#st andrzej

[rrrauschen]

Andrzej Munk, {1952} Bajka. Poemat symfoniczny St. Moniuszki (A Fairy Tale)

[dieletztepanzerhexe]

Święty Józef

Andrzej Bursa

Ze wszystkich świętych katolickich najbardziej lubię Józefa bo to nie był żaden masochista ani inny zboczeniec tylko fachowiec zawsze z tą siekierą bez siekiery chyba się czuł jakby miał ramię kalekie i chociaż ciężko mu było wychowywał Dzieciaka o którym wiedział ze nie jest jego synem tylko Boga albo kogo innego a jak uciekali przed policją nocą w sztafażu nieludzkiej architektury Ramzesów (stąd chyba policjantów nazywają faraonami) niósł Dziecko i najcięższy koszyk

[arcimboldisworld]

Wilhelm Tell - Theater St. Gallen 26.05.2024

Wilhelm Tell - Theater St. Gallen 26.05.2024 #gioachinorossini #grandopera #freiheit #schweiz #operalover #oper #review #theaterstgallen #julienchavaz #michaelbalke #bravi #review

Befreit von jeglicher Schweiztümelei, Kitsch und Lokalkolorit zeigt das Theater St. Gallen Gioachino Rossinis letzte Oper “Wilhelm Tell”. Zu erleben sind dreieinhalb Stunden grosse Tableaux, wunderbare Chor-Momente und ein hervorragendes Sänger:innen-Ensemble. Die Anfahrt nach St. Gallen lohnt sich einmal mehr… Continue reading Wilhelm Tell – Theater St. Gallen 26.05.2024

[revoevokukil]

Cursed Rulers: Parallels Between Auberon & Emhyr

’Emperors rule their empires, but two things they cannot rule: their hearts and their time. Those two things belong to the empire.’

’The end justifies the means.’

The Witcher saga often presents us with shadow doubles, twisted reflections of characters who mirror each other in parallels and divergences alike. Just as Andrzej Sapkowski reinterprets fairy tale and myth, he also creates analogous versions of character archetypes. Leaders of the highest order for their people, both Auberon Muircetach and Emhyr var Emreis pursue the greater good at the expense of decency and their own (un)humanity. A greater good to be achieved through similar means – both seek to beget a prophesised child through incest with Cirilla, their descendant.

Etymology

Let’s start with names, for the names we give our characters often reveal new layers of meaning that inspired us in conceiving them; especially if the author is a self-confessed fan of the subject matter.

Nilfgaard’s Emperor’s real name originates in the history of the British Isles and in the Arthurian legendarium. In Welsh, Emyr denotes ‘ruler’ or ‘king’. Emreis, meanwhile, qualifies as the Welsh counterpart to the Greek Ambrose, serving as the equivalent for the Romanized Ambrosius. Ambrosius Aurelianus, a semi-mythical figure thought to have lived around the time Romans had recently left the Isles for good, was a Romano-British warlord credited with turning the tide against the invading Angles and Saxons. Very little about Sub-Roman Britain is verifiably beyond doubt, which means the era lends itself richly to myth craft (for which reason historians search within this period for the historical Arthur).

Most chroniclers and myth-makers way back when were monks. Gildas mentions Ambrosius Aurelianus first in De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae. A Roman by blood, methods, and upbringing, Ambrosius is thought to have claimed the position of a High King after the Bryton Vortigern, and to have ushered in over a century of peace by pushing out the Germanic tribes, defeating them at Mons Badonicus (Mount Badon). Bede describes Ambrosius as ‘a modest man of Roman origin, who was the sole survivor of the catastrophe in which his noble parents had perished.’ From Nennius onward though, the myth grows and factual matter starts to ebb.

Geoffrey of Monmouth links Ambrosius with the wizard Merlin, Uther Pendragon (whom he makes Ambrosius’ brother), and Constantine III (allegedly Ambrosius’ father). Co-incidentally, Emreis or Emrys is also the birth-name of Merlin (Latinized from the Welsh Myrddin, the great bard). But for the sake of comparing to Emhyr var Emreis as known in the Witcher, making Constantine III the father of Ambrosius is especially noteworthy. A Roman general come to power during the Roman Britain revolt, Constantine headed out to Gaul with all the mobile troops left in Britain in 407, leaving the island vulnerable to the migration of Germanic tribes. The general ended up declaring himself the Western Roman Emperor; a position he held for two years beside the sitting emperor Honorius. Then he was put to death by another general (who, surprise-surprise, also went on to declare himself). Geoffery of Monmouth changes his Constantine III’s background a little from the historical one, but, importantly for us, makes it so Constantine’s sons – Ambrosius and Uther – are smuggled to Brittany after their father’s death. There the exiles are gathering strength in order to return and challenge the usurper Vortigern. These plot beats are familiar to what we know of Emhyr’s childhood and rise to power.

In Welsh, Emrys also means ‘immortal’ but Emhyr var Emreis – despite having lived several lives – is still a mortal ruler. Auberon Muircetach, on the other hand, exudes eternity. So old as to appear near immortal to Emhyr’s daughter, the Alder King retains a youthful appearance despite the thousand yard stare in which is buried unimaginable sadness. In his folk origins, Auberon is leading several lives.

Bearing Hen Ichaer (ichor (Ancient Greek), blood of the gods), Auberon (Old French) appears first in the 13th century Les Prouesses et faitz du noble Huon de Bordeaux and gives Shakespeare his fairy king Oberon who rules the spirit world. In turn, the name in Old French originates in the Germanic Alberich (or Elberich), denoting ‘the ruler of supernatural beings’. The most well-known Alberich is probably Wagner’s, from De Ring des Nibelungen, and though called a dwarf he treads closer to Svartálfar (dark elves) in character; dwarves and elves being, on occasion, conflated in Continental Europe. An important nuance is that Alberich much like Auberon is the keeper of his subjects’ magical treasure (Rheingold/Andvaranaut Ring or Elder Blood respectively), which is the source of power and wealth of each one’s race. Circling back to the suitability of Shakespeare’s adoption of the name for his fairy king, the root ‘alb’ in Alberich originally stands for ‘white’ and forms the trunk of Albion – denoting the British Isles with its white cliff face.

The character of Auberon Muircetach (and of the other Alder elves) is linked to Goethe’s Erlkönig; a haunting force of corruption and death, a stealer of souls who covets youthful innocence. This stands in contrast to Johann Gottfried von Herder’s translation of the Danish folk ballad Elverkongen’s Datter (The Elf-King’s Daughter) which inspired Goethe, but where the protagonist is a wilful, selfish female spirit. Androgyny though, is not novel in elves. Erlkönig translates into English variously as Erlking, the Elf-King, and the Alder King. Erle (or Elle in Old Danish) stands for ‘alder’ in German, and Ellefolk is a folkish use of ‘elves’ in Denmark. Calling the Otherworld elves in the Witcher Aen Elle – the Alder Folk – is thus hardly wilful.

But what do elves and alder trees have in common? As elven culture and origin story in the Witcher draws heavily on the pan-Celtic world, an amusing example emerges on the plains of Albion. During the mythical Cad Goddeu – Battle of the Trees – the alder trees are animated by Gwydion and march in the vanguard while Bran the Blessed (a Welsh God-king figure) boasts alder twigs as personal protection and heraldry. Alder is the warrior of trees; the bark bleeds when cut, changing from white to red. Alder is also linked to the realm of water and wetlands – predominant on the plains of Somerset surrounding the Glastonbury Tor (a well-known place of power and an entry to Caer Sidi and the Otherworld). Bran is wounded by a poisoned spear in the course of Cad Goddeu and so he is sometimes deemed one of the first prototypes for the Fisher King, an Arthurian figure Sapkowski’s Auberon (and elves) amounts to in lieu of symbolic fit – an ailing ruler, rendered impotent with an injury which dooms the realm. In this manner links between the Continental Erlking and Welsh mythology shape up.

