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icanseethefuture333 · 4 months

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What blessings are coming for you in 2024?

collab with @sunkissedchld 💛

Please go check out her post here!

Pile 1:

Shufflemancy -

Half Full by JGrrey

Radioactive by Imagine Dragons

I by Jaden

Signs: 818, silver, wires, blue, green, white, ocean, the sun, blue daisies, braided hair or material, mandalas, wall tapestries, old keys, doors being locked, mirrors, rosaries, crosses, anointing oil, Poseidon, Percy Jackson, Yemaya, honey biscuits, & beignets

Service, Change, Mirror, Heart With A Key, The Sword & Rose, & Liberator

For 2024, pile 1, I see that there is going to be some big changes! "Out with the old, in with the new". In 2023, you could have paid a big service to others by helping them with their needs, which led to putting everyone else above your own personal goals. Helping others can be a good thing but it is alright to be "selfish" at times! I feel that you think if you do good by others you will attract good karma into your life or the universe will magically bless you for your good deeds, when that's not how it works. If you wish for change, you have to be the change you seek. For 2024, you should focus on your self concept and understanding how the 3D works. The 3D reality is your external world, it will reflect back to your most inner prominent thoughts. You have the key to manifest your best potential. Harness your skills and work on improving them. Be careful with your triggers as well. The universe will test you along your journey. So you may experience things that are an inconvenience or attract things you may not necessarily "want". For example, if you are manifesting wealth in 2024, but keep having issues with your finances. Instead of reacting to this and having thoughts or complaints that you're "broke". Release the fears that you have regarding abundance. If you are manifesting money but only receive a $20 dollar bill, be grateful for that $20 dollar bill, for someone else may not even have cash at all. Think of it as a small start to success. You have to liberate yourself from limiting beliefs and see the prosperity that surrounds you and that it is also given to you. If you are someone who sees things as "glass half empty", your perspective will change graciously and the blessings in 2024 will teach you how to see with a "glass half full". The new year will provide you with inner peace and clarity within yourself. You will also be divinely guided and protected during this time!

Pile 2:

Shufflemancy -

Glitter by Tyler The, Creator

Kolors by Monte Booker ft. Smino

Hey, Mickey! By Baby Tate ft. Saweetie

Signs: 222, Valentine's day, hearts, box of chocolates, kiss marks, pink, lavendar, red, lip stains on cups, baby cupid, Venus/Aphrodite, Persephone, Oshun, passion fruit, roses, makeup, bow & arrow, crown, metal, armor, knights, princesses, folklore, playing dolls, roleplay, fairytale romance storybooks, childhood nostalgia, 90/2000s movies, & Y2K

Love (2x 💕), Patience, Kisses, Cupid's Arrow, Soulmates, & Knight

Okayyyy!! This pile is stepping into their it girl/boy/enby era 💅🏽! This is too cute ✨️. You will be more popular than usual this year, pile 2. Your guides are wanting you to embrace this! You could be really shy and wish to avoid the spotlight, but you will be causing yourself a great disfavor by doing this! You are going to be so radiant, magnetizing, & beautiful this year and this is going to draw others to you. I am getting a vision of like those popular girls who walk down the hallway in a 2000s movie with their hair blowing in the wind and everyone else is just in complete awe of them. There could be significant changes to your hair, skin, and wardrobe, maybe even your physical features. Your hair could grow longer, healthier, and look shiny, while your skin would appear softer, dewy, and refreshed. I see that your guides will be blessing you financially to support this lifestyle and to overall enhance your beauty. "You have lived in the shadows of others for too long, you're meant to shine baby!" I feel that many people in your path have made you feel smaller than you actually are and your guides want you to know that you are meant to do something big in this lifetime. They wish to boost your confidence. In 2023, you were the underdog, but you are going to rise to the top in 2024. You will also have a lot of admirers this year! You will be weary of this and feel anxious, fearing that these people are trying to deceive you. There is no need to worry about this though, pile 2! Ease your thoughts and affirm that you are worthy of love, praise, and attention. Your inner beauty is going to be radiating through your physical vessel and this is going to be so intriguing to others. You could be attracting friends, lovers, & sexual partners. If you have been single for a while and waiting for the divine to bless you with a romantic suitor, then it is very likely that you will be in a relationship for 2024. There is someone here who is in love you and desires to be in a committed relationship with you. They will be very charming, romantic, and chivalrous towards you. I interpert this as self love as well! The love you have for yourself is going to transcend into the universe. It's like the Care Bear stare. The Care Bears were able to love others and reciprocate it as well. Allow yourself to give & receive this year!

Pile 3:

Shufflemancy -

Forever Young by BLACKPINK

Queendom by Red Velvet

Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepswn

Signs: 333, giggling, laughing randomly or uncontrollably, people smiling at you, cameras, taking pictures, making videos, beaches, palm trees, upbeat music, nostalgic for music from your younger days, manic pixie character movie tropes, yellow, highlights, hair dye, bangs, high top sneakers, high waisted denim shorts, shuffling dance, longboards, swimsuits, pranks, Hermes, magic tricks, road trips, summer break, festivals, carnivals, & clowns

Self Esteem, Humor, Perservance, Girl Talk, Camera, Paradise, & Trickster

For some of you, the show "Dollface" or the movie "Joy Ride" could be significant. In 2024, you will be reuniting with some old friends of yours or making new ones. You could be getting over a break up from 2023 and the universe wishes to bless you with people who will stay in your life long term. This person you were with romantically or sexually could have left you feeling very depleted. As if they wasted your time and energy. You may have been feeling lonely or a bit lost, wishing you had people there for you to cheer you up. If you had friends that used to be close to you that you miss and have gotten out of touch with, it would be best to try contact them! You will never know unless you try :D! If you are someone who's never really had friends, then I see you coming across people soon. You will have to come out of your shell though and have the confidence to strike up a conversation with people. You will see that you are actually quite funny and a joy to be around! I'm getting a vision of like sleepovers and movie nights. This could have been your favorite to do when you were younger. I feel you should focus on creating new memories for yourself in 2024 and don't be afraid of doing those cheesy things you did as a teenager. Create photo books, make collages, talk on the phone all night long, go out ob trips on a whim, etc. There is so much more to life than just wanting to find your life long significant other. There's this joke that's I've been seeing on social media where it's like a young adult is either married or have kids and then people say "oh she 23? Shawty should be in the club" and it's true 😭! Don't waste your youth away worried about finding the one, just go have fun! It doesn't matter how old you are! Wear those heels and put yourself out there! You are going to regret it if you don't focus on your happiness in the future so make it happen. In 2024, your life will be spontaneous and adventurous!

Pile 4:

Shufflemancy -

American Girl by Bonnie McKee

Sweet by BROCKHAMPTON

SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY (Remix) by Amaarae ft. Kali Uchís

Signs: 444, Seshat, Athena, money in hidden places or on the street, vivid dreams, orange, green, STEM student, university, class, fire, drug commercials, hospitals, blood drawings, shots, measurements, glass, gas, science, chemistry, ball & chain, monopoly, dice, game pieces, poker cards, & checkers

Happiness, Health, Addiction, Abundance, Passion, & Visionary

For some of you, it was possible you were suffering from a lot of issues with your health in 2023. You could have been more prone to getting sick and catching colds, the flu, etc. Your health will be doing much better in 2024! I also see if you are a STEM student, I see your grades improving or you will graduate this year! Congratulations! This message only applies to a select few, but in 2024 I see that you will successfully become sober and overcome any addictions you had! Regardless of which of these resonates with you - there is a big focus on achievements with your health. Whether that is your health or other people's health you are taking care of, things will be looking great ❤️‍🩹! I see that you are very passionate regarding your career as well and there could potentially be some opportunities coming your way in 2024. I feel that a lot of the people in this pile are studying or work in law, the medical field, or do something along the lines of STEM (science, technology, engineering, & mathematics). You are very studious, smart, and bright! I see that in 2024, you will not be taking no for an answer and will do whatever it takes to achieve your goals. Your determination will be admired by others and I see that you will pass many job interviews or receive a big internship soon. There is going to be an opportunity coming your way that will be blessing you financially. Pay attention to your intuition and how it will make you feel. If something makes you happy and feel good inside, it is meant for you. If you feel a bad vibe or something is not right, trust your gut instincts! Do not allow others to pressure, persuade, or force you into doing things you don't want to. I also believe this ties in with the addiciton factor, the people in your path could be codependent on you or they will try to push you into doing things that are not beneficial for your growth. You are not obligated to do anything these people say, focus on your best interest. Either cut these people off or stay away from them, pile 4! It is very important that when you go into the new year that you stay away from any substances that are harmful to your health. Regardless, you will be very happy, healthy, and wealthy in the upcoming year 🏆!

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forestdeath1 · 2 months

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Regulus wasn't forced by his parents to join the Death Eaters

What do we know about the Black family? I'll write a post about this because there's quite a bit we know if we read the canon in depth.

But the main point for this post is that for the Blacks, the survival and prosperity of their lineage were critically important.

The survival of their surname was in a precarious state at that time because women did not keep their surname nor pass it on to their children. Only two people could continue the line – Sirius and Regulus.

Preserving their lineage was so crucial for the Blacks that they didn't officially disown Sirius after his escape, or they reinstated him after Regulus's death. Because Sirius was the last Black. The last one who could carry on their line. Even if he was a rebellious Gryffindor who liked "mudbloods," he was still a Black.

When Sirius died, even the portrait was upset, although it's not alive. It's simply a reflection of the Blacks' attitude towards the survival of their lineage.

Am I to understand,’ said Phineas Nigellus slowly from Harry’s left, ‘that my great-great-grandson – the last of the Blacks – is dead?’

‘Yes, Phineas,’ said Dumbledore. ‘I don’t believe it,’ said Phineas brusquely. Harry turned his head in time to see Phineas marching out of his portrait and knew that he had gone to visit his other painting in Grimmauld Place. He would walk, perhaps, from portrait to portrait, calling for Sirius through the house ...

By the time Regulus was 16, Sirius had already run away from home.

Now, explain to me, all you fans of the "Regulus was forced" idea, what would be going through Orion and Walburga's heads to make them push their last hope for the continuation of their lineage into joining a combat organization where people are constantly being killed?

Considering they didn't join themselves because they disliked the methods and probably understood Tom's real goals.

Walburga was in school with Tom Riddle and was two years older than him. Orion Black was also in school with Tom, but he was two years younger. By that time, Tom Riddle aka Voldemort, hadn't yet changed his appearance to the point of being unrecognizable. They all knew who Voldemort was. Tom Riddle. An orphan boy. Likely, they knew he was the heir of Slytherin, which was important for the Blacks because, for them, it wasn't about money but about blood. True nobility and dignity are in the blood, not wealth. The Blacks aren't the Malfoys. And as Sirius said, at some point, they were inspired by Tom's ambition to change the situation in their country, although Sirius obviously knew very little about Voldemort, as he was hardly discussed in front of the children. But initially, the Blacks were inspired because he was worthy, the heir of Slytherin, right?

