#but I'm not great with ancient greek and I'm struggling to find translations

[limey-self-inserts]

Howdy Limey!! I wanted to ask these:

limerance - gush about your f/o, no limits… but the catch is, gush as if its a message directly to your f/o.  for your platonic Douxie?

endive - if, under the circumstance, you were able to treat your f/o to a single, beautiful day without a budget, what would it consist of? For your romantic Aniketos?

ineffable - describe your f/o in only aesthetics. you can make a moodboard, or perhaps describe them with colors, songs, scents, unique words (; no explicit or literal details, if you can help it. be indirect. paint a picture. For your platonic Sirius?

fanfaronade - what would your f/o say when bragging about you to others? for your familial Rex?

I hope these find you in good cheer and good health!

Nikki @tex-treasures

howdy Nikki! thank you so much for the ask, oooooo these are gonna be fun~

limerance - Douxie (written IC as my s/i Avalon)

"Hey, Doux....I've got something for ya.

"Look, you've been a real swell pal. You are a really good pal. You stepped in and helped when I felt like I was drowning, when I was struggling with the whole magic caster versus evil cooperation problem. You helped me feel more confident. Like a proper wizard, y'know. Oh, don't you wave me off, you are totally a proper wizard! You have the fancy staff and everything now. And you've got an apprentice, wink-wink-nudge-nudge. But hey, I just...we've done a lot together. Helping Arcadia, the world, all of it. It's hard not to get a bit sappy and emotional. Of course I'm gonna hug you. And I'm going to keep poking you on how badass you are, mister immortal rockstar wizard of the century."

---

endive - Aniketos

whole day out with no budget? oh, we're going SHOPPING. Aniketos isn't quite favourable with traveling, but if he's happy for a day away from the tree, we'd be getting a small cart and a couple of horses on rent for the day and riding to the next largest town. we are going to hit up every expensive ingredient shop in the district, letting Ani purchase anything he's never tried or only had the opportunity rarely, letting him stock up to his heart's content. lots of things for him to experiment with in the future

then it'll be back to the woods, most likely. but here is where it gets fun - I'd have set up a small clearing with some candle-lit lanterns, a large blanket to sit on and multiple soft blankets to wrap up in, and an assortment of vegan cakes with a self-heating pot of tea! we'd have dessert for dinner! a private moment of snuggles and giggles and warmth for us to share. if we can't travel out to the decadence, we'll bring the decadence to us.

---

ineffable - Sirius

late nights in the library. laughter, a warm embrace. sharing a coat when it rains and there's no umbrella. hand-in-shaking-hand. whispering in a raucous room. hold me close. flying in a night sky. waltzing in the void. roar. sinking. holding. rising. comfort at the end of a long day. a kiss on the forehead.

love - an intense feeling of deep affection (Similar: fondness, tenderness, devotion, compassion…)

philia - often translated "highest form of love", is one of the four ancient Greek words for love [...] In Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, philia is usually translated as "friendship" or affection.

victim - a person who has come to feel helpless and passive in the face of misfortune or ill-treatment

synergy - the interaction or cooperation of two or more agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects

steadfast - resolutely firm and unwavering

sirius - is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word Σείριος, or Seirios, meaning lit. 'glowing' or 'scorching'

bastion - a projecting part of a fortification a place of protection

galvanize - to stir into action

faith - complete trust in someone or something

faith - strong belief in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual conviction rather than proof

cultivate - to make ready for growth

ineffable - too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words

---

fanfaronade - Rex

while there's plenty for Rex to brag about Ajax with regards to their skill and 'expertise', he wouldn't go that route. instead he'd be commenting on their confidence, their quick-thinking, and the such:

"See, when I first met that kid, you'd think they'd drop dead from fear if anyone so much as looked at them funny. They were a shaky little thing. Good for taking orders, terrible for dealing with problems in the heat of the moment. Too much pressure on their shoulders, I wager. But you give them some freedom, let them off the leash, ah....let them become a feared bounty hunter's apprentice, I guess? It's not the smartest route, but it got them running properly. Now they're quicker, they adapt when things change, they can manage a situation properly. They back-sass and snark to their heart's content, which is very amusing when the droid commander is getting right wound up. One thing that's kept with them through all of that though, is their kindness. You don't get much of that in war, certainly not in mercenary work. People too focused on survival. But Ajax is kind. Not the sacrificial sort of kindness that'll get them killed, as close as it's gotten at times. Just the small moments that get people through the day."

----

thank you again for the ask! wow, I really dug in deep with Sirius, but these all felt accurate. I'd love to hear more on your thoughts, feel free to drop by my ask box~

#answered #world: aalveir #world: trollhunters #world: magia #world: star wars #self insert #self ship

[greek-mythos-retold]

I’m getting a tattoo as a graduation gift and I really want to get either a quote from Sappho’s fragments, or from the Iliad, written in ancient Greek but my brain hates me and I’m struggling to come up with one so....What are y’all’s favorite Sappho and/or Homer quotes? 