Finally, Muircetach – an alteration of the Irish Muirchetach – also stands for ‘mariner’. Befitting of an Elf-King who has traversed the seas of time and space.

Intent

In the Witcher, both Auberon and Emhyr are embroiled in a plot of siring the child of prophecy with Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon – their blood relative. Genetically, the incest is a matter of degree: Emhyr is Ciri’s biological father, Auberon Ciri’s ancestor 8 generations past. Symbolically, however, the degree collapses with Auberon because a few human generations are meaningless to elves. They call Ciri Lara’s daughter, effectively deeming Ciri Auberon’s granddaughter. But the reader – not unlike Ciri herself – won’t know about this until the very end of the tale.

Notionally, both rulers bind their actions with Ithlinne’s prophecy. The problem with prophecies is they decouple arguments from verification, lending themselves to the rationalization of all and any action. At least insofar as knowing the future accurately is impossible. This is the case for humanity, it is not the case for elves. Elven prophecies were made by the elves and for the elves in the first place. Consequently, the degree to which each ruler knows the prophecy to be true and believes in it differs.

For Emhyr, mystical secret knowledge of the universe is irrelevant in comparison to political expedience: reason of state is what the tomorrow will bring. The Nilfgaardian Emperor is neither a mystic nor a fatalist. Contrary to the Alder King – a Sage, a ruler, and an elder – who has witnessed and likely verified some of what the Seers have prophesised.

Elves conceive of the nature of time as cyclical in which the fate of things is tied up in the endless repetition of endings giving birth to new beginnings, the dance of attraction between life and death, two sides of the same coin which form the singular eternal truth of existence – change is only an eternal reoccurrence and re-arrangement of all. Auberon, you see, is a bit of a mystic. And even without Seers privy to secret knowledge, an extraordinary life span reduces the elves’ proclivity to black swan fallacy, or at least pushes the error probabilities. But at the end of the day, mysticism takes the cake.

The idea that either ruler must be the progenitor, however, comes at the instigation of an outside force.

Shortly after Ciri’s birth Emhyr is visited by a sorcerer. Emhyr has a strong aversion to mages; he was cursed by one. Even so, Vilgefortz proves himself capable of helping him regain the Nilfgaardian throne and is straightforward about what he wishes in exchange – gratitude, favours, privileges, power. Vilgefortz tells Emhyr about Ithlinne’s prophecy – a version about the fate of the world; a human interpretation. Then he plants the seed as to what Emhyr should do to steer the fate of this world. Naturally, he has his own agenda.

It is not a huge leap of imagination to conceive of Auberon having been similarly persuaded by Avallac’h (an elven Knowing one who thematically parallels the human Vilgefortz). Not only are Avallac’h and Auberon tied by broken familial bonds, they are each a participant of the Elder Blood programme; and each, a Sage. Avallac’h serves nearly as a double for Auberon, his own fate also tied with Ciri’s, his own wound also related to Lara. And Auberon is a ‘willing unwilling’ in his arrangement with Ciri; implied so by his rage when he reveals Ciri ought to be grateful for his lowering himself to the endeavour at all. There is an alternative.

Neither the Emperor nor the Alder King is pursuing the incestuous course of action out of lust. But both have the option to waive being the sire. Ithlinne’s prophecy is not explicit about the father of the Swallow’s child. For elves the match is backed by science. For humanity – pragmatism.

Emhyr has ordered to wipe out the Usurper’s name from the annals of history and is cementing his earthly power, conquering and ensuring the succession laws play out in his favour. Not only is he legitimatizing his rule over Cintra – the gateway to the North – by marrying its last monarch’s granddaughter, but by keeping it in the family he is also consolidating his rule among the Nilfgaardian aristocracy. The Emperor’s concern lies with the dynastic struggle for power: it is his blood that should rule the world and because history is bending its arc according to Nilfgaard’s dictation that means surmounting the Nilfgaardian succession laws. From such perspective, not fathering Ciri’s child would create numerous problems. Ciri as Emhyr’s heir would remain behind any other male offspring he might have (with any Nilfgaardian aristocrat). Ciri might not be acknowledged as a legitimate successor in Nilfgaard in the first place as she is a foreigner, born in Cintra at a time when her father was not yet an emperor; a bastard, effectively, and a girl besides. Ciri’s husband, moreover, may have designs on power himself and his remaining under Emhyr’s control, or Ciri’s control, is not a guarantee. It is difficult to be the correctly-shaped chess piece in a match over the interests of the state. That a widely recited prophecy about the fate of the world could lend an aura of destiny to the brutal political machinations undertaken to seek retribution and pursue earthly power is convenient; a descendant who will be the ruler of the world – a bonus. But to get there, sacrifices must be made.

‘Cirilla,’ continued the emperor, ‘will be happy, like most of the queens I was talking about. It will come with time. Cirilla will transfer the love that I do not demand at all onto the son I will beget with her. An archduke, and later an emperor. An emperor who will beget a son. A son, who will be the ruler of the world and will save the world from destruction. Thus speaks the prophecy whose exact contents only I know.’

’What I am doing, I am doing for posterity. To save the world.’ – Emhyr var Emreis, Lady of the Lake

Notably, the manner in which the Emperor claims to understand Ithlinne’s prophecy does not make guarantees that a father’s incest with his daughter will ensure his progeny will one day save the world. The saviour is a few generations away and the causal arrow between now and then is not direct: the son could die, could father a child with a genetically non-fitting partner, could be sterile, or could turn out to be a daughter altogether. Not to even begin with what the world needs saving from in the first place; again, elven prophecies were written by the elves and for the elves. Emhyr var Emreis is neither an elf, a geneticist, an idealist, nor a mystic. He is an autocrat.

Elder Blood is the creation of elves and it is elves who understand how their genetic abilities play into handling what was foretold by Ithlinne. Emhyr’s daughter, the Lady of Time and Space, is the descendant of an Alder King who has utilized Hen Ichaer in the past and whose ambitions lie in an altogether different ball park than that of an Emperor of one single world. Appropriately to the Saga’s love for subversion, it is ironic that human understanding of elven prophecies remains on the level of poetry, while elves – the irritatingly poetic, mystical species – can read the science elevating the prophetic jargon into something more.

Which nevertheless does not invalidate the problem with prophecies: they lend themselves to the rationalization of action, frequently concealing the real horses the powerful might have in the race. Legitimatization of the ruler’s right to remain the leader of their people is relevant in Auberon’s life too. More on that when we return to the Fisher King parable and the nature of curses upon the two rulers.

Role & Relationships

Let’s take a look at the characters’ personalities.

Appearance: A Play of Contrasts

A very tall, slender elf with long fingers and ashen hair shot with snow-white streaks. An elf with most extraordinary eyes – as in all Elder Blood carriers – reminiscent of molten lead. A man with black, shiny, wavy hair bordering an angular, masculine face that is dominated by a prominent nose (hooked, presumably, or Roman if you like). The Emperor of Nilfgaard does not resemble an androgynous elf by any means. But this does not mean nothing remains in him of the elven gene pool.

Not only does Emhyr’s etymological origin link with the Romano-Celtic world underpinning all things elven in the Witcher. Nilfgaardians are effectively the Romano-Brytons. The human population in the South of the Continent mixed with elves heavily, retaining a lot of elven law, customs, language, and DNA. As Avallac’h says about heritability, ‘the father matters’, and Emhyr was one half of the equation for getting Ciri.

Rex Regum – King of Kings

The readers are probably more familiar with the imperial system and how that features in the depiction of Nilfgaard. Auberon Muircetach’s position as the Supreme Leader of the Aen Elle – as opposed to merely a “king” – is instead much more reminiscent of the station of a High King. Ancient and early kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland boast many High Kings (e.g. Ard Rí Érenn Brian Boru, Ard Rí Alban Macbeth, Vortigern, King of the Britons, etc). The High King was usually elected and set above lesser rulers and warlords as an overlord in a land that shared a high degree of cultural unity. Emperors usually ruled over culturally different lands (regularly obtained through recent or ongoing conquests).

