#especially flowers with Those Meanings and That Myth

[astrogre]

Aphrodite(1388) Beauty Indicators

What counts as Aphrodite(1388) beauty indicators:

Aphrodite in 1st house (YOU are appealing, this asteroid is simply who you are as this house represents you as a whole, physically and personal identity)

Aphrodite in 10th house (this is how you publicly appear to others at large, so if you have an asteroid here it kind of shows those themes come to mind in general when people think of you and what your reputation is associated with, imagine yourself as a concept, you perceived as a brand)

Aphrodite Conjunct Venus (your beauty and the way you style express yourself, you express your love and sense of beauty in similar ways, Venus also shows where we are most beautiful therefore the things that make you most beautiful are like Aphrodites)

VERY Strong indicators:

Aphrodite Conjunct ASC (it further amplifies because you become the physical embodiment of Aphrodite, no longer just a hint but may even be mistaken for her your form of expression and how you come across to all and most importantly yourself is just like Aphrodite)

Aphrodite Conjunct MC (same as 10H however it’s even more prominent, your Aphrodite characteristics may manifest or be needed for the job you do as well)

Aphrodite conjunct is at 0-2 orbs. Closer the orb more exactly like your appearance. 0 orb means Aphrodite is YOU to a T. Your physical appearance/public image/expression of oneself, if described with an adjective would be the asteroid itself.

2 or more of any of the previous Aphrodite indicators this asteroid is far too prominent in your chart to be an adjective to describe your beauty, it’s more like an epithet.

What kind of beauty you have:

- You embody the ideal beauty standards

- You shapeshift to appeal to the senses and pleasures of individuals who look at you

- People may struggle to define you by your appearance because you come across so differently to each person

- The allure (the buzz and positive talk of you) stands out more than what you put out to reality especially for Aphrodite asteroid in 10H/conjunct to MC

- You’re beauty is so rare that it’s unbelievable, people that hear of you described by others who know you may think you’re a myth or not real like a catfish or someone pretending to be real. Eg someone looking at your instagram may think you’re not real or if a guy is explaining you to his friends you sound too good to be true especially from the male gaze. That is until they meet you and realise you live up to their expectations and then the rumours of you further amplify as even MORE talk of you. If you start dating around jumping from man to man, people will gush over you

- You may pretend to be modest, demure and coincidentally sexually attractive yet your sexual attractiveness is purposefully intentional

this is based on aphrodites Greek and Latin scholars who wrote about the famous statue at Knidos on which it is based, says that Aphrodite’s facial expression and gesture show ‘false modesty’. She purposefully displays false modesty to look like her nudity and sexual allure is unintentional and just happens to be on her

- You show your beauty through your clothing perfumes and hair accessories. Aphrodite wore perfumed and silken garments, a crown of gold or flowers in her hair, and had expensive jewellery covering her body

- As time goes on you are more sexualised, no joke if you guys made a sex tape in your elder years you’d be like a trending milf dilf, especially with Capricorn, Saturn and 10H Aphrodite

Aphrodites depictions were always fully clothed until as centuries progressed the men that idolised her wanted to make her wear less and less, become sexier and sexier, they project their lustful thoughts on her and Aphrodite viewed it as compliments

- No matter what people may say about you, they cannot shake or change the fact that you are beautiful, they may also bring that up when talking about you behind your back if in 12H conjunct ascendant

- You have feminine curves which are shown best through draped clothing, you look best in clothes that drape to your skin and hug your curves

- No matter what you wear people will always see you nude or want to, they may sexualise you and you may subconsciously enjoy it because you feel desired and it feels good to know you’re making others feel pleasure just from looking at you

- You look best naked, your breast and hips may be most prominent and something men recognise you for and what garners admiration from women too. Women may look up to you as the standard and what they wished the looked like

Source: the idealization of womanhood in all her femininity; the Aphrodite sculpture, Praxiteles was mainly responsible for establishing the type-sensuous in its soft curves and voluptuousness.” (Morford 180). As told by Morford, the exaggeration of body parts, breasts mostly, became Aphrodite’s spotting mark in art

- You could have long hair, or your hair can be styled in a different way to other women, very distinct, it can be different from what others expect, your hair may be “immodest” like it looks like it’s uncovered, not domestic, you may put a lot accessories on it or do something specifically that makes it stand out and look better, it’s kind of “unintentionally” erotic.

- You look best in bodies of water, playing with your hair in water, when you’re showering, wringing your hair dry, you may get a lot of stares when you go to the beach just relaxing, or if you’re swimming. It’s something people could watch for a long time

- You love to accessorise excessively

- Men change the way they see you physically from your body to your face and hair, all just to fit their imagined ideal beauty standards. For an example: say a man may prefer brunettes, if you’re blonde, that man will imagine you with brown dark hair and romanticise it, from that point onward he can no longer see you as blonde no matter how blonde you are because the fantasy of an idolised you is so overwhelming

- Men fantasise about you a lot, women too. You invoke fear/admiration into women because of your appearance

- You represent the most ideal physical traits, you can be compared as the standard for others and people may put you on a pedestal so high that makes others want to be where you are but knowing they simply cannot as it’s not in their nature. Because competing against you would destroy them and they do not compare

- You may make people feel ashamed of themselves because you’re so uplifted and idealised by many

- You can adapt to the taste of the target/person you’re trying to seduce

- Your clothes and the way you style yourself enhance your features and make you look like someone who is wealthy and important of high status/nobility

- You are one of the most physically desired people to others

- Your physical appearance isn’t the only thing that makes you so beautiful, it’s the fact that everyone finds you desireable no matter who is looking.

Honestly when I think of Aphrodite I think of someone who is overly sexualised by men. Like they collectively came together and said THIS is what we like. She is the image of sex and desire because they put her there. And she likes it, which is probably why she is labelled as the god of sex, pleasure, love and beauty, it’s because she accepts all kinds of admiration from anyone. No matter how degrading or intensely it manifests. Do you too also accept love no matter how sexually degrading or intense it is? Do you have a tendency to expect to be glorified?

Source:

Link to the historical study of Aphrodites physical appearance

Homer, for example, said that the goddess could be recognized by her shining eyes and “desirable breasts.” Other writers gave her the epithet “Smile-Loving,” indicating that she often had a happy expression. More often, writers described Aphrodite’s beauty through her clothing. She wore perfumed and silken garments, a crown of gold or flowers in her hair, and had expensive jewelry covering her body. most of what we know about Aphrodite’s looks must be drawn from the art of the period.

gain, the representations leave much room for interpretation. The one aspect they have in common is that, fittingly, Aphrodite was shown as beautiful.

This usually meant that she had feminine curves, which were often accentuated by closely-draped clothing. When she was dressed it was often only partially, but the goddess was just as often shown in the nude.

She usually had long hair that was left at least partially down, in contrast to the more demure, covered hair of matronly and domestic goddesses. A favorite subject of classical artists was the emergence of Aphrodite from the sea, in which she was sometimes shown wringing the water out of her long hair.

Sculptors had more freedom than painters to imagine the goddess in different poses and situations. Often these poses emphasized her feminine shape and attractiveness to the male gaze. As the goddess of beauty, she represented the most desirable female form possible.

She often changed her appearances to suit her purposes.

This shape-shifting also allowed artists to portray her in a way that reflected the physical idea of their own time and place. Aphrodite could have dark hair in one place and be blonde in another.

Thus, our modern interpretation of Aphrodite has been filtered through the ideals of female beauty from not only Greece and Rome, but long after as well. Medieval artists gave her a high forehead and Renaissance painters showed her with flowing blonde hair because those were the ideals of their times. The written descriptions of Aphrodite were open-ended enough to allow artists to show her in a way they thought was beautiful for centuries. While later artists were influenced by the paintings and sculptures of Rome and Greece, they had the license to show the goddess of beauty in a way that made sense within their own cultures.

Most often, Aphrodite’s clothing and jewelry were described in greater detail than her body or facial features. The richness of her garments and adornments both enhanced her features and signalled her nobility.

The lack of written detail meant that artists were able to portray Aphrodite in a way they felt was beautiful. While these typically followed certain conventions, these conventions could vary between regions and time periods. Aphrodite/Venus was therefore shown with certain marks of beauty that had persisted from the ancient world, but also with the features and clothing considered ideal in the artists’ own times. She could be recognized not by a specific feature, but by her desirabilithy.

#astrology #astro notes #astro posts #astro placements #astro #astroblr #aphrodite #Aphrodite asteroid #astrology placements #sex astrology #astro community #astrology aspects #Aphrodite Conjunct Venus #Aphrodite 1st house #Aphrodite 10th house #Aphrodite Conjunct ascendant #Aphrodite astrology #astro observations #astrology observations #learning astrology #ascendant #10th house #1st house #asteroid astrology

[genericpuff]

What are your thoughts on LO Krokos and LO Ampelus (Psyche) ?

These two male mythological figures, who had a gay relationship with gods, turned into female characters ! If they weren't included (especially since Dionysus is still a baby here), I wouldn't mind. But just using those names like that TWICE is strange, right ?

It's also weird how LO turns two virgin goddesses into lesbians, but don't even implement the canon gay relationships.

Can you find an explanation?

I mean I can't really offer an explanation because obviously I have no way of really seeing into Rachel's head, but it's definitely a choice that she's taken so many gods and characters from Greek myth and turned them into something else entirely, it feels very random and, in the case of the gods who were canonically gay/queer/etc. ... it's hard to ignore and give benefit of the doubt.

Another example is Persephone's therapist, Chiron, who's not just gender bent, but also put into the role of being a therapist ?? Which is like, okay, fine, but like... what is this accomplishing besides vaguely referencing Chiron's affiliation with medicine LOL

(this wound up turning into a bit of an essay so I'm including a jump to make it easier for scrollers lol)

To me, it just feels like it really cements Rachel as not being as well-read in Greek myth as she claims to be, because so much of the actual Greek myth in this comic is either taken directly from first results on Google (see: Zeus' definition of xenia which is taken straight from a Princeton study guide from 2004) and slapped haphazardly into the comic where it's convenient, OR it's just vaguely referenced at even if it's not being properly utilized (like she saw 'Chiron, wise centaur' and went "yeah cool she can be the therapist character!"). I have zero explanation or even assumption as to why she'd turn Crocus, a male lover of Hermes, into Krokos the flower nymph, or why she'd choose to use Ampelus as the name Psyche adopts after being turned into a nymph (which also didn't happen in the original myth). These are "creative choices" that come across as less creative and more just random attempts to make her seem smart.

Like, to a surface level reader or someone who's new to the series, it might seem neat and subversive (it definitely did to me back when I started reading and fell in love with it), but then you actually get further in and peel back the layers and go, "wait, she's just grabbing Greek names that are affiliated with real Greek heroes and gods and characters at random-" and it gets especially ick when it commits queer erasure in the process.

