#michael aurelius

[fnvminorcharacterpoll]

FNV Minor Character Poll - Round 1-B, Day 3

Left: Aurelius of Phoenix, centurion in charge of the Legion presence at Cottonwood Cove. —"It's a modest presence, a single finger of the Legion reaching across the river's narrows. But with me here, it has an iron knuckle."

Right: Michael Angelo & Kate, a sign artist and his assistant in New Vegas. —Michael Angelo: "Most people don't, uh, understand what it means to grow up in a vault. Its corridors, its walls, radiate a warmth that feels, safe, honest. But here everything is huge and threatening - so empty that I think one of these days I'll just...snap."

Designated cheerleaders were not available for this match-up.

[Bracket | Info & FAQs | Become a Designated Cheerleader]

#fallout #fallout new vegas #fnv #aurelius of phoenix #caesar's legion #michael angelo #kate #round 1 #round 1-b

[nellysview]

🤍Rest in peace Michael Gambon 🤍

#michael gambon #dead #rest in peace #aurelius dumbledore #harry potter #28092023 #september 28

[power-chords]

@p4x-639 LOVE the post and thank you for tagging me! Re: Neil's tattoos, I might be able to give you a more definitive answer on some of them come Tuesday night, which is when Heat 4K arrives in my mailbox, lol. Until then: I can give you a 100% positive ID on the Marine Corps tattoo, since he was a part of the 12th Marine Regiment. (Both he and Vincent were U.S. marines, which you possibly already knew; they have unknowingly crossed paths on multiple occasions prior to the events of Heat.)

The two lines on his arm are probably barbed wire, one for McNeil, the other for Folsom. As for the triangle, if that's indeed what it is, my guess is that it's a Delta, as in the Greek/Latin letter. In mathematics, it symbolizes a change in the quantity of something, e.g. the formula for calculating velocity (v = Δs/Δt, velocity = change in position over change in time). In philosophy, it denotes an ultimate or divine truth-value. Either or both would be fitting.

#marcus aurelius-readin' motherfucker! #heat #heat (1995) #neil mccauley #michael mann

[noisyexpertobject]

Winter 2023 Blog Update (Part 5 of 6) ~ Current Challenges Continued: The Wisdom of Moving-through-ness

Winter 2023 Blog Update (Part 5 of 6) ~ Current Challenges: Victims of Our Unawareness #SelfHelp #Mortality #Consciousness #ViktorFrankl #BookOfFiveRings #MarcusAurelius #Stoicism #JRRTolkien #Xbox #ZenKoan #BrenéBrown #KristinNeff #MichaelSinger

Ultimately, our lives end for us all with an unavoidable stage right exit—Death: The end of our physical existence as we know it… An ocean crossing scales with the wind… We are all carbon-sparked stories pulsing in the cosmic filament strung through space and time.  When we are gone—awakened, perhaps, in some other side of consciousness—someone may take care to memorialize our lives with an…

View On WordPress

#Acceptance #Biology #Brené Brown #Conflict Management #Consciousness #Death and Mortality #Divine Grace #Equanimity #Gerry Shishin Wick #J.R.R. Tolkien #Jesus #Kristin Neff #Marcus Aurelius #Michael Singer #Miyamoto Musashi #Patrick Buggy #Personal Update #Reality #Responsibility #Self-Actualization #Self-Awareness #Self-Compassion #Spiritiuality #Stoicism #Temperance #The Book of Five Rings #The Happiness Lab Podcast #The Hobbit #The Psychology Podcast #Winter 2023 Update

[creativepromptsforwriting]

Names with Cute Nicknames

Boys' Edition

Sometimes we just fall in love with a cute nickname for our characters. So here is a list of names that you can name your characters, even though you will only call them by their nickname.

