#rome is my son confirmed

[partoftheairforce]

romey romey rome

#rome is my son confirmed #no rome #the 1975 #matty healy

[royal-wren]

While long overdue on my part by weeks, this post will serve as informative to the worship of Maia. I will try my best to make it cohesive but it might end up being a patchwork.

"I know the Dove best by night blue in the sky she remains diligently guiding us from the heavens so none may be lost even when alone when cared for by the herald of seasons"

-For the Night-Wandering, by me

Maia, daughter of the Titan Atlas, who shifts the heaven's axis, and Titanide sheep-nymph Pleione (Aithrê is her alt. name) who increases in number as a lady of plenty, is one of many stars making up the constellation Taurus. She is the oldest of the seven sisters and the leader of the Pleiades born in Arkadia on Mt. Kyllene where she would take up permanent residence in the caves. She is a sister to the Hyades as well. Maia is known both as a star-nymph (part of the Astrothesiai) and Oread. She has only one natural child, far-famed and widely-loved Hermes who helps her name stay relevant even now when knowledge about her is obscure.

Generally, the word maia means mother but for the goddess means Nursing Mother primarily but also Great Mother, Good Mother, Foster Mother, Female Doctor, or Dame. Her name also can be a way to address older women, grandmothers, and nurses/midwives. Maia's domain mentioned above is her most prominent aspect as a goddess of motherhood along with Leto. It led to her having a part in a myth otherwise separated from her as she became the foster mother of Kallisto's son Arkas, whom she named promptly after Zeus gave him to her.

Maia has many additional complexities with her important role to play noting her position as one of the main factors of all the seasons as the one to tell of the changes between each season (with the Pleiades). Her importance with humanity comes from this as the seven sisters tell when the earth will be renewed with life and when that renewal is at its end. She is a vegetation and earth goddess, from which she is renewal and rebirth to the earth as well as the barrenness of the earth. Maia is a maritime deity as well, without her showing up in the sky navigation by nighttime would become a challenge, something that anyone traveling in the dark would know. Through this connection she has a deep relationship with waters of oceans, springs, and rivers.

Fondly, the Seven Sisters are called Doves (Pigeons) by many writers and are the ones that attend Zeus with ambrosia. With the stars accompanying the moon, the Pleiades are called companions of Artemis. Under the epithets Atlantides, Dodonides, or Nysiades, they are nursemaids and teachers to the infant Bacchus.

The month of May earned its name from her as a 50/50 deal between her and Roman goddess Maia who's also a spring/fertility and earth goddess associated with mountains. While Rome started it first, the Greeks took it up for themselves near the end of the Hellenic era and the start of the Hellenistic era.

*On a more speculative mindset to the knowledge that Maia more than likely is a pre-Greek/older local mother goddess to the area in a similar way that Hermes is confirmed to be pre-Greek/an older local god. The older tradition and connection she has with caves in a similar manner to Hermes could speak to her being liminal and khthonic originally as they are/were seen as the point between the living and the dead and the entrance to the underworld. There is a possibility that she could of the Mycenaean goddess Preswa (dove deity), Manasa, or Diwija with Komawenteja: long-haired goddess as an epithet. Another fun little possibility is the indication that Maia is a bi-gendered deity, more than likely a part of her older iteration that survived on a largely diminished scale.

Epithets: With deep dark eyes  Honored mother The nurturer  She who nurtures   Great (Mighty) nurse  Of the lovely black eyes  Maia Prôtogonê - First-born Maia Kedná - Careful, diligent, trusty cherished, dear good, valued Maia Eratoplocamus - Lovely-haired Maia Euplokamos - Having lovely locks Maia Ioplokos/Ioplokamos - With violet hair / With dark locks Maia Kuanokhaitēs - Dark-haired Maia Hulaios - Belonging to the wood or forest Maia Aitherolampēs - Shining in ether Maia Himeronous - Lovely of soul Maia Earotrephḗs - Flourishing in Spring Maia Drymocharēs - Delighting in the woods Maia Philodendros/Philodendron - Fond of trees / Fond of the wood Maia Peleia - The Dove Maia Dôdônides - Of Dodona Maia Ekprepḗs - Distinguished out of all, pre-eminent, remarkable, surpassing Pôtnia Maia - Queenly Maia Maia Aeiphengēs - Ever-shining Maia Nyktaugḗs - Shining by night Maia Asteroommatos - Star-eyed Maia Kyanôpis- Dark-eyed Atlantis - Daughter of Atlas Atlagenes - Born of Atlas Pleias - Daughter of Pleione Maia Kyllḗnē/Kyllênê - Of Mt. Kyllene Maia Kourotróphos - Nurse of the Young, Good Nursing-Mother Eurysternos - Broad-bossomed Matêr Pantôn - Mother of All Maia Pleiôn - Lady of Plenty Maia Entropḗ - To turn away. In place of most shy (since I can't find those exact words) while also being a play on Hermes' epithet Polytropos: Many-turning. Maia Erēmophílēs - Loving solitude Maia Aidoîos - Modest, bashful, honored, respected, having a claim to regard, reverence Maia Gaia - The conflation of two goddesses tied to the earth and nurses/mothers making Mother Earth Maia Oureias or Maiados Oureias - Mountain Maia Mêtêr Oreiês - Mountain Mother Maia Oreiplanktos - Mountain-roaming Maia Kuanéā - Dark, Dark-Blue, To denote a dark shade of blue merging into black

Sacred Associations: Doves Pigeons Dodona Arkadia Mt. Kyllene Kingfishers Navigation Sailing June Thirteenth Caves Mountains Winnowing-baskets Night time The color Black Light Blue Dark Blue

Festivals: The month of May, Mounichia (Greek: Μουνιχιών) is important to the sisters as the Pleiades rise and it signifies the start of the navigational year and the time the earth can be sown with seeds again/the growing season is in full swing. The end of October or the month of November is also a festival when they set, the navigational year ends and the growing season ends. The cluster's conjunction with the sun in spring and opposition in fall marked the start and end of the summer sailing season in ancient Greece.

*While not mandatory any donations for any posts I do like this would mean the world as this stuff takes literal months to do. Ways to donate outside of Tumblr tipping can be found here

Sources:

terpsikeraunos' tumblr page

Theoi's pages for Maia, the Pleiades, Kyllene, Persephone's epithets and Amphitrite's epithets

University of Penselvania's page on the Pleiades

The exile of Ovid, the Pleiades, Maia, and the secret name of Rome by Felice Vinci

Athenaeus: The Deipnosophists Book 11, Pages 484-496, Translated by C.B. Gulick

A Minoan deity from London Medicine Papyrus by Alexander Akulov

The Pleiades on holladaypaganism./com

Astereoasteroseismology by Gough, D. O.

Hymn 4 to Hermes

Mythology of the Seven Sisters

The Winter Stars are Coming by Dennis Mammana

Phaenomena by Aratus

Maia Goddess of Birth by Despena Dalmaris

#maia #maia deity #maia goddess #hellenic polytheism #hellenic pagan #hellenic paganism #hellenic worship #hellenic gods #helpol #the pleiades #hermes #hermes god #hermes deity

[wambsgansshoelaces]

hiii!! i love your writing sm!! i was wondering if u could do like pregnancy headcanons with roman and if not that’s totally okay! have a good day 🫶

I love you anon!!! thank you for enjoying xx <3

pregnancy: roman

ᝰ you’ve been married a while when it happens

ᝰ and when it does you’re ecstatic

ᝰ you’d talked extensively about having kids; you’d both made it clear that you wanted them, but they were NOT going to be raised like you and roman were

ᝰ never raise your voices, never ever hit

ᝰ you want to do some big thing to tell him but you’re just too excited

ᝰ and you know he’d rather you just blurt it out

ᝰ so you do

ᝰ “rome!” you call, pregnancy test clutched behind your back

ᝰ “kitchen!” he calls back

ᝰ he’s in the middle of making you breakfast at the stove

ᝰ you go over to him and give him a kiss on the cheek

ᝰ you wait for him to turn entirely before taking the pregnancy test out from behind your back

ᝰ he half kisses you before realizing

ᝰ “is this…?”

ᝰ “yeah.”

ᝰ the minute you confirm, he tosses the test onto the counter and hoists you into his arms

ᝰ you laugh giddily as he spins you around

ᝰ you’re both laughing once he puts you down

ᝰ he cups your face in his hands

ᝰ it’s really happening

ᝰ he’s been so in love with you for so long

ᝰ he’s always known you were supposed to be the mother of his children

ᝰ his heart is bursting

ᝰ he peppers your face in sloppy kisses

ᝰ the first ultrasound, he’s there, of course he’s there

ᝰ he’s gripping your hand the entire time

ᝰ his knuckles are literally white

ᝰ “baby, it’s just ultrasound gel,” you tell him as he death stares the ultrasound tech

ᝰ he strokes the back of your palm

ᝰ the tech begins sliding the wand around over your uterus

ᝰ and there’s the baby!

ᝰ “healthy and growing,” the tech announces with a smile

ᝰ roman cries

ᝰ you take the sonograms home

ᝰ he takes one and frames it

ᝰ “it’s going in my office,” he tells you, thumb brushing gently over the baby’s head

ᝰ and you know it’s going to be put right next to the framed photo of you on your wedding day

ᝰ your pregnancy progresses healthily

ᝰ roman is the most attentive, loving partner on earth- your pregnancy only intensifies that

ᝰ he literally makes you your hellish cravings

ᝰ “baby, have you eaten your snack? you need to be eating five times a day,” he says almost every day

ᝰ he’s been researching

ᝰ he probably knows more than you

ᝰ as your pregnancy goes along, he starts laying around with you, head on your stomach

ᝰ he talks to the baby sometimes, peppering your belly with kisses

ᝰ it hits him when you start showing

ᝰ “you’re so gorgeous,” he makes sure to tell you constantly

ᝰ the gender reveal is just the two of you

ᝰ you don’t do anything crazy, it’s just some colored cake you’ve been craving

ᝰ it’s blue!

ᝰ you both cry

ᝰ but you know how important this is for roman specifically

ᝰ he’s going to give his son everything he never had

ᝰ he’s going to do all of the father son things his dad never did for him

ᝰ once your mobility gets limited, he refuses to let you do anything around the house

ᝰ he’c cooking, he’s cleaning, he makes endless amounts of time for just you

ᝰ he spends as much time as he can with you

ᝰ just so you’re both spending time together

ᝰ whenever you get sad or upset, he’s right next to you, holding your hand, kissing your cheeks, stroking your brow

ᝰ refuses to let you think you’ll be a bad mother

ᝰ “you’re the center of my universe, and you’ll be the center of his, too,” he murmurs to you

ᝰ you’re on the couch one night, and you can’t move to take off your socks

ᝰ it’s so frustrating; you can’t do anything for yourself anymore

ᝰ before you know it, you’re tearing up

ᝰ roman has a sixth sense regarding your emotions

ᝰ he peeks out of the spare bedroom you’re converting into a nursery

ᝰ “hey, what’s going on? talk to me, baby.”

