#or maybe it's still the celtic sea there

[theemeraldforesthideout]

Carreg Samson, North Pembrokeshire

April 2024

[11queensupreme11]

I keep thinking about a human arsenic blues AU where all the Yans have normal jobs. Like, I can totally see Beely as a crazy scientist, Hades as a mining tycoon or something, Cu a mercenary, ect and so on.

(Loki would just be a vagrant 🤦‍♀️)

WAIT I LIKE THIS, THIS JUST GOT ME THINKING!!!

okay, the gods obviously still rule the world, just not in the divine sense, but more in a 'they're part of the super elite 1% of the world who are super rich and own everything' kinda way

hades would definitely be a mining tycoon, and idk maybe he does some illegal human organ harvesting thing (cuz dead bodies; god of the dead, you get it). maybe he owns a lot of banks too (god of riches and all)

beelzebub definitely partakes in the organ harvesting stuff and other super creepy, super unethical, super illegal experimentation and shit. literally nothing he does in this au will be legal 😭

poseidon would probably still own the seas in this au tbh 💀 like maybe he owns a shit ton of business that are related to water; water treatment technologies, bottled water moguls, probably owns pearl farms, a bunch of organizations dedicated to researching and preserving sea life, etc. (and babie percy would inherit ALL of that in the future lmaoooooo)

apollo with modeling, authoring a bunch of books, acting, maybe he started a solar power energy company, he's probably a super important doctor too that gets requested by other super rich and important ppl, basically a shit ton of stuff cuz he has a lot of domains

loki would be that black sheep from the billionaire family type 💀💀💀 he just fucks off to do whatever; sometimes ppl wouldn't even recognize him as one of the super elite cuz he always looks like a fucking hot mess

anubis would also be something related to illegal business because of the whole death god stuff 💀

and CU AS A MERCENARY IS GENIUS. he'd be the merc who comes from a billionaire family (the celtic pantheon) but he mostly just fucks off and does his own thing that isn't related to what his family does OR MAYBE IT ISSSS related to his fam business, he just partakes in the illegal side of it 😂😂

percy would be percy but ✨Richer✨ she could either be poseidon's daughter from the start, or a bastard baby from a previous hookup he found out about and took in to raise as his own (so rags to riches type of shit).

anyways, because they're all still unhinged yanderes, percy would be homeschooled ("you're from an extremely wealthy family, it's safer to be homeschooled, my pearl" aka isolated) and beelzebub would still be her teacher (so sexy times lol). hades is VERY invested in his adorable lil niece so he visits poseidon's estate from time to time with innocent intentions ofc! apollo is obviously her favorite cousin (in his delusions) and her private doctor when beelie's not around, anubis and loki would be her besties, and cú chulainn as her bodyguard maybe??????

[willtheweaver]

A writer’s guide to forests: from the poles to the tropics, part 6

Welcome back. We’re getting closer to the equator. Things are really heating up now.(…I’ll see myself out now)

Mediterranean forest

Here is where the line between myth and reality begin to blur, and history reveals itself.

Location- The region around the Mediterranean Sea, bordered by the Alps and the deserts of the Middle East and Northern Africa. Much of the forest area has been altered by human activity, with the largest expanse remaining located in the Iberian peninsula.

Climate- Warm and dry. Mountains are more reliably wet, with higher elevations being seasonal.

Plant life- Trees are evergreen at or near sea level, with cork oak and olive common. Atlas cedar grow in Morocco, and the Levant is home to Cedar of Lebanon. In Alpine regions, deciduous species such as Hornbeam, lime, and elm eventually give way to pines as one goes higher. Dry areas produce many hardy species of ground cover, including the unusual dewy pine (Drosophyllum lusitanicum)- this is the only perennial carnivorous plant that does not grow in a wetland or humid environment.

Animal life- Due to millennia of human activity, predators, such as lions, wolves, bears, and lions have mostly or totally vanished. The largest hunter one may stumble across is the Iberian Lynx, though this is unlikely. Extinction has also affected prey species, with the Pyrenees ibex going extinct twice (the second time occurred after a clone ibex died shortly after birth). Conservation efforts have meant that species from eagles to dormice have a chance to recover. North Africa and Gibraltar are home to Barbary Macaques. Where humans manage forestland, herds of goats and pigs forage.

How the forest affects the story- Unless you want your characters high in the mountains, you don’t have to worry too much about the seasons( granted, winters can still be cold, but trees are evergreen and the summer heat will be the biggest worry) As these forests have been cleared and managed since the Neolithic, it is your choice as to where your characters fit into the grand picture. Do your characters and their society harvest the forest or graze their livestock there? Or maybe your characters have decided to restore the forest. What would restoration efforts look like? And of course, history and prehistory can provide a backdrop and various peoples to interact with. Could your characters have crossed paths with Otzi the iceman? What about the Romans, pilgrims, crusaders, Phoneticians, or Celtic-Iberians? And you don’t have to limit yourself to history. This is the land of the Greek Myths, and countless others as well. Gods, heros, and monsters may lurk behind the trees and in the caves.

[wordy-little-witch]

Seemingly unpopular opionion:

Buggy has a LOT of tattoos

Like. So many. So much ink. He wanted piercings, but the only way for those to work is if he's quite literally submerged in sea water, given the monopoly on sea stone. It's annoying. He still commits to the little bits necessary for tattoos.

That said, Buggy also has chronic pain - it essentially works like fibromyalgia, and so the tattoos are actually. Really good for his pain levels.

Now onto the tattoos and piercings.

Piercings:

• three in each ear lobe, a few cartilage piercings on his left ear, a cuff on the right.

• belly button ring

• tongue piercing

• eyebrow piercing on the left

• nipple piercings (both)

• has been debating dimple piercings, not done yet

• considered snake or spider bites, not done yet

Tattoos:

• a stylized compass spanning most of his upper back, from nape to just above the small of his back. It covers a scar.

