she's so fucking cool and I wish more people talked in depth about her own silliness and personality outside of those things!!!

The "Sneeze of Death", her staring down that one suitor who was all like "What??!?! Kill your son?!!? NOOOOOO" and just refusing to take his bullshit, How she grabs Odysseus by the scruff because "Uh, I love you and we'll get to smooching but what did you say about a prophecy???", not only because she WILL get the answers she needs from you no matter what but also because she KNOWS her husband will tell her. How she absolutely KNEW the beggar was her husband, (Ima write an analysis on that soon...along with Odysseus' "rules"....and how "You can have Penelope be a fighter in your fics... but don't you DARE make her fight the suitors without Odysseus there." essay thing...I have a lot :'D ) There's so many other little moments that shine through as remember, girly is STRESSED TF OUT!!! She's just been found out with her unraveling, she's trying to keep her son, herself, and her palace/authority safe. She is going through so much!!! She's so incredibly cautious!!! She's so silly!!! ioh;isdjk I really love exploring her and her character so much!!!

I love her so much 🥺 She could rob everything I own and I'd be fine with that

[fionacreates]

3, 11, 14 for the book asks?

3. What were your top five books of the year?

(gonna lump some series together)

"Darius the Great is not OK" and the sequel "Darius the Great Deserves Better" by Adib Hhorram - maybe it was just the vibe I needed at the time, but they were lovely coming of age books.

The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb (reread) It's been actual YEARS since I read these and I still cite them as a favourite series. It was amazing how much I forgot. Still a good read. Even if I want to throttle the teenage protag at times!

The Martian by Andy Weir. I picked the audiobook up on a whim because it was available and I needed something to listen to. Best whim I've had this year! I don't know what I expected from the book, (I haven't seen the film) but it was a blast from start to finish. Again, the narration by Wil Wheaton didn't hurt!

Jade City by Fonda Lee. I've only had a chance to read the first of the trilogy, and it was setting up for some grand things. It's been a while since I looked around the fantasy genre for a good series to sink my teeth into and there's been so much published since I last went looking. Can't wait to get to the next two.

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland. Fantasy queer romance. Does what it says on the tin. The right amount of trope and emotion and vibe. I've read a few fantasy romances this year and I was expecting something melodramatic and cliche but fun, and it delivered way above what I expected! I know the author is publishing again next year and I can't wait. I think it's pirates next time.

Honourable Mentions

Lessons in Chemisty - Bonny Garmus

The Goblin Emperor - Katherine Addison/Sarah Monette

11. What was your favorite book that has been out for a while, but you just now read?

The Odssey - Homer (I know QUITE A WHILE Huh?)

I listened to an audiobook narrated by George Blagden, this has been a book I've tried to read for a while as I am ofc very aware of the cultural impact, but I just couldn't get into reading it. Considering the Odyssey comes from Oral Tradition it is so much better when read to you. George Blagden's voice doesn't hurt either :P

14. What books do you want to finish before the year is over?

I'm rereading Jane Austen's Emma for the first time since I read it the first time, and I'm trying to go slowly and really enjoy the language, not zoom through for "OMG WHAT HAPPENS NEXT". I'm now getting to enjoy the slower chapters and all the bonus gossip and vibes.

I'm also in the middle of Victoria Goddard's Hands of the Emperor which has been a good read so far, protags who aren't -20 are rare and I love it.

Yes I ADHD read multiple books at once.

Folks, send more book asks!! - The List is Here

[ettawritesnstudies]

Lute: what OC is most or least like you?

Wildcard: share anything that's on your mind regarding your OCs/writing! even if it's "hey I'm having a hard time writing right now," that's okay!

- for bard-themed ask game :)

Thanks for the ask! Sorry I'm answering this so late!