Don't get me wrong, I think having fun with character designs and swapping them or changing them up is perfectly fine, that's the fun of re-interpreting old stories, it's not that on its own that's the issue. It's just that these re-interpreted characters have literally NOTHING to do with the characters that she's basing them on. At least in Punderworld where Charon is a woman, she's still a psychopomp who ferries souls to the Underworld, her being gender-bent doesn't change much because her character and role in the story is still largely the same. Or like in Hadestown how the Underworld is more of a coalmine with Hades running it as a business, instead of the River Styx being a literal river it's a brick wall that protects the Underworld from outsiders ("and they call it freedom"). In both of these examples, they're taking the source material and making it fun and new, while still respecting the source material they're taking it from and keeping it on theme with that source material.

By comparison, Rachel just creates these character references and that's where it ends, they're just references and they don't do anything new or interesting with them, they're not even adjacent to what they're referencing. So we wind up with Chiron being a therapist, Ampelus being the nymph version of Psyche, the Fates looking and acting the exact same as each other even though they had different roles to play between Past, Present, and Future, and Aphrodite's children who... are literally made up from scratch, instead of pulling from the actual real children that Aphrodite had loads of in the original myths.

So many of Rachel's writing choices feel like attempts to be "subversive" when they're not, they're just random. Nothing about the things she changes from the original source material does anything to further explore that source material, it's just yoinking things at random to try and seem more Greek while also further separating her work from legitimate Greek culture. Even when you THINK something is about to be retold in an interesting way, it's very promptly either swept under the rug or veered off in a whole other direction that makes zero sense for what it set up (ex. Echo, what the fuck happened to Echo-)

It's very "ideas first, structure never" writing, she comes up with standalone ideas that sound good in isolation, until she actually tries to execute them and connect them and you realize they have no through line or reason to exist the way they do. It's giving real hard "first draft" vibes, so much of what Rachel chose to do should have been left on the cutting room floor (meanwhile the things that supposedly did get left on the cutting room floor SHOULD HAVE BEEN KEPT IN THE COMIC, ex. Hera's coat prophecy, Hades and Persephone having a date in the Underworld where she decides she might want to go into law, etc.)

Ugh. This got longer than I intended it to. It's just frustrating. I have inspiration to write that essay about queer erasure in LO now, at least. So yeah, hold on tight for that one LMAO

#ama #ask me anything #anon ama #anon ask me anything #lore olympus critical #lo critical #anti lore olympus

[angsthology]

𖤓 intro to camellia ayudisha (ft. the commentary by yours truly)

-> series masterlist

Camellia, oh, Camellia.

She is as pretty as her namesake and as delicate as its petals.

If Jupiter was a hail-storm disrupting one’s lives (the so-called journalists are very dramatic, they should try writing a screenplay instead), Camellia was the gentle breeze in the early morning greeting your skin. If Jupiter has the sky and storm in her control, Camellia was the wind god that has control over whether or not your hair is going to stick to your lip gloss.

Not everyone can understand her beauty but anyone who does has been blessed with the right retinas.

Her presence is one that people debate whether she should be driving at all when she feels like royalty (and let’s be honest, a passenger princess), someone in deserving to the throne under that crown.

She is the person you think of when you hear the phrase ‘pretty girl’. Fitting to her name, she looked like she was hand-picked in the prettiest flower field; sweet dark chocolate-colored eyes under her long lashes (everyone, me included, very jealous of those) — her dark, once black hair turned brown from her continuous sun exposure (especially the one that is in her hometown), her skin that warm-toned tan color. And you could never miss her delicate face, cheekbones high and visible on her round face—(something everyone goes crazy for? Post-race glistens where all of her light makeup is either gone or has become one with her skin giving her face that glow).

When people throw around the term ‘Grid Princess’ it only truly sticks to her and only truly serious with her.

Everyone knows the story, the ‘myth’ of Camellia Ayudisha; had her father not meet her mother, had he not marry her, had he not created Camellia, she would be a princess—well, she’d also be nonexistent but if she did exist—she does, but under different circumstances—she would be.

You get what I mean.

She is how one might say… perfect.

The perfect role model, perfect ‘intro’ of sorts, the perfect woman.

She was, the firs and foremost of ‘her kind’, she set the path for women in motorsports, and there was no one better to do it than her. She is perfect.

Perfect Camellia is the media angel, perfect Camellia would never go against the rules, perfect Camellia would never out-do her teammate in equal machinery. (well, she still did.)

The perfect male fantasy as to what a female Formula One driver should be.

Well, she was perfect to them. For the first three years of her career, she was as well-behaved as everyone expected her to be, she didn’t fail anyone’s expectations. The perfect fantasy.

“WHAT IS THIS? Camellia Ayudisha’s Toro Rosso has overtaken Nico Rosberg in the Mercedes! If she keeps this up for a few more seconds she will be making history as the first ever woman to win a Formula One Grand Prix… Oh my Goodness! SHE CROSSES THE FINISH LINE! THE CHECKERED FLAG HAS WAVED FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS WEEKEND! CAMELLIA AYUDISHA HAS WON THE TWO-THOUSAND-SIXTEEN JAPANESE GRAND PRIX!” the commentator yells into his mic, cheers following in the background at what just happened.

The crowd was loud with their gasps and cheers, even those who weren’t her supporters managed to had the jaws slack.

Her radio was much worse,

“THAT IS P1! MEL, YOU JUST WON A GRAND PRIX! YOU’RE THE FIRST WOMAN IN HISTORY TO WIN A GRAND PRIX! CONGRATULATIONS! P1 oh I can’t take this, take it in Mel… you’ve just made history.” Her engineer and entire team celebrated in her ears, prompting tears to form in her eyes.

When they heard her voice again, her emotions were contagious, “Demi apa… Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God… I did that…” her voice giving away her tears. “I can’t believe it…”

“Oh, you best believe it, this is your day! A day for women and girls everywhere, we all thank you.”

“Okay, Ray, I mean this in the nicest way possible… please shut up.”

And when they thought she was done talking to cry by herself, they were wrong.

“THIS IS FOR YOU MALIQ!” she cried into the radio, saying the words with her Indonesian accent heavy on her tongue.

They’ve just witnessed history live in front of their eyes.

Then there are the luckiest interviewers to have been blessed to get her first few words minutes by the history-maker herself.

Right after she was done getting weighed, Camellia walked over to her post-race interview. Her mouth in a permanent smile, one might mistake her for having just inhaled glue with her entire face.

“Look at you!” the interviewer greeted happily, “You’re glowing!”

She laughed lightly, “First time I’m hearing that. Thankfully not in a different circumstance…” her comment making the reporter and herself crack another laugh.

“No, seriously, you’re beautiful!” she can only smile at the compliment, “I guess winning does that to one, huh?”

She chuckled again, “I guess so…”

All-the-while she didn’t realize the visible tears that had ran down her cheeks, the tears that were still running down.

“Are you crying?” he asked with a light-hearted laugh.

When it came to her attention, Camellia immediately wiped it away and looked at the tear on her knuckle, “I can’t stop it, I swear…” she replied with the same light-hearted laugh.

“You just made history! I wouldn’t be able to stop crying too if I were you!”

It was known from then on, Camellia was not afraid to show emotion, her vulnerability. She took it all with great pride.

Many says she was ‘weak’ but more stated that she was unafraid, she was fearless.

“Wow, look at that, only nineteen-years-old and had just marked her spot in history by winning her first Grand Prix.” The commentator narrated as the dark-haired girl was seen walking towards the podium with the 1st cap in one hand and the other pushing her hair back.

“Even the way she walks, just look at her! So elegant.” As she stepped on the top podium, teeth shining with her smile. So sweet, so beautiful.

“Now let’s hear it for the Indonesian national anthem.”

The smile on her face was the smile no one has seen before — which was saying a lot cause Camellia smiles for ninety percent of her life.

As her anthem plays, she removes her winner’s crown only for it to be replaced with the sun as if she wore a halo as her crown.

To the world, she could’ve done no wrong.

Until,

Ugh, until…

Jupiter Nightshade once again ‘ruined something that was once great’. — the media claimed.

Maybe there was always a flame inside of Camellia that the world had yet to see before ever in her Formula One career, a flame that was only set the season she met the rookie in Renault.

When the rookie won the driver’s championship in a Renault—it triggered something in her.

A rookie… had won… a championship before her. —In a Renault of all things! The first Renault driver with a championship since 2006! That was three histories she made in her first year.

In the early days of 2019, after months-long silence from the driver and her team, emotions and tension bubbled over the internet over their radio silence.

Until eventually, it broke out:

BREAKING: Camellia Ayudisha to leave Red Bull.

BREAKING: Camellia Ayudisha to join Mercedes in 2019.

That’s when all hell broke loose.

The reactions to her move grew opinions from the internet.

One spoke, ‘I need to lie down.’ (me too, and I did kinda) — another yelled, ‘her and Lewis as teammates… SIR LEWIS HAMILTON AND THE PRINCESS, I won.’ (they do look beautiful together, who doesn’t love colonizer and colonizee royals as teammates) — unfortunately another man spat; ‘who does she think she is? Red Bull quite literally boosted her career.’ (she is Camellia and she did everything she has achieved herself, thank you very much and shut the fuck up.) — but when a man speaks (again, unfortunately) another person (as delusionally great they are) says; ‘CAMELLIA AYUDISHA 2019 WDC!’ (I like the spirit and enthusiasm, keep it up, you’re going to need it.) — ‘damn, no more Indonesian colonial times teammates [broken heart emoji]’ (I mean, well. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to say to that.) — and you obviously cannot forget the ones who is always going to be there for her; ‘I’m glad she left, I did not like the way they treated her there. To hell with that rocket ship, as long as she’s happy and okay that’s all I’m going to need for now.’ (she appreciates that a lot).

I mean, it’s not like any of that will matter, Camellia was known to be chronically offline. A grass-toucher, if you will. But by her profession, you could say gravel-toucher… enough.

Her name eventually became the equivalent to ‘surprise’. ‘Cause somehow, just somehow… she shocked the world again the time 2021 came around.

BREAKING: Audi to join Formula One for the 2021 season.

Carlos Sainz Jr. to drive alongside Camellia Ayudisha in Audi for the 2021 season.

