#Havilah | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

Visit Blog

Explore Tumblr blogs with no restrictions, modern design and the best experience.

Fun Fact

The “We are the 99%” Tumblr blog became the slogan for the Occupy Wall Street movement.

cosrskrangzz · 1 year

Text

Young Japanese Schoolgirl Gets Groped And Her Asian Teen Pussy Gets Fondled On Public Train By Dirty Old Japanese Man Worthwhile babe with tiny tits and big bubble ass gives a throat job SexxyCandyxxx this is for the haters Fat Ass Latina Milf Creeped On At The Mall Candid Bondage squirt Talent Ho Cristi Ann caught giving client a massage with happy ending Excited teen lesbians take off underware to explore pussies Huge Tit MILF Erika Xstacy Runs Into Huge Cock Young boy teacher sex gay sucking on his mates and then getting فيديو سري لمصري مع عشيقته الممحونه سكس مصري

0 notes

reckonslepoisson · 1 year

Text

Havilah, The Drones (2008)

A more slow-burning, even unsuspecting Drones work, Havilah teased with folk rock tenderness before unleashing a record just as twisted and rollicking, of the same garage superiority as any of the band’s previous records. With Liddiard again at his characterfully-drawling, melodically-exceptional, lyrically-captivating best, Havilah remains as essential in the Drones’ catalogue as any of their others.

Pick: ‘The Minotaur’

#havilah #the drones #rock #punk blues #garage rock #folk rock #2008 #music #review #music review

1 note · View note

i-am-a-fucking-nerd · 3 months

Text

Anyone know any vampire themed brunch foods?

Having a vampire themed brunch holiday gift exchange this weekend (yes we are gay also pls don’t ask why it’s happening in February) and I’m not sure what food to bring. So. Anyone know any vampire themed brunch foods? Or can make some up?

#vampire #food #brunch #advice #help #havilah's thoughts #party

8 notes · View notes

clouseplayssims · 1 year

Text

Havilah, I'm afraid "cat lover" doesn't mean "will pet random jaguars" especially not when said jaguars belong to the only warlock in town.

#kingdom of edirann #moonshine the cat #shripati o'niall #Havilah the Jaguar #detlef heidrich

9 notes · View notes

uniqueartisanconnoisseur · 2 years

Text

Elkhart Indiana, An Art and Cultural Center

This is turning into an Indiana summer for me! With a trip to Elkhart, Indiana, I am finding myself in the beautiful Hoosier state again and again for good reason! Recently on a hosted trip I was in Elkhart County, Indiana, with a wonderful group of Midwest Travel Network travel bloggers. Hosted by the Elkhart County CVB, in the city of Elkhart, I found a lot to love. The Hotel Elkhart While…

View On WordPress

3 notes · View notes

cad48 · 1 year

Text

And here's my second of my set of eight Octopath Travelers- Havilah the Dancer!

And here's his chapter 1 ally, Panos!

Yes those are returning characters from CotC. it's my oc story I can do what I want

#octopath traveler #octopath oc #havilah zingel

1 note · View note

homunculus-argument · 6 months

Note

2 tbsp yeast

2.5 cups warm water

2tbsp brown sugar

1tbsp salt

5.5 cups flour (measure flour by spooning into measuring cup them scraping off excess so it ain't as packed as putting scoop right into flour u will get more uniform and tru 2 recipe scoops this way)

Enough olive oil to fully coat the bowl ur leaving dough in 2 rise and 2 brush on later

2.5 tbsp mixed rosemary/ oregano/ thyme (or whatever herb mix ur feelin)

1/4 cup grated parm

1/2 cup grated havilah

(Cheese optional but nice feel free to sub out or for preferred cheeses)

(This recipe makes 2 good sized loaves so u can half it if u want less bread)

-Add yeast to warm water and mix till dissolved and let rest covered 5min(it should b frothy when uncovered)

-Add dark brown sugar and salt, mix together thoroughly(still frothy)

-Slowly add flour half cup at a time till fully incorporated in the bowl

- remove from bowl and knead a few min while adding in optional cheese n seasonings (I'm worse at deceiving this part but knead with medium force until it becomes shiney n strechy, it could take 3-10 min honestly this part is vibes but also the dough is v forgiving if u accidentally over knead)

-Put in oiled bowl and cover, let rest 20-30 min in a warm place(if u want u can leave it overnight in the fridge)

-Take out and shape into loaves(like gently cut dough ball into half or thirds n put em on greased baking trays)

Cover and let rest 5min

Preheat oven to 450

-Cut bread tops& brush on oily herb mixture

-Bake 15-30min till brown and crusty

Lmk if i left any gaps but also with all the yeast this bread has it kinda does its own thing lol

Sounds intriguing. Gonna save this for the time I'll try baking next time.

304 notes · View notes

mapsontheweb · 9 months

Photo

Genesis chapter 10 "The Table of Nations": mapped to probable locations.

From the New Oxford Annotated Bible 5th edition.

Genesis 10 (NRSVue translation):

These are the descendants of Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth; children were born to them after the flood.

2 The descendants of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3 The descendants of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 The descendants of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.[a] 5 From these the coastland peoples spread. These are the descendants of Japheth[b] in their lands, with their own language, by their families, in their nations.

6 The descendants of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. 7 The descendants of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The descendants of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. 8 Cush became the father of Nimrod; he was the first on earth to become a mighty warrior. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” 10 The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, and 12 Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. 13 Egypt became the father of Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 14 Pathrusim, Casluhim, from whom the Philistines come, and Caphtorim.

15 Canaan became the father of Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth 16 and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, 17 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, 18 the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the families of the Canaanites spread abroad. 19 And the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon in the direction of Gerar as far as Gaza and in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim as far as Lasha. 20 These are the descendants of Ham, by their families, their languages, their lands, and their nations.

