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progfessor-dyke · 7 months ago

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ALRIGHT IT'S 2112 TIME!!!!

Now, obviously, the title track is split into seven segments, and I will be sort of... treating each segment as their own song for the sake of my Rushathon live-blogging. 1a. "2112- Overture"- HOLY GOD I MEAN. From the opening ghostly synths, to the just powerhouse of drumming, to the faint haunting of an "ooooh" in the beginning, this is a proper overture that hints at everything to come. Not to mention, it quotes the 1812 overture during the ending, and has that Bible quote "And the meek shall inherit the earth" which, when viewed with the full song and the ending, sort of hints that the protagonist's cause does win out eventually. 1b. "2112- Temples of Syrinx" - Opens with that epic riff, and sets up the antagonists of the story, which takes places under a theocracy that worships technology, with the Priests and their "great computers filling their hallowed halls". There seemed to be quite a lot of talk about technology around this time, and I wrote up a comparison last year between this epic and ELP's "Karn Evil 9" and the dangers of AI technology (that's on my essay account). Both epics feature a struggle between man and machine, which I find very interesting. 1c. "2112- Discovery"- Starts with gentle guitar playing and water flowing in the background. In the liner notes, it says the protagonist (never named) discovers a guitar in a cave, after the personal creation of music has been outlawed by the Priests of Syrinx. This is about discovering the joy that creating and writing your own music can bring you--- and how music can inspire protest and individual thought. A young musician can relate to it on a personal level--- the discovery of their instrument, and learning to master it, and it also has parallels to real-life theocracies, where sometimes all secular music is banned. There's also a bit of naïveté here, where the protagonist thinks they can take on an entire system alone. 1d. "2112- Presentation"- I just. LOVVVEEEE this part. I love how Geddy jumps the octave between the character of the protagonists, and the priests, who are practically shrieking at this person. They're giving the protagonist the excuse that him playing his guitar doesn't fit whatever has been calculated for them by the computer, and smashes the guitar. I do wonder if Geddy was inspired a little by Peter Gabriel's voices in Genesis, like when he's playing different characters in "Get Em Out By Friday", for example. 1e. "2112- The Oracle"- This is where the protagonist inadvertently contacts the "Elder Race of Man" --- ngl I got a little distracted singing it instead of writing for this part LOL. 1f. "2112- Soliloquy" - This is my favorite part of the entire song. The pain in the protagonists' voice when he jumps the octave makes me shiver. It's a heartbreaking end to the protagonist, but so so well done.

1g. "2112- Grand Finale"- HELL YEAH HERE WE GOOOO!!! I love the ambiguous ending to 2112, where one doesn't know if the Temples of Syrinx were overthrown following a rebellion, or whether they were the ones to "assume control" once more, or if they did succeed, if they were replaced by something just as bad. It's just so open-ended, and I think one's interpretation of it says a lot about them as a person. ALSO!!! "Attention all planets of the solar federations" - said 3x is 21 words "We have assumed control" - said 3x is 12 words, so the ending also spells out 2112!!! 2. "A Passage to Bangkok"- Now, following one of the most famous prog epics of all time is... a song about smoking weed around the world. It sort of reminds me of how, immediately after the epic that is "Tarkus", ELP launches right into "Jeremy Bender", which is another humorous sort of song. I guess it's sort of a palate cleanser, in a way. The interesting thing about APTB is the bong hit right before the solo, and the way that the drums actually lag behind the guitarist and the bass, by adding an extra beat I believe, adding to a sort of psychedelic feel that is never the same. My only criticism of this song is the sort of orientalist motif that recurs a few times, which is a bit of a stereotype. 3. "The Twilight Zone"- This was the song that started the tradition of Rush recording a last-minute song on their records, and is, of course, an homage to the television of the same name, describing the plot lines to several episodes. Funnily enough, the prior album, Caress of Steel, is also dedicated to Rod Serling. I also love the overdubbed whispering in the choruses after the first one--- that's always made me laugh. 4. "Lessons"- The lyrics to this song are written by Alex, and would be his last lyrical contribution until the final contribution by Geddy and Alex on Signals, "Chemistry". I do love the guitar on this song, and I think I like it a little more than Geddy's lyrical contribution to the album, "Tears". To me, it feels like a callback to some of their earlier songs, with a little more sophistication and experience. 5. "Tears"- I'm a little torn over this song, admittedly. On one hand, I think it's beautiful and touching, and on the other, sometimes I feel it's a little melodramatic. I'm never sure if it's coming from a place of sincerity or not. Right now, I think it is, but when I was younger and perhaps a touch more cynical, I thought it was almost sarcastic, and making fun of people who wrote songs like this in order to get laid. Either way, it is a gorgeous song, and I think there's a synth in the background as well (sounds like a mellotron, but I don't think they had access to a mellotron). It does credit Hugh Syme with keyboards on this track, so perhaps that does include a mellotron. 6. "Something for Nothing"- This is my favorite non-2112 song on this album, and might be one of my favorite Rush songs period. I had the lyrics to the bridge tucked in the back of my phone case for a while, and it always motivates me to go and do something. Because things can't get better if you don't work for it--- which doesn't even mean on a personal basis. If we want the world to be a better place, people need to fight for it. I know that Neil was heavily influenced by Rand at that time, but you can look at this from a leftist lens of criticizing Rapture culture--- that someone will come along and save the world and make everything better.

Okay, I'm not entirely sure if I want to do AFWTK/Hemispheres next, so I think I'll wait until Moving Pictures to write again.

#rush band #hbd ged <3 <3 <3

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risingsunresistance · 11 months ago

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21 25 30

For the song thing

21. three songs of your childhood

midnight - coldplay feels weird calling this my childhood but. it was 10 years ago. i was 13 😭 i remember when ghost stories dropped and i was scrambling to find a cd. got to midnight on the album and was just sitting there staring out my window like "........ THIS IS COLDPLAY?"

swedish house mafia - don't you worry child this song left me in shambles fkjhdg. also WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE OFFICIAL VIDEO HAS NEARLY 1B VIEWS HUH??? i have no scope of how popular things are-

linkin park - valentine's day the first time i heard this song was on the way to an easter church service *(&#@(*%^*#@& it took me so long to find out which linkin park song it was i had heard and tbh i'm still not 100% sure this was the right one. the radio we had at the time didn't have a display so all i have is my terrible memory to go off of lmao

25. three favorite songs of 2017

i dont even remember 2017 tbh but another light released in 2017 so

memories lie - red vox

settle for less - red vox

this was technically RELEASED in 2018 but recorded with the rest of another light so i'm counting it. please listen to stranded - red vox it is a masterpiece

30. three songs you really want your followers to know (for reasons other than all those above)

errasuriz - kiltro the part at 2:49 kills me it changed my life forever

creature - half alive i am creation both haunted and holy, made in glory... GOD.

honeywell - clem turner this is actually one of the best songs i've ever heard and i'm really mad that it hasn't even hit 250k

#asks #anons #again sorry it took so long but i take these asks very seriously i am so serious about sharing music KJHFKG

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marknee · 2 years ago

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mists of celeste

a series by @hongism: by marknee

(contains spoilers! please be wary when reading)

let me start you here, with the understanding that this isn’t - in any way shape or form - an essay, nor is it an attempt at such. i rather just want to blurt everything into writing regarding my thoughts of this incredibly crafted series, so my head may feel that bit lighter. because holy shit. i have a lot to say. and i cannot ask anything of you, but to believe me when i say i’m not one to sugarcoat my words, leaving you with only the purest of faith that everything i write here, i undoubtedly mean. with that trust in mind, i present to you a very unorganised mind dump (?) of mine from over the span of a fortnight of reading.

i had to pick this series up twice during its entirety as i had an unfortunate epiphany halfway through, and i only just registered the hefty loss i knew i was going to grieve over the moment my eyes gazed upon the last word, causing me to postpone reading as much as i could — which, if you should know, didn’t last for a full twenty-four hours either time. i managed five, perhaps six, at most.

if i had a physical copy of this series, a highlighter, and a shit ton of index tabs, i fear what would become of me. the author has this series so incredibly well written that every single sentence deserved highlighting and placing into a buzzfeed quiz titled, “choose a quote and we’ll guess the state of your mental health,” ‘cause fuck me, i had a lot of self reflection to do after some of the chapters. at least one thing is clear, both the characters and i need intense therapy. and maybe a warm bubble bath with a cute rubber duck.

however, i will spare you the sob story and list some of the quotes from this series i either, 1) cried about, or 2) added to my list of topics to bring up with my therapist when i see her next.

“constantly looking at the negatives will get you nowhere in life. just thinking: what’s going to go wrong? that’s a recipe for disaster, as is only thinking about the past. what went wrong in the past doesn’t necessarily mean that it will go wrong in the future.” — seonghwa to y/n, chapter 17.

“you love her. what is love compared to duty?” — jisung to seonghwa, chapter 33.

“you would do well not to romanticise love in such a way otherwise you will be sorely disillusioned. love contains the freedom to choose what you want without the other person making any decision for you.” — seonghwa to jisung, chapter 33.

“what makes me more deserving than the man who died for me?” — y/n to seonghwa, chapter 33.

“oh, darling, if you could see yourself through my eyes, you would know that you are the most deserving person in the universe.” — seonghwa to y/n, chapter 33.

i want to give you beautiful and happy memories, my darling. i want to see you smile everyday for the rest of my life, even if it’s just for a moment. i want so much for you, and selfishly, i want to be the one to give it all to you.” — san to y/n, chapter 41.

“in answering the haunting question of “what do you want from me”, perhaps, simultaneously, you want everything and nothing at all.” — chapter 41.

“whoever came up with the saying ‘the truth will set you free’ clearly should have left paragraphs worth of fine print detailing how atrocious and painful it would be before that freedom.” — chapter 45.

“should this be a monster of his hatred’s creation, you will put your hands to the clay and mold its grotesque features further into obscurity.” — about yeosang, chapter 45.

“do you wish for me to bear it on my shoulders so you can sleep comfortably at the devils side?” — hongjoong, chapter 47.

“if love is meant to be part of life, then why is it draining seonghwa of his?” — chapter 48.

perhaps i cried! honestly, the two most impactful quotes on this list for me were, “what is love compared to duty?” and “what makes me more deserving than the man who died for me?” i think they both represent this story in the most heart-rending, glorious and tragic way possible as everyone is trying to confront the demons of their past, but of course, there is no reward without sacrifice.

in a way, every crew member on the horizon sacrificed something — perhaps, in their own personal way but still, all their wounds are equal in validity, so they’re basically on the same playing field of what it means of sacrifice. y/n lost her memories. most of them lost their freedom. half of them were subdued to others control and dehumanised and belittled. and every backstory broke my heart the more the pieces were revealed throughout.

i’m praying as the story unfolds further, every member finds their own redemption and closure, and allows themselves the peace they’ve deserved from the very beginning — in whatever form that may take. i just want them to be happy. so, author, please leave my boys alone. they’re tired. i’m tired. my poor y/n has been through more shit than i can comprehend. we’re relying on you, love.

also, i want to lay out all my cards on the table right now and admit there are the two members i genuinely want to physically fight (fists ‘n all): yeosang and hongjoong. the pair of them i want to throw off the airlock myself, never mind them threatening to do it to me. watch me do it. firstly, starting with the former: what the fuck is my guy’s problem? i cannot count the amount of times i got punched in the gut, slammed against a wall, choked (not in that way, people), almost DIED because of this motherfucker, and for what? it’s not my fucking fault wooyoung and i are halves of one soul. like i asked for this shit? dude needs to get his shit together ASAP, and i’m not saying that for his behalf (even though i’m sure therapy would be very good for him), i’m saying it for my behalf. because best believe he tries me again, i will swing, and i will absolutely clock his crown jewels, no pun intended. i’ve been sparring with jongho recently, and he tells me i’ve gotten better. so don’t even try me, mate.

his ONLY redeeming feature and the last remaining bit of patience i have for him relies in how good he was in bed in chapter 45. that’s it. i don’t fucking blame wooyoung. for anything. because i understand it all.

secondly, the absolute audacity personified himself: kim hongjoong. him and i are on a poorly constructed rollercoaster at the moment where the worker is dozing off behind the control system. one minute, the man has me seething, and the next, i’m wildly attracted to him. and then he says something shitty and the rollercoaster starts again. they’re not allowing me off at all, so i suppose i’ll be here forever. unless… they solve their problems within the sheets. and hear me out, okay? it (kinda) worked for yeosang, so sex with the captain? how scandalous. and it would help let off some of that pent up frustration between the two of us — my frustration with him, mostly. he genuinely gets on my tits. but i love him.