In character such high kingship was sacred: the duties of the ruler were largely ceremonial and somewhat restricted, unless war, natural disaster or some other realm-wide occasion created a need for a unified command structure. The Irish High King, for example, was quite straightforwardly a ruler who laid claim to all of the land of the Emerald Isle. Noteworthy, because the ruler is frequently seen as the embodiment of the land, associated with the health and well-being of the realm that the land sustains. In quasi-religious terms, High Kings gained their power through a marriage to, or sexual relationship with, a sovereignty goddess; frequently, a mother goddess who was associated with the life-giving land. As one of the most frequently studied elements of the pan-Celtic cosmology, this feature is instantly recognisable in the outlook of the elves in the Witcher and factors heavily into Auberon’s relationship with Ciri.

Ciri who is the avatar of the Triple Goddess – the Virgin, the Pregnant Mother, and the Old Woman, Death. As Sapkowski notes in The World of King Arthur:

’…no Wiccan mystery in honour of the Great Triple, cannot be performed, [without] the goblet and the sword.

Grail and Excalibur. The rest is silence.’

Through the Triple Goddess’ interaction with her God-counterpart (a ruler who briefly assumes the role of the god) is showcased the eternal cycle of life – one which cannot be realised without the interaction of the cup (feminine) & the sword (male). Excalibur is the symbol of rightful sovereignty and its wielders are frequently powerful men. But Ciri is a woman and a woman is the Grail, bringing salvation and new life. To possess the Grail is to legitimize oneself as the ruler, as the leader, protector, and father figure of the realm. Thus, a King of Kings must do exactly that. A protector, a father figure, and a druid (wise man) merge into a symbolic whole in the Supreme Leader of the elves.

(But Ciri is also the witcher girl and owns a sword, unyielding before the matter of her gender. And though many a men might take her for the Lady of the Lake, she is not about to part with her sword.)

The Realm is All

From early age, Emhyr’s father instilled an understanding in his heir that nothing counts more than the interest of the state. The blood of the Emreis family must be on the throne. Fergus never abdicated, not after torture, not even after his son was turned into a mutant hedgehog in front of his eyes. Love for his child did not sway Fergus from having his son suffer in the interests of power and the realm. This is how the shard of ice in Emhyr’s heart forms.

Auberon, equally, ‘thinks of England’ when attempting to regain his daughter’s legacy and restore their people’s power. The circumstances of Lara’s demise, however, beg the question about the Alder King’s role in facilitating or enabling the conditions that let things spiral out of control and break beyond repair. The stakes were infinitely higher for Auberon than they are for Emreis’ dynastic struggle. But what would an answer to this question change? In their cold hearts these characters see themselves each as duty-bound.

Ambitious and gloried, they nevertheless occupy different stages in their lives.

Emhyr’s ambition burns bright and fresh. Auberon’s has dwindled into a shadow of the past; buried under having witnessed and lived through the sacrifices that a ruler makes in the name of power. Emhyr chooses to seek retribution and power beyond what would befall him should he accept his life as Duny (the cursed, pitiful Duny), the prince consort of Cintra. Never losing sight of his goal, love and human happiness become but temporary phases and means to an end, and Emhyr returns to Cintra only in the form of flames and death to pursue his daughter in insane ambition. The White Flame retains an active disposition; a lust for life.

Neither Emhyr nor Auberon gallop at the head of their armies though, leading instead from the rear. They have lackeys for carrying out their will remotely (e.g. Cahir and Eredin). Emhyr, however, is said to be otherwise highly involved in the ruling of his empire, even if many revolutionaries who had helped him on the throne had hoped he would remain but a banner of the revolution. In contrast, the Alder King has more or less withdrawn from life and active service. In the presence of Avallac’h and Eredin, Auberon appears much more like the standard Emhyr had refused to become.

Of course, many decisions the equivalent of which Auberon has already made are still ahead of Emhyr, including as concerns the freedom of his daughter.

A Ruler’s Heart

Did Emhyr believe that he would be able to see Pavetta in Ciri and thus push through with the incest? Did Auberon hope to glance the memory of his wife in the eyes of Lara’s ‘daughter’ and manage in this way?

As already noted, neither ruler is pursuing their plans out of lust, but as lust must be induced for the act to bear fruit I cannot help but wonder what these characters must do to themselves to follow through with their plans. The love that is called for in order for new life and hope to be born is, in this instance, abnormal. Yet it is undoubtedly love that plays a huge role in determining both Emhyr’s and Auberon’s eventual fate.

Until the emergence of false-Ciri, Emhyr var Emreis is said to have had numerous ladies in the imperial court. Little is known about Auberon’s disposition, but by the time Ciri starts frequenting his bed chamber it has become evident the image of a dowager king fits the elf like a glove; disaffected with romantic dalliance, he is still aware of the courtly intrigue and expectations surrounding it.

‘The next evening, for the first time, the Alder King betrayed his impatience. She found him hunched over the table where a looking glass framed in amber was lying. White powder had been sprinkled on it. It’s beginning, she thought.

[…]

‘At one moment Ciri was certain it was about to happen. But it didn’t. At least not all the way. And once again he became impatient. He stood up and threw a sable fur over his shoulders. He stood like that, turned away, staring at the window and the moon.’ – A. Sapkowski, Lady of the Lake

Emhyr’s marriage to Pavetta, Ciri’s mother, was an unhappy one. In his own words, he did not love ’the melancholy wench with her permanently lowered eyes,’ and eventually would have had the vigilant Pavetta killed. Inadvertently, Emhyr caused Pavetta’s death anyway.

‘I wonder how a man feels after murdering his wife,’ the Witcher said coldly. ‘Lousy,’ replied Emhyr without delay. ‘I felt and I feel lousy and bloody shabby. Even the fact that I never loved her doesn’t change that. The end justifies the means, yet I sincerely do regret her death. I didn’t want it or plan it. Pavetta died by accident.’ ‘You’re lying,’ Geralt said dryly, ‘and that doesn’t befit an emperor. Pavetta could not live. She had unmasked you. And would never have let you do what you wanted to do to Ciri.’ ‘She would have lived,’ Emhyr retorted. ‘Somewhere … far away. There are enough castles … Darn Rowan, for instance. I couldn’t have killed her.’ ‘Even for an end that was justified by the means?’ ‘One can always find a less drastic means.’ The emperor wiped his face. ‘There are always plenty of them.’ ‘Not always,’ said the Witcher, looking him in the eyes. Emhyr avoided his gaze. ‘That’s exactly what I thought,’ Geralt said, nodding. – Emhyr and Geralt, Lady of the Lake

After Pavetta’s demise Emhyr hounds his own daughter to the ends of the earth, killing her grandmother, burning down her home, and driving Ciri into an exile from which she never fully recovers. An exile which kills the innocence in her; the snow-white streaks in Ciri’s hair are from the trauma.

In contrast, Auberon does not seem to even know what became of Shiadhal – his partner and the mother of their daughter together. On the verge of death he confuses Ciri for Shiadhal, and says, ’I am glad you are here. You know, they told me you had died.’ The Alder King recalls Shiadhal affectionately, in the same loving breath as he recalls their daughter Lara. Lara whose exile – voluntary or not – killed her.

When Ciri was six years old, Emhyr took a lock of hair from her and held onto it; out of sentiment and for his court sorcerers to use. One of Auberon’s last lines to Ciri involves tying a loose ribbon back into Lara’s hair.

In regard to their brides-to-be, both rulers are saddled with fakes. A fake Ciri-Pavetta and a fake Lara-Shiadhal. But Emhyr’s and Auberon’s attitude toward the fake is diametrically opposite. Emhyr sees false-Cirilla as ‘a diamond in the rough’. Auberon calls Ciri ‘a pearl in pig shit, a diamond on the finger of a rotting corpse.’ For Emhyr, a diamond is the essence of the poor peasant girl. While a pearl in pig shit, for Auberon, remains the essence of Ciri. Neither ruler can entirely ignore the social vigilance extended toward the ruler’s bedchamber either. The idea of a ‘foreign bride’ is frowned upon among the Nilfgaardian aristocracy; it decreases their ability to influence the Emperor. Ciri’s social status at Tir ná Lia is never explicitly addressed, but the presence of human servants – all of whom that the reader sees are female – and casual xenophobia from Auberon himself does not make it hard to venture a guess.