#obviously there is iconic six fragments for atthis #but I'm not great with ancient greek and I'm struggling to find translations #tagamemnon #classics #sappho #the iliad #Homer #sapphic #lesbian #tattoo

[nerdygaymormon]

Do you have a link to your thoughts on the CES letter? Because I'm sure plenty of folk have asked you about it. I'm, struggling.

The CES letter has been mentioned to me a few times in asks, but I don’t recall being asked to respond directly to it. 

Before getting into it, I want to make you aware of this post about Faith Transitions, I think it may be useful to you. 

I read the CES letter many years ago, probably the original version, it’s changed a lot since then. I think the CES letter is sloppy, and twists quotes, uses some questionable sources, and frames things in the worst possible way. It’s basically an amalgamation of all the anti-Mormon literature. But many of the main points of the CES letter are important and correct, even if the supporting details aren’t.

In a way, the CES letter has done the Church a favor. For a long time, Elder Packer insisted that anything which isn’t faith-promoting shouldn’t be taught. As a result, most members of the Church were taught a simplified version of Church history, leaving out anything that is messy or difficult. Although those things could be found if someone was looking for them, I found many of them simply by reading Brigham Young Discourses or other works of the early church. 

With the internet, Elder Packer’s approach to history turns out to be a bad one. This information is out there and now most members learn about it from sources seeking to destroy their faith. One response to this has been a series of essays where the Church talks about some difficult subjects. 

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I’m not going to go through all the claims & challenges of the CES letter, but let me address some of the main ones.

1) There are errors in the Book of Mormon that are also contained in the 1769 edition of the Bible.

From the more faithful point-of-view, Joseph recognizes these passages, such as those from Isaiah, and knows they've already been translated into English and copies them from his family’s Bible. The non-faithful point-of-view is that Joseph copied these verses from his family Bible and tried to pass it off as his own translation.

2) DNA analysis has concluded that Native American Indians do not originate from the Middle East or from Israelites but from Asia.

This is correct. The Church has an essay which admits this and then spends a lot of time explaining how genetics works and one day we might find some Middle East connection. I find the Church essay convoluted as it goes through many possible (and unlikely) reasons for why no DNA of the Jaredites, Nephites or Lamanites has yet been found in the Americas.

3) There are things in the Book of Mormon that didn’t exist during Book of Mormon times, or in Central America (assuming this is where the Book of Mormon takes place), such as horses, chariots, goats, elephants, wheat, and steel.

This is also correct. Maybe the translation process was using a common word in English for a common item in the Book of Mormon. Maybe these are errors. Maybe it’s made up. 

4) No archeological evidence has been found for the Nephite/Lamanite civilizations.

Correct. When it comes to archeological evidence, it's true that we haven't found any. For one thing, we don't know where the Nephite & Lamanite civilizations are supposed to have taken place. If you don't know where to look, it's easy to have no evidence. Perhaps Nephites & Lamanites didn’t actually exist and that’s why there’s no archeological evidence. The Book of Mormon does seem to do a decent job of describing geography of the Middle East before Lehi & his family boarded the boat for the Promised Land.

5) Book of Mormon names and places are strikingly similar (or identical) to many local names and places of the region Joseph Smith lived in.

This seems like a funny thing to get hung up on. First of all, it’s not very many names that are similar. Secondly, many places in the US are named for Biblical places & people. If the Book of Mormon people came from Israel, it makes sense they did something similar. For example, the word Jordan is in the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and in many places in America. 

6) He points to obscure books or dime-novels that Joseph Smith might have read and the similarities between them and the Book of Mormon. 

Those similarities are mostly at the surface level. To me it doesn't seem like Joseph plagiarized any particular book, and these specific books seem to not been very popular so difficult to say Joseph, who lived on the frontier, actually read them. Funny how no one from that time period thought the Book of Mormon resembled those books, probably because they hadn’t heard of them. But Joseph did hear and read a number of stories and some of that phrasing or whatever of the time influenced him. Think of songwriters, they create a new song then get accused of plagiarizing because it's similar to another popular song. Even without intending to, they were influenced by things they heard. 

7) The Book of Mormon has had 100,000 changes.

Most of the "100,000" changes to the Book of Mormon were to break it into chapters & verses, to add chapter headings, or to add grammar such as commas and whatnot. There are some changes to fix errors that got printed but differed from the original manuscript. And there's been some clarifications made, but these are few in number. By claiming "100,000" he's trying to make it seem like there's a scam being done. It's easy to get a replication of the first Book of Mormon from the Community of Christ and read it side-by-side with today's version. I’ve done that and occasionally there’s a word or two here or there which differ, but overall it's mostly the same.

8) There were over 4 different First Vision accounts

True. Over the years, the way Joseph described the First Vision changed. I think different versions emphasize different aspects of the experience. I don’t find them to be contradictory. Oh, and the Church has an essay about this.

9) The papyri that Joseph translated into the Book of Abraham has been found and translated and it’s nothing like the Book of Abraham.

This is true. The Church has an essay about it. The Church now says that the papyri inspired Joseph to get the Book of Abraham via revelation, much like his translations of the Bible weren’t from studying the ancient Greek & Hebrew. It is a big change from what the Church used to teach, that this was a translation of the papyrus. The papyri has nothing to do with the Book of Abraham, and the explanations of the facsimiles in the Pearl of Great Price don’t match what the scholars say those pictures are about.