(don’t think i forgot that bath scene, miss author.)

on note of that, i actually made a list in my notes app at the beginning of reading this series where i ranked how good the sex would be with each crew mate (that’s if she were to do it with all of them). however, i did remove the members we’ve already done it with, so here’s my hypothesis (of the members we still have yet to):

rank 5: mingi. cons include, haven’t actually had a proper conversation with him ever, he scares me still a bit, i wonder if he even knows my name. pros include, has the power for it, no doubt he’s probably amazing, but please take me to dinner first.

rank 4: jongho. cons include, dude is like my little brother, would be very very awkward during and afterwards, endless teasing from the others and i’m too sensitive for that right now. pros include, he’s a berserker so no doubt he has the capabilities in him, he’s not a touchy person, sigh.

rank 3: yunho. cons include, is still figuring out his feeling towards seonghwa and hongjoong, would hate to become between that, he’s my doctor so also very awkward. pros include, my man is hot as fuck, would be an absolute boss about aftercare and take it seriously (as he should), very romantic and sweet.

rank 2: wooyoung. cons include, yeosang would fuck me up, like seriously. i’d probably die. he’s half of my soul, so… no comment there. pros include, an absolute tease, the fucker, so caring, though he would definitely want yeosang there (is that a pro or con i can’t decide?).

rank 1: hongjoong. cons include, literally none. pros include, that man hates my fucking guts so no doubt i won’t be able to walk for the next month (not complaining), immediate bragging rights that i’ve fucked the scourge of the black sea yeah get fucked everyone hahaha, would genuinely ruin me, i get to sleep in the captains bed like how exciting is that? i haven’t even been in his quarters never mind his bed! will be a very interesting and intense chapter.

now, moving on to later in the series with that choice with the serum for mingi. i simply cannot fathom the amount of voice messages i recorded over this. it was gobsmacking to me that everyone was against her for wanting mingi to have a choice, instead of lacking him of such a ghastly thing apparently. she didn’t want to deprive him of making his own decisions and deciding his own fate, and the fact the entire crew got mad at her for it, knowing they didn’t even ask for his consent in the first place?! nah, i have beef with all of them at this point. literally fight me, i don’t care that you’re pirates. i’m a raging woman, i’m worse. and don’t even get me started on the jisung and hyunwoo ordeal. actually, let me start a new paragraph for this one because it’s gonna be a long one.

the whole situation is genuinely indescribable of how upsetting it was (not to me, but to y/n. well, i guess to me also, then). hyunwoo is very much worse than jisung, but jisung still fucked up from his shitty choice of decisions. y/n’s backstory is very unsettling and she’d never really had a solid ground and people to rely on, until she had her team in the military. perhaps they weren’t exactly a family, but they cared for each other. and that was enough. but, what hurts the most is she genuinely believed they were good people (i quote: “hyunwoo was like a brother to me”), trusted them wholeheartedly, openly defended them, and even spent years of her life to pardon the guy she thought died for her (ouch). in return, they manipulated her, backstabbed her to the gods, and planned on injecting her a third time to keep the good image she had of them for their own benefit— fuck me, i’m seething just writing this. however, i too, am mourning their deaths for the sake of y/n. they were the closest thing to family to her, and knowing hyunwoo had a family of his own… but, i guess the lesson we learnt here is once you make your bed, you have to lie in it.

i realise this story isn’t over yet, but so far, it was been such a incredible ride. the world-building is out of this world— can we take a moment of appreciation for the google docs of each planet? what. i’m so excited for what’s to come, but i just wanted to share everything. i have cried too many times over this series that it felt like a reblog wasn’t enough appreciation for me. i wanted to do more. my love language is words of affirmation for a reason!

main points of this rant (of sorts):

if hongjoong and yeosang piss me off any further it’s on sight. there’s nothing scarier than a woman whose been messed with for too long, i’ll tell you that.

i fucking loathe hyunwoo, and i hate jisung slightly less, but i mourn for them also. and for the sake of my own pride, i will not enclose how hard i sobbed over that scene. i will not. ever.

hongjoong and y/n need to fuck already. there i said it. the tension is too much i’m sure mingi could sense it from another fucking planet.

san and wooyoung and jongho deserve the world. i love those sweethearts. they could never do me wrong. i will love them ‘til the end of time.

the yeosang sex chapter was everything and more. etched in my mind eternally. incredible.

i’m so mad i can’t add this to my shakespeare series as it’s not a bts fanfic, but i am seriously thinking about making a series for ateez just to add this in there. should it be charles dickens or jane austen? ahh, don’t tempt me, please.

that’s it! a literal dump of my entire thought process going through this 48 chapter-ed (for now) series! i wanna take a moment to thank @hongism for spending her time writing and creating a piece of art for us. i, and many others, owe it to you :) we appreciate you so much.

if you do want to read this (if you haven’t already spoiled it for yourselves), the link is under ‘a series’ right at the top of this post. or you can go on @hongism’s account and check it out there!

thank you for reading,

nini x

#onyour : mark #this series had me questioning my entire existence #spoilers! so read at ur own discretion!#i dO NOT KNOW HOW TO PROCESS THIS #ateez x reader #ateez fic rec #fic recs

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riverdamien · 2 years ago

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Short Shifted

Short Shifted!

John 5:1-16

THE EIGHTH STATION Simon the Cyrenian Helps Jesus Carry the Cross MARK 15:21 Leader We adore you O Christ, and we praise you. All Because by your Holy Cross you have saved all of creation. They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. Leader Those in charge of the crucifixion of Jesus compelled Simon, a man from the country. They had to compel Simon, he knew little of Jesus, but what about us? We know all about Jesus, and his ministry of serving the poor, and yet we have to be compelled to house, feed, clothe, and provide health care to our homeless neighbors, and little at that.

All Jesus said: “If anyone wants to become my follower let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me!”

THE NINTH STATION Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem LUKE 23:27-28

Leader We adore you O Christ, and we praise you. All Because by your Holy Cross you have saved all of creation. A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him. Jesus turned to them and said: ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children.’ Leader: Compassion means literally, to suffer with someone. Empathy means to feel with them. These women displayed both qualities as they accompanied Jesus. We are called to show both of these qualities in our accompanying our homeless neighbors on their journey.

All Jesus said: “If anyone wants to become my follower let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me!”

"Short shifted" is a word that means "to pay little or no attention to a subject or person."

But what I did not know was the "formal", "archaic" definition of "short shift". It shocked me: "Barely adequate time for a confession before execution."

Figuratively this is the way many homeless people feel. They are treated differently, people really never treat them as "human beings". I remember a time in Portland being very sick, a minister "friend" told me he could pick me up after his dinner, meaning I would wait two hours; a homeless friend ran and got his car and took me to the hospital, and my minister friend commented later, "how could you ride to the hospital with a person like that?"

My friend was "short shifted." I have been talking to several elderly on the street. They sleep in the doorways of closed businesses, and I am told how they are simply ignored and sometimes spat upon. This is "short shifting".

St. Clare of Assisi tells us: "We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become."

On Good Friday as we begin the Stations in front of City Hall, we enter the Tenderloin, a stand end for ancient Jerusalem, where Christ is right in front of us and see him crucified every day on the streets, he is real, and calls us to a life of compassion meaning literally, to suffer with someone. Empathy means to feel with them!

In doing so we will be "short lifted" with Jesus! But O what a great time we will have!

Deo Gratias! Thanks be to God!

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

"Today I choose.

Today I bear witness to grace.

Today I practice kindness.

Today I choose love over fear.

Today I am not afraid to be generous.

Today I belong to the whole world, not merely a portion of it.

No matter what others around me choose, today I choose to live in peace."

Steven Garnaas--Holmes

Fr. River Damien Sims sfw, D.Min, D.S.T,

P.O. Box 642656

San Francisco, CA 94164

www.temenos.org

415-305-2124

The Twenty Second Annual Stations of the Cross

"Our Haunting!"

April 7, 2023

Civic Center

Noon-2 p.m.

Food Provided By:

AUNT BARBARA’S KITCHEN

GOOD FRIDAY IRISH SODA BREAD BLITZ ON POLK STREET

in alliance with Fr. River Damien Sims of Temenos

https://www.temenos.org/

Please help support a Good Friday initiative. Fr. River Sims aims to serve 200 folks with Irish Soda

Bread, the food that supported many Irish during hard times. It’s in the spirit of community and

nurturing.

There’s a legend that when a cross is made in each loaf before baking, all the good fairies are released. We like to believe in that.

$15/loaf payable through www.temenos.org , pay pal, or Aunt Barbara’s Kitchen/Temenos Catholic Worker, P.O. Box 642656, San Francisco, CA 94164

Aunt Barbara’s Kitchen is a Cottage Food Operation from a home kitchen in Marin County.

The business started with $10 and Aunt Barbara’s great grandfather iron skillet with the intention to build

a business model that feeds the hungry and revenue that goes to youth in college. The owner volunteers

her time to this endeavor and takes no revenue for herself, at this time. She hopes to reshape the model

of what businesses can create for communities, especially our youth, to cultivate and showcase the

power of human investment. 415 717 0151 https://barbaramcveigh.com/aunt-barbaras-kitchen/

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thehoundwrites · 3 years ago

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Desire: Part 1

Priest!Grayson x Fem!Reader (afab and feminine descriptions)

Smut/Fluff/Angst/Hurt/Comfrot

Authors note: Thanks to some Mutuals and Friend I was able to come up with this idea, it was supposed to be straight smut in a confession booth but instead the reader used to come to the church and left due to religious trauma regarding sexuality and had kind of a dodgy life and had no hope left so she went to church and Father Grayson helped her get her life back together and she has a big fat crush on Grayson!

Also Sorry for disappearing there's been a lot going irl Ireally hope to be back! Please help me get motivation by sending in asks, comments on my stories, praise or others! Its really motivating knowing people are enjoying my work!

CW/TW: Religious traumas regarding sexuality, Abuse mention, Masturbation, Fingering, Church, Homophobia mentions, Priest kink, Father Grayson, Power Dynamics, Theres gonna be more drama in part 2!

Word Count: 2,628

Your dreams were quiet and peaceful, your body was basking in the warmth of the summer sun, grass beneath your feet, a dress covering your frame as you smiled. You'd been in a gorgeous field. Unlike most nights this dream felt good, your heart was beating normally, a wide smile stretching your lips as you danced in the light of the day. A normal song you'd listen to was playing, but it faded from thoughts as your head emptied. But a new song rang in your head piercing the air as the light within your reality entered your thoughts... Her.... Thoughts emptied once again as lyrics strung through your head; "I am creation, both haunted and holy. Made in glory. Even the depths of the night can not blind me. When You guide me. Creature only" Your sensations quickly became overwhelmed with the presence, mixture of the blinding sun and the shrill song. Thoughts flying out of your brain quickly became replaced with the safety you found in her arms when she comforted you. The sympathy you'd find in her beautiful gray-blue eyes whenever she'd look at you. The way your heart fluttered when she'd watch you, direct you.