Alexander - Al, Alex, Lex, Lexie, Xander, Xandie, Sasha

Alfred - Al, Alfie, Fred, Freddie, Freddy

Andrew - Andie, Andy, Drew

Antonio - Ant, Anto, Toni, Tony

Aurelia/Aurelius - Auri

Arthur - Art, Artie

Benjamin - Ben, Benny, Benni, Benji, Minnie

Felix - Feli, Lix, Lixie

Ferdinand - Ferdi, Fred, Nando

Florian - Flo, Flori

Frederik/Frederic - Fred, Freddie, Freddy, Rik, Ric, Rick, Ricky

Jamison - Jay, Jamie, James, Jim, Jimmy

Joseph - Josie, Joe

Kilian - Kili, Kil

Luciano/Lucian - Luci, Luce, Cian

Lukas - Luke, Luki

Lysander - Lys, Sander

Matthew - Mat, Matty, Mattie

Matthias - Mat, Matty, Mattie, Thias

Matteo - Mat, Matty, Mattie, Teo

Maximilian - Max, Maxi, Maxim, Millie

Michael - Mick, Mike, Mikey, Micky

Nicholas - Nick, Nicky, Nico

Oliver - Olive, Oli, Olly

Paxton - Pax

Phillip - Phil, Philly, Pip

Salvatore - Sal, Sally, Salva, Tore

Samuel - Sam, Sammy

Santiago - Santi, San, Tiago

Sebastian - Seb, Basti, Bastian

Theodore - Ted, Theo, Teddy

Victor - Vic, Tor, Vicky

Vincent - Vin, Vinnie, Vinny, Vince

Wilhelm - Willie, Willy

More names!

If you like my blog and want to support me, you can buy me a coffee or become a member! And check out my Instagram! 🥰

#nicknames #writing ideas #writeblr #list of names #writing inspiration #writing prompts

[peregrination-studies]

24 books in 2024

It is 2024, and I am here yet again with my bookish hopes and dreams!

I did this challenge last year (available here), and in 2022 (available here), and I'm STOKED to do it again this year! As is my way, I have been planning and revising this list for some time. My Goodreads overfloweth with ideas.

As always, if you have book recs, please send them my way! And, if you're participating in the challenge this year, I'd love to see your lists!

Without further ado, I gladly present to you my 24 in '24 book list:

Sci-Fi and Just for Fun :)

1) Randomize by Andy Weir (read April 2024)

2) Next by Michael Crichton

3) Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (read April 2024)

4) With a Little Luck by Marissa Meyer (read February 2024)

Environmental Science/Ecology/Books Relevant to my Studies

5) Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth by Buckminster Fuller

6) Must Love Trees: An Unconventional Guide by Tobin Mitnick

7) Scientifically Historica: How the World’s Great Science Books Chart the History of Knowledge by Brian Clegg

8) Letters to a Young Scientist by Edward O. Wilson

Reading Around the World

9) The Eighth Continent: Life, Death and Discovery in the Lost World of Madagascar by Peter Tyson (Madagascar)

10) Everything is Wonderful: Memories of a Collective Farm in Estonia by Sigrid Rausing (Estonia)

11) Willoughbyland: England’s Lost Colony by Matthew Parker (Suriname)

12) A General Theory of Oblivion by José Eduardo Agualusa and Daniel Hahn (Translator) (Angola)

Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge/Classics

13) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (read April 2024)

14) The Second Sex by Simone De Beauvoir, H.M. Parables (Translator and Editor), and Deirdre Bair (Introduction)

15) Gidget by Frederick Kohner

16) Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Recommended by Friends

17) Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (recommended by @hedonism-tattoo and many, many others)

18) Howl’s Moving Castle by Diane Wynne Jones (also recommended by many people now. @permanentreverie posted about it recently tho, and that was what really made me decide to include it on this list!) (read April 2024)

19) Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson (recommended by @daydreaming-optimist ) (read April 2024)

20) The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (recommended by @kaillakit)

Eco-Psychology

21) Ecopsychology by Lester R. Brown

22) Against Purity: Living Ethically in Compromised Times by Alexis Shotwell (read April 2024)

23) Radical Ecopsychology: Psychology in the Service of Life by Andy Fisher and David Abram (foreword)

24) Sight and Sensibility: the Ecopsychology of Perception by Laura Sewall

Bonus

25) Bride by Ali Hazelwood (read February 2024)

26) Open Heart Surgery by Johanna Leo (read March 2024)

27) A Short History of the World in 50 Books by Daniel Smith

28) Candy Hearts by Tommy Siegel (read February 2024)

No pressure tagging: @daydreaming-optimist @kaillakit @permanentreverie @noa-the-physicist @silhouette-of-sarah @captaindelilahbard @senatorhotcheeto @the-bibliophiles-bookshelf @skyekg @of-the-elves @obesecamels @courageisneverforgotten @willowstea @its-me-satine @deirdrerose @notetaeker @theskittlemuffin and anyone else who wants to do this!

#I'm a bit late to posting this #as it is now [checks calendar] MID FEBRUARY? WHAT? #but here it is anyway! #24 books in 2024 #studyblr #bookblr #book lists #book recs #books #24/24 list #friends #mutuals #grace speaks #reading challenge #book challenges #studyspo #light academia #reading #dark academia #studyinspo #studyspiration #book recommendations

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Toe-licking demon, circa 1921.