10) Joseph married 34+ women, many without Emma’s consent, some who had husbands, and even a teenager. 

This all appears to be true. Emma knew about some of them, but not all. As for the married women, they were still married to their husbands but sealed to Joseph (I know this is strange to us, but this sort of thing was common until Wilford Woodruff standardized how sealings are done). 

Polygamy was illegal in the United States. Most people who participated were told to keep it secret. So of course there’s carefully-worded statements by Joseph and others denying they participate in polygamy.

The salacious question everyone wants to know is if Joseph slept with all these women. We don’t know, but a DNA search for descendants of Joseph has taken place among the descendants of the women he was ‘married’ to and none have been found. But still, if he wasn’t doing anything wrong, why is he hiding this from Emma? 

11) The Church used to teach that polygamy was required for exaltation, even though the Book of Mormon condemns polygamy. 

This is accurate. The Church says polygamy was part of ancient Israel and so as part of the restoration of all things, polygamy had to be restored, see D&C 132:34. Now we no longer say polygamy is required to get to the highest level of the Celestial Kingdom.

12) Brigham Young taught Adam-God theory, which is now disavowed by the Church.

True. Joseph Smith didn’t teach this and John Taylor & Wilford Woodruff don’t seem to have any time for this teaching. It’s a thing Brigham Young was hot about and taught, but seems a lot of the church didn’t buy it as it was discarded after his death. 

13) Black people weren’t allowed to hold the priesthood until 1978, despite Joseph having conferred it to a few Black people during his life. 

Very true and very sad. This and the Mountain Meadows Massacre are the two biggest stains on the Church’s past. There is a Church essay on Race & the Priesthood. The ban appears to have begun with Brigham Young and he developed several theories to justify it, and these explanations expanded over the decades and bigotry was taught as doctrine. The Church now disavows all explanations that were taught in the past.

No reason for the priesthood ban is put forward in the Church essay other than racism. The past leaders were racists and that blinded them to what God wanted for Black people. There’s a big lesson in that for LGBTQ teachings of the Church.

14) The Church misrepresents how Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon. 

The accounts of Joseph Smith putting a seer stone in a hat and reading words from it, that's part of the historic record. Quotes about it don’t make it to our Sunday School lessons, but if you go back to the Joseph Smith papers and other accounts, it’s there to read. Joseph also used the Urim & Thummim, and wrote out characters and studied them, but he seems to have most favored the stone-in-hat method. I think the main problem here is the Church in its artwork and movies does not depict this, and therefore most members are unaware until they see anti-Mormon literature. Why does the Church not show Joseph looking into a hat? Because it seems magical and weird to modern people. But how much weirder is it than he put on the Urim & Thummim like glasses and could translate that way, or he wrote out these characters from some extinct language and was able to figure out what they mean?

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A number of the main points in the CES letter are true (even if explanations/supporting details in the CES are problematic). Some of the main points have simple explanations and don’t seem like a big deal. Others challenge what the Church has taught. To its credit, the Church put out essays by historians & scholars, with sources listed in the footnotes, addressing several of these controversial topics. 

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Religion is meant to help humans make sense of their world and our place in it. Most religious stories are metaphorical but end up getting taught as literal history and, in my opinion, the same is true of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And that’s why the CES letter has power, it points out things aren’t literally true but were taught by the Church as factual, and the CES letter shows us part of our messy history that the Church tried to hide. 

————————————————————

The story of Adam and Eve can’t literally be true. It doesn’t fit our evolutionary past, but it’s meant to make our lives important, God created us and we have to account to Him for our choices, and it’s important to find someone to go through life with. We can say the same of Job and the Book of Ruth, fiction with a purpose. 

While there are some real events included in the Bible, much of what’s written is there to teach lessons, culture, and give meaning to life. Jesus taught in parables so at least he was upfront that they were stories that contained morals.

Can I believe the same about the Book of Mormon, that it’s inspired fiction with meaning I can apply to my life, or must it be literally history to have value?

————————————————————

I went through a massive faith crisis while attending BYU. I had access to materials that told a different story of this religion than I’d been taught (the sorts of things in the CES Letter) and it threw me for a loop. 

It felt like the floor of faith I had stood on shattered and I fell with no way to stop myself. After I had a chance to process through the things I was feeling, I looked at my shattered faith and picked up the parts that were meaningful to me.

I had lined up my faith similar to a line of dominoes. If the Book of Mormon is true, then Joseph was a prophet. If Joseph was a prophet, then this is the true church. If this is the true church, then...

This works until it doesn’t. Once a domino topples over, it starts a chain event.

Now I look at principles and concepts and decide if they’re meaningful to me. 

I love the idea that we can spend eternity with the people we love most. 

I believe we should be charitable and loving to others. 

People on the margins need to be looked after and helped and lifted. 

Poor people deserve dignity and the rich to be challenged. 

We have a commitment to our community and we all serve to make it better. 

All are alike to God, we’re all loved and God has a grand plan for us. 

Those who passed away can still be saved through the atonement of Christ. 

