words, words, magical words...

Everything that tickles my bibliophile pickle

[wordsnstuff]

Resources For Writing Sketchy Topics

Medicine

A Study In Physical Injury

Comas

Medical Facts And Tips For Your Writing Needs

Broken Bones

Burns

Unconsciousness & Head Trauma

Blood Loss

Stab Wounds

Pain & Shock

All About Mechanical Injuries (Injuries Caused By Violence)

Writing Specific Characters

Portraying a kleptomaniac.

Playing a character with cancer.

How to portray a power driven character.

Playing the manipulative character.

Portraying a character with borderline personality disorder.

Playing a character with Orthorexia Nervosa.

Writing a character who lost someone important.

Playing the bullies.

Portraying the drug dealer.

Playing a rebellious character.

How to portray a sociopath.

How to write characters with PTSD.

Playing characters with memory loss.

Playing a pyromaniac.

How to write a mute character.

How to write a character with an OCD.

How to play a stoner.

Playing a character with an eating disorder.

Portraying a character who is anti-social.

Portraying a character who is depressed.

How to portray someone with dyslexia.

How to portray a character with bipolar disorder.

Portraying a character with severe depression.

How to play a serial killer.

Writing insane characters.

Playing a character under the influence of marijuana.

Tips on writing a drug addict.

How to write a character with HPD.

Writing a character with Nymphomania.

Writing a character with schizophrenia.

Writing a character with Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Writing a character with depression.

Writing a character who suffers from night terrors.

Writing a character with paranoid personality disorder.

How to play a victim of rape.

How to play a mentally ill/insane character.

Writing a character who self-harms.

Writing a character who is high on amphetamines.

How to play the stalker.

How to portray a character high on cocaine.

Playing a character with ADHD.

How to play a sexual assault victim.

Writing a compulsive gambler.

Playing a character who is faking a disorder.

Playing a prisoner.

Portraying an emotionally detached character.

How to play a character with social anxiety.

Portraying a character who is high.

Portraying characters who have secrets.

Portraying a recovering alcoholic.

Portraying a sex addict.

How to play someone creepy.

Portraying sexually/emotionally abused characters.

Playing a character under the influence of drugs.

Playing a character who struggles with Bulimia.

Illegal Activity

Examining Mob Mentality

How Street Gangs Work

Domestic Abuse

Torture

Assault

Murder

Terrorism

Internet Fraud

Cyberwarfare

Computer Viruses

Corporate Crime

Political Corruption

Drug Trafficking

Human Trafficking

Sex Trafficking

Illegal Immigration

Contemporary Slavery 

Black Market Prices & Profits

AK-47 prices on the black market

Bribes

Computer Hackers and Online Fraud

Contract Killing

Exotic Animals

Fake Diplomas

Fake ID Cards, Passports and Other Identity Documents

Human Smuggling Fees

Human Traffickers Prices

Kidney and Organ Trafficking Prices

Prostitution Prices

Cocaine Prices

Ecstasy Pills Prices

Heroin Prices

Marijuana Prices

Meth Prices

Earnings From Illegal Jobs

Countries In Order Of Largest To Smallest Risk

Forensics

arson

Asphyxia

Blood Analysis

Book Review

Cause & Manner of Death

Chemistry/Physics

Computers/Cell Phones/Electronics

Cool & Odd-Mostly Odd

Corpse Identification

Corpse Location

Crime and Science Radio

crime lab

Crime Scene

Cults and Religions

DNA

Document Examination

Fingerprints/Patterned Evidence

Firearms Analysis

Forensic Anthropology

Forensic Art

Forensic Dentistry

Forensic History

Forensic Psychiatry

General Forensics

Guest Blogger

High Tech Forensics

Interesting Cases

Interesting Places

Interviews

Medical History

Medical Issues

Misc

Multiple Murderers

On This Day

Poisons & Drugs

Police Procedure

Q&A

serial killers

Space Program

Stupid Criminals

Theft

Time of Death

Toxicology

Trauma

[ezilyamuzed]

For research and to save onto.

[kaiayame]

“You learn from the part of the story you focus on.”

— Hannah Gadsby, Nanette

[soracities]

“They say that there are only three or four or five topics for literature, but maybe there’s only one: belonging. Perhaps all books can be read in function of the desire to belong, or the negation of that desire. To be part of or stop being part of a family, of a community, a country, of Chilean literature, a football team, a political party, a rock band, the fan club of a rock band, or at least a group of scouts. That’s what we write about when we’re given a free topic, and also when we think we are writing about love, death, travel, telegrams or suitcases with swivel wheels. That’s what we always talk about, seriously or in jest, in verse and in prose: belonging.” — Alejando Zambra, Not to Read

[ebookporn]

Local Bookstores Have A New Weapon In The Fight With Amazon

In the book industry, Amazon is Goliath, the giant who overshadows everyone else. But there’s a new David on the scene, Bookshop.org.

