#i had help

[misscrazyfangirl321]

I slayed the dragon (my taxes are done)

[shai-manahan]

Okay. I gotta admit I didnt expect that prompt to be actually fluffy. Totally expected to read more angst 😂 Owen hand in marriage please???

I told you all I could do it!!! And now I did 😤

Ugh fine I gotta be honest. My writing friends gave me general tips on how to do it LMAO and even with that it literally took me a week (I think) to write the whole thing 😭

But maybe I could do it again......

[taehoons-taekwondoblog]

Sabeomnim, what's the reward?

You will know when you reach day 10. :)

Rumi said it was cute. That's the only hint.

[themildestofwriters-ocs]

Hymn to the Queen of the Stars

The Hymn to the Queen of the Stars is a liturgical poem written in 5813 EA by forerunner of the Imperial Cult, High Priestess Ishkhar-ramat. Originally, it was written in Zīzlishani, but has since been translated into countless other languages. It is one of the earliest surviving documents proclaiming the divinity of Empress Elishewa rikhut Bit-Kinakhn, and was compiled within the cult's holy text, the Book of Quiet Mercy.

As of 6021 EA, the original text, along with the 26 other poems written by the High Priestess, resides within her tomb beneath the Temple of Martyrs, Esha.

Description

The poem is etched on a single titanium plate, 6.25 ubanu (13 centimeters) wide, 6.73 ubanu (14 centimeters) high, 0.19 ubanu (0.4 centimeters) thick, but has been alchemically preserved. Three holes, 0.24 ubanu (0.5 centimeter) in diameter, are been drilled along the left margin of the tablet at equal distance, 0.36 ubanu (0.75 centimeters) away from the edge.

The Text

It is comprised of 12 lines, 4 stanzas and a 2-line colophony.

The first stanza (1-3) introduces the subject of the hymn, Empress Elishewa, by her common title "Queen of the Stars," describing the figure, her mythologised ancestry, along with her titles.

The second stanza (4-5) continues to extol her virtues and her place above the previous pantheon of gods, the Sleeping Gods, who are relegated to servants of her will according to the Imperial Cult.

The third stanza (6-8) expands on this, describing her place within the Imperial Cult as well as dictating several regional names attributed to her, each a representation of her divine aspects.

The final stanza (9-10) ends the poem with an invocation of peace and wellness.

Zizlishani Transliteration

i (1) šarrat-kakkabī azammar anāku azammar mārat bīt-maḫrîlī u awīlūtī kāšid bīt-ekleti bēlet erṣetī ša atti ina bīrīni ittalakki

ii (4) atti elī kala ṣalīl-ilānū dannat šarratu ḫībti kitta nēmeqa hasīsa eršēt

iii (6) ilatni ummani mušēzibatni šamašni tašīlīni nīnu kattu šumātu ana dārū u dārū nitallal ūripaēssa zāmira aḇala aya neḫṭet

vi (9) šarrat kakkabī dāriat bēlet išḫar dāriš ūmī qīšīniāšim šalama u napišta

colophony tuppi išḫar-rāmat mārat kakki riḫût awīlūtī enat išḫar

English Translation

i (1) I sing to the queen of the stars, I sing! Daughter of the House of the First Gods, Conqueror of the House of Darkness, Lady of [all] the Earths, who walked among us.

ii (4) You are mightier than the sleeping-gods. My beloved queen, you are wise in justice, knowledge, and understanding.

iii (6) Our Goddess, our mother, our saviour, our sun, our glory. For generations and generations we will exult your names: Euryphaessa, Zamira, Avala, Aya, Nekhtet.

vi (9) Immortal Queen of the Stars, Lady Ishkhar. For all days grant us peace and good health.

colophony Tablet of Ishkhar-ramat, daughter of Kakki. Descendant of [all] Humanity, Priestess of the Queen of the Stars.

References

Abdusch, Tzvi. “Essays on Babylonian and Biblical Literature and Religion.” Harvard Semitic Studies, vol. 65, no. 1. 2020.

Chiera, Edward. List of Personal Names from the Temple School of Nippur. The University Museum. 9116.

Cousin, Laura; Watai, Yoko. “Onomastics of Women in Babylonia in the First Millennium BC.” Orient, vol. 51, no. 1, 2016, 3-27.

Gelb, Ignace J., et al. The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. 2010.