The Royalty, the Flower, L’Angelo; Dewa Ayu Camellia Anisha Primaningtyas.

not proofread | taglist; @disneyprincemuke @eugene-emt-roe @nikfigueiredo @treehouse-mouse @sadieurlady @trouble-sistar @almostjollypizza + ask to be added (crossed out means i cant tag you)

#f1 fanfic #f1 imagine #formula one x oc #formula one #formula 1 #formula 1 x original character #formula 1 x you #formula 1 x female character #f1 smau #formula 1 smau #formula one smau #formula 1 x oc #f1 x driver!reader #f1 x you #tine’s the big three #f1 x original character

[ladytauria]

For the aak game: jaytim greek mythology au? (Or any mythology really, your pick)

thank you kriz!!!!!

this ended up. so much longer than 5 facts xD i love mythology, esp greek mythology lol.

i played around with a couple of different myths, but eventually i settled on hades & persephone bc. it’s my favorite <3

tim is the god of the dead. it’s a lonely and often thankless job, especially as few of the other gods care to venture into his domain. however, it’s also a responsibility he takes seriously. he’s something of a workaholic, actually, though every so often dick or one of his other friends will manage to drag him away to have some fun.

jason is the god of spring. bruce, king of the gods, is… protective of him. he has been ever since jason’s life was almost taken (or perhaps was; maybe jason was a demigod elevated to godly status after death? idk). it’s something jason appreciated once, when things were fresh, but now… he finds it stifling. he’s constantly escaping to the mortal realm, to spend time around humanity and away from the pressures of mount justice. bruce always drags him back, & they fight. loudly.

when the itch to run off again returns, it’s either during or just after one of tim’s rare visits. he’s never spent much time around tim; viewing him as dour, condescending, and stuck-up. however, he knows that bruce never goes down to the underworld, which means… sneaking off to tim’s is a pretty good way to make sure he’ll be able to actually get away for a bit. for as long as he wants, even.

he thought he’d be able to stay hidden. unfortunately, tim’s power down below is absolute, & jason is noticed as soon as he enters… though tim doesn’t approach until he realizes jason doesn’t intend to leave. jason is sure tim will hand him off to bruce & is initially defensive, but tim is genuinely curious about his presence, & gives him time to explain himself.

though tim is loyal to bruce, he’s never had qualms about disobeying him or even flat out lying to him when he feels bruce is being an idiot. in this case, he definitely feels bruce is being an idiot, and so… he invites jason to stay. jason accepts, gratefully—though suspiciously, too.

jason thought he would grow bored or lonely down here (a small price to pay for his freedom) but… he doesn’t. just like above, there are thousands of mortals to learn from and talk to, but here their knowledge spans the breadth of centuries. they’re happy to share with a willing ear, and jason absorbs their knowledge like a flower sucks up sunlight. if that wasn’t enough, the underworld is large, too; there are so many areas to explore & visit.

tim initially believes he’ll see little of jason. at first, he thinks jason will grow tired of the realm, and leave it. then, when that doesn’t happen, he figures jason will be so busy exploring and talking that he’ll have little time for tim himself. he doesn’t mind, really. it’s nice to have someone pay so much attention to his realm and those in it. even nicer when that someone is a god that tim genuinely admires, even likes. he’s been drawn to jason’s warmth and kindness from the beginning; fallen deeper for his wit & intellect at every meeting he attends. so. he’s content to simply keep a vague eye on jason as he wanders the realm, and not engage further.

jason, however, finds himself getting involved in tim’s side of things, too. a lot of it is bureaucracy, which bruce used to let him help with, but these days—they fight so much its impossible. not that he and tim don’t butt heads, especially at first. tim is used to doing everything himself, and jason is used to being second guessed and having to fight for every scrap of respect he gets. but more and more, they start to work together. tim respects jason, even if he tends to take the reins more often than not without realizing it. before long, they find themselves sort of… co-ruling, without even realizing it.

it’s during these moments—and those outside of it, when jason persuades tim to show him the underworld, instead of stumbling around blindly—that jason finds himself falling for tim. he’s not as dour as jason thought. there’s a sense of humor there; with a bit of an edge, that jason delights in. he’s not stuffy, either. he is condescending, sometimes, but that’s mostly the lack of social skills. jason can work with that. he’s dedicated to his job, to the people he watches over. he’s kind, and smart, and he listens. he challenges jason, too. debating him is fun. he doesn’t try to shield jason from the darker parts of the realm, either, trusting that jason can hold his own. it’s nice. really nice.

so nice that jason loses track of time. bruce has been tearing apart the mortal world, looking for him; growing increasingly frustrated when he can’t find him. it’s causing problems. mortals are dying. tim & jason do notice the influx of dead, but are unaware of the problem—until dick shows up. he figured out pretty quickly where jason went, but has kept his mouth shut so far. he knows what it’s like to need some time away from bruce. but now, with bruce’s temper escalating with his worry, it’s time for jason to come home.

jason is furious when he finds out what bruce has been doing. he storms back up to mt justice, tim in tow, to have it out with bruce. it’s probably their worst fight yet. bruce hates that jason has been in the underworld. at least his power reaches the mortal realm. down there? he has little influence. doesn’t help, too, that many of the gods’ enemies are imprisoned down there, possibly including the one who hurt jason. it goes around & around in circles until finally, jason tells him that bruce can shove it. he’s in love with tim & bruce can’t keep him from leaving.

ofc bruce immediately has to try, decreeing that they’re forbidden from seeing one another. jason just grins. after all, he has an ace up his sleeve. he brought with him food from the underworld—or, more specially, some pomegranate seeds. and while staring bruce straight in the eyes, he swallows six of them.

it’s not just that this is a fruit from the underworld, though. it’s one grown by jason, with his powers. his essence, twined with tim’s. and by swallowing that, he’s bound himself to tim—or, rather, to the place of his power. he is half a creature of mt justice; half of the underworld. now it doesn’t matter what godly decrees bruce makes. he cannot keep jason from his own domain.

away from bruce, jason is a little less confident in his scheme. tim, however, is pleased with jason’s solution. (he maybe found jason’s defiance more than a little attractive, too.) he asks jason if he���d like to make his claim on tim’s domain even more official, and marry him.

jason says yes, obviously.

[ au ask game ]

#this one ran away from me TuT #thank u sm for asking kriz #jaytim #my posts #au asks #asks and answers #krizariel

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

looking very closely at the website neighborhood and here's some little things i noticed (plus some overthinking & flower symbolism):

~ the only butterflies on the "map" are the ones outside of Frank's house, and the single one outside of Eddie's.

~~ i think the flowers outside of Eddie's are either hyacinths or lavender. given that the flowers are different colors, they're probably hyacinths. which is a Fascinating choice to me, because hyacinths can symbolize regret, devotion (especially beyond death), love, forgiveness, and jealousy - depending on the flower color. Eddie has light blue, dark blue, and purple. The butterfly is landing on the purple one (sorrow, mourning, forgiveness, regret, devoted love).

~~ its also Fascinating because the myth behinds hyacinths is about the greek god Apollo and his (male) human lover, Hyacinthus. they were playing discus (metal frisbee). Apollo threw the discus too hard, and it bounced back and hit Hyacinthus, killing him. devastated, Apollo grew the hyacinth flower from Hyacinthus' spilled blood. SO THE FACT THAT EDDIE, GAY PUPPET EDDIE, HAS HYACINTH FLOWERS OUTSIDE THE POST OFFICE IS UM. INCH RESTING!

~~ (also also in the myth, Apollo wanted to rescind his immortality to join Hyacinthus in his death. and in an alternate version of the myth, Hyacinthus was technically murdered, because Zephyrus was jealous that Apollo preferred a mortal over him & purposefully blew the discus off course to strike Hyacinthus. things to think about. yes, in this whole myth metaphor im viewing Eddie as Hyacinthus and Frank as Apollo. do with this what you will)

~ All of the trees in the neighborhood are in the same general style, except for the tree outside of Sally's home, which is a pine tree. i wonder why!

~ the only buildings with second floors are Barnaby's, Frank's, Sally's, and Poppy's homes. rip the "wally falls down the stairs" memes

~ there's a teeny tiny Home in the post office display window

~ Julie's house has quite a lot of heart symbolism. like, a weird amount. an amount to the point where i now have an entire theory around what her role and arc might be. i Will talk about it with minimal prompting.

~ one of the swingset balloons has a happy face balloon with its eyes closed, which stands out to me (and fuels my julie theory)

~ the only neighbors who don't have flowers outside of their buildings are Sally, Julie (disregarding decoration), and Howdy.

~ Poppy has daffodils, which symbolize rebirth, new beginnings, resilience, and hope. however, they have a negative side of selfishness.

~ Barnaby has red, yellow, and blue tulips. red means undying love, admiration, and truth. yellow means "there's sunshine in your smile", joy, happiness, friendship - But it can also mean unrequited love or jealousy. Blue means individuality, trust, and good luck

~~ note that there's a dead/trampled white tulip. white tulips symbolize sorrow, "my condolences", apology, honor, purity, faith.

~ Frank has sunflowers, daisies, and some others, but those i think are more generic, unspecific flowers for added decoration. i couldn't find a "red flower on vine" that fits the general look of the ones on his house. now, sunflowers symbolize adoration, loyalty, longevity, happiness (also, might i add that these flowers are from another greek myth about apollo, this one where Apollo turns a jealous nymph into a sunflower for snitching on his mortal lover, which got her (the lover) killed. inch resting indeed.)

~~ also blue daisies, which i am assuming are the blue flowers outside his house, symbolize freedom, trust, loyalty, confidence, and honesty. lots of positivity surrounding Frank's house!

~ Wally has daisies. these symbolize innocence, purity, new beginnings, hope, and affection. it can also symbolize the ability to keep a secret. a fun fact i found interesting is the word daisy comes from an old english word meaning "day's eye."

~~ do i believe these flower choices were purposeful? maybe. probably. it does seem strange that there are specific, distinct flowers drawn in equally specific parts of the "map", while a couple of generic "cartoon" style flowers are sprinkled throughout

~ three green apples are growing on the tree next to Howdy's Place

~ it stands out to me that the bodega window above the fruit stands is completely blacked out. no window shine or nothing

~ Sally's "yard" is weirdly barren. everyone else's buildings (excluding Home) has several things decorating the surrounding area. all she has is a spotlight and a tree.

~ Barnaby's house having paint all over it (and a paintbrush & can next to it) is just cute to me. it makes me think that he wanted to paint like his lil' buddy Wally and just went ham with it. or it was a team effort between them<3

~ it took me a while to notice the tiny "Eddie's" painted above Post Office. it gives the vibe (to me) of him tacking on the "Eddie's" to make the office feel more like his. maybe he saw the sign "Howdy's Place" and decided to paint his name on his building to make himself feel more established and at home

~ there's something on / part of Frank's roof. i don't know what it is. if anyone has an idea please tell me its driving me insane. at first i thought it was a chimney but theres two? making an additional symmetrical structure? idk!!

~ there are only three buildings with straight up rainbows. Eddie's post office (hanging from the roof and in the window), Sally's house (the entire front), and Frank's house (butterfly on the door wreath. i almost didn't catch it, it's a sneaky one!)

#conclusion: i am definitely overthinking but being proven wrong through discovery is half of the fun #(and turning out to be either right on the money or even partially-right is the other half of the fun) #its just!!! its really strange how fitting some of the flower choices are!! #eddie has flowers that are 'from' a greek myth about tragic gay love. #barnaby has a trampled tulip that is often used as a sympathy funeral flower. along with all of his other character references to death #frank has one of the few flowers other than hyacinths that directly links to a greek myth where apollo's mortal lover dies tragically #(which is just a weird coincidence if you ask me. the canon lovers both having greek myth apollo based tragic love flowers) #wally has flowers that symbolize keeping secrets and whos etymology is literally 'days eye'. him. the eye contact connoisseur #who's from something that puts emphasis on daytime while spurning night as something forbidden #ITS JUST!!!! WHY DOES IT FIT SO WELL!!!! #either these are some craaaaazy coinkydinks or this was Purposeful. #my flower-symbolism loving ass is chewing on this like a rabid dog #welcome home #welcome home puppet show #welcome home speculation

[truebluemenace]

I'm thinking about Sonic going from just a regular guy, to becoming a rumor, then a myth, then a legend, then, eventually, a deity of sorts.

