#so he’s not really a ‘human’ perspective so much as a now ancient one

[daydreamerdrew]

The Swamp Thing (2021) #1

[zapreportsblog]

Hey really enjoy your writing. I was hoping if you could accept my request. Fem reader is human mate to the volturi kings . She met them while her friends and her where Ghost hunting it was night time and they friend to get in she’s ended up meeting them that way lmao she was 😳

Spooked but intrigued needles to says her life changed that day. She has had a blast getting to know the 3 kings and befriended the guard. She’s was always insecure and sometimes it’s hard to believe she gets to be with amazing people like they have so much knowledge and even been through a lot in life. One day she over heard a new guard talking shit about her. “Why is a human so important to the kings. The probably will just use her and toss her out. She’s so useless and doesn’t do anything. She heard it and got so depressed she locked herself in her room. It got so bad she sorta stoooed eating because she thinks he sorta is right compared to the kings she really does not grasp why they are with her she understands she’s their mate but wishes she could do more.

Cue the kings and the guard being worried /pissed because they can’t see her and got even more worried because she’s not eating and crying all the time. The twins are also mad they investigated and slowly found out how she heard some new guard talking shit. The vampire will now understand the phrases fuck around and find out.

Needless to says the guard is pissed with this vampire and the kings will take care of him soon 😡

But first their b loved need to understand how her work and her perspective as a human is so precious to them and to the her she’s that breath of fresh air that they need she makes their day’s joyful and they can’t see life without her. Marcus s all of them coax and explain how much she means to them. They get very vulnerable with her 🥹🥺

You cans add romance and fluff if you feel comfortable.

Now after reassuring her they take her so she can see them end this fool 😡😈

A trial is done to this stupid guard that dared to do this to their mate it’s not going to be a pretty execution 😈

👁️👄👁️ this is so long but at the same time 👁️🫦👁️ I like it, therefore enjoy 👁️👅👁️

↱ protecting what’s theirs ↰

➘ summary : a stupid ghost hunting trip leads to an unexpected meeting

➘ aro x reader x caius x marcus, twilight x reader, volturi x reader

The full moon cast an eerie glow over the ancient streets of Volterra as (Y/N) and her friends ventured into the heart of the city. Armed with flashlights and a sense of adventure, they were on a ghost hunting expedition like no other. Volterra's rich history and legends of the supernatural had drawn them here, but little did they know, they were about to stumble upon a world beyond their wildest imagination.

The cobblestone streets echoed with the hushed laughter of the group as they meandered through the shadowy alleyways. The atmosphere was charged with a mix of excitement and nervous anticipation. The tall, imposing buildings seemed to watch their every move, and (Y/N)'s heart raced as her flashlight flickered, casting eerie shadows against the ancient stone walls.

As they turned a corner, the distant sound of footsteps caught their attention. A chill ran down (Y/N)'s spine, and her grip on the flashlight tightened. The footsteps grew closer, accompanied by an indistinct murmur that sent shivers down her spine.

"Did you guys hear that?" (Y/N) whispered, her voice barely audible above the hushed whispers of her friends. They nodded, their expressions a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

Their flashlights converged on the source of the sound, revealing three figures emerging from the darkness. Dressed in attire that seemed both elegant and out of place, the strangers exuded an air of authority that demanded attention. Their eyes glowed with an otherworldly intensity, capturing (Y/N)'s gaze and holding it in a vice-like grip.

"Who are you?" one of (Y/N)'s friends stammered, her voice quivering.

"We are the Volturi," the tallest of the strangers replied, his voice smooth and commanding. "And you are trespassing in our domain."

A mixture of fear and fascination washed over (Y/N) as she studied the enigmatic trio. The Volturi - the name resonated within her like a haunting melody, awakening something deep within her soul. Unbidden, her eyes met the piercing gaze of the Volturi king, his crimson irises holding a promise of secrets and mysteries beyond her imagination.

Before anyone could react, the situation took an unexpected turn. A low growl reverberated through the air, followed by the emergence of another figure from the shadows. This newcomer was different from the Volturi, his presence radiating an aura of danger and wildness. His eyes locked onto (Y/N), a mix of curiosity and something more primal flickering in their depths.

"Demetri, Felix, we have guests," the newcomer's voice was a velvet whisper, sending a shiver down (Y/N)'s spine.

The tension in the air was palpable as (Y/N) and her friends found themselves caught in a web of intrigue and danger. The meeting of humans and supernatural beings was fated that night, setting in motion a series of events that would forever alter their lives.

The atmosphere grew electric, the very air around (Y/N) seemed to thrum with a hidden power. She tore her gaze away from the newcomer and back to the enigmatic Volturi kings, who exuded an unsettling mix of authority and intrigue. Questions tumbled in her mind, but the words caught in her throat.

"Forgive our intrusion," one of (Y/N)'s friends managed to stammer, her voice trembling. "We didn't mean any harm."

The tension eased slightly as the Volturi king who had spoken regarded them with an inscrutable expression. "Curiosity often leads mortals to unforeseen encounters," he mused, his tone measured.

"But now that you've seen us, you pose a risk," the newcomer interjected, his voice like velvet edged with steel. "A risk that requires management."

(Y/N)'s heart raced as the implications of his words sank in. What did he mean by "management"? The situation felt precarious, like a fragile balance hanging by a thread.

"We promise, we won't tell anyone about what we've seen," another of (Y/N)'s friends hurriedly assured, her voice quivering.

The Volturi kings exchanged a look that conveyed volumes without a word spoken. It was as if they communicated through an unspoken language that (Y/N) couldn't comprehend. After a tense pause, the leader of the Volturi spoke again, his gaze resting on (Y/N) once more.

"Your words are noted. However, secrecy is not the only matter at hand. There is something... unique about your presence here."

The intensity of the Volturi king's gaze sent shivers down (Y/N)'s spine. She felt like he was peering into her very soul, unraveling the thoughts and emotions she kept hidden even from herself.

"What do you mean?" she managed to whisper, her voice barely audible.

A ghost of a smile touched the corners of his lips, but it did little to ease the unease coiling within her. "Some things are better shown than explained," he said cryptically.

Before anyone could react, a swift movement caught their attention. The newcomer, who had been lurking at the edges of their conversation, now stood in front of (Y/N). His intense gaze bore into her, a mixture of curiosity and something far more primal.

"Would you allow me to show you?" he murmured, his voice like a seductive whisper.

(Y/N)'s heart raced as she met his gaze, her mind torn between fear and a strange attraction she couldn't explain. Her friends exchanged nervous glances, their unspoken concern palpable.

"Show me what?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly.

The newcomer's lips curved into a predatory smile, and a flicker of something unreadable danced in his eyes. "The truth about who we are, and who you are becoming."

As the moon cast an ethereal glow over the ancient streets of Volterra, (Y/N) stood at a crossroads between the mundane world she had known and the enigmatic realm that had suddenly opened before her. Unforeseen encounters had set her on a path of discovery, a journey that would challenge her perceptions and forever intertwine her fate with that of the Volturi kings.

In the days that followed that fateful encounter, (Y/N)'s life took an unexpected turn. Intrigue and curiosity won out over fear, and she found herself agreeing to the newcomer's proposal. What could he possibly show her? It was a question that echoed in her thoughts, driving her to embrace this newfound journey.

As days turned into weeks, (Y/N) discovered a world she had never dreamed of. The Volturi kings, Aro, Caius, and Marcus, each held a presence that was simultaneously awe-inspiring and intimidating. Yet, to her surprise, they welcomed her into their midst with a warmth and hospitality that shattered her preconceived notions.

There was something about their timeless wisdom and the stories they shared that drew her in. Aro's insatiable curiosity, Caius's unwavering determination, and Marcus's melancholic wisdom—each king offered a unique perspective that broadened her horizons.

But it wasn't just the kings who left a lasting impression. The main guards, Felix, Demetri, Jane, and Alec, became her friends. They possessed a camaraderie that was forged through centuries of loyalty and trials. Their stories, filled with both triumphs and heartaches, served as a reminder that even the seemingly immortal beings had faced their share of challenges.

Despite their extraordinary existence, (Y/N) found that they too were grappling with their own vulnerabilities. Jane's fierce determination masked a deeper longing for acceptance, while Alec's quiet demeanor concealed a well of emotions. Demetri's playful banter belied a complex history, and Felix's imposing presence shielded a heart of gold.

As (Y/N) spent time with them, she began to realize that they weren't just powerful beings, but individuals with their own struggles and insecurities. It was a humbling revelation that helped her see herself in a new light. Her initial insecurities, the nagging doubts that she didn't belong, began to fade.

With each passing day, (Y/N) embraced the friendships she had forged. They didn't judge her for her mortal limitations; instead, they celebrated her unique perspective and her willingness to learn. She found herself laughing more, exploring the hidden corners of Volterra with her new companions, and immersing herself in their world.

And through it all, the enigmatic newcomer who had introduced her to this world kept his promise. He showed her the secrets of their existence, revealing the intricate web of alliances, rivalries, and histories that shaped the Volturi's power. (Y/N) listened with rapt attention, her thirst for knowledge deepening as she delved into the labyrinthine tales.

As the weeks turned into months, (Y/N) realized that her life had irrevocably changed. She had transformed from a mere mortal into someone who walked among beings of unparalleled power. But even more importantly, she had found a sense of belonging, a place where her presence was valued and her voice was heard.

The grand halls of the Volturi castle echoed with footsteps, laughter, and murmured conversations. (Y/N) had grown accustomed to the rhythms of this supernatural world, finding comfort in her friendships with the kings and their guards. But one day, as she wandered near a corridor, her steps slowed involuntarily as she overheard a conversation that shattered her newfound sense of belonging.