ᝰ he slides onto the couch with you and presses a kiss to your cheek

ᝰ “socks,” is all you can say through tears

ᝰ he leans over and yanks them off, then chucking them across the room

ᝰ he pats his chest

ᝰ so you lean into him, stretching out along the couch

ᝰ he loves you so much

ᝰ and he loves your son just as vividly

ᝰ all of a sudden, you’ve gone through labor, and you have your son in your arms

ᝰ roman held your hand the entire time, cooing at you and yelling at the doctor when they refused to let you get an epidural because they wanted you to go ‘natural’

ᝰ you scoot over in your hospital bed, and he climbs in next to you

ᝰ he puts us arm around you, pulling you close

ᝰ he kisses your forehead, then your lips, then the small boy cuddled up to you

#roman roy #roman roy headcanons #roman roy x reader #roman roy x you #succession #succession hbo #succession x reader #wambsgansshoelaces #anon ask #requests open #succession headcanons

[crossdressingdeath]

After reading that bit during the Tartarus flashback where (in classic Riordanverse fashion) they forgot the timeline and had Nico thinking about Jason as a close friend even though canonically they were only vaguely acquainted at that point I've been thinking... why weren't they friends before Nico's first trip to Tartarus?

I mean, both of them have very good reason to want to be on the other's good side: as praetor Jason would logically want to be on good terms with the direct ambassador of a god, and Nico would logically want to be on good terms with the leaders of the group he's lowkey spying on. And we know from canon that once they start actually interacting they get on super well! And it would help explain why Nico could just show up at camp with Hazel like "Hey so this is my sister don't mind how she has no records and acts like she's from the '30s she's one of you now 'kay bye" and that was just accepted if he was close to the praetors instead of canon's impression of him being vaguely tolerated in New Rome at most and only respected at all because fucking with Pluto's ambassador would be... unwise. It would just in general make more sense for them to be at least friendly acquaintances, and given Nico's canon relationships with both Jason and Reyna "friendly acquaintances" would absolutely quickly transition into full friendship.

And honestly Jason and Nico being friends pre-TLH would make the bit in MoA where the Seven argue about whether or not Nico can be trusted so much more interesting and so much less infuriating. As it is in canon it just feels super unfair, because the only evidence any of them give for him being untrustworthy is "Well he knew about both camps" when all the gods and Chiron and Lupa also knew about both camps and also said nothing despite them being at a much lower risk of being smote for blabbing than Nico would be, and it's confirmed that Chiron at least swore to keep the secret and there's no evidence that Nico didn't. The only character who actually has the right to feel at all betrayed on a personal level is Hazel, and she doesn't because she loves and trusts her brother and also seems to grasp that the secret wasn't actually Nico's to share; even with Percy (and Annabeth, although unless I'm forgetting something she never really comments on it), Nico's never actually willingly confided in him even about minor things so I don't see why he's getting so butthurt about Nico not telling him one of the biggest known secrets of the modern age that the gods have. Percy and Nico aren't actually friends, they're friendly acquaintances at best, I don't see why Percy gets so pissy that Nico didn't break what is clearly a pretty major rule (given even the gods follow it without any fuss until it becomes obvious that the secret's going to come out anyway) for him. But if Nico and Jason were friends that would open up a much more interesting angle for the argument than just "How dare he keep this secret that literally everyone else who knew about it has kept for over a century"! "I thought he was my friend and he was lying to me about who he was the whole time" is a much more understandable and interesting reason to question someone than just him not telling everyone something that he wasn't even supposed to know! Hazel knew that there was something up with Nico from the start and Percy and Annabeth at least knew he was a son of Hades rather than Pluto (and again were not his friends and so shouldn't have expected him to confide in them anyway), but if Nico had actual friends in Camp Jupiter who really did think he was an ambassador from Pluto they would have every right to feel at least a little betrayed and question what else he might have been hiding from them. Jason absolutely wanting to save Nico but also feeling betrayed that his close friend had been lying about who he was the entire time they'd known each other would be much stronger and more compelling than canon's "He did this thing that basically every immortal we're on speaking terms with also did but he is uniquely untrustworthy because of it".

Also it would open up some fun possibilities for scenes. For example, I love the idea of one of the Greek cast mentioning Nico after Jason regains his memories and Jason just going "Wait you mean Nico like our Nico?" and everyone else going "What do you mean your Nico?" It would also give Nico friends and a place where he felt reasonably welcome, which would be nice and could've been used as evidence for the "You pushed away people who wanted to be your friend" angle Rick went with from BoO onwards, since him having people who cared about him (who he initially was friendly with primarily because he kind of had to be, which would justify what made Jason and Reyna different from everyone else he interacts with) would show that yeah, Nico had proof people wanted to be around him which he very much does not in canon. Plus it would be an opportunity to get into what Nico was thinking and feeling re knowing this huge secret that he couldn't tell anyone and having to keep it from people he cared about and didn't want to lie to (side note, I am now wondering if Rick didn't go into that because there was really no way to interrogate a traumatized fourteen year old in terms of "Why didn't you share this huge secret that not even the gods breathed a word of in over a century" that would make the interrogators look good and none of the Seven show any interest in the matter outside of those terms).

...Also. y'know. a Jasico fic featuring them dating prior to TLH and Hera wiping Jason's memories of having a boyfriend and still giving Piper and Leo false memories of Piper and Jason dating would both be very fun and angsty as a concept and would play very nicely into the themes of comphet in Jason and Piper's relationship. And would fit the way Hera very openly thinks that Nico isn't part of "her family" in BotL! So there's that also.

#riordanverse #nico di angelo #jason grace #jasico #all of this applies to reyna too to be clear #but since she's not on the argo ii in moa and isn't mentioned in tsats #the fact that she also should've been friends with nico prior to tlh is less relevant

[hello-nichya-here]

Do you like any of Lucrezia and Cesare's other love interests or do you only ship them with each other?

As usual, I gotta turn what could be a simple answer into an unnecessarily long rant.

All of Lucrezia's boring love interests and why I don't truly ship her with any of them

Okay, so despite the title, I don't think ALL of her love interests are boring... to the same degree. All of them made me roll my eyes and wish for their scenes to be over faster at some point, but some far less than others, and most of them actually had an impact on Lucrezia's growth as a character.

Djem

He was her first (non-incestuous) love. He is a painfully naive guy, and each time he and Lucrezia were being flirty it felt more like two children playing house - yes, even when he's talking about men being allowed to have as many women as they want, and the different rules for beating a wife VS beating a concubine.

He's trapped in a fantasy of having a peaceful, good life when he gets to Rome - no political intrigues, no one being murdered horribly, no one being two-faced. He's basically Lucrezia's prince charming. A handsome young man from a mysterious, foreign land, being all kind and sweet and obviously into her - with intentions so pure they never even kiss.

But his role in the story is literally to die by the hands of the people he now trusted wanted to be his family, so the Borgias could have more money. He's more of a means to an end than he is a character.

His death represents the first major confirmation that Lucrezia's life (and romances) will be filled with sorrow, and that will kill whatever innocence she once had, and while that's fine foreshadowing, it doesn't really make me wish he had lived longer and actually had a relationship with Lucrezia. And more importantly, it sets up the prescedent for Lucrezia to only go for men that are SUPER docile - to the point that's pretty much their only personality trait.

Paolo

While Lucrezia is being abused by her husband, Paolo is there for comfort her, give her a reason to survive, help her injure her husband greatly so he's confined to a bed and unable to harm her, and, yes, he is the one to first show her what a proper romance and consensual sex is like.

Lucrezia likes him because he's sweet and innocent, much like she once was, and she wants to experience that again through him - and those traits are what make her feel he's not a threat to her like her husband. And again, while that's fine as a theme in the narrative, it makes him just a slight variation of Djem's character - or rather of Lucrezia's need for her love interest not to have a spine, so she doesn't have to wonder if she'll one day be abused again. I pity them, but I don't want them together.

To make matters worse, because Paolo is a nobody in the grand scheme of things, he and Lucrezia could never be together - and not only is she aware of it, she made her peace with it, even if she wishes things were different. That's why she tells him never to return to Rome, meaning he'd never see her or their son again, for the sake of his survival - and then he is murdered anyway because Lucrezia's whole tragedy as a character is "Innocence inevitably dies" and since she only ever chooses generic innocent men as lovers, she's basically setting herself up for failure in each new romance.

Raffaello (And Calvino)

If Djem was the representation of Lucrezia's innocence while it still existed in her, and Paolo was her grieving it, Raffaello is the representation that she is a Borgia and will do as she pleases - and that her bad taste in men reached a new low that I don't think could ever be out-matched.

The guy is just boring, to the point that I didn't even remember his name. He's the generic artistic man that Lucrezia is actively lying to just to get in his pants - and the only reason she even wants to have an affair with him in the first place is because she's both deliberately trying to sabotage her father's plan to marry her off again. That's why she wants the unimportant brother instead of the relevant one, Calvino, who is there just so she has an excuse to be close to the one she's into AND because she liked her mom's idea of just having both brothers for herself just to prove she can - and then cast them aside once she's had her fun and thrill is gone.

These "relationships" are just so Lucrezia can experience being spoiled and demanding something she knows she can't have, and doesn't even truly want or need, solely because she was told "No, you can't have this."

It really is no wonder she doesn't really care when both brothers leave. The engagement and affair were never truly about them, but about Lucrezia saying "Screw you, dad, you're not selling me out to the first gross man you find!"

Alfonso

I'd say Alfonso was the one that was the closest to actually working as romantic pair for Lucrezia. He's personality is almost identical to the the copy-paste of all her love interests and he can be one hell of a pushover, but there's a playfulness to their early interactions, they have genuinely good chemistry on scene in which they nearly consumate their marriage, and he's HIGHLY amusing when he gets sick of being controled (and cucked) and just becomes a mess of a person ruining Cesare's day - it was stupid and got him killed, but he earned lots of extra points just by being the only one of Lucrezia's love interests who looked the Borgias in the face and told them to just man up and get rid of him already instead of hiding behind political schemes and manipulation.

But now matter how much he genuinely cared for Lucrezia and how sweet he could be, and how she clearly trusted him, his devotion would just never hold a candle to Cesare's, and simply lacked that Borgia ambition and ferocity that Lucrezia needed to truly be satisfied in a relationship.

That's why in season 2 she agrees when Cesare says she finally has a good man, yet in season three she reminds him that she could be married a thousand times and it'd always be the wrong husband, because she doesn't just want good - she wants her brother, because only a Borgia can truly love a Borgia.

Okay, now that we're done with Lucrezia's boy-toys, lets talk about Cesare's side-chicks.

The woman that exists solely to be stalked by Cesare

Ursula, Ursula... I never liked her. At all.

She didn't really do anything that made me see her as a bad or unlikeable person - but the whole point of her is that, from Cesare's point of view, she's not really a person, she's the object of his "affection" (unhinged obsession).

In his head, he's the brave, bold hero that killed the monster that tormented her, and was then rewarded with her undying love and, of course, sex - what he desperately wishes he could have done when Lucrezia was forced to get married to a man that would end up abusing her, and will be far away, where Cesare cannot protect her. It's no surprise that Ursula was introduced during said wedding.

From her point of view though, she's a woman who was trapped in a bad marriage to an awful man, thought she had found an honrable savior that was risking his own life out of love for her, only to then realize that he was actually a manipulative, violent, frightening monster that told her pretty lies and half-truths to seduce her and then murdered her (admitedly not innocent) husband to make sure nothing would stand on his way.

When she ends the relationship and literally becomes a nun to attone for her sin of adultery/being the reason her husband died, Cesare refuses to accept it. He corners, harasses, and even manhandles her. He never full on forces himself onto her, but there's nothing about her behavior that could suggest his attempts of courtship/reconciliation are in anyway wanted. She's terrified of him, ashamed of their affair, and wants him to leave her alone. She says as much, repeatedly - sometimes with tears in her face, cowering before him like she's bracing herself for a violent beating, full on sexual assault, or even for Cesare to just slit her throat.