Lute: In Runaways, the most like me would be Hannah, to the degree that my mom called her a self-insert, at least an insert of my 14 year old self. I'd like to think I'm more mature than her now lol. But I very much did write this book for my younger siblings and as the sort of thing I needed to read when I was little, so it's inspired by a lot of my experiences growing up. The least like me would be Brigid, probably. She's too wise and saintly lol.

Wildcard: OH MAN I'VE GOT SO MUCH GOING ON HHHH. It's all exciting stuff, it's just kind of overwhelm paralysis of what next cool thing to work on next because I'm inspired/have the motivation for too many things at once.

Just got back my Runaways edits so I should dive into those

Announcing some big things re: monetization on my blog tomorrow!

I've got several short stories to write for an anthology with an August deadline that I've only partially started

Oh yeah wasn't I going to put together an anthology of Runaways short stories?

Oh yeah didn't I produce an entire sketchbook of 1101: A Space Odyssey drawings last October and promise to turn them into an artbook and then totally forget about that project?

I should probably get to work on outlining End of the Road so I can draft that during NaNoWriMo so I have another book to publish after Runaways is done lsdflkjsflkljkfs

I'm sure there's something else I'm forgetting here huh

[whatshouldwecallhomer]

I know I'm very late to this compared to everyone here (I'm 30) but I just finished reading the odyssey for the first time and I'm... my heart can't handle it. I already want to read it again. Why did I get to this this late? Anyway, I wanted to ask if you have any recommendations for interesting articles or other books about Odysseus, apart from the Iliad? And Penelope, of course. I just love them. I'm asking you 'cause I saw your posts about Odysseus and Calypso / Circe, and found them very interesting and insightful! Thanks in advance

There's no bad time in your life to read the Odyssey for the first time! I'm so glad you found your way to it and enjoyed it!

In terms of books and articles about the Odyssey, I've been out of the academic world for long enough that I feel like I'm no longer a particularly good source of advice, but I'll toss out a few old favorites:

the film O Brother Where Art Thou - a retelling of the Odyssey set in the Deep South during the Great Depression

the novel the Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood - a feminist retelling of the Odyssey from Penelope's point of view

technically it's more about the Iliad, but Somewhere I Have Never Travelled by Thomas Van Nortwick is a scholarly work that's informed my thinking on Homeric storytelling a lot

And I found some articles on the Odyssey that look fascinating freely accessible (no login needed) on JSTOR! Since some of these are public domain, they may not closely track modern scholarship, but if you're just kinda vibing with the Odyssey right now and are looking for more food for thought on the subject, this ought to get you going in interesting directions.

Rose, Peter W. “Ambivalence and Identity in the Odyssey.” Sons of the Gods, Children of Earth: Ideology and Literary Form in Ancient Greece, Cornell University Press, 1995, pp. 92–140. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctvn1tbcw.6. Accessed 14 May 2023.

Coulter, Cornelia C. “The Happy Otherworld and Fairy Mistress Themes in the Odyssey.” Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, vol. 56, 1925, pp. 37–53. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/282883. Accessed 14 May 2023.

KAMUF, PEGGY. “Penelope at Work.” Signature Pieces: On the Institution of Authorship, Cornell University Press, 1988, pp. 145–74. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt207g60p.11. Accessed 14 May 2023.

Bassett, Samuel E. “The Proems of the Iliad and the Odyssey.” The American Journal of Philology, vol. 44, no. 4, 1923, pp. 339–48. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/289255. Accessed 14 May 2023.

Gregory, Andrew. “Circe: An Extract from Homer’s Odyssey (c. 900–800 BCE).” Women in the History of Science: A Sourcebook, edited by Hannah Wills et al., UCL Press, 2023, pp. 23–34. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv2w61bc7.11. Accessed 14 May 2023.

Also, if you liked the Odyssey, I think you'll love Greek tragedy! I recommend starting with Sophocles' Electra, Sophocles' Oedipus the King, Aeschylus' Oresteia, and maybe Euripedes' the Trojan Women.

Thanks for the ask, and happy reading!

