#this quote is from rule of wolves if anyone’s interested
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sometimes i forget the crows are only sixteen. and then something like this comes along and i just. remember.
#nina zenik#kaz brekker#inej ghafa#six of crows#this quote is from rule of wolves if anyone’s interested#rule of wolves#grishaverse#leigh bardugo
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Readers. Friends. I ask you to pick up your Bibles and please do not turn to John 15:13
Greater love hath no man than to eat bugs, beg for kittens, shank a psychologist, and devote himself body and soul to a scary Romanian guy.
Again, do not turn to that chapter and verse. You have no need to, I've just outlined it for you and that is definitely what it says. You have no need to verify anything because of the bond of trust we share. You all know I would never, ever steer you wrong. Some people will tell you not to trust anonymous randos, and they are absolutely right. But I am not just any anonymous rando: I am an anonymous rando with a vision.
@draculadailybracket is running a contest to find the ultimate Sexyman of Dracula. This is no easy task. Scholars have debated this question for over a century. Nikola Tesla once put all the brilliant intellect to the test searching for the answer, only to determine it was an injured white pigeon. Dr. Sara Josephine Baker was once quoted as saying "Wash your goddamn hands right this minute. Also I'm torn between Renfield and Van Helsing, but unquestionably the sexiest person is Sister Agatha." Marie Curie, along with her husband Pierre, conducted an experiment by which the book was encased in radium in the hope something interesting would happen. It did not. Perhaps most heroically, Elijah McCoy posited the answer could only be confirmed once all the characters were properly and thoroughly lubricated.
My friends, I don't claim to have any more insight than the esteemed thinkers listed above. All I know are the facts: Thomas Bilder is a fine, fine man. He is a good, dutiful man. Not just anyone could flip off Dracula verbally and live to tell the tale.
But he is not R.M. Renfield.
Renfield (full name Royal Majesty Renfield, Roy to his innumerable friends and admirers) is a different sort of man. He doesn't have an interesting accent or ready access to wolves, it's true. But here are some things he does have:
Flies. So many flies.
A box of spiders.
The ability to summon flocks of sparrows at will, like a Disney princess.
The fortitude to eat all those sparrows, something no Disney princess to date has had the courage to do.
A deep reverence for all life, great and small.
The conviction necessary to shank his psychologist, instead of just hanging on for months thinking "I really need to switch psychologists but it's so awkward oh my god, finding a new one is a hassle, OK maybe just a few more sessions, goddamn it, how do I get out of this."
A friendly attitude toward Romanians that technically makes him more progressive in the 19th century than Tesco circa 2020.
He's like. Aged beef.
Seriously, he's a big strong energetic silver fox. I mean. You see where I'm going with this.
He is definitely good at sex is where I'm going with this.
Might be kind of awk being around him if you're menstruating, though.
Or not, if you're into that kind of thing. I know some people are, no kinkshaming here.
This is an inclusive space.
...what was I talking about again?
Oh right.
He's hot.
Hot swole sexy old rat man
Aaaaaa.
Friends, once again pick up your Bibles-- nah, actually let's pick up the Tao Te Ching for a little variety. Please do not read anything from chapter Three:
The wise therefore rule by emptying hearts and stuffing bellies with flies, spiders, and ideally also cats, by weakening ambitions except for drinking your psychologist's blood, and strengthening big sexy silver fox bones.
Again, there is absolutely no need to check for yourself. Because you, my dear reader, trust me. And because you trust me, you know I'm right about this. So please, whatever your feelings about Mr. Bilder, know that Renfield is the right choice. He deserves your vote. He deserves a kitten. And he deserves all the blood he can slurp up off the floor.
I know I can count on you to make the right choice. Thank you.
#cw: menstruation#dracula daily#td: silly stuff#i am not entirely sure what possessed me to write this#tw: menstruation#unreality
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Intro Post
(Every few days I remember something I forgot or have new links to add lol it's constantly changing a little bit)
So I go by Lyra (or Library lol) and I use she/her pronouns. That's all I can think of to put here lol.
I'm a reader and a writer. I love romantic fantasy in both, but I'll read almost anything. Not really into horror, but I've dabbled in most other genres when it comes to reading, all the way to non-fiction. I'm always accepting new recs even though I have a ridiculous tbr and wishlist lol.
Always happy to talk about books with anyone, but be wary of that once you get me started I won't ever stop annoying you about it lol.
Some of my favorites right now are:
The Folk of the Air trilogy [the cruel prince, etc]
The Grishaverse books [my favorite is either Crooked Kingdom or Rule of Wolves]
Once Upon a Broken Heart series (as of Oct 15. I'm hyperfixating on this one, so you're getting a lot of fandom content for them)
I have ADHD (if you couldn't tell from my overuse of parenthesis and brackets [every thought comes with a bonus thought and sometimes an extra bonus thought like this!]). I'm a Christian with more progressive theology, but this blog is a safe place for everyone as long as we're all loving to each other and respect each other's beliefs and identities (and I love having good faith dialogue [not debates!! 0 interest in theological debates.], I love hearing other perspectives and getting to talk about it, so feel free to dm me about that, too). I'm an ISFJ and a 9w1, and I don't know that much about it yet but I love typology. I also love video games, mostly Stardew Valley and the sims right now (thinking about making a secondary blog for that).
I post fandom stuff and writing things for my wips. You'll probably get lots of stuff for my wip Idk, Dragons ocs once NaNo starts. And just random stuff for whatever I'm hyperfixating on in the moment lol. I'm totally open to asks about anything involving my wips or fandom-related asks. I participate in Storyteller Saturday and Worldbuilding Wednesday every week, and feel free to ask for any of the other events, too. Tag games are also cool!
I also have an instagram @lyra.brie and you'll find a couple pics of my crocheted dinosaurs, some random faith thoughts, and song. I'm very inactive there, but feel free to check it out.
And now the fun part!! Intros to my wips and ocs:
Wisteria and Wanderlust: you can find the blurb here, as well as the link to my wattpad which has a few snippets and skits and full character intros. An overview of Zal and Clay's dynamic here.
Short overviews of the original three here.
Unnamed Academic Rivals WIP: here is a sort of summary I wrote.
I Don't Know, Dragons [this is a placeholder title, but I might just keep it lol]: this post isn't exactly a blurb, but it's everything I know so far that I can share without spoiling. (I actually need to update it and make a real post for it soon lol. The main development is that Elara's love interest is a werewolf boy.) This one is still in the planning stage so everything is heavily subject to change. I'll be doing it as my NaNo project this year, so it's posted about a lot right now. New Cynthia post here.
The Flourescent Iguana: here's the intro post. I've finished the first draft of this one, but it needs heavy replotting/rewriting.
Writing Snippets
I only have two actual writing bits on here so far, but I intend to have more, so I'll update this as I go! (Let me know if you guys want me to post the Wisteria and Wanderlust stuff I have on wattpad here, too, cuz I can totally do that.)
Idk, Dragons:
I have a bunch of small snippets posted under #nano updates
Fanfics:
EvaJacks "Who Are You?" FanFic
EvaJacks Bunny Saving FanFic
EvaJacks Baby Dragon FanFic
Wisteria and Wanderlust:
Just a quote
Poetry/Songs:
Just Broken
~~~
So that's me! I'm always happy to make new friends and my dms are open, feel free to message me just to ramble about your wip or a hyperfixation!
@writeblrsupport
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For the character ask: Chris Argent
NOT ANNA BEING PREDICTABLE AF <3
do I like them: Duhhhh. Just a little bit.
5 good qualities: loyal, compassionate, intelligent, blue eyes, BEARD
3 bad qualities: loyal lol, cult survivor who has been indoctrinated and radicalized from birth (but he gets over that), fictional
favourite episode/scene/etc: I love 3x19 (Letharia Vulpina), 3x22 (De-Void), and 6x19 (Broken Glass) - all for Dergent reasons, of course - but also because Chris’s relationship development with Derek is intrinsically tied to his redemption arc. Sorry not sorry, I don't make the rules.
I also love 6x20 (Wolves of War) for Chris because he finally gets closure where his family is concerned, and we see in the flash-forward that he's happy with his found family, upholding his redemption by still following Allison's code and devoting himself to protecting innocents and the people he loves.
Don't even get me started on scenes. Every time he does something iconically passive-aggressive. Literally every scene he shares with Derek. Every single time he makes a badass entrance, guns blazing.
otp: Derek "Don't Expect Me to Risk My Life Saving Yours" Hale. Dergent. OTP: You Saved My Life. Ironically, they have ruined my life in the best possible way.
I do also ship McArgent (OTP: The Hunter and The Healer), though, because MAMA MCCALL DESERVES NICE THINGS, OKAY. GET IT MAMA.
brotp: I guess Dergent also fits here, since they started out as a BROTP before they evolved into the raging, ravenous monster of an OTP they are now, lol.
ot3: Does Dechrissa count? Asking for me.
notp: Petopher (Chris/Peter Hale). Argentcest (Chris/Kate, Chris/Allison).
best quote: “Didn't anyone ever tell you not to bring claws to a gunfight?”
“AnOTHER wEREWOLF?!”
“You know the question I had after Gerard first told me about our family... why us? He quoted me Winston Churchill: 'The price of greatness is responsibility.' Personally, I think it's more about knowledge - what we know, the truth we know about the world - that makes us responsible... for a young couple, their newborn daughter, anyone who doesn't have the power to defend themselves.”
“I believe in Derek Hale.”
head canon: Hand-to-hand combat and handling weaponry actually did NOT come naturally to him the way it did to Kate or Allison; Chris had to work really hard at it... which is especially interesting to think about when you consider the fact that the Argent men are raised to be soldiers, while the women are raised to be strategists/leaders. Chris's incredibly sexy competence and ease (and even, dare I say, flare?) wielding weapons is the result of maybe 10% innate talent, 20% reading about/studying them, and 70% practice.
give me a character and i'll answer
#angel in a big blue box#tumblr friends#the derek to my chris#brotp: pass the rump roast please#answered ask#fictional characters#ask meme#chris argent#teen wolf#i love my silver bullet with my whole heart#chris argent and his stupid traveling gun show
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Characters Out Of Context
tagged by @isabellebissonrouthier (thank you!)
rules:
include one character quote — of your choosing — from each chapter of your wip(or as many chapters as you'd like).
give absolutely no context, save for what's between two parts of an interrupted sentence, should that occur. you may mention who said it.
have fun, no pressure!
tagging: @author-a-holmes @little-mouse-gardens @ anyone else who wants to play!!
for ANTISNOWWHITE:
these are from a VERY rough half-finished first draft i wrote almost 4 years ago. story has changed a lot since them but here's my chaotic child valerian (other characters are too irrelevant in this draft tbh. which is why this version of the story died halfway through it):
ch01: “I know who I need to see,” he whispers and turns to the wolves. Seven pairs of cunning eyes stare back at him, shimmering like divine stars in the night.
ch03: I didn’t open that door by mistake, he thinks, knowing Medra is listening. I wasn’t lost. I was never lost.
ch04: I was raised by wolves, he thinks. I can do anything.
ch06: This is the end of one world, Valerian thinks, and the beginning of another.
ch07: “My name,” the rightful heir to the throne says, “is Valerian.”
ch08: Valerian snorts. “She has always had a flair for the dramatic.”
ch09: Valerian shrugs.. “You will have to, it seems. But you will have my heart. If I don’t tell you,” he smiles. “Put a knife through it.” Again, silence. Valerian arches another eyebrow. “Well?”