• there's flowers around the compass, different sizes and simple in design - they're made from finger prints of people he loves. Some are old and faded, one in particular was once a bright pink and has faded to something softer, pastel, just a little wisp on his shoulder blade. He won't touch that one up. There's a small red one with a larger red flower behind it, same finger print, different sizes. There's a green, a gold-brown, a purple, a hot pink one that had faded slightly, there are many flowers around the compass rose on his spine.

• he has a Medusa tattoo on his left outer thigh. It's black lineart with watercolor around it.

• had a balloon animal on his left ankle

• a terminator tat on his right calf, the underneath being a rainbow of glitter

• the transgender symbol on his right thigh with the nonbinary flag colors in watercolor

• a spider dangling from a crescent moon on his left pectoral, the moon around the nipple and partially covering scars from top surgery

• sailor's poem on his ribcage, right hand side.

• a tattoo on the back of his left hand, terminator tat styled, the underlayer like sea water

• knuckle tats!! Knuckle TATS!!!!

• is considering a tattoo on his forearms, maybe even sleeves.

• wants to get a geometric pattern or celtic knot inspired tattoo on his stomach or lower back.

Okay that's all I got for now ily

[annlytical]

Folklore

I know Rocky maybe already knows Celtic myths, due to his mythological references in the pilot/comic, but I decided to be self-indulgent with Ash sharing her favorite ones

Still a WIP, but proud and decided to post it before I try an experimental mix of Water color and alcohol markers-

The fae/creatures shown are:

-The Dobhar-chú, or King Otter

-The Muckie

-An Irish wolfhound (whose design is somewhat based off those in Song of the Sea)

-A Selkie

-A Crescent Moon with the Ailm symbol

[inky-kaleidascope-dimensions]

Ideas for Vulture Name

Mort - can mean death, dead, still water, or a black cloth indicative of mourning, (close to Port, a rich sweet fortified wine)

Aeron - means "shining light" in Hebrew, but is also the Welsh name of the God of battle and slaughter in Celtic mythology.

Mortimer - meaning "dead sea" and has connotations of mortality

Grimm - representing a dark and ominous force associated with death and destruction

William - "resolute protection"

Warren - "park keeper"

Russell - "redhead, fox-colored" maybe he used to have red hair?

Ernest - "serious, resolute", he's very resolute about getting rid of alcohol in the city of Shicago.

Howard - "high guardian or brave heart"

Raymond - "wise protector", trying to protect people from alcohol.

Calvin - "bald, hairless" vultures are bald so that they don't get nasty bacteria stuck in their feathers.

Winston - "wine's town" he's so against alcohol, this would just be funny

Justin/Justinian - "fair, righteous"

----

Mortimer Grimm goes super hard, but might be a bit on the nose, even for us.

Calvin Winston is also a fun combo.

Winston Raymond could be a good one, meaning "wine's town wise protector."

What do you think?

Winston Raymond is my favorite so far. It just sounds amazing and fits the character so well. Also has my favorite meaning.

[blubushie]

can u recommend a sea shantie? i need more sea shanties for the soul

Leave Her Johnny. But specifically the one from Assassin's Creed 4, because the melancholy voices of the choir is just incredible.

Additionally, Hoist Up The Thing by the Longest Johns. This song came out a week before the Akuna docked in Darwin the final time and I disembarked, so I didn't get to hear it while I aboard ship, but the "not knowing how to do anything" joke was exactly me when I was still aboard her, and listening to the song gives me a strong nostalgia for my time at sea when I didn't know how to do anything and had to be taught by the older fellas around me.

Fire and Flame is about the Halifax Disaster, again by the Longest Johns.

Have you noticed a trend of me enjoying this band?

We sang a long of songs on the Akuna, but maybe a quarter I don't know the name of because they were assorted blackfella songs that weren't in English (maybe half the crew was black, including the captain) and I didn't know their lyrics and had to sing by sound.

The Akuna is also where I first heard And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda, which the crew sang for me after they'd learnt I was a drover before I was a linesman. Ernie, her captain, was a Vietnam vet and was a bit emotional when the crew sang it. I learnt this song VERY quickly and would lead the singing of it after.

Speaking of singing, I was asked to sing a lot, since my singing voice is soprano, so I sound like a girl when I sing. And these men have been at sea most of their lives, and we didn't get radio out there, so they liked listening to me sing.

Other songs we sang were Santiana, Off to Sea, Wellerman, Old Maui, Shores of Botany Bay, Bound For South Australia, I Was Only 19, The Wild Colonial Boy, Along the Road to Gundagai, Took the Children Away (some of the blokes aboard were part of the Stolen Generations), Home Among the Gumtrees, Fields of Athenry (which I was encouraged to sing), and Moreton Bay. We went heavy on the bush ballads.

When I sang, it was usually Fields of Athenry, Danny Boy, a LOT of song by Celtic Woman but most were songs from Endless Ocean (the Wii game) because I knew those best, Green Fields of France, etc. I sang a lot of war songs by request, a lot of blackfella songs if I knew the lyrics, a lot of Irish ballads, and a couple of English ones (Scarborough Faire was popular).

My only regret was that I disembarked when I did and didn't spend more time aboard.