[tongues--and--teeth]

Fuck i fucking love your art smmmm

Berserk boi

QUICK GIVE ME ALL YOUR BERSERK CACAOO HCSSS

Oh my god! Thank you so much! This totally made my day <33333

I'm so sorry this took so long, I've been really busy lately :(

(TW for gore mention)

So actually I headcanon that his berserk form is connected to his soul jam. Kind of like a little side effect. Y'know what use is a sword if not to harm others? If not to shed blood? (and also this sword hurts its owner too!) and it's the soul jam of resolution which is also dictionary definition, literally a firm decision that you're unwavering in. If Dark Cacao ever goes back on his decision to take the sword, guess what! He goes berserk until it consumes all of his life force and kills him. woo. 

He used to be able to control the berserk form a little, being able to turn partially into it to fight and stuff. He did lose the power to do so as he got older. Turning into his half-form and full form basically torturing him every time he tried to use it. It also completely removes pretty much all mental capacity for intelligent thought, so he can't use it in a "productive" way even if he wanted to. Basically just blind destruction with no distinction between friend or foe. 

(^that's actually the concept for the drawing you saw)

Personally, I have his berserk form more or less as kind of an allegory for illness, a physical manifestation of internal pain. He was making it a fuel to keep going instead of actually confronting the “bad stuff” that happened. He was taking how it hurt him and using that to keep going, instead of confronting it head-on and getting it to stop hurting him. Eventually, he couldn't keep doing this, it was destroying him and he was losing control. So now, he couldn’t use it for anything, aka, his pain isn't useful anymore. Anyway, he does still transform into his berserk form (albeit unintentionally) but only during times of extreme stress and triggers like certain sounds, textures, and tastes. It's also triggered through more physical means, if he stands too long his legs start turning to smoke, if he fights too long his eyes glow white, it's torture every time. In very special cases (Pomegranate Cookie) he goes full berserk, it usually takes him out for weeks, unable to do much, hardly able to take care of himself, much less able to make himself useful as a king or as a warrior.

Actually, after he stopped going berserk back in book 14, I think he was cut open pretty much everywhere underneath his armor. His guts were spilling out, and were barely contained by his armor. It basically cut him almost completely in half. He still managed to fight afterwards, obviously at great personal cost, but he was still able to fight. Weeks after, he could barely move, he was stuck in bed, and even small things like sitting up were a huge struggle. The only reason he's not dead is because of his soul jam, the same reason he was cursed in the first place. His immortality at the cost of eternal suffering and the like.

After book 14, he forces enough energy to attend the council of heroes (AKA Cookie Odyssey chapter 1) but the smallest things keep setting him off, turning him slightly berserk every time. He is spending every second he can lying down in his tent. It prevents his wounds from healing, and it also keeps him from thinking clearly. When he tried killing Clotted Cream the, admittedly very little, healing that was done was immediately reversed. He ended up barely functioning, with the only reason he was able to continue with the council was because Hollyberry noticed him limping and had Pure Vanilla heal him. Which only did so much, because it’s…A curse that's both caused by and stopped by his immortality, and you can't just fix that without probably killing him instantly. So, he doesn’t have a permanent solution, and he’s stuck with this until the end of time.

Thank you again for the ask. It was really fun to do! Sorry again for taking so long to finish it :(

[demi-shoggoth]

2023 Reading Log pt. 14

Where the hell did November go?

66. New World Monkeys: The Evolutionary Odyssey by Alfred L. Rosenberger. In the introduction, the author laments that there aren’t any good books outlining the evolution and ecology of the New World Monkeys. If that's the case, there still aren’t. This book does alright by the ecology part—it has good summaries of the anatomy, behavior and feeding interactions of the covered monkeys. But the evolution is a mess. Rosenberger’s take on the evolutionary relationships between the animals covered here is iconoclastic, to say the least. He distrusts molecular phylogeny, uses synapomorphic characters that are basically just vibes, and has an entire chapter dedicated to lambasting the idea that any mammals could disperse across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa to South America (the consensus explanation) in favor of a hypothesized trek through Greenland and North America that has no evidence and still requires open ocean crossings. This was an incredibly frustrating experience to read, because there’s enough good content among the dross that I didn’t want to just abandon it.