Those are all principles I find in the Bible and Book of Mormon or at church and I find Love flows through all of those. 

This new approach works for me. I don’t have to believe or hold onto problematic teachings. I can drop them and still hold the parts that I find valuable. I can reject the teachings and statements which are bigoted, homophobic, transphobic, racist, ableist, misogynistic. Prophets can make mistakes and still have taught some useful things.

That little voice of the spirit and what it teaches and guides me to do, I trust it over what Church leaders say. Overarching principles are more important to me than specific details for how this gets applied in the 1800′s or 1950′s or Biblical times. 

————————————————————

I truly hope some of what I’ve written is helpful.

There’s no use pretending that the CES letter doesn’t get some things correct. It’s also helpful to understand it’s not just trying to share truth, but has an agenda to make the Church look as bad as possible.

What about the things the CES letter is correct about? 

Has this church helped you learn to connect with the Divine? 

The Church has some very big flaws, but also has some big things in its favor. Some of its unique teachings are very appealing and feel hopeful and right. 

Can you leave the Church and be a good person and have a relationship with God? Absolutely. 

I also know this church is a community and it’s hard to walk away cold-turkey with nothing to replace it, without another network to belong to. It’s as much a religion as it is a lifestyle and circle of friends. 

Are there parts you can hold onto? Parts you can let go of?

You have a lot to think about and work through. 

#long post #ces letter #this is a much longer answer than I thought I would write

[itsclydebitches]

Why do you like Lore Olympus? I'm genuinely curious because I've seen a lot of harsh criticisms toward the comic, from its inaccuracies regarding its use of Greek Mythology to the plethora of harmful queer stereotypes. I tried reading it myself but honestly, if you took out all the Greek Mythology references and naming, it just seems like another "far older man courts a barely adult woman" love story with bad queer rep thrown it.

Happy to explain! Let’s tackle what’s perhaps the most complicated aspect first. 

As a former Classics major I can tell you that there is no “Greek Mythology.” Meaning, there is no singular Greek Mythology that can be referenced and consulted in any uniform way. Which is a really difficult thing to conceptualize in an age of print publications and careful record keeping. Unsure about whether Harry ever cursed Draco with such-and-such hex? Re-read the Harry Potter books to find out. Want to claim that Sherlock was horrible to Watson and frequently insulted him? We can comb through Doyle’s shorts stories and novels, tally every insult, and find out. These are canons and, as messy as the term “canonical” has become with more adaptations and transmedia storytelling, most characters have a set, fixed existence that we can return to and use as evidence. Not so with Greek Mythology. Born of oral storytelling, there are a hundred different versions of every myth, some changes more stark than others. Some of those versions were written down. Then written down again (differently). Then written down again (differently still). Then we realized they were almost all being written down by men and huh, I wonder if that has any impact on how they framed the story (spoiler: it absolutely does). And all of this doesn’t even take into account the issue of translation. Regardless of what Ovid may have put down on the page, you’re going to get a different experience depending on whether you read Melville or Gregory. There’s a reason why everyone was so excited over Emily Wilson being the first woman to translate The Odyssey into English. Her perspective and her experience as a woman by default changes the way she approaches the text. Even something as simple as a single description can have a HUGE impact depending on how it is translated. Take this excerpt from a NYT article: 

“The prefix poly,” Wilson said, laughing, “means ‘many’ or ‘multiple.’ Tropos means ‘turn.’ ‘Many’ or ‘multiple’ could suggest that he [Odysseus] is much turned, as if he is the one who has been put in the situation of having been to Troy, and back, and all around, gods and goddesses and monsters turning him off the straight course that, ideally, he’d like to be on. Or, it could be that he’s this untrustworthy kind of guy who is always going to get out of any situation by turning it to his advantage. It could be that he’s the turner.”

Is Odysseus a poor victim turned around by monsters and fate, or is he a schemer capable of turning it all to his advantage? It all depends on how it’s translated and whoever wants to make a case for Odysseus being a “good” or “bad” guy can point to this translation as evidence… or another. Or another. There are just too many versions for anyone to definitely say what these gods and others are “really” like. 

I put so much emphasis on this because the biggest criticism I’ve seen leveled against the comic is the characterization of Apollo. He would never rape Persephone! How dare you twist his character like that! Except Apollo isn’t a character that exists in a fixed canon. He belongs to an overwhelming corpus of complicated, contrary, contrasting myths… and yes, in some of those he raped. Arguably. It, again, comes down to translation and interpretation. Take this excerpt from Nancy Rabinowitz’s paper “Greek Tragedy: A Rape Culture?” 

Creusa, raped by Apollo years ago, conceived a child and abandoned him… For the purposes of this paper, I have to address the question of whether Creusa was in fact raped by the god. Hermes mixes the terminology in the prologue; he asserts that the god Apollo “yoked the daughter of Erechtheus in marriage (γάμοις)”, but he also says “by force (βίᾳ)” (10-11). Ion later (1524-25; cf. 341, 325) wonders whether Creusa was really raped, or whether she was just alleging that the god took her by violence to cover up an indiscretion of her own – a similar situation could be imagined in our own day, where false allegations may arise from young girls’ fear of confessing consensual relations to their parents. Lefkowitz argues that women tend to cooperate in their seduction by a god. While it might seem obvious that Ion is simply wrong, there is the further implication that though Apollo raped Creusa, she also desired him” (11-12). 