‘If I were … the real Cirilla … the emperor would look more favourably on me. But I’m only a counterfeit. A poor imitation. A double, not worthy of anything. Nothing …’ – False-Cirilla, Lady of the Lake

‘It’s all my fault,’ she mumbled. ‘That scar blights me, I know. I know what you see when you look at me. There’s not much elf left in me. A gold nugget in a pile of compost—’ – Ciri, Lady of the Lake

The Alder King is unable to bring himself to love Ciri. The Emperor relents at the very end, in the one moment where it matters, caring for his daughter at last as a father should. Moreover, Emhyr ends up eventually marrying his own reason of state and comes to love the false-Cirilla. And the contrasts do not end here. Real Ciri threatens to tear Emhyr’s throat out for what he is planning to do to her (unknowing he is her father), yet with Auberon Ciri turns submissive and grows attached. She weeps over Auberon’s corpse and vows vengeance on Eredin for killing the Alder King. Ironic, as Auberon never intended to let Ciri go, while Emhyr does let his daughter walk free. The shard in Auberon’s heart never melts. It shifts in Emhyr’s.

In their last meeting with the girl, both rulers implicitly reveal their blood relation to Ciri.

Cursed Rulers of the World

Emhyr’s tale begins and is framed with a curse. Likewise Auberon’s. And for both it is love in its different manifestations that will shift the curse just enough to offer closure. Because healing largely entails obtaining closure.

‘They were silent for a long time. The scent of spring suddenly made them feel light-headed. Both of them. ‘In spite of appearances,’ Emhyr finally said dully, ‘being empress is not an easy job. I don’t know if I’ll be able to love you.’ She nodded to show she also knew. He saw a tear on her cheek. Just like in Stygga Castle, he felt the tiny shard of cold glass lodged in his heart shift.’ – Emhyr & false-Cirilla, Lady of the Lake

The reference to H. C. Andersen’s fairy tale of the Snow Queen is self-evident. Emhyr var Emreis is an Emperor whose heart has been pierced by a shard of ice. In the Saga, the legend is elven and refers to the Winter Queen who conducts a Wild Hunt as she travels the land, casting hard, sharp, tiny shards of ice around her.1 Whose eye or heart is pierced by one of them is lost; they will abandon everything and will set off after the Queen, the one who wounded them so gravely as to become the sole aim and end of their life.

There are two ways in which to interpret the way Sapkowski applies the legend of the Snow Queen in the Saga.

First, as a complement to the author’s stance that in life - where most things are shit - the Grail is a woman, because it is the love of a woman and the hope a woman instils that often makes men act in inconceivable ways. Love is the great motivator and the great balancer of scales, almost as powerful as death. Or even more so?

‘I would not like to put forward the theory that hunting for the wild pig was the primordial example of the search for the Grail. I don't want to be so trivial. I will - after Parnicki and Dante - identify the Grail with the real goal of the great effort of mythical heroes. I prefer to identify the Grail with Olwen, from under whose feet, as she walked, white clovers grew. I prefer to identify the Grail with Lydia, who was loved by Parry. I like New York in June… How about you?

Because I think the Grail is a woman. It is worth investing a lot of time and effort in order to find it and gain it, to understand it. And that's the moral.’

– A. Sapkowski, The World of King Arthur

In this reading, we find the framing to the stories of Geralt and Yennefer, Lara and Cregennan, Avallac’h and Lara, and many others. Including the story of Ciri herself – for Ciri is ultimately the author’s Grail in more ways than one. More than one party goes to great lengths to solicit her favour in a guise that includes elements of a love relationship, but not the heart of it.

Secondly, we can interpret the legend in universal terms: the shard of ice is the definitive experience of our lives which distorts reality and makes the rest of our lives spin around it in one way or another. For Emhyr, such an experience could have been the trauma experienced in his youth. Fergus’ uncompromising death conditioned the boy early on to sacrifice personal feelings to the cause and let the only true feeling in his heart remain forever locked behind the ends a ruler must go to unthinkable lengths to achieve. Fergus did not deem his son above suffering for a cause and the son learned the lesson. Until…

In Andersen’s Snow Queen, Gerda manages to find her brother Kai in the Snow Queen’s castle, but despite her calls his heart remains cold as ice. Only when Gerda cries in despair do her tears finally melt the ice and remove the piece of glass from Kai’s eyes and heart. In the Witcher, the shard in Emhyr’s heart moves first upon witnessing his true daughter’s angry tears. The second time – in thanks to the bogus princess of Cintra; his poor raison d’etat.

It brings us to the defining contrast in Emhyr’s and Auberon’s stories, and it concerns alleviating the suffering of those are bound to you by blood or love.

From the Ashes

Recalling another case of incest that resulted in Adda the strigga, we may remember that the Temerian king recognises that his daughter is suffering and insists on disenchanting her instead of killing her. Realising that your own blood – who has been thrown into this world of agony thanks to you – is suffering and consequently choosing to do something to alleviate this suffering fortifies the Saga’s faith in enduring human decency. Geralt, too, is thoroughly vexed by the prospect of letting the same evil happen to Ciri that happened to himself and does everything within his power to prevent it. Here lives the redemption of man and in redemption – his rebirth.

‘They passed a pond, empty and melancholy. The ancient carp released by Emperor Torres had died two days earlier. “I’ll release a new, young, strong, beautiful specimen,�� thought Emhyr var Emreis, “I’ll order a medal with my likeness and the date to be attached to it. Vaesse deireadh aep eigean. Something has ended, something is beginning. It’s a new era. New times. A new life. So let there be a new carp too, dammit.”’ – Emhyr var Emreis, Lady of the Lake

As Emhyr and false-Cirilla take a stroll in the gardens after Stygga, they pass a sculpture of a pelican pecking open its own breast to feed its young on its blood. An allegory of noble sacrifice and also of great love – as False-Ciri tells us.

‘Do you think—’ he turned her to face him and pursed his lips ‘—that a torn-open breast hurts less because of that?’ ‘I don’t know …’ she stammered. ‘Your Imperial Majesty … I …’ He took hold of her hand. He felt her shudder; the shudder ran along his hand, arm and shoulder. ‘My father,’ he said, ‘was a great ruler, but never had a head for legends or myths, never had time for them. And always mixed them up. Whenever he brought me here, to the park, I remember it like yesterday, he always said that the sculpture shows a pelican rising from its ashes.’ – Emhyr var Emreis & False-Cirilla, Lady of the Lake

It is difficult to set aside our trauma and not pass it on. Letting our children be free and not sacrificing them on the altar of our fate is to rip open ourselves, calcified and bound to our path, and to feel all of it as we grope in the dark to feel for them. Emhyr’s father might not have gotten it entirely wrong, though his mind at the time was set on making his child an extension of himself. The cycle of death and rebirth begins and ends within that to which we give birth. Giving our children a chance before it is too late, we also give a chance to ourselves.

By finding it in his heart to extend to his daughter the courtesy his father Fergus never extended to him - by letting Ciri free - Emhyr lets the part of himself that has defined his entire life die. His end stops justifying the means. He breaks the cycle on the edge of the precipice to which he has brought them and thus, allows for the possibility of new beginnings for himself and for Ciri.

In a sense, False-Cirilla and Emhyr get the ending Ciri and Auberon might have gotten if –

Into Ashes

The story of Auberon Muircetach achieves a fundamentally different resolution.