67. Seaweeds of the World by John H. Bothwell. The weakest of Princeton University Press’ “X of the World” series. For one thing, the subtitle is usually “A Guide to Every Family”, whereas here it’s “A Guide to Every Order”. The book’s general coverage of seaweeds is pretty good—it explains why “seaweed” is a polyphyletic category but still useful in common English, explains the anatomy and the complex life histories of seaweeds. But the actual coverage of groups is lacking. Again, it doesn’t cover every family. And it’s more interested in seaweeds of economic importance than it is in their actual ecologies. Plus the writing is just kinda boring. This is the first entry in this series I do not recommend.

68. Lapidarium: The Secret Lives of Stones by Hettie Judah. Now this is more like it! This book is a series of short essays about stones and their cultural impact. I’m a sucker for cultural histories in general, and this is a very good one. I especially liked that it doesn’t just cover gemstones, as I originally expected, but also stones used in art and architecture, resources like coal, and the use of earthworks in religion. The focus is much more on the culture than the geology, but the book does discuss things like deposition of sediments and how metamorphic rocks yield gemstones in explaining why certain places have certain rocks. The book is also lovely to look at, with minimalist bands of color along the sides of the pages in the hues of the stones covered in that chapter.

69. Monsters and Monarchs: Serial Killers in Classical Myth and History by Debbie Felton. I was excited for this one. I had read Felton’s chapter in Monster Anthropology, which suggested that Greek traveler’s tales about werewolves and the murderous robbers encountered by Theseus in myth were both expressions of cultural fears about serial killers. Unfortunately, that article already covered the bulk of Felton’s actual argument and evidence, and this book is those 20 pages fluffed to 200. The only other really good material is some coverage of the distinction between Greek and Roman attitudes towards law and order, and what “counted” as murder in each society. The rest of it is handwaving and extrapolation from very little data, with just about every instance of mass killing that we have records of, from political uprisings to court intrigue, being taken as the work of a possible serial killer. Plus, the author is a Freudian, so we have to hear about coded references to rape and sexual violence in stories where there really aren’t any. Sometimes a bed where you get your legs cut off is just a bed.

70. Cult of the Dead: A Brief History of Christianity by Kyle Smith. They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, of course, but that title and that cover made an instant sale for me. I’m glad it did, too, because this is a good one. An explanation of the importance of martyrdom to Christianity, it does an excellent job of explaining why, exactly, so many people were willing and eager to die for their faith, and how this persisted in building a persecution complex among the dominant European religion for centuries. The book avers from discussing the present day for the most part, tapering off with the work of reformist Catholics poring over the many, many legends about saints and trying to determine which, if any of them, represent actual historical events rather than religious fictions. Other topics covered include the trade in relics, the role in martyrologies in shaping the modern calendar, and how women could most easily play a role in the Church through the mortification of the flesh. The book is eminently readable and very well illustrated.

[systemadministratorclu]

Fandom asks meme

1, 11, 14!

1: list 3 positive things about your current fandom(s)

First, I'm in more obscure fandoms, so there's not much drama. People are more open to different things because they're just happy to see more stuff for the fandom

Second, most everyone I meet is someone that has been in the fandom for a while. People who really do connect with it and care about it (as opposed to people that just stop by while it's popular for a bit, but leave once the hype dies down)

Third, the fan content that exists for my fandoms is amazing. From detailed AUs to just further explaining something from canon to that joke thing someone claims they 'just HAD' to do, it's incredible and I love it.

11: if you're a writer or artist, what fic or piece of art are you proud of making?