Then, she dies horribly when an army attacks the nunnery she's at, raping and killing her. Cesare avenges her... and that's it. He never thinks of her again, and we never find out anything about her other than "She was constantly being victimized by bad men."

I feel sorry for her, but I don't really connect with her character because she didn't have any, and I REALLY don't like how Cesare acted towards her. All the selfishness, entitlement and downright cruelty that he would rather die than inflict upon Lucrezia he unleashed upon Ursula without a second thought - and like I said, she was not into it in the slightest, so this couldn't even be turned into a "dark, unhealthy, dysfunctional, terrying romance", at least for me.

There's simply nothing to like here.

Cesare's wife and how she was almost interesting

Charlotte had potential to be a cool character. She's clever and just looking out for herself, but she's not cruel or all that ambitious. She and Cesare clearly liked each other and enjoyed sleeping together, and she appreciates that he is making an effort - but like Cesare said, love is not an issue between them because they both know it won't happen and neither of them expects or even wants it from the other.

She's Cesare's wife due to convenience. It's a mutually benefitial agreement, not a marriage in the romantic sense. It's an interesting dynamic that can be functional, but doesn't really make me root for them because it deliberately lacks the main part of romance.

And unfortunately, she shows up in one episode, gets a passing mention some time later, and that's it. She exists to give Cesare the political claim he wanted, nothing more. He can enjoy her company when she's around, but when they're apart from each other he seems to completely forget she existed - and even though I remembered the character, I did not remember the name, because she's simply not that important.

Catherina Sforza and why she's the only one I actually like

Catherina Sforza is VERY different from all the other temporary love interests above for the simple fact that she is a fully actualized character that has a role in the story besides being just another temporarely delay to the incest couple everyone is rooting for.

She's cunning, proud, manipulative and ambitious - much like the Borgias. She and Cesare have a gruding respect/admiration for each other, and her seduction of him is both a ceasefire and her distracting him from his goals, trapping him in her little game for her own amusement, getting the upper hand on him... and then also submiting to him in bed. They're all about that power-play/struggle.

It's entertraining and it's HOT, and in some alternate universe where Lucrezia didn't exist, I could see Cesare and Catherina's short-lived fling becoming a proper affair that would last months or even years - before it'd inevitably end with one of them poisoning the other that is.

So yeah, I really like this ship, even if it can never have the literal soulmate kind of love Cesare and Lucrezia had.

#asks #cesare x lucrezia #the borgias

[brookheimer]

Do you think the Logan abuse allegations might go into CSA territory? Unlike a lot of people I’m not 100% convinced roman experienced this, but people are speculating on Twitter that accusations of Logan’s physical and emotional abuse will snowball into CSA territory. If that’s the case I’d certainly imagine Logan was complicit rather than an abuser himself (if anyone probably uncle Mo?), but nevertheless shocking if it does come out

oooh i have a lot of thoughts about this actually!

personally, i'm with you -- i'm in the minority of people who don't think roman CSA is as good as canon, primarily because i don't think it needs to be in order for him to make sense. i think it's definitely possible and would certainly fit with his character, but a lot of people frame CSA as, like, The Explainer to roman roy which i just find kind of silly and cheap. people act like that's the only possible way he could turn out the way he has, and not only is that just blatantly untrue, it's also a pretty strange, diminishing narrative -- the way people talk about it really sounds like they're saying Well If You Have Sexual Dysfunction You Only Make Sense If Someone Molested You As A Child, which is just... not quite how things work. obviously, it's a reason someone might have those issues, but it certainly isn't the only one. i can write another post later on why i think rome makes sense outside of CSA if people want, but rn i'll just focus specifically on why i'm not convinced that CSA will become explicitly relevant to roman's character, especially not in relation to logan (and why i personally kinda hope that isn't the direction they take)

more under the cut!

for one thing just personally really doubt succession would make anything that explicit, that clear cut. like, i really don't think there's going to be a scene confirming or denying whether roman experienced CSA. and, as you said, i don't think logan was the abuser himself but i could see him covering it up for mo. maybe. i don't know. i don't know! it feels a little weird to me, honestly, just knowing logan's obsession with having power over his kids, his disgust at roman's grossness, and his blatant homophobia, it feels somewhat hard for me to conceptualize him not giving a shit about a colleague of his assaulting his son. i don't think he'd care for the right reasons, but i think he'd view it as either a) an attack on him and a disturbing power play -- you think you can take my kids out from under me? you think you can fucking control them? you?], b) absolutely fucking disgusting like the most sicko-ness of sickos -- not only are you attracted to m*n you're attracted to my weak little fuck of a son? what the fuck's wrong with you? are you not a man?, or c) both. like, idk. i just find it really hard to imagine that's something he would take lying down -- not out of protectiveness for roman but out of personal offense or pure disgust. i don't think he'd out it to the world or anything, he has his company to protect, but i think mo or whoever would definitely be cut out and shushed with hush money or something. which is still complicit, sure, but it isn't like i think logan would have actively turned a blind eye, which seems to be the prevailing opinion. it just... it doesn't fit from what we know of logan.

also, CSA is like.... it's inarguably bad. like, obviously. but succession thrives in realms of nuance. logan is abusive and horrible but you understand him. if you try to, you really can understand him. it doesn't excuse or justify anything, but he has a very human mindset that stops him from being, like, straight-up Evil. every succession character is a human before anything else, no one's a caricature (except maybe for s4 greg, but i'm withholding judgment there for now). succession fails if any character's deeds outweigh their humanity. no one is hitler. everyone thinks they're doing the best that they possibly can, including logan. that's why brian cox says logan's issue is he loves his kids too much -- he gets shit on for saying that, because i mean it does sound batshit, but i do get what he's saying. logan does not like his kids but he does love them. the reason he's so awful to them is because he loves them -- not in the sense that 'love is abuse' or whatever i'm about to get angry asks yelling ab, but because the only reason logan can't just let them go off and be disappointments is because he loves them. his abuse is not out of pure malevolence. it's because he wants them to become people they fundamentally aren't. that's what it comes down to. it's not just Evil Dad Hates Kids. logan wants so desperately for his children to become real people, people he can like and respect and trust and rely on, but they aren't those people, and that's something he's been entirely incapable of accepting. his abuse is an attempt to mold and to change and to fix, not just to punish. that's why the "i love you, but you are not serious people" was such an important line -- in some senses, it kind of was the end of logan's arc. it made a lot of sense for him to die there. where else could he go? he finally admitted what he'd known deep down all along: his children will never be the people he wants or needs them to be. no amount of pressure or competition or carrot-dangling will change that. he loves them, but they are not serious people.

that's why Logan CSA Committer/Allower feels really hard to imagine, both from a character standpoint and from a succession one in general — making logan an official CSA Allower would make it really, really hard for him to maintain the same kind of humanity and nuance he has as a character, which is rooted in the fact that logan doesn't hate his kids or want them to suffer. he wants them to become the peak of masculinist capitalism and none of them are capable of it. so if anything, he'd be furious at anyone who assaulted his kids because it would push them further from that ideal -- it would make them Wrong. if a boy were to be forced into sexual submission at a young age by an older man, they'd never be able to become that capitalistic ideal of masculinity; they're already fundamentally wrong. logan's anger would be directed both at the boy (roman) and at the man who forced it on him. but, to me, it seems like much of logan's anger with roman stems from his genuine lack of understanding as to how the fuck roman ended up like this -- how could a son of his end up like this? it's a personal failing for logan, one that he can't puzzle out. what did he do so wrong for roman to become the antithesis of literally everything logan stands for? i feel like if roman were a CSA victim and logan knew, he would probably... i don't know, try less to fix him. it's fucking awful, but i kind of feel like logan would find roman to be Tainted already and want to just shove him somewhere he doesn't have to look at him. but we see time and time again logan genuinely trying to squeeze the wrongness out of roman -- that's where his abuse of rome stems from, not so much molding him into the Right person as it is unmolding him out of being Wrong (bc only then can he do his ken/shiv tactics to mold him into being an heir) -- and try to understand in his misguided, cruel, offensive way what exactly is wrong with roman. i think if he knew, he wouldn't bother. he wouldn't ask, like "are you scared of pussy, son?" and "are you a sicko?" and call him gay slurs and all of that, because i think that would be too close to the truth he can't bear to acknowledge. just like how he pretends he had never and would never hit roman, even though he has, multiple times, both as a child and an adult. he wouldn't directly address something that brings shame to him, and having his son be the victim of CSA would indeed bring him a great deal of shame (not guilt, but shame). so, like, while it's true that logan's relationship with roman could be founded primarily in CSA-driven misdirected anger and victim blaming, i just again don't think that's necessary for their relationship to make sense, and that the nuances of their relationship almost make me feel like that's not the case either.

i also just personally think roman would maybe be more interesting were he not a CSA victim -- if it's confirmed that he is, everyone will be like Whelp Roman Solved! like, that would be all that's needed to explain him (or at least that's how people would act). and that would be such a fucking shame, man. i just think that there are a decent number of people in the world who have dysfunction not dissimilar to roman's who also aren't CSA victims and really, really struggle to figure out what exactly made them this way, especially when the entire world is acting like the only possible cause is CSA. and there are portrayals of CSA on television and in media. but... i can't think of anyone else like roman. i think him not having CSA and his dysfunction stemming instead from less obvious, more subtle-ly debilitating power dynamics and narratives of masculinity/sex would just be much more interesting, as even if succession handled his CSA with care, the majority of people would just see it as well, case closed, finally we understand roman. as if he isn't already perfectly understandable without it. maybe i'm just really biased as someone who thankfully did not experience CSA but seemingly inexplicably ended up quite similar to roman in a lot of ways, as someone who actually gets to feel a little more normal for once because of roman's abnormality. i just think there's a lot more to sex and sexual dysfunction than media often presents, because many storylines and characters are just very easy cause and effect relationships (CSA --> sexual dysfunction, rape --> hypersexuality, etc etc etc) when in reality there are so many ways that even tiny things could build up over time and end up manifesting in really detrimental ways. you can have a bad relationship with sex before ever having it, because sex is about soooo much more than the actual act of sex. and succession is about life and mirroring it, not creating easily understandable characters and narratively satisfying conclusions. so, yeah, i guess i don't know if succession will go down the CSA route, because that just feels... a little easy to me, maybe, when it doesn't need to be. not saying CSA is a bad plot point or anything, but that it is something depicted (and unfortunately often sensationalized) on television a lot, whereas characters with inexplicable sexual hangups are not.

i definitely hope this season delves further into roman's sexual dysfunction, but i'm kind of hoping it doesn't just explain it all away as Well He Was A Victim Of CSA, bc i think a) roman makes sense without it, b) the logistics of it happening relating to logan feel murky and confusing, c) succession isn't the type of show to outright Explain Things (and thank god), and d) there are a lot of people, i think, who have issues with sex they don't understand or that they don't 'deserve' to have, and i've never seen another character in any media that's depicted like that, although i have seen explorations into CSA.

sorry this was so long, but as i said, many fucking thoughts!!