The voices, though hushed, reached her ears with a clarity that cut like a blade. Her heart hammered in her chest as she recognized the voice of a new guard, someone she hadn't interacted with much. The words he uttered were like poison, seeping into her thoughts.

"Why is a human so important to the kings? They'll probably just use her and toss her out. She's so useless and doesn't do anything."

Those words echoed in her mind, a chorus of doubt that she couldn't escape. As if struck by an unseen force, she retreated from the corridor and fled to her room, her steps heavy with a sadness she couldn't put into words.

Locked away from the world outside, (Y/N) sank onto her bed, her thoughts a tumultuous storm. The echoes of the guard's words reverberated in her mind, amplifying the insecurities she had once managed to overcome. She had believed that she belonged here, that her friendships and connections were genuine. But now, the shadow of doubt loomed over her.

Tears welled in her eyes as she battled the emotions that threatened to engulf her. She had thought she was strong enough to face the skepticism of the outside world, but the venomous words had struck a chord deep within her heart. The weight of her perceived uselessness bore down on her, suffocating her spirit.

Hours passed like a blur as (Y/N) grappled with her emotions in the solitude of her room. The once-familiar space now felt like a prison of her own making. The world outside seemed unreachable, the bonds she had formed now tainted by the poison of doubt.

But just as darkness threatened to consume her completely, a soft knock on her door drew her attention. Tentative at first, then growing more insistent. With a heavy sigh, (Y/N) forced herself to rise from the bed and open the door, revealing the concerned faces of Demetri and Felix.

"(Y/N), are you alright?" Demetri's voice was gentle, his eyes reflecting a genuine worry.

Her voice caught in her throat, and she turned away, unable to meet their gazes. It felt like they could see right through her, past the façade she had constructed.

"(Y/N), you heard that, didn't you?" Felix's voice was quiet, tinged with a sadness she hadn't expected.

Unable to speak, (Y/N) nodded, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. She felt vulnerable, exposed, as if her deepest fears were laid bare for them to see.

Felix stepped forward, his large frame engulfing her in a comforting embrace. "You're not useless, (Y/N). You've brought light into this place, and your friendships are genuine. We've seen it, felt it."

Demetri joined them, his hand resting gently on her shoulder. "We understand that words can hurt, but don't let them define you. You're part of this world because you've earned your place."

Tears spilled down (Y/N)'s cheeks as their words sank in. She realized that she hadn't been alone in her struggle. The friends she had made here saw her worth, even when she couldn't see it herself.

Despite the support of Demetri and Felix, (Y/N)'s mind remained ensnared by the guard's hurtful words. Their reassurances were like a lifeline, but her doubts had taken root, growing stronger with each passing day. The castle that had once felt like a sanctuary now seemed like a place where she didn't belong.

The laughter of the kings and the guards, once a symphony that brought her joy, now felt like a reminder of her perceived inadequacy. She watched them with a heavy heart, wondering why they would choose to be with her, a mere human. In her eyes, they were luminous beings, powerful and wise, while she was fragile and ordinary.

As the days turned into weeks, (Y/N)'s insecurity morphed into something more insidious. She began to withdraw, spending more time in her room, lost in a sea of introspection. The once vibrant glow that surrounded her seemed to dim, and even her interactions with Demetri and Felix felt strained.

The guard's words had taken root deep within her, echoing through her thoughts even as she tried to push them away. Food lost its appeal, and her appetite waned as she contemplated her own worth. She wanted to do more, to contribute something meaningful, but the weight of her perceived uselessness bore down on her, sapping her energy.

Demetri and Felix's concern deepened as they watched her retreat further into herself. They tried to offer solace, to remind her of her place among them, but their words fell on deaf ears. Every reassurance seemed like an empty echo against the overpowering tide of self-doubt.

In the heart of the Volturi castle, a sense of unease hung in the air as Demetri and Felix stood before the three kings. The normally imposing presence of Aro, Caius, and Marcus seemed muted in the face of their guards' obvious distress.

"Demetri, Felix, you both seem troubled. What weighs on your minds?" Aro's voice was laced with a curiosity that never failed to unnerve.

Felix exchanged a look with Demetri, a silent understanding passing between them. With a deep breath, Demetri began to recount the events of the past few weeks—the encounter with the new guard's hurtful words, (Y/N)'s growing isolation, and her plummeting emotional state.

Caius's expression darkened as he listened, his fingers tapping rhythmically against his armrest. "And you say she's confined herself to her room? She's not eating?"

Felix nodded, his voice grim. "Yes, she's been locking herself away, hardly eating, and she seems to be in constant emotional distress. We've tried to reach out to her, but our words don't seem to reach her."

Aro leaned forward, his fingers pressed together in thought. "This is troubling indeed. We were aware of her insecurities, but we had hoped that she would find solace within our company."

Marcus, who had been silent throughout the conversation, finally spoke in his characteristic soft tones. "It appears that the shadow of doubt has taken a firm hold on her. She questions her place among us, her worthiness."

A heavy silence settled in the room as the weight of the situation hung over them. Aro's eyes glinted with a mixture of concern and determination. "We must not let this darkness consume her. We have seen her strength and resilience. It is our duty to remind her of the light she brings into our lives."

Caius's gaze was steely as he spoke. "Felix, Demetri, I want you both to find a way to reach her. Encourage her to open up, to share her thoughts. We cannot allow her to remain trapped in this cycle of despair."

As the guards nodded in agreement, Marcus offered a quiet suggestion. "Perhaps, the presence of the kings themselves might help break through her isolation."

Aro smiled, his expression one of reassurance. "Yes, we shall pay her a visit. Together, we will show her that she is not alone, that her place among us is secure."

With renewed determination, the three kings and their loyal guards set forth on a mission to bring light to (Y/N)'s darkness. The castle's grandeur and power faded in importance as their collective focus centered on the fragile human whose presence had stirred something profound within them.

As twilight settled over the Volturi castle, the air was charged with an unspoken tension. The kings had made their decision, and Alec and Jane, the twins known for their formidable powers, were chosen to investigate the events that had cast a shadow over their domain. The twins moved with an eerie grace, their gazes set with an intent that held an unspoken promise of retribution.

Their path led them to the new guard's quarters, and with a swift motion, Alec opened the door. Jane's crimson eyes bore into the guard, her gaze like a laser that could cut through steel. The guard looked up, caught off guard by their sudden presence.

"Mind if we have a word?" Alec's voice was deceptively calm, but there was a flicker of danger in his eyes.

The guard shifted uncomfortably, his bravado faltering as he sensed the aura of the twins. "What do you want?"

Jane's lips curved into a cold smile, her power radiating from her as she stepped closer. "We heard about your little chat the other night. About (Y/N). Care to elaborate?"

The guard's eyes widened in realization, but he tried to maintain his composure. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Alec's patience wore thin, and his tone hardened. "Don't play games with us. We know exactly what you said. We know about the doubt you sowed in (Y/N)'s mind."

The guard's defiance wavered, and fear crept into his eyes. He stammered, "I... I didn't mean anything by it. I was just venting."

Jane's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "Your words have consequences. You underestimated her strength, and now she's suffering because of it."

A tense silence hung in the air as the twins' words hung heavy between them. The guard's mask of arrogance had crumbled, revealing a hint of vulnerability that Alec and Jane took note of.

"We suggest you tread carefully from now on," Alec's voice was a chilling warning. "Because you've just invoked the wrath of the Volturi kings, and they don't take kindly to those who threaten their own."

With that, the twins turned and left the room, leaving the guard to his thoughts. As the door closed behind them, a sense of unease settled over the castle.

Meanwhile, within the chambers of the kings, the atmosphere was fraught with a simmering anger. Alec and Jane's report had ignited a fire within them, and the knowledge of (Y/N)'s suffering had only fueled their determination.

Demetri's eyes darkened with rage as he clenched his fists. "The audacity of that guard to undermine (Y/N)'s place among us. She deserves more respect than that."

Felix's jaw tensed, his expression mirroring the anger of his comrades. "It's clear we need to set an example. We can't allow this kind of behavior to go unpunished."

Aro's lips curved into a dangerous smile, his gaze glinting with a mixture of power and retribution. "It's time to show this guard what it means to cross the Volturi."

The kings and their loyal guards united in their determination. The guard had unwittingly invoked the fury of the most powerful beings in the vampire world. The phrases "fuck around and find out" took on new meaning as they hatched a plan to ensure that the guard understood the gravity of his actions.

In the shadows of the castle, a reckoning was brewing—a reminder that the Volturi did not tolerate threats to those they cherished. The guard's actions had set in motion a chain of events that would shape the fate of all involved.

As the days unfolded, (Y/N)'s sense of isolation began to wane. The support of Demetri and Felix, along with the kings' determination to mend the damage, had chipped away at the fortress of doubt she had built around herself. The light that had dimmed within her began to flicker once more, illuminating the path toward acceptance.

One evening, as the moon cast its silvery glow over the castle, (Y/N) found herself alone in her room. The atmosphere was charged with a mixture of anticipation and unease. The knock on her door signaled the arrival of unexpected visitors.

"(Y/N), may we come in?" Aro's voice was gentle, tinged with an underlying warmth.

Heart racing, (Y/N) opened the door, revealing the three kings standing before her. Their presence was awe-inspiring, yet this time, it didn't fill her with trepidation. Instead, a sense of belonging enveloped her, and she welcomed them with a mixture of gratitude and curiosity.

"Please, come in," she managed to say, her voice steady despite the whirlwind of emotions inside her.