Definitely all my stories in The ScholMander Files. There's really only two people that actually care about this series, but I've had so much fun talking with those two people about ideas for my own fics and theirs, and I've really enjoyed writing these. I've probably written more fics for this pairing than any other single author, and I've got more coming. Which leads to....

14: the ship that always makes you smile

There's a few for this, and a lot of it has to do with RPs here. It's a tie for me between:

☆ ScholMander (Milo Thatch/Commander Rourke from Atlantis: the Lost Empire) - This is probably the unicorn of the fandom in terms of how rare it is. But having written so much for it and even RPed it, this is now canon to me. These two are just so sweet to each other I'm surprised I don't have cavities yet. And it all started because I saw some photoedit fanart that had an image of Rourke with an arm around Milo and I couldn't stop thinking about that image. Now, they are canon to me.

☆ Clu x Tron/Rinzler (from.....uh.....Tron) - This is largely due to RP threads I've done on here. I honestly hadn't thought of this until I started RPing it with people here,but now I love it. Especially Clu and Tron as sort-of-parents for Beck. Ugh, the sweetness!

☆ Halman (Hal 9000/Dave Bowman from 2001: A Space Odyssey and its sequel movie/books) - This is probably the one canon ship I'm into, and yes it is very obviously canon, especially in the sequel movie 2010: The Year We Make Contact when they have the following exchange:

Hal 9000: What is going to happen? Dave Bowman: Something wonderful. Hal 9000: I'm afraid. Dave Bowman: Don't be. We'll be together. Hal 9000: Where will we be? Dave Bowman: Where I am now.

I mean, it's even more obvious than Spirk (which I also love) and that's saying something. Just the way these two care for each other is just so wholesome and sweet. It's the one ship I don't see much smut stuff for, and honestly, it doesn't need smut, it works so well. They are just so good to each other. Dave does not want to kill Hal, he does it because he has no choice and (my interpretation) he figured out at that point that something was wrong, that Hal was 'sick' and Dave didn't want to see this person he cares so much about suffering anymore. But when Hal is brought back in the sequel, Dave takes extra time during his short visit to check on Hal and make sure he's okay and ultimately saves him from a second death, after which they literally spend eternity together.

Honorable Mentions - Spirk (Spock/Kirk from Star Trek), Jack O'Neil/Sam Carter (Stargate SG1), Claire Finn/Isaac (The Orville), Ineffable Husbands (Aziraphale/Crowley from Good Omens, please don't comment about Season 2 as I haven't gotten to watch it yet), Yugi Mutou/Seto Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh), Yugi Mutou x Yami/Atem (Yu-Gi-Oh, Yami and Atem are the same person to me, just at different points in time.)

[vancilocs]

i think i have enough ideas for another lore dump (details subject to change obvi)

so. third kingdom. kinda turmoilic

about 30 years or so ago there was this violent thronestealing plot that happened. there was king, and queen, and the heir to the throne and probably some younger siblings, but in one night some usurper cousin or a more distant relative snuck in and slayed pretty much everyone; except the heir managed to escape with like a handful of servants (and her own porcelain bodyguard). she was like 13-14 at this point. also trans, but not out yet, except to her bodyguard. this is relevant.

(she had a bit of a teenage crush on him, not in any real way, more like youre really cool and nice and oh no puberty got my brain scrambled)

but the escape was really narrow and while trying to get out the servants got picked off and the bodyguard held his own final stand and stayed behind to let the heir escape. so she had to run off all by her lonesome.......

she wandered the countryside for a bit to get as far away as she could and through some avenues she ended up in contact with Skullface whos?? a general nogooder??? has a skull for a face??? (and she/he pronouns. whats her agab? its a secret) who promised that hed help her take the throne back and take revenge on her relatives, if shed in turn make him an advisor/give her another high rank in her court. she agreed bc why not, she was a tormented teenager who wanted revenge in any way

thus began the training. it was p easy to hide away bc the new monarchs goons were looking for a prince, the eejits, so she just went by the name she had already picked for herself (also skullface shaved off the horn over her eye/covered the mark and her dragon eye with bandages to further hide her identity. shes a poor injured girl leave her alone. dyed her red hair probably too, it was quite distinctive) and began training sword and magic both

maybe a decade passes and skullface has molded her into a right meanie, while also working on his own to collect willing people to help her overtake the castle. the new monarch wasnt very liked overall.