#as always the thing about sending me asks is that chances are it will take me 4ever to respond but when i do it will be a fucking essay #if ppl want to know why i think rome makes sense without needing CSA as a backdrop i can write about that too at some point #tw csa #tw child abuse #tw sa #please let me know if there's anything yall want me to tag #succession #roman roy #logan roy #(ended up talking so mcuh ab logan here. can't believe i wrote fucking logan meta) #succession meta #casey shut the fuck up about roman roy #anon #asks

[tanadrin]

to use an example from a field i know a little bit more about--like yes, one the one hand, unless we discover an ancient anglo-saxon note saying "My name is Alfred, son of Alfwine, and today I sat down and wrote this new poem called 'Beowulf,' and by the way, it's March 4th, 950 AD," the date of the authorship of Beowulf is probably not a question that is ever going to be conclusively nailed down. But that doesn't mean we can't use textual-critical methods to try to answer that question, and see what other interesting information about Beowulf we discover as a result; and in fact you can learn quite a lot about texts just from faffing about doing "English department nonsense" with them. Like discovering a large chunk of the Anglo-Saxon Genesis is based on an Old Saxon original, which someone later discovers a copy of in Rome.

Now, obviously, that kind of archival or archeological find 100% confirming a theory about a text is rare--but usually (as in the case of the Saxon Genesis) it's also unnecessary. Eduard Siever's conclusions about the existence of the poem were widely accepted long before it was ever actually discovered, because there was simply no other good way to explain the features of Genesis B that he noticed. And while it is far outside my own wheelhouse, I think a lot of biblical textual criticism operates on similar principles--you don't need a full scroll of the P source in the proto-Hebrew alphabet to notice that positing the existence of separate J and P sources is the simplest way to explain a bunch of different features of the torah, anymore than you need a copy of the Old Saxon Genesis to explain why the Anglo-Saxon Genesis can neatly be divided into two parts that clearly look like they were written by different authors.

[cocrante]

I Start Over With You

[SOLANGELO FANFIC]

summary: After the great battle against the forces of Gaea, Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter had formed a long-lasting alliance. Everything had gone well, and everyone was ready to start anew. This included Nico, who, after confessing his feelings to Percy, was prepared to open a new chapter in his life—perhaps the happiest one the Fates had ever written.

note: the chapters will be updated every Wednesday. If you want to read upcoming chapters of the fanfiction in advance, I invite you to follow me on Patreon. Subscribing is not necessary, these chapters will be added for free on the platform on Mondays and Fridays. Following me there is just a kind and free gesture to support my work c:

Reblogs are highly appreciated c:

[CHAPTER 14]

THE CAMP JUPITER WAS JUST AS HE HAD LEFT IT, with the only difference being the new temples being erected, following the architectural patterns indicated by Annabeth. The Roman camp couldn't look better. It still bustled with nature spirits, lares, and fauns trotting through the camp's streets, occasionally hindering a hero in training. Some demigods strolled through the paths, discussing the upcoming war games. Others stopped and pointed at Nico, wondering why he had returned. With all eyes on him, he headed towards where Reyna was waiting.

The hall was bright, the tiles reflecting the sunlight, and the marble columns giving the building a regal appearance. Sitting there, waiting for his arrival, was Bellona's daughter, his adventure companion and trusted friend. She stood up, walking towards him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Welcome back to camp, Nico" Reyna greeted, leading him outside. "I found a decent place in the city, and you can come to camp whenever you want" she said, heading towards the Roman city that mimicked the style of the Italian Rome, with its warm and round colors, making it almost feel like being on the same European peninsula.

Bellona's daughter told him - during the journey - that things at the camp had improved since the new agreement with the Greeks. She had received messages from Camp Half-Blood that summer, announcing that in the fall they would receive visits, so combat techniques could merge along with culture and lifestyles. "It wasn't easy" the girl explained. "Many are tied to the Mos Maiorum, the senate itself started by saying it was sheer madness" she sighed. "But even they cannot go against the will of our gods" Nico nodded, understanding the difficulty of accepting something different. He had been through it himself, and only the gods knew how long it would take for others to accept him as a camp member.

"But enough about the camp" Reyna said, noticing a certain silence from her friend. "It's been a while since we talked, besides that conversation the other day"

"I've been busy" he briefly recounted the past few weeks at Camp Half-Blood, mentioning something about Apollo's son, avoiding telling her about the Capture the Flag game and especially the kiss on the hill. The girl didn't make a sound, just let him tell, noting a slight and thinly veiled smile every time he mentioned Apollo's son. "He's a good friend" he concluded, letting out an imperceptible sigh.

"Just a good friend?" she dared to ask, as she had seen well beyond the tough exterior that protected him.

The boy took some time before responding. "Well, yes" he confirmed, though not entirely convinced. Reyna simply pursed her lips, not asking him more about that boy. If he wanted to tell her, he would, she thought. "Okay" she said, stopping in front of a building. "First floor. Your school is just a block away, you can't miss it. I've also taken the liberty of getting your books"

Nico was truly speechless; he hadn't imagined she had done him such a big favor. "Thank you, Reyna" he looked at her with deep gratitude.

"Don't mention it! For anything, you know where to find me" she handed him the keys, giving him a final pat before returning to the Roman camp.

Nico twirled the keys between his fingers, anxious and terrified to go in. He opened the door, dragging his suitcases behind him, climbing up to the first floor. There, he entered the comfortable apartment Reyna had found for him. It was a bright and warm room, the walls painted in a matte yellow and divided in half by charming Roman motifs. It seemed completely the opposite of his gloomy cabin.

Having found the bedroom, he unpacked his belongings there, hiding the box he had taken from camp in a drawer. He put away all his clothes, the few that he had, in the wardrobe, and having emptied the suitcase, he flopped onto the bed with a sigh. He didn't stay there for long because as soon as he touched the mattress, someone rang the doorbell, forcing him to go and answer. It was a real joy when he realized it was his sister, who had just knew about his arrival at camp. The two greeted each other warmly; Hazel had been missed more than anyone. Along with her was her boyfriend, the son of Mars, who seemed to have grown a couple of inches during those weeks.

Frank gave him a pat on the shoulder, quite happy to see him again. They had never really talked, but he was still part of Hazel's family, and that was enough for Frank to like him.

The son of Hades invited them both into the still-empty apartment, making them comfortable in the living room. He had a lot to tell his sister about those weeks at Camp Half-Blood, avoiding dwelling too much on Will and what had happened before arriving in New Rome. He also told her about Jason, who seemed to have completely rebuilt his life. "I'm really happy about that" exclaimed Hazel.

"Piper is such a good girl, those two make a beautiful couple" she told him, with Frank nodding in agreement.

"How's Percy?" asked Frank. The son of Hades just shrugged.

"Well, at least he hasn't gotten into any new trouble" he then told them about the absurd climbing wall challenge, of Jason being determined to win and not faint every two seconds.

The three spent the afternoon together, inviting Nico to join them for a bite to eat. The son of Hades agreed willingly, following them outside the building.

There were still many things Nico wanted to tell his sister, all carrying the same name. However, it was difficult to talk about them with Frank around.

They mostly talked about the Roman camp and how it had evolved in such a short time, telling him the same things Reyna had hinted at earlier: some problems that had arisen at the beginning, the decision to build more temples dedicated to minor and almost forgotten deities. "You should have attended the council" sighed Hazel, squeezing Frank's hand. "The Senate didn't want to hear any reason. According to them, we had to continue with our traditions" she briefly recounted what had happened after their return to camp.

"Some demigods thought the same, obviously" explained Frank. "Centuries of tradition thrown out the window" he grimaced.

"But even they had to bow to the will of the gods" Nico guessed. The son of Mars nodded.

"Thanks to the gods, they opened their eyes, our societies cannot survive if we don't collaborate. This was evident even this summer" added the boy, getting a nod of approval from Nico.

Frank began to speak freely, monopolizing the conversation a bit. He cared deeply about New Rome now that he had become praetor, telling them about the boring Roman bureaucracy that Jason had mentioned that morning, the holes to fill, the people to meet, all the supervision needed during the construction of the temples. "We could rely on Annabeth, she's a real architect!" exclaimed the boy.

The conversation gradually dwindled with the setting sun, coloring the green hills and the tips of the tallest buildings. Under that light, the city of New Rome seemed like a replica of the authentic Rome. "See you around" said Frank, bidding farewell with a nod.

"Of course" replied Nico, finally managing to spend five minutes alone with his sister, who had not missed the agitation and urgency to talk only with her. She was really good at reading body language. "Let's talk about what you forgot to tell me tomorrow, okay?" the girl smiled kindly, speaking near Nico's ear, who simply nodded and thanked her.

She walked away, the smile on her face leaving him in the driveway, which was slowly darkening.

The son of Hades returned to his apartment, finally lying down on the bed he had longed for all day. His mind was strangely empty, yet so full of thoughts that he didn't exactly know which ones to grasp.

He ran a hand over his face, forcing himself to get up, put on pajamas, and set the alarm for the next day. It was while turning the red hand that the air seemed to fold on itself, gathering the light like many small tiles, then opening into a window of light. On the other side, there was a brightly lit bedroom, although it was clearly night outside. The walls were covered with band posters, along with some photos and concert tickets now weathered with time. At the center of that window made of light was the boy who had been at the center of his thoughts all day.

"Hey!" Will was radiant as usual, but his smile faded when he noticed that Nico might be getting ready for bed. "Did I disturb you?" he hurried to say, regretful for not being able to call him earlier. Nico shook his head, placing the alarm clock on the nightstand.

"No, it's fine" he replied, unable to hide a certain embarrassment.

"Okay—" he tried to smile, but it was clear that something was wrong. All day, Will had berated himself for giving him that cheek kiss; he shouldn't have done it. Who knows what Nico thought now. "So, school starts tomorrow, huh?" he said the first thing that came to mind, even if it was rather mundane and predictable. Nico sighed, still not believing that he would really be picking up paper and pen again. "Yeah" he replied. "I'm kind of nervous" he hinted at a smile, sitting on the bed.

"It's normal" Will tried to cheer him up. "At least you won't have the fear of being expelled eight times" he joked, tilting his lips sideways. Nico stared at him, realizing that for the entire time, that was the first time he had looked him in the eyes.

"Then I guess they'll be more prepared for hyperactivity and dyslexia issues there" the boy continued. Nico struggled to imagine Will with such problems—at camp, he seemed like such a normal guy that Nico often forgot that, like most demigods, he suffered from hyperactivity and dyslexia. Life in mortal schools was often challenging.

"Do you start tomorrow too?" Nico asked then, breaking his silence.

"Yeah" Will sighed. "If it weren't for my friends, it would be a torture" It wasn't the first time he had said that, even during the days spent together at camp, Will always talked about his school and how heavy the schedules were, thankfully lightened by his two friends he had made during the past year. "Did you already get the list of extracurricular activities?" he asked, just to liven up the conversation. "It arrived yesterday, mom already signed me up for that music course. May she be blessed, I wouldn't know what to do without her" he said, unable to hold back a clear laugh. Nico thought about how it must be to have a mother; the only memory he had of his was of a faded smile, and maybe it wasn't even real. At that thought, he became saddened.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Will asked, concerned to see that dark expression.

Nico simply shook his head, coming out of his thoughts. "Nothing" he lied, trying to look at something other than Will's blue eyes. "Just tired, I guess" he said, trying to convince him with that excuse. Apollo's son tried to believe it, without delving too much into the details. "When does the course start?" he asked the next moment.

"Next week, while auditions for the choir are this Friday" he replied, and at that thought, he immediately became enthusiastic.

"A smile will be enough to get you in" Nico weakly smiled, imagining him auditioning for the school choir.

"Do you think so?" Will laughed.

"I think so" Nico answered so seriously that Will didn't know if he was really joking or being serious. He decided to take it as a joke.