As they entered her room, the kings' expressions were a blend of concern and determination. Aro, the one most adept at voicing thoughts, took a step forward. "We want to apologize for any distress you've experienced due to the actions of one of our own."

Caius's gaze was piercing, yet there was a hint of understanding in his eyes. "We should have intervened sooner, defended your place among us."

Marcus's voice was soft, carrying the weight of his centuries of wisdom. "You are not just our mate, (Y/N), but a valued member of our family. Your presence has enriched our lives in ways words cannot convey."

Tears welled in (Y/N)'s eyes as their words sank in. They had come to her, not just to reassure her, but to affirm her worth in their lives. The fortress of doubt she had constructed crumbled, and she felt like she was standing on the precipice of a new understanding.

"I... I don't know what to say," she whispered, her voice catching.

Aro's smile was warm as he approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to say anything. Just know that you are cherished, valued, and loved.”

Caius's voice was a whisper that held an unspoken promise. "And we want to make amends for any pain you've endured."

Marcus's gaze held a quiet intensity. "Which is why we've decided to have a trial for the guard who caused you harm."

(Y/N)'s eyes widened in surprise, a mix of emotions churning within her. "A trial?"

Aro nodded. "Yes, a trial. We want you to be there, to see the consequences of his actions, to understand that the Volturi do not tolerate threats to their family."

Caius's voice was firm. "You will witness his judgment."

Marcus's words held a sense of finality. "And you will know that you are not alone."

Tears streamed down (Y/N)'s cheeks as she met their gazes, her heart overflowing with gratitude and a newfound sense of belonging. In that moment, she understood that her place among them was not just by chance, but by choice.

As the moon bathed the room in its glow, the kings and their mate stood together, bound by a connection that transcended words. In the embrace of their love and support, (Y/N)'s journey of self-discovery continued, her spirit rekindled by the realization that she was an integral part of the world she had come to call home.

[menelaiad]

Hi! I know your favorite character is Menelaus (mine too) and I wanted to ask you, what is your opinion about him in Euripides’ Oresteia? And in Euripides’ Helen? Because as I see, the Homeric Menelaus is a little different, and Euripides didn’t despict him as a nice character.

Thank you for your answer in advance! :)

hi, there!

heck yea! fellow menelaus stans unite, let's make jackets or smth.

UHHHHH i spoke about this a lot in my recent MA thesis and it's the foundation for my phd (or at least a big chunk of it) and yes i'm sorry this bitch is going off about her academics again.

so. euripides was athenian and it's fairly safe to say that the athenians altered menelaus characterisation on a HUGE scale and it was mainly euripides as he wrote the most works featuring him. and it's also fairly safe to say that euripides didn't like menelaus OR helen OR hermione simply because they were spartan and given the context of his time, he couldn't really be pro-sparta. so, he used menelaus' family in a myriad of ways to just mock ALL spartans and spartan culture. i won't go into that too much now and i'll focus specifically on the plays you asked about! :)

ORESTES (i assume you meant orestes? aeschylus did the oresteia but euripides just did this one?): so here we see .... menelaus being not very great with his family. but not in a mean way he's just .... useless .. coward like almost? he's a big fence sitter tbh. he doesn't wanna get involved in orestes' shit and that is painfully obvious. again. that's meant to make menelaus look shitty that he doesn't care about his family and his brothers death and his nephew literally having visions of hell BUT. personally? i dont blame him ASDFGHJK. man just got his wife back. got home. dealing with grief and loss and survivors guilt and maybe ptsd and shit .................... and then orestes turns up like 'help me fix my problems' BRO HE GOT HIS OWN DAMN PROBLEMS. and THEN they're like 'ok uncle that's cool. we're gonna kill ur wife and daughter though' LIKE LEAVE THE OLD MAN ALONE. i LOVE menelaus and agamemnon's dynamic. so i'm not saying menelaus didn't care about aga and aga's family. im NOT saying that. but (and i KNOW its my modern perspective) i can see why menelaus couldn't be arsed. and he wasn't even mean about it? he was just nonplussed. AGAIN the ancients would have HATED that, but my modern ass can relate tbh. and lets not forget. he's caught between a rock and a hard place. if he helps orestes, he risks greek wrath. which (in this play anyway) is already strong enough against him cause of helen and troy. so like. euripides has kinda put him in this impossible situation and then makes him the 'stupid funny lazy ass not helpful uncle' guy when he just backs out. which i think is unfair. AND TO TOP IT OFF. APOLLO COMES AND THEN TAKES HIS WIFE. AFTER EVERYTHING HE DID TO GET HER BACK. justice for this old man i s2g.

HELEN: OH HERE WE GO! SO helen is often referred to as a tragi-comedy which i think is very accurate. and euripides is using it to condemn war as a whole (athens had recently suffered a big loss) like if helen wasn't even in troy what was the point of the war? he makes menelaus very .... pathetic, for lack of a better word. and helen seems to take the reigns in their relationship, which would have been a huge no-no to the athenian audience. it would have made helen look domineering and unmanageable and menelaus weak and foolish. he also has menelaus cry a lot. cry and lament his losses as a king. again, the athenians would have hated a man crying. a GREEK HERO crying. but we have our 21st century vision and tbh ................ menelaus is fantastic in this play. he is so. real. he is so human. he is a man who is tired. who is lonely. who is heartbroken. a man who meets his wife who isn't his wife but actually is his wife ... and we're supposed to laugh at him because he's confused? he gets lambasted by so many characters and it's supposed to be funny and i think it is! i do think menelaus in helen is just .... an incredible character. he's so funny. he's so NORMAL. he reacts how you would expect a man to react. you see so many menelaus' in this play. menelaus defeated. menelaus in love. you see a menelaus in action when he comes up with the plan against proteus but also a man who respects his wife and knows when to shut up. i, much like the athenians back then, do have a giggle at menelaus in this play. but i don't hate him. it makes him all the more endearing to me and i love him.

these two menelaus' are (shockingly) two menelaus' that i like! i love helen's menelaus and i'm indifferent to orestes' menelaus tbh. but i think they're fine as portrayals and they make sense to me!

overall, me and euripides have a complicated relationship. some of his menelaus' i cannot tolerate. and some i adore. and i can actually connect his helen menelaus and his iphigenia in aulis menelaus to homeric menelaus. they're not identical by any means, but the way he behaves and his choices and stuff. you can see homeric menelaus in there somewhere, which is why i love them so much.

[alpaca-clouds]

Vampires - and the Curse of Immortality

Something I notice a lot in vampire-related fandoms is, how harshly my viewpoint on vampires differs from most other people within those fandoms. This might be, because I generally speaking see myself as part of the death positivity movement. And that is a big thing that often gets into conflict with the way how many see vampires.

See, in general vampires originally were horror not just because they drank blood, but because they were immortal. Sure, there was a big religious aspect to it. Because they were immortal and even if they died would automatically either (depending on the exact story) be doomed to wander as a ghost or go to hell, they were cursed to never be able to go to heaven. And that was an aspect of the horror.

But... Even going past it: Immortality is a curse. You do not want to be immortal, even if you think you do. Not even in some magical way in which you really do not suffer any ill consequences from it.

And I mean, vampires already suffer consequences in terms of not being able to go out into the sun and everything.

The reasons for that are quite a few.

For vampires there is just the fact that vampires are the few immortals among mortals. You will be surrounded by people who will die long before you. Live long enough and the world will be unrecognizable to you. You might actually see culture, you grew up in, crumble to dust.

Just imagine the world from the perspective of a vampire who grew up in any old culture. Be it ancient Greece, or ancient Rome, or the Vikings, or any culture outside of Europe, that ended up... well, collapsing in one way or another. Imagine how everything you grew up with is gone suddenly.

And if you live long enough you will see the same thing happening over and over again.

I am talking about this right now, because I have noticed how many people within the Castlevania fandom, do still hope that Lisa will be transformed into a vampire after the end of the series so that this time she is going to be immortal.

But the thing is: The series never answeres the question of why Lisa never became a vampire. But... I think it is pretty clear that the answer is, that she just does not want to be. Because she is intelligent and she knows the downsides of immortality. So, she simply does not want it. And because Dracula actually loves her, he accepts it.

There is probably a reason, too, why most of the vampires we see are rarely older than 500 years.

In Castlevania the only vampire we know to be older than that is Morana. And she is going to be old enough to not have seen one civilization fall, but several, given she is (according tie Katie Silva) a good 3000 years old. And just... imagine. Being so old. What you must've seen. It is going to be hard to not just go insane with all of that. (This is the reason why I write Morana so very weary of humans - she just has seen too much violence done by human hands.)

And while Olrox is just a mere 250 years old, you can also extend this onto him in a way. Given that he has seen his civilization be destroyed (even though his culture survived).

All of that is the reason why I have a tendency to let a lot of vampires die on the long term - or cure them of the vampirism. I mean, in my BG3 stuff, the end scenario is going to be for Astarion to be healed from the vampirism, because... Well, being an immortal vampire actually just sucks. (Doubly so in the DnD world, where it comes with even more drawbacks.)

I mean, all I am thinking is: Looking at some other vampire stories I know... What is the sense of living forever, if you are just miserable?

So, yeah: Unpopular opinion. Dying is okay. It might be preferable to being a vampire forever.

[kitkats-and-kittens]

Spoilers for Pjo now I guess. Never thought I’d have to type that out.

I have a feral urge to write a fanfic from the perspective of Olympus while all the events of Pjo where going down.

Like what were the political standings like when it was Zeus vs Posiden and it looked like another war was about to break out?

What were the Gods relations with one another and what were their relationships like with the other nymphs and Saytrs and Minor Gods that live on that mountain?