[sanhatipal]

~~ Shards of Eden ~~

This is my little cove, and where I post art and dump other things occasionally. Come inside,have a look~

I haven't lasted 2 weeks on any other site since the fall of g+, except maybe twitter but that also drove me nuts and I always took long hiatuses, but have been here constantly since 2018. Which...says quite a bit. I'm a doctor by profession,but here on Tumblr for fandom (pretty obviously) and art

My fandoms:

Pandora Hearts

The case study of Vanitas

Fate series (mainly Fate/Stay Night)

The House in Fata Morgana

Shadows House

Rozen Maiden

Tegami Bachi / Letter Bee

Witch Hat Atelier

xxxholic

Witch's Heart/Majo no Shinzou

07 ghost

D gray man

Some others I'm into but not that crazy about: Touhou, Madoka Magica, Princess Tutu, Tsubasa Reservoir chronicle, Totsokuni no Shoujo (and more but my head is empty). I like seinen, josei and a very specific brand of shonen: aka things enough to mess up my brain. I don't enjoy romance, sexual things(says the Fate fan..HAH. but seriously,I don't.), or mecha unfortunately

I tend to draw Pandora Hearts, VnC and Fate fanart most

I collect figures,so you'll see them here,but since ,as you can see,most of my faves are a bit on the below the radar side,there hardly are any figures... you'll see custom figures here,and orginal character figures because I like those too.

I like a lot of things,but mostly whimsical, folksy aesthetics,forests and plants, and glowy flowers and things like wisp motifs (there's no limit actually).My favourite colours are,as you might have guessed, the multitude of shades of red, deep maroons and browns. I love fantasy,and folk tales and Celtic things in general have been my passion for a long,long time ,though I also love things inspired by Alice in Wonderland .

As far as music goes...I sang soprano at a choir for a larger part of my teenage,and choral music is very close to my heart. My favourite genres of music are Celtic, especially Irish traditional, new age, classical/neo classical, sea shanties,and whatever Yuki Kajiura and Mili have going on.

Now...art! When not doing fanart,I like drawing fantasy illustrations, and one day I'd like to illustrate books but that's a pipe dream. I'm self taught,and use mostly watercolour and ink. I also love sculpting. It started with trying to sculpt figures and while that's still what I do most,I sculpt other things too,and in general it has to be the favourite of my scores of hobbies . I also do bookbinding...and music box strips ...and doll customs...yeah there's no rhyme or reason to what I do and don't actually.

Sometimes I post photos of plants,I like taking photos and smelling wet mud

If you want to hop into my DMs to talk about fandoms or fanart,feel free! I would be very happy! Also I really love getting tagged and asked ,but often don't get around to responding because I'm a mess of procrastination...if that happens please don't mind, I really really appreciate it and it certainly made me happy,and I'll get to it as soon as I can.

If you've made it this far,thank you. It's been quite a long post,and thank you for reading,I appreciate it. Here are my other blogs:

@sanhatis-abyss absolute reblog hell,if you're looking for something I reblogged 2 days ago my condolences,you probably won't find it unless you scroll for hours. Sometimes I shitpost there , sometimes I scream about the latest thing that consumed me, that is ,if I don't accidentally do it here. Truly,an abyss.

@amaryllis-arachne my doll blog. I realise not everyone likes dolls,or photos of disembered plastic body parts,so I don't reblog those onto the abyss blog. Sometimes I put pictures of my own dolls there,and sometimes er...yes parts.

If you want my other links, they're all in the blog description. Except my Anilist, but it's really not worth anything,since I don't review or rate or anything,just use it to keep track. I do roughly-monthly uploads on YouTube of craft tutorials and drawings,but there's not much rhyme or reason to that either... anyways,hope you have a great day,and hope you find anything you like in this mess of a red coloured pit.

[k00320108]

Brainstorming for "Assemble".

The chaos of brainstorming for Assemble has begun. I immediately knew I wanted to do something more personal for this project and focus on the things I'm passionate about. I decided I wanted to look at the different elements that Assemble to form me as a person.

This project could go a million different ways. People are so complex, and specifically because it's about myself, I know there's thousands of different things I could focus on. That's a bit daunting but also makes it so exciting because there's so many possibilities. At the minute I think that's what I'm finding the hardest, I know there's so many different things I'd like to explore but I feel like I haven't had that light bulb moment yet of finding the concept within this idea that my heart is set on. But I have to remember that it's literally week one. Rome wasn't built in a day, and by the looks of it, this Assemble project won't be either.

Currently though, some ideas that have caught my attention are looking at fingerprints, sound waves, aran jumpers, old art such as birthday cards, a love for English, memories, and family. These are all very broad ideas, but they all individually seem to spark a very big interest in me or else just feel influential in things that make me as a person.

I'm usually described as a "giddy" person. Genuinely, if i had a euro for every individual who has called me giddy, I'd be able to afford this whole college thing a lot easier. I have a terrible case of not being able to stop laughing once I start. Humour is a huge part of my personality, so I'd love to look at this. I was particularly looking at soundwaves if I could get a voice recording of my laugh.

Over the summer, I started working in a place called "Quills" in Killarney. They sell traditional Irish sweaters, celtic jewellery, and pretty much anything remotely irish. I've always had a huge interest in Irish culture, and I feel like working there over the past few months has only spurred that on if anything. It gave me an excuse to learn the ins and outs of aran sweaters and celtic symbols. I'd love to explore this in my project. My project seems to be leaning towards identity. Originally, the Aran jumper was created to protect fishermen and farmers from the elements on the Aran Islands. Unfortunately, however, it was also a way to identify fishermen who had been lost at sea. Their bodies would often be unrecognisable however, every family had its own individual pattern on their jumper, and the different stitches had different symbolism. (I was recently told this isnt actually true lol, despite the fact that its definitely been used to convince poor tourists into buying a sweater or two, but its still an interesting thing to think about). I think this is fascinating, and I'd definitely like to look at this a lot more and maybe even create my own Aran jumper pattern that represents me by the end of the project!!

[elxgantcaptain]

from a rp meme you haven't reblogged but i want them all answered

How do they feel about people shorter/taller than them?

What are they like on social media? (What’s their username, profile pic, etc.)

Their sexuality?

Preferred weather?

What’s their sleeping schedule?

Favorite music?

How’s their cooking?

It’s movie night, what movie do they pick?

How would they hold up in a pillow war?

What’s their sleeping position?

Who do they go to for comfort?

Something small that they enjoy?