The two continued to talk for a while, avoiding touching on the "hill kiss" topic. It seemed that both were fine with it, yet they couldn't deny to themselves that after that morning, a kind of strange tension had arisen. Will would have liked to explain, give him a reason for what he had done, yet something prevented him, perhaps the current situation. He thought that maybe it would be more appropriate to talk to him about it in person. Yes, he would do that when he returned to camp. However, he had not taken one thing into consideration:—"Remember during the game in the woods?" Nico suddenly reminded him, wanting to get that thought out of his mind that had been buzzing around all day. Will swallowed, hoping he hadn't heard it. "Yes" he replied, torturing his lips.

"You were about to tell me something" Nico continued, hoping he could talk to him about it now. Apollo's son nodded; he didn't want to tell him like this, via a message, but actually, at that moment, there was no one who could interrupt them. Will parted his lips, ready to tell him the truth. "Well, the thing is that..." he stammered, trying to find the right words, and as he struggled, the message was slowly dissolving.

"You'll tell me tomorrow" Nico hurried to say.

"Goodnight, Nico," he said just as quickly, before the window of light disappeared, leaving the son of darkness in the shadows.

"Goodnight, Will"

[CONTENTS]

1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20

#🖇️ : fanfiction #i start over with you ☀️☠️ #solangelo #will solace #nico di angelo #riordanverse #percy jackson #pjo #pjo fanfiction #camp halfblood

[f0xgl0v3]

Octavian!

Do I know what I am going to write in this? Vaguely. More headcanons because I want to take a break from that rendering of Octavian because I want to work and make something better than putting effort into something I won’t be proud of or whatever.

Also I just want to keep talking about him but whatever,

Octavian never been outside of Camp Jupiter/New Rome is canon in my mind. There have been very few times he has been outside the little bubble, which were,

The Wolf House: where he really just stayed close to the house (obvi. Course I’d love to talk more about the exacts but since we get no information about the wolf house though it’d be a pretty good way to start SoN and then seamlessly blend us into a timeskip of the Gorgon chase but whatever- we are given no information about the wolf house either and aaaaa-) but the Wolf House Octavian mentality was survive through with his wits and try to survive enough to run out of there as soon as possible when he has the training done.

His quest: we get no information on it, but we know that he had to do a quest to become a Centurion (Can confirm this is a rule, check the Senate scene near the beginning, I believe it was Larry the legionnaire that yelled it) though we also, sadly, get no indication what this question was. But I’d like to introduce the idea that it was a duo quest with Michael and Octavian and they became Centurions together (I’ll probably re-read this and then add more on later) but I’d assume this Question also has them steeped pretty deep into the mythological side of the world and they didn’t get much down time. But what little of the mortal world Octavian saw he thought was pretty cool- though he still thinks New Rome looks better. (Because if anyone walks up to me and says the current era of architecture we’re in is better than anything that predates the freaking 1950’s is lying to me and trying to make me buy a house. We have fallen as a society when we started thinking ultra minimalist boring homes that are devoid of any depth or visual interest was the best route to go for our buildings. But that’s another rant from me for another day-)

Siege of Mt.Tam: they had to travel the smallest bit for this but again, didn’t interact with the mortal world much, they all stayed pretty self contained to the temporary camp and the mountain itself.

The cross country trip to go attack the Greeks: this is the one we’re shown in canon or whatever. But this was probably the most chaotic of the times that Octavian had been out of Camp. It was a lot to deal with, really overwhelming to be stuck with everyone with no where to move or anything. But this would be the most he would really interact with stuff like fast food chains, gas stations, all the stuff. And New York, that was a thing that happened. I believe they briefly passed through New York (we know that at some point they’re inside of New York from the Rachel scene if I remember properly) and that meant Hotels, it was similar enough to the barracks that it was fine. Though I think that the whiplash from New Rome to this made Octavian a lot more hesitant about stuff like these cities. He likes modern culture to some extent (insert another Build-a-bear joke. And if anyone asks, I believe he totally gets them delivered to calcedott tunnel instead of going out to a physical store. He has never had the experience and childlike splendor of making one that that needs to change.)

Anyway yeah. I would also like to say that Octavian is okay on a string instrument. However I would like to say that he put all his eggs into one figurative basket when he was a small child by learning one full song only. A 6 year old Octavian skipped over learning reading notes and whatever and just copying the motions until it sounded okay. He doesn’t really know how to read stuff like notes or whatever but has a pretty okay sense of Rhythm.

Don’t ask him to dance though. Octavian may look a little more elegant moving around or fighting but he is an actual newborn giraffe.

Okay that’s all I have for now. Have a rad time and I’ll get out the next couple passes of the CJ map.

#idk how to tag this #hehe :3 #pjo octavian #hoo octavian #okay bye #Octavian headcanon #seriously is it too much to ask to just get a little more information on Camp #the guidebook would’ve been a great opportunity to lay down anything that is actually informative but it’s just a short story #don’t get me wrong I think it’s great but like :[ #also they name the Janus kid freaking JANICE and no I won’t get over it that’s terrible #whether or not that’s terrible in the good or bad way I don’t know yet but Janice is silly

[josefavomjaaga]

Hi, I'm curious about what you mentioned on Alexander having a not-so-platonic crush on Hortense. Could you elaborate? (no need to answer right now if you can't!)

Well, mostly that’s me being malicious as usual 😁. But yes, people in Paris at the time did of course wonder what made the tsar – called by some the most handsome man of the era, according to Hortense’s biographer Marie-Hélène Baylac - go to Malmaison of all places during his time in Paris 1814. And they surely did not assume it had anything to do with 50-year-old Josephine, but with her daughter Hortense. Who may not have been as beautiful, but had the reputation of being very distinguished and rather … friendly, especially with men.

Hortense and the tsar met for the first time on 16 April 1814, according to a footnote by Jean Hanoteau in volume 2 of Hortense’s memoirs. Hortense makes a big point about how she at first behaved in a very dignified, almost cold manner to this enemy of France and how it took both Josephine’s persuasion and the efforts of several diplomats, Caulaincourt and Nesselrode among them, for her to befriend him. This is to some degree confirmed by the memoirs of her reader Louise Cochelet. However, that degree may not be very high, considering that Louise Cochelet’s memoirs were published and edited (rewritten?) by Hortense herself. Memoirs of contemporaries indicate that it was rather Louise Cochelet who ran after the new Russian masters of Paris and tried to win them over to the Beauharnais cause. Even if Hortense claims it in her memoirs, it seems doubtful that Louise (Hortense’s closest confidante, keeper of all her secrets down to the existence of a certain Duc de Morny) would have acted on her own accord.

In the end, it does not matter. A close friendship developped, that much is sure. As Hortense states in her memoirs:

What's most appealing about him is that his need for affection seems to be part of his character. He inspires confidence because he knows how to show it. [...] I liked his character. I felt friendship for him and it is painful to expect any service from those whom we would like to love for themselves. So I left my initial reserve and allowed myself a greater degree of abandonment [...].

Both had an interest in the spiritual, both were rather romantic and enthusiastic. According to Hortense’s memoirs, Alexander even pondered inviting both Hortense and her mother to Saint Petersburg. The tsar went out of his way for Hortense (as he later would for Eugène, when the latter reached Paris). It was probably he who bullied Louis XVIII into making Hortense a "Duchess of Saint-Leu", and into allowing her to keep her sons with her in France, when technically, she was of course a Bonaparte and should have been affected by the law that exiled all members of the family, just like her husband. Hortense’s sons were, after the little ex-King of Rome, the next pretenders to the imperial throne. So Louis XVIII had to agree to have his own rivals grow up right before his eyes, that’s surely asking a lot from a monarch.

When Josephine died, Hortense was so overcome with grief – she writes – that she did not see anyone. Except for one visitor: Tsar Alexander.

Finally, when Alexander left for London, his depart started a very personal and, from Hortense’s side, sometimes gushy correspondence between them. They also must have met during Hortense’s stay in Baden. Interestingly, both Hortense and Alexander at that time have troubles with their longterm lovers: Handsome Flahaut, the father of the Duc de Morny, does propose to Hortense after Napoleon’s fall, suggesting Hortense should officially divorce. Hortense however refuses, and her relationship to Flahaut takes a severe blow (he will soon find a bride elsewhere). Alexander, as to him, during the same year ditches his mistress Maria Antonovna Naryshkin. And he confides about this to – Hortense.

Baylac cites one of Hortense’s letters as follows:

[…] when I think of the sovereign who has shown an interest in me, who has looked after my affairs with kindness, I am grateful, I wish for his happiness, and that is all; but when I think of the man who showed me friendship and confidence, when I remember that he tried to love me, my troubles advise me to hope in providence; finally, he knew how to speak to my heart, for how many times since, feeling emotion or fear about the future, I have resigned myself by saying: My God, I trust in you! Ah, the one whose feelings are so similar to mine, he is a friend, a support that heaven has sent me.

It’s maybe not completely astonishing that the tone of this correspondence has made, as Baylac puts it, "certain biographers doubt the platonic nature of their relations".

This relationship, whatever its nature, continued until the Hundred Days. At this point, Eugène was in Vienna, taking part in the Vienna Congress. The secret police (allegedly?) intercepted (falsified? - it’s so hard to find the truth about what happened within all these intrigues!) several letters, at least one from Hortense, badly hidden in a brush she had sent to her brother. I have read that Hortense in one letter openly mocked the tsar. The intercepted letters were shown to Alexander, who then passed them on to Eugène – ostentatiously opened – before breaking off all relations with both Beauharnais siblings.

Interestingly, his friendship with Eugène was soon healed. With Hortense? Not so much. To my knowledge, never. Alexander obviously felt truly hurt by her, in a similar way as he felt hurt by Caulaincourt’s behaviour. Admittedly, I have not looked into Hortense’s years in Bavaria much, but it seems when the tsar and tsarina visited Bavaria, and the tsar insisted on Eugène being of the party (much to the chagrin of queen Karoline 😊), Hortense was very much not invited. (Though, truth be told, it seems she was only rarely invited to Munich ever.)

So, that’s the base for my maliciousness 😁. Make of it what you want. As i do not have much faith in Hortense’s professed virtue in general, I am probably not the best judge of character in her case.

Thank you for the Ask! 💝💝💝

#napoleon's family #hortense de beauharnais #tsar alexander i #paris 1814

[midnight-omega]

Catholicism in Omegaverse hc

I have a real unhealthy obsession with making Super Catholic Characters and forcing them to Confront Their Catholic Guilt And Trauma all day every day and my omegaverse stories are no exception to this soo... I have some ideas on how to warp Catholicism to my omegaverses :))

Pls be conscious of any TWs i placed some of them in particular may be very upsetting pls skip them if needed! Also a long post so pls keep reading under the cut fr

📿 Most basic tenants, core beliefs, rites (things like confession and confirmation), and services (mass, funerals, and wedding ceremonies) don't really need much changing and can stay true to the real world

📿 Typically God Himself and the Holy Family are depicted as totally dynamicless or a combination of all dynamics (Revelation 22:13, Revelation 1:8 worth the google lmfao)

📿 Historical Jesus (jesus the person not the religious figure) was probably a Beta but it's hard to tell since Rome sacked Israel destroying most early Christian documentation and followers.

📿 However sometimes when referring to the Holy Trinity dynamics do come up just like the Trinity is coded with gender irl. The Father (masculine) as The Alpha, the Son (masculine) as The Beta, and Holy Spirit (feminine) as The Omega

📿 All Saints have defined dynamics as many of them were real people. You'd typically pray to a saint that follows your own dynamic (an omega probably wouldn't pray to an alpha saint for help with an omegean issue for example)

📿 Orders that follow certain saints (think Franciscan monks for example) must be the dynamic of the saint or they cannot live with the rest of the devotees.