ch10: Valerian, though, stopped listening after their second sentence. His face lightens up. “A village, you say? And new clothes?” He smiles and it’s the first genuine, happy smile Ira has seen from him so far. There is no malice in it, no mischief. “There must be many people living there, doesn’t it? Even so far from the capital?”
ch11: The grin widens. I’m coming, mother.
ch12: Valerian shrugs. “Works fine for me.”
ch13: Valerian’s smirk widens. “I’m pleased to disappoint.”
ch14: “Don’t worry,” Valerian says. “I can deal with a bit of cleaning.”
ch15: “But you wanted him to die,” Valerian continues. “It’d be so much easier, would it not, if the one who destroyed so much and killed so many, died from his wounds? He would become a tragedy. A sad tale vosteyans would repeat for years to come. But,” Valerian can’t stop the anger from bleeding into his voice. “He just wouldn’t die.”
for FANTASY ROMANCE WIP:
my plan for fantasy romance wip is to have rowan as the only pov character, but ironically he hasn't said a word in the ~2k words i've written for the story so far lol so here is few choice words from other characters:
ch??: The faerie yanks him up, hand going yet again to his throat. The black horse advances and the god glances at him for the first time, only for the shortest of seconds, but it is enough to send a shiver of fear down his spine. The faerie is still talking, their words barely registering for Rowan; I found him, he is mine, he came outside, why are you denying me what is mine, the mortal is mine, mine, mine…
cheating a little, but the first words of loifa aka the god of the forest aka the love interest:
ch??: Rowan’s mouth goes dry. The rider’s voice is quiet, but sharp, and the first forest buckles under its weight, its reverie slowing to a crawl. Once again, Rowan can’t make out any words, but this time no meaning reaches his conscience and he is left in the dark, listening to the heavy tone of the god he has feared his whole life. The horse steps forward and the forest flinches back, a wave of whispers spilling from its new epicenter, and those Rowan understands. Anger, resentment, fear, and, below it all, a resigned, bitter, almost blind devotion.
#there is a lot of thinking in valerian's part bc hes alone for the beginning of the story#and too used to just not talking#though this valerian is very much a brat#new valerian is more.... chaotic than bratty#antisnowwhite#valerian: lol reia is so dramatic#also valerian: heres my actual heart. as in. the thing that should be beating inside my chest. :D#my writing is faaaaaaaar from good but ngl the difference between antisnowwhite and fantasy romance wip is almost sad#2018/2019 me could barely string sentences together in english#oh well
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Zoya’s Character in Netflix’s Shadow & Bone [SPOILERS]
Disclaimer: I haven’t watched the show and I can’t evaluate it. I’m only giving my opinion on the spoilers I’ve seen on reddit and in an interview.
There are two major things we’ve heard about Zoya and I’ve seen people in arms about both: 1) that she’s racist towards Alina, 2)that she has been with The Darkling.
Let me explain why, to me, the first one doesn’t work but the second does.
I don’t expect everything to be as it was in the book. I just want the writers to respect the spirit of the characters, of the world and of the plot.
-Zoya being racist IS out of character. Some say that Zoya is Suli and Alina is Shu and it makes sense that POC can be racist to people of different races. And that’s true. POC can be racist to. Also, even if one rejects racism because of personal experience, bigotry exists and these are real world issues that are worth of discussing. BUT Zoya was never racist, she is mixed and she was always afraid of facing discrimination because of her race and of ther cultural identity. She is elitist despite having come from a family that wasn’t wealthy but she’s never discriminating anyone because of the race. She doesn’t look down on Tamar and Tolya for a second and THEY ARE SHU.
Zoya’s dislike for Alina was not that of a mean girl who targets the new girl. It had aspects of classism, but it was also about power. It was about Zoya having tried hard for her position, having shead blood and swat to rise and having been drawn in by the Darkling only to end up feeling like her position was taken away in a second by someone who didn’t put in the effort. That was interesting enough to explore. If the spoilers are right, Zoya calls Alina a ‘half-breed’ or something of the sort. I don’t think anyone needs a canonically biracial character whose struggle with her identity is part of her journey saying that to a character whose race has been changed for the show for brownie points. It feels like a very performative and shallow way of approaching racial issues.
-I’m not annoyed by the choice of Zoya and The Darkling having been together because I feel it’s in line with the way they’re written in the books. There’s no mention of them having sexual interactions but let’s see some quotes:
Shadow & Bone:
Siege & Storm:
King of Scars:
Rule of Wolves:
It’s not canon that The Darkling seduced Zoya, but it IS canon that he groomed her and we DO know that seducing young girls for the sake of making them trust him is not below him.
So, again, I’m basically against the first change because I think it’s out of character and overall a bad take, while the second one does not feel to me far from the way the characters have been written in the book.
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my favorite grishaverse quotes - part three: nikolai duology
"Zoya of the lost city. Zoya of the garden. Zoya bleeding in the snow. You are strong enough to survive the fall." (King of Scars)
"This is what love does. In the stories, love healed your wounds, fixed what was broken, allowed you to go on. But love wasn’t a spell, some kind of benediction to be whispered, a balm or a cure-all. It was a single, fragile thread, which grew stronger through connection, through shared hardship and trust." (Rule of Wolves)
"Most of us can hide our greatest hurts and longings. It’s how we survive each day. We pretend the pain isn’t there, that we are made of scars instead of wounds." (King of Scars)
"'Get a message to the Crow Club,' she said. 'Tell Kaz Brekker the queen of Ravka has a job for him.'" (Rule of Wolves)
"Do that thing you do where you use too many words to say something simple and confuse the issue." (King of Scars)
"'I’m not supposed to let you in,' Jesper said. Brekker seemed unperturbed. 'Why not?' 'Because every time I do, you ask me to break the law.' A voice from behind Jesper said, 'The problem isn’t that he asks, it’s that you always say yes.'" (Rule of Wolves)
"'Say something spiteful.'
"'Why?' she asked faintly.
"'Because I’m fairly certain I'm hallucinating and in my dreams you're much nicer.'" (King of Scars)
"Because I am greedy for the sight of you. Because the prospect of facing this war, this loss, without you fills me with fear. Because I find I don’t want to fight for a future if I can’t find a way to make a future with you." (Rule of Wolves)
"It's not exciting if nothing can go wrong." (King of Scars)
"I would choose you, Zoya. As my general, as my friend, as my bride. I would give you a sapphire the size of an acorn. And all I would ask in return is that you wear this damnable ribbon in your hair on our wedding day." (Rule of Wolves)
"Everyone mourns the first blossom.
Who will grieve the rest who fall?" (King of Scars)
"'I have to bathe. I smell like a forest fire.'
'You smell like wildflowers. You always do. What can I say to make you stay?' His words trailed off into a drowsy mumble as he fell back asleep.
'Tell me it’s more than war and worry that makes you speak those words. Tell me what they would mean if you weren’t a king and I weren’t a soldier.'" (Rule of Wolves)
"Remember who you are. Nikolai knew. He was a king who had only begun to make mistakes. He was a solider for whom the war would never be over. He was a bastard left alone in the woods. And he was not afraid to die this day." (King of Scars)
"Maybe the gift of being human is that we do not give up- even when all hope is lost." (Rule of Wolves)
"They would build a new world together. But first they had to burn the old one down." (King of Scars)
"The world might crumble, but Nikolai Lantsov would be holding up the ceiling with one hand and plucking a speck of dirt from his lapel with the other when it all went to ruin." (Rule of Wolves)
"'Yuri Veneden, if you upset my wife again, I will kill you where you stand.'
The monk swallowed. 'Yes, moi soverenyi.'
'Oh, David,' Genya said, taking his hand. 'You've never theatened to murder anyone for me before.'" (King of Scars)
"Go home and tell them what you've seen, Nikolai thought as the demon soared through the night. Make them believe you. Tell them the demon king rules Ravka now and vengeance is coming." (Rule of Wolves)
"She wished she had Inej’s gift for spywork or Kaz’s gift for scheming, but she only seemed to have Jesper’s gift for bad decisions." (King of Scars)
"Let the hounds give chase. I do not fear death, because I command it." (Rule of Wolves)
"'Will you be taking up juggling as well?'
'Don't be ridiculous,' Nikolai replied. 'I already know how to juggle. Literally and figuratively.'" (King of Scars)
"'This is a bad idea,' moped Adrik.
'I have a surplus of bad ideas,' said Nikolai. 'I have to spend them somewhere.'" (Rule of Wolves)
"He would not find another excuse to get her talking again. He would not tell her he was afraid to be left alone with the thing he might become, and he would not ask her to leave the lamp burning, a child's bit of magic to ward off the dark.
But he was relieved when she did it anyway.” (King of Scars)
"The Darkling's gray eyes studied Mal with more interest than he'd ever shown before.
'I understand we're blood related.'
Mal shrugged. 'We all have relatives we don't like.'" (Rule of Wolves)
"Zoya's company was like strong drink. Bracing--and best to abstain if you couldn't handle the kick.” (King of Scars)
"'Don't get ahead of yourself,' Zoya said. 'Nikolai hasn't asked.'
'Can you blame him?' Genya said. 'He hasn't had much luck with proposals.'
Alina snorted. 'Maybe he should have offered me a dynasty and not a piddly little emerald.'" (Rule of Wolves)
"'Hand me that brandy,' said Zoya. 'I can’t tolerate this degree of stupidity on a clear head.'" (King of Scars)
"'Is it the shadow inside you that makes you brave?'
'I should hope not. I was making bad decisions long before that thing showed up.'" (Rule of Wolves)
"'That squash is as wide as I am tall,' Nikolai said beneath his breath as he smiled and waved.
'And twice as handsome.'
'Half as handsome,' he protested.
'Ah,' said Zoya, 'but the squash doesn't talk.'" (King of Scars)
"I'll tell you a thousand stories, my love. We'll write the new endings, one by one." (Rule of Wolves)
"After all this time, she still had not found an end to her grief. It was a dark well, an echoing place into which she’d once cast a stone, sure that it would strike bottom and she would stop hurting. Instead, it just kept falling. She forgot about the stone, forgot about the well, sometimes for days or even weeks at a time. Then she would think Liliyana’s name, or her eye would pause on the little boat painted on her bedroom wall, its two-starred flag frozen in the wind. She’d sit down to write a letter and realize she had no one to write to, and the quiet that surrounded her became the silence of the well, of the stone still falling." (King of Scars)
"I would make you my queen because I want you. I want you all the time." (Rule of Wolves)
"'Eat, Your Highness.'
'Everything tastes like doom,' he whispered.
'Then add salt.'" (King of Scars)
"Ravka made me a soldier. Ketterdam made me a spy. Hanne can help me become something else entirely." (King of Scars)
"'You do realize you just referred to yourself as the queen. That means you agreed.'
'I am going to kill you.'
'So long as you kiss me again before you do.'" (Rule of Wolves)
"'I'm fairly sure you're trying to frighten me,' said Nikolai, reaching out
a finger to touch the tip of the thorn. 'I'm not sure why, but may I suggest a spider wearing a suit?'
'Why a suit?' asked Zoya, frowning. 'Why not just a spider?'
'Where did he get the suit? How did he fasten the buttons? Why does he feel the need to dress for the occasion?'" (King of Scars)
"'Your heart is in your eyes, Your Highness,' murmured Tamar, wiping the sweat from her brow.