21 To Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, children were born. 22 The descendants of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. 23 The descendants of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 24 Arpachshad became the father of Shelah, and Shelah became the father of Eber. 25 To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg,[c] for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother’s name was Joktan. 26 Joktan became the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the descendants of Joktan. 30 The territory in which they lived extended from Mesha in the direction of Sephar, the hill country of the east. 31 These are the descendants of Shem, by their families, their languages, their lands, and their nations.

32 These are the families of Noah’s sons, according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.

#maps #bible

198 notes · View notes

leanderfields · 10 months

Text

Not too long ago I rambled about how Leander, Ais, and Mhin might be representing each of the three moons in the Triple Goddess Symbol and what that could imply about the Touchstarved routes. I left out Kuras and Vere since it’s, well, the Triple Goddess Symbol… but I wanna talk about them now. Leander, Ais and Mhin are connected, but so are Kuras and Vere.

Just in a different way: they’re foil characters.

A foil character is essentially a literary device in which writers highlight a character’s traits (be it their personality, appearances, or philosophies) with another character who has traits that are opposite to them. But this is not to say that they’re complete opposites or made to be protagonist vs antagonist. They can be similar in some ways like two sides of the same coin. For example, Sherlock and Watson are popular foil characters. Both are intelligent, but in different ways. Sherlock is the logical type of intelligence while Watson is emotionally intelligent. They’reboth friends, but they also challenge each other with their philosophies and methodology.

I feel like that is also the case with Kuras and Vere. Though they are far from friends, I do believe that they were designed to be foil characters and possibly challenge each other whether that be as rivals, foes or eventually– friends. Am I coping? Maybe. But hear me out:

Vere’s design is primarily black and silver whereas Kura’s design is white and gold. Black and White. Silver and gold. Both of these are opposites. Black and white represent the typical opposites like good and evil.

Kuras is a virtuous person at heart. He dislikes dishonesty and has saved both MC and Mhin’s life and they might not be the only people he’s saved because we know he wanders the wastelands. On the other hand, Vere dislikes rules, is a natural liar and causes a lot of trouble whether that be breaking into Kura’s clinic or stealing MC’s key.

Another set of opposites black and white represents is heaven and hell. Kuras is obviously representative of heaven. He is an angel, a divine being. One that supposedly sinned, but he is still a divine being nonetheless. Then there’s Vere, a monstrous beast chained by Senobium. While he isn’t from hell (or maybe he is; we’ll have to find out), he has a hellish motif in his chains. In the Bible, the Chains of Hell are forged by humans who choose to disobey God's commandments. Chains of Hell give Satan the power to control and influence humans. Vere’s hair is also a fiery red. While the notion that hell is a burning hot pit of sulfur is biblically inaccurate, we have come to associate hell with hot temperatures because of how modern media depicts hell. But it also depends on different conceptions of hell you look at. Some shows like Netflix’s Lucifer depict hell as a cold, desolate place and Good Omens depict it as an underground subway of sorts. In Dante’s Inferno, hell is described to have nine “layers”. We know them better as the nine circles of hell, each modeled after a sin. The center of hell in this depiction is burning and hot, but other circles are cold or have completely different environments.

Silver and gold is also mentioned in the Bible. They’re usually mentioned together, but these metals do have different connotations. Gold is thought to be more “superior” than silver is. Even today, gold is used to represent first place and silver is used to represent second place in competitions ranging from school spelling bees to the Olympics.

But biblically speaking, gold was a metal chosen to represent God’s glory. It’s mentioned in Genesis (2:11-12)– “It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone”. Gold is one of the first metals mentioned in the Bible thus being closely associated with God. And from there, the heavens have always been depicted with gold. Golden gates, golden arches, etc. And this is my own interpretation, but seeing as gold can withstand extreme heats without being tarnished, it can also be seen as a “pure” metal, a metal that could withstand hellfire. Supposedly anyway. As for silver…. It’s a bit more “common” than gold would appear to be. If gold represents wealth and the heavens, then silver is associated with trade. Although silver is a precious metal, it is also a fairly mundane metal. You see silver every day whether it’s real or steel– on mechanical pencils, technology, utensils, needles, etc.

Kuras having gold in his design helps to sell the ethereal look of an angel, but it also creates this divine, out-of-reach aura without revealing his true form (which is also probably too much for mortals to handle). His height adds to that as well. He’s so tall that he is literally out of reach. Kuras’s personality also makes him hard to reach. He doesn’t talk much about himself and you can hardly learn anything about him with small talk. He’s mysterious and allusive and Leander has never bought him a drink before. Also he’s a doctor. Not to say that doctors can’t be friendly or have friends, but it does create this professional boundary for many of his patients– and perhaps other people too– making it hard for his patients to connect with him in an intimate/close way.

Vere is of a fairly average height and despite being a monster, he has a very mundane feel to him. Not mundane as in he’s boring, but rather earthly. Very grounded. Compared to Kuras, he is very much within reach by human standards. At least from just talking to him. Yes, he plays around with his food and his words, but you can also garner a lot more from someone who talks a lot than from someone who never talks about themselves at all. From the get go, we knew he didn't like Kuras. In the demo, he makes many of his likes and dislikes clear. Vere feels very human in a way. He also goes out to have fun, drinks, expresses himself whether that be through talking up a pantomime, speaking in a vulgar way, or having a hobby like drawing.

Each character’s chest windows also visually imply something similar about their personalities. Vere has a plunging neckline that exposes a good part of his upper body. Kuras has a bit of a plunge too though it’s not as deep, barely going past his sternum. Kuras’s chest area is also covered by some kind of sleeveless undershirt. It’s sheer, but it still covers his chest. These design choices suggest that Vere is more open about his feelings than Kuras is hence why his chest, or heart, is more exposed. Kuras’s “heart” is covered by a sheer material, meaning you could see some of his feelings but perhaps not all of it as he is guarding them with a barrier of some sort. Keeping his guard up, if you will.