* * * *

One of many demonic entities found lurking in a manuscript on magic and astrology written by a rammal — or soothsayer — in Isfahan, Iran. The paintings were added one or two decades after the composition of the text — a treatise on demons associated with each sign of the zodiac and corresponding spells for dealing with the different creatures.⠀

⠀

Not all of the 56 painted illustrations in the manuscript depict demonic beings. Amongst the horned and fork-tongued we also find the archangels Jibrāʾīl (Gabriel) and Mikāʾīl (Michael), as well as the animals — lion, lamb, crab, fish, scorpion — associated with the zodiac. But most of the figures shown are far from ordinary or angelic. A blue man with claws, four horns, and a projecting red tongue is no less frightening for the fact that he’s wearing a candy-striped loincloth. In another image we see a moustachioed goat man with tuber-nose and polka dot skin maniacally concocting a less-than-appetising dish. One recurring (and worrying) theme is demons visiting sleepers in their beds, scenes involving such pleasant activities as tooth-pulling, eye-gouging, and — in one of the most engrossing illustrations — a bout of foot-licking (performed by a reptilian feline with a shark-toothed tail).⠀

⠀

See our highlights here: https://publicdomainreview.org/collections/persian-demons-from-a-book-of-magic-and-astrology-1921/

[The Public Domain Review]

* * * *

It is in your own power to maintain the beauty of your soul, or to be a decent human being. 

― Marcus Aurelius

#demon #The Public Domain Review #illustrations #quotes #Marcus Aurelius

[ofgoldandblood]

❝ SOME WOMEN FEAR THE FIRE. SOME SIMPLY BECOME IT. ❞ ⸻ inspired by catwoman (dc), riza hawkeye (fullmetal alchemist), susie diamond (the fabulous baker boys)

PINTEREST — SPOTIFY

tw: death, murder, bullying

basics

• full name: morgaine diana fox

• nicknames: siren (codename) ; baby & angel (by marco only)

• gender: cis female

• pronouns: she/her

• age: 33

• date of birth: 29th october 1991

• zodiac sign: scorpio

• sexuality: bisexual (male leaning)

• place of birth: new york city, ny, usa

• residence: a one bedroom flat a ten minute walk from the bastion ; also has a room at the bastion where she stays most nights after working late

• occupation: singer at the bastion’s private bar & assassin

• aesthetics: red wine, silver daggers, louboutin heels, grand pianos, diamond earrings, city sunsets, red velvet, lipstick prints, handmade friendship bracelets, leather gloves

appearance

• faceclaim: young michelle pfeiffer

• voice claim: michelle pfeiffer

• height: 5’ 6”

• build: average

• eyes: blue

• hair: blonde

• piercings: both earlobes and right helix

• tattoos: her mother’s birthday in roman numerals on the inside of her left wrist

• scars: a four inch horizontal line on her left hip (from being cut with a blade)

• style:

personality

• positive traits: confident, fearless, patient, resilient, versatile, resourceful

• negative traits: reserved, stubborn, ruthless, flirtatious

• mbti: entp - the debater

• likes: piano music, getting free drinks, chocolate, reading, art, old films, watching the sun set

• dislikes: being interrupted, beer, bitter foods, being underestimated, extreme temperatures, getting up early

• phobias: arachnophobia ; ophidiophobia

• hobbies: reading, singing, target practice, visiting museums and galleries, going to the cinema, writing love letters

• skills: sharpshooter ; knife throwing ; expert in hand-to-hand combat ; can speak fluent english, german, and italian

• other: -

family

• mother: madeleine louisa fox (née gilbert)

• father: archie christopher fox

• siblings: aurelius michael & andreas william fox (twin brothers - five years older)

• love interest: marco romano

favourites

• food: ice-cream

• drink: red wine

• time of the day: night

• weather: cool and sunny

• colours: red ; black

• songs: anything jazz, blues, classical, or indie rock

bio

— morgaine was born on 29th october 1991 at 1:26pm to archie fox, a stockbroker, and his wife madeleine, a biologist. she has two older twin brothers named aurelius and andreas. she was born and raised in the west village.

— growing up, she absolutely hated her brothers. they were the bane of her existence. they’d constantly bully her, take her belongings, and their father wouldn’t bat an eyelid. but her mother was far more sympathetic. the two of them spent a lot of time together whilst archie was constantly preparing the boys to follow him in the so-called family business. madeleine taught morgaine a lot about literature and art and about the ever-changing world around them as well as the important rule for young women: never let any man push you around or tell you who you are.