Like, okay, he's still a normal dude. That is, if normal dudes can run at the speed of sound and harness ultimate power to defeat gods and titans.

But the more people he saves, the more people learn about him. And I would have to imagine that Sonic as a figure feels very mythical to the average person, especially if they've never met him.

This guy protects the planet and has saved it from monumental threats and he has never once demanded anything in return, not even recognition for his actions. And nobody, save for a very small few, knows anything about him.

When crises happen, the average person starts hoping for Sonic to show up and save them all. As time goes on, these hopes evolve into something more like prayers.

When Sonic dies, memorials are created around the planet for the fallen hero. It's strange to think that he's actually gone, even in the aftermath of Eggman's conquests. People visit these memorials and leave flowers or other small gifts, in honor of the hedgehog who saved them all time and time again, and they almost feel more like tribute.

Sonic comes back to life and these memorials become more like holy sites. Just because Sonic's alive doesn't mean there isn't still this drive to treat these places like temples, temples where Sonic is their deity.

It makes Sonic uncomfortable when he starts to come across them, while the Restoration is still fixing the planet. People making offerings and praying in his name, thanking him for protecting the planet and asking him to continue to do so. What's even worse is when these types of people meet him directly, and he has to deal with his worshippers falling at his feet.

He liked it a whole lot better when he was dodging interviews and autographs. He never wanted anything like this.

When he discusses it with his friends, they generally agree that yeah, it is pretty weird. But it also feels like many of them look at him differently these days, too.

Especially Knuckles.

They have a conversation about it once.

"Do you know what makes something a god?" Knuckles had asked.

"Well, I've fought a few of them, so I should probably know," Sonic joked, catching the way Knuckles' frown deepened in a lack of amusement. "Well, they all tend to have a lot of power."

"Sure, but where do you think that power comes from?"

"Uh, chaos energy?"

Knuckles sighed. "It's more than that. Look at Shadow. He's got loads of chaos energy, but you wouldn't consider him a god, would you?"

"I don't know, he is supposedly immortal."

"Sonic."

"What?" Sonic put his hands up. "I don't get your point, Knux. Why are you even asking me this?"

"Gods are formed from worship."

Sonic froze. It hit him immediately what Knuckles was implying. He forces out a chuckle. "I don't think a few misguided people treating me like some otherworldly force means anything, pal."

"You know it's not just a few people, Sonic. This is a global thing that's happening."

Sonic waved a hand. "It'll die down, trust me. It's all just because I was gone for six months and magically seemed to come back. The average person doesn't know the full story."

The full story was this: Sonic didn't feel like a deity. Those six months were the worst experience of his life, and now that he was in the aftermath he still felt bad more often than not. He hid it well, but his time imprisoned and tortured had left its mark, the way he flinched at shadows and shied away from physical contact even worse than before, even as he craved it more than he ever had in his life.

He'd always felt unstoppable, a side effect of his speed, he imagined. And then he was stopped, and the illusion he had viewed himself through shattered.

He had never felt more small. He felt even further from a god than ever.

It didn't help that the world fell apart in his absence. Dealing with guilt on top of everything else wasn't helpful.

"Listen, Knux," Sonic said, letting his tone grow serious. "Don't bring this up with anyone else, okay? The last thing we need is for people to start acting more weird around me. This craziness needs to just blow over."

Knuckles looked at him intensely, studying his expression. Sonic didn't know what he saw, but he sighed. "Fine, I won't. But I still--"

"Great, thanks! I gotta go, I'll see you around!"

"Sonic, wait--!" Knuckles called out too late, the wind rushing past him as Sonic took off, speeding away before the echidna could get another word in.

He didn't get a chance to tell Sonic that his chaos energy signature had started to feel different.

#sonic #sonic the hedgehog #sth #my writing #sonic headcanons #<- kinda. i guess this is more of an au

[neversetyoufree]

Ok gang, so while I've talked a lot on here about VnC's recurring Vanitas painting allusion, I don't think I've ever actually talked in detail about my favorite example of that reference, so it's time to do the thing.

I am obsessed with the cover of the first volume, and I think you should be too. It's the perfect introduction of Vanitas as a man doomed to death, executed entirely through symbolism.

To start off, for those of you unfamiliar, a brief introduction to the concept of Vanitas art: Vanitas paintings are artistic reminders of the inevitability of death and the futility of all earthly pleasures. A Vanitas can technically be any form of art, but still life paintings are the most common variant by far.

Vanitas still life paintings were most commonly done in 16th and 17th century Europe. They use specific symbolism to evoke the images of death, the ever-ticking clock of time, and the transience/inevitable decay of the fine things in life. They often place images of the decadent and luxurious next to the rotten and dead in order to remind the viewer that death is always there waiting, no matter what pleasures you may have. This was, of course, a deeply Christian art movement. 16th and 17th century protestants were very invested in reminding themselves and others that pleasure (and even life itself) was futile and transient in the eyes of death and god.

I promise I'm going to relate this art history lesson back to Vnc soon.

The most common symbols in Vanitas paintings include, among others, books, maps, and instruments (symbols of worldly knowledge); jewelry and gold (symbols of wealth and power); bones, especially skulls (symbols of death); fruits and flowers (luxuries subject to quick decay); and clocks, hourglasses, and burning candles (symbols of the passage of time).

Fun fact: Mochijun once did a Gangan Joker cover featuring Vanitas and Jeanne hooking up in front of a Vanitas still life.

If you think about it, the presence of the still life there kind of turns this cover into a Vanitas painting in its own right, but that's a deep dive for another day. In the meantime, let's look again at the volume 1 cover:

The frame that Vanitas is sitting in here is covered in images from Vanitas paintings. In particular, it very heavily features bones and flowers, which are two of the most common Vanitas symbols. Bones are the very direct reminders of death, especially skulls, and flowers are something beautiful and pleasant that decays quickly.

The frame also includes a crown (luxury and wealth made meaningless by the presence of death),

butterflies (living things that are beautiful but incredibly fragile and brief),

and what I'm fairly sure are pomegranates (fruit as another example of luxury subject to decay).

Plus, though you can't see it on the front cover itself, the exact same frame is replicated for volume 1's inner cover illustration, and guess what's on the bottom under Vanitas's leg.

It's an hourglass! The symbol of time's eternal running out, and one that is very deeply tied to Vanitas as a character.

Beyond the fact that these images are commonly found in Vanitas paintings, almost all of them have further significance and meaning. The traditional uses of the flowers featured are very relevant, pomegranates have the Persephone myth, butterflies have their own established symbolism in vnc, and the way that crown is bolted onto the center skull is also important. However, each of those could be a meta post in their own right, and this post is already long enough, so for now I'm going to focus on the simple fact that these are Vanitas images.

Because the thing is, the inclusion of Vanitas painting imagery in this cover is really just what sets the groundwork for my favorite part of it. By introducing the idea of Vanitas paintings via these images, then putting Vanitas the character inside a picture frame, Mochijun suggests that Vani himself *is* a piece of Vanitas art.

Every volume cover features a version of this frame motif, but volume 1 is the only one in which the featured character is within the frame in this way. Vanitas is perched on it and almost entirely contained, as though he's coming from within it, and the background suggests much the same thing. With the stark white of everything outside of the frame, it doesn't look like an empty frame that you can see through to the other side of (the way Noé looks on the volume 3 cover). It looks like volume 1's Vani has climbed out of a painting.

Thus, with the symbols decorating the frame putting Vanitas paintings in our minds and Vani himself held within the frame, he becomes a piece of Vanitas art, and that fits the story perfectly. Vanitas the man is a walking, talking Vanitas. A human reminder of death. And that's why he's called that.

I've talked before about how I suspect other vampires called Luna "Vanitas" because they served as a living, breathing reminder of futility and death for crimson vamps, and Vanitas took his name from them. So on an in-universe level, it makes sense for Vanitas to be called that because he has taken on the role of "death symbol to crimson vamps." But even more interestingly than that, on a more metal level, his whole life is eventually going to become a reminder of death and futility for those close to him.

The story of Vnc is the story of Noé and Vanitas's relationship. It's Noé's memoir of their time together and his case study of Vanitas as a man. They've only grown closer and more important to each other as the story has progressed, and I doubt that's going to change. Vanitas is a great source of joy and color in Noé's life.

Vanitas is also going to die at the end of the story. From the very first chapter, we have known that Vanitas's end is coming and that all of that joy and closeness is going to do nothing to stop his demise. And that is the futility of Earthly passion in the face of the inevitable creep of death. That is the reminder that no amount of joy or pleasure can avert the end of all things. That is the setup for a powerful reminder for Noé and the others at the end of the story. Death comes for us all and will render your pleasures moot, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Furthermore, Vani's inevitable end won't just serve as a Vanitas, a reminder of death, for the characters of Vnc. It also serves the same function for the audience. In fact, I'd argue that since Vnc is the case study of Vanitas (the character), and the character is a living (for now) Vanitas, Vnc itself functions as a piece of Vanitas art. It's Vanitases all the way down.

Vani's oncoming death at the end of the story carries the exact same lesson for the audience that it does the other characters he meets, and that's what makes Vnc a piece of Vanitas art. As a story, it's exciting and it's sexy. The art is a feast for the eyes, the settings lush and almost every character beautiful. And yet, the cold, painful reality of death waits inescapably at the end. What is that if not the manga equivalent of a painting of stunning finery with a skeletal hand lurking in the background?

And of course, it's not like Mochijun is a 17th century protestant. I don't think she's trying to teach her readers a lesson about the meaninglessness and vanity of earthly pursuits so that we'll devote ourselves to god. However, I've always read Vnc as a tragedy, and futility is a fundamental mechanic of many tragedies. All the pleasures Vani has experienced will be inevitably erased by death. All his relationships will be forever marked by one-sidedness and grief. And that's because his story is tragic, and no matter how much he heals from his traumas, he cannot take himself off the path toward death.

But it's not like every character in Vnc is sitting within the frames on their covers. And though Noé and the others will be marked by tragedy in the sense that they will suffer Vanitas's death, not every individual character arc in Vnc must necessarily be tragic.

This is the case study of one instance that encapsulates the ideas of a Vanitas. It is the story of Noé experiencing Vani the man and reacting to his death. It doesn't mean that futility and death are the only lessons that Noé learns through that experience. And though the central theme is bleak and heavy, the manga itself is about the beauty and pleasure experienced on the way to death as much as it is about the death itself.

The love and joy and sensuality is all tangled up with the death in Vnc, and neither can be extracted from the other. It is beautiful and fun and it is a piece of Vanitas art, and none of that is contradictory. You cannot have one without the other, and that means that death can never be escaped.

So on the cover of volume 1, Vanitas the man becomes a living piece of Vanitas art, sitting within a frame that is covered in Vanitas art, within a manga that is in itself a piece of Vanitas art. And that's why it's my favorite illustration from this series.

#and that's also why vanitas the man is going to die #well not the only reason. but one of many #not change or die symbolically. but actually literally irreversibly die #and I. for one. am looking forward to it #vnc #vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #english major hours #vanitas #vanitas my beloved #ID in alt text #this is one of those posts where I just kinda went into a fugue state for a while and came back to 1400 words #and now I am. So Tired

[pinkandpurple360]

IDK if it’s a hot take but I actually like Asmodeus as a softie (albeit still flawed - he is a demon). Even in original myths he’s more of a trickster and protector than adversary.