Thoughts flashed through your mind once again deciding to partake in the forbidden thoughts, an innocent dream now corrupted by sinful visions.The gruffness of her voice stood out foremost in your head, sending shivers down your still unconscious body, goosebumps littering the soft skin across your body. Her confidence was enthralling, preaching so passionately, loving so sincerely speaking so kindly. As much as you tried to focus on her words your eyes watched her soft lips move as she talked. You'd imagine them running over your neck, husky voice praising you as you so desperately wish she would. "Good girl" In reality, away from your dream your body squirmed the thoughts of her making your face red and your stomach clench. Lust, Greed two of the biggest sins. You felt so guilty but you couldn't help it. Father Grayson... Was just so captivating.

Thoughts drifted on when you watched her sway her gloved hands as she spoke to the crowd of parishioners. The hands that remained covered with leather gloves were bare despite never having seen them. They were so vivid in your head. soft palms with slightly calloused fingertips, protruding veins covering the back of them. The reverend's long fingers began tracing your soft skin. Cupping and touching every part of you that yearned for her touch, it felt better than what you could ever do to yourself. She'd expertly message your sensitive skin, curling and twisting. Her soft lips kissing bliss unto you. It felt as close to heaven as you dared to dream.

Heaven however was interrupted, a blaring alarm scared you awake, ecstasy leaving your body as you rose from silk bed sheets, a growing knot in your stomach as your legs twitched, needing so desperately for her to touch you as you dreamed. Your heartbeat quickened as you remembered the thoughts you had of Father Grayson, the dullness of reality beginning to swallow you. You felt incredibly guilty, and since you returned to the church you realized it was now somewhat progressive.

But then again sexuality wasn't what you were worried about, you'd accepted yourself fully including your love and admiration of women as a part of you, something that will never change. Despite people's contradictions or hatred you'd love who you’d want. However the guilt was the fact that the object of your desire was her, your pastor made you worry. Would she look at you differently if she'd known about your feelings for her.

However much you wanted your desire for her to leave your head, or at least how you wanted to stop thinking of her, she wouldn't leave your head. Flashes of her teachings ran through your head; you'd sit in a pew quiet in the middle, people surrounding you as you'd try to blend in with everyone else, try to lose yourself in her tales and teachings. Your mind couldn't stop ruminating on how she would stand so tall in front of her parishioners. She was so fervent and animated, gray eyes scanning the rooms as she read from the book she'd hold in her strong hands, then how'd she ask you for help every time knowing you needed to be here. You still didn't know if she understood just how much you really did. Knowing how she saved you from the destructive spiral you'd been on, how coming to the church that night was everything. How she changed your life and helped you get your shit together. But you shouldn't feel special right? That was her job.... A light blush covered your cheeks pondering whether you really were special or not for maybe just a bit too long. A small smile played on your lips, thinking of how the two of you would talk as you helped her take care of the mess that was the children's room where faithful parents could let them play and learn as they worshiped, of how the two of you seemed to get along so well. How she always made your heart flutter. Before letting those thoughts disappear ground yourself to reality once again, realizing you were sitting up on your bed in nothing but a tank top and underwear thinking these things about your pastor. It was wrong. Very wrong. But why did it make you so happy to imagine her next to you, holding you... touching you.

You sat there for a moment lost in thoughts coming down from the highs of your dreams. They died down however when your alarm went off for a second time. You sighed wishing you could have affections for anyone but Father Grayson, trying to convince yourself it'd never work. But God how you hoped it could, you smiled with a devious thought in your head, you'd decided that you would get yourself dolled up. You never really tried to wear anything too fancy, nothing besides putting your hair up and wearing casual attire, a sundress sometimes, other times you'd wear a simple plain dress, or a skirt or even dress pants. But maybe. Well maybe she'd notice you if you put more effort in. Without a second thought you'd start your morning routine. Getting a little snack beforehand then stepping into the shower feeling the hot water drip along your skin, hoping that maybe the dress you wore today would make Father Grayson look at you in. A different light.

Your heart started beating as your thoughts once again found their way to her, it seems even when you can focus on your life Grayson entered your mind. However you felt much more vulnerable this time with your bare body open to the room, water hitting you back, dripping from your hair over your eyes. Dribbling down your sensitive stomach. The heat of the pouring water began radiating off of your body, a pulsing in your stomach. Immediately regretting indulging in these thoughts once again, and then again and again, you let your back rest against the cold tile which was a bad move. With the heat of the shower water, and the humidity of the air the tile had shocked your body, you tried to relieve yourself by letting your thighs squeeze together the ache in your stomach from when you woke only got worse by the minute,

Maybe. Maybe if you could relieve yourself then you wouldn't melt when you greeted her. Right? When she'd take your hand and bring you into the warm hug she'd always greet you with. You gasped lightly thinking of her muscled arms squeezing you the way she always did.

Fuck it. You REALLY couldn't go to church horny for your pastor with tingling between your legs and wetness pooling at the thought of her.

Your heart was pounding, you closed your eyes, hands reaching to your chest to pinch your nipples, rubbing them between two fingers trying to stimulate yourself without stepping over the line. But What if it was her mouth that rested upon your chest, her tongue flicking at it, her hands rubbing right at your waistline teasing you ever so painfully. You'd imagine how she'd smile as you melted for her, giving into her. Letting her strong arms hold you up and her expert hands pleasure you. you switched to the other side once your nipple felt painfully hard, your legs shaking as you let your hand move to your downwards your palm rubbing and massaging your stomach then lower and lower.

You used your middle finger to rub your clit, circling it painstakingly slowly, then just a bit faster, the hand on your chest moved to your mouth wrapping your lips around two fingers and slowly sucking on them. the hand between your thighs began to add more fingers, your pussy aching for more friction and relief. Aching for her. Your lips let go of your fingers with a small popping sound. You bit your lower lip grinding more crudely against your hand gasps escaping your throat, eyes closed tight ivinsioning Fathers perfectly sculpted face, the way her robes hung, the way her lips moved. Cold water began to drench your skin, you'd have to hurry now there was too little time. You didn't want to be late. You tried to finish yourself off by thinking of all the things you'd let Father Grayson do to you, before your phone buzzing loudly on the sink frightened you. Pulling you back to reality. Crumby reality. You had to stop, you prayed that Grayson could finish it for you later.

Your heart was beating, your body was in even worse shape now as you let out a whine. You'd still have to do your hair and makeup, but that alarm was the final one. The one that reminded you that you'd have to leave now, be on your merry way. You'd be late now for sure, you sighed. Upset that you'd be missing part of Father's sermon. But nonetheless you'd continue, dressing yourself up perfectly. Your eyes staring back at yourself, making sure you looked exactly how you'd wanted. And you did. A beautiful dress you'd only worn for special events and plain white but matching bra and panties. Adding the makeup you wanted was not too much but enough to look how you wanted.

The last moments of you leaving your house were a bit rushed, your mind only praying you'd have everything you needed. Luckily you only missed a few moments, unfortunately you'd walked in at just the wrong time. Everyone had their head bowed in silence, everyone except Father Grayson who looked at you with her soft eyes. You couldn't help wondering if those beautiful eyes would look at you differently if she knew. You'd wonder if she could see your sins on display. With your soul at her mercy.

|Flash Back|

Father Grayson was the person of your desire, your comfort, the woman that lit up the dullness of your gray life. Long ago you left this church and its previous priest, coming out of the closet was hard and even harder when the place of worship you went to for so long had rejected you. The one you had gone to since you were a kid, you knew that some people of this religion could be cruel but you'd never thought your own church would practice those old ways. You thought... more like you hoped they'd be accepting, that God could still love you. They thought differently never out loud of course, you knew from the coldness in their eyes, how they'd avoid you or go out of their way to tell you that God loves you. That you need a mad that you'd get over it.

You had never planned to go back. Ever. Until one night, when you had no one else. When you had run into just the wrong person at just the wrong time. You'd gotten hurt, and you were alone, friends too busy in the darkness of the night that swallowed you whole, your shaking body had been coursing with adrenaline, with nowhere else to go you stumbled into the familiar church thankfully it was open with a tall woman talking to a young man a concerned look in her eyes staring downward before patting the man on his back as he walked out mumbling something under his breath in a gargled voice.

Tear streaked cheeks as you stood there frozen like a deer in headlights, red on your face as you looked around growing anxiety that was building off of the previous anxiety you'd held in your gut. Her brows scrunched together as she slowly walked over. You were going to step away but there was a kindness in her blue eyes you hadn't seen in so long and warmth you didn't expect tonight.

"I didn't know where else to turn."

"You've come to the right place darling, please. Let me help you."

You explained, explained what happened last night, how you knew about this church... why you left. And surprisingly she sat there and listened. The look in her was eerily similar to pity which made your heart tinge guilt eating at you. Until it clicked, she was concerned she was trying to sympathize with you; however, you couldn't bring yourself to look at her, no matter how kind and welcoming she was. It hurt to be here.

"God brought you here tonight my child, it seems as though God wishes to help you in your struggles. As everything happens for a reason, so must this.'' Her voice was soft, gruff and caring. Your eyes wandered back to her. "How- Wh- What am I supposed to do." You didn't know how a complete stranger would help, or how she had gotten you to open up so deeply. But you were at wits end and you needed something. You didn't know what. But it seemed she did.

The two of you sat in a pew almost 2 feet away, normally this would be the time for a confession boothe, but neither of you expected this, but before you could react two clothed surprisingly muscular arms wrapped around you gently bringing you into a hug. It was warm, and you felt so safe despite being terrified of church. You closed your eyes letting your fidgeting hands fall to your sides not knowing what to do with them and simply let her comfort you.

"God has brought you here for a reason, perhaps It is his way of calling you home. Perhaps it's time to accept yourself, so that others will accept you as well."

|Present time|

You felt her eyes before you could see them, as you walked awkwardly across the large room with only a few seats in the back and a couple in the front. So much for blending in. You walked quietly until you were able to find space to sit, which unfortunately was the very front pew in front of Father Grayson.Feeling even more vulnerable than you did in the shower…. OH GOD. You closed your eyes. The shower. Even though your head was bowed you could still feel her gaze lingering on you,your face had tinted with a bit of a blush, but the feeling of her attention disappeared after the silence in the large room broke and she continued with the sermon. Your heart is beating too fast. The sermon felt much longer than usual and instead of having you help her with the basket, the money, and the collection she asked some new person.

That hurt more than it should have. You weren't special? Were you?

#Desire part 1 #Father Grayson #Grayson x Reader #Arcane Grayson #Arcane x reader #religious #arcane

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genderbinaryisforlosers · 3 years ago

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His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful—Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of arteries and muscles beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion, and straight black lips.

[id: An aesthetic post with a series of images combining lyrics from half alive’s ‘creature’, quotes from Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’, and various related art. Each image is numbered and described below.

1: “I know I'm made of clay that's worn / Blighted by imperfect form / But I will trust the artist molding me” (’creature’, half alive)

"His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God!” (’Frankenstein’, Mary Shelley)

2: ‘Lucifer’ by Franz Von Stuck; a classical painting depicting Lucifer as a thin, pale man with dark shorn hair and pale yellow eyes (making it appear like he has no irises, only pupils). He stares directly at the viewer with a serious expression, his chin resting on his left (viewer’s right) hand. He is hunched forward slightly and sitting in the dark, with his black wings barely visible behind him, but his eyes shining in the dark.

3: “ I am creation, both haunted and holy / Made in glory / Even the depths of the night cannot blind me / When You guide me / Creature only” (’creature’, half alive)

“Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed.” (’Frankenstein’, Mary Shelley)

4: ‘Fallen Angel’ by Alexandre Cabanel; a classical painting depicting Lucifer as a thin, pale-skinned young man with curly auburn medium-length hair, posed with his arm covering the lower half of his face. His brow is deeply furrowed, and a tear escapes from his right (viewer’s left) eye.