‘What does the spear with the bloody blade mean? Why does the King with the lanced thigh suffer and what does it mean? What is the meaning of the maiden in white carrying a grail, a silver bowl—?’ – Galahad, Lady of the Lake

Galahad asks the questions that the innocent Perceval in his Story of the Grail failed to ask, thus losing his chance at freeing the Fisher King from his curse. Fisher King is the guardian of mysteries, among them the Holy Grail. But it is not because of gain that a chivalric knight with a shining sword should seek to free the Fisher King from his curse, but rather because it is a human thing to do. Sapkowski claims to be partial to Wolfram von Eschenbach’s rendition of the Grail myth in Parsifal:

‘Let's not wait for the revelation and the command that comes from above, let's not wait for any Deus vult. Let's look for the grail in ourselves. Because the Grail is nobility, it is the love of a neighbor, it is an ability for compassion. Real chivalric ideals, towards which it is worth looking for the right path, cutting through the wild forest, where, as they quote, "there is no road, no path". Everyone has to find their path on their own. But it is not true that there is only one path. There are many of them. Infinitely many. … Being human is important. Heart.’

‘I prefer the humanism of Wolfram von Eschenbach and Terry Gilliam from the idiosyncrasies of bitter Cistercian scribes and Bernard of Clairvaux...’ – A. Sapkowski, The World of King Arthur

The unimaginable sadness in Auberon’s eyes belies the suffering of the Alder King – the avatar of the Fisher King. Insofar as the story between elves and humans goes in The Witcher, all elven males share aspects of the Fisher King’s fate; symbolically, they are the protectors of their Grail – elven women. Surviving his wife and daughter, witnessing the fading of his ambitions and the knock-on effects – Auberon has lost his line. The Fisher King’s injury represents an inability to produce an heir.

A ruler who is both the protector and physical embodiment of his land yet remains barren, sterile, or without a true-born successor, bodes ill for the realm. Auberon has lost control of the source of his people’s power, leaving the elves imprisoned and scattered across worlds. In losing a daughter, he has lost more than a world.

Compassion – Consent to Co-suffering

‘Lara.’ The Alder King moved his head, and touched his neck as though his royal torc’h was garrotting him. ‘Caemm a me, luned. Come to me, daughter. Caemm a me, elaine.’ Ciri sensed death in his breath. – Auberon Muircetach, Lady of the Lake

Only time can tell what it would take for Ciri to become, and become accepted, as the daughter of elves.

In Lady of the Lake, Ciri passes through the shadow world of the Alders as a manifestation of fate. Her footsteps sowing discord, movement, and change into the immutable, time-locked amber of the elven utopia. Her presence providing the trigger that will unshackle the past from future in a world where for a long time nothing has changed, died, or been reborn. She is destined and destiny, annihilation and rebirth, the grain of sand in the gears of the great mechanism; a strange girl. The child of hope and the Goddess who ought to be Three.

‘Zireael,’ he said. ‘Loc’hlaith. You are indeed destiny, O Lady of the Lake. Mine too, as it transpires.’ – Auberon Muircetach, Lady of the Lake

Lara is dead. Emhyr’s daughter still lives. There is nothing Auberon can do for Lara anymore and thus, the ice in Auberon’s heart has crystallised. Emhyr still has a chance; he is where Auberon once was. And yet, there is one thing Ciri, the witcher girl, can still do for the Alder King; and herself. Her presence in this world is, after all, also part of her coming to age story.

‘Va’esse deireadh aep eigean… But,’ he finished with a sigh, ‘it’s good that something is beginning.’ They heard a long-drawn-out peal of thunder outside the window. The storm was still far away. But it was approaching fast. ‘In spite of everything,’ he said, ‘I very much don’t want to die, Zireael. And I’m so sorry that I must. Who’d have thought it? I thought I wouldn’t regret it. I’ve lived long, I’ve experienced everything. I’ve become bored with everything … but nonetheless I feel regret. And do you know what else? Come closer. I’ll tell you in confidence. Let it be our secret.’ She bent forward. ‘I’m afraid,’ he whispered. ‘I know.’ ‘Are you with me?’ ‘Yes, I am.’ – Auberon Muircetach, Lady of the Lake

The only way Ciri the Grail knight will be able to find her own true self – the Grail – is by curing the suffering Alder King from his curse. By becoming Auberon’s destiny, Ciri must close the circle for him; bring closure. The Alder King would never let her go because thaw is no longer able to touch his heart. Unlike Emhyr, Auberon does not repeat the motif of alleviating the suffering of one’s blood and/or love; and thus, he dies. It is Ciri, in fact, who realises Auberon is suffering. She discovers her heart can awaken to compassion; even for those who have wronged her. So Ciri must do what only she can, because remaining human is what is important. Heart. The sacrifice a ruler makes on the altar of power includes his own heart, which is why there should never be only one, but always two; always.

there is no road, no path". Everyone has to find their path on their own. But it is not true that there is only one path. There are many of them. Infinitely many. … Being human is important. Heart.

‘Time is like the ancient Ouroboros. Time is fleeting moments, grains of sand passing through an hourglass. Time is the moments and events we so readily try to measure. But the ancient Ouroboros reminds us that in every moment, in every instant, in every event, is hidden the past, the present and the future. Eternity is hidden in every moment. Every departure is at once a return, every farewell is a greeting, every return is a parting. Everything is simultaneously a beginning and an end. ‘And you too,’ he said, not looking at her at all, ‘are at once the beginning and the end. And because we are discussing destiny, know that it is precisely your destiny. To be the beginning and the end. Do you understand?’ She hesitated for a moment. But his glowing eyes forced her to answer. ‘I do.’ – Auberon Muircetach, Lady of the Lake

Death Crone to Auberon Muircetach, Ciri never becomes the Mother Goddess in the books. It is a choice she must make for herself, and the time for such a choice still remains ahead of her. Everyone has to find their path on their own. In a sense, however, both rulers serve as father figures, facilitating Ciri’s leaving for a path of self-discovery. And, as we know, one day the Aen Seidhe will leave Geralt’s world. Perhaps this too the Knowing Ones knew, and for this reason alone Auberon never could have budged from seeing through his purpose in this part of Ciri’s story.

Something is ending, but something is also beginning. Destiny, however, accursed, must run its course.

That is the hope, and the release.

Footnotes

Could the Winter Queen be Shiadhal? Why not-why not… ↩︎

[polish-art-tournament]

'something else' round 4 poll 1

album cover for Reportaż (self-titled) by Andrzej Karpiński, 1987:

[no propaganda has been submitted]

mosaic on the former carpet factory in Kowary by Stanisława Lewkowicz, 1978:

[no propaganda has been submitted]

[gollancz]

Ides of March (Gollancz Edition)

[myidlehand]

5 years ago he said "it would probably be something like a prequel or a sidequel. Not a sequel"

IM GONNA NEED YOU ALL TO MANIFEST A ESKEL SIDEQUEL

[light-lanterne]

hello ! it is i, angel (he/him)~ welcome to my halloween pinned post !! it will only be here for a few days —until the end of day of the dead—, but i felt it important to change my layout for the spooky season so here we are 👻

beneath the cut you can find a list of the regular tags i use in this blog, but before you proceed, there are a couple important things i should inform you about:

first, i will be partaking in @bylerween2023! this is a terrific event organised by some lovely bylers whom i adore, and it means i will be posting a few little creepy stories i've been preparing for a short while over the next couple weeks. some of them will be short fluffy prompts (tagged under 🪄 or "samhain alms"), which i shall post daily and should be enjoyable for anyone who reads them. some others, however, will be ficlets cemented in horror and gnarly themes (tagged under 🪦 or "walpurgis hexes"), so it is in your best interest to pay attention to the tags before reading. ...which brings me to my next point, which is that if you don't want to see any of my mature, chilling fics, you might want to filter out the tag "dark byler agenda". i use this tag regularly when delving into dark themes such as cannibalism, gore, murder, possessive love, murky morals and so on, so it serves as a blanket tag to block if you want to avoid such topics with ease. (the appropriate warnings will be provided in each pertinent post, too, so again, mind the tags and be safe, okei ?)

and that's it !! please help yourself to some freshly baked pan de muerto, take a gander at my general halloween tag (🎃), and let the frightful season begin !!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ☽ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ⛧ display name coined by: @microwaveonwheels ⛧ header and sidebar art: "portraits of wife" by andrzej dybowski ⛧ pinned post art: "dante and virgil in the ninth circle of hell" by gustave doré ⛧ ao3 || twitter || fic recs blog || aesthetic blog || support me on ko-fi !! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ☽ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

general tags

for the most part, i tend to reblog things i enjoy. most of them are st adjacent, but sometimes you might see stuff from other fandoms ~

📝 character analysis / theories 📔 headcanons 🎨 art 📚 fanfiction 📸 photo posts 🔮 sleep token 🪐 other fandoms ♡

personal tags

although sporadically, i do post nonsense of my own. all my original posts are marked with this little guy: 🧸 peruse at your own risk.