📿 Though the Church discourages speculation on the Holy Family's dynamics and refuses to take a position, Omegas have kinda claimed Mary for their own. Most Catholics who find an extreme importance in worshipping Mary are omegas

📿 Priests are mostly betas

📿 Betas have the easiest time getting into a seminary and convincing church officials of their vocation (a vocation is like your holy life purpose and in traditional Catholicism its either to fuck and make babies or to be a priest)

📿 Alphas are allowed in the priesthood but it is much more difficult for them to be accepted into a seminary. The church traditionally sees the vocation of alphas and omegas as the filling God's kingdom kind. Ruts also complicate things

📿 Chastity vows are still mandatory for clergy (ur mated to GOD now)

📿 It is assumed that betas have an easier time renouncing mating compared to an alpha (this is NOT true but the church is the church)

📿 Omegas are banned from seminaries and cannot enter priesthood. They are considered unclean and sinful by nature

📿 Eve is an omega hence the original sin being pinned on omegas (just like its pinned on women irl)

📿 Painful heats are considered part of God's punishment for disobeying His orders and partaking of the fruit

📿 Betas are not part of the creation story oddly enough (Adam the first alpha and Eve the first omega) and they're a little absent from the Old Testament, but they have a huge presence in the New Testament.

📿 Omegas do have a place in the clergy if they can convince the Church of their vocation. Omegas exclusively become nuns.

📿 Nuns are actually very valued simply because certain fields require that omegean touch. Teaching (Catholic schools are still very much a thing), childcare (orphanages and stay houses), and other social work (homeless shelters, food drives, anything that involves helping people in need) rely heavily on nuns

📿 The Church tends to wrongly make alphas masculine coded only and omegas feminine coded only

📿 its a major reason why many no long actively practice the religion

📿 Just like irl the Church struggles to keep up with modern times and this can be seen in the pairings they endorse

📿 The Church only supports a/o, b/b, a/female b, and male b/o pairings as these are the parings that can breed

📿 When a couple wants to take the next step and create a mate bond the Church asks that they HOLD OFF

📿 the Church strongly frowns upon sex before marriage and therefore mating before marriage

📿 Couples must complete pre cana first! and must marry like a good Catholic couple, in a Church under God officiated by a priest.

📿 Then the church asks they mate and make as many babies as possible lets go

📿 speaking of the Church irl still frowns upon contraception, so so does the omegaverse Church

📿 The Church also considers suppressants a form of contraception (and as a way omegas get around suffering for the original sin if the person is like crazy religious) so they aren't allowed

📿 Only in a medically needed situation are suppressants allowed

TW// Slightly NSFW for the next 4 bullet points

📿 Masturbation is also a no no both in irl and omegaverse Church

📿 So... relieving yourself during a rut/heat is frowned upon as this is a form of masturbation and God created the rut/heat cycle for babies not for selfish pleasure !! You have your heat and you deal with it !! You lie in your sinful slick and you pray !!

📿 Devout dynamics and clergy sworn to celibacy struggle with this (tho there is a black market for priest suppressants)

📿 Nuns and devout omegas have some of the worst heats, possibly even worse than a first heat just because they ignore their bodily needs and basic instincts in the name of religion

📿 This is viewed very... holy? Not sure of the right word here but it's held in high esteem and part of why nuns are such a big deal. Normal omegas tho aren't held so highly just bc they are free to mate

📿 Alpha admission into seminaries is rare because of this as well, Church authorities are wary of them being able to handle a rut like this

TW// SA, pedophelia, molestation for the next 4 bullet points

📿 There's a false statistic claiming that almost all sexual assault perpetrated by a priest are the crimes of alpha priests

📿 as said this is false, since the vast majority of the priesthood consists of betas most of the predators are betas as well

📿 SA, molestation, and grooming are still massive issues in the Church

📿 Male omegas are the biggest target of these crimes, though anyone can be affected. Male omegas are considered more vulnerable and easier to manipulate since the Church is very confused on the crossroads between gender and dynamic and refuse to update teachings (by this i mean since they create images of masculine alphas and feminine omegas female alphas and male omegas get lost. To someone from a devout pack/family with one of these dynamics it can be incredibly confusing and distressing to listen to church teachings making them more venerable to manipulation by gross old priests)

TW// NSFW for the next 2 bullet points

📿 The Church still frowns upon anal sex fr. Sometimes this confuses people to think sex with male omegas is sinful but anyone who paid attention in health class knows penetrative sex with a male omega isn't actually anal at all.

📿 The Church rarely clarifies this making it even harder for devout male omegas

📿 priests, monks, nuns, and clergy in general are expected to be as scentless as possible. It’s like a metaphor for shedding earthly desires and instincts to become a conduit for the heavenly. To be scentless is to be close to God. Some really devout older Catholics also strive to be scentless tho it’s not required of laymen

📿 it’s customary to wear heavy sent blockers to mass and abstain from communion or mass entirely if you are in heat or rut

📿 nuns close to children (pre school/elementary teachers, orphanage staff) are allowed to have scent as this helps the pups

📿 Children and recent dams (a person who has given birth) are also exempt from scent blockers, but all other laymen are certainly expected to wear their patches and spray on their covering perfumes before mass

📿 If a pre heat/rut or full heat/rut is occurring during a fast day the person is exempt from fasting and participating in any religious festivities

Okaayy i think thats all for now fr might add on later

#a/b/o #omegaverse #alpha beta omega #a/b/o dynamics #a/b/o verse #alpha #beta #omega #worldbuilding #tw religion #tw religious trauma #tw molestation #tw pedophila mention #do not hate me i do this for fun #also i mean no disrespect since #since surprise surprise shock gasp horror i #i am catholic

[sparkliest-bard-bracket]

cough cough

is this a response to that meme? Perhaps. Not meant as an attack btw, just want to bring some things to...light. (hehe, see what i did there? ....i'll see myself out)

Apollo Propoganda:

Contrary to popular belief, Apollo's love life is not as tragic or awful as people think. There's a whole post talking about it in fact. I would give a summary of it but it is looooong. Long story short, over 60% of his relationships end quite well and on good terms. 11% died, but 2% were apotheosized - meaning they were resurrected and made immortal.

Here's the link: https://www.tumblr.com/apollosgiftofprophecy/729992770117353472?source=share

Secondly, while he may not be the OG god of the sun, he is still the god of light no matter what :) In Greece, he brought the light of the sun to earth while Helios drives the sun chariot across the sky. When Rome came knocking and started conflating their gods with Greece's, Helios and Apollo got conflated with each other.

Also, Apollo eventually became The Most Important god in Rome - so important infact, that emperors claimed they were him incarnate.

Thirdly, he's bisexual as fuck. or pansexual. either/or, doesn't matter what label or even if he would use a label, all that matters is that he crushes on any and all genders.

Also contrary to popular belief, Apollo does not smite people on the regular. That's more Zeus's thing, tbh.

His songs do not make people sad, otherwise he wouldn't be playing in the halls of Olympus itself, nor would he jam out with the Nine Muses and his twin. Orpheus was the one playing sad songs after his wife died (rip).

Python was a deadly, horrifying earth-dragon that took over the Oracle of Delphi, Apollo's grandmother's sacred place, and Python also proceeded to chase Apollo's mother across the earth. At four days old he challenged the serpent and slaughtered it.

Like a boss.

Apollo may be the god of prophecy, but that does not mean he brings tragedy upon everyone who seeks the counsel of Delphi. All his priestess does is warn them of what's to come, and lo and behold, the idiots create their doom themselves. He's a guardian of prophecy, not its creator/controller.

Also, Apollo doesn't have a lot of enemies??? IDK where that came from, because he's The Most Popular god. Greece loved him, Troy loved him, he's Zeus's favorite son, ect ect. Culturally speaking, Apollo was very integral in the life of Greece because he's the god of freaking civilization itself. He's pretty darn important and loved.

really his only confirmed enemy is Python. He has animosity with Eros, but that's really it. He's BFFs with Hermes, he and Artemis jam out at Delphi, he trusts Dionysus with the care of Delphi during the winter season, need I go on?

And finally...the hair? Uh...just read any classical myth that mentions Apollo's hair. Poets rave about how splendid, how gorgeous it is. He kept his hair unshorn. It was golden, making it sparkly. What more do you want?

anyway. that concludes my propaganda :)

thank you for coming to my tedtalk. #ApolloSweep

OKAY AMAZING ✨✨✨✨

#we here love good-humored competition #and- WOWWWW #YOU WROTE SO MUCH #I AM IN AWE #how??? #anyways i love it soooo much good job <3333 #bardly propaganda #sparkliest bard bracket #not a poll #round 4 #apollo #greek mythology #favorites

[littledreamling]

A Funeral for a Living Ghost

The entire fic is finally here! You can read it on AO3 here!

-

Hob Gadling had a bad habit of attending his own funerals.

It had started in the early 1500's. He had taken something of an extended vacation, traveling to the Holy City of Rome, finally restored to its former glory after languishing for years while the Papacy resided in France. When he had returned to London after twenty or so years, his beard grown in and his hair significantly lighter from the southern sun, he had been welcomed back by his neighbors as his own son. He had been forced to, on the spot, spin a tall tale about his dear father, who had met his demise under the hooves of a draft horse. The entire town, good Catholic Christians that they had been, had insisted on a funeral. Last rites and all, they had said, and Hob had been too touched to refuse. The majority of the attendees hadn't even known him; they had simply known of him, had heard stories from their parents about their old friend, Robert Gadling.

There hadn't been a body to bury, for obvious reasons, but he assured his neighbors, to the best of his ability, that the body of his father had been laid to rest in Rome. Not home soil, but holy soil nonetheless. Still, his neighbors insisted that there be, if not a funeral, a service. A commemoration of his life, of everything Robert Gadling had done for his community and once again, Hob was too touched to refuse.

The church had been quiet; the kind of quiet you could feel in your soul. It was the quiet of respect, of mourning, of a great and terrible sorrow. In that quiet, Hob Gadling found himself thinking of his own father, the father he truly had lost, and found that the stinging tears prickling at his eyes were as real as any he'd ever shed.

For the first time, he had allowed himself to mourn his friends; those he had known, the parents and grandparents of those who filled the pews of the church, those he had seen be born, those he had seen take their first steps and babble their first words, those he had attended weddings and funerals for. He had allowed himself to mourn that version of Hob Gadling, the name he would never wear again, the person he could never be again, the life he lived until he could live it no longer. He had mourned, and then he had left.

It became a bad habit, over the years, over the centuries. Whenever he could, whenever he lived in times that allowed him to do so, he found ways to fake his death, to sneak into the back of the church, to bend low in his pew and murmur his own set of prayers, not to any Almighty, but to the facet of himself that he was laying to rest.

------

This particular church was cold, almost uncomfortably so. Hob was seated in the balcony at the back of the nave, tucked out of sight from the pastor and parishioners below, all mourning the death of one Robert Galin. The entire church was cast in a kaleidoscope of color from the weak rays of sun that shone through the vast stained glass windows. The altar was dotted in brilliant blues, greens, reds, and purples; adorning the urn that supposedly contained his cremated remains in a rainbow riot. The abundance of candles that augmented the dappled light did nothing to counteract the seeping chill of the cavernous stone chamber.

