#this is like a poem i think my life is like a poem

[bitethedevil]

When Raphael is standing around infront of Shar's temple, he's reciting a poem about a hunter & huntress, a lion and vultures. I'm curious if you have/have seen any theories on what this poem is about because I always felt like it wasn't about Tav/Durge, I am dying to know.

Raphael's poem: The Huntsman and the Huntress

Here’s the full poem:

”The lion stood watch in the blackest of night...

While vultures encircled, preparing their rite.

The huntsman and huntress, no match for the beast...

Come dawn of new light, did the predators feast.”

I had to rotate this question in my mind a couple of times because I had never put too much thought into it. I had always interpreted it as Raphael once again warning us about how big and scary Yurgir is, but that is not the case! I think you are absolutely right that it’s not about us.

Because I thought ‘hmm, is the lion and vultures Yurgir and the merregons, and are Raphael and us the huntsman and the huntress?”. It would not be unusual for Raphael to refer to himself as a hunter, given he fashions himself in a similar way in his diaries as a fisherman (a force from the outside disturbing the ecosystem, basically). He also tells Tav/Durge that they should not expect that they are the ‘greater hunter’, or something along those lines, when he talks to us.

However, for a game that always corrects pronouns to fit with the pronouns of the character, ‘huntress’ doesn’t make much sense. Tav/Durge could be a he or a they.

Instead, I think I have figured it out:

”The lion (Raphael) stood watch in the blackest of night...

While vultures (Tav/Durge and gang) encircled, preparing their rite.

The huntsman (Yurgir) and huntress (Nessa), no match for the beast (Raphael)...

Come dawn of new light, did the predators feast (Raphael + gang profits).”

Let’s pick this apart a bit further.

Line 1: This first line also further supports why I don’t buy the ‘Raphael is the fox’ from his first introductory poem. Dude refers to himself as cat here once again (R.I.P Raphael, you would have loved fursonas). It checks out. Raphael is the big scary kitty, just as he is in the first poem. He hides it but often hints at it throughout the story.

Line 2: We are the vultures, hungry to get something out of Raphael’s chosen prey, but we are not the main predator. This is because Raphael is full of himself and always presents himself as the biggest and the baddest. Whether we kill Yurgir or not, the ‘lion’ still gets what he wants. We don’t have beef with Yurgir personally, but that doesn’t matter because we are focused on getting something out of his death anyway, to help Astarion. We are finishing off what the lion started.

Line 3: This is peak Raphael. He does not give a flying fuck about killing the displacer beast, but Yurgir does, so Raphael mentions her too. Nessa, as gross as it is, is the only light in Yurgir’s life. It is peak deviling to mention her in the poem. Strip your clients of what they care about, so they are easier to deal with and suffer more.

Line 4: This directly mirrors his little rhyme you get if you accept his deal later ‘the master was slain in his own house, they dined on him both, the cat and the mouse’. It’s him pointing out that you are besties working together. What he is not saying though, is that he could kill you in a heartbeat if he so pleased, because he is the bigger predator.

Basically, it’s Raphael saying ‘hehe I’m gonna get ya’ to Yurgir.

It’s sort of hilarious, because it means that he’s standing there in the bushes muttering a poem that is meant for Yurgir. It’s so theatrical. Like when the villain openly monologues about their revenge and evil scheming 3 meters away from the hero in a play. He’s so silly.

(Thank you for the ask <3 Had to really think about this one)

[pink-slay]

arcane Viktor and likely spoilers for both seasons

I keep thinking about Viktor from arcane all the time and I've written poems and had lengthy conversations about it but decided that I need to state it in prose to on an account that I barely update because this account is full of things that mean something to me

I constantly think about the lengths Viktor went to to be well. The writers lured me in thinking maybe hextech or the arcane or shimmer would help Viktor's vision of running on a purple arcane body become a reality. However in the end viktor became equally if not more disabled than before. He lived, yes, but at what cost, killing Sky?

And I'm a believer in the mutual JayVik love and understanding, but Sky still mattered. She was brilliant and wonderful and kept Viktor grounded. Took his head out of his work and into the clouds (eventually literally).