Their chest areas aren’t the only “similar yet different” aspects of their designs. Color schemes and chest areas aside, they both have a robe-like outfit. Their top garments have bell sleeves and this small “train” that drapes down to their legs. Kuras’s sleeves are much longer than Vere’s and they’re detached from the rest of his top, but I think that it’s part of his ethereal look. There’s something classy and elegant about long sleeves.

As for the rest of his outfit, it’s pristine and structured. There’s distinct shapes and sections. The design is seemingly symmetrical (except for his belts) which probably suggests that he’s an organized and straight-laced person with an occasional 180 (probably fueled by his fatal flaw)

Vere’s sleeves and most of his top is sheer and flowy. They’re probably made from a comfortable, silky material. In addition to his chest window, he’s also got a thigh window. Vere has a very lax and flirtatious design. The only thing that isn’t so flowy is the belt/collar situation he’s got going on with the Senobium. His center or his chest/heart. His collar is straight and symmetrical. It ties him and his nature down.

Speaking of being tied down, both Kuras and Vere have vambraces on their forearms. Kuras’s is gold while Vere’s is silver. They’re the only characters to have this. I personally interpret them as manacles. Vere’s vambraces are exposed. He sports them as he does with his collar– out in the open without care. He doesn’t advertise that he’s chained down by the Senobium, but he also doesn’t go to extreme lengths to hide it. Yes, he initially hid his leash from MC, but he also let MC figure out that he was affiliated with them. If people found out, they found out. If they knew, then they knew and he’d make sure they’d know how powerful he is too. On the flip side, Kuras’s vambraces are somewhat shrouded by his long sleeves. In every pose and artwork we’ve seen of Kuras, his vambraces are always half-covered. It’s like you know there is something going on, but you don’t know the full story or feel close enough to ask.

Those vambraces could also be representative of how both characters are prisoners in their own ways. Vere is more literal. He was captured and made to be the Senobium’s pet against his will. He’s somewhat resigned to that life, but of course he wants to escape. Kuras is shackled down by his own ideals. He stays in Eridia because he is compelled by his own guilt. In a way, he chains himself down and gives himself his own punishment. Vere is literally shackled. Kuras is figuratively shackled. Vere is a prisoner of the Senobium. Kuras is a prisoner of his culpability.

The last thing I want to mention is that Vere is affiliated with the Senobium while that place is listed on Kuras’s dislikes. There wasn’t an exact reason for his dislike though. For Leander, we can sort of infer the reasons. He’s a mage, possibly an exile, etc. But there’s not much to go off for Kuras’s revulsion. He is also friends with Mhin who happens to like the Senobium. Does Kuras’s dislike for the Senobium have something to do with Vere or is it something else? Their distaste for one another is mutual according to their relationship charts.

Perhaps if Leander, Ais and Mhin are connected through the Triple Goddess symbol, then Kuras and Vere’s routes might be interconnected since they appear to mirror each other. They’re foil characters!!!

Not just visually but also with their personalities. They’re also marketed with complimentary colors. Colors that are opposites. Kuras is yellow/gold and Vere has purple. I think that means something. Maybe.

#touchstarved game #touchstarved theory #kuras #vere #mine #mine:rambles

105 notes · View notes

the-martyrfication-of-the-matron · 1 month

Note

Now, what I was actually getting to in the ask before I pocket sent. Onto names and languages

In regards to Liochant, it is of my belief that he doesn't use his actual name but a metaphorical translation. His actual name being Lais Ravanah Havilah, or Lions Roar of the Sands. First two names being translated to Lions Chat then to Liochant. In his native writing system, it's ꖎᔑ╎ᓭ ∷ᔑ⍊ᔑリᔑ⍑ ⍑ᔑ⍊╎ꖎᔑ⍑ (minecraft enchantment table)

Kul'Zak was fun for me because his name reminds me of Aztec and he is the only one we don't have a definitive country/region of origin of or region of worship, meaning I can go full Aztec on this one while making it fit.

While the majority of the Divine Warrior names are rather random or made up. (Chosen from video game characters and such) Enki is actually named after the Sumerian god of magic and wisdom so me naming Kul'Zak after an aztec God wouldn't be out of place. Well, at least as not as out of place as Shad, who is one letter away from just being called Chad. Anyway, this is why I am headcannoning that Kul'Zak unshortened/un-nicknamed name is Quetzalcóatl, named after the aztec God of Winds, Rain, and a Creation.

While out of order it does share similar speech pronunciations, and as some who has had friends with an indeginous aztec name, people will give the wildest nicknames to them instead of actually pronouncing it. (Rip my old friend Xóchitl, who teachers just referred to as Zoey, Texas things y'all.)

oooo i love name stuff.

Avra is actually a name in a language i made for my rewrite. It's basically an in-world equivalent of 'Jane Doe'. it means a (typically, but not exclusively) feminine individual without a name, or known identity. In some areas, the differentiations between the versions of the name (Avra, Avre, Avron) are regional instead of gender-based, or refer to different religions.

It comes from the word Avret (to not have a name, which derives from Aven - name, and Rel - to not have).

-A is the typical suffix for: individual feminine, someone who is soft spoken, someone who believes in wild gods, or someone with dark hair.

The name is used for unnamed newborns, unidentified corpses, or those who wish to revoke their names for some 'higher purpose'. this is also often used to refer to strangers, in a more casual manner. because of this, when Avra is referred to as such in texts, people just assume she doesnt have a name, and add 'nameless' to a bunch of her titles.

#aphmau #aphverse #aphblr

16 notes · View notes

rottingraisins · 1 year

Note

what’s your favourite scp article?? or a few, if you have such

HELLO PUT TOGETHER A FUCKING. NO PARTICULAR ORDER TOP 15 sorry theres just so many of them.