Between one blink and the next, a presence manifested at his shoulder and Hob didn't have to turn his head to confirm what the rest of his senses told him; every nerve on the right side of his body twitched towards the man-shaped entity next to him and he could smell the long-familiar scent of stardust, of smoke and burning metal and ozone.

"I would say you've dressed for the occasion," Hob murmured, "but you always do, don't you? You just so happened to pop in at the most relevant moment."

Hob had grown used to Dream's presence, to his tone, to the feeling of his touch, but when his companion spoke in his great rumbling thunder-voice, every hair on Hob's body stood on end.

"I do not sense my sister's touch here," Dream asked. "Who are we mourning, my friend?"

"Me."

It was a simple truth and the sound of it's poignancy echoed like crushed velvet around them. It hung heavy in the air, like the last toll of a bell, or the sudden silence and stillness of a deathbed. The priest, far below, was reading from the Old Testament, a passage from Ecclesiastes. The cadence of it, tempered with solemnity, drifted up to the two hidden figures in the balcony.

"There is a time for everything," he said, "and a season for every activity under the heavens." Hob bowed his head. The reading was a familiar one, as well-worn on his tongue as his own name; a reminder, a warning, and a comfort all in one. When the pastor continued, Hob found himself intoning along, the words flowing like water from his lips. “A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”

“Already they dream of you,” Dream said in the silence that followed. “They dream of a world where you are not dead.”

“Such a world, for everyone’s sake, cannot exist.”

“You dream of comforting them. Of taking their pain from them,” Dream said, his voice a cacophony of confusion and wonder and curiosity. “You would risk your life to ease their grief.”

“They’re my friends,” Hob shrugged. He couldn’t deny Dream’s words, not when every sniffle and sob that echoed off of the carved stone nave was a poison-tipped arrow, piercing the skin of his chest, slow and sure and all the more painful for it. “They’re my colleagues, my students, my employees, my neighbors. See, there, on the third row, the woman with blue hair?” He pointed, allowing Dream to follow the movement. “That’s Wren-“

“Wren Donaride,” Dream said quietly.

“Get out of my head, Dream, and let me tell my story; it’s one of the reasons you keep me around,” Hob chastised, not unkindly. “Wren was one of my graduate students. Absolutely brilliant, that one, she’ll go on to change the world, I’m sure of it. Every Friday afternoon, she and I would march through the halls of the history professor offices with pretend musical instruments and round up the rest of the department to go have drinks with us across the street,” Hob said. There was a bittersweet laugh held behind his teeth. “I met her when she was an undergrad. One day, she came to my office, pale and breathless and shaking like a leaf and she told me that she had just been assaulted; she didn’t know where else to go. For two hours, I talked with her, about anything and everything, and when I had to leave for a freshman class, she came with me and damn near taught the lecture that day. I promised her then, on that very day, that if she made it through, I would take her on as a graduate researcher. I was there when she called the police that night. Her hand was crushing mine and her entire body was trembling, but her voice; her voice held the strength of thousands.

“And there, on the second row, on the left,” Hob continued, moving his arm. “That’s Brian Haybin. He’s in the philosophy department. We used to sit in the New Inn and talk for hours, about life and love and what it means to be human. I disagreed with almost every word out of the man’s mouth, but I respect the hell out of him anyway. I guess being over 600 years old gives you a pretty unique perspective on the human condition that most can’t fathom. It’s an odd thing,” he mused, then let the thought trail off into nothingness.

The afternoon sun, which had been weak behind a thick, English cloud, suddenly strengthened through the chromatic windows, washing the entire church in a vibrant display. The pastor was praying in Latin, and Hob let that wash over him too. It reminded him of home, of the services his parents, alight with fear and religious fervor in the wake of the plague, had attended all those centuries ago. In every curve of the rounded syllables, he remembered his father, head bent low, body bent lower, mouthing along to the Mass. He hadn’t known the meaning of the words, but he had known the gist, and that was enough. In every panel of glass and every statue of the Virgin Mary, he remembered his mother, full of warmth and life and love, uttering the Hail Mary at every new grave site in their small town. Hob wasn’t Catholic, not anymore, but he tried to have as many Catholic funerals as he could. It was a tribute, of a sorts. Here, in a church almost as old as himself, surrounded by the physicality of ever-lasting faith and devotion, he could almost feel his history as a tangible cloth, as warm and comforting as a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He could almost feel his parents standing beside him. He took a deep breath, letting the anguish scrape down his throat in shards of glass and grains of sand. His eyes, which had closed at some point, opened, and before him was a maelstrom of gold and glass and grief.

“I’m mourning them, Dream,” he said suddenly, his voice thick and rough with emotion, “just as much as they are mourning me. I am mourning the life I’ve built that I will never live again. I am mourning the person I’ve become who I will never be again. I am mourning the people I’ve known who I will never know again. They will grow, they will grow old, they will graduate, they will get married and get divorced, they will have kids of their own, and ultimately, they will die. All without me. And right now? They are mourning the same thing. They are mourning the fact that I will not be there. So yes, I would comfort them. I would take their pain from them. But I can’t. In this, I must be selfish, and it’s the most selfish I will ever be. I am forced to trade their grief for my safety, and it’s a choice that haunts me every time I make it.”

“I wish it were not so.”

“So do I,” Hob said gently, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand. “But it’s an aspect of my life, just like any other.“

“It’s an implication of immortality I had not considered before,” Dream said, and Hob snorted.

“Implying that you had considered any of the implications of immortality when you and your sister made your bet?”

The edge of Dream's mouth twitched, as good as a grin on the Endless's face. The choir, hidden behind the altar, starting singing, their voices harmonizing in unison to form a single, layered note, rich in its complexity and heartrending in its perfection. It was a life fully-lived, the hopes and dreams and ambitions and joys of unimaginable depth, the closest that human lungs and vocal chords and lips could get to expressing the immeasurability of Hob’s life. Hob turned to his Endless companion and smiled, wide and care-free.

“Shall we?” He asked, motioning to the spiral staircase behind them.

“You won’t stay for the rest?” Dream questioned, his head tilted slightly in confusion, laughably similar to the cats and ravens that flocked to him.

“Normally I would,” Hob confessed. “The singing is usually my favorite part, but I suddenly find myself in need of some warm sunshine. Besides, haven’t you heard? Robert Galin is dead, and I have another life to build. I can’t wait to see who I’m to become next.”

The two of them emerged from the church and into the warmth beyond, shielding their eyes from the glare of the light, and Hob found himself basking in the glow, letting the heat seep into his bones. He knew he would mourn his now-lost friends and now-lost life for a while yet; he would watch for their names in academic journals and local newspapers for years to come, but for now, he had a new life to look forward to. A new name, new friends, new experiences. And as he walked across the street, the early summer sun warming his skin, the comforting presence of his Endless next to him, he knew that life was, and always would be, worth it.

#my writing #my fic #the sandman #sandman netflix #hob gadling #dream of the endless #morpheus #dreamling #dreamling fanfic #my fic link

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

25th April >> Fr. Martin's Reflections / Homilies on Today's Mass Readings (Inc. Mark 16:15-20) for the Feast of Saint Mark, Evangelist: ‘Proclaim the good news to all creation’.

Feast of Saint Mark, Evangelsit

Gospel (Except USA) Mark 16:15-20 Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News.

Jesus showed himself to the Eleven and said to them: ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.’

And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place, while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.

Gospel (USA) Mark 16:15-20 Proclaim the Gospel to every creature.

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

Reflection (5)

(i) Feast of Saint Mark, Evangelist

Mark was the first to write a gospel. According to early tradition, Mark was a disciple of Peter, which accounts for the first reading being from the first letter of Peter. At the end of the reading, Peter sends greetings from ‘your sister in Babylon’, which is code for the church in Rome, the capital of an earlier oppressive empire standing for the capital of the current oppressive empire. Mark’s gospel was the primary written source for the gospels of Matthew and Luke. In the early centuries the church seems to have found Matthew’s gospel in particular more helpful for the life of faith because of the large amount of the teaching of Jesus it contains, relative to Mark. As a result, Mark’s gospel was overshadowed somewhat in the early centuries by its larger relations, especially Matthew. Yet, without Mark’s gospel the church would not have had the gospels of Matthew or Luke in the form they have come down to us. In time, Mark’s gospel came to be appreciated on its own terms, and not just as a poorer version of Matthew’s gospel. It is now recognized for the wonderful literary and theological masterpiece it is. Mark portrays Jesus above all as the suffering Son of Man who came not to be served but to serve, and to lay down his life in the service of all. Mark’s portrait of what it means to be a disciple mirrors his portrait of Jesus. As disciples we are called to walk in the way of Jesus’ self-emptying service of God and God’s people, even when that means travelling the way of the cross. Mark is often unsparing in his portrayal of the failure of the disciples to take on board this teaching of Jesus about who he is and what it means to be his disciple. Jesus struggles to open their eyes. As the gospel progresses, their failure become more pronounced, until, at the end, ‘they all deserted him and fled’. Yet at the beginning of the final chapter of this gospel the young man in the empty tomb calls on the faithful women to tell the other disciples that Jesus is going ahead of them to Galilee where they will see him. The risen Lord remains faithful to his failed disciples, and his faithfulness finally allows them to see clearly and to go out afresh to preach the gospel. This faithfulness of the Lord is well expressed in today’s gospel reading, ‘the Lord working with them, confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it’. This message of Mark’s gospel that the Lord continues to work with us, in spite of our failings, is one the church needs to hear today. The risen one who was taken up into heaven continues to work with us whenever we try to proclaim the gospel by our words and especially by our lives.

And/Or

(ii) Feast of Saint Mark, Evangelist

Mark has a special place among the evangelists because he was the first person to write a gospel. Up until the time Mark wrote, there was no continuous written account of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. So we can be grateful to Mark for his written gospel. Others followed his example, leaving us with four gospels altogether. However, Mark was the pioneer; he was the first to break this new ground. His gospel is the shortest of the four, but, nonetheless, it is a very powerful telling of the Jesus story. More than the other evangelists, Mark highlights that Jesus’ preaching and living of the gospel challenged the status quo and brought great hostility down on his head, resulting in his crucifixion. Mark also emphasizes that being a disciple of this Jesus, living by his values, will often mean travelling the same way of the cross. Mark reminds us that living the gospel, following in the way of Jesus, is not easy; it makes demands on us; it stretches us. However, Mark also assures us that in our efforts to live the gospel, the Lord is with us to strengthen us and support us. As is said at the end of today’s gospel reading, the disciples, ‘going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them’.

And/Or

(iii) Feast of Saint Mark, Evangelist

Mark wrote the first of the four gospels. Even Mark’s gospel is placed second in the New Testament, almost all scholars agree that it was the earliest gospel to be written. It is generally dated to around about the year 70. Very ancient tradition suggests that Mark’s gospel was written in Rome and that Mark was a disciple of Peter. That is why a reading from the first letter of Peter is read on Mark’s feast day. This was a letter that was written from Rome. The conclusion of the letter, which is the conclusion of today’s first reading, sends greetings from ‘your sister in Babylon’. ‘Babylon’ is often a code for Rome in the New Testament. The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem at the beginning of the sixth century BC, resulting in the Babylonian exile, and the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in the year 70 AD. ‘Your sister in Babylon’ is the church in Rome. 1 Peter appears to have been written from the church in Rome sometime after the year 70. The letter also concludes with a greeting from ‘my son Mark’. The author, Peter, is probably referring to Mark as his spiritual son, his follower in the faith. One of the features of Mark’s gospel is its very negative portrayal of Jesus’ first disciples, including Peter, those who were closest to him. This gospel emphasizes their failure. They fail to understand who Jesus is and what he says; eventually, they all desert him and Peter denies him. Yet, Mark’s portrayal of the failure of the disciples serves as a foil for his portrayal of Jesus’ faithfulness to them, in spite of all their weaknesses. In this morning’s gospel reading, the risen Lord keeps faith with them, sending them out to proclaim the gospel to the whole world. Mark is assuring all of us, his disciples today, that the risen Lord keeps faith with us, even when we let him down in various ways. The Lord’s faithfulness to us prompts us to keep faith with each other, especially with those who are close to us.