5: “ Early days and sleepless nights / Death and resurrection, life / My body is a sacred note / Sung between the flesh and hope” (’creature’, half alive)

“He held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks.“ (’Frankenstein’, Mary Shelley)

6: A black and white illustration by Bernie Wrightson from the 1983 edition of ‘Frankenstein’; the creature is curled up in a ball in the shadowy corner of a derelict outbuilding, with torn clothes and long, unkempt dark hair. He has his arms wrapped around his head, mostly concealing his face, but his left eye (viewer’s right) is visible, glaring in front of him.

7: “Haunted by a darker side / Transcends to walking in the light / And slowly I'm recovering / The beauty of discovery“ (’creature’, half life)

“I cannot believe that I am the same creature whose thoughts were once filled with sublime and transcendent visions of the beauty and the majesty of goodness.” (’Frankenstein’, Mary Shelley)

8: ‘The Wounded Philoctetes’ by N. A. Abildgaard (cover art for the Penguin Classics edition of ‘Frankenstein’); a classical painting depicting a naked man with dark, short wavy hair, hunched over with his right knee raised to his chest. Most of his face is in shadow, but his chin rests on his knee, which he is holding with his left hand, and he glares at the viewer.

/end id]

#frankenstein #mary shelley #literature #book aesthetic #moodboard #web weaving #image described #my edits #things i made

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hekateanwitchcraft · 4 years ago

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An Introduction to Worshipping Medeia

As a Hellenic witch, the worship of Medeia is an important part of my practice. She was a witch and priestess of Hekate, possessing nearly unparalleled knowledge of magic and poisons. I wanted to write this post to give some background on who Medeia is, her role as a witch and a priestess, and how I have come to honor her in my practice.

Who is Medeia?

Parentage

Medeia (Μήδεια) is given mainly two parentages, either Aeetes, son of Helios, and Eidyia, daughter of Oceanus, or Hekate and Aeetes. Hesiod offers us a description of the first, writing:

“To the tireless Sun the renowned Oceanid Perseïs bore Circe and King Aeetes. Aeetes, son of the Sun who makes light for mortals, married by the gods’ design another daughter of Oceanus the unending river, fair-cheeked Idyia; and she bore him the trim-ankled Medea, surrendering in intimacy through golden Aphrodite” (Hesiod 31)

Alternatively, Diodorus names Hekate and Aeetes as her parents, explaining:

“Perses had a daughter, Hecate, and she excelled her father in her brazen lawlessness...She was a keen contriver of mixtures of deadly drugs [pharmaka], and she discovered the so-called aconite. She tested the powers of each drug by mixing it into the food given to strangers...After this she married Aeetes and gave birth to two daughters, Circe and Medea, and also a son Aigialeus” (qtd. in Ogden 78)

Either of these parentages could make sense, but I personally observe the first.

(Art: Medea by Frederick Sandys)

Medeia as the Witch Priestess of Hekate

One of Medeia’s most important roles in literature and myth is that she is a priestess of Hekate and a witch, being called “Medea of the many spells” (Apollonius of Rhodes 109). In most literature there is no way to separate these roles.

She was extremely devoted to Hekate, Apollonius of Rhodes stating that “as a rule she did not spend her time at home, but was busy all day in the temple of Hecate, of whom she was priestess” (116). Euripides also writes that Medea says “I swear it by her, my mistress, whom most I honor and have chosen as partner, Hecate, who dwells in the recesses of my hearth” (Euripides 13). Clearly, the relationship between her and Hekate was very close, and it was said on occasion that she even learned magic from Hekate, Herself. Apollonius of Rhodes writes that “[t]here is a girl living in Aeetes’ palace whom the goddess Hecate has taught to handle with extraordinary skill all the magic herbs that grow on dry land or in running water” (123). Diodorus also claims this, but adds an interesting addendum that attributes to the character of Medeia:

“They report that Medea learned all the powers of drugs from her mother [Hekate] and her sister [Kirke], but her own inclination was the opposite. For she continually saved the strangers that put in from dangers” (qtd. in Ogden 79)

(Art: Medea the Sorceress by Valentine Cameron Prinsep)

Regardless of the origins of her powers, they were no doubt incredible. Apollonius of Rhodes explains that “she can put out a raging fire, she can stop rivers as they roar in spate, arrest a star, and check the movement of the sacred moon” (123). In one instance Apollonius states that “the beautiful Medea spell through the palace, and for her the very doors responding to her hasty incantations swung open of their own accord...From there she meant to reach the temple. She knew the road well enough, having often roamed in that direction searching for corpses and noxious roots, as witches do” (148). This is clearly an indicator that her powers are incredible, but what is even more awe-inspiring is what Apollonius says happens next:

“Rising from the distant east, the Lady Moon [Selene], Titanian goddess, saw the girl wandering distraught, and in wicked glee said to herself: ’So I am not the only one to go astray for love, I that burn for beautiful Endymion and seek him in the Latmian cave. How many times, when I was bent on love, have you disorbed me with your incantations, making the night moonless so that you may practice your beloved witchcraft undisturbed!” (148).

Medeia is said to be able to actually banish the moon Herself from the sky, an unimaginable feat. This is indicative of the degree of power she possesses, having sway over nature itself.

She is most known to have used her knowledge and powers repeatedly to help Jason, her husband, on his quest for the Golden Fleece. The first instance of this was that she made Jason an ointment which would make him invincible. Apollonius describes this in length, writing that:

“She had twelve maids, young as herself and all unmarried...She called them now and told them to yoke the mules to her carriage at once, as she wished them to drive to the spending Temple of Hecate; and while they were getting the carriage ready she took a magic ointment form her box. This salve was named after Prometheus. A man had only to smear it on his body, after procreating the only-begotten Maiden [Hekate] with a midnight offering, to become invulnerable by sword or fire” (131-2)

He continues, detailing the ritual of how she obtained the plant she used to make this ointment:

“Medea, clothed in black, in the gloom of night, had drawn off this juice in a Caspian shell after bathing in seven perennial streams and calling seven times on Brimo, nurse of youth, Brimo, night-wanderer of the underworld, Queen of the dead. The dark earth shook and rumbled underneath the Titan root when it was cute, and Prometheus himself groaned in the anguish of his soul” (132).

Here we see a process that is depicted often, the bathing of Medeia and her ritualistic harvesting of herbs. We also see her here call on Brimo (Βριμω), an epithet of Hekate, in Her role as nurse of the young (Kourotrophos/Κουροτρόφος), night-wanderer (Νυκτιπολος/Nyktipolos), of the Underworld (Χθονιη/Kthonia), and Queen of the Dead (Ανασσα ενεροι/Anassa Eneroi), indicating the importance of Hekate to her witchcraft.

(Art: Jason and Medea by John William Waterhouse)

A similar harvesting of herbs and roots is seen in fragments of Sophocles’ play The Root-Cutters. What we have of the play states that “She [Medea] covers her eyes with her hand and collects up the white-clouded juice that drips from the cut in bronze jars...the covered chests conceal the roots, which this woman reaped, naked, with bronze sickles, while crying out and howling” (qtd. in Ogden 83). Hekate is then said to be “crowned with oak branches and snakes” (qtd. in Ogden 83). Then the women chant “Lord of the sun and holy fire [Helios], sword of Hecate of the roads, which she carries over Olympus as she attends and as she traverses the sacred crossroads of the land, crowned with oak and the woven coils of snakes, falling on her shoulders” (qtd. in Ogden 83). In this short but incredible fragment we see that Medeia calls on both Hekate and Helios, her grandfather, to bless their ritual. We also see a repeat of incantations to harvest magical herbs, and an introduction of her association with bronze.

Another one of Medea’s feats was charming the snake that guarded the Golden Fleece into a slumber. In the Argonautica, Apollonius of Rhodes writes:

“The monster in his sheath of horny scares rolled forward his interminable coils, like the eddies of black smoke that spring from smoldering logs...But as he writhed he saw the maiden take her stand, and heard her in sweet voices invoking Sleep [Hypnos], the conqueror of the gods, to charm him. She also called on the night-wandering queen of the world below [Hekate] to countenance her efforts...the giant snake, enchanted by her song, was soon relaxing the whole length of his serrated spine and smoothing out his multitudinous undulations...Yet his grim head still hovered over them and the cruel jaws threatened to snap them up. But Medea, chanting a spell, dipped a fresh sprig of juniper in her brew and sprinkled his eyes with her most potent drugs and as the all-pervading magic scent spread around his head, sleep fell on him.” (150-1).

(Medea and the Dragon by Maxwell Ashby Armfield)

She was also said to have killed the giant Talos, a gift given to Zeus from Hephaistos, with her witchcraft, specifically the Evil Eye. In this more horrifying passage, it is said that:

“[W]ith incantations, she invoked the Sprits of Death [Keres], the swift hounds of Hades who feed on souls and haunt the lower air to pounce on living men. She sank to her knees and called upon them three times in song, three times with spoken prayers. She steeled herself with their malignity and bewitched the eyes of Talos with the evil in her own. She flung at him the full force of her malevolence, and in an ecstasy of rage she plied him with images of death” (Apollonius of Rhodes 192).

In this passage, she calls on the Keres, and with them is able to use the evil eye to bring immediate death to a direct creation of the gods. This is a horrifying feat, not only for the power it must require, but for her ability to kill in an instant.

Finally, she also is said to have rejuvenated Jason’s father Aeson. In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Jason pleads with Medea to take years of his own life to give more to his father, but she rejects him saying that Hekate will not allow such a thing to take place. Instead, she offers that through her witchcraft, instead, if Hekate is willing to help her, she may rejuvenate him. Under the full moon, Medeia performs the ritual. She calls on Hekate, Night, the Moon, and Helios to aid her in her task (126-7). A chariot drawn by dragons appears to her and she takes it to gather herbs harvested with her bronze scythe. After nine days and nights, she returns to Jason to perform the ritual. The ritual is extensive and is essentially repeated in full. She builds two altars, one to Hecate and one to Hebe. She also digs two ditches on sacrifices a black sheep into the ditches, also pouring wine and milk into them. She also calls on the “deities of the earth” which may mean deities of the land or chthonic deities, and Hades. Once she appeases these gods and goddesses, she spells Aeson to sleep on a bed of herbs and tells Jason to leave her to perform her magic. She then dips sticks into pools of blood and lights them with the flames on the altars, then purifying the man once with fire, three times with water, and three times with sulfur.

She then adds many herbs, roots, and flowers to her bronze cauldron as well as “hoar frost gathered under the full moon, the wings of the uncanny screech owl with the flesh as well, and the entrails of a werewolf which has the power of changing its wild-beast features into a man’s. There also in the pot is the scaly skin of a slender Cinyphian water-snake, the liver of a long-lived stag, to which she also adds eggs and the head of a crow nine generations old” (Ovid 129). Then, she slits the throat of Aeson and replaced his blood with her potion, finally rejuvenating him.

There is more descriptions of Medeia’s magical feats throughout literature, but these are simply some of the most detailed and famous. She is clearly a very powerful witch and a significant figure within the history of Hekate worship. With her bronze cauldron and chariot of dragons, she is quite awe-inspiring.

(Art: The Sorceress by R. Willis Maddox)

Medeia’s Character

One of the issues we run into with Medeia’s mythos is her defamation and portrayal as a child-murdering and vengeful woman. She is indeed vengeful against Jason, and rightfully so, for he bade her to leave her homeland, murder her brother, and constantly had her aid him with her witchcraft, only to abandon her for another. However, Euripides’ tale of her brutally murdering her children has some criticisms from scholars who note that there are other versions of the tale.

One such tale is that from Apollodorus who writes that “Another tradition is that on her flight she left behind her children, who were still infants, setting them as suppliants on the altar of Hera of the Height; but the Corinthians removed them and wounded them to death” (1.9.28). In the modern era, a scholar named Sarah Illes Johnston, author of Restless Dead and Hekate Soteira, also writes that Medea prays to Hera Akraia to make her children immortal, and Hera either declines or breaks her promise to fulfill this task, leaving the children to die (62-3). Johnston denies the implication of Medea in her children’s death, instead attributing it to circumstances outside her control or by the hand of another.