Tolya poled his twin in the arm with a sparring sword. 'Tamar knows because that's the way she looks at her wife'
'I am free to look at my wife any way I please.'" (Rule of Wolves)
"In Nikolai's experience, honesty was much like herbal tea - something well-meaning people recommended when they were out of better options." (King of Scars)
"We would go on, you and I. If I couldn't be queen, you would find a way to win this battle and save this country. You would make a sheltering place for my people. You would march an bleed and crack terrible jokes until you had done all you said you would. I suppose that's why I love you." (Rule of Wolves)
"'I think fatigue suits you, Zoya. The pallor. The shadows beneath your eyes. You look like a heroine in a novel.'
'I look like a woman about to step on your foot.'
'Now, now. You're managing remarkably well. And the smiling hasn't killed you yet.'
'Yet.'" (King of Scars)
"'Why does it matter?' asked Nikolai.
'Because unlike Kaz, I have a conscience.'
'I have a conscience,' said Kaz. 'It just knows when to keep its mouth shut.'
Jesper snorted. 'If you have a conscience, it’s gagged and tied to a chair somewhere.'" (Rule of Wolves)
"So you know the best way to find Grisha who don't want to be found? Look for miracles and listen to bedtime stories." (King of Scars)
"'Of course it won’t last,' said Zoya. 'What does?'
'True love?' suggested Tamar.
'Great art?' said Tolya.
'A proper grudge,' replied Zoya" (Rule of Wolves)
#grishaverse#king of scars#rule of wolves#nikolai lantsov#zoya nazyalensky#nina zenik#genya safin#hanne brum
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Time for the tea aka I just finished Rule of Wolves
Spoiler alert...I...was kind of really disappointed by it :/
NEEDLESS TO SAY THERE’S SPOILERS OVER SPOILERS FOR KING OF SCARS AND RULE OF WOLVES BELOW THE READ MORE...Also a long ass essay no one asked for, I just needed to vent.
General Impression.
I was kind of disappointed, because the duology was sold as a Nikolai Lantsov duology, and while I definitely felt that was delivered in King of Scars, I feel like in Rule of Wolves he just sort of became a secondary character to the stories of others like Nina and Zoya (which don’t get me wrong, I love that they gain protagonism, but then why sell the whole thing as Nikolai centered?). That said, I loved Nina’s entire storyline and really enjoyed the Shu Han plot (which I think sets up quite nicely for a new, independent storyline).
Things I DID NOT like.
First I’ll speak of things that I didn’t like but more because of personal preferences. That is, things I didn’t like, but I can see why other did enjoy.
Zoyalai. I guess this has a lot to do with the fact that I am a Nikolina shipper first and a human being second and it’s hard for me to let go of a ship once I’ve invested myself in it. I wanted to like Zoyalai, and I did for the majority of King of Scars, but in Rule of Wolves, it suddenly started to feel kind of forced to me. I think they have a lot of things in common, but differ in very fundamental aspects that on the long run simply wouldn’t make them work. But more than that, I felt like their entire lovestory in Rule of Wolves was basically some kind of Nikolina AU in which everything that a very large chunk of the fandom wanted to see with Nikolai x Alina, was given to Zoya x Nikolai. It almsot felt as if Leigh Bardugo said “Oh well, the fans really wanted to see this, but since I gave the character they wanted to see in it a different ending, I’ll just give it to them but with a different character” and Zoya was just the one available for the plot. They did have some cute moments and I definitely do enjoy their relationship, but more as confidents and friends than lover interests.
Zoya’s storyline. I feel like Zoya was done dirty in Rule of Wolves, which is kind of ironic considering she ends the story with pretty much everything she dreamed of and more. But i felt like in King of Scars, Zoya went through a very interesting journey. She was always this character than sticks almost stubbornly into a certain way things should be, she doesn’t like stepping out of her comfort zone because she likes to feel in control. And in King of Scars she went through a journey in which she gradually learned to step outside the box. But I felt like for the most of Rule of Wolves, she simply reverted back, completely ignoring her changes in the previous book, until the very last minute in which she has this sudden epiphany moment about letting go, which seemed unnecessary to me since she had already experienced it in King of Scars. Secondly, on a similar note with the whole Zoyalai being a Nikolina AU with a different character, I felt like in Rule of Wolves Zoya was simply shoved into the alternate role many of us hoped to see Alina in. Not just as Nikolai’s partner, but as a person. Think of it, she gained this power no one else possesses, she becomes pretty much one of a kind, she becomes a queen that represent reunification. It’s basically as if she became a version of what Alina could have been, but with a different personality. A soldier queen? Alina was a soldier. A grisha queen? Alina was grisha. A suli queen? Alina was not half suli, but she is half shu, which are pretty much equally discriminated against. And finally, there’s this part in which I think it’s Nikolai refers to her as “Soldier. Summoner. Saint”. Sounds familiar? Because it’s the exact same words written on every cover of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, referring to Alina. It makes me very upset that they gave Zoya this discarded storyline for Alina instead of building up her own storyline (Not to mention: it did Alina equally dirty because she lost all of those conditions because Mal couldn’t handle being in the shadow of someone extraordinary, but that’s another story).
Not for things I didn’t like, but for much more rational reasons.
The Darkling. When I finished reading King of Scars, I thought bringing him back was a pretty good plotwist. But it was also a tricky choice, because it coul fall into the “He was such a appealing villain tor readers in the first trilogy, I’ll bring him back to have the same success” trap. And that’s exactly what happen. I feel like if a villain (or any character really) is going to be brought back, then they have to fill in a different role from the one they originally occupied. The Darkling is basically the same. Even his conditions aren’t fundamentally that different once he gets his powers back. All the Darkling really needs are his powers, his tongue and a group of people desperate enough for someone to follow. And he had all of those things in Rule of Wolves, so it was simply repetitive. It was like the Darkling, but in rags.Plus it didn’t feel so much as a storyline, but more like a constant reminder of “LOOK HOW EVIL HE IS HE NEVER CARED FOR ANYONE. THAT QUOTE YOU PEOPLE LOVE SO MUCH ABOUT CHANGING THE WORLD IS ACTUALLY MEANINGLESS LOOK HOW MUCH HE SUCKS”. Like, I don’t need to be reminded he’s a bad guy, I am fully capable of knowing this and still liking his character. He’s a fictional character, I don’t need to be reminded of it. I’m capable of rational thought. Not to mention his ending felt like a huge nothing. “And he impaled himself to a tree”. It just felt like more of an excuse to set up for a Six of Crows #3 book. It’s just disrespectful to the fascinating character from Shadow and Bone. It basically took away everything that made him such a good character.
David dying.Fine, not much rational reasons here. It’s just doing my baby dirty. Why, oh why is Mal still alive, boring, toxic Mal who spent most of his time putting his love interest down; while David, sweet David who compromised and made an effort to do things that would make his wife happy even though it was hard for him, dies? It’s just cruel.
All in all, I felt like the Ravka storyline pretty much fell apart in Rule of Wolves. I almsot felt tempted to skip it if it wasn’t because I didn’t want to miss any Nikolai quotes. I felt like Leigh Bardugo doesn’t really know what to do with the characters, and it became pretty obvious to me during the titanium heist with the special guest starring of the Crows. In like two chapters, I felt like Kaz, Jesper and Wylan were more smoothly written than any of the Ravkans. Which was really sad for me, considering how Nikolai is my favorite character in the entire verse, and Zoya was such an amazing character in the original series (and in KOS too).
What I DID LIKE.
Nina’s storlyine. Just, all of it. It was exciting, and dynamic, and you could perceive Nina’s character arc while still never straying into ooc territory. The way her griedf was treated, her loyalties, her desire to fight, her desire for revenge but also her desire to honor Matthias’s memory. All of it was so flawlessly written. I thought I’d be bored with her stuck in the Ice Court, but it was the storyline I actually enjoyed the most. The Fjerdan intrigues and political battles, and Nina in the midst of it. trying to do what was best for her country and the people she loved. I love what was done to her character.
On the same note, I love Nina and Hanne. This, unlike my problem with Zoyalai, is a case in which, while I adored an original ship, I actually ended up enjoying the new one. Matthias and Nina were perfect for each other. But I loved how Hanne came to offer a new love. (I’m not sure if I should refer Hanny as she or he, so I’ll just use they until I get a better notion of what pronouns the character identifies with). It genuinely felt like they were not a replacement for Matthias, or an upgrade. They were a love interest on their own, with their own story, not a “what if” version of another love story. Plus, Hanne is just objectively great.
The Shu-Han storyline. I didn’t even know I needed it, but it was so fascinating to read about the Shu. I find there is a lot to unpack and I really hope in the future, Leigh Bardugo will write a new series following those characters. I loved Mayu and Ehri and grandmother Leyti. Plus, Mahki would make a great antagonist. And it would suppose a new colorfun addition to the countries we already know well, like Ravka and Fjerda, plus the city of Ketterdam.
The Crows. I know it was probably pure fan service, but I love just how well written they are, how you can really tell that Leight Bardugo has the complete hang and understanding of the characters. Plus, it’s always nice to see how my babies are doing.
FINAL THOUGHTS
All in all, I felt that the book had some highlights, but some decisions just pretty much ruined it for me. I hope the good parts are picked up and carried on in different sagas, and the rest...well, I guess I’ll keep on pretending the Ravka story finished when Alina and Nikolai were watching the stars fall and from then on, imagine they got marries, became an awesome power couple, and were the godparents of all of Genya and David’s beautiful, clever children. While Zoya looked upon all of them like “These are a pack of idiots but they are my pack of idiots and I am so proud”.
If you read this rant until the end, you’re awesome. If you liked Rule of Wolves, damn you are so lucky and I am glad you enjoyed it like I wish I had. But at least we can all join together under one common thought: Jarl Braum is a little bitch.
#shadow and bone#king of scars#rule of wolves#leigh bardugo#nikolai lantsov#zoya nazyalensky#nina zenik#grishaverse#out the door (ooc)#thaly trash
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Genshin characters as Kilian Experience quotes
Traveler: some of the people stopping the universe from ending are currently on union strikes
Traveler's npc sibling: would you be interested in celebrating the birth of a guy you would call "His Majesty"?
Paimon: i only had to catch 2610 fishies
Amber: in a fight a pile of leaves would be destroyed by a pile of fires
Kaeya: what do you want, ambitious not-snowman?
Diluc: if anyone steps in my yard i'm getting the slingshot
Jean: and only an act of god can free- a tornado. ... walked right into that one.
Barbara: me, personally? not a huge fan of theft
Razor: and you face the wolves and it turns out they just want to talk
Venti: because whichever divine being that rules over us, be it god or fate, it sure loves people that make stupid decisions
Childe: the ingredients you will need is a crab, and, uuh, Pepsi MAX. And love!
Zhongli: hey i didn't expect that, he's been brutally murdered! how did this happen?!
Xingqiu: the nicest most generous benevolent altruistic and all the other synonyms i could find on thesaurus
Xinyan: i like music, it's neat
Xiangling: all you need to be a real chef is chef's clothing and temporary insanity
Chongyun: dreadful apparition, why do you trouble me
Klee: and they have infants in the military
Baizhou: remember, it's not child labor, because i'm not paying you
Qiqi: a dead child is better than a weak child
Bennett: may have flipped over some other candles in the process, but a fire department got there quick so no worries
Ningguang: good thing we don't have preservation laws
Sucrose: i don't want to admit this, but... i have... worked on sundays. i'm sorry
Diona: you can actually turn red wine into white wine at home
Mona: i don't care about being poor, i'm finding myself right now
Fischl: what do you wanna be called? 'Nightblessed'? Seriously?