✨ my writing ♡ 💗 all-time favourite posts 🌙 general posts 💕 asks 💡 my analyses 💘 friend-related tags ♡ ⚰️ personal nonsense

[agnus-agni]

Return of relics of St. Andrzej Bobola SJ to Poland (1938). 

Powrót relikwii św. Andrzeja Boboli do Polski, 1938, reportaż

[thenightling]

My favorite "perfectly reasonable" reactions to finding out Jaskier in the Netflix series version of The Witcher is now canonically bisexual

I am going to quote some of the responses to the revelation that Jaskier is bisexual and give a rebuttal to some of them.

____________________________________

The most common unhappy response: "He's only attracted to women in the books! He's straight in the books!" A possible rebuttal. = You can be a womanizer and flirt who sleeps around with a lot of women and still be bisexual. Just because it's all you've seen doesn't mean it's all there there is.

______________________________________ "Another change from the books. This was probably the last straw that made Henry Cavill leave!"

This one is particularly annoying because it requires making Henry Cavill a thinly-disguised-homophobe. No. Henry Cavill did NOT leave because Jaskier was revealed as biseuxal. Jaskier's ballad about Geralt mentioning his "stupid hair" and "what for do you yearn?" existed in season 2. And Jaskier talking about applying chamomile to Geralt's "lovely bottom" was in season 1.

There is no official statement anywhere stating that Henry Cavill left because of deviations from the source material. Yes, Henry Cavill IS a fan of the video games and novels but there's no official explanation as to why he left. In fact the rumor that he left because they strayed from the books all originate from gossipy Youtube videos with no more substance than old supermarket tabloids.

There are countless other plausible reasons for Henry Cavill leaving The Witcher such as: 1. He wasn't happy with his Netflix contract. Netflix contracts are very restrictive and strict. 2. He thought he could return to playing Superman, unaware of the shakeup at DC / Warner Brothers that wound oust him from the role. 3. Henry Cavill has obsessions that become all-consuming he became fixated on the Warhammer franchise. 4. Henry Cavill might have wanted more pay.

That's just four of the many reasons that could be behind his leaving The Witcher.

Seriously, the moment people start claiming that Henry Cavill left BECAUSE Jaskier is bisexual I have to point out a few things. 1. There were far bigger deviations from the books in Season 2, including the creation of a brand new villain. A change to the ending of the Beauty and The Beast-esque story and how Geralt reacts to the revelation about why his friend was cursed. The changing of a chracter's personality and having him die when he lived in the books. And also having Yennefer tempted to sacrifice Ciri. If you think these things are minor changes but he'd quit over Jaskier being bisexual... Well, that says a lot about you.

2. Henry Cavill was still in the show and involved in the show when they decided to confirm Jaskier is bisexual. Henry Cavill is IN this season that shows Jaskier with Radovid. This was filmed before he left. Before. 3. Jaskier's ballad about Geralt mentioning his "stupid hair" and "what for do you yearn?" existed in season 2. And Jaskier talking about applying chamomile to Geralt's "lovely bottom" was in season 1. 4. Henry Cavill was in the movie based on Neil Gaiman's Stardust novel. I suggest you google the character Captain Shakespeare, who does not exist in the novel Stardust. Just because YOU can't handle the idea of your favorite manly man having a non-straight best friend doesn't mean Henry Cavill agrees with you. Henry Cavill is not your magical shield for being a homophobe.

________________________________________ "Only Andrzej Sapkowski can make him bisexual. He's straight in the books." Yes, so we've been told many times. But Andrzej said he doesn't mind the change. You don't need to keep reminding us that Neflix was the first place to officially have Jaskier as bisexual. Your own insecurity is showing in that you have to remind us that the version you are obsessed with is straight. We're strictly discussing the canon of the Netflix show. _________________________________________________ "He's not Gay!!!! He's attracted to women!" Yes, he is attracted to women. And men. And possibly a pretty androgynous elf. The character was confirmed as bisexual, not gay. _____________________________________________

"Nice headcanon bro." Except it's not a headcanon. This was confirmed by Netflix, Joey Batey (Jaskier's actor), the showrunner, and show writer. You might like it but within the show version this IS canon. Jaskier and Radovid (now played by thirty-eight-year-old Hugh Skinner. It may never have been said in the books (We know! We know!) but it is a thing in Netflix.

We're strictly discussing the canon of the Netflix show.

https://www.slashfilm.com/1309204/the-witcher-joey-batey-confirms-jaskiers-romance-season-3/

___________________________

"They turned Jaskier into a ped0!" Rebuttal:

Oh, they did not! This is not the Radovid of the novels. He's not a teenage boy. He's a thirty-eight-year-old man. Yes, *Gasp* another deviation from the books. Speaking as someone who just had to adjust to Interview with The Vampire's Claudia being portrayed as fourteen-years-old and by a nineteen-year-old actress... Grow up.

___________________________ "When you try to be a smart ass but the show shuts your dumb ass up. Try harder, Twink." Rebuttal: Umm... first, I don't think you know what a Twink is. It's not just a new replacement for the f slur. Also the show didn't shut me up. It's the show that confirmed the character is biseuxal. _____________________________ "Why is it always short haired, over-weight, ugly, middle aged, women who want this? ALWAYS!" I have the short hair but otherwise I don't think that really fits." ____________________________________ "I casually scrolled through TEN YEARS of your profile pictures to see what kind of person I was dealing with." Umm... What? Because I posted about Netflix confirming Jaskier is bisexual in the show and it wasn't negative?! Okay... ______________________ "They didn't even try to follow the books. For starters his name is Dandelion! DANDELION!" I got this particular one twice and I responded with "Actually, in the original Polish his name is Jaskier, which directly translates to buttercup. Netflix is using his untranslated Polish name. The novels were originally written in Polish." And for some reason that earned the response of "Oh! You're OLD!" I didn't realize there was an age restriction on liking a character who is meant to be in his forties but okay... (I'm forty-one and unashamed). ___________________________________

"Why is it always the weakling who can't even fight that they make queer?" Rebuttal: Umm... That's not true. John Constantine, King Shark, Deadpool... None of those characters are straight and they kick ass.

Also Jaskier has a persona now of The Sandpiper where he helps the oppressed and outcast, and smuggles people to safety. When I compared him to The Scarlet Pimpernel this person got very offended because the Scarlet Pimpernel protected French nobles and all the French nobles deserved to die. I tried to remind him that in the novel the Scarlet Pimpernel rescued children. I haven't bothered to see their reply after that yet. I have a feeling I'm going to end up having to block someone.

________________________________ "I am tired of people saying Jaskier and Geralt are a couple and husbands!"

Rebuttal:

Umm... Sir, this is a Wendy's.

That particular comment was on a Facebook thread that had NO ONE saying any of those things. It was just a conversation about Jaskier and Radovid. ________________________________________ "Another character RUINED by Netflix." If you think a character is ruined because a depiction of him isn't straight, that's on you. _________________________________ "The whole point of Dandelion is he looks and acts gay but he's not!" I'm pretty sure that wasn't the point but okay...

________________________________ "They made Jaskier bi for the normies." Yet again I find myself thinking: "That word doesn't mean what you think it means." Long ago, before the MCU, nerdom wasn't trendy or fashionable. It was specifically the refuge for outcasts and outsiders.