— her mother would always have the radio on when she’s was cooking and morgaine soon found a passion for singing by listening to old songs and learning the lyrics. she was a natural vocalist, but would never sing in front of her brothers out of fear they’d find something else to pick on her for.

— morgaine, although interested in art and literature, found school a bore. she hated learning pointless things she knew she would never use again and even though she remained popular throughout her education she didn’t particularly care for the other girls she knew; they were all fake and bitchy and talked about nothing stimulating. she did, however, attend all the big school parties at the more wealthier kids’ houses just to piss off her father and get drunk.

— morgaine also participated in kung fu lessons in order to learn self-defence. it was a way for her to get stronger and let out her frustrations. she once roundhouse kicked a boy in the face after he derogatory comments to a fellow student who was always getting bullied for being a nerd and whilst morgaine got in huge trouble she was proud of herself and the student she helped remained eternally grateful, the two of them often sitting together during lunch. nobody else dared mess with her after that.

— madeleine was supportive of morgaine’s endeavours to pursue a singing career as she could see how much is meant to her daughter and how passionate she was about it, but archie wasn’t happy. he wanted her to do something that would bring her wealth and abundance (or so he said, but morgaine knew he only wanted her to be as miserable and as infamous as he was), but she stood her ground. both he and her brothers were disappointed; they said she was throwing her life away, but morgaine only replied that she was actually wanting to live a life and not wanting to be pulled down into the depths of depression and stress by some mundane lifestyle. of course, archie was less than pleased and when morgaine had graduated high school he gave her an ultimatum: go to college and get a real job or leave home and never come back. morgaine chose the latter.

— morgaine soon found herself jumping from bar to bar, singing across the city and having no kind of stability. her mother was sending her money in the meantime, until she got on her feet, to pay for rent and groceries. morgaine didn’t know what she would do without madeleine. at 26 she found an opportunity to go to london to start her career at a prestigious hotel named ‘the bastion’ and, with her mother’s full support, she immediately snatched it up.

— upon arriving at the bastion she was taken under the wing of elowen de gavre, a fellow singer. the two lived together and quickly became like sisters, even solidifying their relationship and trust with friendship bracelets which they never took off. morgaine always thought she’d never have made it in the bastion of it want for elowen and knows that she can rely on her no matter what.

— morgaine never intended to become an assassin, but with being surrounded by a certain class of people and with her beauty, charm, and martial arts skills it became inevitable. she practised incessantly when it came to shooting a gun and knife throwing, but soon became an expert in both, even going as far as having her own custom silver knives made.

— her job as a singer payed well and she loved every moment of doing her favourite thing in the world, but when morgaine started taking on contracts her income increased and was able to start paying her mother back (despite madeleine’s insistence that it wasn’t necessary) and was also able to move out of her room at the bastion to get her own place nearby. her first job as an assassin was to dispatch a wealthy gentleman who had been breaking the rules of the table and thought he was getting away with it and whilst she was nervous morgaine decided to have fun. she seduced him at the bar where he spent most evenings and accompanied him back to his apartment where she slit his throat and stole some valuable pieces of jewellery from both him and his wife. she heard on the news that the police only suspected the murder was a result of a break in and robbery and nothing else came from the investigation. literally getting away with murder gave morgaine a high and is constantly chasing that when she takes on a job.

— after getting unwanted attention from men who were disrespectful, sexiest, and generally terrible people, morgaine thought she would never find someone who would love her the way she could love them. until she crossed paths with fellow assassin marco romano, who was highly skilled, incredibly handsome, and had a heart of gold. he also frequented the bar a lot and watched her sing. she fell for him pretty quick and not only did he help to bring out her softer side, but she helped him to be more confident. the two soon became a formidable pair.

other muses: e. crowe / d. montmorency / r. thorne

#talesfmintro #⸻ sky ; she/her ; 23 ; gmt ; no triggers

[gcthvile]

Good Omens OC list

Aurelius - The Rebel

Name: Aurelius

Age: a few thousand ig??

Height: 6'1

Sexuality: Pansexual, non-binary.

Aurelius, is quite unlike any other Angel you've ever met. Aurelius is both fierce and independent, with the attitude of a demon but a heart that burns with the purest of angelic grace. Aurelius' celestial form is androgynous, with long white hair that flows down their back and fiery red and gold feathers that shimmer in the light. Aurelius had always struggled to fit in with the other Angels in heaven and found their rules and regulations oppressive and limiting. In fact, Aurelius had a reputation as a bit of a rebel. They would often question the authority of the Archangels, and sometimes even go against their orders.