Beidou: and less famous pirates, like the rest of them
Albedo: and we could come up with more ways if hard sci-fi wasn't too boring for general audiences
Tsaritsa: now that i think about it, our most formidable enemy would actually excel during an ice age
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Rule of Wolves (first read thoughts)
yes, I have read RoW even though I am still posting about CK. basically, my time management sucks and I wanted to make sure I had time to go through my whole 'reading a new book' ritual. but I wanted to share my immediate first thoughts after finishing it.
first off, it was good and I was not disappointed in any way. if you liked KoS and are on the fence about reading RoW, I say read it
also, if you want to talk about RoW (whether it's just to know about the content before reading it or if you have read it and want to gush about it with someone), please message me or send me an ask or reply to this post because I would love to talk about this book
SPOILERS BELOW LINE
you have been warned.
Going in, I was worried about what was going to happen with the Darkling because I didn't want his villainy to be dragged out (since he has been the main conflict in so many books so far). I did not feel that his role was too big and I liked that the main conflict wasn't directly involved with him. I am quite happy how he has been given a chance to amend his wrongs to some degree, but he wasn't given a complete character arc to become a 'good guy'
Zoya has come so far. from jealous Darkling supporter to queen. if anyone deserved that character arc, she definitely did. I feel like her story was a different twist on the whole 'girl with frozen heart is thawed by boy,' which I am happy about. while Nikolai did help her to open herself to love, it was also her friends and her family. also, it seems like she retained her ruthlessness and other characteristics, helping to show that you don't have to be a docile lamb (which there is nothing wrong with being) to be loved/ to love. too many times, tough girl characters are reduced to heart-eyed love interests, so I love whenever a character has an arc independent of that cliché.
Nina and Hanne's story is just perfection. I am so happy that they are happy. I spent the whole book being worried that their spying would be uncovered and I was ready to fight Rasmus myself when I thought he killed Hanne. long live the Fjerdan royals
I like how Nina both fulfilled her promise to Matthias and has found peace in moving on with her life. reading her early chapters in KoS is always so sad because she is so heartbroken over her loss, so I am so happy she has found love again. Nina deserves all the waffles in the world
the Grisha may finally stop being killed, so that's good. if there are ever any more Grishaverse books, it will be interesting to see how politics play out since Fjerda, Ravka, and Shu Han will (probably) (hopefully) all support Grisha rights to some extent
I was so sad when David died. he was still in his wedding clothes. the second they said that the labs had been bombed, I had to put the book down and just walk around for a few minutes. RIP
THERE WAS A HEIST. THERE MAY BE ANOTHER HEIST. KAZ AND JESPER AND WYLAN AND INEJ WERE THERE. every reference to Ketterdam fills me with joy. I like how many of the characters from both SoC and S&B were in this book. also, kudos to Alina for meeting with the Darkling without stabbing him where he stood. I marvel at her restraint. also, her and Mal radiated the whole 'adult life is already so goddamn weird so this might as well happen' mood (that is a John Mulaney quote) the whole time they were with the Darkling and I was living for it.
I really liked how much the Shu and Mayu and Ehri were so involved. it was so much fun getting to read about their world and Shu Han since it hasn't really been a big part in any of the other books. I also like how the whole khergud from CK were addressed and freed.
overall, the ending of this book has made me so happy. I am tearing up a bit just writing this. I couldn't have asked for a better story. Thank you so much, Ms. Bardugo, for sharing your stories of the Grishaverse world with us.
#row spoilers#rule of wolves spoilers#rule of wolves#grishaverse#leigh bardugo#my grishaverse journey#there is a john mulaney quote referenced#book thoughts
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Rambling about V3 Again
Today I saw a really interesting quote from author Brandon Sanderson and it honestly got me thinking. He talked about what he considers the single worst thing you can do with critique in writing, and that’s if a critic “tries to make your story into one they would write, rather a better version of one you want to write.”
That got me thinking about V3.
I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that V3 is a very polarizing game, and I’ve seen many people talk about how they would’ve preferred to see the story play out, from character arcs to deaths to story conclusions. And while I do honestly enjoy seeing alternative perspectives and takes and AU’s, I feel like a lot about the game, what it’s trying to say and be, is skewed by those ideals.
I’m not saying that the critiques about the game are invalid, because there are a fair share of flaws with the game. What I am saying is that we end up talking so much about what we wish V3 could’ve been that what V3 was trying to be often ends up lost in that, and I want to talk about it.
It wasn’t until I really saw this quote that I was able to articulate all my likes and dislikes about the game and the reactions to it into a cohesive whole, which is what I’d like to do here.
So let’s ask this: what was V3 really trying to be?
Let’s start from the game’s theme: the relationship between truth and lies. This is best exemplified by the fact that you have the option to lie during trials, that you can use deception to find the truth. That’s a very different take from the previous games, where hope was associated with finding and confronting the truth.
Kokichi is another example, as he’s a self-admitted liar who claims to lead a criminal organization and it’s hard to tell exactly what he’s thinking or saying. Yet Kokichi actually helps bring the group to several truths: he helps find the culprit in trials, he reveals Maki’s identity as the Ultimate Assassin, tells the truth about Gonta murdering Miu and it’s thanks to his actions that the group later discovers the reality of their situation.
Throughout their journey, the group is confronted by numerous truths they don’t want to acknowledge, even refusing to do so and attacking people who continue to push them through. And with every revelation, there’s always those lingering details that don’t really make a lot of sense.
Let’s look at the game’s main narrative. At the start of the game, Kaede remembers she was kidnapped in broad daylight, thrown into a van, and brought to some abandoned school with a bunch of other people. She doesn’t act like a particularly nice person and is dressed differently, at least until the Monokubs arrive and give everyone their new clothes and memories. From that point, the narrative shifts considerably.
Kaede is suddenly an outgoing, optimistic leader and Shuichi is a sullen, withdrawn detective who serves as her deuteragonist for Chapter 1. She’s resolved to escape the Killing Game and tries to rally the group together. However, when her methods don’t prove successful and they start drifting away from her, she considers saving them by any means necessary and goes so far as to attempt murder against the mastermind. When that happens, she’s found guilty and executed, leaving Shuichi to take up her role as protagonist.
As you go through the game, using devices called flashback lights that apparently reawaken lost memories, you learn more and more about the reason that the group was brought here: the Gofer Project. When meteors began raining down on earth, all seemed lost until they established this project to send a group of survivors into space to colonize a new planet. A group of Ultimates.
They had established early on that Ultimates have even greater rights in this world: they’re the only ones allowed to vote and hold office. As the meteors came down and the news of this project got out, some people formed a cult that believed it was divine judgement and that mankind should be destroyed. That’s when they began the Ultimate Hunt, pursuing the candidates for the Gofer Project across the world. The Ultimates, with no other way out, decided to erase their memories of talent and live their last days as normal people.
To protect them, the people in charge spread a false story that the Ultimates had died, even holding a fake funeral for them and sent them into space secretly. However, while everyone was in cold sleep, one member of the cult- Kokichi- had sneaked aboard and piloted the ship back to the ruined and now inhospitable earth. They have no way back and no way to survive outside, and thanks to Kokichi’s claims to be the mastermind, they’ve been killing each for nothing. The group ultimately loses hope.
However, they’re resolved to continue on in their fight against the mastermind when they find a flashback light that reveals they weren’t just any ultimates: they were the next generation of ultimates from Hope’s Peak Academy. It wasn’t really the meteorites that got everyone, it was an alien virus that pushed mankind to the brink of extinction. That the cult that rose in the wake of this was Ultimate Despair.
That seems like a definitive way to link this game with its predecessors...until you really begin to stop and pick it apart. If this was about saving mankind, why did nobody have their memories right away? Why would you only bring 16 people? Why students who don’t make them suited to colonization? Why people like a death row inmate, a serial killer, a self-proclaimed liar and criminal, and an assassin?
Furthermore, going through many Fte’s highlights how much of the characters’ backstories seem very out there. Gonta wasn’t raised by wolves but a race of dinosaur people living in the woods, Kirumi is so hyper-competent that she became prime minister during the meteor crisis, Korekiyo’s killed almost 100 women and yet has never been caught, Maki can attend high school despite Japanese orphanages being too underfunded for kids to usually attend, Tenko’s neo-aikido breaks all the rules of traditional aikido and she's impulsive, has low pain tolerance, and disregards fair rules, none of which are very befitting of a martial artist.
And to conclude, even I thought that the reveal of their connection to Hope’s Peak felt very fanficy and out there, especially when the game had made no references or implications of it beforehand. But the reason for all of this is simple and effective:
None of this is real. It’s all staged.
Chapter 6 reveals that everything from their identities to the outside world they thought they knew was all just a fabrication. In truth, Tsumugi shows herself as the mastermind and that they’re actually in the 53rd season of an in-universe show called Danganronpa. Something alluded to even in the beginning of the game with the Team Danganronpa logo. This moment was very make or break for a lot of people, but let’s treat it fairly.
According to Tsumugi, the outside world has become a peaceful, boring place and Danganronpa is the only source of real entertainment the people have. A place where people literally come to have their identities replaced with those of Ultimates and then made to kill each other. This, as it turns out, was an outgrowth of the actual series we’d played before. A game that’s gone over 53 times.
This revelation is devastating for the characters. The lives and memories they’d known were all fabrications, which Tsumugi claims to have intentionally written. The Flashback lights were designed to implant fake memories to manipulate them, which is why that Hope’s Peak connection was set up after everyone gave up following the reveal of the outside world. A truth that could lead the world to despair, a lie that could lead the world to hope.
She even goes so far as to show everyone’s audition tapes, claiming that Kaede, Kaito, and Shuichi himself were willing to participate in the killings out of sheer misanthropy, popularity, and morbid excitement
Kiibo is also revealed to be the audience’s means of interacting with the game, able to carry out their wishes and can even be hijacked and used as a way to fight against the characters’ decisions.
In the end, Tsumugi claims that the ongoing battle of hope vs despair needs to continue in perpetuity and that the survivors need to sacrifice someone, since only two people can survive Danganronpa. Shuichi, however, convinces Maki and Himiko not to vote for anyone and actually convinces the in-universe audience to give up on the series. Kiibo then blows the set to hell and allows Shuichi, Maki, and Himiko the chance to escape and see the world outside and what sort of influence they could have.
Now, let’s this break this down piece by piece here, because I feel like this part of the game is often conflated. Often I’ve seen people say that Chapter 6 is a giant middle finger to fans of the series, that nothing about the series really mattered, or that the flaws of the game can simply be attributed to bad writing on the creator’s part.
I honestly used to be in that camp myself, but the more I’ve thought about it, the more I feel those statements don’t hold up to scrutiny. We often conflate writing and narrative decisions we don’t like with bad writing. However, if the creator deliberately wants the narrative to move in that direction and has made intentional foreshadowing, references, and motivations that match it, we can’t simply equate that with it being “badly written.”
It’s not bad simply because we would’ve preferred they do something different. There’s a lot of very acclaimed books out there that I’ll admit I don’t care for because of their narrative decisions, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say they’re badly-written.
Furthermore, if something intentionally doesn’t make sense in-story, that is not bad writing. That is purposeful on the part of the creator, not a plot hole. The Gofer Project is not supposed to be a logical narrative, it’s meant to serve V3′s role: deconstruction of the nature of the series. It does this in many different ways:
Sequelization: 53 is a ridiculous amount of entries in a franchise and as I’m sure we’re all aware, as the number of entries goes up, the writing quality tends to go down. The Gofer Project story was purposefully meant to be nonsensical because it’s a story in an in-universe franchise that jumped the shark long ago.