So if we’re looking for evidence that Smythe’s interpretation of Apollo is the “correct” one, it exists… depending on what you read and how you choose to interpret it: whether a mortal woman can ever truly give consent due to the power difference between her and a god, whether it was safe to say no, whether she might have lied to protect herself, whether it was something a part of her desired but perhaps didn’t entirely want, etc. It’s that last bit in particular—those difficult questions—that Smythe explores in her comic. Persephone wants to explore her sexuality. She wants a way out of her virgin obligations. But she’s also pressured into sex by Apollo. He doesn’t stop when she expresses discomfort. She doesn’t feel safe asserting herself and telling him to stop. It’s rape, but it’s a far more complicated situation than the rape scenario of “Evil man forces himself on woman in the back of an alleyway” and Smythe treats the tragedy with nuance and respect, even in a comic filled with so much humor. 

The people I see most upset about Lore Olympus are those who talk about the gods and their associated mortals as if they’re characters out of a book. They read one version once—or maybe two—and, as is natural in the 21st century, decided that This Is How The Story Goes. Even though every academic would be losing their mind over such definitive statements as, “Such-and-Such would never do this.” That’s simply not how records this ancient, sporadic, political, and downright messy work. So as someone with some knowledge of how Greek Mythology functions, I’m not at all put off by the comics’ “inaccuracies.” Because they’re simply not inaccuracies, just interpretations. Not liking those interpretations is fine, but that doesn’t mean Smythe was wrong for providing them. 

As for the rest, I’ll try to limit myself to bullet points: 

The age difference between Persephone and Hades is definitely A Thing and I admittedly didn’t realize that was the case when I started reading. I assumed that Persephone, like most of the cast, was hundreds/thousands of years old and just had a child-like personality. I basically realized around the time Hades did that she’s so young. That being said, the issue of age differences changes for me once you reach such insane ages. That’s why I still ship Ozqrow: Ozpin is hundreds of years older than him but at that point he’s going to be older than everyone. Always. Limiting his ships to only those who are close to Ozpin’s age means you can’t ship him at all (unless you ship him with Salem post-grimm pool and… no). It’s a similar situation with Hades. Yes, there are plenty of gods his age that he could date (and indeed he does) but he is always going to be thousands of years older than Persephone. She can literally never catch up to him, so if someone has an issue with the age gap then they have to accept that it will simply never go away. They can never be a couple in which case yeah, then the comic just isn’t your thing. 

Really, I think the bigger issue is not the gap itself but Persephone’s age, period. Again though, I appreciate that Smythe treats the situation with a great deal of respect. This isn’t a story of a much older man hunting a younger woman. It’s the story of a much older god who, like me the reader, assumed he had fallen for a slightly younger goddess… and then freaked out when he found out he was wrong. He’s called out for his ignorance. Others are incredibly protective of Persephone. They both try to stay away from one another and find themselves struggling. Which, to be frank, is an interesting dilemma to me. And it’s one I’m more interested in with gods as characters as opposed to humans. Because it feels less predatory to me. A man going after a much younger woman is threatening in part because we’re mortals who have so much to lose, including our youth. If you enter an abusive relationship that alone is horrible enough, but it also means you’ve lost all those years and all that experience to toxicity. When a god goes after a much younger goddess… they’re kind of static. They have eternity stretching out before them. Persephone potentially “losing” ten years to a relationship with Hades just isn’t the same thing as a mortal losing ten years to a relationship of their own. Gods, though they seem quite human, simply aren’t and thus for me questions of morality and what’s ethical in any given situation changes. We have a cast who, when Eros gets upset and murders a whole bunch of humans, Zeus shrugs and says they’ll just make more. Their concept of right and wrong differs from ours and it invites the reader to apply that to every situation: is it as wrong for an older god to go after a 19yo goddess as it would be for an older man to go after a 19yo woman? Many readers may decide it is—to some extent the text decides it is—but the story still possesses ambiguity and invites the reader to grapple with it. That’s compelling. 

Connected to this, I like how much agency Persephone has throughout the series. She’s very much a character who defies expectations, particularly when it comes to her sexuality. Far from being a meek, vulnerable woman who is preyed on by Hades, she is making constant, active decisions about her own romantic and sexual encounters. Even if that decision is just acknowledging how unsure she still is: does she want to remain a virgin? Does she want Apollo? Does she want Hades? Is it okay to make out with Ares? Wear this very short dress? Get drunk? Explore a city? Invite this person over? Have feelings for your boss? Persephone is grappling with a lot of questions that don’t have easy answers and the fact that the story gives her the room to do that grappling is fantastic. I’ve spoken before about my dislike of the Strong Female Character—someone who is not just physically intimidating but who also never, EVER hesitates. She knows precisely what she wants and she’s going to take it! Which is a great portrayal of one kind of woman… but I’m not that kind. I hem and haw and am anxious like Persephone. So for me it’s refreshing to see a story that paints uncertainty as strength. She’s allowed the space to be unsure and confused and is never belittled for that. 