Huehnergard, John. A Grammar of Akkadian. 3rd edition. Winona Lake, Ind., 2011.

Lauffenburger, Oliver. Hittite Grammar. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. 2014.

Sahala, Aleksi. Akkadian verb list. University of Helsinki. 5772.

Slightly Alive Translations. “‘Hymn to Ishtar’ (RA 22, 170-171).” Tumblr, <mostlydeadlanguages.tumblr.com/post/139566565563/hymn-to-ishtar-ra-22-170-171>. 2016.

Wikipedia contributors. “Dialogue between a Man and His God.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 2021.

Further Reading

Hennessey, Michael; Van Boekel, Advena. Queen of the Stars: The Imperial Blood Cult. Discord. 2021.

Van Boekel, Advena. Divine Intervention or: What Comes After Immortality. [REDACTED]

Author's Notes

Elishewa is the Zizlishani transcription of Babette's Hebrew name, Elisheva, which she used in various official forms for personal reasons. The name falls out of use post-Dark Age in lieu of her title, Queen of the Stars. She strongly disapproves of her deification, has repeatedly refuted her supposed divinity, but the religion(s) persist.

Zizlishani is the common language of the Empire since before its founding, and trade language of the wider galactic community post-Dark Age. It originated as a creole of Akkadian, Mycenaean, Hittite, Egyptian, and various Canaanite languages. For simplicity, I just use Akkadian to represent the language instead of creating a conlang.

I have reasonable authority that line 7 is a bit wack, but not why it's wack. So I'm leaving it until someone can correct me on my Akkadian.

The names attributed to Babette each have their own origins and meaning reflecting here worshipers understanding of her.

"išḫar" Hittite origin, meaning "blood." Not referencing her war aspect but rather the spilt blood of the trillions who died during and those who sacrificed their lives in order to end the Dark Age.

"aya" is the name of the wife of the Babylonian sun god, serving as a point of synchronization between Empress Elišēwa and the wider Mesopotamian mythology.

"neḫṭet" Egyptian for "Victory" (?), referencing her place as a war goddess within the pantheon. Also due to her being the representation of victory against the Ancient Enemy who came from the House of Darkness, the Abyss.

"ūripaēssa" my attempt at an Akkadian transcription of the Greek "Euryphaessa." Not linking Babette to Theia, rather the use of this name focuses on its meaning, "Wide-Shining," to reflect Babette's melammu (aura) which is often described as Big™ and Bright™.

"aḇala" Aramaic for "to grieve," used in conjunction with "išḫar" to reference Babette's widely known grief at those who died in her name and those who sacrificed their lives for a brighter future.

"zāmira" unsourced Akkadian. "To Sing" (zamāru) in singular participle genitive. I have no idea what gender, but it doesn't matter. Canonically, Babette's worshipers have a fluid understanding of her gender as she becomes more of an icon than a person. The name references her music which has been a major aspect of her character.

Had great help from a good bloke by the name of Michael Hennessy in writing this. He was basically my guy looking at the abominable sentences I hobbled together and told me "no," while giving me good resources (and direct help) to polish this off.

Tag list: @starr-lights, @kijilinn, @yuelias-prince, @unwriter-sc, @egglordthypen, @cttrajan1206, @randomestfandoms-ocs, @ocappreciationtag - want to be added to my tag list for fics and/or content? shoot me an ask!

[theloserarmy]

I hurt my own feelings and now I’m sad and all of my friends are asleep

[sasukelore]

Hey I'm having loads of trouble trying to figure out how to do masterlists and stuff is they're any help you could give me xx

Okay so. First you wanna copy whatever link you’re trying to put on your masterlist. If you know how to copy that-Write the title of the post you want it to appear as. I got this really sweet ask so I’m going to name it “sweet ask”

You’ll double click on the title as if you’re copying it.

And you should see

That icon.

Once you click that icon, you’ll paste the link of your post you wish to put on your masterlist into the slot box.

Sweet ask

now, I DID NOT PUT THE MASTERLIST LINK on my bio- do not ask me how to do that

[noonmutter]

Leon's kit for tonight's rave at @howlingowl-wra!

[sanerontheinside]

Also, this happened yesterday. Yay nj.

Psa for ppl changing their wheels/putting on a spare for the first time: you want to loosen/tighten lug nuts in a star formation to ensure equal distribution of tensions. Never tighten/loosen clockwise or counterclockwise.

As detritus put it: you can trust me on dis