Often, as disabled people, we are told that if we worked harder our problems could go away and it is a prominent belief in our culture, even if unconsciously so. I remember years ago Imani Barbarin made a video on how able bodied people want to believe they could work their way out of any disability by trying harder. They then project this onto disabled people to shield themselves from their inevitable fate (disability or death). This myth is pervasive and as much as I and many people want the betterment of all, perpetuating this myth, even in a fantasy story, is at best unrealistic and at worst problematic.

However, Arcane subverts this expectation because Viktor lives, but he lives a disabled life. He tried harder, and it tore him apart. To me this is a more powerful story than overcoming. Most can try, and most don't overcome not due to personal shortcoming but because trying harder ≠ getting better (at least inherently and especially with disability).

It reminded me of how in my freshman year of college, I dropped my math minor. It was upsetting and annoying because it was an attempt to hold onto the pieces of my first analytical love, math. However I didn't have the right wheelchair then and I didn't know it yet but I was becoming progressively more paralyzed. I just couldn't make it to the classroom they assigned me and they refused to change it.

I told my mother that at a certain point it felt more impactful that my disability made a noticeable impact in limiting me instead of trying to torture myself into narrative of overcoming. Not taking that first class was one of many times Calc II would get in my way, each time related to disability.

Viktor, like me, had a progressive disability that would've continued to progress until it killed him without drastic action. For me the drastic action was a surgery that made me be on constant opioids all summer and destroyed my relationship with my mother and the scraps of independence I still had. For Viktor it was taking shimmer and bearing the almighty power of the hex core.

I guess I write all this to say that my love of math and my disability parallel viktor. We have scientific loves and would work ourselves to death. We can be romantic when we get our heads out of our work. And we are disabled. Sick and disabled. So sick we put our lives at risk for health. Even a glimmer of health.

I know Jayce's speech is controversial among disabled people. I respect the opinions of others but I think many people don't get the experience of severe disability when interpreting it. In real life with the wide variety of disabilities, Viktor may not fall into that category but he surely does in Piltover. For me, my disability is severe. So severe I questioned if, as much as I looked up to Viktor, II could ever be respected like him. However disabled people don't become more respected by shunning nonambulatory powerchair users like me. They just isolate those that make up their community.

From a severely disabled person, understand that yes, I understand you want to fix yourself, but when you have a disability that at any point threatens your life, there is a certain ubiquitous self destruction in everything you do. That's why Viktor needed Jayce's speech. It wasn't because Jayce didn't see Viktor or his pain. Jayce knew Viktor was in pain. Jayce knew Viktor better than he knew anyone. And Jayce knew Viktor needed to be shown his value that was independent of effort--- his value as a person.

To be loved is to hear things that you can't fully wrap your head around. I believe (when I think really hard about it) that I can be who am both because of and despite my disability. I say to my closest friends that it feels like all I ever was was a miracle sick child who lived and a smart person. And I break off each quality about myself and my friend says that she'd still find value in me. Because there are people in our lives like Jayce or my friend who will give speeches to you, not to gain anything but to show you your worth even if it kills them. Because in every universe, sometimes there's only one person who can show you that-- who can stop you from ending the world even if it means succumbing to life and it's inevitable partner, death. Because the people we love don't want to see our sinews as we tear apart ourselves to breathe. They want to see us. They don't want us to suffer as much as we do. But for us there is a desire to be well. And that desire drives suffering it doesn't fix it.

Viktor meant a lot to me as someone whose life keeps changing especially in regards to their disability. Hesitancy toward drugs and spinal hardware and leg braces. And so did the way he almost destroyed the world craving something.

I have longed to be normal, to be well for most of my life. But life doesn't work that way. In fixing ourselvea and the things we view as flaws, we lose beautiful parts in the crossfire. Our friends beg us to see ourselves and if we're lucky our friends do. But so do we. I don't succeed but maybe Arcane has pushed me to see the beauty of being kind to myself because working myself into the ground isn't worth the pain especially with such a bleak unsuccessful outcome. We'll be told to fix ourselves forever but at least for once, in this one show, we can be valued despite our ardor for work. Yes, it isn't inherently wrong to want to be better. But we have lifetimes for that. Just this once maybe we can sit in the beauty of being loved both because

and despite.