One day, during the events of the Apocalypse, the Archangel Michael, being suspicious of the Angel Aziraphale and the Demon Crowley sent the fledgling Aurelius on Earth in hopes they'll find out their true plan and snitch on the two to him. But much to his unfortune, they became really drawn to earth, London, to be specific, where they stumbled upon Crowley and Aziraphale, who were in the midst of their centuries-old friendship. Crowley and Aziraphale were initially hesitant to take in an Angel, especially one as unconventional as Aurelius, but the trio quickly formed an unlikely bond. Aurelius became like family to both Crowley and Aziraphale, who basically adopted them, and together they navigated the many changes that came with the end of the world.

Despite Aurelius' sharp tongue and independent nature, they quickly learned to rely on their new human friends, especially when they found themselves embroiled in the war between Heaven and Hell. Aurelius was torn between their loyalty to their fellow Angels and their newfound love for humanity, and Crowley and Aziraphale were there to support and guide them through the difficult decisions they had to make. As time went on, Aurelius became less and less like the other Angels and more like a member of the human race. They adopted the traits of both Heaven and Hell, and in doing so, they became something entirely unique. They were powerful and graceful like an Angel, but their fiery spirit and rebelliousness were reminiscent of a demon. Many other Angels saw Aurelius as a traitor, but Crowley and Aziraphale saw something special in them that no other Angel possessed. It was this uniqueness that allowed them to form a powerful bond that would ultimately change the course of history.

The ineffable husbands, Crowley and Aziraphale, loved their adopted rebellious, sarcastic angel kid. Although they may have had disagreements about how to handle the kid's behavior, they were ultimately united in their unconditional love for the ang. Crowley, being a demon himself, was often more tolerant of the Angel's mischievous behavior, while Aziraphale, being an angel, tended to be the more strict parent. But despite their different parenting styles, they both loved the kid equally and always had their best interests at heart.

The angel, in turn, deeply loved and respected the two, but often felt misunderstood by them. In their mind, the ineffable husbands were too concerned with following the rules and behaving in a way that was considered "good" by angelic standards. As a result, Aurelius often acted out in rebellion, testing the limits of what was considered acceptable by the two. Despite this rebellious behavior, they wer deeply grateful for the love and guidance of them, and never doubted that they were loved unconditionally. In many ways, their rebelliousness was simply a manifestation of their desire to find their own path in life, to discover who they truly were, and to make their own choices.

Aurelius has always been a bit of a black sheep among the angelic community, constantly pushing the boundaries of what is considered acceptable behavior. While they possess the same insatiable curiosity as their celestial siblings, Aurelius approaches life with a devil-may-care attitude, always questioning authority and testing their own limits. They enjoys taking risks and exploring the darker corners of the universe, often flirting with chaos and destruction opponents. But they still are compassionate for those under their care. They feel an intense responsibility towards the fragile beings on the lower planes of existence, and are fiercely protective of their well-being. Although they may seem brash and abrasive on the surface, Aurelius' true motivation lies in his unyielding desire to ensure that all beings have a fulfilling and meaningful life, even if it means going against the established norms of angelic society. Their passion for life and their determination to do what is right, even in defiance of their peers, make them a force to be reckoned with in both the celestial and mortal realms.

As a celestial being, despite also being a fledgling, Aurelius possesses a wide range of powerful abilities and skills as they were considered one of the best youngest soldiers the heaven has ever seen. They are impervious to most forms of physical and magical attacks, and they can move at incredible speeds that far surpass those of mortal creatures. They are also capable of flight, and can navigate the endless reaches of space with ease. Aurelius' greatest strength, however, lies in their command of elemental fire. They can conjure flames of incredible heat and intensity, and can manipulate them in a variety of ways to suit their needs. They can create walls of fire to shield themselves or others, or send torrents of flames hurtling towards their opponents. Aurelius can also use their command of fire to heal and purify the souls of those they encounter, burning away spiritual impurities and restoring a sense of balance and peace. Additionally, their affinity to the element of fire allows them to communicate with beings that are attuned to the element, such as phoenixes or dragons, and form bonds with them. These bonds allow them to summon and control these beings as allies in battle. Finally, Aurelius' powers include the ability to shape shift, allowing them to take on different forms and adapt to various situations.