These different tellings of Medeia’s story fits with the Colchian princess who aids Jason in a much more believable way than the suddenly spiteful women who murders her children. This variation is less popular, the other being popularized perhaps to demonize magic and women of power.

(Art: Medea by Eve De Morgan)

Worshipping Medeia

Now that Medeia’s character and mythological status has been discussed, I think it’s important to talk about how I actually go about worshipping Medeia. I worship Medeia in both divine and ancestral ways, which I suppose could be attributed to methods of hero worship in Ancient Greece. Worshipping Medeia can be done alongside Hekate and/or Helios, as well as alongside Kirke. If you observe the Mighty Dead or Witch Ancestors, she could also be worshipped alongside them.

Offerings

Offerings for Medeia can include wine, frankincense, milk, honey, food, poisons, sacred plants, bronze artifacts, candles, snake parts or figurines and dragon figurines, artifacts of witchcraft, and even Hekate iconography. One could also offer her blood, but that is up to your personal discretion.

Names and Epithets

Names/epithets I call Medeia include ‘Of the Many Spells,’ ‘Vengeful Maiden,’ ‘Witch Priestess of Hekate,’ ‘Medea of Poisons,’ ’She Who Knows All Herbs,’ ‘Giant-Slayer,’ one that could also be said of Hekate, ‘Princess of Colchis,’ ‘Granddaughter of Helios,’ ’Daughter of Sun and Moon,’ one I use to indicate her relationship to Helios and her devotion to Hekate, and Medea Pharmakeia, or Medeia of Witchcraft/Magic.

Sacred Objects

Sacred plants of Medeia could include any poisons, juniper, olive, and aconite specifically. Sacred animals include dragons and snakes. Bronze is also sacred to Medea, as are cauldrons of any kind.

Specializations

Medeia can be called upon for justice and vengeance, especially for spells of justice and vengeance, witchcraft of any kind, to bless herbs, for gardening, for aid in Hekate worship, for the downfall of your enemies, for protection from harm, for protection from snakes, and for guidance in magic.

Prayers to Medeia

Prayer for Medea’s Aid in Witchcraft

Prayer to Medea for Vengeance

Conclusion

In conclusion, while Medeia may not be a part of the usual canon of hero worship, or worship in general, if you are a devotee of Hekate or Helios, worshipping Medeia might be right for you. Likewise, any witch who observes the Hellenic pantheon should give serious thought to venerating Medeia in their practice.

Works Cited:

Medea by Euripides

Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Ancient Greek and Roman Worlds by Daniel Ogden

The Voyage of Argo by Apollonius of Rhodes

Theogony by Hesiod

The Library by Apollodorus

The Metamorphoses by Ovid

“Corinthian Medea and the Cult of Hera Akraia” by Sarah Illes Johnston

(Art: Medea Casting Spells by Henry Ferguson)

#Medea #Medea worship #hellenic polytheism #hero worship #witchcraft #witch #paganism #Hekate #hecate #hellenic witchcraft #hellenic heroes

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crystalnet · 4 years ago

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Dave Sim’s Spawn #10

Holy multiverse, Batman! This early (1993) issue of McFarlane’s Spawn penned by Cerebus creator Dave Sim is nuts! Kind of a fun read in the context of the upcoming Spawn “universe” that McFarlane/Image is launching in the post-issue-#300 landscape. This ish has a lot to say about artists’ ownership of intellectual properties and the hope that Spawn represented in the face of the Big 2′s mechanization of their corner of the industry. (Also, a lot of great, eerie art).

Spawn was coming up on its first full year of publication when this issue hit the newsstands, and McFarlane was celebrating by having some guest writers hop on for a one-off. Gaiman had introduced an angelic huntress Angela in the prior issue (#9) and Frank Miller would write a surely hard-boiled ish #11 after this. But here, Dave Sim in the form of his Cerebus aardvark was to be Spawn’s Vergil through an afterlife of meta-textuality of authorship and the capital-i Industry.

There’s this weird Plato’s Cave-esque metaphor where the creators of famed superheroes from throughout time are held prisoner at the mercy of the Industry because they Sold Out. Or something. It’s sympathetic of course-- as we know, people like Bill Finger (Batman!) had no say in the way that they were left without credit, not to mention control, and an actual finger(s) is pointed at Marvel and DC for controlling and withholding the fate and marketing of properties that shouldn’t belong to them in the first place.

I haven’t read any Cerebus so I can’t speak to that, but I assume this meta, noir tone is commonplace in that book. Spawn up to this point--even in the nightmarishly lucid fantasy romp of Gaiman’s issue-- has been dark, brooding and violent, but not exactly intellectual. A surrealist issue of commentary like this might make us question whether we are to read all of Spawn’s edge-lord grim-dark as actually deep metaphor.

Then again, there’s still some Megadeth-style cheese. Even though the artists, creators and heroes-- which have inspired and paved the way for Spawn and McFarlane-- are all imprisoned, they are still able to blast Spawn full of their magical fourth-world Creativity energy.

There’s enough detail and intention to warrant reading into this metaphor somewhat, and a lot of heart behind the heavier-handed moments too.

It’s a little off-the-rails for me at the very end when some point is made that his daughter who isn’t actually his daughter is proof that Spawn isn’t sold-out. But uh, sure. And here we are a year or so short of three decades later and Spawn is about to have a big push. I would use the term “come-back” but that honestly isn’t right. Indeed, Spawn enjoyed their big 300th issue a year and a half ago and even then it didn’t seem so much a surprise they made the big 300 and more just a confirmation that Spawn was more than just a 90s trend after all.

Thus the issue takes on more resonance in this context than if, say, Spawn had been acquired by DC or Marvel at some point. Ironically maybe, this very issue would never be truly “acquired” by McFarlane himself, given the appearance of Sim’s aardvark. In fact, Sim sold re-drawn versions of this issue just last year (I’ll leave speculation about McFarlane ironically being stingy himself re the ownership of the parts of Spawn’s mythos that other writers like Gaiman brought to the table to others...).

And to be clear, I’m not saying that anyone is out here hyping all 300 issues and 3 decades of Spawn. It was never about telling the most well-written stories. But Spawn and Image Comics as a whole, and everything McFarlane, Jim Lee and Liefeld were trying to do back in the day during their big shift away from the Big 2 is still pretty endearing, and Spawn is emblematic of that pathos. Of course, the creation of Image ended up being less a departure from the Big 2, and instead re-insisted on the importance and autonomy of the Artist and Creator, so that these artists could eventually return to the Big 2 if/when they wanted. It amounted to a bit of a scolding in the end-- if not an important and due one that should continue to be heeded.

Skip ahead a couple decades and a half and Image and Spawn have both stuck around. Hell, Invincible is currently airing on Amazon Prime, an Image property, created by the guy who also launched a little zombie universe that you might have heard of through the very same publisher! Alas Image opened doors for great creators like Rob Kirkman and by so doing became one of the Big’s itself in a way, and I guess that was always the idea.

And so now Spawn is launching a couple extra books for the first time in a while. Just because it can maybe? In the very first issues of Spawn, McFarlane was insisting on Image Comics as its own universe. The Young Bloods and Savage Dragon all kicking around on the same planet. While Grifter has wound up in the clutches of Gotham recently though (a new trophy for DC colonialism), perhaps Spawn itself has always been enough to sustain his own universe-- no forced, nonsensical Walking Dead or Invincible cameos needed.

And by surviving into the 2020s, Spawn can prove that it was more than just the launch-pad for a franchise of (admittedly excellent) toys. And if naysayers say that a little too much of the 90s itself, hanging like an albatross on Spawn’s shoulder, would be an issue, well, they’re not wrong. The dude still evokes hair metal and speed-metal/thrash alike. Al Simmons reeks of cliche anti-hero power-fantasy and edgy, adolescent machismo, not to mention the actual whiff of molten slices of pizza at scuzzy after-school arcades, amid endless flashing neon screens of side-scrolling beat-em-up’s. [early ‘90′s].

But doesn’t the entire genre have the ghost of the Golden and Silver age haunting its every step? The Old Gods still loom so large, and likely always will. Our current stable of mainstream heroism pulls from the 30s through the 60s basically. Fantasies and fables of the Greatest and Lost Generations through to the Boomers. So, with that being the case, then I suppose Spawn can be the first classic “Bronze age" anti-hero main-stay, a gen-x product if there ever was one. And if you ask me, he made the Hall of Fame in record time.

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neworleansspecial · 3 years ago

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It's time for the year in review! Here's some statistics, some information, and some recommendations.

lesbianettes AO3 2021 Stats:

prettyboyreyes Must Read 2021:

When the Party's Over

#Black!AU

He's Ours

Favorite Non-Self Fics of the Year:

mercy, mercy (Put Me in Check) by @reindeer-reyes

All the Rumors are True by @lesbianbuck

Blogs to Keep an Eye On:

@reindeer-reyes

@lesbianbuck

@firefighterthirst

@crockettmarcel

@letmetellyouaboutmyfeels

Looking Ahead:

"Blood on a Marble Wall"

Lucky (Black!AU)

"I am Creation Both Haunted and Holy (Made in Glory"

Carlos Whump Bingo (Continued)

Greatest Accomplishments:

Allusion (WTPO)

Characterization (Black!AU, WTPO, Dysregulation, He's Ours)

Continuity (Black!AU)

Imagery (Non-911 Content)

Original Works:

"Death of a Laughing Crowd"

"Pomegranate Juice"

"To Marry a Widow"

Followers to Blocked Ratio:

19:2

#2021 wrapped #2021 overview #year in review #glow.yir #yir.21

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trixree · 3 years ago

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Creature Only

“I go where you go, you shebs’palon,” he says, fierce as a rancor. “If we go…” his eyes flicker over Beeps’ shoulder, to the vod sleeping oblivious mere feet from them. It seems impossible that anyone could sleep while Beeps’ whole universe is busy rearranging itself around the beskar-hard look in Ciryc’s eyes and the wet hitch of his breath when he confessed for the first and only time: I can’t. Beeps has never heard Ciryc say those words before. “If we go, we go together."

A continuation in the Creation Both Haunted and Holy universe for @arboreal-elm-ash-oak following Captain Beeps in the months after Cursod squad's transfer. Thank you for giving me the motivation and opportunity to keep writing in this world, Arboreal! <3 RATING: M, WORD COUNT: 11k+, CHAP: 2/3

#trixree writes #creation both haunted and holy #creature only #look inside of me (and see that i am not afraid) series #my fic #clone trooper centric #clone shipping #commissioned work

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mimik-u · 4 years ago

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“Homeworld Bound” Thoughts:

I wasn’t going to watch this one today, but then I realized that I really missed the Diamonds and wanted to consume novel content, so!

OOH, good on the show for taking us directly to the aftermath of “Fragments” instead of putting space between the episodes. That’s just... a really good choice narrative wise.

Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl’s expressions are so distressing here. He’s been gone for three days; they must’ve been so worried.

Jasper steps aside to reveal an absolutely ruined Steven.

He just technically killed a gem and then resurrected her. How intensely will that forever lie on his psyche? Oh my g od

NO, NOT JASPER PASSIVELY MAKING THE DIAMOND SIGN IN THE BACKGROUND AUGH

“You can’t just disappear for days without telling us!”

Steven silent walking up to the Observatory as the Gems continue to freak the fuck out is harrowing. And Dee Dee Magno Hall is killing it with her voice acting here. The simultaneous fear and anger and horror in her voice. Oh my g d

“You guys... I love you, but you can’t help me anymore. I’ve been avoiding the only people in the entire universe who can.” 🥺 This is sad, but I’m also, like, problematic grandmas time!!!!!