Honestly I’m not sure what the issue with the queer rep is? Beyond the fact that Lore Olympus doesn’t seem to have any (unless I’m forgetting some. Very possible). Which, admittedly, is far from great, but if I dismissed every story due solely to a lack of queer characters I would limit a lot of my potential media. So for me, personally, that’s not a deal breaker. Taking a stab in the dark, I’ll make an assumption that people are upset about certain characterizations like Eros? Which, fair. But we also have the flip side that effeminate, flamboyant men do exist. It’s another complicated, touchy subject, but there’s a fine line between enforcing stereotypes and acknowledging that those stereotypes often do arise out of something. Some people hate the media image of the queer kid decked out in rainbows. Other people look at their own wardrobe and backpack and go, “Actually… yeah. That can be accurate.” For me stereotypes are primarily an issue given their prevalence. It’s an issue when that’s the only way queer characters are portrayed, but Lore Olympus doesn’t have that problem because, again, it’s focused on het relationships. Eros might potentially be a (non-confirmed?) queer stereotype… or he’s a battle-hardened warrior who also likes to gush about gossip while baking, the sort of complex gender portrayal that people claim to want. It depend on how you approach it. So no, Lore Olympus isn’t breaking any ground with queer rep but, as said, I do appreciate how it treats sexual assault—among other sensitive, relevant issues. It’s a trade-off. No piece of media is going to be perfect. I could say the same thing about so many great stories. The Mandalorian doesn’t have any queer rep! No, it doesn’t, but it is giving us a fantastic story about a bounty-hunter turned dad that challenges a number of Western gender assumptions so… trade-off. 

I likewise enjoy that characters call one another out on shitty, toxic behavior without completely losing who those characters are. (Again, supposedly who they are based on the lecture I gave at the start lol). Meaning, it would be kind of weird if Zeus wasn’t a womanizer. That’s what we expect of him, so changing that would likewise change one of the most fundamental aspects of what makes Zeus-Zeus in the general public’s perception of him. But we still have scenes of Hera and others calling him out on that shit, so it’s a balance between modern sensibilities and character expectations. 

The characters overall are just wonderfully complex. Persephone doesn’t seem so at first glance, but that’s partly the point: she’s nothing like what everyone assumes she is and it’s those assumptions that she’s learning to push back against. But overall Smythe has a real knack for emphasizing the human (or god) complexity. We hate Eros for helping Aphrodite punish Persephone. Then we feel bad for him because of his sob story. Then we pull back because he’s called out for being a dick and making himself look like the victim. Then we come to the realization that his side of the story was still accurate in many ways and finally end on… he’s flawed. He’s just a flawed person. He’s not a saint. He’s not the devil. He’s a guy who screwed up one moment and did something good the next. Perhaps it’s just me coming out of the nonsense that was Volume 7 of RWBY, but it’s refreshing to read a story where that complexity is emphasized and (most) flaws are forgiven while still being acknowledged. 

Overall I just find it to be a fun, entertaining story! lol. The artwork is beautiful. The humor is great. There’s a nice balance between plot and introspection. There are issues with the series, sure, but none thus far have kept me from enjoying the experience of reading it. I fully support anyone’s right to go, “Nope. Not for me.” For any reason. But I also feel like Lore Olympus is a good example of Tumblr’s recent emphasis on pure media: it must be PERFECT. Otherwise chuck it in the bin. Lore Olympus does a lot of the things that people on this site call for. Respectful depictions of assault. Emphasis on mental health. Storytelling from a woman’s perspective. Numerous types of woman characters. Being careful about who engages with sensitive material and how (each chapter that contains such issues has a trigger warning at the start, impossible to miss). Lore Olympus does a lot right… and some things wrong. Which is what we would expect of any good story. So it feels disingenuous of me—if not outright dangerous—to paint it as worse than I actually think it is. I want media to continue to improve, but I also don’t want to scare off authors from even trying because they were raked across the coals for not creating perfection. Smythe, to my mind, is definitely trying and that should be acknowledged. 

#Anonymous #rape tw #lore olympus #greek mythology #mymetas

[thelittleseawitch22]

🔮 Crystal healing 🔮

Hey everyone 🌻🌼🍃

So today I thought I would talk about crystal healing.

Everyone has their own opinion on crystal healing, some think it's great and even use it in their craft, some like myself use it separately from their craft and others just don't believe in it at all and think it is the placebo effect, which is perfectly fine.

I'm gonna talk from my own experience with crystal healing, so things I may mention in this post may be completely different to how others use crystals.

So to start off, where do crystals come from?

To ancient Greeks, 'crystal' translated was the word 'ice'. It was said that the ancient Greeks found some clear quartz in the mountains and thought that it was water that had been frozen so long that it would always remain solid, which is where the word 'crystal' originated from. As other crystals were soon being discovered, they were given properties normally ones of healing.

Other cultures also started to take in crystals as healing stones, using them for things such as artifacts, jewellery and even ground up and put into cosmetics. Alot of crystals have been known to be given as gifts aswell.

My experience with crystal healing and tips.