Probably Orion, Arcturus/Pollux realized that Tom didn't care about blood purity. He cared about his own power. By the time they understood this, Tom's power was already too strong, and he had won much support among the pure-blood society, who believed he genuinely cared about pure-blood wizards.

Why did Sirius say he was sure their parents were proud of Regulus?

Because most likely, not both parents were proud, as Sirius doesn't mention the father at all, and Walburga had an irrational desire to see her son as a hero. Sirius – the lineage's continuer, and Regulus – a brave and courageous warrior for blood purity. Because being a Death Eater was seen as brave and cool. They were revolutionaries. Chosen warriors.

Moreover, Bella was already in the organization and could influence Walburga's opinion against Orion and Arcturus's wishes. Playing on Walburga's emotional irrationality wasn't very hard, especially for Bella and Rodolphus.

Bella was in love with Voldemort. Rodolphus was devoted to Voldemort from the start, as Lestrange Sr. had been a supporter of Tom since their school days. The Rosiers fall into the same group. Surprise, surprise, Bella's mother – Druella Rosier, was likely the sister of that very Rosier who was with Tom from the start and who was Evan Rosier's father. Cygnus Black is open for interpretation, but my headcanon is that from a young age, he was a bit more aggressive than the others and didn't quite fit into the family dynamics and control (and Bella took after him in part).

Who convinced Regulus to join the organization, even knowing Orion and the Blacks were against it?

From the little we know about Regulus, it's clear he was a maximalist inclined to broad "heroic" actions, with his own understanding of honor. He had been committed to the idea of blood purity from childhood, believing it to be truly noble and important. He wanted to be a hero and admired Voldemort. Also, always being second to Sirius, he wanted to prove his worth. That he too was strong and brave and capable of significant, but correct actions. And, our beloved Bella was there. She helped him join the organization at 16.

If you want tragedy in Regulus Black's story, here it is:

Regulus Black went to his death knowing he was the last of the Blacks. He destroyed his family. His lineage. Put an end to it. Even for Sirius, running away was easier because Regulus was still there. When Regulus went to his death, Sirius had already run away from home.

There's much more interesting stuff here than "Regulus was forced." But who cares, right? Fuck canon, live fanon.

#regulus black #walburga black #orion black #the noble and most ancient house of black #anti fanon regulus #anti marauders fandom #regulus black meta

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robertreich · 2 years

Video

youtube

The Truth Behind “Self-Made” Billionaires

Why do we glorify “self-made” billionaires?

Well, being “self-made” is a seductive idea —it suggests that anybody can get to the top if they're willing to work hard enough. It’s what the American Dream is all about.

If Kylie Jenner can become a “self-made” billionaire at age 21, so can you and I!

Even as wages stay stagnant and wealth inequality grows, it’s a comfort to think that we’re all simply one cosmetics company and some elbow grease away from fortune.

Unfortunately, a nice idea is all it is. Self-made billionaires are a myth. Just like unicorns.

The origins of self-made billionaires are often depicted as a “rags-to-riches” rise to the top fueled by nothing but personal grit and the courage to take risks — like dropping out of college, or starting a business in a garage.

But in reality, the origins of many billionaires aren’t so humble. They’re more “riches-to-even-more-riches” stories, rooted in upper-middle class upbringings.

How much risk did Bill Gates take on when his mother used her business connections to help Microsoft land a deal-making software for IBM?

Elon Musk came from a family that owned an emerald mine during the time of Apartheid South Africa.

Jeff Bezos’ garage-based start was funded by a quarter-million dollar investment from his parents.

If your safety net to joining the billionaire class is remaining upper class – that’s not pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.

Nor is failing to pay your fair share of taxes along the way.

Along with Musk and Bezos, Michael Bloomberg, George Soros, and Carl Icahn have all gotten away with paying ZERO federal income taxes some years. That’s a big helping hand, courtesy of legal loopholes and American taxpayers who pick up the tab, all while our tax dollars subsidize the corporations owned by these so-called “self-reliant” entrepreneurs.

Did you get a thank you card from any of them? I sure as hell didn’t.

Other common ways that billionaires build their coffers off the backs of others include paying garbage wages and subjecting workers to abusive labor conditions.

But portraying themselves as rugged individuals who overcame poverty or “did it on their own” remains an effective propaganda tool for the ultrawealthy. One that keeps workers from rising up collectively to demand fairer wages – and one that ultimately distracts from the role that billionaires play in fostering poverty in the first place.

Billionaires say their success proves they can spend money more wisely and efficiently than the government. Well they have no problem with government spending when it comes to corporate subsidies.

When arguing for even more tax breaks, they claim each “dollar the government takes from [them] is a dollar less” for their “critical” role in expanding prosperity for all Americans, through job creation and philanthropy. Well that’s rubbish.

50 years of tax cuts for the wealthy have failed to trickle down. As a result of Trump’s tax cuts, 2018 saw the 400 richest American families pay a lower tax rate than the middle class. And U.S. billionaire wealth grew by $2 trillion during the first two years of a pandemic that was economically catastrophic for just about everyone else. They want to have their cake, everyone else’s cake, and eat it, too.

Behind every ten-figure net worth is systemic inequality. Inherited wealth. Labor exploitation. Tax loopholes. And government subsidies.

To claim these fortunes are “self-made” is to perpetuate a myth that blames the wealth gap on the choices of everyday Americans.

Billionaires are not made by rugged individuals. They’re made by policy failures. And a system that rewards wealth over work.

Know the truth.

#youtube #video #videos #billionaires #money #wealth #inequality #economics #elon musk #jeff bezos #tesla #amazon

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sombredancer · 7 months

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How to be a more interesting character than the Main Hero (Pt.4)

Shangjue and his fiancée

Shangjue has an interesting yet complicated relationship not only with his didi, but also with his fiancée, who happens to be an assassin. The girl aims him from the beginning and plays a cruel game to win his attention, because her mission is to get the secret weapon of Gong clan (the Sutra), to which Shangjue has an access. She is a liar and he knows it, so he decides to choose her as his bride in order to keep his enemy even closer than his friend. So, in the beginning they both play their roles. But Shangjue has a critical vulnerability: he looks like Mr. Danger, but inside of him is a heart of silk. It`s not that hard to tear it apart if you can sneak beneath his ribs.

Their relationship unfolds in an interesting way: an assassin tries hard to find a tiny crack in Shangjue’s nutshell and to guess his thoughts by doing some stuff (cooking meal he doesn`t like, planting flowers he doesn`t want to be planted and bringing havoc into his well-ordered world), and he ends up kinda liking it. He badly needs someone who will dig into his inner core and find there what he truly wants, because he thinks of himself just as of a function and barely knows his own desires. The blankness of his residence is like one of a service apartment – everything is only for work, nothing is for soul.

But bit by bit she learns more about him and finds out that he is not that person she thought he is. At the beginning of the story she says to the female lead that Shangjue likes no one but himself. But in reality, he hardly likes himself either. There is no «himself» at all. There is a sharp saber against clan`s enemies, a legendary martial artist who brings wealth and prosperity to his clan, a wise father figure for didi but there isn`t a man who is called Gong Shangjue. Her thought of Shangjue as of someone who doesn`t love anyone beautifully echoes with herself. Her tutor said that she loves only herself, but at the end of the story she ends up feeling something (not love, but not nothing at least) towards said tutor and Shangjue as well.

Bay flowers are Shangjue's favorite. Btw, their conversation about these flowers is very eloquent, too. An assassin says that Shangjue's favorite bay flowers mean something dangerous yet beautiful and bewitching. Just like her by his side. And he says that they represent victory and prosperity, which are his goals as a Gong clan member (but maybe not what his heart truly wants).

Paying the last respect for the tutor. While an assassin is toying with Shangjue, he is toying with her. He always pulls her closer and immediately pushes her away, gives her approval of her actions and the next moment punishes her for the same actions. He knows that she is dangerous and got closer to him on purpose, but he ends up liking her anyway.

Along his toying with her, nevertheless, he treats her as his real future wife and indulges her to change something chaotically in his realm of order in front of his servants and, I suppose, starts believing himself that she will be his wife.

Meanwhile, an assassin uses the knowledge she received very skillfully: she learns about death of Shangjue’s mother and talks about her mom in order to worm her path out into his shell, later she uses the information given her by Yuanzhi (about Gong clan above everything for Shangjue) to make Shangjue believe she knows his heart.

It looked like he would kiss her. But he didn't.

Their conversation in this scene is heartbreaking: she tells him, that the Main Hero puts Gong clan in danger because he knows there is an assassin in the residence and does nothing about it, and Shangjue has got no evidence that could help to catch her red handed. And by the time she is speaking Shangjue already knows - it is HIM who knows that an assassin is by his side and voluntary puts his clan in danger (and, as we know, will proceed to do it till the end of the story). When Shangjue catches his fiancée as a suspect, his moral trial begins.

Watching the drama for the first time, I was very surprised that he did almost nothing to interrogate her (pushing at the wound can't be considered as a torture). His duty is to expose and to kill a Wufeng assassin, but he ends up eagerly believing any lie his fiancée tells him because he likes her and WANTS to believe her. Then he is about to touch her but doesn't dare to do so, and it's a significant sign, too. He hadn't problems with touching Yuanzhi (at least, when they were younger), so, I suppose, this lack of touching between Shangjue and his fiancée represents his inner struggle. He wants to be tender with her because he likes her, but tenderness is a weakness and shouldn`t be shown to an enemy.

Speaking of intimacy and touching, a lack of it between them is so palpable that I felt very uncomfortable when, a few episodes later, that pool sex scene happened. Many people didn`t understand either, have they banged or not, because even them touching each other is already something unbelievable in this drama. I spent a lot of time thinking about how they banged considering Shangjue’s problems with touching her and allowing her to touch him 😁😁😁.