And/Or

(iv) Feast of Saint Mark, Evangelist

Mark has the great distinction of being the first to write a gospel, the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Before Mark came to write, much of the tradition about Jesus circulated within the early church in oral form; there were also some written traditions about Jesus. However, Mark was the first person to put this material together into a narrative of the life of Jesus. In that sense, he was a pioneer; he broke new ground. The other evangelists took their lead from Mark. We would love to know more about this very important figure in the early church. Unfortunately, we know very little. There is a very early tradition in the church, which first surfaced in the early part of the second century, according to which Mark was a companion of Peter. Mark never knew Jesus personally; he was not an eyewitness. However, he knew those who met Jesus and, in particular, he knew Peter. That is why the first reading for the feast of Mark is always from the first letter of Peter. At the end of that reading, Peter makes reference to ‘my son Mark’. We are probably to understand ‘my son’ as ‘my spiritual son’. The Mark that Peter refers to may well be the author of the first gospel. That same early tradition places Mark in the church of Rome, the city where Peter was crucified, the city where the church experienced the first real persecution lead by the Roman state. Mark may have written his gospel for the church in Rome in the aftermath of that cataclysmic event. The gospel was perhaps intended as a word of encouragement to the church, assuring them that just as they had travelled and were still travelling the way of the cross, Jesus had travelled that way before them. As risen Lord he was present among them, just as he had been present with the disciples in the boat as the storm raged at sea. As risen Lord he was also working with them. In the words of today’s gospel reading, the Lord was ‘working with them (the disciples) and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it’. That fundamental message of Mark’s gospel remains a word of encouragement to the church, the community of the Lord’s disciples, today as we battle with our own storms.

And/Or

(v) Feast of Saint Mark, Evangelist

Mark was the first person to write an account of the pubic ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. Up until then, the story of Jesus’ live had been passed primarily by word of mouth. Mark, in a way, produced a new kind of literature, what became known as a gospel. He was a pioneer, someone who blazed a trail, soon to be followed by the evangelists we know as Matthew, Luke and John. He highlighted in his gospel the failure of the disciples. They are portrayed as failing to understand Jesus’ teaching, especially when he speaks of himself as the Son of Man who must be rejected, suffer and die. They then fail him completely when he enters into his passion and death; all of them deserted him. Yet, in Mark’s gospel the risen Jesus remains faithful to his disciples. At the empty tomb on the first Easter morning, the women are told by the young man to tell the disciples to go to Galilee where Jesus will meet them, not to reprimand them but to renew their discipleship. In this morning’s gospel reading we are told that the disciples were preaching everywhere in response to the risen Lord’s call, and that the Lord was working with them. Mark’s gospel assures us that even when we are unfaithful to the Lord, he remains faithful to us; even when we fail, he continues to call us to become all he wants us to be. Even when we turn from his presence, he remains present to us and will work with us as we strive to proclaim the gospel by our lives.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[antiquelic]

some thoughts on remus. he is tied to my main blog, as the son of priscilla.

the first official king of rome, not romulus. the gods had manipulated him and his brother to fight, resulting in the murder of the eldest brother. remus, distraught and feeling guilty, became reclusive. he focused on strengthening this new kingdom and named it in honour of his brother.

the story of rome's founding was fabricated by him and his mother. one: to hide the brutal truth, two: honouring romulus. and three: to hide his mother's presence in early history.

be default: he is a mama's boy. and utterly loyal to her. but fiercely protective of her. this can result in confrontations with anyone close to his mother, especially romantically.

remus is the only one out of priscilla's three children who had no confirmed death. he simply disappeared into a sea of mist and never returned. it gives speculation that he was taken by the gods to be immortalized, though it was never confirmed. he disappeared in his early - mid-twenties and left behind no children, he had dedicated his life to creating this kingdom and ensuring what was left behind would be immortal.

following the death of his brother, remus changed. his personality did a 180 and he will never be the same. it's as if he lost half of his soul.

because of everything that happened when he was younger, remus has no religious faith or believes in any sort of god or gods. he believes them to all be cruel tricksters, ready to torment their worshippers at any given moment of boredom.

an expert fighter and weapons wielder. he was taught by his father and later his maternal grandfather, with various weapons and styles by each. he is quick on his feet, and always ready to raise a blade on anyone who threatens his family.

remus is many things. a king, an idiot, intelligent and dense, aloof and emotional, but the most notable thing about him is he is ruthless. there is no mercy left in his body, he simply cannot bring himself to be merciful in any situation.

this is a young adult who never learnt to read or write in his own timeline. he speaks only old latin and can understand fractures of italian because of the similarities between them. ( in any setting he does know english, but it is difficult for him. )

deep down: remus is a sweetheart. full of laughter and loyalty, playfulness and humour. when you have won him over and he views you as family, he is incredibly protective of you.

#𝐈𝐈. * ◞ hcs. / remus. #i love my boy. he's so doomed to the narrative

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Wednesday, June 27, 2023

june 27_june 15

SAINT JONAH, METROPOLITAN OF MOSCOW AND WONDERWORKER OF ALL RUSSIA (1461)

Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia was born in Galich into a pious Christian family. The father of the future saint was named Theodore. When he was only twelve, the youth received monastic tonsure in one of the Galich monasteries. From there, he transferred to the Moscow Simonov monastery, where he fulfilled various obediences for many years.

Once, Saint Photius, Metropolitan of Moscow (May 27 and July 2), visited the Simonov monastery. After the Molieben, he blessed the archimandrite and brethren and wished to bless those monks fulfilling their obediences in the sanctuary.

When he came to the bakery, he saw Saint Jonah sleeping, exhausted from work. The fingers of the saint’s right hand were positioned in a gesture of blessing. Saint Photius said not to wake him. He blessed the sleeping monk and predicted to those present that this monk would be a great hierarch of the Russian Church and would guide many on the way to salvation.

The prediction of Saint Photius was fulfilled. Several years later, Saint Jonah was made Bishop of Ryazan and Murom.

Saint Photius died in 1431. Five years after his death, Saint Jonah was chosen Metropolitan of All Russia for his virtuous and holy life. The newly-elected Metropolitan journeyed to Constantinople to be confirmed as Metropolitan by Patriarch Joseph II (1416-1439). Shortly before this, the nefarious Isidore, a Bulgarian, had already been established as Metropolitan. Spending a short time at Kyiv and Moscow, Isidore journeyed to the Council of Florence (1438), where he embraced Catholicism.

A Council of Russian hierarchs and clergy deposed Metropolitan Isidore, and he was compelled to flee secretly to Rome (where he died in 1462). Saint Jonah was unanimously chosen Metropolitan of All Russia. He was consecrated by Russian hierarchs in Moscow, with the blessing of Patriarch Gregory III (1445-1450) of Constantinople. This was the first time that Russian bishops consecrated their own metropolitan. Saint Jonah became Metropolitan on December 15, 1448. With archpastoral zeal, he led his flock to virtue and piety, spreading the Orthodox Faith by word and deed. Despite his lofty position, he continued with his monastic struggles as before.

In 1451 the Tatars unexpectedly advanced on Moscow; they burned the surrounding area and prepared for an assault on the city. Metropolitan Jonah led a procession along the walls of the city, tearfully entreating God to save the city and the people. Seeing the dying monk Anthony of the Chudov monastery, who was noted for his virtuous life, Saint Jonah said, “My son and brother Anthony! Pray to the Merciful God and the All-Pure Mother of God for the deliverance of the city and for all Orthodox Christians.”

The humble Anthony replied, “Great hierarch! We give thanks to God and to His All-Pure Mother. She has heard your prayer and has prayed to Her Son. The city and all Orthodox Christians will be saved through your prayers. The enemy will soon take flight. The Lord has ordained that I alone will be killed by the enemy.” Just as the Elder said this, an enemy arrow struck him.

The prediction of Elder Anthony was made on July 2, on the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos. Confusion broke out among the Tatars, who fled in fear and terror. In his courtyard, Saint Jonah built a church in honor of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos to commemorate the deliverance of Moscow from the enemy.

Saint Jonah was reposed in 1461, and miraculous healings began at his grave.

In 1472 the incorrupt relics of Metropolitan Jonah were uncovered and placed in the Dormition Cathedral of the Kremlin (the Transfer of the Holy Relics is celebrated on May 27). A Council of the Russian Church in 1547 established the commemoration of Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow. 1596 Patriarch Job added Saint Jonah to the Synaxis of the Moscow Hierarchs (October 5).

Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, is also commemorated on March 31.

SAINT MICHAEL, FIRST METROPOLITAN OF KYIV AND ALL RUS' (992)

Saint Michael, the first Metropolitan of Kyiv, according to the Joakimov chronicle, was a Syrian by birth, but according to other catalogs, he was a Bulgarian or Serb. In 989, he arrived at Korsun with another clergy for holy Prince Vladimir (July 15), shortly after Vladimir’s Baptism (988).

As the first metropolitan of the Russian Church, his service was complex but grace-filled. He zealously made the rounds of the newly-enlightened Russian Land, preaching the Holy Gospel, baptizing and teaching the newly-illumined people, and founding the first churches and religious schools.

In Rostov, he established the first wooden church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos and installed Theodore the Greek there as bishop. Saint Michael was a wise and gentle but also strict hierarch. The Russian Church has preserved the memory of the saint’s praiseworthy deeds. In the Synodikon of the Novgorod and Kyiv Sophia cathedrals, he is rightfully called the initiator.

Saint Michael died in 992 and was buried in Kyiv's Desyatin-Tithe church of the Most Holy Theotokos. In 1103, under the Igumen Saint Theoctistus (afterward Bishop of Chernihiv, August 5), his relics were transferred to the Antoniev Cave, and on October 1, 1730, into the Great Church of the Caves. Thus his memory was celebrated on September 30 and July 15, the day of his repose.

Formerly, his memory was celebrated on September 2, along with Saints Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves. There is a trace of this earlier celebration in the service to Saint Michael. In the second verse of the “Praises,” we sing: “Having begun the new year, we offer you our first songs, O blessed one, for you were the beginning of the hierarchy in the Russian land.”

Source: Orthodox Church in America_OCA

ROMANS 11:2-12

2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, 3 LORD, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life? 4 But what does the divine response say to him? "I have reserved seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." 5 Even so then, at this present time, there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise, grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise, work is no longer work.7 What, then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks, but the elect have received it, and the rest were blinded. 8 Just as it is written: "God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day." 9 And David says: "Let their table become a snare and a trap, A stumbling block and a recompense to them. 10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, And bow down their back always." 11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, salvation has come to the Gentiles to provoke them to jealousy. 12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!

JOHN 10:9-16 

9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and I know My sheep and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so, I know the Father and lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

#orthodoxy #orthodoxchristianity #easternorthodoxchurch #originofchristianity #spirituality #holyscriptures #gospel #bible