[daisyswift3]

The tortured poets were quite clever to intentionally throw in red herrings like the 12/13/24 and Friday the 13th hints making us think the mass coming out would happen end of 2024. But us falling for these red herrings was all part of the story. I realized the 🫚 message abt the volunteer and the magic show was abt us true fans (the volunteer) falling for these red herrings while solving the secret/story of us puzzle. See my tags on this post ⬇️

“Be as clever as a god translating seeds of hope” message + the volunteer who gets bitten by a snake message -> The tortured poets knew us gaylors w good pattern recognition would take the bait and think the “12 (Dec), 34 (Taylor’s age in 2024)” and birthday cakes were easter eggs for a mass coming out either on 12/13/24 or 12/31/24 and we did take the bait (we were bitten by the snake). But then on New Years nothing happened (the box was lifted and the phone was left untouched). BUT this was all by design. For some reason they needed us to fall for the red herrings and spread the dandelion seeds. I think they might be using our falling for the red herrings to throw off SB^2 and the other ppl trying to thwart them so that the mass coming out goes exactly as planned.

“Be as clever as a god translating seeds of hope” = every bait and switch was a work of art. Seeds = secrets or the secret of us (5th and 7th 🎃 message). We did solve most of the puzzle correctly, it was just the timing that was off. They gave us some crumbs of hope abt the mass coming out or revolution but cleverly threw in red herrings.

I think the 1, 2 see what they drew 🫚 message was actually meant for this yr and that the Halloween (Oct = 10 = turn of the decade) when the final act ends is actually this yrs’ Halloween. I think the laying it on thick in June of last yr w 🏈 was a red herring bc Taylor knows we have very good pattern recognition and she needed to throw us off the trail a bit so that her enemies didn’t catch onto her plan and the exact timing. She’s keeping everyone on their toes bc again every bait and switch was a work of art and she can’t be thwarted again. And the midnights vinyl clock is for this yr as well where each quarter is the rough outline of her plan (each hr represents each month of the yr). I think this is actually what Taylor was referring to when she said she was going to try to hint at sth 3 yrs in advance; Midnights was released Oct 2022 so 3 yrs later is Oct 2025 (11th 🎃 message abt returning home from exile on Halloween). And the For now she slumbers poem abt the breadcrumbs relates to the SNL skit abt Sabrina queer signaling. They leave breadcrumbs or small easter eggs and then loaves of bread or big ones. It feels like we’re being strung along bc that’s exactly what’s happening. They’re breadcrumbing us and giving us just enough hints to be able to see the true story in the background but also some red herrings so that it discredits us and we just look insane and not too many ppl fall down the rabbit hole.

The ides of March ♠️ riddle is for March of this yr and sth big is going to happen maybe KK’s divorce announcement (🌋 “heartbreak is loss. divorce is a piece of paper.” … crumble it up and toss it. burn it, if you must). This 🌋 message was received on 11/9 and there have been a lot of 911 hints. I think the PR PR PR PUBLISH 🎁 message means Taylor will do all the work of bearding and ruining her reputation so that KK will look like a saint when she comes back into Taylor’s life again. That’s how the ♠️ riddles started out so I think they will reuse that same PR strategy (the 2019 mastersheist ruined her initial plans -> the FUCKx13 07/01/2019 ♠️ riddle). Karlie will get a divorce in March and then they will rekindle their friendship which is what will start Taylor’s fall from grace. Plus the ides of March is when Julius Caesar was assassinated in Shakespeare’s play and his last words in the play are “Then fall, Caesar” which matches w all the fall/autumn and falling from the pedestal easter eggs. I think swifties (non-gaylors) are the ones who will metaphorically assassinate Taylor once they realize she’s been lying to them this whole time. This is also why Taylor was Marie Antoinette in the bejeweled mv (Marie was beheaded during the French REVOLUTION).

And I think Taylor is gonna keep teasing rep and debut so that swifties are distracted by that (🎃 and 🫚 messages abt the chess game and magic and “reputation is illusion, expectation the magician”). All magic tricks work bc of sleight of hand where the magician does sth showy w one hand (PR/bearding/red herrings/debutation easter eggs) while making the real moves w the other hand (The Secret/Story of Us, the cracks in the facade widening into a chasm). I think the fall from grace starts this spring (break) and ends in the actual fall (9, 10 the final act ends).