That said, he really did just become the Millie to Fizz’s Moxxie and THAT pisses me off! Like he just kinda exists to comfort Fizz, who adopted Moxxie’s personality out of nowhere.

There are some really great Fizzarozzie fanworks I enjoy way more than canon, not because it’s toxic or anything, but because it was loving but also fun. There are good canon moments (I actually thought the breakfast and workshop scenes in Oops were really well-done) but a lot of it isn’t fun anymore (especially everything in the Mammon - Crooked makes me want to die) because we know what’s going to happen with them - bland heteronormative MoxMil Part 2.

Again I don’t think they have to be super toxic or mean or anything, they should just be like, for lack of better comparison … Statler and Waldorf from the Muppets. Love roasting the shit out of people for funsies, but generally aren’t malicious unless you piss them off, and are ride or die for each other. Cuddly but also horny at the same time. Not a literal Disney movie Mary Sue Lore Olympus fanfic.

Oh no no me too! But what I like is the idea that he had to work to get there, he seems like he’s had a lot of therapy himself, including some rage issues, which fit into his lore, that he’s overcome. And a masculine character like him showing vulnerability and overcoming aggression to reach softness instead, but eventually to everyone, not just fizz. Is a good message. Him being protective, but also possessive, is an interesting layer to explore. But they won’t. -_-

Yeah toxic or mean isn’t quite right…but cheeky is. Cheeky and audacious, they need to be fun and yknow, actually queer? Actually a queer friendly pair who create an lgbt and kink safe space. Honestly though? Viv creating what is essentially a queer and kink bar, and having them all be hostile to an m/f vanilla monogamous couple, is so…stereotypy. (I know MnM are both bi but here me out) that’s like how monogamous straight people who’ve never left straight conservative spaces, think that lgbt spaces are like.

Not a sub fem princess and a masc dom daddy -_- be fr. Sorry but making them heteronormative isn’t what was subversive, it was the tenderness in between the lust. That’s just gone now if you’re trying to sell that they’re in reality, barely kinky and that he coddles him. And personally I think making Ozzie solely in charge of managing fizz’s disability is what killed it for me. It’s no longer “fizz and oz are partners” it’s “fizz is so weak that he literally wouldn’t last five minutes alive without Asmodeus”

Also? Fans saying that Fizz can never leave Asmodeus because he can just never let anybody else see his disabled body or ever be able to manage his disabilities without Asmodeus and only Asmodeus? Yeah. That’s. ableism. And codependency. He should be with him because he wants to be, not because he has to be.

Oh my god. They’re literally those two, they even sit up in the same theatre area together. Man people are going to actually kill me for this but I ship them as platonic best friends who work at the same job and are flirty as the job requires but see other people. Idk I feel like it’s more fun, like you said.

Crooked was nice but at the same time, i did the fangirl squeals. But….for whatever reason, I was pretty happy when Blitz burst in and, literally, broke it up. I didn’t even ship blitzfizz yet but that scene awoke something in me then I rewatched Oops and saw the letter and flower that I didn’t see the first time, then went back and saw Blitzs jealous faces and jealous behaviour and——

Pictured—literally me piecing it all together

#helluva boss critical #fizzarozzie

[butch-reidentified]

tried to explain to my male friend (ugh) that gender ideology is flawed and gender roles are not what makes a woman and he WOULD NOT get it. I was like, a woman is biologically female. He was like well that's not what a woman is. I was like 😐 youre not getting it, i don't have the energy for this right now. He's also "nonbinary". He's one of my oldest friends and i'm not sure it's worth it anymore

im sorry to hear that, anon :/ it always sucks when you're talking to someone, especially a friend, and they don't understand what you're saying at all

I do think we should start making it very explicitly clear that "woman" and such are not gender terms, because I've so often seen "female is the sex, woman is the gender." I think that people often don't realize we aren't operating under that idea at all. when we say woman, we only mean sex. we do NOT mean gender at all. I think that's likely where a lot of the "radfems are essentialist" myth comes from.

Check out some of my posts comparing sex to hair or eye color & how weird everyone would find it if we imposed gender based on those neutral physical traits rather than sex. imagine a world where brunettes are expected and stereotyped and pressured to be soft, emotional caregivers who wear flowy dresses and flowers in their hair, and blondes are expected to dress comfortably and be commandeering and stoic; the radfem take is that we should get rid of that absurd system and everyone should be able to act and dress and do whatever they want without silly expectations based on arbitrary physical traits. This is how radfems view gender. Sex is a neutral, immutable biological trait. Like hair or eye color, you may be able to disguise your sex or alter how others may perceive you, but your hair color/eye color/sex remains unchanged.

As for terms like man and woman, and the definition of sex:

Sex is based on gametes, not chromosomes or genitalia or sexondary sex characteristics. The female sex - in humans and other animals - is the sex whose bodies/anatomy/physiology/genetics/chemical and hormonal makeup are designed and structured entirely around the ability to produce large gametes (ova). Whether or not a female of a given species is lacking certain parts (such as a uterus), is born with a DSD, or is infertile, their body has still entirely developed from before birth with the evolutionary, biological intention or producing large gametes. It is utterly irrelevant whether those gametes are produced successfully or not, or whether they are fertilized or not.

As for man and woman, what we mean when we say "a woman is an adult human female, a male is an adult human male" is no different than what one means by "a doe is a female deer, a buck is a male deer." These terms denote species and sex, as well as youth vs adult status in many animals. This includes humans (woman/girl, man/boy) along with goats (doe/doeling, buck/buckling) and plenty others.

A woman is a female (adult) human being, just as a brunette is a human being with brown hair. Saying that she is a woman because she is female does not reduce her to her vagina* any more than saying a brunette has brown hair "reduces" that person to brown hair. We all know that brown hair is just a visible physical characteristic we are describing to quickly categorize a person, and we all know that person is much, much more than just walking, talking brown hair. So why have so many who subscribe to gender ideology allowed themselves to be convinced that the definition of woman is "reducing" women to vaginas or other female anatomy? This is especially odd when you remember that this is the same group of people who thinks the best way to describe human members of the female sex is "vagina havers," "uterus owners," "menstruators," etc.

*And again, the definition of female is not "has a vagina," anyway, as I discussed above.

There is nothing restrictive about this definition. It applies to FIFTY PERCENT of human beings. It includes women who can't have children, women who don't want children, homosexual women, women who would sooner die than shave a single armpit hair, bodybuilder women, intersex women, women who have taken cross-sex hormones and undergone mastectomies and phalloplasties, women who love trucks and mudding, prostituted women, women who hate pineapples on pizza, women who love pineapples on pizza... women of every single size and color and personality and lifestyle under the sun fit perfectly into this short, simple, and clear non-circular(!) definition.

"A woman is anyone who identifies as a woman" can simply never make any sense. Think about it in mathematical terms. If X = Y, right, then they are the same and any Y can be replaced with X and vice versa. So let's define our terms here.

X being the word "woman"

Y being the definition of the word "woman"

Then X = Y should reasonably be assumed to be true.

However, if the definition of woman is "anyone who identifies as a woman," then we have X = Y, where Y = anyone who identifies as X. This looks like X = anyone who identifies as anyone who identifies as anyone who identifies as... ad infinitum. This quite simply leaves X with absolutely zero meaning whatsoever.

I hope this information can help your friend or perhaps someone else understand what we mean when we say this, and why it doesn't have anything to do with hatred or wanting someone/some group to not have rights or even to die.

#mine #ask #radblr #anon ask #anon #radfem #radical feminism #radfems interact #radfem friendly #radfem safe

[thegrapeandthefig]

The Adeia - a modern festival to Demeter

Historically, it’s often during times of hardships and crisis that new cults would be established and religious innovations would appear. This one is no different. It’s through discussion with @iliosflower that the idea of creating a new festival, one that would more accurately respond to modern problematics, came to fruition. This is what we’d like to explain in this post and hope that the idea finds an echo, and hopefully, validation from the wider community.

Why? What is it supposed to do?

On a global scale, we’re dealing with a climate crisis that is putting food sources at risk. On a more local level, conflicts and abnormal weather are creating risks of bad harvests, resources shortages and/or inflations.

We are aware that not everyone is impacted directly by the current ongoing issues, but we hope that this festival (or at least the idea) can be useful beyond these and be seen through a wider scope of praying for food security at large. 

We named the festival Adeia, from the ancient Greek ἄδεια, which conveniently can signify both “abundance”/”plenty” and “freedom from fear”/”security”. All things the festival aims for.

How? What would the festival entail?

For whom? Demeter Soteira (the saviour) and Herakles Alexikakos (averter of evil). While this is what we thought was appropriate, we gladly encourage additions, especially if it fits your local situation (eg. Poseidon or Zeus could both make logical additions to protect from droughts or other natural disasters that impact food security).

For what? An answer to the needs of current events; fear of food shortages/wheat shortages

Purpose; invoke the Saviour and Averter of Evil, ask for their continued blessings for plentiful food in the home for you and your loved ones, thanking them for past blessings, ask them to watch over those that will be hit the hardest by the current food crisis. Ask for Herakles’ strength and forbearance in the coming year; ask for Demeter’s continued blessing of your home’s stores.

Date: 1st weekend of September (2022: 3-4th of September) / a week before Eleusinian Mysteries. These dates are based on the Northern hemisphere, feel free to make the dates match your local harvest calendar. 

Ideal food offerings:

Pig; preferably piglet (if findable); fat and smoke to go up to Demeter; BBQ will do perfectly.

Rye, barley, and wheat as grains (if rice/corn or another grain is the majority grain in your area, go for that instead), baked into cakes, and/or tossed on the fire for Demeter.

Some kind of honey fritters; honey and bees are connected to Demeter, as a thank you for their pollinating the plants, flowers, and all that grows; or fruits and vegetables; to honour the “fruit of Demeter’s labour” and all she does for mankind.

Ideal drink offerings;

Grain-based drinks (see: Kykeon at her festival in Eleusis); you can get close to this with beer, mead, with a mint flavouring preferably.

Other ideas to offer;

Donate either food/money to your local food banks or charities that help in relief from food shortages.

Support local farmers/buy your groceries for this weekend solely from regional products.

Bring awareness to the current crisis and see what you can do to support others.

Make a votive offering and give it to Demeter and/or Herakles on this date.

Read the Hymn to Demeter out loud/listen to a recording of it, as a reminder of her blessings to mankind and how she relieved us from famine before.

A simple libation and prayer of thanks goes a long way; offering what you can afford/can do in your situation is historically attested and perfectly valid. Offerings should be made according to what is possible and reasonable for your means.

Feedback, discussion & questions welcome.