Btw, this scene is definitely a sex scene. In China there is a very strict censorship in terms of a lot of things, including queere-relationship and sex, but there is also a lot of ways to show it without actually showing something (but even the fact that they were NAKED together in one pool told me everything, as long as in other dramas people had to have sex being dressed in three layers of hanfu). I`m not that deep into Chinese culture, but I have read in comments that the strange phrase of Shangjue «These buds will bloom soon, then you will know if I like you like this (her less obedient and more ambitious self)» refers to a Chinese idiom about a loss of virginity (so if it’s true, Shangjue deliberately invited her to have sex with him if she wanted to know if he liked her and that’s why she came to him without undergarments in the dead of night). The lanterns in the water of a pool refer to the unity of male Yang and female Yin energies (and we could see them in the scene of their first «date», btw). He loosened her hair in the pool: manipulations with girl’s hair it`s something that only husband is allowed do (that’s why you often can see in dramas that a male lead gifts his lover a hairpin or a comb). After everything’s happened, he hovers his cup above a saucer, which means «want to repeat». However, I couldn`t find any proof of these meanings because it seems like Chinese internet doesn`t cross English-speaking one at all and I respectively don`t understand Mandarin. So, if you know something else about it, feel free to correct me in comments. Btw, I`m sure, Yuanzhi's constant speaking about tea in front of Shangguan Qian refers to some kind of idiom, too, but I couldn`t find any information about it. UPD: my fellow @randomingoftherandomness says that it has something to do with a Chinese slang phrase 綠茶婊 (green tea bitch) - "a person who tries to look innocent being in fact calculating".

During the «torture» scene an assassin asks if Shangjue can spare her life and he says «no», because his duty is not to show mercy to Gong clan enemies. This scene echoes with the end of the story, when she asks him again to spare her life and he says he will if she gives him back the Sutra. And he really lets her go, which is strictly opposite to his mission of protecting Gong clan, because she knows everything about their inner residences and Gong clan members, and, what is the most important, the secret of the Sutra. But Shangjue wants to let her leave because she is the first thing he wants for himself, the first longing of a person, not of a function. Only by opposition between his duty and his heart he could find out who the real he is. Letting her go is very VERY irrational decision, but, unlike for the Main Hero, who stole his assassin‘s heart by his incompatible with life naivety, for Shangjue it is a natural point of his character development: being restricted from all his human wishes for a decade, when he gets the opportunity to fulfil them, he gets off his leash and does it fully. Very human behavior, btw.

I was very surprised seeing that Shangjue’s fiancée had time during this mess to change her clothes. Later I understood that she did it on purpose: she had more chances to survive if Shangjue would recall his feelings for her because this pink dress was a gift from him. In their final scene together he says that he would let her go if she gives him the Sutra back, it means she doesn't need to pretend to be pregnant in order to save her life, as soon as Shangjue always keeps his promises. But he lets her know that he doesn't count her as someone from Gong clan (and as his fiancée as well) anymore, and maybe that’s why she says that she bears a child and formulates it's so as if it's a new member of Gong clan, not just a fruit of their passion, because Gong clan does matter for him and his own personality doesn`t (and, btw, remembering the fertility problems, children are very valued in the clan). But I don't understand why preserving of her bond to Gong clan is so important to her. Yes, she couldn't go back to Wufeng because her information caused its collapse but she couldn't stay with the man she just tried to wipe out as well. Maybe her only hope was that she could keep the Sutra as a clan member (a mother of a Gong child), but Shangjue snatched it back. Her story have had some curtain development but kinda not till the final point so I would like to see how their relationship would move further. It is crystal clear by this last scene of them together that Shangjue catastrophically and fully lost to his assassin. When I have watched the drama for the first time I was sure she would use his soft spot on her to kill him, especially when she put his sword down and came to him very closely. At the very end of the story it seems that Shangjue believed everything she said to him in this last conversation, because her information about Wufeng’s boss is spreaded across the Martial World by the Main Hero, which means Shangjue shared it with him.

Azaleas mean "I belong to you forever".

Back in the story, when didi takes the assassin to Shangjue`s residence, he says that the most vulnerable and unpredictable thing is a human heart and that people often don`t want to know the truth. The story itself proves him right: it’s true in terms of Yuanzhi self, whose heart can be and is hurt only by Shangjue, even if his sworn brother doesn`t have a clue about the inner processes that are going on inside didi’s head; it`s also true in terms of an assassin, so far as she starts seeing a handsome man instead of her victim; and, of course, it’s true for Shangjue as well: he deliberately deceives himself believing the assassin isn`t assassin just to have an opportunity to be with her.

It was a pure pleasure to feel for these characters and to watch their stories unfold and I definitely would recommend this drama for watching.

#cdrama #my journey to you #yun zhi yu #云之羽 #cheng lei #gong shangjue #丞磊 #mjty #gong shang jue #宫尚角 #shangguan qian #卢昱晓 #lu yu xiao #上官浅 #enemies to lovers to enemies #SDaboutMJTY

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aconflagrationofmyown · 1 year

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“Just a Mother”

a Sarge & lil Mama blurb || circa 1957

Summary: just adding some back story and motivations to Elaine’s side of the story presented in The Beginning.

Warnings: None really, except for talk of 1950’s gender roles, throw away line of masturbation and motherhood

“Is that all?” was the most common question asked Elaine after she first piped up in class and said she wanted to be a mother when she grew up.

A twelve years old girl, born with the luxury of living in the progressive halfway mark of the 20th century, belonging to a prosperous middle class and raised by lenient and liberal parents ought to have more ambition. Or so her impossibly cool, east coast imported, die hard beatnik geometry teacher chided her lovingly.

“A teacher then?” Little Elaine had fudged, meaning in her heart of hearts she wanted to raise little people, she wanted to make a difference with another generation, she wanted to be loved and depended on.

And why shouldn’t she? Her mother seemed happy enough being a mother. Her mother only seemed fretful when it came to father’s business. Juggling work and home life was the only cause of strife Elaine could perceive between the two, and it ingrained the notion in her little mind that keeping it separate was the key to domestic tranquility. Children, an only child like herself or a dozen taken in by the neighbor, never seemed to be the cause of any true regret between a couple.

“Oh darling, that takes money.” is what mother said when Elaine told her that she wanted a bunch of kids. “And a lot of effort and patience, which you may have but -it takes money, too.”

The white-picket-fence-American-dream could only afford two or three little ones and a new car every five years, it would seem. Elaine would rather forgo the new car and have another child, she told her mother.

Those squabbles over money and the business that Elaine witnessed between her parents ceased altogether when Elvis Presley’s infamous yawling stuck gold on the national charts. She watched then as her parents put their feet up and joked around the family dinner table that maybe they should have given Elaine that longed for sibling, a little bother or a sister. If they’d only known college tuitions would be paid for by a rockabilly record.

That’s when Elaine decided she’d need to marry a wealthy man. Or perhaps father would give her an inheritance early, a dowry of sorts. The first Rock n Roll heiress in America. Mother had warned her that their new wealth would attract no good boys who wanted her money without sticking around after to do right by her.

“Is that still all you want, darling?” Mother had asked when Elaine hit eighteen, right before God took her. “You’ve the opportunity to do so much more.”

“Miss Gladys says it’s the most important job of all.” Elaine had insisted, wounded that her own ambitions should be always so belittled.

“Well, I'd be careful of what you adopt from Miss Gladys.” her mother had warned, a funny look in her eyes, “I’ve a feeling she has ulterior motives for directing your interests that way. You should get out before you settle down, see the world, try other vocations out.”

That had worked for awhile. First Elaine had helped in the studio and then in the hospital and then she had studied hard to become a teacher, forever gravitating towards being useful, being needed, towards nurturing others. For her it was only ever that, that was all of it, that was enough.

Ambition and experience, that’s what everyone encouraged her to seek after mother’s death. The middle aged women, those who had chafed under their own domestic responsibilities and been too late to taste the freedom Elaine longed to squander were particularly insistent. Ambition and experience. Those were things that Elaine had plenty of time to indulge before marrying and being chained to highchairs and the marital bed.

Perhaps too much time, Elaine had begun to think. She was antsy, floating around in her dead mother’s circle, working herself to the bone to forget her loneliness and making little found families with any who’d let her dote on them.

No one to call her own beside her father who’s booming business needed her less and less. He needed her in his grief, but that didn’t mean he accepted her help.

Gone only a few months she had already begun to miss Elvis, and to resent his imposed law of abstinence while he was away. She wanted to marry, she wanted a man to give her children, she wanted to have a life to call her own at long last -she didn’t trust anyone to vet her prospective husbands save for Elvis. And the cycle would begin again. She cursed him in her head, and took to watching men as they swam in the public pools, distracted by muscled backs and furred legs as she taught Mrs. Davie’s children how to swim. She wanted a man, she didn’t know what for but she wanted one.

Elvis had woken her up to that sudden ambition, and she sought it with the single minded drive she put into logistics for the March of Dimes functions. She watched the way these men talked and walked and carried themselves, the ones who curled in on themselves and the ones who swaggered. The ones who whistled at her and the ones who opened doors.

What she had initially thought cruel and lewd teasing on Elvis’ part that night in the kitchen she grew to realize was him merely looking out for her welfare. He wanted her to taste the danger of attraction just enough that she’d know what to guard against. Though every passing day made that harder, charming waiters and slick doctors and grabby handed father’s of children she nannied all sparked an interest in her that had been dulled before.

There was curiosity in her as to what they wanted from her. She knew what she wanted -children, but what did they want? She would have to ask Elvis. She would have to wait for him to get back from a two year deployment and boot camp besides.

Alone in her room at nights, surrounded by text books and mother’s diaries, Elaine wasn’t sure she could hold out that long. She had heard that when God planted a child in a woman’s womb it came out from between her legs. More and more she found herself blindly and ignorantly touching that little baby house, finding it weepy and throbbing, as if as heartsick as the rest of her at the waste of her young and empty body.

Once she tried to put a finger up there as she’d heard doctors did in labor. It pinched and stung and she pulled it out hurriedly, her heart pounding and cheeks hot.

That was another warning all the women had -that children hurt. Making them and bringing them forth. Elaine knew nothing about what went into making them, though she could see that growing them stretched and tore women’s skin to accommodate the new life. Still, like an arduous adventure or a perilous quest it all seemed rather glorious to her, thrilling even, to be growing something that would outlast you.

“Just a mother? You don’t want to be anything else?” her Humanities teacher asked her, senior year of high school. An idiotic question, as if being a mother meant she couldn’t be anything else while at it. But that Humanities class did teach Elaine one thing: men must always strive to build and create a legacy, forever pressed to leave some creation behind with their likeness imprinted on it.

Women can make such a thing in nine months and from it can come millions of copies, millions of descendants. Her lack of ambition to conquer Wall Street seemed to suddenly click sitting there listening to a man drone on about the lasting impact of crumbling ruins.

They’ll never manage what we can, she realized, they can’t create a living thing like we can, they can only shape stone and clay and call it wondrous, while we can fashion blood and bone and cartilage and birth a soul.

It made sense that through the centuries men would define motherhood as “just” that. It was too threatening a thing otherwise, and a millennium of the scorn had infected the women, too, until the miracle of children was cut down to size, to something a little less holy, a little less impressive, little more than drudgery. Why, darling, don’t you know you can go out and work for another man who is not your husband these days? You can push that man’s papers about and endure his groping, come home and endure it from another, too. Who has energy to be a mother after that?