A lot of people found it confusing or ridiculous that Shuichi and Kaede would have a romantic connection despite knowing each other barely a few days. That’s also the point; quick romances are a convenient narrative device to establish a means for character growth, followed by fridging her, a bad narrative trope designed to propel Shuichi toward development. Tsumugi even said as much during Chapter 6.
Similarly, Maki’s role in the story and her feelings for Kaito were reminiscent of that as well, with him helping her come out of her shell.
When you go back, you can see Danganronpa is loaded with references to other series. Tsumugi is an obsessive otaku and went so far as to fill the entire story with deliberate references and callbacks to things she enjoys.
The Monokubs are deliberate references to executive decisions to add more marketable and merchandisable characters as the series drags on.
The fact that there are (supposedly) people willing to sign up for a killing game deconstructs the idea that some in the fandom may have had. That is, actually being in a killing game would not be fun or exciting, but horrific and traumatizing. Most of us wouldn’t be badass detectives or heroes, we’d be scared out of our minds, afraid, and want to find a way out.
Furthermore, Shuichi being repeatedly told that he’s just a fictional character and that his role is to be the protagonist, to go through hardships and come out stronger for the audience’s entertainment pisses him off so much that he wants no part of it.
The climax is ultimately a deconstruction of what the series is famous for: the battle of hope vs. despair. In-universe, this has been reduced down to a simple narrative where the audience wants the same thing again and again: to see hope win in the end. Because hope keeps winning, the audience keeps wanting more. It’s become so formulaic that the audience doesn’t want to break out of its shell and just wants to see it over and over.
The final PTA against Kiibo is not meant to be an insult to the audience, but a representation of fighting against toxicity and entitlement in the fanbase, especially the ones that don’t want change. It’s not saying “you’re stupid for liking this series,” it’s saying “don’t be like these people.”
And how does the game? An unsatisfying ending that’s so bad that it drives the audience to give up on the show, finally allowing the killing to stop. Tsumugi decides she can’t live in a world without her favorite show and decides to die.
And that brings me to what I think is the ultimate thing that people conflate about the ending: that it’s all fiction, so nothing about it matters. That the entire franchise was fake, so it’s not worth your time.
That’s exactly the opposite of what V3 is trying to say.
First, Tsumugi is a completely unreliable narrator. The kind of person who let fiction consume her entire life, yet she believes it can’t change reality. She’s a liar and a hypocrite, and there’s no way of knowing if anything she says about the outside world is even true. It could be like she says or it might not be.
The fact that they have technology that can remove memories and add fake ones adds an entire dimension of ambiguity to everything she says, especially when you consider how the beginning of the game does not match up with what she says. We have no idea what the kids were really like before the killing game, so why should we believe anything she says?
And how can we be certain of her claims that she just wrote everything as planned? Kokichi and Kaito managed to put together a plan that completely threw her and Monokuma for a loop
Shuichi, Maki, and Himiko ultimately choosing to take the words of Kaede, Kaito, and Tenko to heart, even if they were part of a fictional narrative, is proof that they still had an influence on the trio. They choose to take something meaningful from their experiences regardless of the reality of their situation. And that’s something we all do.
The media we consume has an influence over who we are as people, and it’s part of why so many of us have such strong attachments to works we love. They were often influential in help shape who we are as people now, for good and for ill, and it’s important to take that into account.
V3′s message is that yes, that is important, and that you should read and enjoy stories and fiction, just as long as you don’t let it consume your life. They can influence you and even the world at large, and so it’s our responsibility as writers, artists, and creators to use that influence positively, to use the medium as a way to change the world for the better. That the only way for stale franchises that we’re tired of seeing over and over is to demand change, even if that means walking out on them. That the only way for things to change is for us to take action and demand change.
And by the end, we may not see immediate results, but we can at least work hard at trying to bring them about. V3 ends with Shuichi, Maki, and Himiko facing an uncertain future in a world they really know nothing about, but hopeful that their actions can and will change the world for the better. Real life doesn’t have solid, satisfying conclusions and it always doesn’t play out like a story, but that doesn’t mean you should give up on ever finding something satisfying or hopeful out there.
This, by no means, is me saying that V3 is a flawless story. I can point to numerous critiques that I still think hold water. However, Sanderson’s point is that we shouldn’t criticize a work based on what we wish it was rather than how it is and what it was trying to do.
I know there’s a lot about the story that bothers people, I know there’s a lot that wasn’t polished and a lot that feels uncomfortable and hard to swallow. Like Shuichi, coming out feeling confused, lost, unsure of what to do, but choosing to see merit and things to take to heart even in a story that turned out to be full of lies and uncomfortable truths.
If you didn’t enjoy V3, I wouldn’t force you to enjoy it. If you did love it, then you should love it. These are all just my thoughts on a story that, as time goes on, honestly feels more and more relevant to me.
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Today is 11/11 which marks 101 years of Poland regaining independence and I thought it is a perfect time to publish a post that I’ve been working on for a while.
Ferelden from Polish Perspective aka Why We Can Relate to Dog Lords So Much.
This is a sort of compilation of my own thoughts I had while playing the games and various talks with my Polish friends. It is not supposed to force any ideas or teach others how to interpret the game. I just thought it could be entertaining for anyone interested in history and culture. I was trying not to elaborate too much on the subject here but it still ended up being A Very Long Post TM. To make this post a little neater to read, I divided this post into 4 sections:
1. History
2. Fashion and Food
3. Politics
4. Relationships with Other Countries
I will be very happy if you find a minute or two to read some of my points. If you have any additional questions or comments feel free to leave me a message :)
And once again - enormous thanks to @aeducanka for proofreading. I would be a poor mess without you.
DISCLAIMERS
1. Yes, I know that Ferelden is based mostly on Anglo-Saxon England and I have no problem with that. True, I may be a little disappointed that the game includes references to so many European cultures and countries (France, Byzantine Empire, Venice, Roma culture etc.) and yet practically ignores Central and Eastern Europe completely, BUT this post is not meant to be a “Where is my representation?!” rant. If I wanted a game with Slavic culture vibes, I could always play the Witcher trilogy again. We are doing alright.
2. I am in no way an academic specialist on culture or history, even these of my own country. I did some research, but most of facts and figures can be easily found on wikipedia. You can treat this as just some observations and headcanons of a 29 y/o Polish woman, who has grown up and lives in Poland.
3. The main focus of this post is Poland in different moments of history. However, when talking about fashion and political system I will mostly refer to Polish culture between the 16th and 18th century. During that time Poland and Lithuania formed a dual state known as The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. So, whenever I refer to this particular period, I will use the term “Commonwealth” instead of “Poland”.
PART 1 – HISTORY
The country’s name origin
Ferelden means „fertile valley” in Alamarri tongue [WoT vol. 1], Poland most probably comes from the Slavic word „pole” meaning „field”. They both refer to land that can be cultivated.
History of unification
Ferelden lands were divided between many tribes until they were unified by Calenhad Theirin. He fought and defeated other Alamarri tribes’ leaders, proclaimed Andrastianism as the new official religion of his kingdom and started the Theirin dynasty.
A similar story can be told about Mieszko I of Poland – the leader of the Polans tribe (one of many Slavic tribes of that time) who, by means of war and diplomacy, united many Slavic tribes and created the Polish country in 965. In the same year he was baptised, abandoning native paganism in favour of Christianity. Mieszko started the Piast dynasty which ruled Poland for over 400 years. He never officially became a king, though – his son, Bolesław, was crowned king in 1025.
Also, Ferelden is a relatively young country compared to countries like Orlais or Tevinter. Even if Poland has over 1000 years of history as a country, it has to be noted that some Western European countries have a longer history (eg. the Carolingian Empire or the Visigothic Kingdom). Polish lands have also never been a part of the Roman Empire.
Fun fact – the half-legendary sword of the first king of Poland, Szczerbiec, was stolen by Prussian troops during their invasion on Poland in 1795. Calenhad’s sword, Nemetos,was lost during the Orlesian invasion on Ferelden [WoT vol. 1].
Ostagar
Now, I will tell you a story. It is about a young king (in his twenties), a little reckless, wanting to be the leader who stood against the great invading threat to his country, a little blinded by the perspective of glorious victory. Just before the battle one of his allied forces betrayed him and did not provide the promised aid. The enemy army was too strong, too large. The king’s army was defeated, the king was killed in battle and his body was taken by the enemy. The king did not have children and his younger brother had succeeded him.
No, I’m not talking about Cailan, this is the story of Władysław III of Poland.
PART 2 – FASHION AND FOOD
Fashion
All cultures in Thedas have their own style and fashion. Ferelden is supposed to be this “We like fur and warm fabrics” culture, opposite to the extravagant Orlesian style. However, I have few problems with how Fereldan fashion is shown in the game.
1. It is too early-medieval looking. I know, it is a fantasy, you can mix ancient Egypt with steampunk and nobody should care. But we see, from cultural and technological perspective, that Thedas in Dragon Age is more renaissance/baroque than your typical medieval. Heck, some elements, like the infamous Formal Attire, look like clothes from 18th or even 19th century! In comparison, outfits like Arms of Mac Tir or Robes of the Pretender (though good looking) look like something from the Vikings era.
2. We do not see many good looking Fereldan outfits in the games. I like Alistair’s royal outfit and some of Fereldan armors and clothes from DA:2 but remember this?
Or this?
Yeah, Dog Lords can do better :/
And that’s why I like to headcanon Fereldan fashion as something more resembling the Commonwealth fashion between the 16th and 18th century. It was an interesting mix of European and Asian influences and I think it would work perfectly with canon Ferelden because:
1. People LOVED fur elements in their clothing. Fur lining on coats, fur caps decorated with feathers, pelts of wild carnivores (lions, wolves, bears, etc.) on armour - fur was everywhere.
2. It is simple but regal. The quality of materials and patterns were more important than volume and the number of layers. A typical male noble outfit consisted of a long garment (żupan), a long, ornate sash, one of two types of cloak (delia or kontusz) and a fur cap decorated with feathers and jewels. If you compare it with the baroque fashion from France it is less extravagant and more practical. No wigs, no flounces, no man tights.
Compare these two dudes – the older one is dressed Commonwealth style, the younger – in French style.
The Deluge, 1974
Of course some wealthy noblemen who spent a lot of time in France or other Western countries tended to adapt their style, but from what I know it was not that common. Women, on the other hand, tended to dress more similar to their Western counterparts (especially when they wanted to look fashionable) but their everyday dresses were not that much elaborate. They also wore kontusz (though the female version was shorter) and fur caps when outside.
Below I post some more costumes to better illustrate my point. They all come from Polish movie adaptations of H. Sienkiewicz’s novels (I looove both the books and the movies).
With Fire and Sword, 1999
The Deluge, 1974
Fire in the Steppe, 1968
And I could not NOT to mention the wonderful interpretation of Fereldan armor and clothing for my OCs drawn by @ankalime - I still can’t get over how beautiful they look :3
Food
From what we know, Fereldan food is very similar to traditional English cuisine (lamb and pea anyone?), HOWEVER, I can totally see some traditional Polish dishes on Fereldan tables. Let us look at this part of Alistair’s banter with Leliana:
“Now here in Ferelden, we do things right. We take our ingredients, throw them into the largest pot we can find, and cook them for as long as possible until everything is a uniform grey color. As soon as it looks completely bland and unappetizing, that's when I know it's done.”