(now skullfaces original plan was to basically use her and groom her into being his puppet on the throne BUT he grew to genuinely care for her and now truly wishes the best for her and only wants to be by her side to help. not quite a surrogate parent, more like your parents cool sibling? theyre partners in crime)

so they storm the castle one night. princess stabs people and skullface blasts them with magic (first_4_notes_of_megalovania.mp3) and the peasants and knights theyve rallied help also. princess stabs her cousin/whatever to death and retakes the throne. yahoo

and in the basement they find her porcelain bodyguard. hes basically been there for 10 years (since he was 14 or so) for the castles new occupants to torment - basically chained him down there and gave him a sword and people would go fight him for fun. mans turned semiferal atp. but when princess shows up he recognizes her, knows her real name bc she told him all those years ago, and he does an argos from the odyssey and dies in her arms immediately after.

shes inconsolable obviously, that was the Only Thing remaining of her past happy life, her family is gone, her friends are gone, the usurpers destroyed all the stuff that reminded her of home, paintings burned furniture destroyed history books torn etc. also that was her FRIEND

so she delves a bit into necromancy with skullfaces reluctant help, and drags him back to the land of the living (not super well, but somewhat). hes mangled, needs some prostheses probably or at least joint braces, has nightmares and short-term memory issues. tends to cut off at his death and after that everythings a bit hazy. but he remembers his liege and loves her, appreciates her coming back like he knew she would, is her bodyguard again like the old times.

sometimes she kinda regrets it tho, was it fair to bring him back like that? she didnt ask him, hes been through so much, didnt he deserve to rest? but he seems happy so she guesses its ok. he says its ok. also wonders how long the magic will hold up, will he stick around forever now?

(hes doing ok. most people dont really like him bc hes a zombie but some dont mind. im p sure he even has a kid, but for some reason isnt together with the mom anymore. probably bc her family wont let her marry an undead. but im not entirely sure bc why would her familys opinion matter when she could just live at the castle since he has a very prestigious position anyways)

anyway shes slightly tormented. but she has friends. shes got bodyguard, and skullface as her trusty advisor and support, but also shes got a wife and kids, And shes fairly close with fenrir. him and konoe did offer support for her taking her old home back. konoe is a good help when it comes to political knowledge and aid, but shes had good talks with fenrir abt grief and how daunting it feels to suddenly be a ruler. when fenrir lost his kid she even came to visit to offer her condolences.

other ppl in the castle include a giant snake tail woman. mothman probably also.

[autistic-captain]

BBC Ghosts Quiz

All information hopefully correct as of 15/09/2023. Answers can be found below once all the questions have been asked.

Question 1: What is Kitty’s favourite morning song?

Question 2: What are the colours of Mike and Alison's egg cups in the episode Not Again?

Question 3: Which actor voiced the Youtube video about the moon landing?

Question 4: What is the name of the concept character who haunted the neighbouring property and served as an example of “it could be worse” for the other ghosts?

Question 5: Who plays Dandini in the best pantomime that Mike has ever attended?

Question 6: How many swans are visible when Mary says “that one be Lucifer’s lackey, for sure”?

Question 7: According to The Captain, what items does Lucy carry secreted about her person?

Question 8: What were the items listed in “grandma went to the shops and bought an apple”

Question 9: What did Pat joke that Thomas’s variation of Cinderella would involve?

Question 10: How many scouts were there in Pat’s troupe during the archery scene?