Sources used in the making of the festival;

Hesiod, Works and Days Pindar, Olympian XIII A Companion to Food in the Ancient World, Nadeau, Robin Wilkins, John Earthquakes and the Gods: Reflections on Graeco-Roman Responses to Catastrophic Events, Fritz Graf Demeter, Myths, and the Polyvalence of Festivals, Sarah Iles Johnston

#hellenic polytheism #hellenic religion #hellenic pagan #hellenic paganism #hellenic deities #helpol #theoi #demeter #demeterdeity #demeter deity #hellenic pantheon #hellenic prayer

[our-lord-satanas]

PERSEPHONE

WHO IS SHE?

Persephone, also known as Kore (meaning "young woman” or “girl" in Greek), is one of the main deities from Greek mythology. She is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, the Goddess of the Harvest. She is also the wife of Hades, the God of the Underworld, and she is associated with spring, fertility, and rebirth.

BASIC INFO:

Appearance: Persephone is typically depicted as a young and beautiful woman, with long, dark hair and eyes. She is often shown wearing a white dress or robe, and she is usually associated with flowers, especially flowering plants that bloom in the spring. She is also often associated with pomegranates, which symbolized her wedding to Hades, and which she ate while she was in the Underworld.

Personality: Persephone is usually depicted as kind, gentle, and compassionate. She is often seen as a mediator and peacemaker, and a defender of the innocent and vulnerable. She is also often portrayed as a motherly figure who is caring and nurturing. She is also sometimes seen as defiant and rebellious, and she is known to have a more powerful side that can punish those who defy her.

Symbols: pomegranate, waxing moon, narcissus, bones, seeds of grain, bats, torch, flowers, and deer

Goddess of: spring, the dead, the Underworld, grain, and nature

Culture: Greek

Plants and trees: asphodel wheat, willow, narcissus, lily, ivy, cherry tree, lily of the valley, daisy, lavender, vines, roses, pomegranates, oak, and hibiscus

Crystals: rose quartz, moss/tree agate, milk quartz, jade, lepidolite, opal, amethyst, and black tourmaline

Animals: deer, bat, black ram, parrot, and monkey

Incense: rose, pomegranate, jasmine, apple, vanilla, almond, horal, bergamot, and cinnamon

Colours: green, pink, black, light blue, purple, magenta, indigo, and yellow

Tarot: High Priestess and Ace of Pentacles

Planets: Moon and Pluto

Days: Monday, Ostara, Beltane, Lammas, and Samhain

Parents: Zeus and Demeter

Siblings: several paternal half-siblings and maternal half-siblings

Partner: Hades

Children: Melinoë, Zagreus, Dionysus, and Erinyes

MISC:

• Grains: due to her connection to the cycle of life and death. She is often depicted with grains, such as wheat, barley, and oats, which symbolize the cycle of life and death.
These grains represent the cycle of life, as they are sown and then harvested, only to be sown again in a constant cycle. This symbolic representation of death and rebirth aligns perfectly with Persephone's association with the underworld and the cycle of seasons. Therefore, she is associated with grains to showcase the cycle of life and death.

• Spring: due to her connection to the changing of seasons and rebirth, she is often depicted as rising from the afterlife in spring, representing the renewal and rebirth of nature.
This is because in the Greek myth, Persephone spends part of the year in the underworld with Hades, but returns to the land of the living in spring. Her return symbolizes the return of light and warmth, and the blossoming of nature.
Therefore, she is associated with the season of spring as she symbolizes the rebirth and rejuvenation that comes with the new season.

• Pomegranates: according to the myth, Hades abducted Persephone and took her to the Underworld, where he forced her to eat a pomegranate. This act was a symbolic gesture of his hold over her, and it was also seen to symbolically represent her connection to the Underworld.
The pomegranate became closely associated with Persephone and the Underworld, and it has remained a symbol of Persephone and her association with the Underworld ever since.

• Flowers: she is associated with flowers due to her association with spring. She is often depicted holding a bouquet of flowers, or being surrounded by blooming flowers.
This is especially the case from the Greek festival of Anthesteria, which was a celebration in honour of Persephone's return from the Underworld. During this festival, people would decorate their homes and temples with flowers, representing the growth and renewal associated with Persephone's return.

• Birds: mainly doves, she is frequently depicted with a dove on her shoulder, and she overall shown with doves all around her.
There are a couple of reasons for this. First, doves have long been symbolic of peace and tranquility, which aligns with Persephone's gentle and calming nature. Second, doves are often associated with symbols of fertility and rebirth, which aligns with Persephone's connection to the Underworld and spring.

• Water: she is associated with water for a couple of reasons. First, she is the Goddess of spring, and water is a vital factor for life and growth. Water is necessary for flowering bloom and green plants, so it is closely associated with the growth and renewal associated with spring. Second, water is also a symbol of rebirth and renewal, as it is a fluid element that is constantly changing and transforming. This fits well with Persephone's role as an Underworld Goddess and her connection with the cycle of life and death, as death and rebirth are represented as a transformation process.

• Gold: the Underworld is associated with riches and treasures that are commonly represented in the form of gold. This connection to riches represents the fact that the Underworld was a place of great wealth and abundance, and it represents the treasures that were found there, such as gold, jewels, and precious metals. This is another aspect of Persephone's connection to the Underworld and her role as a divinity of death and rebirth.

• Trees: they represent the natural cycle of life and death, as they grow and flourish during the warm months, then shed their leaves during the winter months, before starting the cycle all over again.
Trees are also associated with fertility and rebirth, as they produce seeds and fruit that propagate new life. This ties in with Persephone's role as a Goddess of spring, and her connection with the Underworld and the cycles of nature.

FACTS ABOUT PERSEPHONE:

* She takes her role in the Underworld seriously.

* Her epithets included but were not limited to: Despoina (The Mistress), Melindia (Honey), Aristi Cthonia (Best Cthonic), and Kore (The Maiden).

* Unlike Hera and Amphitrite, Persephone didn’t have a husband that constantly cheated on her (she was married to Hades). However, there is a myth about her cheating on Hades with Adonis, depending on the version. As far as I know, Hades did nothing about the matter. I think that implies it didn’t count as cheating to him, or maybe Persephone only loved Adonis as her son, which makes sense to me since she raised him. But yes, it’s perfectly acceptable and legitimate to say she cheated on Hades.

• Persephone is often called a spring or vegetation Goddess but all that seems to mainly be related to Demeter, her mother, when it’s time for Persephone to return her. Truly incidental. Persephone was much more an Underworld Goddess than a flowery Goddess.

• There’s evidence to suggest that, as far as religious history goes, Persephone as a character in religion is older than Hades, and was an underworld deity too.

• Some sources suggest Persephone was the mother of Dionysus, but to be fair Dionysus has a bajillion origin stories.

• As far as I know, and correct me if I’m wrong, it wasn’t too popular to depict Persephone with red hair colours until the Victorian era, when a popular red-headed model was used for a famous painting of Proserpina (the Roman equivalent to Persephone). Before, she had occasionally been depicted with red hair, but black and blonde were just as popular. Nowadays, in media, she’s often portrayed as red or pink haired, although even that trend is dying again.

• Some people like to think Persephone was a minor or weak Goddess. That was simply not true. She was considered frightening in her own right.

• Someone tried to kidnap her right from the Underworld. Hades had him attached to a chair for eternity.

HOW TO WORSHIP PERSEPHONE:

Setting up an altar or sacred space dedicated to her is a crucial part of the worship process.
Offerings such as candles, flowers, and other symbolic items are also essential to respectfully honouring her.
Prayers and incantations can be said to her to ask for guidance, support, and her blessings.
Meditation and visualization can be used to feel Persephone's presence and connect with her energy.
Feast days and holidays can also be celebrated to honour her.

HOW TO PRAY TO PERSEPHONE:

To begin, you can address her by name and say something like:

“Lady Persephone, Goddess of the Underworld. I come before you in humility, I seek to find peace and healing to shed myself of pain and strife.
I ask for your guidance and strength in my time of need to weather through the storms of life.”


“Thank you for your love and kindness.
Please open my path to the light and give me the strength to continue to walk down this path. May we all find peace and healing, in the realm of both life and death. Hail Lady Persephone.”

WHAT ARE SIGNS THAT PERSEPHONE WANTS ME TO WORK WITH HER?

If your request to work with Persephone has been accepted, here are some signs that you can look for:

• A sense of calmness or peace around you.

• Feeling connected to nature and the changing of seasons.

• Attracting more birds or other doves.

• Seeing or smelling flowers in unexpected places.

• Having vivid dreams about death and rebirth.

• Experiencing a sudden increase in energy and motivation.

• Feeling connected to the Underworld and the realm of death.

• Having a deep feeling of contentment and acceptance within yourself.

If your request to work with Persephone has not been accepted, you may notice the following signs:

• Feeling anxious or uneasy.

• A feeling of being disconnected from nature and the changing of seasons.

• Having vivid, unpleasant and disturbing dreams.

• Experiencing a decrease in energy and motivation.

• Feeling a sense of unease or uneasiness around you.

• Feeling disconnected from the Underworld and the realm of death.

• Experiencing a sense of unease or tension within yourself.

Overall you need to be respectful of deities denying your request.

OFFERINGS:

• Pomegranates/pomegranate juice.

• Honey.

• Floral tea.

• Breads.

• Flower crowns or arrangements.

• Dark chocolate.

• Flowers.

• Crushed mint.

• Animal bones.

• Jewelry.

• Art of bats, rams, or deer.

• Crystals: rose quartz, agate, black onyx, pink tourmaline, obsidian, coral, and jasper.

• Spring water.

• Grains.

• Plants.

• Incense: vanilla, almond, horal, bergamot, and pomegranate

• Sweets.

DEVOTIONAL ACTS FOR PERSEPHONE:

• Stop to smell flowers.

• Pair lace and leather together, she loves this.

• Singing.

• Plant flowers.

• Wear pomegranate scented things--perfume, lotion, lip gloss, etc.

• Tend to wild plants if they need care.

• Go barefoot more often and feel the way the ground feels on your bare feet.

• Honour the dead.

• Support local farmers and beekeepers.

• Honour the deaths of animals and if you can, bury them or leave them in a place where nature will care for them.

• Buy yourself a nice bouquet of flowers, or make your own.

• Place flowers on barren graves.

• Spread seeds of native flowers on the sides of highways or other unincorporated places (be sure to check local laws on this).

• Wear something fancy when you feel like it, make yourself feel like the royalty you are.

• Offer her fruits/nuts.

• Listen to music that reminds you of her.

• Wear a flower crown.

• Collect crystals like rose quartz, garnet, citrine, green tourmaline, and topaz.

• Rose quartz is a go-to stone for me for many Gods, Persephone being one of the many.

• She really digs topaz and the tourmaline in my experience.

• Love yourself, of course, just as she loves you.

IS IT SAFE TO EAT OR DRINK AN OFFERING I GIVE TO HER?

It's generally not considered safe to consume food and drink offerings that you give to Persephone because of her connection with the underworld and the realm of death.
While food and drink offerings are traditionally given to the gods as a gesture of thanks and respect, in the case of Persephone, these offerings are associated with the underworld and the cycle of life and death. Consuming such offerings represents an immersion in the underworld and could lead to negative consequences. It should also be noted that Persephone is a deity of death, and consuming offerings meant for her may be seen as a disrespect to her position.