SCP-3515 “Unearth”

Did you also have that one really specific childhood fear of falling asleep and waking up buried alive?? Yeah??? Then this one is so fucking scary! Its usually the one I recommend to people just looking for a good standalone horror story. Also love the odd sort of sense of nostalgia permeating the piece.

SCP-1958 “Starmobile”

This one really gets to me and i dont know why, sometimes I’ll just sit on the train to uni and think about it. The stars are so fucking beautiful out here man…

SCP-2006 “Too Spooky”

Hehehe I love the ones where the actual gimmicks in the containment procedures and this ones my fav one 4ever its so silly

SCP-5733 “Return of the Suburb Slasher”

This one is kind of hammy and melodramatic down to the twist ending that doesnt make any sense but its supposed to be a hommage to like 80s popcorn slasher flicks and it fits that sort of tone wonderfully, not every scp needs to take itself seriously I think. Also love how crazy the experiment logs get they straight up just teach her magic

SCP-3999 “I Am At The Center Of Everything That Happens To Me”

TALLORAN my friend Talloran… This one hits a lot harder if you’ve read a few other SCPs and especially if youve gotten somewhat entrenched in the community so if you read this one fairly early on and didn’t feel like you really got it I implore you to give it a reread. Normie pick but probably my favorite piece among all these if I had to pick just one it is that good

SCP-4205 “In The Eyes Of The Beholder”

To be fair its been a while since I read this one but I remember it making me really emotional the first time around, scps that are about like tragic little stories happening to people exposed to them are always gonna hit me harder than the most clever out there of concepts tbh

SCP-5320 “The People's Church Of The Fish That Just Goes On Forever “

THIS ONES LIKE THAT A BIT ALSO though its not tragic and more silly but so profoundly human. raddagher in general is rlly good at like. Immersing you in the workplace culture of a setting as inherently bizarre as the foundation and im such a sucker for it

SCP-166 “Just a Teenage Gaea”

LISTEN. LISTEN I wasn’t gonna put any scps on here just bc I like the characters attached to it but meri BARELY appears in anything else than her file tbh and also its a good fucking rewrite I absolutely love all the implied lore about the goc and procedure clockwork blackchild havilah and how they leaned more into the estranged familial relationship between her and clef which was always the emotional core of the piece to me

SCP-0166 “I Was A Teenage Succubus”

The other really good 166 rewrite. Manages to very thoroughly deconstruct the original piece and everything that was wrong with it without being weird abt it and even gets a little meta! I love one (1) tuberculosisgirl yes you should GET to feel righteous anger at how the narrative has treated you!!

SCP-2721 ”Eli and Lyris”

...I used to have really bad internalized cringe @ myself and my dumb fandom shit when I was younger so theres something very very sweet to me about homestuckposting saving the world. Also love the implicit character development in Eli going on to become bones gaw. Whenever its in anything I’m like. Points at it

SCP-2508 “The Long Wait”

Listen I don’t know what’s really going on in this one either but the tone and concept of it never quite let me go

SCP-3001 “Red Reality”

Robert :(

SCP-2000 “Deus Ex Machina”

WHO KNEW A FUCKING THAUMIEL COULD HIDE ONE OF THE WIKIS MOST DEVASTATING COSMIC HORROR CONCEPTS HUH. In a lot of ways feels like a thematic predecessor to yesterday and resurrection as a whole which. I dont know if youve noticed but im not normal about that canon whatsoever. Also shoutout to clef for making a cameo as a decomposing mummy you go girl!!!

SCP-3309 “Where We Go When We Fade, Fade Away “

Leans really heavily on its meta twist but its really a very clever idea to be fair and the emotional writing hits just hard enough to make this another one i like. Sit and think about sometimes

SCP-3002 “Attempt To Assasinate Thought”

Kind of long and all over the place but it somewhat needs to be to keep you from figuring out whats really going on until the end. YES OK this gets bonus points for the author having revealed on reddit that this is an au version of iris/scp-105 on her posthumous final revenge campaign against the foundation which adds another layer of emotional depth to it that it probably wouldnt have made it on here without but its my list. I can do what I want

#JUST NOTICED THESE ARE ALL LIKE SERIES 3-5 SORRY I HAVE A BIAS #anyway if you want to send me recs based on these feel free to do so its been forever since i actually read any scps and i kind of miss it #OH and i deliberately left off 001 proposals cause otherwise theyd make up a third of the list ask me abt my fav 001 proposal another time #not art

57 notes · View notes

gamz-kins · 6 months

Text

fettuccine cookie id pack

[crk && fem // neu ]

NAMES : fettu , brie , capri , munster , orla , queso , rico , bleu , fetta , cam , panela , aura , cairns , havilah , innes , freya , nio / niolo , mahon , durrus , blue , leon / leonora , moz , serena , havarti , grana , zom , mu , band / bandage , wrap

PRNS : cheese / cheeses , fettu / fettuccine , cine / cines , dai / dairy , fetta / fettas , brie /bries , cara / caravane , che / chechil , ara / arari , hall / halloumi , susu / susus , chhur / chhurpi , mond / mondseer , liv / livno , bos / bosnian , sire / sirene , dim /dimsi , dan /danbo , es / esrom , fyn / fynbo , saga / sagas , ty / tybo , lap / lappi , mal / malaka , or / orda , bun /bundz , lili / liliput , ser / serpa , ca / caş , kor /korall , pu / pule , moh / mohant , sy / syr , vur /vurda , bu /budz , ru / rumi , mi /mish , hel / hellim , edi / edirne , ob / obruk , say / sayas , oka / okas , mummy / mummies , mu / mus , ban / band , bandage / bandages

note : most of these are just diffrent types of cheese- hope theyre okay tho :o3

#🤡.names #🤡.prns #prns #pronouns #neopronouns #names #name suggestions #fettuccine #fettucine cookie #ckr #cookie run kingdom #cookie run

6 notes · View notes

lepertamar · 7 months

Text

Stars That Rise At Dawn 2023 Revised vs 2018 edition differences: Part 2

Part 1 is at this link, and part 3 at this one. this covers chapter 15 to chapter 24. I was hoping that I could keep this to 2 parts but it's gotten long and I've delayed it enough at this point lmao.