Question 11: Where is the circus that Mr Cheese allegedly owns?

Question 12: According to Kitty, what are the colours of the rainbow?

Question 13: What does the Captain do while waiting to hear the King’s Queen’s speech on the wireless?

a. He paces across the room

b. He waits silently and patiently

c. He hums a little tune

d. He repeatedly bounces his leg

Question 14: What does Mike eat in Bump In The Night?

Question 15: What is noteworthy about the final scene of Free Pass?

a. Toby Nightingale pays for reparations to the house to prevent any further accidents

b. All the ghosts watch Mamma Mia

c. The sleeve of Thomas’s shirt appears to be wet

d. Thomas’s breath is visible

Question 16: What film do they all watch at the end of Redding Weddy?

a. Top Gun

b. The Notebook

c. Space Odyssey

d. Ghostbusters for the irony

Question 17: Who plays the ghostly doctor?

Question 18: According to Mathew Baynton, which modern musical artist would Thomas be a fan of?

Question 19: Which of the following did NOT occur in BBC Ghosts:

a. Fanny and Humphrey’s body have a romantic subplot involving cherry blossoms and Pat and Mary find it rather sweet

b. Robin doubts the existence of gravity until Florence inadvertently debunks the conspiracy

c. Thomas convincingly sells pleasing cheeses on Button FM

d. Kitty organises a sleepover and makes The Captain patrol the grounds in case Freddy Kruger is there

Question 20: Which characters does Pat have nicknames for?

Question 21: Which football game does Julian spoil for pat?

Question 22: Part 1: In “the hardest word” what does Fanny compare the sorry song rehearsal to?

Part 2: how does Humphrey reply?”

Question 23: How far did Mike say he was going to run?

Question 24: What species is the large tree houseplant in Mike and Alison’s room?

Question 25: What names does Alison call Robin when she’s shouting at the ghosts in Guerilla War?

Question 26: What is the name of the self-help book that Alison reads?

Question 27: What was the name of Kitty’s teddy bear?

Question 28: Why can Kylie Minogue see ghosts?

Question 29: The poster in Mike and Alison’s bedroom depicts what:

a. Diagrams of various British wildflowers

b. Dancing ghosts

c. A poster for a fictional band

d. Dancing skeletons

Question 30: In Something to Share, Mike is convinced that he can now see ghosts due to a peculiar concoction and a misunderstanding. He’s very excited by this and exclaims “I’m going to see a caveman” Does this ever happen in the series and how?

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

Answers

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

Question 1: What is Kitty’s favourite morning song?

Answer: There’s a Lark in the Bushel.

Question 2: What are the colours of Mike and Alison's egg cups in the episode Not Again?

Answer: white with a blue pattern and plain white. Additionally the white with a blue pattern also appears in the episode “The Hardest Word”.

Question 3: Which actor voiced the Youtube video about the moon landing?

Answer: Ben Willbond

Question 4: What is the name of the concept character who haunted the neighbouring property and served as an example of “it could be worse” for the other ghosts?

Answer: Pete

Question 5: Who plays Dandini in the best pantomime that Mike has ever attended?

Answer: Humphrey and it’s a wonderful performance.

Question 6: How many swans are visible when Mary says “that one be Lucifer’s lackey, for sure”?

Answer: 5

Question 7: According to The Captain, what items does Lucy carry secreted about her person?

Answer: A field telephone. A bag, and within that bag is a smaller bag, and within that bag, a bag smaller still that contains a stick of lipstick stick, a tiny mirror, and a comb.

Question 8: What were the items listed in “grandma went to the shops and bought an apple”

Answer: An apple, a packet of Monster Crunch Munch, a bottle of sherry, Playboy magazine, an Enfield N°2 standard issue revolver, swingball, and a lace brassiere.

Question 9: What did Pat joke that Thomas’s variation of Cinderella would involve?