I know Hades isn’t really close with anyone on Olympus but do Zeus and Posiden have any sort of relationship with their sisters?

What about Hephaestus and Ares. They weren’t on good terms in the myths but Aphrodites story is presented a lot differently in the books from traditional Greek hyms.

How is Ares and Zeus’ relationship. It must be pretty strong if Zeus doesn’t punish him for switching over to Kronos side just for the sake of starting a war when Apollo interacting with one of his descendants to give Octavian his blessings was punished as badly as him killing the cyclopses or killing Python, and overthrowing Zeus.

What about the girls? Do Athena and Artemis get along? They’ve both taken vows of chastity and are both adept in weapons and fighting (plus they both piss of Aphrodite, if that’s not something to bond over then what is)

Like I need to know how they all interact with each over, who they like and dislike and why?

I also would love to see how trauma affects their view of the world.

I mean Demeter, Hestia, Hera, Hades, Posiden and Zeus’ father tried to murder them when they were born so I imagine their judgment on healthy household relations is understandably skewed.

And then there’s the next generation.

Athena, Aries, Hephaestus, Artemis and Apollo.

Athena is canonically the golden child in the myths so how does that affect her?

She tried to overthrow Zeus in the myths so there’s clearly some tension there. Does she like being his favourite child or does she despise the pressure constantly placed on her to conform to an unreachable standard of perfection?

And What about Ares and Hephaestus? Hera considered them both embarrassments in different ways. Of course the infamous story of Hephaestus’ birth and how ugly he was, but then there’s Ares who is constantly in his sisters shadow despite them both being Gods of war.

It would’ve shamed Hera in those times to have a son who looses out to the bastard child of one of Zeus flings, but to have two sons both be subpar compared to the kids Zeus had with other woman?

That’s gotta create some rivalry for daddy’s favourite, and maybe a silent understanding between Ares and his brother.

And then we have the twins. Apollo who looking at all his attributes is definitely suffering from some sort of burnout as well as his father constantly punishing him with lightning probably some resentment there and maybe even some towards Artemis.

As far as we know she’s never been in trouble with Zeus despite ‘meddling in mortal affairs’ by helping Leo and Piper. Again maybe something to do with favouritism Zeus seems very partial to the woman in his family. Plus she doesn’t spend a lot of time on Olympus, maybe she’s as silently resentful as Apollo.

Though we see her worrying for him in blood of Olympus and he breaks the ancient ‘no meddling’ laws in Titans curse in order to help save her. So they’re clearly close, but I don’t think she knows about the lightning thing. I’m not sure if Zeus punishes just Apollo with it, though we hear no mention of any of the other gods experiencing physical abuse from their father.

Then we have the youngest and most recent generation (I’m splitting them into their own category cause they’re the only major gods to be birthed by humans)

Dionysus and Hermes.

We see in sea of monsters that Hermes doesn’t seem to really find joy in his position as a god anymore, maybe the stuff he did used to be fun but it’s gotten monotonous, even stressful with how much stuff he has to do and with no one to help.

Honestly maybe that’s a bonding experience? Him and Apollo silently lamenting about how exhausted they are by all their jobs?

And Dionysus. He seems to be seen as some sort of perpetual joke by Zeus, at least in the books. I mean why else give such a long winded and honestly disproportional response for such a minor action.

I mean even Apollos punishment (though being a lot worse) only lasted a couple months.

And the thing I haven’t even touched on with Hermes and Dionysus being from human descent. Do they miss their old lives?

Hermes had only been born a couple days before he was sent to Olympus, but still, it wasn’t as though he could bring his mother with him. Does he miss her? Or see her as some stranger he left behind. Did he mourn her death? Did Dionysus mourn his own mother. Was he angry with Zeus when he learnt his own father was the reason for her death? If he did what could he do about it?

And Dionysus spent years in the human realm (depending on which myths you look at) did he have friends? Lovers? How did he feel when they died and he continued to live on?

The Gods are left relatively untouched despite being such a large part of the series and it’s events, even ToA doesn’t give us a lot more than what audience already knew from myths and reading previous books.

They’re so intriguing to me because there’s something so human about their actions despite how vehemently they’d probably claim against it. In some ways they’re almost identical to people and it makes me slightly insane that we’ll never get to know everything about them all and the lives they led before the events of the series in modern New York.

[sepublic]

Back from Godzilla x Kong! Gotta say, I love how you have this dynamic of... Mothra is Lawful Good, Kong is Neutral Good, and Godzilla is Chaotic Good. Because sure, Godzilla is officially the arbiter of nature's balance, he's the one keeping things in check; But boy does he not care about what he needs to do to get it done. I like how the Monsterverse has made Godzilla into quite the anti-hero as well; It's a nice mix of both heroic and villainous depictions. He has no real love for humanity, even if he begrudgingly acknowledges its right and need to exist.

If Godzilla needs to get from Point A to B, it doesn't really matter to him too much if there's a fully-populated city he needs to stomp through, especially if he's on short time (Conversely, Mothra and Kong seem much more sensitive to that sort of thing, Mothra especially). It really does make Godzilla feel like a wild card that humanity just has to accept and deal with, and coexists with uneasily; You know, in theory, he has your back. But you're still rightfully terrified of Godzilla, and hell so are other titans. He's the scariest kaiju on the block for a reason, and I love how he's still a mean city-destroying menace while technically being a 'good' guy. Portraying Goji from Kong's perspective, where he's often an antagonist, was a good way to maintain that terror that was alleviated with King of the Monsters' depiction.

Also, I can't help but imagine how relieving it was for Jia to find more Iwi! Trapper makes a good point about how she ends up having a lot of weight on her shoulders with saving the world, but you know what? She ends up having so much other weight taken off knowing there are other Iwi alive and thriving. For years, Jia must've been saddled with the burden of keeping her entire culture alive, finding a way to somehow preserve it and keep it going; But now she can relax, she knows it'll live on with or without her, and that makes Jia's decision to stay with Andrews all the more natural because she's free from obligation.

You know, seeing Monarch successfully augment Kong with cybernetics... I'd love to see the Monsterverse tackle Gigan soon, because with how technology has become so much more advanced since the first film in 2014, it feels plausible that some would see the success of Kong with the gauntlet and think; Hey, let's bring back that project full-force! Maybe they find Gigan, originally flesh and blood, deeply injured and torn apart after fighting Godzilla. Initially he's on life-support with artificial organs, but at some point investors decide, let's just reprogram him into a cybernetic attack dog to defend humanity with!

Alas, Gigan breaks free of his programming; And he ends up going on a killing spree. Because while other antagonists like Ghidorah or Skar King are ambitious warlords, Gigan is a pettier sadist, a bully who likes to hurt and torture. He kills for sport, and that's literally all he's going to do once he gets his upgrades, doing it all for no other reason than fun.

Of course, another part of me would really like to see Gigan still associated with aliens, too; Monsterverse has clearly become modern Showa, we've basically got magic now! And I like that, the weirder and more fantastical, the better. There's an underground civilization that uses ancient technology bordering on magic, the Iwi of the Hollow Earth are like the Monsterverse's Seatopians. So it seems a natural evolution to introduce a more one-to-one counterpart to Seatopia in another film, another group of Hollow Earth humans who want to destroy those on the surface, and worship Megalon's power to tunnel through the earth itself. And if you have Megalon, you should have Gigan, and if you have Gigan, you may as well throw in aliens, not just in the sense that they're from space like Ghidorah, but I mean like. Actual UFOs and the like.

[bohioeveanga]

Oh, boy do I got a dumb Zelda theory that I will not be translating into any other language because this will be long as heck...🙃

And I do mean long, so buckle up and get ready. Because the theory goes as follows: what if the Zonai and Minish are somehow connected?

I know I'm grasping at the stupidest straws and I actually thought about it while falling asleep last night, I've only got one open eye this morning while writing this, so these are really rambles of a madwoman!🤣 Still, I think this needs to be discussed. I think there might be, in the smallest of chances, a connection.

Let's start with the obvious, physical traits. There's not much, I know. We only have the extremely large ears and snout. That's about it, really. Minish have lighter skin, and seem to have a feathery tail coming from behind. On the other hand, Zonai have a grayish-greenish skin, overall white hair, and don't have tails. The biggest and most obvious difference is size, with the Minish being small and the Zonai, well, do I really need to explain that? The Zonai are even much taller than Hylians in comparison.

Though it seems they can have a lot hair, both, if we compare Rauru and Ezlo in his Minish form. Who knows if Zonai can grow beards too?

Also, the Minish came from the sky, much like the Zonai did. Coincidence?!

But wait! There's more. Let's talk about designs.

Can you see it? The eye. That effing eye! Took one look at that shield, and all I could think was the Four Sword Sanctuary. Now, granted, that's in FS and FSA, but those stories are connected to MC. I saw the Elemental Sanctuary, and while there's no eye, it's safe to say that maybe there's a connection to the sanctuaries, housing the Four Sword and elements. And the Ranger Constructs seem to have an akin eye to the shield and sanctuary, even hanging at the side of their faces. It's so similar, that I can't help but think there might be a connection. (Low-key, I actually thought the Ranger Constructs would be a new version of the Eyegore.)

Still on the eye-theme, the Zonai themselves have a third eye. You know two other people who seem to have a connection to a third eye? Hmm, yeah, Vaati and Astor.