Yes, Elaine would settle for being just a mama. If Elvis would just come back already and help her choose a daddy.

#sarge and lil mama #just a wife #elvis fanfiction #mine #elvis fanfic #elvis imagine #elvis x reader #elaine presley #Elvis blurb #the most wholesome breeding kink #you ever did see

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grandtyphoonpoetry · 6 months

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"You're a rotten driver," I protested. "Either you ought to be more careful or you oughtn't to drive at all."

"I am careful."

"No, you're not."

"Well other people are," she said lightly.

"What's that got to do with it?"

"They'll keep out of my way," she insisted. "It takes two to make an accident."

"Suppose you met somebody just as careless as yourself."

"I hope I never will," she answered "I hate careless people. That's why I like you."

This conversation takes place somewhere near the middle of the book and the start of Nick and Jordan's relationship. Noting the events of the book, we already know that most everyone in it is quite literally a reckless driver. That being said, Jordan and Nick aren't being entirely literal while having that conversation.

Jordan knows she's a reckless person. She lies, cheats, and is all around dishonest to get what she wants in a system that favors men. She doesn't acknowledge this as a problem as long as she's gaming it right, with the right people (who won't see through her). She gets what she wants, she wins. But she's reckless.

Gatsby has one goal in mind: Daisy will love him. He has an unhealthy obsession with the idea of wealth, prosperity and success that he's attached to Daisy., and thinks of nothing else. He seems generous (and is generous) but not for the sake of others, he's being generous for the sake of his name getting around to his lover, and in the long run he turns out to be only thinking of himself the whole time. Even sacrificing himself for Daisy, only to make her love him the most. One track minds are too preoccupied to be anything but reckless.

Tom clearly doesn't value anyone who surrounds him. Incredibly sexist, racist and unaware of basic human rights or any kind of marital loyalty. I can honestly say that he has almost no redeeming qualities. Thoughtlessly stepping on people in his attempt to be the most intimidating man at the top of every food chain., his way is law to the point of borderline narcissism. Aggressive drivers are reckless.

Daisy is the victim of this circumstance if it's anybody. She had everything handed to her on a silver platter, but she was raised in a way to think she's only worth the equivalent of the men she's surrounded herself with, that she's nothing but a pretty fool, so that is what she'll be. She has to focus only on herself to stay afloat. But fools are reckless too.

And finally Nick, for all his claims to be careful and honest. He manages to get himself involved in and and every kind of shady activity going on without once interjecting that maybe this should not be happening. His idea of himself is being a great judge of character and always truthful, is caught up in the fact that he doesn't do anything to affect the people around him to do better, he just watches them crash and burn around him being naive enough to think it had nothing to do with him. Reckless.

Anyways, all of this to say, The Great Gatsby is a study on the idea of the American dream. But it's also just a book about a bunch of self absorbed people. People too busy to trying to figure out how to manipulate their surroundings, to get what they want out of them, to notice anybody else. Everyone is driving around on their own paths, headlights off, not paying attention to the road, until they collide.

As the book is closing up, after reckless driving has killed more than just one person, Jordan and Nick have one last conversation.

"Oh and do you remember-" she added "-a conversation we had once about driving a car."

"Why,- not exactly."

"You said a bad driver was only safe until she met another bad driver? Well, I met another bad driver, didn't I?"

#the way i love this book #no when i tell you i'm obsessed #the great gatsby #f scott fitzgerald #reckless driving #nick carraway #jay gatsby #tom buchanan #daisy buchanan #jordan baker #roaring 20s

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 2 months

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Mike Luckovich

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

February 28, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

Behind the horse race–type coverage of the contest for presidential nominations, a major realignment is underway in United States politics. The Republican Party is dying as Trump and his supporters take it over, but there is a larger story behind that crash. This moment looks much like the other times in our history when a formerly stable two-party system has fallen apart and Americans reevaluated what they want out of their government.

Trump’s takeover of the party has been clear at the state level, where during his term he worked to install loyalists in leadership positions. From there, they have pushed the Big Lie that he won the 2020 election and have continued to advance his claims to power.

The growing radicalism of the party has also been clear in Congress, where Trump loyalists refuse to permit legislation that does not reflect their demands and where, after they threw House speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) out of office—dumping a speaker midterm for the first time in history—Trump lieutenant Jim Jordan (R-OH) threatened holdouts to vote him in as speaker. Jordan failed, but the speaker Republican representatives did choose, Mike Johnson (R-LA), is himself a Trump loyalist, just one who had made fewer enemies than Jordan.

The radicalization of the House conference has led 21 members of the party who gravitate toward actual lawmaking to announce they are not running for reelection. Many of them are from safe Republican districts, meaning they will almost certainly be replaced by radicals.

The Senate has tended to hang back from this radicalization, but in a dramatic illustration of Trump’s takeover of the party, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell today announced he would step down from his leadership position in November. McConnell is the leading symbol of the pre-Trump party, a man whose determination to cut taxes and regulation led him to manipulate the rules of the Senate and silence warnings that Russian disinformation was polluting the 2016 campaign so long as it meant keeping a Democrat out of the White House and Republicans in control of the Senate.

The extremist House Freedom Caucus promptly tweeted: “Our thoughts are with our Democrat colleagues in the Senate on the retirement of their Co-Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (D-Ukraine). No need to wait till November…Senate Republicans should IMMEDIATELY elect a *Republican* Minority Leader.”

Trump has also taken control of the Republican National Committee (RNC) itself. On Monday, RNC chair Ronna McDaniel announced that she is resigning on March 8. Trump picked McDaniel himself in 2016 but has come to blame her both for the party’s continued underperformance since 2016 and for its current lack of money.

Now Trump has made it clear he wants even closer loyalists at the top of the party, including his own daughter-in-law, Lara Trump. She has suggested she is open to using RNC money exclusively for Trump. This might be what has prompted the Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity to pull support from Nikki Haley in order to invest in downballot races.

But the party that is consolidating around Trump is alienating a majority of Americans. It has abandoned the principles that the party embraced from 1980 until 2016. In that era, Republicans called for a government that cut taxes and regulations with the idea that consolidating wealth at the top of the economy would enable businessmen to invest far more effectively in new development than they could if the government interfered, and the economy would boom. They also embraced global leadership through the expansion of capitalism and a strong military to protect it.

Under Trump, though, the party has turned away from global leadership to the idea that strong countries can do what they like to their neighbors, and from small government to big government that imposes religious rules. Far from protecting equality before the law, Republican-dominated states have discriminated against LGBTQ+ individuals, racial and ethnic minorities, and women. And, of course, the party is catering to Trump’s authoritarian plans. Neo-nazis attended the Conservative Political Action Conference a week ago.

But these changes are not popular. Tuesday’s Michigan primary revealed the story we had already seen in the Republican presidential primaries and caucuses in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. Trump won all those contests, but by significantly less than polls had predicted. He has also been dogged by the strength of former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley. With Trump essentially running as an incumbent, he should be showing the sort of strength Biden is showing—with challengers garnering only a few percentage points—but even among the fervent Republicans who tend to turn out for primaries, Trump’s support is soft.

It seems that the same policies that attract Trump’s base are turning other voters against him. Republican leadership, for example, is far out of step with the American people on abortion rights—69% of Americans want the right to abortion put into law—and that gulf has only widened over the Alabama Supreme Court decision endangering in vitro fertilization by saying that embryos have the same rights as children from the moment of conception. That decision created such an outcry that Republicans felt obliged to claim they supported IVF. But push came to shove today when Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) reintroduced a bill to protect IVF that Republicans had previously rejected and Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) killed it again.

The party has also tied itself to a deeply problematic leader. Trump is facing 91 criminal charges in four different cases—two state, two federal—but the recently-decided civil case in which he, the Trump Organization, his older sons, and two associates were found liable for fraud is presenting a more immediate threat to Trump’s political career.

Trump owes writer E. Jean Carroll $88.3 million; he owes the state of New York $454 million, with interest accruing at more than $100,000 a day. Trump had 30 days from the time the judgments were filed to produce the money or a bond for it. Today he asked the court for permission to post only $100 million rather than the full amount in the New York case, as required by law, because he would have to sell property at fire-sale prices to come up with the money.

In addition to making it clear to donors that their investment in his campaign now might end up in the hands of lawyers or the victorious plaintiffs, the admission that Trump does not have the money he has claimed punctures the image at the heart of his political success: that of a billionaire businessman.

Judge Anil C. Singh rejected Trump’s request but did stay the prohibition on Trump’s getting loans from New York banks, potentially allowing him to get the money he needs.

As Trump’s invincible image cracks with this admission, as well as with the increased coverage of his wild statements, others are starting to push back on him and his loyalists. President Biden’s son Hunter Biden testified behind closed doors to members of the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees today, after their previous key witness turned out to be working with Russian operatives and got indicted for lying.

Hunter Biden began the day with a scathing statement saying unequivocally that he had never involved his father in his business dealings and that all the evidence the committee had compiled proved that. In their “partisan political pursuit,” he said, they had “trafficked in innuendo, distortion, and sensationalism—all the while ignoring the clear and convincing evidence staring you in the face. You do not have evidence to support the baseless and MAGA-motivated conspiracies about my father because there isn’t any.”

After an hour, Democratic committee members described to the press what was going on in the hearing room. They reported that the Republicans’ case had fallen apart entirely and that Biden had had a “very understandable, coherent business explanation for every single thing that they asked for.” While former president Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself more than 440 times during a deposition in his fraud trial, Biden did not take the Fifth at all.

The discrediting of the Republicans continued later. When Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN) tried to recycle the discredited claim that “$20 million flowed through” to then–vice president Biden, CNN host Boris Sanchez fact-checked him and said, “I’m not going to let you say things that aren’t true.”

That willingness to push back on the Republicans suggests a new political moment in which Americans, as they have done before when one of the two parties devolved into minority rule, wake up to the reality that the system has been hijacked and begin to reclaim their government.

But can they prevail over the extremists MAGA Republicans have stowed into critical positions in the government? Tonight the Supreme Court, stacked with Trump appointees, announced that rather than let the decision of a lower court stay in place, it would take up the question of whether Trump is immune from criminal prosecution for his actions in trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election. That decision means a significant delay in Trump’s trial for that attempt.

“This is a momentous decision, just to hear this case,” conservative judge Michael Luttig told Nicolle Wallace of MSNBC. “There was no reason in this world for the Supreme Court to take this case…. Under the constitutional laws of the United States, there has never been an argument that a former president is immune from prosecution for crimes that he committed while in office.”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#History #Putin Caucus #Corrupt SCOTUS #Letters From An American #Heather Cox Richardson #minority rule

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broomsick · 1 year

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UPG’s of what some of the Gods could want to help you with!