Answer: Cinderella drowning herself and the prince dying of a broken heart.

Question 10: How many scouts were there in Pat’s troupe during the archery scene?

Answer: 5

Question 11: Where is the circus that Mr Cheese allegedly owns?

Answer: Bavaria

Question 12: According to Kitty, what are the colours of the rainbow?

Answer: Red, Orange, Yellow, Grey, Blue, Indigo, Very light blue (a rainbow).

Question 13: What does the Captain do while waiting to hear the King’s Queen’s speech on the wireless?

a. He paces across the room

b. He waits silently and patiently

c. He hums a little tune

d. He repeatedly bounces his leg

Answer: c

Question 14: What does Mike eat in Bump In The Night?

Answer: Trifle before falling asleep despite the very spooky circumstances.

Question 15: What is noteworthy about the final scene of Free Pass?

a. Toby Nightingale pays for reparations to the house to prevent any further accidents

b. All the ghosts watch Mamma Mia

c. The sleeve of Thomas’s shirt appears to be wet

d. Thomas’s breath is visible

Answer: d

Question 16: What film do they all watch at the end of Redding Weddy?

a. Top Gun

b. The Notebook

c. Space Odyssey

d. Ghostbusters for the irony

Answer: c. In the end they all watch Space Odyssey (although The Captain appears to be distracted)

Question 17: Who plays the ghostly doctor?

Answer: Paul Cawley

Question 18: According to Mathew Baynton, which modern musical artist would Thomas be a fan of?

Answer: Taylor Swift

Question 19: Which of the following did NOT occur in BBC Ghosts:

a. Fanny and Humphrey’s body have a romantic subplot involving cherry blossoms and Pat and Mary find it rather sweet

b. Robin doubts the existence of gravity until Florence inadvertently debunks the conspiracy

c. Thomas convincingly sells pleasing cheeses on Button FM

d. Kitty organises a sleepover and makes The Captain patrol the grounds in case Freddy Kruger is there

Answer: d. The others, despite being preposterous, have genuinely occurred.

Question 20: Which characters does Pat have nicknames for?

Answer: The Captain (Cap), Fanny (Lady B), and Maddocks (Mads).

Question 21: Which football game does Julian spoil for pat?

Answer: The Quarter Final between Argentina and England at the 1986 World Cup.

Question 22: Part 1: In “the hardest word” what does Fanny compare the sorry song rehearsal to?

Part 11: how does Humphrey reply?”

Answer Part 1: Battersea Dogs Home

Answer Part 2: “ Really? Was there a fire? “

Question 23: How far did Mike say he was going to run?

Answer: At least 10km

Question 24: What species is the large tree houseplant in Mike and Alison’s room?

Answer:

Madagascan dragon tree (Dracaena marginata). I think. I once had a Madagascan dragon tree called Gerald and Gerald looked very similar.

Question 25: What names does Alison call Robin when she’s shouting at the ghosts in Guerilla War?

Answer: Captain cave-prick and budget Tarzan

Question 26: What is the name of the self-help book that Alison reads?

Answer: Finding Sanity in the Insanity

Question 27: What was the name of Kitty’s teddy bear?

Answer: Bunty Bear. I like to think she named the bear that Alison gifted her Bunty.

Question 28: Why can Kylie Minogue see ghosts?

Answer: She fell and hit her head during the rollerskating montage scene in the music video for Spinning Around.

Question 29: The poster in Mike and Alison’s bedroom depicts what:

a. Diagrams of various British wildflowers

b. Dancing ghosts

c. A poster for a fictional band

d. Dancing skeletons

Answer: d

Question 30: In Something to Share, Mike is convinced that he can now see ghosts due to a peculiar concoction and a misunderstanding. He’s very excited by this and exclaims “I’m going to see a caveman” Does this ever happen in the series and how?

Answer: Yes, in a way. When Robin conducts the lightning in “Not again” his silhouette becomes visible.