Now, Astor is from AoC, so I'm not too worried on him, but he's eerily similar to Vaati, to the point I actually believed he was an incarnation of him back before AoC came out. And why not? Similar dark clothes, gold accents, red highlights in magic, the circlet with red jewel, gray skin, maniac tendencies, need I say more? But Vaati used to once be a Minish, remember? He turned human with his newfound powers through the magical cap Ezlo made prior to the MC events. The Minish are creatures of magic and desire good. Zonai too. If we analyze at a slightly scientific and magical perspective, maybe the Minish might have evolved into a large and superior advanced race, even going as far as abandoning there small stature and simplistic lifestyle. Similarly to our smart Sheikahs from BoTW/AoC/ToTK and 10,000 years prior.

Eye these other shots! (See what I did there? No, okay, I'll shut up.😏)

Dark Hyrule Castle in MC? Filled with eye-related puzzles. Zonaite armor? Eye on the freaking helmet! Mazaal, boss for the Fortress of Winds in MC? Eyes on his hands, literally! Plus, who's to say that Mazaal isn't some super ancient prototype of a Construct? Look at the shape of the head and Zonaite helmet! (WHAT IF THE SHEIKAH TOOK INSPIRATION TO CREATE GOHDAN FOR THE TOWER OF THE GODS IN WW?! Theory for another day.)

Now, finally giving a shut-eye to that topic (I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself,) let's talk about Constructs. Asides from Mazaal above, you know what device is super similar between Minish and Zonai?

A classic Zelda staple seems way too similar for this particular theory. Sure, the Remote Bomb is gray, but the aspect between the Remote and Time Bomb are way too similar. Even the 'fuse' is pretty much the exact same look and color! On top of that, its usage is exactly the same. It's a small stupid piece of circumstantial evidence, but I'm going with it.

Now, finally, for my last bit. TotK brought some new flora into the game, fitting naturally. But there's one that's unique and stands out, and surprisingly shares a part of its name with a plant that makes an appearance in MC. Can you guess?

Aren't they pretty? The shape and look of the Brightbloom and Pico Bloom, respectively, are identical. When the bud is close, its shape is similar as well. When the bud is open, it provides lighting in its general area. Pico Blooms, in particular, offer different lights, asides from the above yellow, including, yes, white. Pico Blooms lights glow very obviously while the Brightbloom's glow is steady and unwavering. While it's hard to guess if Pico Blooms are able to provide as much light as a Brightbloom in the darkness, maybe the Depths, the similarities are impossible to ignore. Even the way the leaves at the bottom of the stem are similar. Brightblooms don't make an appearance in BotW, much like the Pico Blooms do not exist, or at least, not seen, in any other Zelda game. And while Pico Blooms serve more as a side quest appearance, they still form a part of the Minish's general flora. Brightblooms appeared right after the Upheaval, a crucial item to explore the Depths. And they seem to have a strong connection with the Zonai, as they are seen as a part of the Ranger Constructs decoration, as well as within the shrines, and even in the mines and other architectural locations found in the Depths.

The entire Miner's freaking Set is an entire copy to the Brightbloom!

Welp, that's my tea and essay for today, y'all. I think I'm still kind of asleep, despite everything I wrote and all the above images. Am I crazy and seeing too much into it? Probably am, but it seems there's a connection. Maybe the Minish evolved into the Zonai, much like the Zora evolved into the Rito. Maybe the Minish, while trying magic, backfired into the Zonai? Or maybe they're just completely separate from each other. The possibilities are endless. At the end of the day, that's what makes the games so great, and makes me just another sleepy Zelda theorist.

See later ya later guys! Back to bed!🤣

[mae-i-scribble]

One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to fandom/media interpretation in general is that seemingly whenever something tries to explore the emotion of love in a nuanced or non-straightforward manner everyone and their mother jumps to the conclusion that it’s inherently romantic in nature. I don’t know if this is my aroace brain speaking, but it’s something I’ve never understood when clearly the author doesn’t mean it in a romantic sense. The two examples I’m thinking of are Violet Evergarden and Ancient Magus Bride.

Violet Evergarden is about a child soldier, Violet post-war trying to discover what emotions are, so that she can better understand the major who sacrificed his life for her. She’s specifically fixated on the notion of love, because the major told her once that he loved her and she’s struggled to understand what he meant by that. As the show goes on, she begins to discover just what these emotions mean, both to other people and to herself. Now, it needs to be said again that she was a child soldier, the major was around 30 if I remember correctly. Either way very much an established adult when he found Violet when she was like 8-10. Naturally he meant that he loves her in a familial way, everything the show does supports this interpretation, the only obscurity comes from Violet’s perspective because she doesn’t understand his meaning at first. Take a big fat guess as to half the posts I saw about their relationship framed it. Yep, “oh how gross he was in love with a child,” “this show is gross,” “its so sad how he was in love but now they can never be together T-T.” Like. What the fuck y’all. What the actual fuck. Did we watch the same show????? It’s legitimately baffling that just because the word love is used that is the assumption made in direct contradiction to what canon is saying.

Ancient Magus Bride has it much, much worse unfortunately, because it’s a much more,,, morally suspect look at what love is, or more specifically, the nature of human relationships. Chise and Elias have a bond that cannot be easily summed up in a few words (which is the entire point), and they see a lot of various twists and turns in their dynamic as they learn  not only to live with each other but come into their own and grow. Now, a lot of people assume Ancient Magus Bride is a romance because of how it starts out, with Elias stating that he bought Chise to be his bride. However, as you read further, specifically into the 40′s, Elias reveals that he only said the word bride because he understood it to be people who spend their lives together, and wanted to cut corners by making his student and bride the same thing. Elias, as an inhuman creature, does not have the capability for empathy or understanding emotions/concepts as humans do, which is what leads to a lot of the suspect situations in the beginning of the story because he doesn’t get the implications of what he’s doing.The author herself has even mentioned in official interviews that she doesn’t see their relationship as romantic (not that it stopped anyone), along with the entire story rejecting such an interpretation because shoving Chise and Elias into such a box goes against what it’s saying about the messy nature of relationships. Additionally, much like Violet Evergarden but worse, Chise is 16 while Elias is a being 100s of years old (although without the emotional intelligence to match). Either way though, their dynamic for the beginning of the show is very much of Elias trying to control Chise. He withholds information from her, manipulates her into trusting him more easily, does things behind her back that he knows she wouldn’t approve of. And that is important, I appreciate that aspect being there because it’s all completely necessary to show just what kind of person Elias is, and how his standards are vastly different compared to human ones. But a lot of the whole “EliasxChise is soooo good” hype came from anime only watchers- and is that really the dynamic yall wanted? Really? Especially when the anime watered down the resolution to that conflict? More importantly, imagine being braindead and also having no taste at all simultaneously. You take so many interesting aspects of their dynamic by just going “and theyre in love UwU” because you ignore their complexities. On top of being really fucking gross in my opinion.

And these two aren’t the only example of this. In general I think plenty of relationships would be far better off being explored as the nuanced, complex things that they are without slapping an “in love” label on them. (Jayce and Viktor from Arcane come to mind for me, what they have going on as friends and the importance the narrative places on that friendships is so much more valuable to me then any shipping). And again, I’m left wondering if this is an aroace thing, bc talking with a friend who is also aroace about her experiences in researching romance literature and what allo people find rewarding about a romance is like reading about an alien species. Do yall just live like this???? It’s so sad you are missing out on so much

[nacricissa]

I was rewatching the Trope Talk on Ancient Superweapons, as one does, and I had a long thought.

Red mentions that the version of the trope where the weapon is actually a villain that was sealed away and has now been released is more boring than the more technological options, because you just have to defeat the villain. That if the villain had to be sealed away and nothing else would have worked, then there's no chance of reasoning with them or anything.

This proves that deep down people don't really think of carceral justice as being reformative in any way. Of course if you lose your freedom for doing a thing and then you get out you're not going to stop doing the thing you might just be additionally angry at whoever removed your freedom.

You might say this is a poor comparison, because of the social compact. That because the justice system has assumed authority and that people in the society buy into the rest of the society thus inherently acquiescing to the system, they would be more likely to treat their punishment in the way it was meant to be received, as a warning not to do the thing again.

This could just as easily apply to the ancient villain. Who's to say their being sealed wasn't an act of justice. Often times their opposition are kings, even kings they had previously sworn loyalty to. Or their sealing is divinely facilitated, if the threat is beyond the scope of mortal men, and what greater social compact is there than the one with a provably exitant God?

You might alternatively say the comparison fails because the sealing wasn't meant to be a punishment, it was meant to be preventing the villain from doing harm. This would be somewhat hard to distinguish from the perspective of the villain, especially if the punishment is framed as "we're only dealing them away because they can't be killed", so really, seems like it could just as easily be a punishment as anything else.

So both sealing a villainous superweapon until the prison breaks and carceral justice end up serving the same purpose, and yet we never expect villains to reform inside. They must simply be stopped again.

Oddly, the one counterexample I can think of to this is Lucifer. There are versions of the Devil that have taken their time in Hell as an opportunity to reflect, and actually don't feel strongly that they need to take revenge on humanity anymore, and will no longer repeat the behavior that got them punished in the first place. Admittedly, these versions of Lucifer are often more sympathetic to begin with, but regardless. I think it's a very interesting concept.

"Oh great Master Dracula, on this last full moon of the year we have sacrificed the thousandth virgin for the sake of your return that you may rule in dominion over this miserable human race"

Dracula, who's really had a lot of time to reflect on his actions and their consequences in the thousand or so years he's been dead:

"Oh no. Why would you do that? I don't need to rule the world, and I certainly wouldn't want anyone to be sacrificed for my return. I will require you to get me a list of all your victims families so we can begin the process of restorative justice, as much as that may be a futile effort. Honestly, you disappoint me"

[willknightauthor]

about your last repost, how do you think DE deals with it? good or may be better?