These are all completely personal thoughts, and I am aware they may not mirror your own experiences at all. They don’t have much historical accuracy, which is why I’ve labeled them “UPG’s”. I haven’t experienced each and every one of these as manifestations of deity blessings, but I have experienced some. The rest is conjecture based on the God’s “domains” (the areas of influence they are generally associated with), as well as their personalities and the interests I’ve come to associate each of them with. Feel free to take any of these to heart, as well as to add your own UPG’s.

Thórr: developing pride in yourself and your accomplishments, learning to let go of worries and have fun every once in a while. He brings about a feeling of absolute safety and He’s always come to soothe me after difficult events.

Óðinn: making important life decisions, learning new skills and trying out new things, finding ways to acquire wisdom, learning to truly listen to others but also to your own instinct. His presence is an extremely calming one, and He opens your senses to the world around you.

Freyja: feeling comfortable in one’s body, helping one show their affection to their loved ones, accepting hard truths and overcoming them. She’s also a good teacher when it comes to developing magical crafts such as spells and potions.

Frigg: She can provide a lot of comfort and love, and She can help you accept and deal with difficult changes in your lives. She’s also a great help when it comes to family matters.

Yngvi-Freyr: appreciating the land you live on and its gifts, seeing the beauty in the world, developing gardening and cooking skills. Just like Thórr, He is very keen on cheering you up when you’re feeling down. He is also a great help when it comes to matters of wealth, material possessions, and financial stability.

Skaði: fighting off seasonal depression, finding warmth and comfort during winter, enjoying the season either alone or with friends and family. In my experience, she’s great at helping you stay level-headed and emotionally stable.

Týr: defending one’s values and opinions, staying true to oneself, but also learning to find compromise to settle disputes, accepting differences in others. He’s a great help when it comes to making the necessary sacrifices to reach one’s goals.

Eir: overcoming illness/injury, keeping oneself safe and watching out for loved ones, and helping others in general, by becoming involved in one’s community or by starting volunteering activities, for example.

Heimdallr: improving one’s willpower, observational skills and intuition. He is, amongst other things, a symbol of transition, which is why He is helpful when it comes to tackling important transitions in one’s life.

Baldr: seeing beauty in the mundane, nurturing happiness, learning to act spontaneously and in the spirit of adventure, appreciating the people around you, rediscovering and caring for one’s “inner child”.

Loki: developing one’s self-confidence, letting go of worries, finally acting instead of waiting, learning to detach oneself from others’ opinions, finding pleasure and passion again.

Iðunn: improving one’s connection to spirituality, nurturing and acting on creativity, finding inspiration, keeping one’s heart and mind peaceful, learning to calm oneself, spreading kindness.

Hel: She can help one mourn, accept death and be at peace with it, as well as tame their fears. Just like Óðinn, the lessons She teaches can be heard in Her silence: Her presence is extremely calming and quiet, but She has much to teach.

Njörðr: helping one’s wealth prosper, appreciating the gifts of the sea, improving one’s connection to the ocean, practicing sea magic and developing such crafts that are connected to the sea.

#norse paganism #heathenry #spirituality #deity worship #deity work #norse gods #deities #paganism #norse polytheism #polytheism

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constant-annoyance · 6 months

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I was scrolling through Genshin Impacts’ Tv Tropes page, and I’ve had an idea about what links all the various vision holders together- why they gained that particular element.

Anemo: they’re chained to the past, it’s less about seeking freedom but rather that the past doesn’t bind them. In most cases it’s a death or trauma (Kazua Kaedhara, Lynette, Wanderer, Xiao) but also things like Tradition (Jean Gunnhilder)

Geo: they’ve made an oath to do something or be something e.g. Noelle- to be a Knight, Albedo- to not be corrupted like Durin, Arrataki Itto- to his gang, Gorou- to protect Watatsumi, Ningguang- do gain wealth.

Hydro: They all present false faces to the world, actors, performers, politicians, Spies: Nilou is a Dancer, Barbra is a Singer, Yelan is The Spy, Ayato is a politician and ninja, Kokomi a revolutionary leader, Childe hides a battle maniac

Dendro: the spreading of wisdom and knowledge for the future- Tighnari studies botany not only for himself but to improve the forest ranges, Baizhu seeks immortality and studies medicines to do so not only for Changsheng and Qiqi but to improve the lives of the people of Liyue.

Cryo: a people who would give everything for what they Love- Eula loves Mondstat and would even sacrifice the love of her family to keep it safe, Diona loves her father and seeks to destroy the wine industry or protect him, Kamisato Ayaka loves her family and clan and sacrifices her own happiness for them, Ganyu loves Liyue and all her time and effort goes into prosperity at the cost of personal connections.

Pyro: all are passionate people but especially towards their favorite topics- Hu Tao: Death, Klee: bombs, Bennett: Adventures, Diluc: death of the Fatui, Yanfei: Law, Lyney: Magic (and the house of Heath)

Electro: this one stumps me but I think it’s Devotion. It’s similar to pyro and cryo but more and less, Razor to the wolves of Wolvendom, Cyno to upholding the laws of Sumeru, Yae Miko to Inazuma and Ei, Keqing to bringing Liyue into a future that doesn’t rely on the divine and can protect itself.

This is just my thoughts though

#genshin impact #genshin hydro #genshin anemo #genshin geo #genshin cryo #Genshin pyro #genshin electro #genshin dendro

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housekonig · 10 months

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The Royal Archives | Journal Entries: Queen Violet Pt. 1

[Then Princess of Belen, Violet König, nee Blythe photographed in the throne room at Chandler's Keep in 184X the day after her wedding.]

In the late 18th century, a wave of economic prosperity swept across the kingdom, transforming previously unknown industrial families into household names. Foreign heiresses subsequently emerged on the marriage market, seeking nobility, titles, and prestige to complement their fathers' already substantial fortunes. And yet, of all the wealthy Armorican brides, it was Violet Blythe who truly whose fortune captured both the heart and treasury of the then King and Queen of Vernick. Violet would go on to defy and redefine societal norms during her time as Crown Princess and eventually as Queen. Violet Blythe was born into an Armorican family of whale industry barons, with a fortune that seemed to increase with every passing season. She was known for her beauty, her shrewd wit, musical genius, and her fierce determination to live life on her own terms. It was this unyielding spirit (and her father's business connections) that led her to reject suitors of equal wealth, choosing instead to offer her hand in marriage to the Prince of Vernick. Despite decades of hostility from the royal court, Violet proved her worth. She navigated political waters with ease, winning over the skeptics with her principles,intelligence, and commitment to Vernick. Over time, she became a force in the transformation of the kingdom, taking on projects that helped expand public education, improve roads, and using her dowry to expand and maintain royal palace, while earning her respect from the nobility.

[Left: The Prince and Princess of Belen on their wedding day in 184X in the Keep's Throne Room; Right: Princess Violet in full-regalia following her investitures as a Princess of Vernick]

However, Violet's path was never easy. She was greeted with suspicion and disdain from certain quarters, who resented the intrusion of a foreigner into their court. As the years wore on, she also faced increasing isolation, living in a kingdom that refused to welcome anyone outside of their own traditions. But Violet refused to be broken. She leveraged her wealth to build institutions of education at a time when women's schooling was not yet widely accepted. She also invested in palaces and cultural events, hoping to expose the people of Vernick to the beauty of Armorican arts and culture. Violet Blythe's journey is one of resilience, determination, and ultimate triumph. She defied societal expectations and rose to become one of the most powerful women in the kingdom, all while using her wealth and influence to fortify and preserve a fragile kingdom on the edge of the continent. Truly, she is a woman worth remembering.

Violet was created by @armoricaroyalty

#housekonig #konig.story #ts4 royal #ts4 royalty #ts4 royal family #ts4 royal legacy #ts4 royal simblr #the sims 4 monarchy #the sims 4 royal family #the sims 4 royal simblr #v.worldbuilding #v.random

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ofsappho · 9 months

Note

Another treehouse ask!

So, I've been re-reading my favorite parts while wait for the next chapter and the ones I keep coming back to are the snippets of his proposal where he's gifting her two of everything.

I was wondering if we could get a further detailed director's/writer's commentary about all of that because you have so much symbolism, thought, and meaning behind your writing so I was wondering what made you choose to focus and point out the offerings like the tea and the jewelry?

HI ANON

Oh I’ve been waiting for someone to ask me about the proposal!

Buckle up because this is gonna be a long post. It would literally be essay length if I wrote full sentences so I’m just gonna do a list of each symbol and what it means, but no guarantees this won’t be long as shit.

I’m Chinese (and Filipino), and instead of going with a conventional Western proposal, I thought there was something very ancient + modern + romantic + regal + beautiful about the 过大礼 (Guo Da Li), the traditional Chinese betrothal ceremony. Morpheus is old fashioned and a ruler in his own right, and his last marriage would’ve been done in the customs of Ancient Greece, so it made sense to me that he would pick something equally distinguished/with equal history.

I modified it for the story and focused on a few specific items in the basket that I thought would be best for the plot. This is heavily inspired and not meant to be a 100% accurate depiction of this practice.

(Link on Guo Da Li components here)

In Chinese culture, even numbers are viewed as more lucky/prosperous than odd numbers, particularly in the context of betrothal/marriage. A couple is 2 people, so the number 2 represents their unity (among other things). The groom gifts two of every item to the bride and her family as his proposal to invoke that, to show his own wealth and ability to care for her, and to compensate the family for the loss of their beloved child (and show that he recognizes how much she is worth to them).

Morpheus isn’t just interested in pretty words and declarations of love - he intends to marry Reader and give her all that goes along with essentially marrying a King. (Think Hurrem Sultan going from slave to wedded wife of Sultan Suleiman, ruler of the Ottoman Empire). He wants to show her that he can provide for her and their child, he wants to flex his own wealth and power, and (very critically) he sees how important Willow and Diana are to her, as her family, and chooses specifically to propose in this manner that has him giving gifts to them, aka symbolically obligating him to them as he will be taking their beloved family member. He is also *linking their families together* by giving Willow and Diana gifts.

He did personally craft/obtain all of these gifts and all of this symbolism is, in canon, chosen by and made by him.