How do they feel about physical contact by others?

What is enough to bring them to tears?

Biggest pet peeve?

How well do they take care of themselves?

What’s something they like that may be surprising to others?

Do they consider others family?

Any bad habits that they have?

What’s their idea of a perfect vacation?

Do they get lost easily? Will they ask for directions if they are?

The strangest thing they have ever seen?

How well do they accept advice?

How much do they swear?

How do they take advice given to them?

Do they like being in pictures?

Is there anything they’re bad at?

What’s their morning schedule?

Any past injuries?

Something that disgusts them?

BLOODY HELL XD

Well, I shall put this under the cut because there is A LOT!

I don't think height bothers Hook so much? There are men on the ship that seem taller/bigger than him and he doesn't seem intimidated. I think he CAN get annoyed at times? In scenarios where all villains can interact and stuff, I like to think he puts higher heels on his shoes to seem taller xD

Main verse Hook has... NO IDEA how internet and technology works, put something like that in front of him and he'd think its haunted or something idk. But modern verse Hook? Ehhh, he gets the rough gist of it, but i still think he'd be a bloody old man on his phone, probably with a classic nokia with the classic snake game being the only other thing you can do on it aside from text and make calls xD

Sexuality is easy, Bisexual, leaning strongly towards men.

Weather? A good breeze on a warm day, easy for sailing, good for relaxing, no one wants hot still weather.

Sleeping schedule, PFT. WHO NEEDS THAT? xD Honestly, he doesn't really have one? He's up at all hours usually, sleeping at night should be a thing but he sleeps when he can and feels the need to. Nightmares keep him up and at least if he slept in the day he could SEE his opponent.

Music.. Hmm... Modern Hook would probably like 70s/80s type music maybe? I've not thought of this much tbh, but he would DEFO not be into rap, punk, funk or 'modern' tunes in either verse. Classic Hook is into those happy jigs and tunes they played in inns in Scotland and Ireland. Folk songs and sea shanties. Celtic bangers xD

He... Cannot cook. Thats it. He probably can toast coconut and cook fish? But all the bones would still be on and stuff.

Movie night, he'd pick a romance, something he needs the tissues for. Or some over the top drama.

Pillow war? Like a pillow fight? xD Idk man, he's probably not really played a full game of that before, but I'd say he'd WACK someone round the face easily with arms like those.

Sleeping position, he tends to curl up in the fetal position, all snuggled up and cocooned in blankets and pillows.

For comfort he always calls for Smee, who always seems to know what to do. (Unless he is in a strong ship in which he'd go to his S/O if they've developed enough)

He really enjoys just... The sound of the sea. Or maybe the most simple, the feel of wet sand between his toes when the tide comes ashore.

He doesn't really like it when people touch him, unless he's initiated or offered something, NO TOUCHY.

Literally anything can bring Hook to tears. He's an emotional person. Sadness, frustration, etc etc.

Pet peeve... UMMM, when people move his 'organised mess? xD'

Hook... hm... Doesn't really take THAT much care of himself? not mentally anyway? Physically, appearances can be everything, he's one of the most well groomed people on the ship, he ALWAYS cares for his hair, before anything else, the rest of him could be stinking from sailing for weeks but his hair would be PERFECT. Mentally? UH, not so much. He also just shrugs off many wounds and cuts and hopes for the best xD

The fact that he likes traditional romance novels? Maybe that could surprise people? Or his simple, sweet pleasures, like collecting seashells, or drawing and writing in his journals?

Hook doesn't really have family, perhaps the closest thing is his crew and Smee... But he wouldn't call them a family?

Bad habits is basically just leaving things where he's dropped them, he doesn't clean up after himself, his papers, journals etc are all in piles and nothing is organised per-say. He also chews his hook from time to time and tugs on his tash.

Perfect vacation for Hook would be away from Peter Pan and Neverland, plundering somewhere and taking treasure and just relaxing on a beach with a nice drink.

Hook has a good sense of direction, even if he would get lost he can easily make his way back to where he started.

He has seen... Many strange things in his time, talking trees, singing plants... The list is endless.

Hook doesn't accept advice to be honest? He can take advice for one thing but end up twisting it into another and thinking he came up with it xD

He doesn't swear... THAT often? He's a gentleman after all xD But he can swear when he's in the bedroom~ Or when he's REALLY angry

Same as before with the advice thing I think

He likes to know how pretty he looks, so yes, he does like being in pictures xD

He's bad at being around children? He's also bad at staying on land for long amount of time without complaining xD

Morning schedule, get up, work on the charts, check navigation and the wind direction and to see if they're on course, do an inspection, smoke a few cigarettes and basically eat when Smee brings him something xD

Many, he has scars covering most his body, bite marks from the croc, slash marks from Pan's dagger, the missing hand, obviously, he has whip scars on his back, bullet wound(s) etc etc.

He gets disgusted by bad singing/music? He can also have times where he finds some foods or most foods disgusting and he can't eat it, reminds him of bad things.

[full-on-sam]

heyyo, hope it's not too late for a WBW (as opposed to STS FML) ask.

Tell me about an aesthetic you have or really want to create a world based on.

Hello my morbo!

So, fun fact, The Ship of Undead started as a book with a piracy based aeshtetic. It became a bit different later (but don't worry!! Pirates are still there!!).

One day I would like to create a world that revolves around the concept of piracy and sea and ships as a whole. Maybe with a teeny sprimkle of an eerie atmosphere too.

Another aeshtetic I love is in general anything celtic. Legends, environment, everything! One day I will write something with that aeshtetic too.

OH! And something about wind and gods!! I love that too.

I have too many ideas I am afraid

[michvelah]

“We are not freeing Palestine, rather Palestine is freeing us” is a sentiment that I’ve read and heard a lot lately, and I didn’t fully understand it until I started doing more and more research on Irish history and culture and British colonialism on the island.