Are you talking about this?

Anything in worldbuilding is relative. So like some worlds will be way out there, with tons of justification for new economics, religion, philosophy, even biology. In that case not putting a similar amount of thought into sexuality and gender is really noticeable.

With something like Westeros, the world is basically just a historical reskin for ancient and medieval Europe, and it exists mostly to give George RR Martin an excuse for his plotting and characters, which are where he shines. The gender politics in Westeros are frustratingly inaccurate to medieval times though, they're more a negative stereotype than anything, which itself reflects the fact that a lot of the medieval history people learn is about the male warlords and no-one else. (As goofy and purposefully anachronistic as it can be, "Catherine Called Birdy" feels more like medieval life from a woman's perspective than GoT.)

Disco Elysium is an interesting case because it's going for this liminal space between the hyperreal and the surreal. Elysium is like someone's dream of our world. It seems too recognizable, but the more you focus on any part of it the more alien it becomes, even down to the laws of physics. It's our world through a funhouse mirror, which also makes it perfect for allegory. You have to explore it like some alien land, but what you discover reflects back on yourself, so you can view your own world as an outsider. The same applies to sexuality in DE, I think.

In the small slice we get in DE we don't see a lot, but it's clear it's not like our world now or in the past with homophobia. At least as far as Martinaise, homosexuality seems to be an understood thing that people don't flaunt but they also don't hide, even though the fascists are definitely homophobic (in line with their sexism and hatred of love and pleasure). Part of it's that the world is very neoliberal, so understandably gender relations will be very neoliberal. It's one of those worlds where I think because it's trying to reflect back our own world to us in an alien way, I don't expect anything too adventurous. (So "good" I guess?)

It's when there's magic and completely alternate economics and history that it feels weird to not think about sexuality. Personally my biggest gripe is that people seem to refuse to worldbuild the family. How family works has changed so much across human history, but there's no thought about that. At most you get some poly fantasy of how a polyamorous society would work.

You can immediately tell whoever's writing it doesn't have kids, because the question of children is completely glossed over. How do your kids compete or not with their siblings, half-siblings, cousins, other kids, and why? How do people balance their kids and their partners, and how does gender play into it? Who raises the kids? Who provisions the kids? Etc. It's completely glossed over.

People fought whole wars with their brothers over land rights, exchanged kids with their cousins to ensure diplomatic ties, turned their bastards into advisors, or owned their husband's children as slaves. The regulation of gender and sexuality grows out of this intimate morass. Because people can't theorize the family, they can't theorize sexuality or gender. It's at that basic level that reproduction and gender distinction initially happen, and begin to take on the political and economic significance that creates shit like patriarchy.

Yet the supposedly worldly and open-minded speculative authors can't envision how the world works for the next generation. All of humanity is just childless adults. It's as though societies simply pop out of the ground ready made, and never die. Kids get raised and survive, it just works itself out, and no-one in-world seems to care.

Disco Elysium has similar family structure to ours, based on similar political economy. The reason I don't mind is because it feels like a deliberate choice, not just them being lazy. They're trying to do something with it, not just wave away a part of the world that they don't want to spend energy on.

An example of it done well would be this banger post.

[super-hero-confessions]

Okay. I don't understand how it's gotten to this point with fans pulling made up shit about Loki from their asses but no.

NO.

Loki is not POC coded. He's not Jewish coded. He's not neurodivergent coded or whatever the fuck else.

HE IS 100% NORSE.

BASED OFF A NORSE TRICKSTER GOD WHO IS A KNOWN LIAR AND POT STIRRER THAT FUCKS WITH PEOPLE FOR FUNSIES.

CREATED BY NORSE FUCKING WHITE ASS WHITE PEOPLE WHO KNEW ICE AND SNOW AND FROST TO BE FUCKING DEADLY.

HE IS NOT "OTHER".

HE'S AN ASSHOLE WHO ENJOYS BEING AN ASSHOLE AND HAS ALSO SUFFERED SOME HARDSHIP BECAUSE HE IS SURROUNDED BY ASSHOLES AND PLAYS RIGHT INTO THAT HAND.

Big. Fucking. Whoop.

ALL GODS IN ALL CULTURES ARE NEEDLESSLY CRUEL AND NEEDLESSLY SUFFER BECAUSE THEY WERE SYMBOLIC AND MADE TO EXPLAIN WHAT PEOPLE COULDN'T FULLY UNDERSTAND.

LOKI IS NOT SPECIAL BECAUSE HE RAPES A HORSE.

But you know what that really means? Loki plays into the cycle of abuse just like a normal person and then goes on and makes it worse by dishing it out on unrelated people who never did anything to him. Like, I dunno, all the goddamn humans he kills?

He's that psycho kid with a psycho dad who tortures ants because he can't find healthy ways to cope and it doesn't get much deeper than that.

Stop making shit up that.

EVEN IF IT WERE TRUE IN ANYWAY WOULD NEVER EXCUSE HIM BEING A GENOCIDAL MANIAC WHO CARES NOTHING FOR HUMAN OR JOTUN LIFE YOU FASCIST ILLITERATE FUCKS.

AND GUESS WHAT. LOKI OF MYTH NEEDLESSLY STARTS ALL THE SHIT THAT HAPPENS WITH THE OTHER GODS BY GETTING BALDR KILLED.

If you have to write paragraphs upon paragraphs of made up bullshit you call meta and headcanons or whatever the fuck to defend the idea of liking this guy beyond the shallow fact that you would never dare go this hard for someone ugly or god forbid actual myth Loki?

You do not actually give a shit about the character. At all. Because you don't actually see the character. At all.

Personally, I love Loki for what he is. A dark grey chaos loving trickster diva and selfish asshole god that fucks with people for fun and gets the story rolling. All of that is what makes him fun as a character while paying appropriate homage to the stories he came from in a way that still feels respectful of what ancient cultures were trying to convey.

But I also love the actual good Loki that people write in fanfic sometimes.

I don't love the posturing people use him for to inadvertently spread misogyny or even white supremacy that slips under the radar because fandom can't accept that their shit does stink and there ARE bad actors.

It is okay to like or love Loki. It is okay to want things to be better for him or to be written better for him. It is okay to write fanfic where he is all of the things you want him to be.

It is not okay to culturally appropriate and deny what he is canonically with made up bullshit pulled from your ass to pretend that Loki was justified when he was ATTEMPTING GENOCIDE. And it is especially not okay to then have the audacity to deny the fact that Loki has pretty privilege.

Fuck you people doing this shit. At this point I prefer those that actually admit they like him because he's hot. Because at least they don't go rabid and are fucking HONEST with themselves about this shit and about his character.

And above all?

LOKI IS FICTIONAL.

PEOPLE DON'T OWE YOU AN EXPLANATION FOR DISLIKING OR HATING HIM. DOING SO IS NOT AN ATTACK ON YOU. THEIR EXISTENCE DOES NOT CHALLENGE YOURS AND THEIR PERSPECTIVES ARE JUST AS VALID.

JUST LIKE YOU DON'T OWE THEM AN EXPLANATION FOR LIKING HIM. YOU DON'T EVEN NEED ONE. BECAUSE HE'S FICTIONAL.

Have civil discourse and discussion if you want to, try and get more people to like Loki and see the lighter grey in him even. But you do that by being NICE.

Not by being a dismissive, denying, bullying asshole that then pretends you have the moral high road over ultimately meaningless. Fictional. Bullshit.

I guarantee a majority of people who hate Loki now? It's not because Loki is imperfect or the "other". It's because his stans do everything they can to be toxic, hostile, and in turn make him look bad.

Even Loki's never attempted to justify his attempts at genocide. Escape accountability, sure. But not justify it.

[liveinfarbe]

There's no such future, Sauron!

One of Rings of Power’s great achievements is the layered characterisation of Sauron that perfectly fits with Tolkien’s backstory for him. It’s essentially a tragedy and I get the empathetic perspective on Sauron, but I need to understand how he becomes this evil entity in Lord of the Rings.

So, this is how it ends between Galadriel and Halbrand: she tries to stab Sauron twice and Sauron doesn’t really care. He just doesn’t. He’s a Maia.

But he also reveals himself as having a pretty short fuse. He’s irascible, feral, unhinged when things don’t work out according to his clever plans.

You better not tickle his frail ego or he’ll give you a scare for life. If he likes you, it’s only in your mind, and you wake up just in time.

(I love how Galadriel totally would've stabbed him a third time though she just experienced the futilitiy of it.)

Sauron’s proposal was a mess, and it was a perfect introduction to all that isn’t okay with him:

First of all, it was cruel to use her memory of Finrod, which was a special one, and infantilize Galadriel as a means to his ends. He knows exactly what he’s doing in this situation, while she’s just massively confused, like, completely disoriented. In the forge in Númenor Halbrand said he was sorry about her brother, with teary eyes and all, but now he’s not caring about her grieve anymore. Instead he uses it, because all that interests him is that the Rings are forged. He wants the Rings.

He killed Finrod, did he really think this was going to go over well with Galadriel when he impersonates and completely misrepresents him? For all his wisecracking about diplomacy and human nature in Númenor earlier, he’s really naive or just arrogant to think this warms her heart for him, or maybe he just doesn’t care if it does.

Then he switches scenery. They’re on the raft and he makes his proposal. Galadriel’s tempted because he looks like the Halbrand again who saved her and she’s into him, but the situation is still scary. She’s got no agency here, except maybe to say ‘yes’. The power balance has shifted. Or rather, balance has evaporated. She’s at his mercy. He’s using his magic powers on her, she didn’t know he had, because until recently this was just moody human Halbrand who can do sword tricks.