I myself have quite a few crystals/gemstones and rocks, I don't usually use my crystals in my craft. Why? Because I see crystal healing as sort of a separate thing to witchcraft, well my own craft that is.

I use more of my crystals more for crystal healing, for example if I couldn't get sleep I would touch amethyst to my forehead for a few seconds then leave it by my bedside or put rose quartz in my bra to attract self love as I struggle with anxiety. I also sometimes give certain crystals as offerings to certain deities.

More or less the way crystal healing works (in my own opinion) is not only the crystals energy but also your own energy and intention. Crystals of course do not work like they do in the movies, they won't magically change your life in a day. It doesn't work like that.

Different crystals may work for different people, Obsidian which is known to help stress and anxiety might not work well for someone but work for another.

I find that if you work with crystals you have; your favourites, then the crystals that work best for you, then the crystals you are interested in. I would mainly focus on the crystals that work best for you, if you feel comfortable with the crystal and the way you are using it go for it!

I want to make it very clear though that crystal healing is NOT a replacement for any medical advice or any medical prescriptions.

The things you have to think about if you are interested in crystals and crystal healing are;

● Look at what crystals you think might help you feel better maybe in a certain situation or about yourself.

● Research! Research! Research!

● If you are a witch, would you like to keep your interest and practice separate from your craft?

● And again Research! Research! Research!

● Look into books on crystal healing books are the best.

I hope this helps anyone who are interested in crystals & crystal healing.

🌊thelittleseawitch22🌊

#crystal witch #crystal healing #crystals #crystal #witchy #witch #sea witch #witchcraft #witchblr #witches #witchy tips #crystal healing tips #hellenic witch

[spring-lion]

Good morning, Mae! Yes, I have a very versatile taste, hahaha. I love almost every genre so I tend to read very different books. And I'll read Warm Bodies as well! And yes, Spanish is my first language since I'm from Spain! And omg, you're a polyglot! That's really cool :o I'm a language lover too, and I really admire you (I mean, I always did but now more!!) because I think it's amazing that you know a lot of languages!! (+)

(+) I’m super proud of you!! I always wanted to learn tagalog, because I know that it has some spanish-sounding words and I found it very interesting, but I never had time nor I found really trusting websites. And it’s surprising you learned three languages as a child!! It’s really true that children learn a lot faster than adults, woa :o And don’t worry, I’m passionate about it as well and I find you a very interesting person!! Your story is amazing!! (+)

(+) And don’t worry, I’m comfortable talking to you about any subject!! And thank you so much! Don’t worry about your writings being usually heteronormative, personally I don’t really mind, but I’m very happy you’re supportive of the community! ♡♡♡ And answering your question, I speak Spanish, English, Korean and Italian. Next year I’m going to study French and Latin at school and I’ll go to a Chinese academy. I also want to improve my English! (+)

(+) Spanish is my mother language, and I’ve been learning English since I have memory. I started learning Italian by myself when I was like… 9 or 10 years old because my dad was planning a trip to Italy and I wanted to learn the language to have a better experience. (But we never went, lol) Eventually I dropped it and I picked it up again a few months ago. As for French, I studied it at school for 2 years but I dropped it when I moved schools against my will :( Because (+)

+ I had depression so my grades lowered a lot, when I moved my new school quit me from the bilingual program so I couldn’t study French anymore. Now I struggle with my grades but I hope I can get picked next year for French, because I love languages ♡ I started learning Korean like, 2 years ago? But I started learning it seriously last year. It’s a really long story; I hope I’m not a bother!! Okay so, I told you I had depression, well, It was horrible and my +

+ only scape was music. I found kpop and I started dancing. And I loved it. It was in july 2015, and I’ve been dancing since then. I found myself in love with the culture and the language, so I started learning it. I’ve always wanted to be a musician because music is truly an art and it makes me so happy and alive, and when I found that dancing is one of my passions as well, I thought that maybe I could fulfill my dream of being a musician if I joined the kpop industry (+)

+ so I started training myself, singing, rapping and dancing. Later that year I started playing piano and on my birthday (17/9) last year i got a guitar so now I’m learning those instruments as well!! I have to learn and train at home because I don’t have the money to pay classes, and sometimes it’s hard but I’m sure I can do it because I have the passion. It’s sad that people think I’m a koreaboo when I tell them this, but I’m not one. These people are disgusting, lol. (+)

+ So, as I want to become an artist there I want to be the most fluent in Korean as possible. I’m nervous to tell you this because it’s very important and personal to me, and I hope you can accept and support me >

(+) because I find it REALLY interesting and I love Chinese history and culture! Wow, okay, this was such a long answer! I’m sorry :’) But now you know more about me, too! Okay, so my question for you is: What is your favourite animal? And do you have a favourite place? (For example, the forest, the beach…) Also, plus question!! When is your birthday? With a lot of love; ♡ -your lovely anonie

Oh my goodness, my lovely anonie! I am so touched that you felt so comfortable to be able to share so much about yourself with me! It’s so cool that you’re from Spain! I was actually suspecting you were from the other side of the world bc whenever I was about to go to bed you would say good morning, haha. xD But really, I’m so moved that I was able to reach someone as far out as Spain, so thank you so much for loving my works and for reaching out to me to tell me about it, and as well as about yourself. I appreciate and love you so much. I actually long to meet you in person one day because often times whenever you come to visit me, I wish to reach out and to give you a big hug. We’re so far from each other, and I don’t know when this could be possible, but maybe in the future we can if we manage to keep in touch! Of course, again, only if you are comfortable with it. :)I realize that you are on anon for a reason, and you only know me by my pen name, “Mae.” But I want you to know that I often wish that I can go across the world to touch your hand, just like our Namjoon does for every ARMY.