It doesn’t expect to topple the giant, but it has launched a weapon that could make Amazon’s shadow a little smaller, and help local bookstores fight back.

Bookshop.org, a website that went live at the end of January and is still in beta mode, is designed to be an alternative to Amazon, and to generate income for independent bookstores. And, perhaps more importantly, it seeks to give book reviewers, bloggers and publications who rely on affiliate income from “Buy now” links to Amazon a different option.

Profit from books sold through Bookshop will be split three ways, with 10% of the sale price going into a pool that will be divided among participating bookstores, 10% going to the publication that triggered the sale by linking to Bookshop.org, and 10% going to Bookshop.org to support its operations.

READ MORE

[batmansymbol]

y’all, Bookshop is amazing. i got an email about them from my local indie store, and they’re so excited about it. please oh please use this place instead of Amazon!!

with every purchase, they tell you how much you’re putting toward independent booksellers, which is fun and cute:

it’s also amazing for authors! i’ve been asked a couple times about the best way to support my books. this site is now the answer. it reports sales figures to the NYT and Bookscan, a type of tracking that helps authors hit bestseller lists. and even better, authors can set up affiliate pages, and if you buy through those pages, we get an additional 10 percent of each sale on top of royalties. this is a massive deal!!!

for reference, many royalty rates are in the 6-8 percent range. so if you buy through Bookshop author affiliate pages, authors get more than twice as much from sales of their books, with no additional cost to you.

the site is still in beta, but it also has a fun interface where you can make book lists for favorites or recommendations, sort of like goodreads (except better, because goodreads is owned by amazon).

this is my Bookshop page. if you ever buy one of my books, i pray u will do it from this site! (or from your local indie :D)

[blacklightco]

@thebibliosphere @vampireapologist @glumshoe

[kay-frost]

Independent bookseller here. We fucking love Bookshop right now. They’ve increased the percentage we get from sales through affiliate links during the COVID-19 crisis, which is a really big deal for the stores that can’t or don’t run their own online shops – which, with most stores shut down, is a lot. Even those of us trying to operate remotely could really use the extra boost.

Plus you can get both eBooks and DRM-free audiobooks through Bookshop, too! They’re powered by Hummingbird (the American Bookseller Association’s new e-reader program) and Libro-dot-FM (for legal, ethical, DRM-free aubiobooks.)

[the-peculiar-bi-tch]

yoooo i’m so going to use this from now on

[skygemspeaks]

someone recommend me some good fantasy books that aren’t centred on a war, please, my crops are dying

[ninja-muse]

The Greta Helsing novels by Vivian Shaw - practical doctor to the undead defeats mildly ominous interdimensional threats with the aid of domestic vampires and a demon accountant.

Sunshine by Robin McKinley - practical baker is captured by vampires, escapes, reluctantly teams up with better vampire to kill the bad one.

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones - young hat maker ages 60 years overnight, proceeds to upend the life of a disaster wizard while learning self-confidence.

the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett - hard to encapsulate, but equally funny and hard-hitting, tackling race and gender and corruption and other forms of inequality while also, like, making fun of post offices and Hollywood and Shakespeare. Three or four tackle war, true, but there’s something like 35 others to choose from.

the Accidental Turn series by J.M. Frey - recent Ph.D of colour lands in the Fantasyland™ she did her thesis on, goes off about agency and diversity while recovering from the Dark Lord’s attentions and learning the truth about her fictional crush.

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire - evil alchemist creates superpowered children to assist world takeover; children just want to be a family; family is complicated.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik - young woman takes over family business, must outwit fairies with a love of gold.

the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede - princess runs away to become a dragon’s housekeeper, fights off rescuers, solves problems large and small, melts wizards.

the October Daye novels by Seanan Mcguire - Half-fae detective solves murders, finds missing persons, develops found family, can’t stop self from upending the social order.

The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker - A quiet golem, a tempestuous djinn, Gilded Age New York. Immigrants, identity, friendship, hope, and self-discovery.

An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard - A witch from an outsider House enters New York’s magical Hunger Games, to prove a point. The problems of magic were not intended.