The proposal - well, Galadriel owns an impressive dagger she can’t use against him; Sauron however stabs her with words and thoughts which is ultimately more harmful. All he knows about her vulnerabilities, he now uses to corner her, to coax her, to make her alloy with him. It effectively disarms her.

She rejects him - or in the metaphysics of ring-forging: her light rejects to alloy with him because his intentions aren’t pure enough - and just like that volatile Sauron emerges. He doubles down on the humiliating rhetoric, he gets worked up really fast. There’s a monstrous transformation going on with his voice and eyes, so finally, he also looks like the fucker who killed the people she loved and so many more, so she attacks him. It’s useless, but she can’t help it. So he plunges her under water and lets her sink.

Sauron’s reaction is purely emotional, he’s getting carried away, he’s like an ancient emo-kid acting out. But that’s foreboding. He could’ve acted differently even though she attacked him with the dagger. It was clear she wouldn’t be able to stab him. He was in control. He’s much more powerful than her and this was just unnecessary and sadistic to make her think she’s drowning.

You don’t do that to someone you fancy, do you? Make them helpless and scared for their life. There’s something so demeaning in this.

If this is his reaction because she doesn’t immediately grasp he’s a good guy now, then he’s got a long way to go yet. Just for that drowning experience alone, I would totally switch into vengeful dark Galadriel mode from the PJ movies too, if I met him next time. I really want her to go hard on him and pay him back.

Had he acted differently, would she then have accepted his proposal? He didn’t quite recommend himself as a reliable, genuine fellow, just an imitation of one, so how …?

On the other hand, I think Sauron is infatuated with her and he knows she reciprocated his feelings when he was still Halbrand. He won’t stop trying to bring her to his side and make it as hard for her as possible to be at peace:

Look at me Galadriel! Look at what I’ve done, this is all your fault! I massacre all those people, because you didn’t love me enough.

But it isn’t her fault, it’s his. He’s suspicious for the sole reason that he could’ve gone the way of full rehabilitation. As a Maia in Middle-earth he falls under the jurisidiction of the Valar, but he evades their judgment, and then can’t seem to bear Galadriel’s rejection either - just because she can’t immediately stop being a victim of his past dark doings …

If he’s a gift maker, he reveals himself here as one of those who take their gift back when they aren’t pleased with the recipient. Thus he let’s her drown this time. Nearly. Long way to go for Sauron.

She could become his personal life coach, sure, but there’s a possibility for her and people close to her of getting hurt and/or killed along the way because he’s a fragile toddler inside though being older than sound.

Even if he was a victim himself (of Morgoth), what difference does it make to Galadriel, or Finrod? Heck, even the Orcs he mutilated who were his dependents? Mutilated, traumatized, dead. He’s asking way too much of her in this moment, to forgive and reconcile at the same time, while he himself has dodged the chance to be held accountable and face punishment for the atrocities he’s done, because he fears he’ll be tested for a long time by the gods and it will be a bore.

From the Silmarillion: When Thangorodrim was broken and Morgoth overthrown, Sauron put on his fair hue again and did obeisance to Eönwë, the herald of Manwë, and abjured all his evil deeds. And some hold that this was not at first falsely done, but that Sauron in truth repented, if only out of fear, being dismayed by the fall of Morgoth and the great wrath of the Lords of the West. But it was not within the power of Eönwë to pardon those of his own order, and he commanded Sauron to return to Aman and there receive the judgement of Manwë. Then Sauron was ashamed, and he was unwilling to return in humiliation and to receive from the Valar a sentence, it might be, of long servitude in proof of his good faith; for under Morgoth his power had been great. Therefore when Eönwë departed he hid himself in Middle-earth; and he fell back into evil, for the bonds that Morgoth had laid upon him were very strong.

Sauron will possibly renew his proposal to Galadriel, but the first time made a bad enough impression. His methods of persuasion sucked. I’d love if this was Pride and Prejudice in Middle-earth, but Tolkien’s source material doesn’t leave much room for it. It’s not just that the Dark Lord’s manners are unpleasant and he’s a decent guy underneath. He’s described as being just that - unpleasant:

[…] a re-incarnation of Evil, and a thing lusting for Complete Power – and so consumed ever more fiercely with hate (especially of gods and Elves).

[the-little-moment]

Sexuality in the Star Wars Universe

This has been swirling around in my head for a while now, so I finally decided to write it down. Hopefully it makes some kind of sense.

This all started when I read a few different fics based in the RepCom universe in which Kal Skirata is homophobic. It's been a while since I read the books, so I can't remember if this is text, subtext, or a conclusion based on the traditional vibes he gives off, but it definitely gave me pause.

Sexuality in Star Wars is such a BIG thing to wrap your head around because the universe itself is BIG and OLD.

I call Kal a "traditionalist" because he's written as being similar to an old Earth guy with traditional views of marriage, family, etc. But I think basing a character's "traditional" values on Earth history is a bit myopic. We earthlings get most of those traditional views from biblical times, right? And we're only about 2,000 years removed from those times, right? Imagine if we were almost 100,000 years removed from them.

You're really going to tell me that, in a universe where human civilization, not even to mention the civilizations of the THOUSANDS of others species in the galaxy, have existed for hundreds of thousands of years, others for far longer, Old Kal is really worried about his boys having sex with other boys?

This universe has literal ancient gods, super powers, millions of religions, interspecies relationships and reproduction, and probably a million different forms of sexuality and expressions of gender between all the different species. It's mind boggling. There are approximately 8 billion people on Earth right now. The estimated number of beings in the Star Wars universe is in the QUADRILLIONS that live across one billion star systems!

My personal take is that humans in the Star Wars universe would have completely different values than Earth humans. I don't see how they couldn't. Hell, humanity has evolved and adapted in so many different ways that there are many "near human" species too.

All that being said, I know the writers of the canon and Legends books had their own problems and prejudices and were, of course, bound but what they were allowed to publish. I'm just saying that I'm really glad that fanfiction writers are open to seeing a bigger picture, cause, like I said, the picture is unimaginably massive and I think we need to stretch our brains a bit to do it justice.

Here's a link to the Wookieepedia article for The Galaxy if you would also like to break your brain.

And the text above is what my husband reminded me existed when I was talking to him about this. 🤣 Bear in mind this was Boba circa 1996.

I'll cover my butt by saying that, sure, it's possible that even in this universe, there are sects that uphold very old-fashioned beliefs, but I think it's hard for us to say that definitively just because we have no concept of how that much history would effect a species. We see everything through the lens of Earth history, when Star Wars humans probably wouldn't be very much like us at all. Just growing up in a world where you knew from birth that there were so many different kinds of people and cultures out there would have an effect on a person's worldview that is difficult to imagine.

I'd love to know what other people think about this, but please be polite and kind. Thank you. 💕

(Oh, and absolutely no shade to anyone who has written about homophobia in their fics. It's a problem we real humans deal with and I totally understand why people want to address it in their writing. This is just coming from my in-universe perspective, that obviously might not be shared by others.)

[hiswordsarekisses]

Since I was a little girl I always assumed that I knew what Jesus looked like because of all the pictures I had seen. I will never forget the day I wanted more specifics and I prayed for Him to show me what He looks like now, and the next thing I knew I was reading a description of Him in the first chapter of Revelation.

I had read that description of Him hundreds of times, yet, for some reason what stuck with me instead were the pretty pictures of the handsome dark-haired Jesus. The only “for sure” description we have is in the Bible, and between the Old and New Testaments, He is described with white hair and “eyes like fire.”

This bled over into who I thought His character was as well. Although I read my Bible, I held onto my own version of Him rather than what was actually on the pages - and quite clearly I might add. That day I began praying to know Who He really is. All I want to know is Who He really is.

My desire to know Him was overwhelming enough that I became brave enough to lay down all the things I had been taught to see and all the things *I thought I knew.* Revelation after revelation came flooding to my heart as I would read like I was digging for treasure. This was the most important thing He ever taught me to do in learning to know Him…. Every once in a while I still get a brand new, unmarked Bible and each day I still pray for Him to teach me.

I have Learned so much over the years that is different from what I was convinced that I knew for sure was true. The biggest thing I learned was just like His Word says - it’s when you think you know, that you really know nothing. (1 Cor 8:2)

It’s amazing how openly receiving your heart becomes when, in humility, the truth is all that matters to you.

That is the “love of the truth” that 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 is speaking of, that keeps us safe from deception.

Our journey as a Christian a lot of the time, is letting go of our assumption about who God is and letting it fall away as He replaces it with Who He actually says He is in His own Word. He is not like us. His character is written out in His Word - His Word is His heart written down for us to know Him. If we base our knowledge of Him on the way we think or feel, or on what a human in a pulpit has told us - I guarantee that we do not know Him at all. Unless we abide in His Word daily, prayerfully studying the Love of our life, the world around us will color our perspective of what true love is. This is a strong warning that has been on my heart for years.

God has said; “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,”

declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” in Isaiah 55:8-9. This is why we must press on to know Him. So “let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to know him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hosea 6:3)

“His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.” Revelation‬ ‭1:14-16

“His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.” Revelation‬ ‭19:12-13‬

“I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire;” Daniel‬ ‭7:9‬

“His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.” Revelation‬ ‭1:14-16

“His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.” Revelation‬ ‭19:12-13‬

“I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire;” Daniel‬ ‭7:9‬

[fuyyu]

so, i have this little piece of analysis on the world building of winx club's original run. it was meant to be part of kind of a rewrite based on fate's tv show fumbles and i have contemplated the idea of making a video essay on it but since it will most likely never happen, i am posting here a snippet of the perspective i was the most salty about.