In addition to their control over fire, Aurelius also possesses the ability to summon weapons and objects seemingly out of thin air. They can conjure swords, spears, and shields at will, enabling them to adapt to various combat situations as they arise.

Hope y'all like them! @msrochelleromanofffelton @jackiequick @meiramel @drspencereidhotch @blueboirick

#oc post #oc rp #movies #good omens #good omens rp #good omens x oc #oc rpg #oc introduction

[stoicbreviary]

Generally, wickedness does no harm at all to the Universe; and particularly the wickedness of one man does no harm to another. It is only harmful to him who has it in his power to be released from it as soon as he shall choose.

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.55 

IMAGE: Raphael, Saint Michael Vanquishing Satan (1518)

#stoicism #marcus aurelius #philosophy

[mixingpumpkins]

24 and 125 for book recs ask?

24 - a book on your nightstand

LOL. My nightstand is huge and has two stacks of books in varying states of in-progress at the moment, so here's all of them:

"Save the Cat! Writes a Novel" by Jessica Brody

"The Nectar of Pain" by Najwa Zebian

"The Nineties: A Book" by Chuck Klosterman

"Oracle's Atlas: A Companion to the Literary Tarot: Classics Edition" by the Brink Literacy Project

"The Daily Stoic" by Ryan Holiday

"The Complete Grimm's Fairytales" (Rock Point Timeless Classics Edition)

All six books of "The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel" series by Michael Scott (I'm halfway through the third one atm)

"Coraline" by Neil Gaiman (currently rereading)

"Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius (this one never leaves my nightstand tbh)

"Plain Bad Heroines" by Emily M. Danforth

125 - your favourite autumn read

Idk, I don't really have a book that I always reread in autumn... going through Poe's stories and poems is always fun around October though

book recs ask game

#asks

[liminalpsych]

I did it! I read the *entirety* of Historia regum Britanniae by Geoffrey of Monmouth.

Would I recommend reading the whole thing? I'm not really sure. I think the original founding of Britain by the Trojans is kind of interesting to read about. Then it gets markedly less interesting for a while, with some gems such as a necromancer king and his school of necromancy, and a number of very powerful queens which I also didn't expect from a medieval Chrisian author (but he may have been writing in support of Matilda as heir to the throne during Geoffrey's time). Eventually the Arthurian section begins, and that's a reasonably engaging read. Certainly all the lead-up provides *context* for Arthur's reign.

Michael Faletra's translation was highly readable and I'd recommend it, though it can be a little hard to find. (The only ebook version I found still actually available was on Google Play books. Couldn't find it on Kindle or iBooks.) I found Faletra's introduction and translator's notes as interesting (or more so) as the book itself, and his copious footnotes are very helpful at providing further context.

The biggest bonus to Faletra's translation, though? The appendices! He has a translation of the Vita Merlini (Life of Merlin) by Geoffrey of Monmouth, as well as translations of relevant excerpts from Welsh poems, pre-Galfridian texts, medieval reactions to Geoffrey's History, and so on.

If you're just interested in the Arthurian-specific bits, Geoffrey of Monmouth dedicates about 1/5th of the text to Arthur. I'd start with Book 6 (they're called Books but they're more like chapters, very short); Arthur's father Uther shows up a few pages into it. You'll get the introduction to Merlin, the whole reign of Vortigern, and the influx of Saxons across the kingdom which sets up for one of the big achievements of Arthur's reign.

Book 7 is very Merlin focused, and covers his prophecies. They're obscure, as prophecies often are. Faletra's footnotes contextualize the ones that reference events prior to Geoffrey's time, which is handy.

Book 8 covers Uther, Gorlois, Igerna (Igraine in later texts), and Arthur's conception and birth along with his sister Anna (later called Morgana, I'm guessing). All of Uther's reign. The reign of Uther's brother Aurelius comes first though.

Book 9 is the really Arthur-focused book. We get his kingship, the shield Pridwen, the "greatest of swords" Caliburn (later Excalibur), and mentions of Avalon. We're also introduced to Gawain and Mordred, sons of Loth, who was married to Arthur's sister Anna. Arthur marries Guinevere, born of a Roman family and raised in the household of the Duke of Cornwall. And then Arthur works on conquering practically the entirety of Northern Europe, and his court becomes a popular destination for glory-seeking young men wanting to be knights. We additionally meet Bedivere the Cup-Bearer and Kay the Seneschal, and travel to Caerleon.