Alright on to the actual gifts:

The specific basket that the betrothal gifts are meant to come in:

Black wrapping paper - these baskets come in either red or black traditionally

Dragons and phoenixes on the wrapping paper - these motifs pop up frequently in Chinese betrothal ceremonies - The Dragon and Phoenix pair historically, symbolises royalty and the perfect harmony and balance between yin (female) and yang (male) forces. It is said that this coupling complements each other in creating matrimonial bliss and perfection - befitting of their status of a symbol of everlasting and harmonious love. The Dragon and Phoenix - the epitome of the perfect pair, symbolises that the couple will stay together through thick and thin, and that their passion for their significant other will never die. The custom of weaving these motifs into weddings is a way of blessing the newlyweds with both patriarch and matriarch luck, prosperity and fortune in their union, and numerous filial descendants.” (Source)

Basket is made without any nails or adhesive - the art of Chinese wood joinery, or making furniture by carving the pieces of wood so that they hold together without anything else joining them, goes back thousands of years and is the hallmark of Chinese furniture

Lotuses - “The lotus is also known as 莲 lián in Chinese and homophones to lian give it symbolic meanings: 廉 lián ‘incorruptible, modest’; 连 lián ‘joint, continuous, successive’; 联 lián ‘unite, join’. Another name for the lotus hé brings other associations through the homophones 和 hé ‘harmony, union’ so two lotus flowers symbolize the wish for marital harmony.” (Source)

Lillies - “The species of lily most prized in China is the ‘day lily’ (Hemerocallis) whose blooms only last one day. The transitory nature of the flowers is said to help you forget your troubles. Its rapid sequence of flowers makes it a symbol for childbearing and is therefore a suitable gift for newly weds.” (Source)

Chrysanthemums - “The chrysanthemum is a much loved flower in China and is often portrayed in pictures. It is a symbol of joy and a wish for peaceful retirement. It sounds similar to 居 jū ‘to reside, to endure’ and久 jiǔ ‘long time’.” (Source)

Willows - “The widespread willow is a very useful tree. It provides material for all sorts of purposes including baskets, ropes and firewood. It is associated with Spring and therefore also with romance. (…) When people left home they were often given willow twigs as a parting gift as li sounds the same as 离 lí ‘to part’. Willow will sprout readily from cuttings and so a tree can be planted to give a continual reminder of home.” (Source)

Pine needles and cranes - “The pine tree is one of the three friends of winter - together with plums and bamboo because it is evergreen and does not drop its needles. It is a favorite subject in Chinese landscape paintings. It symbolizes longevity, solitude and steadfastness; as the needles grow in pairs it is also a symbol of married bliss. With a crane a pine tree gives the wish for a peaceful and long life.” (Source)

Plum blossoms and cranes - “The welcome blossom of plum trees in late winter has made the plum tree a popular plant. It is one of the three friends of winter with the bamboo and the pine tree. It is also widely known by the character 李 lǐ which is made up of two elements ‘wood’ and ‘child’ suggesting the prolific fruits produced by the tree. 桃李 Táo lǐ ‘peaches and plums’ is a phrase to refer to school children. The four plants plum, bamboo, orchid and chrysanthemum represent the four seasons of the year - winter through to autumn (the 四君�� sì jūn zǐ four gentlemen). Because the flowers emerge before the leaves and it takes a long time to come into flower it is associated with longevity. It is often shown with a crane, another symbol of longevity (…)” (Source)

The caskets holding the tea, one of the traditional Guo Da Li gifts:

Both the caskets and the basket are based off of real antiques that I found online but have now lost the links for rip

Pomegranates - “The pomegranate fruit is brim full of seeds, and as seed in Chinese 子 zǐ also means children, it chiefly symbolizes a wish for many children. This can be emphasized by portraying children with pomegranates in a picture. The pomegranate is sometimes known as the ‘Chinese apple’. The first trees were brought into China from Afghanistan during the Han dynasty. It is an appropriate as a marriage gift with the inscription 榴开百子 liú kāi bǎi zǐ ‘the pomegranate brings forth a hundred seeds/sons’.” (Source)

Roses - “The Chinese monthly rose (月季 yueji) is famous for the fact that it blooms almost every month of the year. For this reason, the Chinese rose is also known as ‘the eternal spring flower’ (長春花 changchunhua), and is thus a symbol of longevity.” (Source)

Ravens and stars - personally representative of Morpheus himself

The tea:

Da Hong Pao is the most expensive tea in the world. Literally. Specifically, when it comes from the original grove of trees that grow Da Hong Pao leaves. Morpheus is flexing his wealth and influence that he can give her not just one casket of this million dollar tea, but two.

8 oranges:

8 is the specific auspicious number for couples (4 is an unlucky number)

Symbolizes good luck (source)

2 bottles of expensive ass whiskey:

“Gift for father-in-law: 2 bottles of hard liquor or red/white wine Symbolises prosperity and a harmonious atmosphere in the family” (source)

Whiskey is Willow’s preferred alcohol

2 pairs of dragon-Phoenix candles:

See above reference in the dragon Phoenix motif

“Lighting fancy candles is an indispensable part of traditional Chinese wedding customs. Often used in weddings, such candles are mostly adorned with patterns of dragons and phoenixes and flowers to convey good wishes for prosperity and auspiciousness. Therefore candle often used in traditional Chinese wedding is also known as dragon and phoenix candle. According to historical records, there were wedding candles as early as the Six Dynasties. They were used at weddings in the Southern Liang Dynasty (502-557) and became a custom after the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Wedding candles had played a significant role in the marriage ceremonies in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties (1600-1644). Thus, dragon and phoenix candles had witnessed countless marriages in centuries.” (Source)

Gold jewelry (copied from AO3):

Gold jewelry for the bride is part of the traditional Guo Da Li gifts

Reader's crown/necklace/earrings/cuffs are intended to literally be the jewelry found at the archaeological site of Troy as part of "Priam's Hoard." This treasure trove of beautiful gold artifacts predates the Trojan War period by hundreds of years. Morpheus does not dabble in reproductions, especially not for the woman he intends to take to wife. Yes, he used magic/his powers/the Dreaming to secure the originals. https://www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-other-artifacts/treasures-priam-golden-riches-legendary-city-troy-003350

Dowry/bride price (copied from AO3):

“The tradition of Pin Jin stems from the Chinese belief that that when a daughter is married, she leaves the family while the in-laws receives her into theirs. Thus, Pin Jin symbolises the bride’s value to the groom’s family. It is also given to create goodwill between the in-laws.” (Source)

I deliberated for some time over how Morpheus would present her dowry. Gold bars are sort of ugly/modern/don't have that much pizazz. Instead, Dream reached through time and space and collected gold coins from throughout human history; Ancient Chinese coins, Ancient Greek (specifically Macedonian Greek) coins, proto-Indian (Kushan Empire, so 30-375 CE) coins. (There are other gold coins from other cultures, those are just the ones I point out specifically). Not only is Morpheus displaying his wealth, he's showing off his ability to acquire wealth that no mortal could. Every civilization that ever made gold coins is meant to be represented in her dowry, from every corner of the earth. Morpheus' powers are universal, not just restricted to Western Europe.

Reiterating that the point here isn’t that Morpheus is “buying” her. Her worth goes beyond words to him - he is willing to put his money where his mouth is (sprinkle sprinkle). He wants to show her and her family how much he values her in a real, tangible way.

#treehouse #dream of the endless x you #dream of the endless x reader #sandman #the sandman #dream of the endless #morpheus x reader #morpheus x you #lord morpheus #Morpheus #lord morpheus x reader #lord morpheus x you

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ramayantika · 11 months

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–✦– 𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨, 𝙍𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙠𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙒𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 –✦–

Reflection in the Mirror

Please note that this is only the end for the first part of the series. There are so many rishikas, apsaras, and divine women who have inspired me and been with me all this while, so they too deserve their own tales. But for now, I want to end these goddesses, rishikas and women series so that I can keep track and save them. To be honest, this started off purely out of spite when I saw comments and mean DMs to girls who were plainly stating their achievements regarding how they did it or when they were simply stating the obvious fact that a woman in India is looked upon as a form of the goddess.

These men (except some gems) were like you all are sluts who claim to be goddesses and the same women chi women tea and shit. This series was my reminder that no matter what the goddesses won't give a fuck about shit men like this, and certainly not their spouses. So here's an end tribute to these goddesses and rishikas with a light mention of the future stories I shall post soon because I do have an idea about what I want ;)

Usha Lakshmi Gargi Ratri Saraswati Rati Aditi

I stare hard at the mirror. If my brother saw the depth and sharpness of my gaze, he would start quivering. I am the soft elder sister of the family who loves kids, dances around the house, and speaks sweetly. But Maa Durga knows I carry Kali's fierceness in my heart. Maa Durga bestowed her strength in my bones. How else did he see my fight with that big bully for him?

The day I was born, my father got a promotion. Maa cheerfully tells me that I had blessed the home as my sakhi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity Lakshmi. When they think, she is the goddess of priceless treasure and money, I remind them that this wealth is also the food and good luck bestowed on me and on the house. I was named after prosperity and good luck, just like my goddess friend. My grandparents called me devi. I am still called devi during navaratri, and these men who have prayed to the goddess only for these selfish needs have the nerve to say that I do not carry the goddesses inside me?

I stare hard at the mirror. Lakshmi keeps her arm around my shoulder. Maa Durga stands just behind me and beside her is the fierce dark goddess Kali, who smiles benevolently.

With a wine coloured hue, I see the goddess of love, Rati enter the mirror, and tuck a loose strand behind my ear. She winks and waves her fingers at me, with a proud smile on my face as I wear a red lipstick again. I have known the lustful gaze of men over my form who think they could easily have me and bend me according to their whims and fantasies. They think they can shame me for my beauty and grace when my form has been blessed by the goddess herself.

And when you possess beauty, they think, the lovely maiden has no brain to go with. I see Rishika Gargi, Lopamudra, and Maitreyi enter the reflection, their faces shinning with the immense amount of penance for knowledge and wisdom. Someday, I aspire to reach an ounce of their knowledge. They look at the pearl bracelet on my wrist and look behind to welcome the goddess who narrated me the wisdom being pearls, Devi Saraswati. She pulls a string of her divine veena, and everybody bows down to her.

On a glorious chariot arrives the goddess who told me to keep my head held high, and emerge as strong as the sun, the one who reminded me that after the darkest of nights come the brightest of days, Devi Usha. She pats my head, and tells me that she is proud of me. She has seen me grow into a woman who is still far from perfect, still committing silly mistakes, but a woman in learning -- a woman who keeps desiring to refine herself who understood that mistakes, despair and failures help you grow.

Following her sister's trail comes the silent witness to my journey, the goddess who showed me the hidden magic of the night and provided me the comfort of the moon and the stars on days that were too difficult to pass by. She is Devi Ratri. She still wears the dress woven of stars and celestial elements making her the sparkling queen of the night. She looks back at me from the mirror, her gaze proud and strong, and if I am not wrong, a sisterly gaze in them.