✨ technical spells ✨

(or whatever the english adaptation used to call them)

there are many aspects of the workings behind magic that are never explicitly stated in the series, but through the shows events we can deduce them. for example, witches use magic thanks to negative energy or something akin to "waves", elements that aren't necessarily spiritual. all witches seem to focus on mind control or natural phenomena and they don't have access to transformations (or they can access transformation-like powers without it); on the opposite side we see fairies who use positive energy or spiritual/conceptual powers (that's why we can have some kinda bs-y powers like "technology"): they are the most powerful when they transform. we know also that witches, if they so wish, can become fairies (just like mirta did) so it's really more of a choice than anything else.

what they all have in common is, evidently and weirdly, that they are female magic users. considering the context in which winx club was first released, i won't tap (too much) into gender identity matters for this post, so every time i talk about women in this post i am (unless specified otherwise) refering to cis gender women, as i could expand on trans perspectives but i prefer to refer to the canon for now.

in the second season, this phenomenon is tangentially but subtly explored. how, might you ask? this the season to be jolly, because an interesting character is introduced to do so: professor avalon. he is an expert of ancient magic, assuming the teaching role for a brand new class in charmix, which focuses on "technical spells".

what are they? avalon states that there is a significant difference between magic that fairies use in combat when they shout out random names and recited enchantments. so, technical spells seem to access a different magical source which can be taken advantage of through these very specific formulas and rituals engineered over the centuries by knowledgeable fairies, witches, enchantresses, wizards and so on and so forth.

this is extremely relevant.

not only it appears most of the witches magic is perpetrated through rituals of sorts, making them probably the primary technical spells user-base, but in this instance avalon says that the magic fairies usually use when transformed is somehow invoked from their within, and it's spontaneous. this is proven true in many episodes when the fatigue in battle derives from depletion of one's magical energy. and we know witches can achieve this ability, too. there is an internal and an external energy source. what is the origin of this internal magical capability?

we can point at various possibilities. but before we do that, i would like to explain why i think these may be the options.

up until the 3rd season, which is the original run, we never see (human) men using magic without any kind of aid. men (or men presenting, in some cases) who use magic are:

valtor, a demon made by trixies' foremothers

nabu, who needs a sceptre to use magic

dark circle's wizards (s4), who are implied to use in some measure earth's fairies magic, captured through millenia

saladin, a light's company/alliance member, uses a sceptre like nabu

wizgiz is a leprechaun

palladium is an elf

avalon too is heavily implied not to be (totally) human, because of his paladin form

men, in this status quo, have to either spend a great amount of effort, time and resources to master magic (but basically never master it like fairies do) or become a specialist. and here is the catch. in season 1 we learn something that basically confirms (or at least, so i see it) magix a women's world, as opposed to the world bloom comes from: specialists can be women as well.

while there are no male fairies, no male witches, and all male magic users are non-human or aided by external sources (magical objects and technical spells), it's implied there are, indeed, female specialists when darcy enters a specialists' bike contest and the announcer immediately identifies her as a woman. this alone doesn't confirm that female specialists are a thing and if they are they are probably very scarce, but the announcer let us deduce it by being taken aback but not commenting on how that shouldn't be possible in the first place. somehow, it's let to be understood that a female uniform exists as well. this may vary from adaptation to adaptation, but in italian there isn't much of an objection to her participation on the spot.

so, we can safely assume that there are no gender policies on academy enrollment in any of the schools. it's just not possible for men at the current state of affairs to enroll in alfea or torre nuvola. but women can enroll in insititutions like fonterossa.

❤️‍🩹 why is that? ❤️‍🩹

(or better put, why could that be?)

here the rewrite is heavy handed, but this can be a very fun and interesting thought. maybe magic is, at it's core, creation. magic is the ability to not change reality, but to make thing exist in reality. let me explain.

when flora makes dying plants vigorous, she isn't changing the plant's structure, she is creating the nutrients ex novo and providing essentials (such as sunlight previously absent) and making it so that the plants feels the benefits of those new things.

traditionally, and in the winx club world view, women hold this power. women have the miracle of birth on their side. and the power to make a new life has to, somehow, be the same that allow magic to flow. it could be whatever, you can call it life force or whatever.

so, magic could be inherently tied to one's fertility (and here various conversations could be started, as to "would a transmasc still be a fairy?" and "are sterile women capable of magic?") or the potential of it. faragonda is a great fairy, but she doesn't transform anymore and that might be why. she can still use powerful magic, though. most of it is relatable to technical spells, if we want to force this point of view, but i will let that to you.

another option is chance. at some point magic just happened and women are the one who got it for cosmical possibility and their appearance, as well as other invisible characteristics, are results of that magic and not viceversa as previously theorized.

or again, it's hormonal. maybe progesteron and other typically female hormones are tied to magic. or a fictional hormone is. this would allow men to use it too, in limited quantities and enhance it through external sources (accessible through previously stated magical tools).

this was, in my humble opinion, a great starting point for a hypothetical winx tv show. it could elaborate on a complicated world building while tapping into social aspects that, being the kids' cartoon it is, the original show couldn't. it could give a definite structure to the magic world and open up infinite possibilities for the earth's narrative that apparently lost all of his magic (but we know it didn't really), investigate new storylines and give some fairies god-like status (thinking about dafne and bloom rn). also it could be a great trampoline for so many environmental details, like people in the background using casually magic only being women and men rarely doing so.

it could also be an amazing way to explore complicated gendered issues of the real world, through a meticulous deconstruction operated in these new lenses.

why am i salty about this? 2 reasons. the live action didn't pick this up and THE ORIGINAL CARTOON FORGOT ABOUT TECHNICAL SPELLS AS WELL!! they are never brough up again. damn you, winx club.

(finally letting this thought go and if you want to expand on this please do)

[historia-vitae-magistras]

Hi! I really loved a post you made earlier about how society is only now returning to a variety of religious beliefs and was wondering if you could talk more about it. Any thoughts on countries taking up their original religions? Magnus and asatru? Rhys or his siblings with druidism?

TW discussions of religion, religious skepticism and fictional depictions of religion in historical fantasy. I feel like they pick up things they themselves remember but the modern human iteration is... Meh. No shade to believers, I did some time with the Nordic pantheon before the Nazis took it over but the modern iterations of almost all European pre-Christian religions are unfortunately mostly constructed between the 18th and 20th centuries. Almost none of it dates back further than revivals during the enlightenment. Would they see echoes of their lived experience in these revivals? Sure. I just don't know if they'd be adherents to the modern form when they can remember at least some of the real thing, otherwise now dead and gone. So I do think there's things in them that survive but they can't quite look at modern paganism as a belief system.

But two parts I think would really feel important to them: a lot of the pagan revivals are about a rejection of the Calvinist themes of Reformation and counter-reformation Christianity that emphasize individuality, created the belief of the elect who are saved by god and stripped Christianity of a lot of its older emphasis on community and mutual aid and responsibility. I think a lot of the pagan revivalism would very much appeal there and in its counter-culture themes.

And second, because I'm a weirdo who uses hetalia to get into really niche topics and practice writing historical fiction I want to publish when I'm grown, I try to stick to what we actually know. I want to replicate the perspectives of history. The fantastical aspects are often just adaptations of what magic was actually believed in, as far as I can adapt from a very limited pool of knowledge. I have written Alasdair carving the symbols we have from some Pictish standing stones and Ogham, a Gaelic form of literacy into objects and sacred trees to make them into portals and protective objects. I have written Arthur's primary contact with their mother as being not when he visits the site of her barrow and the Kirk that gives them their name that was later built on he same site, but after he drowns or is caught in a storm, because we know the Britons of prehistory and the Roman era and even into the early medieval believed water was a kind of portal between this world and the sacred. I gave Rhys their mother's bronze age sword because magic swords are everywhere in every flavor of Celtic Mythology. Arthur keeps Cromwell's head on the mantel partially because he's a stubborn fuck who can hold a grudge for centuries but also because we know that the ancient Celts believed the head specifically to be a very powerful magical object.

Norse paganism as we know it today is based on things like the Icelandic Sagas and the descriptions of the temple of Uppsala by Adam of Bremen. Those are fantastic documents but they only come into being centuries after the end of the Viking age and are written by Christians, usually clerics, and usually men. Our heads are full of images of powerful priestesses, shield maidens and goddesses, but more than a third of human women were starved as children compared to under ten percent of boys. Every Norse grave is different, with only general categories being able to be sussed put based on grave goods, the style of inhumation or cremation and marking ships or stones. We just don't know fuck all about the specifics what the people of this era really believed.

Or with the British celts. We know what the Romans said. That they burned criminals in wicker men, committed human sacrifice, that the Romans slaughtered the druids on Anglesey in Wales. We know the names of their gods when they are twinned with Roman ones or archaeologists find inscriptions. But so many of them are only known by one or two inscriptions. There are only eight for Brigantia and she was the patron goddess for the largest tribe by territory in Iron Age Britain. We know they offered sacrifices of value to bodies of water, we know from medieval Irish sources, also written by Christians, that they had 4 holidays aligning with the seasons and divided the year into half light half dark. But we don't know shit about songs or prayers or even how much the Romans made the fuck up. Which was likely most of it but we'll never know. What the Picts in Scotland may have believed is especially lost, we don't even have most of their language or even sheep counting like Cumbrian.

There's been a lot of push back against terms prehistory and dark ages and rightly so in that they conjure images of a filthy past, people living in their own shit and grim misery. But on a historical level, on an archival level, there really are such things as dark ages and prehistory where we just do not know the details and when discussing and writing religion I err towards what we know the most about, especially where archaeology and history can support each other.