I am nineteen years old in the occupied United States and only now am I realizing how deep my personal relationship with Ireland is and has been for as long as I can remember. My mother made a damn good job of making sure I was surrounded by our culture without ever looking me in the eye and telling me that it was in our blood. There was a celtic cross hanging on our wall for years. My mom celebrated Irish holidays with classic dishes, the color green, and bottles of Guinness. I learned about Irish myth through movies like The Secret of Kells (2009) and Song of the Sea (2014). I learned about the famine through a fiction book I plucked off the shelf when I was around seven, and that was when I learned that there are places other than the United States that have a history with bloodshed and oppression. I’ve found that a good chunk of the music I listen to comes out of Ireland. I wear a celtic knot ring on my right index finger almost every single day. I have no idea where it came from. These are subtle little details that mean the world to me, because that’s what happens when you colonize and are colonized. You start to lose things, but you grasp onto whatever you can and try to keep it alive.

I see how resilient Palestinians are in the face of colonial violence and tragedy. I see their art and their poetry. I see how much they love their land and people. I see photos and videos of beautiful architecture, sunsets, and delicious meals. I see them and their culture being slaughtered by Israel and imperial powers like the United States in real time. Depending on where you come from, what’s been happening to Palestinians has probably happened to your ancestors. Maybe they weren’t carpet bombed. Maybe they weren’t starved and made ill. But it still happened. You still lost a piece of yourself.

Long story short, Palestinians have encouraged me to question how colonialism has impacted me and the places I have ties to. To challenge my oppressors and people in power who don’t do anything but participate in the eradication of people and their cultures. They’ve encouraged me to learn about where I come from, to love where I come from, to reconnect ties that were intentionally broken by colonization. I finally feel like I belong to something bigger than myself.

More importantly, I’ve learned just how important it is to fight for liberation, even when that liberation is not for you.

This is how Palestinians are freeing us.

🇮🇪🇵🇸

[starryflix]

An idea of the future

You know, the future has always quite scared me. I think because so much happened across the years it has become rather difficult to look out and plan ahead for a few years because I am so used to life throwing me a curveball every once so often. Now that I am 20 I think I finally am seeing something ahead of me that is somewhat steady. Steady and achievable.

I think the most interesting thing is that across the couple of months and the new environments I have found myself in people keep giving me the exact same idea as I personally have of my future. And it is rather interesting to see how close me and my best friend can get to each other's idea of the future without ever really talking about it in the first place. We tend to be on one line a lot regardless even if we haven't seen each other for a long while we still manage to have the same incentives and same ways of parroting.

It was good to talk to them about the future and ridiculously heartwarming and important to me to hear that they see themselves in my future as much as I see me in theirs. That hasn't always been the case for me and it was a silent reassurance that no matter what we will stay friends. Modern technology helps a lot but they also said that if I were to emigrate they'd send me letters with little trinkets they find everywhere that remind them of me and I'd send them back dried flowers and small stones found on a beach together with the letter.

I think that the one thing I have heard the most about what people envision me to do is to become a writer, and if that doesn't sustain me enough I'd have a teaching job on the side. They also all tell me I'd live in a small town, close to nature.

And I very much agree.

Me and my best friend tend to speak in colours and in nature scenes, people have certain feels and we communicate those by means of colours and scenes. I have synaesthesia when it comes to feelings and colours and by extent people have colours. Renn has always been ridiculously good at figuring out my feelings when I couldn't put them into words and described them as colours. I think it might partially be the fact we are both neurodivergent.

I am going off in many tangents, the tl;dr of this story is that while I have always been rather scared of making plans for the future or dreaming of a fantasy that is perhaps not within reach this is more and more seeming like a clear and achievable picture and I am just simply not used to that. Like I am not to so many things that maybe should feel normal. Although I think my entire generation is quite cautious when it comes to a future mainly because of all the ways the world has been going.

I think I'd like escaping to a small cottage on top of a cliffside, a small town not too far away and a lighthouse shining in the distance with a dog and two cats. Writing books, teaching kids and perhaps accidentally taking a few with problems under my wing. It seems like it is something I was always meant to do. So maybe.

One thing is abundantly getting clearer; I don't think I want to stay in the Netherlands. It's too busy here, too full, too crowded with the impending doom of rising sea levels on top of it. My dad told me not to be too pessimistic but I have trouble seeing my future in this rushed country with nearly 18 million people. It just doesn't suit me.

I hope my health issues just won't get in the way of being able to emigrate.

I'd likely end up in a Celtic country regardless, always had a weird affinity for them.

The scene I would be or would be living in would be described somewhere along these lines:

okay so, imagine a slightly unruly sea, it's windy but not cold, a morning fresh around dawn, too dark to actually be considered light but the stars have gone away. It's a somewhat secluded beach, small patch of meadow with deers on one side that changes slowly into dense woods and rocky and grey cliffs on the other side, the rocks the kind people climb on. The sand is leaning towards a white-ish colour and there's a very small pier where you can sit and stick your feet in the water. It's quite the way from the small town however the lighthouse is close by and the outline visible within the dark grey air. On top of the cliffs stands a small dark wooden cottage, cluttered with creative stuff and books everywhere, a half handwritten letter with some dried flowers on the desk. Paintings drying beside the kitchen sink. Besides the desk stands a shelf that displays a variety of mismatched trinkets; all send to me by best friend. There's an old wooden chair outside on the porch, a golden retriever dog and two cats lazing about. Dawn but one after a night fuelled with insomnia, a sleepy and calm morning.

[autumnmisthare]

Powerful common human symbols of nature - over 10 symbols and their meanings...

There are some better known symbols of nature among humans. Here is a list of some of these. Check the table of contents.