Dishes like bigos, flaki or goulash (mostly associated with Hungary but also present in various forms in Slavic countries) totally fit this description. Tasty and hearty but I know some foreigners see them as totally unappetizing :P
Poland is also culturally more into beer than wine (high five, British Isles!), so Fereldan ale fits this image, too.
PART 3. POLITICS
When I first played DA:O and heard about choosing the new queen/king on Landsmeet I was like “omg, they have wolna elekcja!”
The canon Ferelden is a feudal country, however, there seems to be less focus on the king's absolute power – instead, the nobles can choose the king they like, the hierarchy inside this particular social class is also less striking than one can expect.
And this brings me to the concept of Golden Liberty. (I will quote Wikipedia here, I am not that smart to explain this well in English on my own).
The Golden Liberty was a unique political system of the Commonwealth – a mixture of monarchy, oligarchy and democracy. The most distinctive elements of that systems were:
- All nobles regardless of rank or economic status, were considered to have equal legal rights (and you did not have to own a town or two to be considered a noble – a large part of the nobility owned nothing more than a farm, often little different from a peasant's dwelling, and some did not even have that much). The rights were, for example:
- Neminem captivabimus ("We shall not arrest anyone without a court verdict").
- right to vote – every nobleman, whether rich or poor, could vote. Of course if someone was rich, they could bribe others to gain more political influence, but it is the same as today.
- religious freedom – unlike many other European countries of the time, people in Commonwealth were legally free to follow any religion. The Commonwealth became a common refuge for people who were persecuted for religion in their homelands. The religious freedom was not restricted to nobility but to all social classes.
- rokosz - the right to form a legal rebellion against a king who violated nobility freedoms.
- the monarchy was elective, not hereditary, and the king was elected by the nobility. That “democracy” was not, of course, perfect, as only male noblemen had the right to vote and elect the king. However, it was still between 10-15% of the population who could vote. In comparison, “in 1831 in France only about 1% of the population had the right to vote”
The Landsmeet in DA:O is basically the free election (well, maybe minus the duel :D) and I would say the Fereldan nobility does not feel obliged to be obedient 100% of the time.
PART 4. RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER COUNTRIES
Orlesian occupation
We know from the game that Orlais invaded Ferelden in 8:24 Blessed and occupied it for decades. The Fereldan forces were rebelling against the occupant and finally, under the command of Maric Theirin, they won their freedom.
Again, it is a huge topic, so to summarize: Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth suffered a similar fate in 1795 as it was conquered and divided between Habsburg Austria, the Kingdom of Prussia and the Russian Empire. For 123 years Poles have been trying to regain their country, have started several uprisings and lost many lives in their fight for independence. Finally, at the end of WW1, independent Poland reappeared on the map of the world. Then came the WW2, probably the most tragic event in Polish history – the cities were razed to the ground, a vast part of national heritage destroyed or stolen, and over 6 million people (1/5 of the pre-war population) were killed.
So yeah, a country invaded and occupied for decades by its neighbour sounds way too familiar to be ignored.
Ferelden in the eyes of Orlesians
The Fereldans are a puzzle. As a people, they are one bad day away from reverting to barbarism. (...) They are the coarse, wilful, dirty, disorganized people [DA:O Codex Entry: Culture of Ferelden].
Yeah... this, unfortunately, sounds familiar. I fear that the stereotype of a drunk, stupid, poor, thieving Poles (and other Slavic nations), which originated from WW2 propaganda, is somehow still alive in the West. I will not dive deeper in this subject because I want to believe my followers have their own brain cells and I do not need to explain how hurtful and offensive those stereotypes are.
My point is – I could identify easily with a fantasy country that is located east from the “centre of culture and civilisation” and is unfairly believed to be more barbaric.
So – for all two of you who bothered to read the whole thing - thanks for coming to my TED talk.I really appreciate the time you spent here :)
#dragon age#my writing#ferelden#headcanon#heavy slavic breathing#finally!#it took so long#but i am really happy i can post it here
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Evil Deaton Rant #35
Sometimes, I subconsciously bristle when I see emotional reactions of oppressed minorities to white supremacy on this site. In the end, I keep my mouth shut because while I don’t agree with all the policies they want, I recognize the validity of their experiences. Arguing with them is the least productive thing I can do.
Especially when I can see that white supremacy infiltrates and corrupts even the most innocuous and trivial things, including -- and it seems, especially -- fandom. Since I’ve chosen to focus my experience on this site on a particular fandom, I’m going to keep talking about it. Here’s today’s experience: a blatant and disgusting white power fantasy in fanfiction.
There’s a story that got past my filters, labeled with ‘fix-it’ and promising to heal what is broken with Teen Wolf. It promised to correct what Jeff Davis screwed up. And the way to do that seems to be a White Power Fantasy. I won’t provide a direct link in this post, but I’ll provide it to anyone who wants to contact me privately.
The first thing you have to realize when reading this story is that Deaton is Evil, because of course he is. He’s jealous of Stiles’s power, criminally negligent, and he was an accomplice to Kate and Gerard when burning down the Hale House. Why did he do this? Because cutting down the tree would hurt Talia enough so that she couldn’t protect his family. You mean his motivation? Oh, well apparently he wanted magical power for himself. Though eight years later -- the story picks up after Strange Frequencies (5x07) -- he still hasn’t gained any magical power. It seems an ill-thought out plan.
So, having murdered the Hales out of animosity and intending to stifle Stiles’s superlative magical abilities -- as you do -- he decided to run an animal clinic for most of a decade. He didn’t bother to eliminate Peter in the hospital ward when he was helpless and in a coma for six years, he didn’t silence Derek when he had him at his mercy in Fury (2x10). Why he risked his life to save Derek in Season 4 or Stiles in Season 3 is ... well ... not explained. He waited around to be discovered by the Druid’s Council (which is going to punish him for being cryptic and not doing enough) or by the Other Hale Branches. (We’ll get to the Hales Are the Most Powerful Thing Ever in a bit, just remember that the Hale control of the Nemeton is important to the world.)
He’s the most incompetent yet successful villain in history -- he knew that Stiles’s power would manifest but didn’t follow the correct rules and let other people know. Stiles wouldn’t even know about his power if Deaton hadn’t told him in canon, but he must have had a reason for revealing it to him so he could stop it, however that works. His complicity with the Argents could be sniffed out in days by a super Hale, yet he didn’t have any plans to counter it. He was just a Sinister Black Man, who hated his benevolent white overlords, and desires their power, but he can’t actually take it ‘cause he’s bad.
Now, of course, there could be his side of the story, if he ever got to tell his side, but no, the Powerful Hale Alpha from White Europe is able to figure everything out without any investigation or interrogation. Deaton says two words in 35k of story. They Just Know That The Black Man is Evil.
And if you are wondering whether this animus extends to other black characters, it doesn’t! You see, Braeden doesn’t exist. Mason doesn’t exist. They’re not important. Boyd is only mentioned as a source of Derek’s manpain. Isaac and Jackson and any number of Pearly White OCs do matter, because they all love and support Derek and Stiles and the Hale Supremacy.
But don’t worry, it’s not just black people who are evil. It’s Asians, too. Noshiko is only referred to as “Kira’s Mother” and she is scolded for not training her daughter and getting her act together -- even though you might think that as a 900 year kitsune she perhaps might have more experience in kitsune, no, it’s Stiles and the Hale UberAlpha who know better how to take care of Kira. Not that we get Kira or Noshiko’s point of view as they never even show up on the page, they’re dispatched off screen so as to not get in the way of the white people.
You know what’s really interesting? Even with -- as a dying Theo confesses after trying to take on the All-Powerful Hale Pack by himself -- “the Hale Territory is the ultimate power,” except we’re not sure why that is or why they haven’t driven Satomi Ito and her pack away, but she’s Asian so who cares?
And Scott, well Scott is a stupid, lazy, short-tempered, ignorant Latino who doesn’t know his place. He should have only listened to Stiles, and not Theo or that Super Mysterious Evil Black Man. Malia leaves (she’s not a Hale, of course, because she defiled Stiles’s pure virginal flesh and that’s for Derek) and Kira is sent packing, and Scott is a fool for caring for them instead of focusing on Stiles the Great. He doesn’t train his betas (unless you count the physical training of lacrosse, which doesn’t seem to occur to the author ‘cause it’s not a Hale thing) and the Hale family are all happy and well-adjusted and Isaac and Jackson love each other and love Derek and love Stiles. I mean, the first thing that Jackson says to Stiles is how handsome he is. The first thing Isaac says to Scott is to scold him for not holding regular training sessions. No explanation is given as to why neither Isaac nor Jackson informed the Hale Super Wolves about what was going on in Beacon Hills -- but it’s Deaton who is evil.
You get the point. You see, the Hales are the most powerful werewolf pack in the world, and they are unstoppable -- even though it took eight years for them to figure out that the North American Hale Pack was destroyed. They’re also capitalists, controlling industries all over the world. Dalia Hale -- Talia’s cousin, get it? -- is going to fix everything, though no one bothers to ask her why Derek didn’t call her in 2011 or 2012. There’s no mention of the Dead Pool and Scott being worth $25 million dollars, which might draw the attention of the Hale Corporation. Only Deaton is the culprit here for not doing what a good house servant should.
And this story is super popular. Really, really popular. Scott and those ignorant teenagers are going to get taught by this woman who walks in and takes command even though she’s never been in Beacon Hills for any of the other shit, because well, you know Rich and White.
I seethed at this story, and I can’t imagine what it is like to be a minority fan of this show and see everyone who looks like me treated like garbage, but Stiles is, to quote the story “like Gandalf” and Jackson is wonderful and Derek is a poor sad woobie, and that’s WHAT THIS PERSON SEES AS FIXING TEEN WOLF. Latinos are stupid and unworthy; Asians (and I’m using the generic word on purpose) belong elsewhere; and Black People? Well, evil. Evil. Evil. Evil. Or Dead. Or gone.
Which is why sometimes I know I need to keep my mouth shut.
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What is Rhea and what is Kybele? - Myths and Stories Part 3: The Myths of Rhea-Kybele (The Meter Theon)
This post is the final of a three-part series in which I look over the myths of Rhea, Kybele and Rhea-Kybele aka the Meter Theon. It is also one of the first of a bigger series of posts were I compare and contrast the attributes of these heavily syncretized goddesses. All classical references are listed under each myth and the source is linked below.
[Part 1: Rhea] [Part 2: Kybele] {Part 3: Rhea-Kybele}
The Myths of Rhea-Kybele, The Meter Theon
This installment may fair a bit different than the earlier ones as it includes some extra speculation regarding the nature of the synchronization between these two goddesses. For anyone wondering, there is slight differences between the titles “Rhea-Kybele” and “The Meter Theon”. Rhea-Kybele is referring to a specific figure and is, functionally, considered an epithet of Rhea with Kybele-like traits and not usually the other way around. The Meter Theon is more of an umbrella term, title and/or archetype that means “The Mother of the Gods” and can refer to several goddesses including Rhea, Kybele, Rhea-Kybele and any other goddess synced with Kybele.