“Find something better to do with your life.” God, Jasper’s look of disbelief and sadness here. I didn’t really delve into this during my “Fragments” watch because I was just roridoodwrjfkrkeke reeling, but her reaction to being accidentally shattered is psychologically devastating???? I’d wager that she simultaneously respects the fact that she’s been subjugated by a being more powerful than her, that she’s grateful to Steven for being both subjugator and savior, and likely, she’s conflating this new loyalty with her former loyalty for Pink. This is a really complex psyche (a tragic one most of all).

Garnet: “Steven, remember, we’ll always be your family.” I’m so fucki n emo

AWHWHWH, HOMEWORLD IS SO BRIGHT AND COLORFUL NOW!!!

YO!! Homeworld has a democracy now!! The Zircons!!!!!!!

THE WALL GEM IS MOVING??????? KWOEOEIDJDKSJS

Can u imagine being a wall cursed with sentience. that is so funny on so many levels

But it’s also really interesting, too. If the Wall Gem is a gem in the way say Topazes are gems, which, judging by her mobility, she is—then her explicit purpose in Era 1-2, as molded by presumably Yellow, was to b a wall omg. (Or, arguably, I think it can be argued that the inanimate object Gems, like Comby, were probably accidental sentient creations, made in relationship to their proximity to the Diamonds during their various secretion rituals!!)

Anyway, I love thinking about Homeworld worldbuilding. It’s fascinating.

SQUARE PERIDOT

SPIIIIIINELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!

Her heart eyes!! She looks so happy!

Steven, angry af: “Spinel, what is wrong with you?” / Spinel: Oh, you know—the usual.” KEKDSKDK

Also, Steven really wanted to say fuck there. NEKDDKKSSKKS

“I was such a wreck then, but I am so much better now.” We stan character growth 😭😭

One thing I have loved the Crewniverse so much for doing is never taking away the physical signs of gems’ mental distress, even after they’ve gotten better: Blue’s eye bags, Volleyball’s eye, Spinel’s running mascara. That is so important.

YELLOW SITTING AT HER LIL VANITY!!

IT’S LIGHT INSIDE HER ROOM! THERE R FLOWERS! THRIVE, QUEEN, THRIVE.

YELLOW REVERSING HER GEM EXPERIMENTS OH MY G D

FUCKING QUEEN!!!!!!

(I’m sorry in advance. The rest of the live blog is just going to be screaming about the Diamonds.)

“I can permanently alter any physical form!” She’s so proud of herself. 😭😭😭 I fuckin’ love her.

Yellow laying down on the ground like that is SENDING ME SKSKSJSJ.

Ugh, and her being such a good mom to Spinel. I’m cry in f

“If anything’s out of proportion, it’s your temper. You can be big if you want to, or you can be small if you want to, but if you’re going to be upset no matter what, then this problem isn’t physical—it’s emotional. Go see Blue.”

I really like her advice here because it’s advice that comments so clearly on her own character arc. At her lowest, she was quick to anger, aggressive, and temperamental, which she diagnoses in Steven here. Additionally, she was the Diamond who was concerned largely with physical actions. She coped by maintaining the Empire through conquering planets and maintaining the minutiae of leadership; she thought the only way to receive justice for Pink was through the physical act of destruction. And in doing so, she pushed her own emotions deep, deep down until they manifested in anger, aggressiveness, and temperamental outbursts. This hurt the people she cared about, and it hurt herself most of all.

Also, “Go see Blue. That is her department.” Ejdoiddjdjjsjdjdks, “go see ur other grandma.”

BLUE FLOATING ON A CLOUD!!!!!

“Your powers have been causing you dramatic mood swings? That seems awfully troubling Steven.” God I love her

“You don’t seem troubled.” This is a really interesting line because it comments on how Blue’s emotions, especially her negatively charged ones, used to be so visible all over her; indeed, she both wittingly and actively used to project them on other Gems, forcing them to feel her suffering, too.

OH, SHE GOES ON TO SAY THE EXACT SAME THING EOEODODISSJJS. LISTEN, I REALLY VIBE WITH BLUE.

“Back before you came into my life, Steven, I wanted every one to feel the pain I felt. I realized I must make up for my awful behavior by bringing joy to others.”

Another thing I’ve appreciated about the writing in this episode: So far, both Blue and Yellow have used the adjective awful to describe their former actions. It’s the self-awareness and the refusal to try to excuse themselves that powerfully shows how much they’ve grown. And it’s their continuous endeavors to keep moving forward, to help the Gems that they’ve hurt, that indicates that they’re willing to constantly keep growing and atoning.

NFOFOFDKSSKSKSK, THESE CLOUDS ARE JUST HER VAPORIZED TEARS HELP.

Sick vape clouds, Blue

I’VE HEARD THE SONG BEFORE, BUT EVERY TIME SHE SINGS, I LOSE MY SHI T

LISA HANNNNIGAAAAAAAN

This is such a pretty line: “Cold palace walls, and endless empty halls, haunted by echoes of laughter.”

BLUE ASCENDING THROUGH THE CLOUDS AUSHAHHSHD

BLUE MAKING HEART CLOUDS FOR SPINEL!!

BLUE CALLING SPINEL N STEVEN HER LITTLE REASONS WHY.

“I’LL NEVER MAKE YOU CRY.” This line is particularly lovely because I think it plays well with Steven’s line to her in “CYM:” “How many times did you make her cry?”

BDJDJDJSJDJ, BLUE LAYING ON HER CLOUD LIKE YELLOW LAID ON THE FLOOR.

The way she sings the last “loving you.” 😭😭😭😭 I’m gonna weep. I love her so fucking much.

“I found happiness. If that's not something you think you deserve, then I suspect this is an issue of self worth. I suggest you go to White for assistance with such matters.” 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 And like Yellow did, Blue gets to the heart of her arc cleanly.

Before Steven and before her own emotional reckoning, she didn’t think it was her place to be happy: “I know my purpose isn’t to be happy.” But in learning to love others, Blue has found true, inner happiness, which she literally shares with others. Wow.

And I think there’s something powerful in her distinction between true happiness and self-worth. You can’t find one without espousing the other.

White’s room is so pretty. 🥺

THE FLASHING STROBE LIGJTS DDNJDFJDJDNF.

SPINEL WHITE DIAMOND?!/!:$;8;83&:&:

SHE FUCKING LETS OTHER GEMS CONTROL HE R HELP.

SPINEL MAKING WHITE TAP DANCE FICODODOFODJDNDJSJDJDJJDDJDJ

Steven’s horrified expression omg

“I’m scared I’m gonna hurt people; I guess I already have.” God.

And that’s another thing that this episode has called to mind. Blue, Yellow, and White alike once used their insane powers to hurt other Gems and to hurt themselves, and here, throughout this series, we see Steven discovering that same capacity for destruction and self-destruction. Along with the systematic oppressions they facilitated, a big part of the Diamonds’ modus operandi was that their powers were directly correlated to their mental states and their various inabilities to confront their own selves and effect inner change. The corrective wasn’t necessarily Steven; the corrective was him helping them to do that initial act of introspection and looking inwards. And so, too, will Steven have to do the same by the end of this series. But I presume that his family, all the people and gems who have loved and cared for him, will in effect be his Steven, just as he has always been for them.

“Half a Diamond, half a creature of Earth—in all the universe there's no one else that could know what you’re going through, so maybe it's time you talked to yourself.” This is so viscerally sad. White hits the nail on the head here. Steven’s human friends/family and his gem family and even the Diamonds, who come the closest to matching his own strength, can never fully understand him. It’s the tension that underscores a lot, if not the entire show.

White briefly touches Steven with her nail, and you can viscerally see the trauma on his face; he hasn’t forgotten her act above all, wrenching his gem out, nearly killing him.

“I’m... I’m a Diamond.” Steven, in looking at White Diamond, realizes that she’s a mirror of himself. Holy fucking shit

“I don’t want to be you! I don’t want to be anything like you!” HOLY FUCKING SHIT

“Don’t hurt me! She can’t hurt me! I’m controlling her...” And here, Steven doesn’t light upon the essential thing... in making White punch the wall, nearly knocking a huge rock into him, he’s the one hurting himself.

This show, oh my g o d

“She’s the one who should be afraid.” STEVEN?!!!!????!??!

“No, stop it! I don’t like this!” / “Please, you’re scaring me.” OH MY GO D

HE FUCKING MADE HER SLAM HER GEM AGAINST A PILLAR HOLY HE LL

“What... what was that?” Christine’s delivery here. Holy shit. 😭😭 And both of them are surrounded in the carnage of Steven’s wrath. Holy fucking shit.

This act is fundamentally different than him accidentally shattering Jasper in “Fragments”; this was an intentional attempt to hurt White, to crack her, to break her. Holy fucking shit

Spinel, Blue, and Yellow waiting for Steven outside of White’s door has my heart a little and a lot tender 🥺🥺🥺🥺

SPINEL SINGING I CAN MAKE A CHANGE SO DRAMATICALLY DJDIDJDJDJDJD. (But yeah, lmao, this will absolutely be the conclusion of Steven’s arc at the end of Future.)

“Steven! Let us help you, Steven!” The Diamonds are so concerned (mirroring the Gems back at home, too). 😭😭

He leaves a flip flop behind like Cinderella lmao

“Steven, let us help you!” / “We’re your family!” 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

And just as he implored the CGs, he tells the Diamonds not to follow him either.

Steven is completely and utterly alone.

Not by necessity.

But God, by choice.

Okay, this is my new favorite Future episode.

#blue diamond #white diamond #yellow diamond #steven universe #spinel #s: future #mimiku #DIEOEODJDDNSNSJJD #this episode really did it for me

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letisnotonfire · 3 years ago

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my top 5 half • alive songs based on how much comfort they bring me:

1- RUNAWAY: listening to it will usually make me stop crying or make me want to cry (but in the best way). It's kinda cathartic

2- What's Wrong: catch me screaming the chorus and living my best life

3- still feel. : no 🚫🙅‍♀️ intrusive thoughts 😫😤 when I'm singing this one💃🎶

4- arrow: comforting lyrics and a beat that makes me forget that I'm sad. Oh and "this heart is afraid to beat slowly" 😫🤌✨

5- creature: I'm not even religious but "I am creation both haunted and holy made in glory" you know???

#can you tell I was sad and listening to half alive #I bet you can #playlist #my lists

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xxxdragonfucker69xxx · 4 years ago

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@lyhoradka tagged me in that post about five bits of text from written media that are burned into your brain and, kindly, gave me a theme of places. i am going to annotate this because i am a bitch

1. holy places are dark places. the wisdom that we get in them is not thin and clear like water but thick and dark like blood. - cs lewis, till we have faces

im almost certain ive misremembered this one but its better this way. clive what the devil fuck were you trying to say with till we have faces. burn it down and start over with this. i have a sidenote about hope faith and love but thats beyond the scope of this discussion

2. night falls. the workers put down their tools and point to the sky. “there is the blueprint,” they say. invisible cities, italo calvino

again idr if its sky or stars. this is the description of thecla from invisible cities, kindly appointed to me by my good friend venus. this is not the strongest one but it is a strong one and its for Me and i remember it. inna thought i was going to make this whole post about haunted houses and this one is completely the opposite; i’ll consider it aspirational

3. walk to the east till you can walk no more. swim east until you pass the sunrise; swim east until you pass the stars; swim east until you come to the edge of the sky. there you will find yourself on the shores of a different land. even in that place, they shall know your name, and mine. - adel, kc danine/unlikely flowerings, jenna moran

sorry i cheated on this one bc i looked up the attribution and found my memory was wrong. but i cut it up to match what i thought. this one is actually a combo with

3a. the sea will be the color night behind glass. then, slowly, it becomes green: first rain-wet slate, then darkest jade. green as fresh emeralds. green as remembered rivers - the sun beneath the sea, sunless seas

again ive hashed the first part of that but green as remembered rivers lives in my head rent free. these two live under the heading “an exile in the uttermost east”

4. THIS IS NOT A PLACE OF HONOR. NO HIGHLY VALUED DEED IS REMEMBERED HERE. NOTHING OF VALUE IS STORED HERE.

the warning continues of course but the basis is here. the idea that we cannot produce something so horrifying and terrifying that it does not also fascinate us, as you might guess, fascinates me. nightmare and obsession are such close brothers

5. a woman drew her hair out tight/and fiddled in the violet light/and upside down in air were towers/tolling reminiscent bells that kept the hours/and voices singing out of empty cisterns and exhausted wells.

in my head sean bean reads these lines in his civ vi voice. why did so much weird fiction pattern weird bits of worldbuilding after this bit. not that i am immune. voices singing out of empty cisterns and exhauuusted wells

BONUS CONTENT

so many things i wanted to add that werent written or that i didnt have memorized perfectly enough

1i. the, like, entire first half of to tundra by los camp, which i will reproduce below

meet me at st nicholas among the oaks behind the church that sway like pigtailed girls as summer wind whistles around your bare-shin knees and the forsythia leaves in the shade lay with me tickled by the feather reeds thats where the trees grow old under the ivys hold as you in my two arms equally safe from harm and in a hazy daydream our bodies married the stream and we broke down into pebbles and silt the water ran from the fields until the oceans we filled and found the seabed the comfiest quilt

there was more life in the weeds than in the few hundred seats that rose from transept to chancel to nave [...]