As before, long sequence of passages with changes under the cut. I’ve put some commentary of my own personal opinion on a few of the changes, but the author mostly only explains her decisions with an enigmatic ‘improving continuity with the rest of the series’ so the effects are pretty subjective.

I tried to put changes/additions of the 2023 revision in bold, and when I quoted the 2018 edition, put it in strikethrough red.

Chapter 15:

Immediately the first change to this chapter (Tamar's reintroduction) is the epigraph. The original one, the sa-shira poem, was moved back to chapter 14, and the new one for chapter 15 is

“In the world of tomorrow one man defeats God—but what if that's exactly what God wants? Sparks fly! Featuring cutting-edge pyrotechnics to depict God, and 6 full minutes of spoken audio! —poster for the upcoming film The Mad Wrestler”

This made me shriek out loud with laughter especially as I had just had a bit of a triggered breakdown (complimentary) while reading the last chapter . It's fantastic in multiple ways and very suited to this moment in the story LMAO, the puncturing sort of effect, but also definitely foreshadows certain things in the next two books. Also, wrestler. We who wrestle with G-d....

A few pages later:

Pre-revision:

God pulses in her eyes as she brushes her hands over the long-dead artist’s handiwork on the way to the door handle, wheeling fire in fractaling patterns.

Post-revision:

God makes a kind of exclamation point in her eyes as she brushes her hands over the long-dead artist’s handiwork on the way to the door handle, wheeling fire in fractaling patterns.

A friend of mine was INCREDIBLY taken with this and a few other similar alterations in this chapter that subtly but effectively enhance G-d as A Person who is Reacting and being an Active Participant with Tamar, being 'right there'.

Followed by

Pre-revision:

Wheels within wheels turn, unfurling like feathers made of dense starlight. So that’s probably a yes. Maybe. They’re not exactly known for making sense, or communicating clearly... but They sure are an exciting companion in her body. Smiling, she steps into her building.

Post-revision:

Wheels within wheels turn, unfurling like feathers made of dense starlight. So that’s probably a yes. Maybe. Smiling, she opens the door.

(quoting friend) "I love how the last bit, that They do not make sense necessarily and that they're exciting to have around, is unsaid, because of course God doesn't communicate 'normally' and of course Tamar is elated to have Them with her". It's very Tamar-characteristic to refuse to explain or to flatten an experience into a specific and narrow justification.

There's also a couple lines cut to reduce repetition, but also:

Pre-revision

“Welcome back, Tamar of God’s light!”

Post-revision:

“Welcome back, Tamar the Flame-thief!”

Both a much much more evocative and characteristic of Tamar, and a much cooler an epithet for a holy (the flame-thieves is listed among the synonyms for holies in various languages in an epigraph in Lives), with its Promethean, Jacob-like connotation, and given both of these are followed by Tamar thinking "Such a formal greeting", a much more defamiliarized bit of social worldbuilding -- a term that sounds provocative and even pejorative to the reader is very normalized in-universe.

Then there's an addition of:

“Oh, my day was good, definitely good! And God’s?” Tamar laughs. Not many think to ask that. “Pretty good, as far as I can tell. They seem to still be curious about how some people think it’s weird or something when I faceplant on their batteries,” Tamar says with a shrug. “I got a lot of shock today.”

This ngl instantly made me like Havilah 5x more. Not many people think to ask a holy how G-d's day was!! And another bit of both G-d being actively involved with Tamar throughout the day, and Tamar trying (and struggling) to understand Them.

Once Tamar encounters Lucifer in front of her apartment, there's this significant change, which makes a big impact given it's the closest we get until late in Lives to Lucifer's actual feelings, and not just what they deliberately present to others:

Pre-revision:

Anyway. She looks down toward the voice, where it turns out there’s also an incredible amount of irritation. But nothing that seems much like lies. And, when she looks a little longer, she catches the scent of thousands of years of history. And inside herself she feels a few spinning flames of God, going off every direction, squinting and shrugging in a pattern she’s not sure she’s seen before.

Post-revision:

Anyway. She looks down toward the voice, where it turns out there’s a vibrant pulse of… terror. And something along the lines of disgust, revulsion even, but not quite the same as what even the most conflicted of her customers sometimes feel. Finely aged, perhaps. Yeah, the longer she looks, the more she catches the scent of thousands of years of history. And inside herself God squints and stutters in surprise, flames spinning in a pattern she’s not sure she’s seen from Them before.

This revision is instantly so juicy, in such a small number of words, in terms of characterization of Tamar, Lucifer, and G-d. Lucifer is terrified and repulsed. some of Tamar's customers feel similar, but not quite like that. the feeling has been marinating for a long time. Tamar is not bothered by this, she feels very casual but kind of drinks it in with some level of relish, like a fine wine or cheese. And G-d is Super Surprised, stutters in shock, implying it may have been a long time, perhaps centuries or more, since They've actually seen Lucifer.

Later in the apartment, there is an added line:

from the couch, where she’s been listening to the radio and watching the patterns tracing through God’s soul."

Hint at her hobbies and day-to-day life as a blind person, as well as the technological level of this setting, which gets emphasized a bit more later in Lives.

Safirah characterization and less clumsy/artificial-sounding narration:

“Precisely.” Tamar grins; there’s a reason this life of hers is more interesting than what she had going on in secondary school.

Got changed to

“Precisely. Not to mention making that Holy fear for their life.” Tamar snorts.