#fyp #fypシ #fypシ゚viral #fypage #fyppage #tumblr fyp #satanism #satanist #deity #deity work #deity worship #occult #persephone #greek mythology #goddess #spring #underworld #nature #grains #hades and persephone

[rosietrace]

Elaine Rossignol

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“Oh, now that just won't do, dear. My job is to help others make their dreams come true, and that includes you.”

— Elaine Rossignol, songbird starlet

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General Information

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Full Name — Elaine Evangeline Rossignol

↳ Elaine: An old French form of the name ‘Helen’. Typically meaning; Shining Light, Bright.

↳ Evangeline: Meaning ‘good news’ in Greek.

↳ Rossignol: ‘Nightingale’ in French.

Japanese ver. — イレーヌ エヴァンジェリン ロシニョール

Romaji ver. — Irēnu Evanjerin Roshinyōru

Twisted from: Cinderella • Christine Daae

❏ — Cinderella(シンデレラ) • Christine Daae(オペラ座の怪人)

V/A(日本語): Aya Hirano (平野綾)

↳ Voices Lucy Heartfilia, Fairytail

V/A(英語/EN): Sierra Boggess

↳ Actress of Christine Daae, Royal Albert Hall Phantom of the Opera

Age: 18

Birthday: January 26th

Horoscope: Aquarius ♒

Species: Human

Height: 174 cm

Hair color: Brown

Eye color: Dark brown, almost Black

Gender/Pronouns: Female, She/They

Sexuality: Demiromantic, Pansexual

Dominant hand: Right

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Extra Information

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Homeland: The City of Flowers, 「 Populaire Capital 」

『 Family:

Vincent Rossignol (Biological Father/†)

Biological Mother † 』

Dormitory: Pomefiore

School Year: 2nd Year

Class: 2-A (+ seat no. 5)

Club: None

Best class(es): Music, Drama

Worst class(es): Practical and Defensive Magic

Like(s): The opera, music, anything vintage, singing, ballet, violin, shoes, sewing, fashion designing, helping others, seeing the best in others, Illusoire Opera House, the myth of the Opera Ghost

Dislike(s): Hypocrisies, injuring herself, worrying her friends, keeping secrets, crying, anything negative from nay-sayers about her father, anyone trying to enter Box Five in Illusoire

Hobbies: Singing, cleaning, sewing, ballet, playing the violin, writing in her journal, writing letters to close acquaintances

Talent(s): Singing, ballet, violin, multilingualism, fashion designing, sewing, crocheting, baking, ax-throwing

Flaw(s): Overly insistent, hypocritical, tends to sugarcoat everything, stubborn

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Personality

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Elaine's one of Pomefiore's finest singers, Vil stated. Many in the dormitory seem to agree with that, especially Rook and Victoria.

That isn't due to any attempt to please their housewarden, of course (though it may be true in some cases).

Elaine's considered a natural-born talent. Seemingly picturesque of what one would consider to be the ‘perfect’ person.

Kind, compassionate, empathetic — Elaine isn't afraid to help those in need, even if it means getting her hands dirty in order to do so!

She's someone her friends can go to if they ever need to be comforted, or given advice. It almost always feels like Elaine knows exactly what to say for every given situation. Like she knows what they're about to say before they can even say it.

Everyone can rely on Elaine for help. Just give her a call, and she'll be right there to help!

…. It's a good thing and a bad thing, depending on the person.

Elaine's good at reading people — remarkably, so. Alas, some individuals are just a little too good at hiding who they really are, and use her willingness to help others to exploit it for personal gain.

What doesn't help is that Elaine is insistent on providing her assistance. She rarely accepts a refusal, and feels the need to try and help as many people as she can all at once; thus causing her to be rather overworked.

She's also insistent on not allowing anyone to help her. Elaine's under the belief that if she can handle a great deal of errands, there's no harm in handling a couple more — bearing more weight on her shoulders than she needs to.

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Unique Magic: Tears of the Nightingale (ナイチンゲールの涙)

𓅨 Allows its user to heal injuries with their tears.

The tears will sink into the injury, with a slight stinginess, during those first few moments. But after a couple of seconds — or minutes — the injury will be fully healed.

This ability is most effective with smaller, minor injuries. The larger and more severe, the longer it will take to heal.

And sometimes, the injury is so grotesque that not even the tears will be able to heal it.

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Thoughts on them

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“Sweet girl, Elaine is. We met rather recently, and I can assure you, she is far better company than anything Victoria's capable of. Alas, it seems Elaine's close with her too.”

— Vil Schoenheit, Elaine's housewarden

“I took her in when most others didn't. The girl was in a difficult situation after her father died, who was I to not allow her safe refuge in my home? I treasure Elaine, truly. What I can only hope for is that she can learn to lean on others for support.”

— Mozus Trein, Elaine's current guardian

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Additional Trivia

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✑ Main Theme: Think of Me from The Phantom of the Opera, sung by Sierra Boggess

✑ Backstory: 『 Sing for Me 』

✑ OC Playlist: [ TBA ]

༝ㅤ･ㅤ˚ㅤ。ㅤ.ㅤ⋆ ･ °　·　꒦꒷ 𓅨

𓅨 Anything remotely vintage is automatically in Elaine's hands. From jewelry to footwear, to clothing — she's got a whole closet dedicated to vintage fashion!

𓅨 Trein’s wife, before her passing, had actually gifted Elaine a couple of pieces of her jewelry for her to wear when she came of age. To this day, Elaine keeps the jewelry in a small jewelry box her mother gave her. In memory of both her mother and Trein's wife.

↳ This happens to be one of the reasons why Trein has a soft spot for her.

𓅨 Surprisingly? Trein's daughters adore Elaine! Since childhood, both girls had the habit of coddling their honorary niece and continue to bicker about who Elaine likes more.

𓅨 Elaine was originally a student at Noble Bell College! Technically speaking, she would've been a member of the student council had she not transferred to NRC during her second year.

↳ She often visits Noble Bell to check up on everything while she is away.

𓅨 Well-liked by many of her peers! Elaine just has that sense of likability, one could suppose! (That isn't to say people don't dislike her, but you get my point)

𓅨 Her love of the Opera stemmed from her Father, who was a first-row violinist for the Illusoire Opera House — An Opera House residing in the City of Flowers.

𓅨 Elaine basically lives in Illusoire at this point, based on how frequently she goes there during vacations. Thankfully, the staff (specifically a certain composer) adore her presence and welcome her with open arms with each visit.

𓅨 Rollo seems to respect her, to some degree. Elaine thinks there's more weight to that than what most people think, given the kind of person Rollo is.

𓅨 Her constant insistence on helping others is considered concerning, to say the least. At most, you're most likely to meet Elaine while she's running someone else's errand.

𓅨 Horrible at swordsmanship, it's almost impossible to teach her anything about the combat form. Surprisingly, however, Elaine's got a decent right hook.

𓅨 How she's good at ax-throwing is beyond anyone's understanding. She just is.

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Appearance

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Elaine's Tags

#elaine rossignol • #『 elaine 🎭 』

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#FINALLY SHE'S HERE #twisted wonderland oc #twst oc #twst ocs #pomefiore #pomefiore oc #twistedwonderland #twisted wonderland #twst #ツイステ #disney twst #elaine rossignol #『 elaine 🎭 』

[thenightling]

The anti-Wiccan ranting among some occultists and Neo Pagans is so self-righteous and all over social media and all their rants about how "problematic" it is are things true in ALL forms of Neo Paganism.

And don't get me started on those that start calling you ill-educated, or stupid for considering Wicca a flavor of Neo-Paganism.

It's like they think the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn were doing things precisely the way the Ancient Greeks were. There's a reason that "Neo" is there. It means "new." Whether you like it or not all forms of Neo Pagan religion are cobbled together from scraps or re-invented whole cloth and, whether they want to admit it or not, borrowing from each other.

You'll find Diana worshipers using Gaelic symbolism, Morpheus invocations using the poppy flower as a symbol in the summoning. (Morphine's connection to the God of Dreams is a nineteenth century invention), and you'll find Asatru followers arguing with Greco-Roman Pagans about which religion came up with werewolves first, usually the Asatru insisting their religion is the source (even though the very word lycanthrope comes from the Greek myth of king Lycaon of Arcadia).

It's weirdly fashionable to be anti-Wiccan because of some of the questionable people who have been tied to it like Gardner and Crowley. Crowley's biggest contribution was the spelling of Magic with a k to differentiate between illusion and occult practice. That man has a very questionable history but sometimes not-so-great people come up with good ideas. And a quick visual distinction between illusion and spell casting is convenient, no matter who invented it. "But Wiccans culturally appropriate!" Annnd? Name a religion that doesn't. Borrowing aspects of faith from open religions is not "appropriation."

If it's your faith you believe it to be true, you're not "stealing it." We don't call it appropriation when a scientist adopts another scientist's theory because it has logic that makes sense to him.

Just because it's popular to bash something and call it bad doesn't make it right. I do not agree with attacking aging hippies for following the "wrong" religion.

It's shameful and I think a lot of the people doing this aren't self-aware enough to realize they are behaving like the very oppressive "Christians" that may have once told them that they were Satanic and going to Hell for following the wrong religion.

Yes, Wicca is a "New" patchwork quilt of old folk beliefs but that shouldn't offend you by their merely existing.

I have news for you. This is true with most religions and this is especially true with Neo Paganism. It's part of why there are so many Astru bigots, because the version INVENTED (yes, invented) in the late nineteenth century and later adopted by some World War 2 Nazis was cobbled together by a bigot.

And though it might anger you to consider Wicca to be a form of Neo Paganism, it is. Its conception is very similar to how most Neo Paganism was shaped a century earlier. Most true Ancient Pagan practices have been lost to history. It's all reinvention or borrowings now.

Stop looking for religions to hate. It's like watching the Pagan equivalent of "I'm Protestant and those Catholics are NOT Christians! Look at all the horrible things they've done as a collective. We've never done anything bad ever as a collective group!"

And then in a special kind of cognitive dissonance, you get the ones who don't like Wicca for the "Harm none" rule and think calling them the "Fluffy bunny of Paganism" is the great Gotchya to shame them. It's so strange to me.

#Wicca #Wiccan #Pagan #Neo Pagan #Asatru #Occult #Magick #Magic

[siriuslysatorusimping]

Kiko’s Original work: meet some characters

Hiiiiii, I’m in a mood to think about my original work 😅 So, I decided to do a lil post talking about some of the characters! (This story is still very much a WIP, but I do hope to publish it someday.)

I would love your thoughts and feedback!! And I would also love to answer any questions you have 😊

Aeran

Aeran is an element user, specifically an Ice User. Meaning he can control manipulate and, on a small level, manifest ice. He was born and raised in the Heims region, which is known for its almost year-long winter. As an Ice User, his natural body temperature is slightly below the average human, meaning he’s almost always cold.

We first meet Aeran in the prologue of the story, when he is five years old. The story then jumps to “present” day, almost twenty years later, when he is twenty four.

Aeran is someone who grew up believing in the myths and legends he heard, knowing they had to be real because he was. Not to mention that he met a living legend alone on the street as a child, which he knows was real because it left him with a scarf that is perpetually warm and never loses the scent of wildflowers. Something he somehow knows even though he’s never seen the flowers associated with the smell. (Spoiler: the scarf is enchanted.)