2i. prim leaves her father’s house. i won’t reproduce the whole story here but there’s a girl prim and her father is the god hansa and they live in a house of iron nails and one day her dad is killed and she has to go bury him and takes nothing but his corpse and a single iron nail. and she traipses all across creation and the void looking for somewhere to bury him but every time she tries his corpse shouts at her for being shit at it. and eventually she collapses, and drops the nail and it springs right up into the same exact house, and she imagines crawling in there with her fathers corpse to die next to him and freaks out and then

A pale face came before her and she was abruptly struck from her despair as though by a great hammer. A beautiful stranger had appeared, mild and tall, of milky flesh, spare in figure, but radiant in voice and visage. "I know you," said the stranger in a small voice, "you are Prim."

"I was Hansa's orphan, the slave, Prim," croaked Prim in response, "and now I am nobody, just a small dirty thing in great emptiness and here I will die."

"No," said the stranger, and the clarity and firmness of her voice and smile send a shock through Prim, "you are Prim, and Prim only, and Prim you shall be." And Prim there realized her tears had made a great pool and she was greeting her own reflection. And she fell into that murky pool and straight away it turned clear as crystal and Prim vomited forth a great black knot from very deep within her, and her body was scoured and lashed by the icy waters of that pool, and great draughts of poisonous filth and despondency were drawn in rushing gasps from her wounds, and her skin was sealed and her soiled trappings were purged and the caked illness and death was ripped away and she rose from that pool fresh and humming. Her back straightened and she scarcely thought on her father's corpse or the faintest echo of that iron house. That is how Prim left her father's house.

so basically abaddon scooped all of tsiy and every other haunted house writer in like five thousand words

3i. berenike

From my words you will have reached the conclusion that the real Berenice is a temporal succession of different cities, alternately just and unjust. But what I wanted to warn you about is something else: all the future Berenices are already present in this instant, wrapped one within the other, confined, crammed, inextricable.

4i. a ghost does not come to stand in the dark doorway of your room because it is an 18th century orphan girl named annie. a ghost comes to stand in the doorway of your room because the doorway is where things come to stand. - i am in eskew, david ward

the formats all fucked up now huh. this has influenced my thoughts on both psychogeo and necromancy. what a fucking guy. theres also the pope lick bridge one but

5i. i hope you will forgive me for including a bit from tsiy

I opened my eyes. I was kneeling at the base of a tree, at the top of a grassy hill, under starry night. Dad was standing a little ways back, head craned back to look at the tree. "What is this place to you?" he asked, looking around. The island came to an abrupt stop at the edges; it wasn't a floating island in space or anything, there just.....wasn't anything beyond the edge of it. Like looking past the edge of your own eyesight -- not the blackness of eyelids, but the colorless place beyond.

"I'll die here someday," I said, and meant it.

i really need to work on getting places and haunted places into the new draft. im slacking. but im also not allowed to go back and change anything rn or ill just never get anywhere

#visible cities #also sprach #christ this took a million years

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theparanormalperiodical · 5 years ago

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The Paranormal Guide To The Paris Catacombs - And The 11 Other Haunted Catacombs And Underground Tunnels That'll Scare The Sh*T Out Of You

The carol was right: we are in the bleak midwinter.

A blanket of snow might not be lingering outside my bedroom window, nor do I feel full of post Christmas cheer (well, aside from the increase in my chances of type 2 diabetes), but what I do have is shared with everyone reading this right now:

We all wanna go on holiday.

A cray cray vacay in the sun? A booze up in ‘Biza? A peruse around Paris? Sign me the f*ck up.

So, I thought “well if I don’t have the time to go to Paris nor the money cause graduate entry level jobs are sh*t and I still don’t know how I’m going to afford to live in London in terms of rent and travel coasts cause god everything costs money”, why not travel to Paris online and take you with me?

*Cue ‘ahhhhhh’ sounds from the audience.*

A quick glance at the Eiffel Tower? A croissant overlooking the Notre Dame? A walk along the Seine and a laugh in the rain?

You see, we do things differently, here at the Paranormal Periodical. We aren’t sticking ‘round for the Instagram pics, and we won’t be stopping at Chanel, either. We are heading straight for the Catacombs.

And if that doesn’t satisfy your need for spooky, are you up for venturing a bit further? Hell yeah, we goin’ on a rooooadtripppp!

Today’s article is going to take us through the creepy AF history and hauntings of the Paris catacombs, and the 11 other haunted catacombs and underground tunnels that you gotta hear about.

Prepare your emotional well-being…

Soyons effrayants!

The Basic-bitch History Of The Paris Catacombs

In short, unspooky terms, the catacombs are 200 miles of caves, quarries and tunnels, brimming with 6 million corpses. Ah, f*ck. That was heckin’ spooky, wasn't it?

But it’s not just the fact that there’s, like, a lot of dead French people there that makes the catacombs famous. It’s both the #aesthetic of death and the twisting labyrinth so many have been lost to that gets my stamp of approval.

Unfortunately, the aesthetic isn’t the only creepy component of the catacombs. The history is terrible. Which is fine. This is fine.

During the most iconic moments of French history - basically anything in the 18th century, like someone sneezing in a certain tone would probably spark a rebellion - there were a lot of bodies littering Paris. And I mean a lot, the cemeteries could not cope.

Corpses cloggin’ up the streets are a problem, obviously. Merchants were complaining about the scent of rotting corpses putting off potential customers, there was a growing threat of disease, and as a result of their rainy weather, mud was making the bodies crash through walls and cellars.

(Quelle surprise!)

Yeah, it’s pretty bad.

The most famous case of corpses causing issues is the collapse of the Saint Innocents Cemetery – you know, when rotting bodies crashed through the wall of an innocent cellar which was being used as a restaurant.

Delicious.

Intrigued? So were Parisians from 200 years ago. The current obsession with the catacombs didn’t start with the recent films such as As Above So Below (2014), nor the clickbait fest that is now YouTube; it actually started about 100 years after their constructions began.

The 19th century was when the interest piqued, but it was less the discussion of the spirits that roamed below the streets of Paris, and more the cool hip restaurants and hang outs that made the posh Parisians obsessed with these, um, new haunts.

(Sorry.)

For some reason the French just can’t stop eating next to corpses and cemeteries. Beyond Parisians enjoying a baguette next to past victims of the plague, the use of the catacombs has figured pretty well within French history, too: from the rebels of the French revolution using the catacombs to murder monarchists, to the use of it by both the Nazis and the French resistance to make their moves in WW2.

But this use of these tunnels doesn’t just piece together the paranormal patchwork of this haunted city. The other catacombs and underground tunnels’ partake in this, too. Because when you combine dead people and trapped people, you just get a lot of sh*t.

Already hiding under the covers and looking up the quickest ways to exorcise a house for fear that a corpse circa 1730 is stuffed in your wall, garlic necklace ‘n’ all?

Prepare to get even more freaked the f*ck out.

The Haunting Of The Paris Catacombs

Unsurprisingly, the catacombs - yes, you know, the ones full of the same amount of corpses as London’s current living population - is listed as one of the most haunted locations in the world.

Whether it’s the 6 million lost spirits, the ghosts of those who died lost and alone, or simply the fact that its underneath one of the most historic cities, there’s no doubt that if somewhere gon’ have a ghost, it’s gon’ be here.

Add on top of that the general deathiness if the place, and visitors will be much more receptive to potential paranormal activity! Its dark, it smells, it’s a rather humid 15 degrees, and you are surrounded by the dead. With creepy inscriptions and skull and bone sculptures, we are possibly more likely to think “welp this sh*t’s gotta be haunted”.

But specific reports beyond “I felt a presence and yeah I was surrounded by tourists but my ghost-dar is like my gay-dar I can spot a pansexual and a poltergeist within 13 seconds when I walk in a room” are also noted.

Cold spots, being touched by invisible hands, whispers and voices, shadow figures, and the feeling of being followed are just a few traces of activity already claimed. I have tried to find more information on the spooky events that lurk beneath the streets, but there isn't that much discussion of it, let alone any specific cases of note.

Phew! So, no ghosts down here than, ahaha brilliant, I’m just gonna go take a shower in a Holy font now byeeeee-

Hold your horses.

There’s many more catacombs and there’s many more tunnels we have yet to explore, and they are crawling with otherworldly beings.

The #Aesthetic Of Death

Aside from the rather general hauntings witnessed, what really makes this location the place to be is the celebration of death. And we can only start the discussion of this by talking about the history of the dead in the catacombs.

Their entrance into the current resting place is pretty wild, actually. They would be carted out in the dead of the night, with priests chanting behind them, creating a pretty casual procession, if you’re asking me.

I mean, of course, this is what I do when I pop to the corner shop for a pint of milk, but I’m not like the other girls, so…

This rehoming is what birthed the aesthetic of the catacombs: the workers arranged the bones in artistic and, like, totally traumatic sculptures - it’s this creepy-ass art which makes the catacombs quite so famous.

Take The Barrel: this is one of the most iconic examples of this celebration of death, and it’s even a support beam erected from the skulls and bones of past Parisians. Even if brittle human bone for 300 years ago doesn’t sound too supportive for an underground structure attempting to hold up the ground.

“So, there’s literally bones within touching distance just clogging up the catacombs? Surely that’ll make it spirit-central?”

Not quite. Paranormal theories actually dispute this.

Spirits don’t remain attached to their dead body. Ghosts reportedly remain attached to the location of their death, whereas spirits are entities which basically wander around the earth and different plains. So, just because the bodies are there, doesn’t mean the dead are.

(Is it just me or does that last sentence just sound so like inspirational I don’t even think it’s inspiring if anything it’s a bit give up in your dreams but bitch IT’S CONVINCED ME TO GIVE UP ON MY DREAMS.)

Loads Of People Go Missing Here, Which Is, You Know, Fine.

There might not be much specific-supernatural-stuff going on, but there is an ungodly amount of people that go missing down there.

Great.

Of the 200 miles of tunnels and caves, the public are only legally allowed to witness 1.2 miles of it. The French government has quite a wrangle on the catacombs, with guards patrolling and influence over those that go there. In fact, the cast and crew behind As Above So Below (2014) were given permission by the French government to even film there!

“Is it ‘cause the government doesn’t want us mortals to know about that spooky-ass shizz going on down there?”

No.

It’s probably because exploring the catacombs is a suicide mission. And this is what gives the catacombs their frightful name.