Book 10 is a conflict with Rome (with whom Britain has had a long and complicated history before this point in the Historia). Arthur leaves Britain to Guinevere and Mordred's care and goes to Rome. On the way he randomly fights and kills a giant in single combat, like you do. In the war against Rome, Bedivere is slain and Kay receives a mortal wound. And at the very end, they learn that Mordred has seized the throne for himself and is hooking up with Guinevere. (To quote: "news reached Arthur that his nephew Mordred, in whose keeping he had left the governance of Britain, had proven himself to be a tyrant and a traitor. Mordred had seized the throne of Britain and now took his wicked pleasure with Guinevere, who had broken her marriage vows.")

Book 11 is the Battle of Camlann. Ywain is first mentioned here (later called Yvain in works by Chretien de Troyes). Mordred is killed at Camlann, and Arthur is mortally wounded but carried away to Avalon to be healed. The next king is crowned, Constantine, who kills Mordred's two sons in the churches they were hiding in. The rest of Book 11 is a rapid series of following kings and conflicts.

Book 12 has a final drawn-out conflict between kinsfolk over the throne, and wraps up the end of the History; it really isn't necessary to read book 12 if you're just here for Arthurian content. I found it an absolute slog and struggled to keep my eyes from skipping over paragraphs.

#arthuriana #arthurian literature #arthurian newbie #geoffrey of monmouth #reading list #historia regum britanniae #history of the kings of britain #michael faletra

[virtualmemoriespodcast]

Episode 543 - Joseph Monninger

With his new memoir, GOODBYE TO CLOCK TICKING: How We Live While Dying (Steerforth), writer and professor Joseph Monninger writes through the experience of a stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis, delivered only 3 days into his retirement in 2021. We talk about how he's navigating life on borrowed time (& the drug that's miraculously loaning him that time), his notion of legacy and how it plays out in his books and his students, and what he's learned about impatience and regret. We get into the books that brought him solace, the comforts of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, how Wilder's Our Town inspired the memoir's title, and his desire to take the world in while he's still in it. We also discuss the origins of his writing life, his Peace Corps stint in Burkina Faso and the big novels that he and the other volunteers traded, whether there are any books he wants to get to before he dies, what we each learned about oncology waiting room etiquette and the grace & goodwill of oncologists, the issue of assisted suicide, and a LOT more. (Plus, I talk about this week's NYC memorial for Michael Denneny.) • More info at our site • Support The Virtual Memories Show via Patreon or Paypal and via our Substack

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#podcast #books

[devosopmaandag]

Wat regen met genade van doen heeft

Na het lezen van de eerste helft van Michael Ignatieffs 'Troost'* kon ik een zekere ergernis niet onderdrukken. Bestaan er dan helemaal geen vrouwelijke denkers en schrijvers in de geschiedenis die hem troost hebben geboden?! Heb ik in pijnlijke tijden eigenlijk wel eens zuivere troost ondervonden? Ik twijfelde. Troost, wordt die niet net als geluk, pijn, verdriet, angst, verlangen en opwinding al bij de pasgeborene in de wieg gelegd? Het is misschien wel een van de allereerste affecten die een zuigeling ondergaat. Geworpen in een volkomen onbekende en koude wereld, schreeuwt de overweldigde nieuwe mens meteen haar schrik en honger uit. Daar is meteen al de eerste troost: de omhelzing van de moeder. Maar Ignatieff gaat het vooral om intellectuele, religieuze en artistieke vormen van troost en schetst deze via Job, Paulus, Cicero, Marcus Aurelius, Boëthius, Dante, El Greco, Montaigne, David Hume enzovoort. Ja, er komt een klein handje vrouwen langs: de vrouw van Karl Marx in een bijrol, Anna Achmatova, die luttele bladzijden krijgt en er is een zelfstandig hoofdstuk over Cicely Saunders, de grondlegster van de hospice, waarmee na de pasgeborene met de stervende de cirkel rond is.

Ik dacht na over vrouwelijke schrijvers en denkers die mij mogelijk iets schonken wat in de buurt van troost komt. De stralendste ster is Clarice Lispector. In haar 'De ontdekking van de wereld' vond ik alles waarvan ik niet eens wist dat ik het zocht. In het laatste hoofdstuk van zijn boek wordt Ignatieff het meest persoonlijk en komt hij tot de conclusie dat vertroosting altijd een geschenk is, een vorm van genade die heel dicht bij een religieuze ervaring ligt. Lispector schreef over een moment van zuivere genade, zonder dat woord te noemen. Het is een passage die opgevat kan worden als troost voor ons arme mensen, die in dit leven vol willekeur geworpen zijn.