Fast forward to 2023 when nerdom has been relatively mainstream for the last decade or so. And now we have fans of The Witcher angry that "normies" have made Jaskier bisexual in The Witcher Netflix series.

Okay but... Despite the presence of general more acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community, being bisexual or, as Jaskier's actor cals it, sapiosexual (attraction to intellect before gender) is still not considered normal.

People who identify as LGBTQ+ are still on the fringes of society. The very outsiders that nerd culture embraced and protected.

I have news for you, angry fan boys who are upset that the bard has been confirmed bisexual... you ARE the normies. When you start gatekeeping outcasts and outsiders (minorities) and whine about things being "Woke" because they allow in women, black people, or get upset and have a tantrum when they reveal a character might not be entirely straight... that's not the behavior of someone on the fringe. That's not original nerdom. I'm forty-one. I was a teen in the 90s and early 2000s. I've seen genuine nerdom. I was and am a Goth. We welcome and embrace those on the fringe, we don't shut them out because we don't want to think of our masculine manly man being friends with a non-straight medieval version of Freddie Mercury.

[axl-ul]

Happy STS! Today, I'm pulling away from characters (finally 🤭) and asking about influences. Who are your literary influences? Can you see specific influences coming through in some of your specific works?

Hi, Torri, and thank you for an interesting question! Happy STS to you too^^

I guess that Andrzej Sapkowski's writing style influenced me quite a bit. Also J. R. R. Tolkien and his mesmerising approach to long sentences. And also one or two of our local writers but since it would give away where I come from I'm not going to reveal the names. Then it's H. P. Lovecraft as his short stories were probably my first introduction to horror genre as well as F. M. Crawford and his scary short stories.

Well, I can definitely see the influence, especially in my earlier short stories where it was painfully obvious. Nowadays, I'm not so certain. I mean, I can see that from time to time I tend to leave a small one-sentence twist as a cliffhanger by the end of some subchapters or the description of the nature is pretty tied to the way our local writers used to describe it. But other than that I can't say for sure

[margarethelstone-2]

For the fanfic ask, how about M and R?? ☺️💕

M: What’s the weirdest AU scenario you’ve ever come up with?  Did it turn into a story?

Oh my goodness, for sure there have been some crazy ideas at a time, but I'll need a minute for this one. I do remember thinking of a Zutara: The Lion King AU, with the banished cocky, insecure prince and all, as well as a Hiccstrid: Anastasia AU (not so weird, really). Neither turned into a fic, although i did rephrase the "Rumour in St. Petersburg" into a "Rumour on the Isle of Berk" song, or at least bits of it (quite successfully, may i add). I blame @astridthevalkyrie and @wilderwestqueen for the last one.

also obviously virtually everything can be turned into an MLB au. just saying.

R: Which writers (fanfic or otherwise) do you consider the biggest influence on you and your writing?

I feel like i've been answering this question since the first ask I ever posted, but when it comes to fanfic, it will always be @cried2dream, as she is the one who personally and single-handedly dragged me into writing fanfic in the first place (with her own great writing, of course).

Fanfiction aside, I do pick up a style of writing pretty easily (if imperfectly), and so here it would mostly be L.M. Mongomery, Jane Austen and Andrzej Sapkowski (yes, the Witcher guy).

But also I will never not talk about Fyodor Dostoevsky and Boleslaw Prus, so I'm dragging them into this as well because I can.

And Tolkien. Of course there must be Tolkien.

[metalshockfinland]

Polish Cairo-Based Guitarist/Songwriter ANDRZEJ CITOWICZ Releases New Single 'Fear Poems' from Upcoming EP "Winter Love"

ANDRZEJ CITOWICZ, the acclaimed guitarist and composer known for his work with Citovitz And The Fireflies Of February, has unveiled his latest musical offering – the new single “Fear Poems” from his upcoming EP “Winter Love”. This highly anticipated release marks a bold new direction for the artist, fusing his signature guitar-driven sound with the soaring vocals of pop artist Justine St.…

[kwojciechowicz]

Yesterday I went to Andrzej Walasek’s exhibition at the Volvo Car Salon on Marszałkowska 89 St. Warsaw.

Highly recommend the art show!

#wystawa #vernissage #kamaarts #popartprincess #katarinachyrva

[brookston]

Holidays 7.12

Holidays

Alkanet Day (French Republic)

Battle of the Boyne Day

Carver Day (Missouri)

Different Colored Eyes Day

Disco Demolition Day (Chicago, Illinois)

Divad Etep’t (Elder Scrolls)

Etch-A-Sketch Day

Fjord Day

International Cabin Crew Day

International Malala Day

Internet-Wide Day of Action for Net Neutrality

Lawyer’s Day (Mexico)

Malala Day

National Collector Car Appreciation Day

National Hair Creator’s Day

National Tyler Day

New Conversations Day

Night of Nights

Orangeman’s Day (a.k.a. “The Twelfth;” Northern Ireland, Newfoundland and Labrador)

Rainmaker Day (Salem, Oregon)

Ratha Yathra (a.k.a. King; parts of India)

Relieve Stress By Walking Outside and Calling the Hogs Day

712 Day (Iowa)

Simplicity Day

Tirana Festival (Chile)

Unification Day (England; by Athelstan of England, 927 CE)

USA Woman VP Day

Visitation Day

World Paper Bag Day

World Penis Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Eat Your Jell-O Day

International Cava Day

Michelada Day

National Pecan Pie Day

2nd Wednesday in July

National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving (Montserrat) [2nd Wednesday]

Sweetheart Days Festival begin (Minnesota) [2nd Wednesday; thru Friday]

Independence Days

Granda Aŭtista Duklando de Sophia (Declared; 2016) [unrecognized]

Kiribati (from UK, 1979)

Pacificonia (Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Pibocip (Declared; 2000) [unrecognized]

Sao Tome and Principe (from Portugal, 1975)

Feast Days

Amedeo Modigliani (Artology)

Andrew Wyeth (Artology)

St. Elizabeth of Hungary (Positivist; Saint)

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (Eastern Orthodox)

Germ (Muppetism)

Hermagoras and Fortunatus (Christian; Saints)

Jason of Thessalonica (Catholic Church)

John Gualbert (Christian; Saint)

Kronia (Kronos Festival; Ancient Greece)

Louis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin (Christian; Saint)

Molly Darton (Muppetism)

Naadam, Day 2 (Mongolia)

Nabor and Felix (Christian; Martyrs)

Nathan Söderblom (Lutheran, Episcopal Church (USA))

Pam Grier Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Paisios of Mount Athos (Greek Orthodox)

Solstitium VIII (Pagan)

Surrealism Day (Pastafarian)

Vardavar (Pagan Prank Festival; Armenia)

Veronica (Christian; Saint)

Viventiolus, Bishop of Lyon (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Lucky Day (Philippines) [39 of 71]

Prime Number Day: 193 [44 of 72]

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Premieres

The Adventures of Sam Spade (Radio Series; 1946)

Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut (Novel; 1973)

The Bride Came C.O.D. (Film; 1941)

California Girls, by The Beach Boys (Song; 1965)

A Dance of Dragons, by George R.R. Martin (Novel; 2011) [A Song of Fire and Ice #5]

Explorers (Film; 1985)

Family Feud (TV Game Show; 1976)

I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke, by The New Seekers (Radio Jingle; 1971)

Last Date, by Floyd Cramer (Song; 1960)

Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League — Gotham City Breakout (Animated Film; 2016)

Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome (Film; 1985)

Monk (TV Series; 2002)

Northern Exposure (TV Series; 1990)

Oz (TV Series; 1997)

Pacific Rim (Film; 2013)

Point Break (Film; 1991)

Princess Mononoke (Animated Studio Ghibli Film; 1997)

Road to Perdition (Film; 2002)

She (Film; 1935)

Silverado (Film; 1985)

Trouble for Trumpets, by Peter Cross and Peter Dallas-Smith (Children’s Book; 1984)