Something of interest to add as well is that Rhea is not the only goddess syncretized with Kybele & the Meter Theon, there’s actually almost always a different list of goddesses She’s syncretized with on every source I find. In order of most common to least, I very often see syncs with Demeter and Gaia and have seen listed Aphrodite, Hecate, the Great Mother of Mt Ida and even Hera once. All of this conflation adds a lot more complexity to research, but I still find this particular sync to be of note and worthy of research since, while every list I’ve found varies greatly in what goddesses are included, Rhea is the only one that is, without fail, on every single list (sometimes being the only one listed). This installment, for that reason, will be focused on that specific sync.
As mentioned earlier, Rhea-Kybele seems to be specifically an epithet of Rhea in which She is given the traits and symbols of Kybele, but still retains the unique myths She had thus far. For this reason, the myths that follow seem to be told as if it’s simply a continuation of the myths from Part 1 of this series with one unique specifying element regarding the myth of Zeus overthrowing Kronos. There are many different versions of the myth regarding who took Zeus in and nursed him ranging from being given to mother Gaia in Homer’s Theogony to local cult stories of Krete where he was born in a cave full a bees that a mother goat lived in and was cared for by said bees (or bee-nymphs depending how you read it) and nursed by said goat. Rhea-Kybele, however, instead of just having a variety of stories about it has one specific telling. This isn’t uncommon in myth when there’s multiple backstories for the same deity to attribute one backstory to a certain epithet and another backstory to another epithet but it is significant because this telling actually gives Her an association to a few of Kybele’s symbols, including pine/fir trees, mountain forests & lions (and more specifically a lion-drawn chariot) that She didn’t have before.
In this telling of Zeus’ birth, She specifically gave the baby Zeus to one of Her follower groups, the Kuretes (a Nymph Cult very similar to the Amazons), to guard him while the Oreads, Nymphs of the pines (common rough translation of the silver fir) and mountain conifers, nursed him. When Zeus revealed himself to Kronos, Kronos caught wind of the fact that is was the Kuretes who had banged there spears and shields together anytime Zeus cried so Kronos wouldn’t hear him. In a fit of rage, Kronos then turned that group of Kuretes into Lions and it was these very lions that became Rhea Kybele’s sacred animal and pulled Her chariot (Corinna, Fragment 654 - Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca - Callimachus, Hymn to Zeus - Oppian, Cynegetica).
After this telling, it continues through the myth telling from Post 1 then picks back up with a story mentioning Rhea retiring to the mountains, reveling in a mad frenzy and playing a tune on the tambourine (other associated symbols of Kybele). Unfortunately, this myth has only been found as a fragment on the shrine of Asclepius at Epidaurus, so the full context and conclusion to the tale is actually unclear. The fragment reads as follows:
“Pimplean goddesses [Mousai (Muses)], come here from heaven and sing with me of the Mater Theon (Mother of the Gods), how she went wandering through the mountains and glens trailing her flowing hair and distraught in her mind. When lord Zeus saw the Meter Theon (Mother of the Gods), he threw a thunderbolt and smashed the rocks; and Kypris [Aphrodite] urged her and took the tambourines, ‘Mother, go off to the gods. Father Zeus summons you and do not keep on wandering over the mountains. Have fierce lions or grey wolves become your friends?’ She replied, ‘I shall not go off unless I get my portions, half of heaven and half of the earth and a third portion, half of the sea. Only then shall I go off.’ Greetings, great Meter (Mother), queen of Olympos!” [N.B. Olympos here probably refers to the Phrygian mountain of that name rather than the Greek one...]
-Greek Lyric Anonymous Fragments 935
It’s not exactly clear what She meant by asking for half-portions (to rule over? for worship? for literal land ownership?). It can read it as a little sarcastic saying that She doesn’t want to stop having Her fun unless it’s for something really important/unless they’re gonna give Her something (similar to the modern comment “someone better be dying” in response to being pulled away from what they’re doing) especially considering the sentence after Her comment, making it seem like there isn’t more to the story and that’s just the end of it. This is obviously up for individual interpretation.
Note: I’m entirely aware this is unlikely but this fragment also showed up right as Rhea started suddenly getting a bunch of symbolism related to Kybele that She never had before and it’s possible some Greeks were aware of this. I would love it if this myth fragment was a meta-humor myth stating that even the gods were surprised She was suddenly acting this way, taking part in things She never took part in before and making sassy comebacks to anyone who tried and stopped Her. An unlikely scenario but a really funny idea nonetheless.
The next myth is arguably one of the most important defining myths of Rhea Kybele, similar in Rhea’s role in the myth of Zeus overthrowing Kronos, as it’s the basis for a lot of Her worship and possibly even the basis for the sync overall. Kybele was the mother of the Phrygian God Sabazios, a god closely identified with Dionysos, so Rhea Kybele, as a result, become the nurse and mentor of Dionysos Sabazios in an equivalent sync. As a child, Dionysos was hidden from the likes of Hera by Zeus with almost too many variations of foster parents to count (even within the specifically Dionysos Sabazios epithet) but as an adolescent, after the discovery of how to create wine, Hera found the young god and drove Him into a manic frenzy which made Him run off from home. Eventually He found His way to Rhea Kybele (either by wandering into the mountains or being taken there by Hermes, sources vary) who had the power as She who calms the mind and heart to cure Him of His madness, making Her a sort of counterbalance to His god of insanity traits. Dionysos Sabazios stayed with Rhea Kybele as His new nurse and, under Her guidance and the care of the Korybantes (the other followers of Rhea Kybele, extremely similar to the Maenads), He learned the art of initiation and how to lead an Orgia Cult; skills He later used to wander far afield and teach the world about the making of wine. This myth and link was so important to Rhea’s characterization at the time that the Korybantes are even referenced in The Bakkhae, one of the most important pieces of Dionysian Classical Literature. To quote, “Do you hear that pounding? Do you hear the kettledrum? The Korybantes invented it to mingle with the sweet shrill voice of the flute and they gave it to the Mother [Rhea], who gave it to the satyrs, who gave it to us. We dance to a drumbeat adoring our god [Dionysos]. He loves the drum!”. This myth could be a mythological representation of the worshippers of Dionysos learning the Orgiastic traits of the ancient Korybantes and bringing said traditions to the Hellenic World, making this myth not only very important to the worship of Rhea Kybele but a fantastic piece of anthropology as well (Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca - Nonnus, Dionysiaca - Nonnus, Dionysiaca - Euripides, Bakkhae).
This association never faded and even bled into a related myth about the Olympians taking park in an Orgia Feast led by both Dionysos and Rhea, attended by both the Maenads and the Korybantes and welcome to the likes of the Nymphys, Saytrs and Rustic Daimonia of earth as well as attended by Silenos (Dionysos’ adoptive father), who was not invited but came anyway (he does that a lot). It is said that this feast is the feast at which the god Priapos (a son of Dionysos and Aphrodite) attempted and failed to violate the virgin Goddess Hestia and was promptly thereafter beaten the crap out of by a band of Maenads (Pindar, Dithyrambs Heracles the Bold - Ovid, Fasti).
A Lydian-local myth shows a less favorable and more wrathful side of the Meter Theon. The Phrygian boy Pyrrhos was a mortal that took to lusting after Rhea Kybele for Her beauty and pursued Her relentlessly. When She told the boy no a great many times he decided to take his anger out and attempted to sexually assault the goddess. Rhea Kybele, in response, turned him to stone. The very stone referenced in the myth stands atop Mt Sipylos Near the weeping rock of Niobe (the woman who’s children were all shot down by Artemis and Apollon for seeing Herself more worthy of worship than their mother, Leto and demanding Leto’s priestesses abandon Her). Two monuments that stand as examples of what happens when humans act with entitlement towards the Theoi (Nonnus, Dionysiaca).
The next myths are myths where She plays a more marginal role but is still involved nonetheless. She has involvement in the myth of King Tantelos. After the king killed and cooked his son, Pelops, and attempted to feed it to the Theoi, it was stated in a Lydian variation of the myth that it was Rhea Kybele Herself (with the help of the fates) who brought Pelops back from the dead. According to The Theoi Project, “Mount Sipylos was a major cult centre of the Meter Theon in Lydia”, so Her addition to the myth isn’t surprising (Bacchylides, Fragment 42).
Along with being the nurse-mentor to Dionysos, it’s also stated in Her mythology that by the Phrygian ruler Gordias, She’s the mother of the Phrygian King Midas, the king with the golden touch (Herodotus - Pausanias - Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae).
The final two myths are both myths that include synchronization between Rhea, Kybele and Aphrodite, but I’ve included them since they can be read as either involving Rhea Kybele and Aphrodite Kybele working in tandem or Rhea-Aphrodite Kybele as one force, both benevolent and wrathful. The first being Her/their involvement in rescuing Kreusa, the future wife of Aeneas, from Her imprisonment as a sex-slave in Troy (Pausanias, Description of Greece). The other specifically states them as two forces acting in tandem to end the myth of Hippomenes & Atalanta. Hippomenes, after receiving the help of Aphrodite to win over Atalanta, insulted the goddess by not giving her the thanks and incense he promised to her. With the help of Rhea Kybele, on the two’s wedding bed, they turned the pair into two male lions, a fate that was seen as especially cruel because the Greeks believed lions didn’t mate with each other (only tigers) so the two were cursed to never be together thereafter (Ovid, Metamorphoses).
The Meter Theon also has a few other myths from Samothrake from a prominent cult in the area including an affair with the Demigod Iasion and her assistance with the journey of the Argonaughts, but these myths have not been included due to the fact The Meter Theon of Samothrake is very specifically a sync of Demeter Kybele. Another myth of her lover the Dardanian prince Ankhises has been left out for a similar reason since this Meter Theon is synced with Aphrodite Kybele & the Mountain Mother Ida as well as a myth documenting the Meter Theon’s involvement with the Ships of Aeneas since that one refers to a sync with just the Mountain Mother Ida. If you would like to read those myths you can find them in the source below titled “Rhea-Kybele Myths” from The Theoi Project.
Original Sources:
Rhea Myths, The Theoi Project
Cybele Myths, The Theoi Project
Rhea-Cybele Myths, The Theoi Project
Rhea-Cybele Estate, The Theoi Project
#rhea kybele study#martian posts#informative post#source post#titaness rhea#dionysos zabazios#zeus#aphrodite#hera#silenos#priapos#demeter
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ten faves
Rules: name ten favorite characters from ten different things (tv, movies, books, etc.).
Thanks for tagging me @bibliophileiz ; exactly the sort of distraction I both needed (and that my current concentration-level is capable of) at the moment! Hard choices ~ especially as many of my favorites come in pairs! ~ but my top ten today...
...after draft error #97 or so, sorry in advance for the scroll, and for anyone else who winds up responding, do not draft on your phone take my word for it...
Princess Bride: Inigo Montoya
Which character don't I love in Princess Bride? Even Humperdink is such a pitch-perfect villain. But while I'd choose Westley if I was picking a date... Inigo's the one who captures me, every time. It's not the desire for revenge itself that's compelling; it's the love for his father - the heartbreak, the dedication, even the defeat and the rise again (the "you told me to go back to the beginning scene" comes to mind as one that stays with me and is probably a huge influence on things I think of but haven't really written yet...)
Harry Potter: Sirius Black
Yes, that's a gif of Midnight Mark from Pirate Radio, because I very much mean the book version (sorry, Gary Oldman!). Is anyone following me surprised by this one?