It’s even illegal to enter the catacombs without official guidance since 1985!

This is because the building of the catacombs was officially f*cked up. It was an act of desperation with minimal planning and quick solutions; and it’s no surprise that tales of innocent explorers has littered the catacombs since their creation.

These stories have inspired the films documenting the catacombs, including one which had Pink in it, which I mean, 11/10 must watch, f*ck the information on the catacombs, I want to see Pink, dammit.

I don’t know about you, but whilst hauntings do give me the heebiejeebies... but being trapped? Nah, mate, not doing that.

Unfortunately, there are people that do that. Heck, they’re probably doing it as we speak! And they are called cataphiles - young adults desperate for a little adventure. But instead of smoking stolen cigarettes outside of the local off licence, they get lost in underground tunnels. Obviously, this often ends rather badly.

Even as recently as 2017, two teenagers were found after 3 days of being lost in the catacombs having entered through one of the many off-the-grid entrances. But it’s not just these youths that are getting lost and trapped - even the experienced have been left there to die.

The first reported case was in 1793. Some hospital doorman supposedly got lost down there, and died alone and afraid. His body was found 11 years later.

Fact is, you probably won't be murdered by a psycho-clown or possessed by a demon down in the catacombs - you will suffer a much more tragic fate. But these stories aren’t the only thing giving the catacombs their creepy name: it’s a piece of antique clickbait which established this tourist hotspot as a, uh, cold spot.

The story goes that a camcorder was found in the nineties in the catacombs. Once they’d wiped off the thick layer of dust amassed over the years, the finders of the camera discovered that it contained footage of a man exploring the catacombs - and then getting lost.

It then recorded the descent of a man into madness. Our final clip is of this man dropping the camera, and running for his life. We do not know why.

This footage has been disregarded as a hoax, particularly as it was used in a documentary for added dramatic effect. But as a short film, it was one of the founding fathers of found footage horror, marking the value of this location as a truly terrifying site.

(Mon dieu!)

What About The Other Haunted Underground Catacombs And Tunnels That Unfortunately Exist?

#1 - The Odessa Catacombs

In 2005, ‘Masha’ began to trend on the web. Stories of separation, starvation, and pictures of a mangled corpse soon began to circulate, too. Yet despite the rumours regarding Masha’s fate, one thing is for sure:

The Odessa catacombs - a labyrinth of limestone mines lying beneath the streets of Ukraine - has witnessed a series of grotesque events, all of which could easily include the death of Masha.

The story goes that a group of teenagers entered the tunnel in 2005, and one girl - Masha - became separated. Lost and alone, she died of either starvation or dehydration. And it’s no surprise: Masha had no chance of escape, nor survival.

These limestone mines clock up 1500 miles in total, and deservedly have been given the title of the largest catacombs in the world.

These cold, dark tunnels have been used throughout Ukraine’s modern history, including being used as the location for the execution of captured Nazi soldiers during the war - but these were not the only murders committed there.

In 2011, the body of a murder victim was found in the catacombs having been left there for 6 months. And in 2015, yet another innocent Ukrainian met a similar fate. A teenage girl was bludgeoned to death with an axe in the catacombs by her 20 year old boyfriend.

On top of that, this labyrinth encompasses storm drains, caves, drainage tunnels, and basements. And, of course, every urban legend ever seems to start in these dark’n’damp cracks and crevices.

“So this place is like totally haunted, right?”

Uhhh…

Of course claims of hauntings stick close to these catacombs, but specific stories are hard to pinpoint due to the limited access we have to actually explore them. Despite this, there’s no doubt about it: this catacomb is creepy AF.

#2 - Bethnal Green Underground

London has witnessed many major historic moments, and is haunted by both the politics and the paranormal as a result of these events. Bethnal Green underground is no different.

The story goes that during an air raid test in the thick of WW2 panic broke out.

Which, honestly, I’m not surprised, I’d freak the f*ck out, too if I thought an air raid was about to go down.

In an attempt to avoid being bombed, a mad rush of people descended into Bethnal Green underground. The thing is, when you have a huge group of people run for their lives into a very small area underground, sh*t is bound to happen.

And it did.

173 people were trampled to death that day. And some claim they never really left the station.

To this day, screams from women and children still echo ‘round the station, and have been reported by passengers and staff alike. Its for this reason that this activity has been dubbed ‘imprint haunting’.

This is when moments with an atmosphere of high energy are imprinted onto the surroundings, and are repeated or re-enacted.

And yes, being trampled to death whilst running from a potential bombing definitely makes the grade.

#3 - Savannah’s Underground Tunnels

*Cue The Office memes*

As much as I love Oscar being an actual cinnamon-role, the memes about Savannah stop there. Things are about to get gruesome.

Like most of the other underground tunnels and catacombs on this list, these tunnels have witnessed a variety of people being smuggled, killed and buried. This reached its peak of activity in the 19th century.

Take the Yellow Fever epidemic when victims of the virus were buried under the hospital in these tunnels, or when slaves were transported from the harbours to their new masters having experienced tortuous journeys on ships.

But if that wasn’t enough, these tunnels are now reportedly haunted by ghosts still trapped there. The main activity reported and recorded is that of ghostly moans from innocent victims once buried or smuggled through these tunnels - but it’s not traced back to the slaves, nor to those that were left to die in the hospitals:

It’s the sailors once smuggled out to sea.

Legend has it that a tavern is connected to one of the tunnels, and that it was a popular haunt of local sailors. If they just so happened to get absolutely paraletic, they would be smuggled to the ships to continue their duties. In fact, many would wake up hungover and miles out to sea!

Captains supposedly would make a point of hiring such drunkards in order to ensure that their workers - even if they weren’t in the mood for the 9 to 5 - would always make their first shift.

Even if it was against their will. And they were f*ckin’ legless.

#4 - The Drakelow Tunnels

Worcestershire might not sound like the haunting hotspot of Britain… but yeah, no, its not. There’s no plot twist here.

England was one of the countries most affected by the World Wars, still bearing the scars to this day. And, just like Bethnal Green underground, it’s the supernatural scars that always seem to stick out.

During the construction of these tunnels, several construction workers were reported to have died - and gruesome deaths at that. Despite this, in 1941, the tunnels achieved their purpose of being factories for airplane parts, and even became bunkers designed to protect citizens during the Cold War in case nuclear war broke out.

But it was when the tunnels were opened to the public that the paranormal scars began to cut through the past political inflictions. And it’s all down to this bloke called Oswald, reportedly one of the workers who met his fate when building the tunnels.

Fancy a visit?

Then you’ll probably feel a shove in your back, or perhaps something pull on your hair - Oswald is no playful poltergeist. He is a vengeful spirit with a violent streak.

#5 - The Shanghai Tunnels, Portland

I have no idea why these tunnels bare the name of a Chinese city, but that is for sure not the only mystery on the table.

Well, I say mystery - I think ‘misery’ is the correct term to use here.

These tunnels were once used to transport supplies from city harbour to local businesses. You know, food for restaurants and hotels, alcohol to bars and brothels, and sex slaves to most of these establishments.

Nina, however, was one of the woman forced into slavery who testified against her plight, shedding light on the men who trafficked her and her fellow slaves. She was murdered for speaking out, and killed in the most pimpish fashion: being pushed down an elevator shaft in the hotel where she worked.

But Nina never actually left The Merchant Hotel.

She still wanders ‘round the rooms, following the steps down the basement in a black dress and fragranced with a distinctive perfume. She also plays tricks on the staff, perhaps seeking vengeance for those that once reduced her to her final fate…

But she doesn’t stop there: she is often seen in the tunnels, reportedly searching for sex slaves she can rescue or protect from the harm she once faced.

#6 - The Santa Priscilla Catacombs

Italian history has a habit of stumbling into twisted spiritual stories, like the Demonic tales haunting Turin, or the really-weird rumours about Rome, but the Santa Priscilla Catacombs have their own scandalous - and supernatural - past.

In the 17th century, the catacombs were plundered on the orders of the Vatican - this is considered a component in the ‘destruction’ of the catacombs. Among the treasures found were frescoes - watercolour paintings - which depicted female priests leading a mass. This evidence contradicted the bible, and so the paintings were destroyed.

But if you dare venture down to the catacombs, you won’t just find scraps of biblical history. Instead, you’ll find cursed catacombs and angry spirits.

It is claimed that the catacombs were destroyed thanks to the angry and aggressive spirits who sought privacy. Fair enough. They’ve even been rumoured to go beyond the realms of the catacombs, and pushed a carriage up above into a nearby river .

#7 + #8 - The Tennessee Coal Mines (DOUBLE WHAMMY WHADDUPPPPP)

Dark histories have already plagued this post enough, but thanks to the past events contained within the Tennessee coal mines, it seems like the sh*t just doesn’t stop.

When slavery was abolished in the US, southern states had to trade in the slave-based support for their economies for new methods of financial stability. The Knoxville Mine Corporation was one of the companies behind this shift, and hired convicts to work in their coal mines in 1877.

But things went south - yes, even further than the states themselves - when the convicts defied the guards by lighting a fire to cook food.

Oh, I should say here that the mines were full of methane gas. Fires, flammable gases, tight underground tunnels…

It’s all a bit deathy.

So, you won’t be surprised to hear that in 1902, a fire killed over 200 men - but it wasn’t the workers that set the mine alight. It was the ghosts of the convicts who were hungry for vengeance on those that forced them to work in the mines…

Well, that or they wanted a quick snack.

#9 - Fife’s Nuclear Bunker

It was only 4 years ago that yet another nuclear bunker was added to the list of places you wouldn’t want to be in past 8.30pm.

In one of Scotland’s nuclear bunker, a gaggle of mediums claimed that paranormal activity had occurred thanks to the ghosts of military personnel. But it's not just paranormal investigators that have noted the supernatural. Tourists themselves have become sick upon visiting, and others have even fainted thanks to the power of the paranormal felt here.

On top of this, pictures catching glimpses of shadowy figures in former offices have confirmed spooky goings on. Heck, one couple even claimed a spirit followed them home, leaving traces of activity such as moving objects about the house and draining mobile phone batteries.

#10 - The Edinburgh Vaults

Our next underground spook-fest sticks to Scotland, and roots itself in the capital. Also known as the South Bridge Vaults, these are a series of chambers that have witnessed over 200 years worth of history. They’ve been taverns, they've been workshops, they've been storage space for less-than-legal activities…

But it was only during the 1820s that the conditions pushed out the businesses and made way for the poor to move in. The vaults have been investigated by many a TV show, from the iconic (a visit from the team behind Ghost Adventures), to the memeable (a one-off TV special with Joe Swash).

Yes, paranormal investigative-icon, Joe Swash.

But even outside of this meme, some activity was picked up: during the audio recorded overnight, a variety of voices can be heard before the sound of a child yelling. Silence then falls upon the vaults.

The danger of lurking about in the chaotic vaults - teamed with the supernatural rumours echoing off its walls - have meant it is now closed off to the public.

#11 - Sydney’s Train Stations (Yep, All Of ‘Em)

Most underground stations have a creepy claim to fame, but Sydney’s station have their very own set of tales that make me want to skip out a holiday in Australia altogether.

It was all unveiled when a former worker at the station revealed a network of tunnels underneath the city’s stations. There are tunnels, there’s a bomb shelter, and there’s a lake.

(Like, a lake. An actual lake. How in the hell do you put a lake underground?!)

There are also 2 hidden platforms that have never been used - well, according to known records, anyway. Platforms 26 and 27 were built over a cemetery and have witnessed traces of paranormal activity seen and heard by staff. Hearing whispering voices or perhaps the giggles of children playing confirms the creepiness of this location.

Who’s Up For A Gander In The Underground?

Nope, not me. No thanks.

Go on your own and report back pls.

#Living for this post? Then you’ll be #dyin’ to check out my other ones!

(I’m sorry.)

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