Draupadi enters the room and playfully opens my hair. She has brought a bunch of jasmine flowers and weaves them through my hair. Her laughs sounds music to my ears. If I haven't told you all then listen now. The first tale, I heard in my childhood was the story of the queen of Indraprastha. The divine dark beauty, the cherished wife of the Pandavas was the one whom I carried in my heart for long to remind myself that if a queen could overcome tremendous difficulties and pains in life, I could do too. You can do it too.

A beautiful flute music makes all our heads turn at the teenaged girl. Donning pink and red robes with flower jewellery adorning her form, I see Radha smiling and waving at the goddesses and rishikas in the mirror. She pats my cheek and beams at me. She was the forgotten friend, but god, she never forgot me. She is the shining beacon of true friendship and unconditional love.

As a child, I got lost in a forest. My family grew petrified. A young child getting lost in the forest. What if someone took her away? They forgot that Aranyani, the lost goddess now exists in the lush green hilly forests. She nurtures the animals, be it prey or predator. She nurtures the wild shrubs and fruit giving trees. She keeps medicinal plants in the heart of the forest, so any poisoned or injured child of hers could be saved in the deep forest.

How can I forget the apsaras, divine celestial woman who have been misjudged so much? Apsaras were the beautiful ladies who came alive through my comic books into my dance classes. They taught me how to dance your heart out. They taught me how to move agile as a deer; how to have a sharp gaze to disarm the audience; how to dance like the gods; how to dance until nothing remains but dance. Menaka, Urvashi and Rambha, the main trio very popularly known in folk tales and dancing texts have danced with me. They still do. I carry their grace in my movements as I practice for hours. I know the beauty I carry in sweaty flushed faces and tired limbs, while embodying the fiery passion for a beautiful artform. Alas, how could you ever understand them or even my heart, and my practice? Here they are stretching again for another evening to practice with me and teach me their skills.

Sita, the woman who needs no introduction whose mere mention leads to pride soaring in the hearts of us womenfolk. She garlands me with fresh sweet-smelling flowers around my neck. Her serene face fills me with silent strength and support that sometimes you don't have to fight your battles out loud. Strength doesn't have to be physical. Sometimes she sits beside me in her forest robes to tell me about cute birds and their language. And for moments where I need to learn how to battle on the front without weapons, she comes in dressed as a queen fit for the throne, born with resilience just like Bhu Devi, and imparts the lesson to me.

With battles, I remember the warrior queen of Dwarka, Murari's Bhama. She walks in holding her bow, looking as regal like the queen she is. I remember her first appearance in a dream to know her, to write about her. She was a queen who sang to me about the lost kingdom of Dwaraka, whose glories are still sung, but now lie submerged under deep waters of the sea. She emerged from the lost kingdom and told me her story. Once again misjudged like several other women for not being docile and submissive, but being aware of her own sense of self and pride which got translated to arrogance by many. Satyabhama stands in the mirror, beside me, holding fire in her gaze and steady fingers on the bow she proudly owns.

Countless of other deities, and divine women and scholars join me in front of the mirror. Their faces glow with strength, power and centuries of wisdom. This is enough proof to know that each of them reside in every body, but for us women, we have a more intimate connection with out sister and motherly goddesses. Menfolk can call us prideful and arrogant, but these goddesses and divinities never have kept us below them. We stand with them as equals, as warriors, lovers, teachers, mothers and nurturers. This eternal bond of womanhood connects us alike. It's a pity to make some of these men understand.

Lastly, they merge into one, and I see myself as the only girl standing in front of the mirror.

*＊✿❀　❀✿＊**＊✿❀　❀✿＊**＊✿❀　❀✿＊*

Thank you for reading this till the end. It's not really an end because we still have too many tales to share. I am really glad that some of these stories resonated with you and you found solace in them. It's not me it's the goddesses work. Anyway hope you all have a blessed day! Love you ❤

#samridhi writes #phewwwww #the first part is done #I will go on a little break after June on a vacation sort off and start of some serious dancing and choreographing #it's going to be a free plus busy work month ahead hopefully I get some form of confirmation of a college.#that way I wouldn't have a fear at the back of my head anyway good luck #Also thank you everyone for reading this #indian goddess #desiblr #stories

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quaz-art · 4 months

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Grishastuck Kaz lore post let's go boys !!!

Note: the Cancerous Insurrection did not happen so adult trolls are allowed on Alternia.

Simple stuff first! Why a Bronzeblood? It's for obvious reasons I think; he's a farm boy, it just makes sense. My choice to make him Prospit is less obvious if you only consider the explanations used in the Extended Zodiac (EZ), but I would argue that even using only that it is by far more fitting than him being Derse. Yes his persona is that of a loner but Kaz considers the big picture and does work best with others to support him. He is not a solo act, despite what the persona of Dirtyhands might suggest.

Moving on from the obvious—time for classpecting! Thief and Mind are both pretty obvious choices, but together they don't make a whole lot of sense at first. The literal interpretation would be someone who steals others' plans much like how Vriska steals the spotlight. The problem with that is Meenah, she isn't stealing wealth and prosperity as a Thief of Life. Rather, she steals using her own prosperity as the means. This is the type of Thief I made Kaz, stealing using the aspect of Mind. In my personal analysis of the classes I describe a Limiter to their power that is unique to each class, building upon the ideas of the Instrument of the Muse and the Patron of the Witch from the comics. The Limiter for the Thief is the Treasure, something which they are trying to steal whether that be something more abstract or a physical thing. Acquisition of the Treasure is the ultimate goal of the Thief, and in this case Kaz's Treasure is earning his brother's forgiveness (whether through revenge or, later on, gaining the power and security to not be vulnerable again)

Speaking of Jordie, most of Kaz's backstory here is unchanged. Dumping hoards of lowbloods into the sea as a means of getting rid of the dead is absolutely something the empire would do.

Kaz and Jordie shared a Lusus—A Blind Woofbeast, pictured below next to an adult Kaz (he is still 6 foot do not let the stylization fool you. This is a big dog.)

(I modeled their Lusus after a sheepdog, it felt appropriate given the agrarian background and Kaz's affection for dogs)

The Ritvel brothers moved to the city after the death of their Lusus with the hope of making enough money to evade the draft. Things seemed to be going well, they were taken in by a retired off-world merchant named Jackob Herzon who ended up being the leader of the inter-world gang known as the Deci-lions; Pekkah Rolins. Kaz's time on the Reaper's barge is made worse by the sun burning away at his flesh. He ends up forming a cocoon of corpses to hide away from the painful light of the sun, though he has plenty of burn scars from where the light managed to peek through his makeshift roof of bodies.

Kaz ends up joining the Dregs, a gang run by a nobody jade by the name of Mr. Haskel who lives off-world and spends most of their hard-earned credits drinking away, much to the dismay of everyone who works for him. He still insists on calling their symbol an "ominous squawk-beast" like some sort of low blood pauper. Since Kaz took control everyone in the gang knows the tattoo to be of a crow and cup. Not a fucking squawk-beast and a chalice.

Kaz keeps his blood color anonymous for fairly obvious reasons, while hemo-heirarchy is less of a factor in the underbellies of society it would undermine his reputation just as much, if not moreso, as being found out as being from the country. There are plenty of rumors about Dirtyhands's blood, that he doesn't have any, that if you slice him open he'd bleed harbor water, that he's an indigo playing dress-up in the barrel. All of them serve him decently enough. The problem with his blood comes as his 9th sweep is approaching, while he can easily avoid the draft by this point the matter of his eyes is horrifyingly out of his control. Without a serious influx of credits the only option he has is to blind himself, at least until a councilman approaches him with a job offer from the empire. A job with a payout too big to pass up, even if the task at hand is impossible.

#digital art #fanart #my art crap #six of crows #homestuck #kaz brekker #soc #grishaverse #homestuck au #soc au #soc fanart #soc fandom #six of crows duology #kaz brekker fanart #grisha #the grishaverse #grishastuck #hs au #fantroll

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deathlessathanasia · 6 months

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"I turn at last to the gods situated in and around the house. From various allusions in the Homeric Hymns—not of course in the main Athenian texts— we learn that Hestia has ‘an everlasting seat’ in ‘the middle’ of the house of every mortal, and receives the first and last libation at every banquet; like her friend Hermes she ‘lives in the fair houses’ of men. Early in the fifth century the East Locrians still spoke of a household or family as a hearth. The hearth remained the symbolic centre of the Athenian household, to which new members of all types were in different ways introduced. Brides (but also grooms) and newly bought slaves were led to it, made to sit, and greeted with a shower of light foodstuffs such as nuts and figs ‘as a symbol of prosperity’; children were informally acknowledged a few days after birth at the Amphidromia, which took its name from an act of ‘running around’ the hearth. Offerings to Hestia were in theory shared only among members of the household, if we may trust the explanation offered of the proverb ‘he’s sacrificing to Hestia’, which meant ‘you’ll get nothing from him’. The dying Alcestis in Euripides entrusts her children to the charge of Hestia in a moving prayer. … The wife of the exiled general Phocion prayed to ‘dear hearth’ and laid beside it the remains of her husband, brought home at last from Megara. Hestia, the fixed centre, can be seen as a symbol of the oikos’ continuity over time. The child is born of a mother presented to the hearth, and is presented to the hearth itself; the boy child eventually leads a bride ‘from her paternal hearth’ to his own and begets a child to perpetuate the process, the girl child eventually goes out to another hearth in exchange. …

Hestia sat in the seclusion of the oikos, like the women who guarded its property, and may have been seen as stewardess of its riches. (She bears that title, though in a public context, in Hellenistic Cos. But the power explicitly associated with the wealth of the household was a different god, Zeus Ktesios. ‘If the property of a house is destroyed, it may be replaced, by grace of Zeus Ktesios, says the Argive king in Aeschylus’ Supplices (443–4); rage seizes me, says a character in Menander, ‘when I see a parasite entering the women’s quarters, and Zeus Ktesios not keeping the storeroom locked, and little whores running in’. Zeus Ktesios was concerned, therefore, both with the acquisition of property and with its preservation, in that storeroom where his own image was set. A typical prayer to him was ‘to grant health and prosperous acquisition/ ownership’. … One of the rare surviving fragments of exegetical literature concerns his cult: ‘This is how to set us symbols of Zeus Ktesios’. What follows is corrupt in detail, but the main action certainly concerned a new two-handled jar with a lid, which was to be hung with white wool and filled with a mixture, known as ‘ambrosia’, of pure water, olive oil and ‘all fruits’. Pots were sometimes used, perhaps as foundation offerings, to ‘set up’ statues, but it looks as if the jars of Zeus Ktesios were themselves the tokens of the god’s presence, the only ones apart perhaps from small altars. If so, Zeus Ktesios was within the means of any household. …

Zeus Herkeios is more complicated. Every candidate for an archonship at Athens was asked ‘if he had an Apollo Patroos and a Zeus Herkeios, and where these shrines were’. Every citizen—or at least every citizen from the higher property classes—had therefore an association of some kind with Zeus Herkeios. The herkos is the wall or fence that surrounded the external courtyard of the Homeric house—and by extension the courtyard itself—and we regularly find an altar located there in the Homeric poems and in myths which reflect that world (above all that of the death of Priam). … Possibly the cult of Zeus Herkeios, like that of Apollo Patroos, was attached to the larger kinship groups, phratry or genos (or even to the deme)—as the obscure expression ‘gennetai of Apollo Patroos and Zeus Herkeios’ might suggest. (This would not preclude individual altars in the courtyards of prosperous households.) However this may be, we have a clear item of evidence that for the Athenians Zeus Herkeios was not merely a form of Zeus located conveniently close to hand (as he may appear to be in Homer), nor merely a guardian of the physical space of the household, but specifically associated with the social ties holding together the close family. ‘Whether she is my sister’s child or closer in blood than the whole (family linked by) Zeus Herkeios, she and her sister shall not escape a dreadful death’, says Sophocles’ Creon, terribly, of his niece Antigone. Demaratus’ appeal to his mother by Zeus Herkeios to tell the truth about his birth implies something similar.