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (Film; 1961)

When Harry Met Sally (Film; 1989)

Today’s Name Days

Nabor, Felix (Austria)

Fortunat, Hilarije, Mislav, Proklo, Tanja, Živko (Croatia)

Bořek (Czech Republic)

Henrik (Denmark)

Armand, Härm, Härmel, Härmo, Herman, Hermann, Hermo (Estonia)

Herkko, Herman, Hermanni (Finland)

Jason, Olivier (France)

Siegbert, Henriette, Felix, Elenore (Germany)

Veronike, Veroniki (Greece)

Dalma, Izabella (Hungary)

Ermacora, Fortunato (Italy)

Heinrichs, Henriks, Indriķis, Ints (Latvia)

Izabelė, Margiris, Vyliaudė (Lithuania)

Eldar, Elias (Norway)

Andrzej, Euzebiusz, Feliks, Henryk, Jan Gwalbert, Paweł, Piotr, Tolimir, Weronika (Poland)

Nina (Slovakia)

Fortunato, Juan (Spain)

Herman, Hermine (Sweden)

Hilary, Ilary, Larry, Veronica (Ukraine)

Bud, Buddy, Jason, Jay, Jayla, Jaylen, Laylin, Laylon, Jayson, Oscar, Osvaldo, Oswald, Oswaldo, Ozzie, Waldo (USA)

Jace, Jacey, Jacy, Jaison, Jase, Jasen, Jason, Jayce, Jaycee, Jaycen, Jayson, Live, Olivier, Olivia, Oliver, Ollie, Olly (Universal)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 193 of 2024; 172 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 3 of week 28 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Tinne (Holly) [Day 3 of 28]

Chinese: Month 5 (Wu-Wu), Day 25 (Xin-Wei)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 23 Tammuz 5783

Islamic: 23 Dhu al-Hijjah 1444

J Cal: 13 Lux; Sixday [13 of 30]

Julian: 29 June 2023

Moon: 23%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 25 Charlemagne (7th Month) [St. Elizabeth of Hungary]

Runic Half Month: Feoh (Wealth) [Day 14 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 22 of 94)

Zodiac: Cancer (Day 22 of 31)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 7.12

Holidays

Alkanet Day (French Republic)

Battle of the Boyne Day

Carver Day (Missouri)

Different Colored Eyes Day

Disco Demolition Day (Chicago, Illinois)

Divad Etep’t (Elder Scrolls)

Etch-A-Sketch Day

Fjord Day

International Cabin Crew Day

International Malala Day

Internet-Wide Day of Action for Net Neutrality

Lawyer’s Day (Mexico)

Malala Day

National Collector Car Appreciation Day

National Hair Creator’s Day

National Tyler Day

New Conversations Day

Night of Nights

Orangeman’s Day (a.k.a. “The Twelfth;” Northern Ireland, Newfoundland and Labrador)

Rainmaker Day (Salem, Oregon)

Ratha Yathra (a.k.a. King; parts of India)

Relieve Stress By Walking Outside and Calling the Hogs Day

712 Day (Iowa)

Simplicity Day

Tirana Festival (Chile)

Unification Day (England; by Athelstan of England, 927 CE)

USA Woman VP Day

Visitation Day

World Paper Bag Day

World Penis Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Eat Your Jell-O Day

International Cava Day

Michelada Day

National Pecan Pie Day

2nd Wednesday in July

National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving (Montserrat) [2nd Wednesday]

Sweetheart Days Festival begin (Minnesota) [2nd Wednesday; thru Friday]

Independence Days

Granda Aŭtista Duklando de Sophia (Declared; 2016) [unrecognized]

Kiribati (from UK, 1979)

Pacificonia (Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Pibocip (Declared; 2000) [unrecognized]

Sao Tome and Principe (from Portugal, 1975)

Feast Days

Amedeo Modigliani (Artology)

Andrew Wyeth (Artology)

St. Elizabeth of Hungary (Positivist; Saint)

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (Eastern Orthodox)

Germ (Muppetism)

Hermagoras and Fortunatus (Christian; Saints)

Jason of Thessalonica (Catholic Church)

John Gualbert (Christian; Saint)

Kronia (Kronos Festival; Ancient Greece)

Louis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin (Christian; Saint)

Molly Darton (Muppetism)

Naadam, Day 2 (Mongolia)

Nabor and Felix (Christian; Martyrs)

Nathan Söderblom (Lutheran, Episcopal Church (USA))

Pam Grier Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Paisios of Mount Athos (Greek Orthodox)

Solstitium VIII (Pagan)

Surrealism Day (Pastafarian)

Vardavar (Pagan Prank Festival; Armenia)

Veronica (Christian; Saint)

Viventiolus, Bishop of Lyon (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Lucky Day (Philippines) [39 of 71]

Prime Number Day: 193 [44 of 72]

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Premieres

The Adventures of Sam Spade (Radio Series; 1946)

Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut (Novel; 1973)

The Bride Came C.O.D. (Film; 1941)

California Girls, by The Beach Boys (Song; 1965)

A Dance of Dragons, by George R.R. Martin (Novel; 2011) [A Song of Fire and Ice #5]

Explorers (Film; 1985)

Family Feud (TV Game Show; 1976)

I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke, by The New Seekers (Radio Jingle; 1971)

Last Date, by Floyd Cramer (Song; 1960)

Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League — Gotham City Breakout (Animated Film; 2016)

Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome (Film; 1985)

Monk (TV Series; 2002)

Northern Exposure (TV Series; 1990)

Oz (TV Series; 1997)

Pacific Rim (Film; 2013)

Point Break (Film; 1991)

Princess Mononoke (Animated Studio Ghibli Film; 1997)

Road to Perdition (Film; 2002)

She (Film; 1935)

Silverado (Film; 1985)

Trouble for Trumpets, by Peter Cross and Peter Dallas-Smith (Children’s Book; 1984)

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (Film; 1961)

When Harry Met Sally (Film; 1989)

Today’s Name Days

Nabor, Felix (Austria)

Fortunat, Hilarije, Mislav, Proklo, Tanja, Živko (Croatia)

Bořek (Czech Republic)

Henrik (Denmark)

Armand, Härm, Härmel, Härmo, Herman, Hermann, Hermo (Estonia)

Herkko, Herman, Hermanni (Finland)

Jason, Olivier (France)

Siegbert, Henriette, Felix, Elenore (Germany)

Veronike, Veroniki (Greece)

Dalma, Izabella (Hungary)

Ermacora, Fortunato (Italy)

Heinrichs, Henriks, Indriķis, Ints (Latvia)

Izabelė, Margiris, Vyliaudė (Lithuania)

Eldar, Elias (Norway)

Andrzej, Euzebiusz, Feliks, Henryk, Jan Gwalbert, Paweł, Piotr, Tolimir, Weronika (Poland)

Nina (Slovakia)

Fortunato, Juan (Spain)

Herman, Hermine (Sweden)

Hilary, Ilary, Larry, Veronica (Ukraine)

Bud, Buddy, Jason, Jay, Jayla, Jaylen, Laylin, Laylon, Jayson, Oscar, Osvaldo, Oswald, Oswaldo, Ozzie, Waldo (USA)

Jace, Jacey, Jacy, Jaison, Jase, Jasen, Jason, Jayce, Jaycee, Jaycen, Jayson, Live, Olivier, Olivia, Oliver, Ollie, Olly (Universal)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 193 of 2024; 172 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 3 of week 28 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Tinne (Holly) [Day 3 of 28]

Chinese: Month 5 (Wu-Wu), Day 25 (Xin-Wei)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 23 Tammuz 5783

Islamic: 23 Dhu al-Hijjah 1444

J Cal: 13 Lux; Sixday [13 of 30]

Julian: 29 June 2023

Moon: 23%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 25 Charlemagne (7th Month) [St. Elizabeth of Hungary]

Runic Half Month: Feoh (Wealth) [Day 14 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 22 of 94)

Zodiac: Cancer (Day 22 of 31)