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 The New Year midnight is nearly upon us. As we March into the sunset, 2022 is not the only thing that will expire at midnight. A fresh page…a new chapter. Au revoir, à bientôt en tournée. - December 30, 2022

-> March being capitalized in this message is another indicator that sth big will happen in March.

I think ivy is the key to knowing the timing bc it mentions the crescent moon and “spring break” so March. And that matches with the 2nd 🎃 message. So I think the fall/autumn stuff was kind of a red herring (they wanted us to think sth would happen fall 2024) and that it’s referring more to a metaphorical fall(ing down) that starts in the spring or early summer.

2nd 🎃 message (“The time draws near, springtime sunshine causing small drips and fractures”) = falling through the ice (the bolter) or falling from grace = (spring break)s loose = March = house burning down. Also ivy has the burning house metaphor and obviously that connects to the lover house in the eras tour which symbolizes her willingly burning down her entire career. And I think this connects to that 2020 Spotify wrapped video that had March highlighted.

Lastly, Gracie has a March apparently playlist which has some very interesting songs. I’ve been following her playlists and I believe they are a giant easter egg that supplement the riddles and messages.

Swimming -> Taylor diving into the stage and swimming to the Midnights era; Gracie’s Risk “God, I'm jumpin' in the deep end, It's more fun to swim in, Heard the risk is drownin', but I'm gonna take it” (this song is abt the tortured poets risking everything for the revolution and also abt us true fans going off the deep end believing this conspiracy theory bc we’re so invested in it)

Early To The Party -> ♠️ “Ides of March, they say beware but prior till the day unveils, one or two may see right through, the nine that sit in its view.” - 1/30/2020. I believe Karlie is the 9 because she was the one who carried their kids and pregnancy lasts 9 months -> all the messages and easter eggs abt pregnancy, “pregnant with possibility” (x)(x); plus the eras tour ended with 9 Canada shows and Taylor started a countdown on night 1 that ended on night 9 (x)(x)(x)(x)(x) -> Karlie’s It’s the Final Countdown Spotify playlist + “Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye. And also…hello!” 👋 + “Endings are beginnings…A new era to flourish and thrive.” And this relates back to the 911 easter eggs. 9 = 🤰and 11 = K (11th letter of the alphabet) for KK

Daisy -> this is pretty self explanatory 🌼

Don’t Delete The Kisses -> “all of the letters - addressed to you and sealed with a kiss”; Sabrina Carpenter (who is one of the main characters in this story) releasing her Short n Sweet album with all the kisses💋 and having them all over her body on tour (x)(x)(x)(x)(x)

Ariana’s eternal sunshine album -> Wicked/The Wizard of Oz/Goodbye Yellow Brick Road/Karma mv

At Seventeen -> 17 yr old boy named James (Taylor)

Hey Nineteen -> Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve which is an allegory abt how the music industry forced her into the closet around 19 yrs old

🌋 it’s been a while. don’t worry, i didn’t forget about you. all of the letters - addressed to you and sealed with a kiss - have been resting on the pillow that used to be yours. maybe i should’ve addressed them to the fire, like i said i would …

[crepesuzette2023]

Hi! I love your fic recs <3

Do you have any old!mclennon recommendations? or old!beatles in general.

Thank you!!

I'm glad you enjoy them, and thanks for trusting my taste.

Old!McLennon is one of my favorites as well, so your ask made me very happy. Just recently, I made a list of fics "in which John is old and happy" in honor of John's birthday, and there are quite some Old Men in Love favorites on there. (The first, second, & seventh one count more as middle-aged, I think—but they're great regardless!)

Here are some additional stories you might enjoy:

Tomorrow may rain so I'll follow the sun (@mothmanmademedoit). AU in which Paul becomes a bookseller. "Paul feels lost after Linda's death, so he decides to leave his book shop and travel to New York for a month to see her city. He meets John there, a writer with a complicated marriage. Or: Old men falling in love again." Simply lovely...and sexy!