Aeran is also one of our narrators.

I mentioned in a recent post about narrators that Aeran is a bit of an unreliable narrator. The reason for this is that he doesn’t know the details. He’s learning a lot of new information and struggling to keep up, especially since this information is contradicting what he’s believed most of his life.

He has a crush on Aleva.

-

“We know the Ejdirla is here!” The ghulruh’s voice echoed off the surrounding buildings once again, forcing Aeran back into the present. “Where is the Ejdirla Kan?”

Furrowing his brow as the ghulruh spoke, he couldn’t hide his confusion. He’d never heard Dragon Breaths called that before. The legends never called them that.

In his distraction, Aeran hadn’t realized the ghulruh was moving towards him again, bringing the spear head down and shattering his shield easily.

-

Aleva

Aleva is an Ejdirla Kan, a descendent of a human who was blessed with the breath of the dragons during the Great War. As an Ejdirla Kan, she houses the soul of the dragon who swore an oath with her grandfather. She was born in the region of Canavarların Yenı, the birthplace of the ancient dragons.

She is the first and last of her kind. The first Ejdirla Kan born, the last alive.

We first meet Aleva in the prologue, when she is on her way to meet with an unspecified individual, and she meets Aeran as a child. Her age is never specified, beyond the fact that she is well over four hundred years old by “present” day.

She is fiercely protective of those she cares about, to the point that she does not value her own life.

She and Pietro are former lovers, and both enjoy the game of chess, which she taught him to play.

-

“It will- control you,” he murmured, the fire in his eyes dimming with each moment that passed. “Don’t let- the anger, don’t let vengeance fuel you. Promise me.”

Staring into her grandfather’s dimming eyes, she felt her head nod, pulling another smile onto his face as he stared up at her. Mixed with her sobs, she heard words falling from her lips, but couldn’t comprehend them. Somewhere between begging him to stay and wanting nothing more than to die with him.

Watching as the fire went out, her scream of pure grief almost drowned out the sound of his fading voice as he spoke his last words.

“Live,” he whispered, his hand going slack. “Live, rühl alev.”

-

Pietro

Pietro is a magic user with an affinity for lightning, and violence. He and his twin sister, Willa, were born in the region of Liniște. They were orphaned at the age of nine when their parents were burned at the stake for practicing witchcraft. While he had natural talent, the need to survive, and his desire for revenge, pushed him to master magics that took most other magic users decades to learn by the time he was eighteen.

We first meet Pietro when he intercepts Aleva and Aeran on their way to the Heims capital. However, he is referenced by Aleva in previous chapters. In “present” day, he is almost three hundred years old.

He enjoys chess because it helps him gather his thoughts. His favorite opponent is Aleva even though most of their games end in a stalemate.

Pietro is the only magic user in history to have successfully channeled Abeyance magic, which he achieved in his quest to resurrect his parents. His attempt ended in failure, and almost cost him his life.

He is in love with Aleva, though he ended their relationship after an argument because he felt she didn’t trust him enough to communicate with him. However, he has remained firm that he will always be there when she needs his help, whether she wants it or not.

-

“I love you, Eva,” he stated firmly. A strange clarity overtook him as he spoke, watching her eyes dim. “But I need you to love me back. I can’t take any more of these vague answers or secrets. I deserve better than that.”

His words caused her to snap her mouth shut, blinking furiously as she clearly tried to force the tears away. He stared down at her, unblinking, as she opened and closed her mouth repeatedly.

He had waited almost two centuries. It was time to accept it.

She would never be able to love him. At least, not the way he loved her.

-

Willa

Willa is a magic user with an affinity for healing. Like her parents, she was sentenced to be burned at the stake for practicing witchcraft when she was eighteen, which drew the attention of Aleva who was passing through the area. She was saved from the brink of death by Aleva, who then burned the entire village to the ground in a mindless rage.

We first meet Willa when she heals Aeran after he is almost killed. As she is Pietro’s twin, she is also almost three hundred years old.

She owns an apothecary shop in the capital of Heims, which she received as a wedding present from her husband, Nedim.

When she settled in Heims with Nedim, she and Pietro helped establish the shuttle system still used today.

-

Dropping the pestle, she turned and glanced into the storage room in search of him.

“Out!” she barked at the blur she knew was her brother. “Get out from behind there!” His answering laugh brought a reluctant smile onto her face even as annoyance bubbled to the surface again. He knew he wasn’t to meddle in her supplies. “Pietro!” she snapped, waving her hand so the few books that had fallen moved back into place.

“I haven’t touched anything!” he called, still not in sight. “You have my word.”

“Your word is worth cacat, you swine!” she spat back, earning another laugh from him. If you break anything, I’ll-

He appeared in front of her again, dropping a book into her hands. The smirk on his face prompted an eye roll and she turned away, muttering under her breath as she flipped through the book absently.

-

#kiko's original work #writing #story writing #original story

[priestessofcreation]

Persephone & Athena

The Moonology Oracle - Yasmin Boland

Did a reading recently to find out that I have both Athena and Persephone with me. I have always wanted to work with Persephone, but I have always hesitated with Athena. Only because she is a highly logical individual and if I am going to work with any goddess, it would have to be someone who understands my heart. I have been cast aside by "logic" for most of my life and I don't have patience for it.

But every time I get close to Persephone, Athena shows up. She did in 2017 and she is now. It was quite visceral really, but not necessarily invasive.

I was told that they are working together with me. The card above is what showed up when I got that message.

I just want to write what that is like:

When Persephone and Athena work together, it is admittedly rare. They are just so different from each other. Persephone has a deep darkness inside of her that reaches down into the depths of the earth and yet somehow she can bounce back to the flower maiden bringing life and joy back to the world. Athena, on the other hand, is a child of the Heavens and she doesn't tend to waver in that perspective. She is sharp, strategic, direct, and very often correct. She has a weight of power upon her that she carries like a queen.

But that's the word, isn't it?

Queen.

Persephone's story of gaining that title is not pleasant among the Greeks and has been a matter of debate for every generation leading back to when the myth first entered the world. The interesting thing is that Persephone never wavered from that role. Over the millennia, she had plenty of chances to walk away and become something completely different.

Yet, to this day, she is Queen of the Underworld.

Almost as if she likes it.

And Athena has been the valued daughter of Olympus from the beginning. The highest of them all and no one supports heroes more than she does. She raises her sword up high and it glows in every direction for everyone to see. Bright-eyed. Master of War. Strategy. Goddess of Wisdom. Master Guide.

Sometimes she glows brighter than Zeus.

Athena is of the stars. Her sister, Persephone, is of the land and the depths down below. One can see the immortal world for all it is, so high up on her peak. The other is below on her throne, watching soul after soul pass through her halls. One is privy to all of creation and the other is privy to every soul that has ever existed. A bird's eye view and a very personal view.

In one way or another, they are both privy to divinity.

And they come together as one, here. As queens, they understand the sacredness that comes with those who work with them, especially considering that there aren't many people who do that anymore.

Braiding together into a force to help an individual in particular for the simple fact that she likes them both.

And once again: Queen - the bridge that forms between them.

No, Athena is not Queen of Olympus. Instead, she is what I call the Queen of Peace. She fights wars to reach peacetime. She stands for wisdom to protect life. She created economy and crafting and government to built meaning outside of war - that there is value in peace. Goddess of Wisdom and War, for she doesn't like senseless violence.

Persephone, on the other hand, is Queen of the Underworld. Her kingdom down below that she can rule just as well as her husband, but she stands as a bridge to remind everyone that life exists as well as death. As she rises and falls, the life cycle turns with her. Without her, there is no spring. Without her, there is no hope. She is so full of life that she brings it down with her to her kingdom. She is the queen, because she reminds everyone that life and death are one.

Persephone is the Bringer of Life & Death and Athena is the Goddess of Wisdom & War. And just as Athena stands for Protection of Life, Persephone reminds that Rebirth will Always Come.

~FIN

#spirituality #magic #deity work #mythopoetics #greek mythology #mythology #athena #persephone #beauty in her duality

[coinandcandle]

Karpo Deity Guide

Who is Karpo?

Seen as somewhat of a minor deity in mythos, Karpo (Καρπω) , also written as Carpo, is the Greek goddess or one of the Horae—goddesses of the seasons—representing Autumn and harvest. The ancients had varying ideas of the seasons and these ideas would change depending on where, when, and who you asked.

In some places, there were three seasons, and so there were three Horae. In other places, there were only two, and in others, there were four or five.

Despite being a minor deity in mythology, Karpo (along with the other Horae) had some big jobs to do. Horae were in charge of guarding Olympus, helping Helios, protecting young humans and newborn gods, as well as running the passage of time and ripening fruit!

Parents and Siblings

For parentage, there are two main pairings I’ve found:

Zeus and Themis (Hesiod)

Helios and Selene (Later in Roman myth)

For siblings the list could go on forever, as this list would change depending on the parents. Instead, I’ll list the other Horae:

Auxo

Thallo

(Originally the three seasons’ goddesses were the Auxo, Thallo, and Carpo. Later other Horae were added)

Lovers or Partners

None listed

Children

None listed

Epithets

Phthinoporon (a later iteration of the goddess of Autumn, who some say is the same as Karpo)

The Bringer of Food/Fruits

Damia (possibly)

Notes

Karpo comes from the Greek Karpos meaning “fruit” but her name could also mean “harvest” in the context of the Horae.

The Horae were mostly worshipped by farmers.

It’s possible the name Karpo started as an epithet of Demeter.

Karpo is also described as also having been a Charity by Pausanias

I have found one mention of a festival—Horaea, with no date or timeframe given.

The Horae were often found in the company of Aphrodite, the Muses, and Apollo.

Karpo specifically has been associated with Dionysus, Persephone, Hera, and Pan.

In early Athens, only Karpo and Thallo were worshipped. They were also worshipped at Argos, Corinth, and Olympia.

The Horae are also seen as protectresses of newborn gods and of youths and as such were mentioned in the oaths that Athenian youths would make in the temple of Agraulos

They are depicted as young maidens, often dressed lightly and covered in flowers. The Horae are pleasant and kind towards humans, neutral at worst.

Modern Deity Work

Not much is known about how the Horae were worshipped, so I have done my best to find some traditional offerings and correspondences as well as modern ones.

Correspondences

Rocks/Stone/Crystals

Gold, Carnelian

Herbs/Plants

Grapes

Most fruits but especially those from Ancient Greece such as pomegranates, raisins, and figs.

Olives

Animals

Hare

Lizard

Offerings

Wine

Grapes

Olives, olive oil

Flowers (+ flower garlands, flower crowns)

Honey

Jewelry

Acts of Devotion

Work in a garden or tend to plants

Appreciate the passage of time

Celebrate annual festivals or holidays related to the passage of time

References and Further Reading

History Cooperative - Horae

Theoi Project - Karpo

Theoi Project - Horai

Ancient-greece.org - Horae

World History - Horae

Hellenica World - Horae

#Deity Deep Dive #Requested #Karpo #Carpo #Horai #Horae #Hellenic