Zoo City by Lauren Beukes - Part-time con artist gets hired to find two missing pop stars, with the help of the magical sloth on her back. Noir ensues.

Child of a Hidden Sea by A.M. Dellamonica - Nature photographer lands on water-world, discovers lost family, tries to convince self magic is impossible.

Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips - Greek gods, washed up in North London, curse Apollo to fall for the cleaner. Existential crisis, meet rom-com.

Among Others by Jo Walton - Loner teen sent to boarding school, discovers science fiction, might know fairies and do magic.

[hermitknut]

Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton - Austenesque story except all the characters are dragons.

Every Heart a Doorway (and sequels) by Seanan McGuire - the children of portal fantasy end up in boarding school coping with being kicked out of their various worlds, then some of them start getting murdered. 

The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan - the world is flooded, there’s a lady who works with a bear at a circus that sails to different places to perform, and a lady who is sort of an undertaker, and they fall in love

Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees - there are fairies but no one talks about them anymore because That’s Just Not How We Are except this state of affairs cannot possibly last and people start getting lured to fairyland

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison - fifth son of emperor who’s lived his whole life away from court abruptly becomes emperor when his father and older brothers are killed in an accident, spends entire book trying to make friends and figure how the fuck to do a) confidence and b) ruling ethically

The Various by Steven Augarde - girl spends summer at uncle’s farm, finds the group of “various” (no direct parallel, but think somewhere between gnomes and pixies) that live in the woods, mysterious history, flying horse, The Cat Is Evil (this is technically middle grade but it’s so good I can’t even)

Turning Darkness Into Light by Marie Brennan - working on the translation of an ancient text is complicated when it might have a huge impact on the public perception of a highly stigmatised group; subterfuge, found family, mythology, and the rejection of men who steal other people’s work. 

[vr-trakowski]

So You Want to Be a Wizard or Stealing the Elf-King’s Roses by Diane Duane.  

Tam Lin, Juniper Gentian and Rosemary, and The Secret Country by Pamela Dean (all different stories).  

The Spellkey by Ann Downer.  

Swordheart  or Summer in Orcus by T. Kingfisher.  

The Curse of Chalion or the Penric series by Lois McMaster Bujold.

Green Year Dragonfly by Kaye Bellot.  

[blueelectricangels]

If by “no war” you mean “no or not focused on violence”:

The Terrier/Bloodhound/Mastiff series by Tamora Pierce Teenage former street rat aspires to and joins law enforcement in pseudo-medieval fantasy land, proves to have moral code forged of adamantium and more determination than an entire battalion. Also talks to unquiet ghosts carried by pigeons.

the Winding Circle books by Tamora Pierce (with the exception of Battle Magic) Four teenagers are snatched from the jaws of peril, discover they have incredibly strong yet overlooked magical powers, slowly become a found family, survive an earthquake, pirates, forest fires, plague, and puberty.

The Keeper Chronicles, by Tanya Huff Magic user accidentally gets roped into running a boarding house in Toronto. The decor is from the 50s, the handyman is an incredibly handsome and pureminded myopic Newfoundlander, and there is a (literal) portal to Hell in the basement. The third book adds lesbians and a mall that eats street kids to the mix. (Enchantment Emporium and its sequels are in the same world btw)

——————————————————————

If by “no war” you legitimately just mean that war is not the driving plot force:

the Hawk and Fisher books by Simon R Green  Fairytale-destined prince and princess decide that destiny is bullshit, ditch their kindgoms, become the only honest pseudo-cops in fantasy-Gotham because strangely being a prince/princess doesn’t actually give you life skills that are not applicable to being a mercenary. Buildings eat people, gods are murdered, street drugs turn people into animals, Hawk and Fisher are so very tired.

Oath of Swords and its sequels, by David Weber

Guy from a species generally (unfairly) derided by “civilized people” as barbaric and evil thinks he’s going mad, but actually he’s been chosen as paladin by a god and he’s just stubbornly refusing to listen. Continues to go off and do heroic shit while doing the equivalent of jamming his fingers in his ears and saying “LA LA LA”. This does absolutely nothing to dissuade the god in question.

[uovoc]

The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner A thief’s prison sentence is cut short when he is sent on a mission to steal an important (and magical?) object for the King. BIG plot twist at the end. Imagine going on a fun road trip through the fantasy pseudo-Byzantine Empire, except that all your fellow travelers have their own secret agendas.