And when I go to town, I wanna see all three. (@dovand). Old Men Beatles Polycule — live on stage in Australia. Funny, hot, and so beautiful it hurts. The descriptions of them playing music together, in particular...! "In a world where the Beatles' breakup didn't last, 2025 kicks off in good fashion: with a concert."

everything to discover (@backbenttulips). This writer has so many great middle-aged/old Mclennon fics! In this one, "John and Paul exploring a romantic relationship with each other during the 2000s-2010s, and navigating life as famous old people and grandparents."

Stuck in the Middle With You (@toovirgins). "Lost in a corn maze and on a time crunch, eighty-year-old Paul and John Lennon-McCartney let grief-stricken disagreement take the reins." [Ends on a hopeful note though!]

our house is a very fine house (@friendofgeorgeharrison). Quiet story that reads like a poem, about Paul bringing home flowers for John, and two old men who made a home together.

[gingersnaptaff]

Poll Time 4 ☺️✨️🗡

It's time for another round of:

Myrddin - OG Merlin, he's not actually associated with Arthuriana - and the Welsh myth stuff - until much later. He's one of those who was an irl lad but got incorporated into the mythos at a later date. He was a bard gifted with the power of prophecy (as all bards were thought to be in Celtic society) and was said to have gone mad after the Battle of Arfderydd in which his king and bestie Gwenddoleu died and then he fled into the woods. This gave him the epithet 'Wyllt' or Wild cuz obviously if ur living in the woods then u ain't gonna exactly be living ur best life. He's also famous for having a sister who is-

Gwendydd: her name means 'white day' and I mean that's so pretty but ur gonna know her better as Ganieda. She's best known for the dialogue poem she has with her brother that's featured in The Red Book (or Llyfr Coch) of Hergest. It's in an englyn form (a short poem) and is basically the two of them asking about prophecies and the ensuing answers. She's also featured in two poems 'Afallennau' (apple trees) and Hoianau (The Greetings.' In Afallennau Myrddin says Now Gwenddydd loves me not, and does not greet me;/I have killed her son and her daughter.' And MYRDDIN, BABES, WHAT DID U DO?! They also love each other a lot so like eehdjdjdjd Myrddin I GOTTA KNOW

Owain - OG Yvain/Ywain/Ivain. He has TOO MANY NAMES. Owain is another irl lad who got sucked into the mythos in a kind of fuckin Alice in Wonderland thing. Best known for being the main character of 'The Lady of the Fountain' he's the twin brother of Morfudd and - if u think his mam's Modron - the brother to Mabon the Hunter. Also, his dad is Urien Rheged so like name a better family pedigree? U can't. Irl Owain is The Worst but Mab Owain is Best Boi. He has a lion. He has ravens. He is besties with Gwalchmai and Peredur. I firmly believe he and Luned have a mate's holiday every year. What's that? U don't think so? U are wrong. Iesu Grist, I love him. I think having a hug from him would fix me. He also saves Luned's life and like they ARE BESTIES.

Pwyll Pen Annwfn - Pwyll Head of Annwfn to give him his proper name. He's the one who Rhiannon marries and is an idiot and like I love him but Pwyll PLS. Also has a run-in with Arawn, Lord of Annwfn that culminates in the two of them disguising themselves as each other and Pwyll slaying Arawn's enemy, Hafgan. He's also Pryderi's dad. He dies at the end of Branch 1 and is never brought up again even tho his wife and son are literally characters in Branch 3 (and if ur Pryderi Branch 4). He's a disaster area of the highest degree.

Bedwyr - Bedwyr of the Perfect Sinew (that's what Bedrydant means) he's HOT SHIT. He's Cai's husband and he's literally one of the Best and Most Handsomest Men in Arthur's retinue. He's also one-handed and the best fighter - as Pa gur says 'They fell by the hundred / before Bedwyr of the Perfect-Sinew.' - And also I think it's imperative u know he battles with fuckin WEREWOLF (Gwrgi Garwlwyd)! Bedwyd is the voice of reason for Arthur when he talks his bud down from trying to kidnap Princess Gwladys of Brycheiniog (Breacon) after he's already been kidnapped once in what I truly imagine must have been a fuckin terrible day for her. And also he and Cai legally take custody of Goreu in Culhwch ac Olwen and ride salmon taxis together. Also, Cai says 'By the hand of my friend' as a catchphrase and it's a ref to Bedwyr. They are Husbands. I legit love him. Cai also loves him. Vote for Bedwyr to please Cai or else.