The word 'dating' is replaced by 'fucking' here (one of the few blunt mentions of sex in the series actually) for some added Safirah characterization:

“You’re eight years older than me, not ten,” Tamar notes. “People think we’re fucking.” “Some folks will look at any two people and think they’re fucking.”

According to her social media the author is asexual, which may play a role in why so little sex is mentioned in these books, although intensely kinky scenes appear both in this series and in other books.

Chapter 16:

Pre-revision:

“...to be flaming queen of the first city, ever, on Šehhinah, and then say to yourself, ‘Flame it, I’m clearly not doing enough for people, I’m going to become more powerful than any Holy before or since”

Post-revision:

“...to be flaming queen of the first city, ever, on Šehhinah, and then say to yourself, ‘Flame it, I’m clearly not doing enough for people, I’m going to grab more power from God than any Holy before or since”

and:

“Oh flames, that isn’t commonly known outside of demons?” Hannuša says. “Wow, huh. Yeah, um, Lilith… Lilith’s something, alright. When she spoke the truest of God’s names and was completely immolated, she, through like a sheer act of will, and I have no idea if anyone else who’s ever lived has even half the will she does, she somehow forced her soul to accept, of all things, water vapor as her body.”

Post-revision:

“Oh flames, you don’t know?” Hannuša says. “Wow, huh. Yeah, um, Lilith… Lilith’s something, alright. When she spoke the truest of God’s names and was completely immolated—without Them having expected it, or having intended to immolate her, there’s a reason she impressed Them so much that she’s half of the Covenant—she, through like a sheer act of will, and I have no idea if anyone else who’s ever lived has even half the will she does, she somehow forced her soul to accept, of all things, water vapor as her body.”

This both refers back to the previous chapter's epigraph, impressing further that '6,000 years ago G-d was surprised and 'beaten' and admitted that They didn't know everything and had made flaws in how the world worked, and made this into the basis for changing the entire metaphysics of the afterlife, and the role of all living beings is to argue for how to fix the world' is foundational, ancient, uncontroversial theology.

And it's just sooooooo 'she impressed Them so much'……! Like wrestled with G-d, and prevailed, like Jacob ;-;

“And I think she’s got some friends among the angels that have some manifestations that involve her or something, so she can talk to them, too.”

Changed to

“And she is Holy, so she can talk to any of the angels—or other Holies too, I guess?—any time she wants through God. So that’s how she gets a lot of stuff done, she has angel friends who have eyes and stuff… to, you know, find us. The ones she wants to help..”

This comes up more in Lives again.

Chapter 17: No revisions I noticed, except that the epigraph for the previous chapter 18 was moved to chapter 17.

Chapter 18:

The epigraph (boring one about the neighborhood of Olive Heights) is replaced by a haiku:

“desert-burned | the river its sand | bright as salt —Ono the Mute, 4977 A.C.”

Breathtaking, given the positioning of the chapter break: between Eliya seeing Tamar again saying "Hello Tamar" and “Elīya looks at Tamar, still trying not to look into her eyes, still failing utterly.”........

Yenatru's pov line "Except for the eyes, she's exactly the same" is replaced by “She doesn’t look that different.” More open.

The chapter goes the same for a while, but later in the chapter, during the motorcycle ride, Eliya's pov:

“Flame you,” Elīya can’t help but mutter. Tamar just laughs. “If you’re referring to my eyes…” She trails off, as if expecting Elīya to guess at what she means. Which Elīya does, deciding in a split second that what Tamar means is probably a condemnation of her. A failure of ethics. How dare she say flame you to a Holy, perhaps.”

replaced by:

Emphasizing something that's clear from the general syntax and structure of the in-universe terminology: "flame you" is the equivalent of "fuck you" or even more pointedly, "damn you", and is also, at the same time, a pejorative reference to being burned. Like the misogyny baked into the etymological origins of the irl curse "fuck you", where "being fucked" is derogatory and inherently unwanted. but NOT in the sense where this is concsciously thought of as like, a bigoted slur or anything. Holies use it all the time too!!! and jibril, in the next book, uses it too! But also not even a completely depleted of meaning flat sort of thing -- Tamar in the prologue "understands why people swear by fire" upon seeing G-d.

This is of course a central theme of this book -- anything real and powerful and mattering enough that someone would burn out one's eyes to see its beauty is also real and powerful and mattering enough to be capable of causing incredible hurt and damage by its presence, and is therefore not 'safe'. and this is not a bug or flaw or horrible underlying secret, but an inherent truth of how the existence of the stuff of the universe and consciousness works.

Pre-revision:

“So tell me, Elīya. What’s so ethical, so moral, about living your life like this, following this one path just because you think you should?” “That path is ethics,” Elīya says through gritted teeth. “And you’re the one who admitted you weren’t learning anything. So again I ask, what is ethical about this situation.” “Perhaps it is teaching me focus.” Maybe. “Perhaps,” Tamar echoes. “But I believe you’re more than this. More than this one thing, more than the constant chorus of ethics, ethics, ethics through your mind.”

Post-revision:

“So tell me, Elīya. What’s so ethical, so moral, about living your life like this, following this one path just because you think you should?” “That path is ethics,” Elīya says through gritted teeth. “And you’re the one who admitted you weren’t learning anything. So again I ask, what is ethical about your life.” “Perhaps it is teaching me focus.” Maybe. “On what.” “On anything I need to focus on. On everything.” “And is this everything anything other than ethical or unethical?” “Flame you.” “Already did that,” Tamar says. “But I believe you’re more than this. More than this one thing, more than this checking off ethics, ethics, ethics on every fucking thing that gets through your head.”

I don't really have a comment on this but I like it.