The leaf, plant, the tree

The tree or a plant is a form of life that evolved naturally in one branch in the lineages of evolution. It is interesting to know that both plants, animals and fungi share an early common form of life as ancestor. There actually was a time in the timeline of the planet earth, where trees and complex plants did not exist, as life was still in origin stages. The algeae, moss and proto-plants emerged into this scene, and later the early form of plants, bushes and trees. The leaf is an intricate and beautiful structure of life that is not man-made, and reminds of plants, forests and wild places. The leaf's function is in photosynthesis and the making of food for the plant. Sunlight is absorbed by the leaf chlorophyll. Oxygen is given out by the stomata on leaf's surface. The tree also forms a symbol of the connection between the human world, the underworld, and the sky world (in an old mythological cosmic sense); as the trees roots are underground, the base at the surface of land, and the crown of leaves are exposed to the sky air. The "world-tree" as the axis mundi, e.g- the Norse ash Yggdrasil, is a significant example. Another folk and religious symbol is the tree of life.

The wilderness or the forest

The wildernesses is maybe tundras, scrublands, grasslands and so on. Forests are usually populated with trees, bushes and undergrowth. Both may be inhabited by various kinds of small and larger creatures. Other relevant places are deserts of snow and sand, rocks. All these places formed first by elemental, sea, atmospheric and geological forces, in combination with various forms of life evolving over time. The trees form forests, and is usually a wild place which urban humans do not inhabit. Though forest settlements could be thought of, the urban mentality is somewhat inconvenienced by the nature of forests. Forests are not extremely ordered (but naturally formed into a rough order), made to be convenient for human living, are dark under the canopies, and could be teeming with various other forms of life in the undergrowth and on branches. Some of that life is "troublesome" to the human, and sometimes the human knowingly or unknowingly damages such life. Human for a long time has lived in cleared spaces and in ordered villages, towns and so on. The forest and bushes spaces also sometimes has an association of being hiding places of outlaws, bandits, distanced people or people living in the borders, and so on. Specific kinds of mythological or spirit figures, characters, deities and spirits were associated with the forest. The old gods Pan (Greek) and Cernunnos (Celtic) being two such. A resident spirit inhabiting and a part of a tree is called a dryad. In parts of south east Asia there is folklore stories of "tree gods" (and demons) which climb up trees and come down from them at certain times of the day or night. The spirit "The Leshy" is a tutelary forest god of old Slavic mythology.

The Soil

The soil is somewhat of a symbol of nature and also of life. The soil is formed consisting of various original minerals, waters, metals, and bio-material from creatures and plants, both living and decayed. There are creatures which actually live within the soil, such as worms. This soil is the fertile base from which plant kinds grow from and take nourishment. In that sense, the soil is a provider of sustenance to a major needed form of life, and it is also where we extract minerals and clay from.

The earth, the land, and gaia concept

The Earth, planet Terra The earth is the planet that is the home of homo-sapien humans and other creatures of earth. This planet is a fairly rare planet in that it can sustain life, and contains an abundance of water. It is in the correct distance from the sun to be a just-right level of warmth. The earth's history goes to the formation of the solar system and it has been present for a very long time, in comparison to how long humans have existed. It has gone through a number of eras in time. From the meteor showers, to cooling of the earth, forming of atmosphere, to presence of water and forming of seas, to presence of first life, to various eras and ages of life. The planet is active, in the sense that the inner forces of the mantle animate the movements of tectonic plates. There is formation of mountains, and rifts.

The land The land is what we see of the earth from the humans' point of view. Land formations such as mountains, rivers, hills, valleys, gorges, canyons, cliffs, lakes, seas, arches, stacks. pillars, volcanoes, forests, deserts, caves, waterfalls and so on, can be impressive and beautiful natural formations. The land is what supports us and other creatures. Things such as earthquakes, tsunamis, storms, gales, sinkholes, volcanoes and so on can be powerful and large entities and events that have a lot of deadly power and influence on the organic living creatures of the land. Gaia theory The concept of Gaia comes from the mythological lore about the earth goddess. The greek goddess Gaia, Indian Bhumi-devi, etc. Interestingly the old Egyptian lore had Geb and Nut. Geb being the male earth god, and nut being the female sky god. I take the Gaia concept to mean the way the earth planet changes to balance itself in various ways of climate, life, geology and ocean contents. The earth's life changes over the characteristic ages according to things such as heat, radiation, pollution, atmospheric gas levels, abundance of food material, volcanism, meteor and asteroid falls, and the competitions between evolving branches of life itself. It is a meeting of life, materials and elemental forces, principle influences to form a complex system. When it is healthy, it may maintain and further the conditions of life on the planet.

The night sky, the sun and moon

The sun and moon is a complete symbol in itself, signifying things such as the long lasting (seemingly permanent) important powerful entities that life depends on or are influenced by. They were usually considered as gods, or as realms of gods. Various sun and moon gods exist in old traditions. For the purposes of us humans living only upto a 100 years at a time, the existence and influence of these celestial near-entities seems eternal. However in celestial, astral, universal scales of time, these entities have their own meeting of changes and "life cycles". In terms of scientific astronomy knowledge, it is generally now held that the formation of the sun from the dust disk of the solar system led to the formation of planets including planet earth. The sun's gravitational influence holds the planets in place, though this is not a completely fixed thing. The sun changes over time, and so do the planet systems. The moon is said to have played a key part in the evolution of life on earth. It has a role in things such as the tides, eclipses and possibly even some mental influences upon some living creatures. The night sky consists of the field of stars and planets, and galaxies. For our ancestors and people of distant past, this was a beautiful sight that was hard to describe or reason about. Even intelligent people of the past where scientific developments had not yet developed, could not say for certain the nature of what is seen in the night sky.