I think it’s so cool that you have an interest in so many languages just like me! I believe that all the languages in the world are truly beautiful because they are the mechanisms that help to perpetuate love, community, and unity amongst one another. Actually, in Tagalog we have no word for “the other.” We only have the word “kapwa,” which is best translated as neighbor but, really it means so much more than that. It’s about community and togetherness. I think that it really goes to show that you really can’t live without other people in your life, that you cannot live without love. I think Namjoon said something similar in a vlive about the words 살아 (live), 사랑 (love), and 사람 (person). They sound similar because they cannot be without each other.

About your depression, I totally understand. I went through something similar, and it is still something that I battle, but I’m glad that you were able to find something to cope! Music was what helped me cope as well, especially Bangtan’s music, and it’s why I am so attached to them, especially Min Yoongi whose lyrics I resonate most with. And, don’t worry. You are never a bother to me! I am always willing to listen whenever you need me to. I may reply a bit late because I am occupied by other things, but I do hear you and I understand you.I encourage you to get all the help that you need and to do whatever you need to do in regards to your mental illness.

As for your interest in going into the Korean music industry, I am going to say that I am honored that you trusted me enough to reveal something so personal to you. Thank you for sharing your dreams and passions with me. I am honored that you care so much about my opinion, and I’ll admit that this puts a bit of pressure on me as I don’t want to hurt you. What I will say about this is that this industry is only one of many paths to becoming a musician. I am in no place to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do because I am not living your life, but I only hope to help you find the answer that is within yourself. This one path is going to be one of great great challenge, especially for being a non-Korean. It is no doubt that it is going to be difficult, every single idol has encountered great difficulty within that same path. I’m not going to say it is impossible; I am just saying that it is difficult and that I hope that you are prepared for what you are getting yourself into because you are going to need a lot of tenacity and endurance. But in reality, every path to success is extremely difficult, so it might as well be a path to something that you really like. Right now, it looks like the odds are against you. But the truth is, we only know what has happened up to the point that we are breathing right now, and for that reason no one is certain for what the future has to bring. I guess what I am trying to say is that you never know how much your life will turn around any moment from now because anything is possible. Nothing is for sure in this world, and the best that you can do is to control your own self. In the future, you might still be on this path, or you might be led down some way different but related to something that you truly wanted. No one knows. I don’t. You don’t. But I know that as long as you trust the voice inside of you that tells you who you are, then you will end up in a great place. So keep following what your heart is telling you. Keep thinking about it and meditating about it to see what you should do that is the best for you. It’s okay if the path twists and turns several times; paths are not always straight. Wherever you go, the journey will be long and hard. I will support a decision that you make no matter what it is because it is probably what you believe is best for you. Remember that no matter what I say, it is always up to you. 

I’m sorry if that answer was complex. It’s because a few years ago, I thought I wanted to be one thing, but it turns out that it wasn’t right for me. Even as we speak, I am still deciding what is right for me. I am always thinking about that. My life turned around into something I didn’t expect, but also into something greater than I had ever imagined. I just want you to follow your heart, but to also know that it’s okay if you life changes several times. It happens. We never really know the future.I hope that my answer is acceptable and that you understand what I am trying to say to you. I just want the best for you, and only you can know what that is.

And wow, Latin and Ancient Greek is so cool! I actually want to learn those languages too, hehe. xD One of my dreams is to be able to read the Bible in its original languages.

Again, I do not mind your long answer! I was delighted, even! I am so happy to know more about you!

As for the answers to your questions:My favorite animal would have to be the owl, specifically the snowy owl, because I always thought that white-colored animals were cool. I am actually quite fond of the arctic fox as well. I like the owl because it is often associated with wisdom, and I am someone who is always interested in learning new things and in discovering new things about life. I like the arctic fox because of its beauty and as well as its mysterious aura. I always found it to be quite fascinating.My favorite place would have to be on a patch of grass. I don’t know how else to describe it. But I imagine it as a secluded area where I could just lie down and stare up at the sky, specifically up at the night sky. I’d actually love to just lie down and gaze at the stars with someone while just talking about life. I’ve never actually been to a place like this, but I’d like to someday, and it’s the place that came to mind when I read your question.My birthday is November 25. :)I actually turn twenty this year! :OYour birthday is September 17th, right? I actually saved it last year as the 16th on my calendar but I realize you’re a day ahead, haha. I’ll fix it soon.

My question for you today is: Who are your favorite kpop groups and your biases in each? Also, do you stan both boy groups and girl groups, or do you prefer to stan one or the other?

I hope you have a wonderful day, my lovely anonie! ^.^

#my lovely anonie