I'm so fascinated by all of the Marauder era characters, both as they are on the page and the hinted-at aspects of them explored in fandom; love Lily/James... but Sirius is the Harry Potter character I think of first (honorable mention to non-HP Edmond Dantès, as I love Count of Monte Cristo and think much of Sirius' plotline owes that a clear debt). Aside from being a tragedy, aside from all his great lines, what a *fascinating* character and twist, in a way, on the fairy godmother plot in his first book 3 appearance (getting Harry the Firebolt, his permission slip, etc). I could say SO much more but will avoid writing an essay.
Smallville/Superman comics/adaptations: Lois Lane
Always a favorite character for me, but Erica Durance in Smallville is my favorite version. I feel like they gave her a bit of Marian Ravenwood (specifically in the outdrinking the frat boys scene) and leaned into the modern comics "army brat" angle so well.
Anne of Green Gables: Anne Shirley.
With honorable mentions to of course Jo March, other fellow aspiring writer Emily of New Moon, and Pippi Longstocking, other fun redhead of my childhood reading... Anne, and all her drama and dreams and mishaps, wins out as most relatable for me. Book heroine of my heart.
Speaking of childhood book heroines...
Star Wars: Jaina Solo.
Look, this is partly to save me between picking a favorite between Leia and Han (a dilemma which has haunted me since childhood, in part because, guiltily, it's Han), and serious honorable mentions to Mara Jade and especially Jyn Erso here... but Jaina was *everything* I wanted in a heroine as a girl. We're talking about the Young Jedi Knights series here... though I actually started with Junior Jedi Knights featuring Anakin Solo (oh Anakin Solo 💙💔)... going into the New Jedi Order, as I stopped following the EU so passionately around there.
Jaina, who is brash and so her father's daughter but has a harder time seeing she's also her mother's, the Rogue Squadron pilot, the wielder of a purple lightsaber, the mechanic... my inner little girl will never quite forgive the sequels for failing to give me a Solo daughter (sorry, Rey; I still think Daisey Ridley was pitch-perfect Jaina Solo casting... and honestly part of me considers the sequels the "weirdest Jacen & Jaina fan fiction ever" 🤷🏻♀️)
BtVS (out of the whole Whedonverse really): Buffy
My other favorites in the show are really also doubles/foils for Buffy: Cordelia Chase & Faith. But the first episode of the show I ever saw was "Anne" and so I've always known I would watch an entire show with just Buffy (... I would also watch an entire show of her friends dealing with her absence, but that's more about *plot* than character). I love the concept alone of Buffy's character - overturning the blonde damsel in distress trope by making her what monsters fear - but I mostly just love her; favorite Chosen One ever. “No weapons, no friends, no hope. Take all that away, and what's left?"/"Me."
...and now it gets very hard, where my early choices were more instinctive and now I keep thinking of others and can't decide. Tempted to make a bracket (I feel like Sirius and Inigo have some crossover, but how could I put them against each other)?
But ("if you had to choose, if you had to choose") to get at some of my other favorite character types and embodiments thereof...
2010-me would never believe I'm going to say this, but: Jaime Lannister.
I'm usually not a villain girl... but of course, he isn't a villain, though he starts out cast in that light. Slightly annoyed I’m picking Game of Thrones (yes, even grouping the books in that, as post Storm of Swords, I remember thinking "this could really benefit from the tightening the show will likely give it" ahahahahahahaha whoops). And yet. Where did that "came for the Starks; stayed for the Lannisters" quote come from? I feel very attacked by it.
"The things I do for love". The boy who wanted to be Arthur Dayne and somewhere along the way became the Smiling Knight. The reveal that he's not (or at least so much MORE than) who he seemed : perhaps not the comparison you'd expect but ah yes that Mr. Darcy twist always does it for me. So much character development (let's not speak of how the show ended, but still).
The motives, in particular: I love the Spike backstory reveal in Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Fool for Love, and in many ways I think Spike and Jaime hit the same note for me. He’s definitely a character that stays with me. Also, he hits that "golden boy" type I also like but in a *very* interesting way (and oh no now mentioning golden boy is making me think of Aron and Cal in East of Eden, I don't have room to even consider them on this list but know I love them both...)
Speaking of golden boys (also I cannot believe this is the only character from a musical I'm choosing, and Eponine’s a character that haunts me too, but...)
Enjolras.
Michael Maguire is not a golden Enjolras but was my introduction to the character and still a (the?) favorite. Love both book & musical Enjolras in different ways. But inspiring idealists with the light of rebellion abalaze in their eyes...? Facing death & despair still waving the flag? Ah yes. Top ten, 10/10.
Favorite detective out of all mysteries really, but especially from the Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys Super Mysteries: Nancy Drew.
An icon. Why is it so hard to have a good Nancy Drew adaptation? (The new TV series lost me with going with actual ghosts - I love my supernatural shows, but I don't need that with Nancy Drew.) Detective characters tend to be some of my favorites; honorable mention to Shawn Spencer from Psych here, but I was reminded in watching that recently (as Maggie Lawson, Jules on Psych, had once played Nancy Drew in a Disney movie! ... that I need to find and rewatch as I remember almost nothing about it) a) how much I love a good mystery and b) that Nancy is the OG.
Speaking of icons... out of all the folklore & mythology I love, it’s clear what character I love best: Robin Hood.
Oh, I love my Arthurian knights, but I love all Robin Hoods more. Trickster heroes, rob-from-the-rich-and-give-to-the-poor-justice, true love... cheeky 1952-movie Robin Hood is my favorite - both favorite Robin and favorite Marian, and their childhood-friends-to-lovers romance is the epitome of that trope for me! - but I also love the fox version...and am very alarmed at the prospect of a CGI remake of that; I'm sorry but that is not live action... and also Errol Flynn! It has to be Robin. If this was a ranked list (it’s not) he’d probably take #1.
My ten slots won out to other characters, but also I love every Tamora Pierce character and if I had to pick one, it would be Daine Sarrasri, YA fantasy heroine out of all magical girls (and yes over the lady knights; sorry Alanna and Kel; Daine had wolves for friends). Also shout out that I love a LOT of characters named Marian, aside the already-mentioned Maid Marian -- Marian Ravenwood (& Indy!), Marian ‘the Librarian’ Paroo (& Harold Hill!), X-Men’s Rogue (usually named Anna Marie when a name’s revealed, but a Marian in at least one version, & her own thief Gambit)... to quote Thin Man, “You got types?”
I’ve got types.
If you’re reading this and have types yourself, please @ me them! But tagging, if you’d like, @conniecorleone @aliform @aurorawest @vivacephoenix @justkeeponthegrass
#top ten characters#robin hood#buffy#jaina solo#jaime lannister#enjolras#inigo montoya#sirius black#nancy drew#lois lane#anne shirley#i feel like this says a lot about what i love really#if you would have liked a tag and i did not I am sorry I was going to try to tag a full ten folks#switched from phone and then my computer crashed#so this is it#throwing up my hands#and posting the darn thing#¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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We cannot have a world where everyone is a victim. "I'm this way because my father made me this way. I'm this way because my husband made me this way." Yes, we are indeed formed by traumas that happen to us. But you must take charge, you must take over, you are responsible.
My thinking tends to be libertarian. That is, I oppose intrusions of the state into the private realm -- as in abortion, sodomy, prostitution, pornography, drug use, or suicide, all of which I would strongly defend as matters of free choice in a representative democracy.
A serious problem in America is the gap between academe and the mass media, which is our culture. Professors of humanities, with all their leftist fantasies, have little direct knowledge of American life and no impact whatever on public policy.
The prostitute is not, as feminists claim, the victim of men, but rather their conqueror, an outlaw, who controls the sexual channels between nature and culture
Education has become a prisoner of contemporaneity. It is the past, not the dizzy present, that is the best door to the future.
For all the feminist jabber about women being victimized by fashion, it is men who most suffer from conventions of dress. Every day, a woman can choose from an army of personae, femme to butch, and can cut or curl her hair or adorn herself with a staggering variety of artistic aids. But despite the Sixties experiments in peacock dress, no man can rise in the corporate world today, outside the entertainment industry, with long hair or makeup or purple velvet suits.
Cats are autocrats of naked self-interest. They are both amoral and immoral, consciously breaking rules. Their ''evil'' look at such times is no human projection: the cat may be the only animal who savors the perverse or reflects upon it.
Are we like late Rome, infatuated with past glories, ruled by a complacent, greedy elite, and hopelessly powerless to respond to changing conditions?
I believe that history has shape, order, and meaning; that exceptional men, as much as economic forces, produce change; and that passe abstractions like beauty, nobility, and greatness have a shifting but continuing validity.
If Obama fails to win reelection, let the blame be first laid at the door of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who at a pivotal point threw gasoline on the flames by comparing angry American citizens to Nazis.
My generation of the Sixties, with all our great ideals, destroyed liberalism, because of our excesses.
The airheads of Congress will keep their own plush healthcare plan - it's the rest of us guinea pigs who will be thrown to the wolves.
Why has the Democratic Party become so arrogantly detached from ordinary Americans? Though they claim to speak for the poor and dispossessed, Democrats have increasingly become the party of an upper-middle-class professional elite, top-heavy with journalists, academics and lawyers.
Within the U.S., the Obama presidency will be mainly measured by the success or failure of his economic policies. And here, I fear, the monstrous stimulus package with which this administration stumbled out of the gate will prove to be Obama's Waterloo.
The damage done to U.S. prestige by the feckless, buffoonish George W. Bush will take years to repair.
The trauma of the Sixties persuaded me that my generation's egalitarianism was a sentimental error. I now see the hierarchical as both beautiful and necessary. Efficiency liberates; egalitarianism tangles, delays, blocks, deadens.
We need a new kind of feminism, one that stresses personal responsibility and is open to art and sex in all their dark, unconsoling mysteries.
Something went very wrong in feminism ... Every revolution eventually needs a new revolution. That's what I'm trying to do. I'm not trying to get rid of feminism. I'm trying to reform it, to save it, to bring it into the twenty-first century, in a way that allows the sexes to come together instead of being alienated from each other, that allows sex to be HOT and not have, like wet blankets of sermonizing thrown over it.
An enlightened feminism of the twenty-first century will embrace all sexuality and will turn away from the delusionalism, sanctimony, prudery, and male-bashing of the MacKinnon-Dworkin brigade. Women will never know who they are until they let men be men.
[Catherine] MacKinnon is a totalitarian. She wants a risk-free, state-controlled world... Literature, art, music, film, television - nothing intrudes on MacKinnon's consciousness unless it has been filtered through feminism. ... She is a Stalinist who believes that art must serve a political agenda and that all opposing voices are enemies of humanity who must be silenced. MacKinnon and [Andrea] Dworkin are victim-mongers, ambulance chasers, atrocity addicts... [they] are fanatics, zealots, fundamentalists of the new feminist religion. Their alliance with the reactionary, antiporn far right is no coincidence.
All fear of "offensive" speech is bourgeois and reactionary. Historically, profane or bawdy language was common in both the upper and the lower classes, who lived together in rural areas amid the untidy facts of nature. Notions of propriety and decorum come to the fore in urbanized periods ruled by an expanding middle class, which is obsessed with cleanliness, respectability, and conformism.
I think that this new global technology is not risk-free. This is why we must resist anyone who tries to take over or oversee the Internet. Once you get a consolidation of power, then you are one step away from fascism. The minute you have a power vacuum, you have the military step in.
Capitalism is an art form, an Apollonian fabrication to rival nature. It is hypocritical for feminists and intellectuals to enjoy the pleasures and conveniences of capitalism while sneering at it.... Everyone born into capitalism has incurred a debt to it. Give Caesar his due.
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