Circle, The four elements, The seasons

The Seasons The seasons are something that remind us of nature, from spring plants to autumn leaves. They have a significant effect on our lives, and the natural effects of them cannot be ignored in some places of the world, as it means difference between life and death. The changes of season are from a number of natural reasons, including the energy from the sun and cold from the void, the alignment of the world's axis, currents of energy and material circulating the earth, sea and air, humidity, and so on… Four elements Each of the four elements are associated with nature. Fire is symbolic of a significant aspect of nature as we know it. The air or the sky, earth or the land, the water or the sea, are all associated with nature as significant entities or worlds. The "four elements" is now a fairly old philosophical or alchemical theory about the qualities involved in the world's energies or materials. There were other developments and changes in such theories as time went on, but the four elements view is still known. The four elements are shown ordered at quarters of a circle, and the seasons are also shown this way. The seasons are naturally seen to be cyclical. The circle or the sphere The circle itself is said to be a symbol of nature. Further from the circle, this also suggests that the sphere could be a symbol of nature. In the case of the sphere, it implies space of the world, or integration of many staves of dualistic principles harmoniously into one whole, with a centrality or a balance. Both the sphere and circle can be seen as a symbol also of cyclical endless beginning-less existence.

The Colour Green

The color green is often associated with nature. This may mostly be from the color of leaves and plants. It is also associated with fertility and life. In modern times it is associated with environmentalism, sustainability and conservation. Green is also a very moderate, harmonious and balanced color that is easy and pleasant for the human's eyes. Being in fields of grass is said to relax people and give them a positive mentality. It may also have a calming effect. It may be associated with easing anxiety and promote feelings of peace and harmony. In meditation and yoga, green is associated with the heart chakra. Sometimes the colour green is associated with ideas of "paradise" or of "rebirth", "renewal".

Motherhood

"Mother nature" is a phrase that is often spoken when nature is referred to. So this aspect may be from ideas such as - we are inhabitants of nature, we have come into being in this world and grow up in nature, if there is no protection and nourishment from nature and the world - we would not thrive as well. It is then seen that our actions and ways of living affect the world, and by that, there is a response of change from the world in accordance with "nature", reasons or the way things are connected and dependent on each other. Generally the response of change from the world may be good - if our ways of living and action are good, and vice versa.

Hands and other such organic forms

Hands are reminding of what nature could form. Since humans naturally evolved to be tool using creatures with skills of the hands. Similar to hands, other interesting creatures, features and forms could be wings of the bird, antlers of the stag, butterfly, bear, the strange platypus, the beak of the Toucan, The kiwi and the dodo, the jellyfish, the draco lizard, flying squirrel, the dam building beaver, the corals, flowers, the water skimming lizard, the elephant, the whale, the peacock, bird of paradise and so on...

Mountains

The mountain is a symbol of nature in that it is a common impressive natural formation. Other than that, a mountain has a broad foundation and a peak at a height. It is like a tower, with the top being the existing manifest world as we know it. That suggests foundational first reasons, maybe many reasons, that support the existing world reality. The great mount Sumeru or mount Meru, is a entity in old south east Asian cosmology and mythology. It is an idea of a great mountain and a set of circular mountain ranges at the center of the world system. It might be another idea associated with "axis mundi", similar to Yggdrasil. In the sense that at the top of mount Meru are levels of certain heavens and heavenly beings, this mountain could also be similar to mount Olympus. There many sacred or significant mountains in the folk lore and mythologies of humans.

Spiral and other geometrical - symbols of nature

The spiral is a symbol to do with nature. It suggests emergence, progression and cycles. The Fibonacci pattern can be visually seen in nature, in things such as flowers, and shells of creatures. Other geometric shapes and patterns could also relate to nature in some ways. Plato's theory of forms (platonic forms) comes to mind. Ideas about some mathematical fractals are sometimes seen set close to images of nature. Mountains are roughly triangular, tetrahedral, pyramidal or cone shaped. Hills are roughly bowl shaped. The honeycomb pattern is found in the work of bees. The crystalline formations such as ice and salt crystals, have straight edges. Light rays have straight trajectory. A branch sector or a tree trunk could be relatively straight. Spider webs have threads which are held taught and straight.

Animal kingdom

Animals are seen to live in wild places such as forests, which are also associated with nature. They can have various non-human forms, which may be seen as aspects of life that are other than the human form. These could be seen to be revealing other ways in which the world could exist in, and be perceived. The minds of such creatures for their own kind of world, which they interact with in their own way. Each animal has its own scope. We are also a kind of mammalian animal. Animals could be less intelligent or more intelligent. However almost all creatures share sensation, pain and pleasure, more or less levels of sentience, and feeling. A lot of creatures share the basic emotions such as fear and desire for survival. In old traditions, such as shamanic traditions - animal, bird and fish images were also linked with a way of how spirits could show themselves to the human, the dreamer, the person in trance and so on.

The weather

The weather is usually associated with the sky and atmosphere. Things such as the rain, sunshine, wind and storms, clouds are seen as signs of nature-reasons manifesting its effects on the land and in the sky. The sky and the weather is also the most volatile and energetic aspect of the human earth world. It could be smooth and gentle (breeze), but also strong and violent (storms). It could be alit with light, or dark in the night. Sometimes the weather changes due to man made causes, such as acid rains, or global warming (and its side effects). Sometimes natural land or space-related causes create unusual weather patterns - such as dust and ash from volcanic eruptions creating conditions of darkness and cold periods. The current weather and climate effects we are seen as of 2020s is of altering climate, and due to pollution and effects upon the earth's systems, the weather. things such as rains, storms and wildfires possibly might increase. The industry, corporations and political groups are still not in good agreement to alter their bad habits.

Natural landscapes

The human sees some kinds of natural landscapes and scenery, and sees beauty in it. So this then is linked with ideas of nature. Natural places as they are, form out of a number of reasons interacting together, and bringing about a stable or slowly changing common state of being and existence. So, some aspects of such a natural place could change, as some reasons and causes involved in those aspects alter. For example, a lake with mossy stones around it and a forest in the background - The reasons could be the change of the original terrain to become bowl shaped, rainfall, access to supplies of water from rivers or streams, moisture in the air, formation of rocks from early processes... The spreading of basic vegetation, right temperature in the climate and seasons, the seeding and spreading of trees to form a forest, the preservation of the forest lifeforms, and so on...