“Alleen dit: het regent en ik kijk naar de regen. Wat een eenvoud. Ik had nooit gedacht dat de wereld en ik ooit zo dicht bij elkaar zouden komen. De regen valt niet omdat hij mij nodig heeft en ik kijk niet naar de regen omdat ik hem nodig heb, maar we zijn zo samen als het water van de regen verbonden is met de regen. En ik bedank nergens voor. [–] De regen bedankt ook nergens voor. Ik ben niet iets wat dankbaar is omdat het iets anders is geworden. Ik ben een vrouw, ik ben een mens, ik ben aandacht, ik ben een lichaam dat uit het raam kijkt.”

* Troost – als licht in donkere tijden | Michael Ignatieff |vertaling Nannie de Nijs, Bik-Plasman en Pon Ruiter |2022| uitgeverij Cossee

[dearorpheus]

also love it when narratives weave other references in so bizarrely. Lydia watches Jeong Kwan’s episode of Chef’s Table and so her notion of “vegan vampirism” (consuming pig’s blood instead of human’s) is propelled by the philosophies of a Buddhist monk; the parasitic alien from Michael Shea’s The Autopsy loves Marcus Aurelias bc his original host was a "true hermit-philosopher, [...] writing a translation of Marcus Aurelius—he was, I mean, in his free time...”...effervescent

#personal

[amor-immortalem]

Goodbyes are Forever

A/N: this has been rotating and marinating in my mind since I posted Max’s birthday card back in November. I just haven’t had the time to write it. I hope by writing smaller chapters and not worrying about word count that I’ll kick this lack of motivation to write

・・・〆・・・

Goodbyes are forever. That’s just the way life goes. Special people come into your life, stay for a bit, and then they have to leave. Max knows this. She knows she should never have let herself get so close to Azalea and her family. Not when she knows the reason she was sent down here. Nothing in life happens by chance.

It was no coincidence that Max would meet Solomon while she was supposedly living on the street- no coincidence that he would be able to sense the raw magical potential residing within her and take her under his wing as his newest apprentice. No, all of that had been meticulously planned.

The story Max has always told everyone from day one is that her parents had disowned her and kicked her out because she refused to join the cult they were a part of. It was just that- a story. A story bathed in deceit. Not only had her parents not disowned her, she was indeed a member of the Anti-Harmony Movement. Although Max can proudly say she doesn’t exactly share their feelings against Demon-Human relationships, she did share their feelings that the human realm should stay separate from the likes of the Devildom and the Celestial realm. Humans were never meant to mingle with the supernatural on the level Diavolo and Michael were pushing for...

And that was the Anti-Harmony Movement’s goal: to keep the human realm free of the divine and the depraved. And to accomplish that goal, Max allowed herself to be used and to use others in turn. Four years... for four years, the human played her role flawlessly. She’d played them, gotten close enough to know the inner workings of Diavolo’s plan for harmony, and now it was time to leave.

In a way Max does feel remorse- as small as it may be- for how she had tricked her ‘girlfriend’ into believing that she ever loved her. She knows Azalea would be crushed to find out that truth, but the human isn’t interested in keeping up a façade any more. She has people waiting on her in the human world- a partner, a family. Max can’t wait any longer. She has what she needs.

Still, the human can’t help but leave a note for the half-demon to find when morning breaks. The note is brief but concise. It’s only a line long, reading: I lied. About everything. I’m leaving. Max slips it under Azalea’s door, knowing at this ungodly hour not even the overly-studious half-demon would be a wake to receive it until Max was long gone. The black-haired human leaves immediately after that.

When morning does arrive all too soon, Azalea finds the note. She doesn’t read it right away, her mind too foggy with the pull of sleep to realize what exactly is in her hand at first. It isn’t until her twin brother asks about it that the half-demon even bothers to unfold the parchment. The air is quiet between them as Azalea just stares and stares at the words.

Once the words actually process, she’s crumpling the paper in her fist before taking off for what used to be Max’s room. The freckled half-demon kicks open the door ready to scream at the top of her lungs about how if this was a joke or a prank, it wasn’t funny, but the room is barren except for the furniture that it came with.

It’s then that the full gravity of the situation hits Azalea.

“Aurelius, call the entire family ‘n wake ‘em up. We got a big problem on our hands...”

・・・〆・・・

To be continued...

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me swd #obey me! shall we date? #obey me next gen #obey me kids #obey me next gen oc #max #azelea #aurelius