Chapter 19:

The epigraph is slightly altered:

Though the Holy are venerated now, they have not always been so lucky. In the first millennium A.C., King Lot of Nefil decreed that the Holy in his city cover their prices when in public, so as not to stain any unwilling eyes with the symbol of such an intimate—or, as Lot wrote in a rare surviving letter, “degenerate”—act. Some stone-etchings on official buildings in protest of this law can still be found by divers researching the ruins of the city, now many meters underwater after the unfortunate sea-level rise… —Dr. Melia Yashim, The Past is the Strangest Place of All”

simply removing the bit at the beginning! i debated the intent behind this a bit, wondering if it was just for brevity, or because veneration is not actually indicated anywhere in the series, or something deeper, but ultimately concluded that the effect, at least, is to make this period sound less singular, and more like one excerpted bullet-point among a list of unknown length and number of other similar incidents.

After this, a longer altered sequence here, originally:

“Once we store the motorcycles,” Yenatru says.“Where’s Lucifer?” Tamar asks.“Uh, looks like they’re just standing a bit back there, leaning on their own arms,” Elīya says.Lucifer’s probably planning to watch the show over here if it gets confrontational or awkward again, Yenatru thinks. “Everything alright so far?”Elīya’s eye twitches; that’s not a great sign. “It’s… something.”A strange expression comes over Tamar’s face, along with a somewhat pointed shrug.He should do something, he thinks. But what? And how? The moments pass and Elīya’s eye still twitches.So Yenatru just says, quietly, “We should probably go over to her. Lucifer. So we can put the bikes in the shed and continue.”“They, her, what is up with him,” Tamar mumbles.“Nothing I have any reason or responsibility to tell you,” Lucifer responds, strolling right up, single braid swaying behind her. Or him, to Tamar. Her voice is smooth in this form; a good aesthetic choice, Yenatru thinks.

Now:

“Once we store the motorcycles,” Yenatru says. “Where’s Lucifer?” Tamar asks. “Everything alright so far?” Lucifer says almost in answer, merging into the form for Elīya. Tamar starts at the new voice. “Who’s that?” Lucifer doesn’t respond. “How’s it going?” she—or they, to Elīya—asks. Elīya’s eye twitches; that’s not a great sign. “It’s… something.” A strange expression comes over Tamar’s face, along with a somewhat pointed shrug. He should do something, he thinks. But what? And how? The moments pass and Elīya’s eye still twitches. So Yenatru just says, quietly, “We should put the bikes in the shed and continue, she’s waiting. Lucifer, I mean.” “She—what?” Tamar swings her head in one direction and then another. “Nothing I have any reason or responsibility to tell you,” Lucifer responds, strolling right past her, single braid swaying behind her. Or him, to Tamar. Her voice is smooth in this form; a good aesthetic choice, Yenatru thinks. Tamar draws her cane out of her bag and sighs. “Yenatru, is there another person here or—” “It’s Lucifer, she—they, him—can uh, shapeshift?” Yenatru whispers quickly. “Oh,” says Tamar. “No one told me.”

:))))))))

Chapter 20-21: no changes I noticed

Chapter 22:

An added paragraph here:

Perhaps because it was easier not to. So deceptively simple a reason. It was easier for her not to. It was perfectly easy for her to continue living without caring about those things, so she didn’t. She had no pressing need, no tangible pain, no burning desire. Or didn’t she? Didn’t she need and want more, these last two years?

Chapter 23:

Pre-revision:

“You know," Tamar says, "God is a part of me wherever I go, and I can’t exactly make that stop being a thing You should get it, considering—"

Post-revision:

“You know,” Tamar says, “This is what I am, wherever I go, and I’m not about to hide it just for you. You should get it, considering—”

Just a bit more mean and callous (and truthful) hahahahahasaadad

Post-revision, some slight additions:

“Oh, you know.” She shrugs. “Hanging out, exploring the city and getting lost ‘cause I’m blind, bickering with the other Holies, laughing when people think weird things about me, charging their batteries by shoving them into my eyes—” “Into what now.” “Into God.” “…Got it,” Yenatru says, even though that’s not one of the things he’s heard of a Holy doing. “I didn’t know….Holies disagreed about God.” She raises an eyebrow. “You don’t know much, do you?” She doesn’t sound angry, but her voice is serious. His face heats. He can’t say he does. Not about this. “So, yeah. Life’s more, now.”

More stuff about Tamar's life and societal utter ignorance (avoidance) of Holies

Finally, one of the biggest changes so far: the chapter stops at

“Yenatru finds himself smiling a little, feeling ready to do just that. Even if not quite everything makes sense. Even if the way he cares isn’t quite what he expected at all.”

The entire scene from the previous version that follows it is completely removed from this version: gone is the bit of Tamar accidentally feeling Yenatru's manifestation, her saying it's too soothing for her tastes, and Yenatru's uncharacteristically utterly fucking TERRIBLE and steamrollering line that undoes all his beautiful, character-deepening pondering and observation of the puzzle of her (Almost falling off mountains. God in her eyes. Maybe her like of those two things is actually one and the same—and maybe that means Yenatru understands some of why she made the choice she did.) This is of course a really good deletion, but also Tamar not getting to feel Yenatru's manifestation probably has something to do with stuff that happens later in Lives -- she'd probably recognize something is up with it.

Chapter 24:

This chapter has at the end, what I think is the single most important change, in terms of continuity and characterization (for Eliya), but even moreso in terms of narrative sincerity and honesty.

First there's a couple of minor-ish added lines (in bold as usual) that mostly serve to ramp up to the major change:

“Or maybe she’s at least an entire scene, an entire image, an entire place, not just the wind but also the open desert, and completely open sky, that too, she hasn’t factored in her tendency to look at the sky and horizon yet. And even then, is that incorporating every detail? She’s not sure, but she still seems to be onto something. When Tamar tore into her on the motorcycle, the wind that wasn’t wind in her face, the motorcycle flying free over the desert, I believe you’re more than this, it hurt so much more than anything she’d ever heard before, sank so deep into her. Was it because what was her was so close, within her grasp? Or because—no one else had told her, the way Tamar did? Nothing’s stopping you… Where did Tamar go, when she….she didn’t even do Theurgy, but the way she said so softly that she wanted. Her soul a whole scene too. Elīya’s close to certain: she probably can check her traits against that scene-that-is-her, can’t she, to identify them as her? She’s identifiable to herself because she’s the desert wind.”