That's it...

I hope this list of known symbols of nature was interesting. These are another way that we can think about nature, and relate to it somewhat better. If you have an idea about nature which you think applies to this list, you can comment below. Read the full article

[ambrecyant]

In Brittany, France, where I spend most of my holidays, it is very common to stumble upon these.

The first picture is a prehistorical standing stone (as they all are, they are not Celtic, tho the celts re-used them in a more religious manner). These specific standing stones were “christianised” meaning the church carved or added a cross at the top or in the stone.

I always felt this as maybe one of the most disrespectful act I’ve ever witnessed to be done by the church. They arrived in a land of pagan beliefs, saw man-built stone structures, not even religiously connoted, and appropriated them by adding their own religious symbol. They stumbled upon a structure older than their religion and violated it. It is, for me, exactly the same as a child destroying a structure he stumbles upon, for no real reason, just because of a lack of understanding (sandcastles, etc.). By doing so, the church screams “quit your beliefs and believe in us now”. Making it impossible to practice the religion because of the omnipresent cross. Imagine being a native french British, speaking a whole other tongue, with a whole culture dating back to centuries of existence, then being told by an organisation to believe in something else otherwise you would get punished by going to hell.

Anytime I see these I get sad. Sad for the people who were living their lives and saw their culture destroyed to the ground by, firstly religion, then the french politics that forbid to speak the British tongue. En entire orally transmitted heritage gone in few years. An entire belief system crumbled by the feet of the church who thought they were entitled to mark their territory by violating prehistorical structures older than any religion.

The second picture is still a cross but not on a standing stone, it is made of the same rock, and they are e v e r y w h e r e. Sometimes when in your car and going on a cross road, there will be like 4 to 5 granit crosses.

This I feel is to remind the people back then of never going back to their old beliefs, and this is because Brittany is indeed a very mystically inspiring land. It is very easy to believe in the power of nature, of the sea and of many gods.

Today I think about the old people of Bretagne and the suffering they must have endured seeing these crosses at a time where they did not know what to believe anymore. I think about the mothers who couldn’t sing their kids to sleep because they were forbidden to speak the tongue. I think about the myths and tales humanity lost by being so selfish and extremist.

These crosses are the scars of the region.

[ilikereadingactually]

A Sweet Sting of Salt

A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland

i have to get this out of the way first: i can't stand this cover. it doesn't match the book at all imo. this cover says "sexy YA romance," and doesn't say "queer historical fantasy" to me at all, and folks looking for sexy YA romance will be disappointed, and folks looking for queer historical fantasy will have a hard time finding it. but my feelings about cover design aside, i did in fact look closer at this book, and decided to read it, and loved the hell out of it! a very charming pearl inside an oyster. which is actually not a great metaphor, because i like the way oysters look aesthetically, and i do not like the way this cover looks aesthetically. i'll stop going on about it, i've typed enough words that the image has gone mostly above the fold.

so! this was a lovely book! it's set in the early 1800s in Nova Scotia, which i know nothing about, but that didn't actually matter to my enjoyment. it's not really about the history of the time, aside from the way of life and social mores of this little town by the ocean. which is a plus for me personally because i'm bad at/not terribly interested in historical Events, i'm always more compelled by the characters and their relationships. so i was very compelled here by Jean, unmarried twentysomething lesbian midwife; Jean's mentor/surrogate mother Anneke and her friend/surrogate brother/fellow queer Laurie; especially compelled by Muirin, the "mysterious" Scottish wife of Jean's neighbor.

i say "mysterious" in quotes only because it takes Jean quite a while to figure out what's going on with Muirin, on several levels--which is not a problem! Sutherland does an excellent job of keeping Jean's gradual understanding believable, while also giving the genre-savvy reader everything we need to see the story under the story. the dramatic irony is delightful. the slow building love story is delightful. the dips into historical queerness was delightful, well-balanced and given with nuance. the climactic tension was tense as hell, the resolution made me weepy, and best of all...selkies!! surprise, this is a selkie story, which is one of my favorite things. it's a struggle for me not to be one of those white girls who is uncomfortably woo-woo about what she thinks is the witchy pagan spirituality of her Celtic ancestors because one of her great grandfathers came over from Ireland. selkies bring it out in me though T^T

the deets

how i read it: an e-galley from NetGalley, which i read in one sitting after work yesterday, cuddled in bed. what bliss.

try this if you: saw The Secret of Roan Inish at a formative age and/or just are into selkies, love seeing historical queers find ways to be together, dig kidfic, or long for the ocean.

some bits i really liked: Muirin and Jean being relatable

Jean caught a glimpse of Muirin's back past his shoulder; she sat on the bed in the far room, gazing out the window at the sea. Jean couldn't have said why she was sure Muirin was looking over the woodlot to the bay, and not at the trees or the empty field behind the house, but she was certain of it, somehow. Muirin had grown up on an island, and she could be twenty miles inland and still have seagulls in her eyes., was the sort who'd pine if she were kept from the shore for long. Jean knew sea-longing too well not to have seen it in Muirin. Some people had salt water in their blood.

---

No, what Jean minded about going to church was the people. She was already beginning to chafe at beginning so closed-in with neighbors and didn't want to be in town long enough to have to come again next Sunday. She wasn't used to having to see and talk with a dozen different people and more each day anymore. Maybe in a bigger place it would be different? Where you'd see people but not know them all by name, and have them know you, too, and want to stop you to tell you all about their children, and their business, and their neighbor's business, too. Where you wouldn't have to wonder what they were all thinking about you, or guard yourself as close.

pub date: April 9, 2024!!