[mistyechoes]

im just as bad as before aren't i. but worse

[fuzzytheduck]

I am not spiritual by any means. I do not know for certain that there exists anything metaphysical at all!

Let me tell you it's been a rough road as an Orthodox Jew Living with those attributes. There are times when I believe and times when, I'm ashamed to say, I don't.

Most of the time I'm somewhere in the middle, but one of the times when I feel most sure in my religious practice is when thinking of our suffering.

There's a story in the Gemara* (here paraphrased) about a a group of rabbis at the ruins of the Holy Temple. When they saw a fox come out of the Holy of Holies, all but one started crying, when the others saw Rabbi Akiva laughing, of all things, they asked him why.

He answered that it had been prophesized that Jerusalem would be destroyed, overgrown, like a forest where foxes roam.

That it had also been prophesized that Jerusalem would be rebuilt and its people would return. That it would be full of life again, with men and women living to old age and children playing in the streets.

Every year at the Passover Seder we sing Vehi Sheamda, which is a poem that does for me what that fox did for Rabbi Akiva.

I hope that after reading it you'll see why.

וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה לַאֲבוֹתֵיֽנוּ וְלָנֽוּ

שֶׁלֹא אֶחָד בִּלְבָד, עָמַד עָלֵיֽנוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנֽוּ

אֶלָּא שֶׁבְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר, עוֹמְדִים עָלֵיֽנוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנֽוּ

וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַצִּילֵנוּ מִיָּדָם

And it stands for our forefathers as it does for us

That not only one has risen to destroy us

But in every generation they rise to destroy us

And The Holy One, Blessed Be He, saves us from their hands

Sorry this is kind of a heavier question, but. Religious/theistic Jews, how do you still believe in G-d? I desperately want to believe, but it's getting harder lately. My grandfather became an atheist when he saw what happened in the camps. My mother was religious until she started dating my dad, who apparently logic'd so hard he ruined religion for her. Most of my friends are atheists. It seems like I'm the only one that isn't, but I don't know. The idea that G-d has a plan is really comforting, but it seems impossible. How could He let all these things happen? I feel like G-d either doesn't exist, or He abandoned us. And yet, I still pray and thank Him and it feels so wrong to *not* do any Jewish rituals. Do any of you ever feel like this?

.

[causticflower]

“—and the love you are made of.” (and I love you because you are love)

@lovesick-x-prince what if i cried. HUH.

[the thing causing big emotion]

[horreurscopes]

i like my body when it is with your body.

[stardotnet]

yes, there will be singing

[tenderjock]

My heart looks for her, and she is not with me.

[stickmenyaoi]

about absence; presence. Lover; Warrior

Inspired by.

[thehermitsacedia]

Le sang coule à longs flots de sa poitrine ouverte ; En vain il a des mers fouillé la profondeur ; L'océan était vide et la plage déserte ; Pour toute nourriture il apporte son cœur. […] Et, regardant couler sa sanglante mamelle, Sur son festin de mort il s'affaisse et chancelle, Ivre de volupté, de tendresse et d'horreur.

The blood runs in slow waves from his open chest In vain has he plumbed the depths of the seas The Ocean is empty and the shore deserted To provide food for all he offers his heart. […] And, watching his bloody breast drop On his death-feast he sinks and staggers Drunk on pleasure, on tenderness and horror.

-Alfred de Musset, La Nuit de Mai

[maybe-itsforthebest]

- j (x), tomorrow

[zytes]

fragile transformation

[quaranmine]

i think the whole cringe is dead, radical sincerity, depth of genuine emotion, earnest effort, and unironic love thing that tumblr has going on the past few years has transformed my outlook on things and changed me for the better. but it does mean that now the people i know irl will give me strange looks for being too sappy or too poetic or too dedicated or too excited about about something because they're still stuck in their "well i only like this ironically" phase. guess that's their problem tho not mine <3