Then the major, major, entire-book-saving change:

Pre-revision:

But Elīya wants clarity, and there’s something she has to know. “Why do you care?” Lucifer turns their head to her, gives her a particularly unreadable smile that lasts multiple seconds before they finally speak. They’re mostly in shadow, their eyes somehow lit by the stars. “’S really a simple answer. I care about everyone.” Elīya blinks. “But Yenatru—” “I care about him more, of course. But you’re someone, Elīya, everyone is, and you didn’t seem to have the slightest idea about whatever particular joy being you might bring. And there was a chance, right there, right in front of me, to help you find out. No way in fuck I wasn’t going to take that.” They pause, smiling. “Even if you do, generally speaking, really annoy me.” Elīya coughs. Well, she likes honesty, so she can’t say anything against that. And—there’s something she has to say, isn’t there. Lucifer’s all the way turned away from her when Elīya says, “Thank you.” Again they turn back, this time only briefly, but long enough for her to see them grin. And they head off, walk somewhere, a shadow against shadows in this night, sagebrush licking against their dress.

POST-REVISION:

But Elīya wants clarity, and there’s something she has to know. “Why do you care?” Lucifer turns their head to her, gives her a particularly unreadable smile that lasts multiple seconds before they finally speak. They’re mostly in shadow, their eyes somehow lit by the stars. “’S really a simple answer. I care about everyone.” Elīya blinks. “But Yenatru—” “I care about him more, of course. But you’re someone, Elīya, everyone is, and you didn’t seem to have the slightest idea about whatever particular joy being you might bring. And there was a chance, right there, right in front of me, to help you find out. No way in fuck I wasn’t going to take that.” They pause, smiling. “Even if you do, generally speaking, really annoy me.” Elīya narrows her eyes. The person she was when Lucifer was teaching her seems so long ago. In such a short time she’s so much more. Such a short time— Lucifer’s all the way turned away from her when Elīya says, “Thank you.” Again they turn back, the kind smile spreading over their face, and Elīya takes a breath. Ethically, because she values honesty, there’s something else: “But actually, meeting Tamar helped more, so I was right about my end of the deal after all.” And Lucifer’s serene starlit face twists. “Really.” “Really.” She crosses her arms, expecting a challenge. Expecting a fight, anticipating it and how it might help her understand just how she’s come so far so fast. But Lucifer just curls their lip and leaves. Bitterness washes over Elīya. So, that’s it then.

JUST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think many different people could bring more richness of interpretation to this, but here's my own personal subjective pov:

IMO, this one change basically fixes EVERYTHING about the ENTIRE book that drove me so fucking insane i spent over a year fuming and venting and casting bitter contemptuous aspersions on the author and came close to completely ruining the entire book for me and making me drop the series.

Two different friends of mine who read the revision found this revised change to be The moment they finally actually started liking and respecting eliya!!!! While I didn't have quite this reaction -- I always liked Eliya lmao -- I know exactly what they mean, because Eliya was done so dirty in the previous version. In this revision, the lack of the twisting narrative dishonesty that plagued the previous version finally admits: eliya was just…….right. she was not Foolish And Misguided and Deluded to make a deal to get tamar back as the previous version of this scene implies, where this and subsequent chapters of the prevision version hammered home a message that eliya was Foolish and Mistaken to care about meeting tamar again, the parallel ‘you care’ was a clear ‘lucifer is teaching her and wisely and kindly giving her something that’s Correct and Meaningful, unlike tamar who has nothing to help her with, and unlike the delusions eliya stupidly thought were important’

And the fact like. That lucifer's whole spiel, while not altered at all, is reframed to allow it to absolutely stink of the hypocrisy it always held: lucifer absolutely does not think everyone has particular joys of being them, or that everyone is someone — they do not think tamar is someone as-she-is-now, or that tamar has a particular joy of being her. And eliya narrows her eyes — notices that as bullshit in the context of lucifer saying it instantly, rather than passively accepting lucifer’s Wisdom and Compassion in Saving Her like the previous version. And she retorts with her own agency, (though she either doesn't notice or doesn't care about lucifer's maligning of tamar, which is also cool)

And it fits, continuity-wise: in both versions of the book, Lucifer and Eliya never exchange another word for the remainder of the book, but in this version it MEANS something. the absolute tragedy of this relationship with eliya, possibly the only actually constructive and challenging relationship lucifer has ever had in their life, the way the only times lucifer was ever actually cool and hot and epic was when they were sparring and struggling with eliya -- all this slipping away the second eliya challenges just a step too far, by dropping the warping narrative dishonesty act and admitting that seeing the evidence of fucking Tamar's existence in the world made Eliya actually seize this, by indicating that Lucifer's teaching, while extremely necessary, was not sufficient to replace Eliya's own desires and plans, and that she didn't use and run with their help in quite the way they thought she 'should' have as a passive recipient. It's gut-wrenching, and this means it leads into and sets up Lives so, so, so well.

I was right about my end of the deal after all.....

I'll continue the last few chapters in a shorter Part 3

#the stars that rise at dawn #sehhinah #sehhinah revisions tag

7 notes · View notes

i-am-a-fucking-nerd · 8 months

Text

I’m like for real a teacher guys this is so crazy!!!! I’ve got my own classroom and students and taught today and!!!! It’s just wild!!!!!! I’m a teacher :DDD after years of school and stud I’m HERE!!!!!!!!

#school #back to school #teacher #hm what should my teacher tag be #teacher time #<- maybe? get a little alliteration going?#havilah's thoughts

8 notes · View notes

clouseplayssims · 2 years

Photo