In the porch of many Athenian houses stood some among three further gods. Apollo Aguieus is familiar to readers of drama, but the physical form in which he was manifested is controversial. An ‘Aguieus’ was, according to lexicographers, a ‘pillar ending in a post’, a ‘conical pillar’. But some ancients believed that these pillars were ‘proper to the Dorians’ and that the Athenians had altars instead: in Harpocration’s words, ‘the Aguieus mentioned by Attic authors must be the altars in front of the houses mentioned by Kratinos and Menander and Sophocles in the Laokoon, where he says, transferring Athenian customs to Troy, The aguieus altar gleams with fire, steaming with drops of myrrh, perfumes of the barbarians.’ Certainly, it is not strictly demonstrated that the Attic Aguieus was a pointed column, of the kind that can be seen on the coins of (for instance) Megara and Apollonia. But greetings such as ‘lord Aguieus, neighbour, guardian of my front door’, common in tragedy and comedy, imply the presence of an emblem of the god, not an altar alone. …

A comic oracle in Aristophanes declares that one day every one of the litigious Athenians will have a little private law court outside his porch ‘like a Hecataeum everywhere in front of the doors’. Small Hecataea have been found in Attica in good numbers, though perhaps few if any antedate the Hellenistic period. Almost all take the form of the ‘triple-bodied Hecate’ round a pillar, an iconographical type said by Pausanias (whom archaeology has not refuted) to have been invented by Alcamenes in the second half of the fifth century ‘for the Hekate Epipurgidia of the Athenian acropolis’. … How frequent Hecataea may have been we do not know. We can apply to them the usefully vague expression applied by Thucydides to the last of the doorstep gods, the ‘stone herms of native, four-cornered form’: of these, he said, there stood in the city of Athens ‘many, both outside private houses and in shrines’. …

The main household gods have now been reviewed. Hestia is the oikos itself, its permanence; Zeus Ktesios its wealth; Zeus Herkeios (wherever precisely located) the bond of kinship. The gods of the porch have something to do with the transition from the private space of the house to the public world. Hermes promises safe journeys (though he may also have some connection with the material prosperity of the house); Apollo and Hecate are probably there as protectors from intrusive evil. Hecate was herself an ambiguous figure, and by planting her as a protectress at the threshold one perhaps insisted that she did not enter the house. It was no amiable trait in Euripides’ Medea to have a Hecate who ‘lives in the recesses of my hearth’, actually within the house."

- Polytheism and Society at Athens by Robert Parker

#greek gods #hestia #zeus #apollon #apollo #hermes #hekate #hecate #ancient greek religion #ancestral gods #household gods #ancient athens #excerpts #quotes

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agentrouka-blog · 2 years

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"Meereen has no need of saffron, cloves, or zorse hides."- Dany(ASOS VI). "Saffron was worth more than gold."- Davos(ADWD I). "I took her to the captain my own self,' this steward swore to me, 'but he wasn't having none of that. There's more profit in cloves and saffron, he tells me, and spices won't set fire to your sails."-Davos(ADWD II). So Dany think Meereen had no need for saffron which is considered worth more than gold. There is also mention of Saffron by Harry whose father consider gold.

You left out the significant part in this sequence.

"In Astapor the city took a tenth part of the price, each time a slave changed hands," Missandei told her. "We'll do the same," Dany decided. Wars were won with gold as much as swords. "A tenth part. In gold or silver coin, or ivory. Meereen has no need of saffron, cloves, or zorse hides." (ASOS, Daenerys VI)

This money isn't actually being collected for Meereen. It’s collected for war. Dany’s upcoming wars of conquest in Westeros. This is before Dany’s decision to actually stay in Meereen. Dany’s not interested in creating wealth through trade, at that point, she wants some quick cash.

But it is interesting how this plays into how trade and wealth and peace is juxtaposed with the nobility and war.

Spice trade especially is associated with wealth.

"Saffron?" Alayne tried not to laugh. "Truly?"

Ser Harrold had the grace to blush. "Her father says she is more precious to him than gold. He's rich, the richest man in Gulltown. A fortune in spices." (TWOW, Alayne)

Given TWO fertile Gulltown girls now, it’s associated with fertility, as well as prosperity. Fertility, wealth and peace.

The second Lady Corbray was sixteen, the daughter of a wealthy Gulltown merchant, but she had come with an immense dowry, and men said she was a tall, strapping, healthy girl, with big breasts and good, wide hips. And fertile too, it seems. (TWOW Alayne)

But marriages such as these are frowned upon by the old guard in power. Trade is looked down on in spite of its associated wealth. Spice trade is ever so subtly placed in an antagonistic position to those in power, especially through the link to Cersei’s “Maggy the Frog”, and through Sybell who managed to play and betray Robb Stark and deprive him of an heir. (Let’s remember he attacked her castle.)

Lady Sybell's grandfather was a trader in saffron and pepper, almost as lowborn as that smuggler Stannis keeps. And the grandmother was some woman he'd brought back from the east. A frightening old crone, supposed to be a priestess. Maegi, they called her. (...) Having once married a whore, Tyrion could not entirely share his uncle's horror at the thought of wedding a girl whose great grandfather sold cloves. (ASOS, Tyrion III)

The Spicers are present again at the negotiation at Riverrun, and Sybell tries to make good on her “deal” with Tywin - which Jaime promptly disappoints.

"Your lord father promised me worthy marriages for Jeyne and her younger sister. Lords or heirs, he swore to me, not younger sons nor household knights."

Lords or heirs. To be sure. The Westerlings were an old House, and proud, but Lady Sybell herself had been born a Spicer, from a line of upjumped merchants. Her grandmother had been some sort of half-mad witch woman from the east, he seemed to recall. And the Westerlings were impoverished. Younger sons would have been the best that Sybell Spicer's daughters could have hoped for in the ordinary course of events, but a nice fat pot of Lannister gold would make even a dead rebel's widow look attractive to some lord. (...)

"His natural daughter?" Lady Sybell looked as if she had swallowed a lemon. "You want a Westerling to wed a bastard?"

"No more than I want Joy to marry the son of some scheming turncloak bitch. She deserves better." (AFFC, Jaime VII)

Narratively, it’s her dishonorable behavior toward her own daughter and her own classism that make her unsympathetic. But her deal with the nobility, considering Tywin would have destroyed her whole House the same way they did the Reynes, in retaliation?

She tried to be a merchant, and Lannister gold will buy the daughters some lords. The Westerlings weren’t worthy of that as descendents of an “upjumped merchant”, and now they aren’t worthy once more. When Sybell made a deal with Tywin Lannister, "old House” Westerling became unworthy of even a lowborn bastard girl. Even to Jaime Lannister, kingslayer and enemy to House Stark.

While Lancel Lannister wed a Frey to get at her Darry inheritance. The classist hypocrisy.

Given those constellations, Dany’s “rejection” of saffron no longer seems surprising. Dany chose to stay in Meereen, chose to make the things she had not needed before a priority. Food, trade and peace become primary concerns for Dany. She marries into a group she loathes.

She makes deals. She compromises. She hates it.

In spite of her hard won successes, imperfect though they may be, she is dissatisfied:

Wine flowed—not the thin pale stuff of Slaver's Bay but rich sweet vintages from the Arbor and dreamwine from Qarth, flavored with strange spices. The Yunkai'i had come at King Hizdahr's invitation, to sign the peace and witness the rebirth of Meereen's far-famed fighting pits. Her noble husband had opened the Great Pyramid to fete them.

(...) The air was redolent with the scents of saffron, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, and other costly spices.

Dany scarce touched a bite. This is peace, she told herself. This is what I wanted, what I worked for, this is why I married Hizdahr. So why does it taste so much like defeat? (ADWD, Danerys VIII)

Dany doesn’t like how her achievements don’t allign with her desires, she resents the fact that she had to give as well as receive.

Dany would prefer to go without the riches of saffron, if it could free her from the unpleasant reality of bargaining.

For a quick contrast, Jon can’t even dream of spices, but trade and food concern him, as well as peace.

"And this food will be paid for … how, if I may ask?"

With gold, from the Iron Bank of Braavos, Jon might have replied. Instead he said, "I have agreed that the free folk may keep their furs and pelts. They will need those for warmth when winter comes. All other wealth they must surrender. Gold and silver, amber, gemstones, carvings, anything of value. We will ship it all across the narrow sea to be sold in the Free Cities."

"All the wealth o' the wildlings," said The Norrey. "That should buy you a bushel o' barleycorn. Two bushels, might be." (ADWD, Jon XI)

That gold from the iron bank reveals Jon’s own merchant side:

What was it Stannis had said to him? You haggle like a crone with a codfish, Lord Snow. Did Lord Eddard father you on a fishwife? Perhaps he had at that.

It took the better part of an hour before the impossible became possible, and another hour before they could agree on terms. The flagon of mulled wine that Satin delivered helped them settle the more nettlesome points. By the time Jon Snow signed the parchment the Braavosi drew up, both of them were half-drunk and quite unhappy. Jon thought that a good sign. (ADWD, Jon IX)

And he repeats this interesting phrase:

"A fair bargain leaves both sides unhappy, I've heard it said. Three days?" (ADWD, Jon XI)

This time it’s about the peace deal that allows the wildlings to cross the Wall and live. And eat the food Jon borrows that money to buy.

Something tells me, Jon likes the taste of saffron.

#anti daenerys targaryen #trade #slavery #saffron #peace #war #negotiations #classism #house westerling #sybell spicer #jon snow

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