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, by Catherine Webb  In this universe, there are a handful of time travelers –  people who are forced to live the same life over and over, retaining their memories with each rebirth.  As Harry nears the end of his eleventh life, a little girl appears at his bedside with the following message: the end of the world is getting faster.

Dark Lord of Derkholm, by Diana Wynne Jones The citizens of a fantasy world are getting really tired of being overrun by non-magical tourists from our world. This year, the role of Evil Wizard falls to Derk, who wants nothing more than to be left in peace on his farm/magical genetic engineering laboratory. Derk’s 2 human children, 5 griffin children, and 1 enchantress wife feel much the same. Wouldn’t it be a shame if someone were to sabotage this planet’s shitty contract once and for all? 

[yggidee]

(For personal records)

[gaiabamman]

Using the appropriate vocabulary in your novel

It is very important that the language in your novel reflects the time and place in which the story is set.

For example, my story is set in Italy. My characters would never “ride shotgun”, a term coined in US in the early 1900s referring to riding alongside the driver with a shotgun to gun bandits. 

Do your research! A free tool that I found to be very useful is Ngram Viewer. 

You can type any word and see when it started appearing in books. For example…one of my characters was going to say “gazillion” (I write YA) in 1994. Was “gazillion” used back then?

And the answer is…YES! It started trending in 1988 and was quite popular in 1994.

Enjoy ^_^

[storiesintheashes]

This is really important, especially because language can change in very unexpected ways. 

For example, did you know that before 1986 people never said “I need to”?Instead, they were far more likely to say “I ought to”, “I have to”, “I must”, or “I should”.

Don’t believe me?

Anyway, most people won’t notice subtle changes like that. But your reader will notice and be confused when characters in your medieval world use metaphors involving railroads and rockets.

One of the things you can do besides use Google Ngrams is to read books or watch movies written in the time period you want to set your story. The key here is that they can’t just be set in that time period, they have to have been made in that time period.

Also, there’s a Lexicon Valley episode on this very topic which I highly recommend. It’s called Capturing the Past. 

[still-intrepid]

SEE ALSO Etymonline.  Word origins and when they’re first recorded. So, say I wanted to find out when a “coffee break” became a thing – around the 1950s, as seen in magazine adverts – or characters might talk about more genrallly “taking a break” from the 1860s…

[villainous-queer-deactivated202]

reblogging for etymonline. I can’t tell you how much I use it for period-appropriate erotic language….

[writing-prompt-s]

Temples are built for gods. Knowing this a farmer builds a small temple to see what kind of god turns up.

[sadoeuphemist]

Arepo built a temple in his field, a humble thing, some stones stacked up to make a cairn, and two days later a god moved in.

“Hope you’re a harvest god,” Arepo said, and set up an altar and burnt two stalks of wheat. “It’d be nice, you know.” He looked down at the ash smeared on the stone, the rocks all laid askew, and coughed and scratched his head. “I know it’s not much,” he said, his straw hat in his hands. “But - I’ll do what I can. It’d be nice to think there’s a god looking after me.”

The next day he left a pair of figs, the day after that he spent ten minutes of his morning seated by the temple in prayer. On the third day, the god spoke up.

“You should go to a temple in the city,” the god said. Its voice was like the rustling of the wheat, like the squeaks of fieldmice running through the grass. “A real temple. A good one. Get some real gods to bless you. I’m no one much myself, but I might be able to put in a good word?” It plucked a leaf from a tree and sighed. “I mean, not to be rude. I like this temple. It’s cozy enough. The worship’s been nice. But you can’t honestly believe that any of this is going to bring you anything.”

“This is more than I was expecting when I built it,” Arepo said, laying down his scythe and lowering himself to the ground. “Tell me, what sort of god are you anyway?”

“I’m of the fallen leaves,” it said. “The worms that churn beneath the earth. The boundary of forest and of field. The first hint of frost before the first snow falls. The skin of an apple as it yields beneath your teeth. I’m a god of a dozen different nothings, scraps that lead to rot, momentary glimpses. A change in the air, and then it’s gone.”

The god heaved another sigh. “There’s no point in worship in that, not like War, or the Harvest, or the Storm. Save your prayers for the things beyond your control, good farmer. You’re so tiny in the world. So vulnerable. Best to pray to a greater thing than me.”

Arepo plucked a stalk of wheat and flattened it between his teeth. “I like this sort of worship fine,” he said. “So if you don’t mind, I think I’ll continue.”

“Do what you will,” said the god, and withdrew deeper into the stones. “But don’t say I never warned you otherwise.”

Arepo would say a prayer before the morning’s work, and he and the god contemplated the trees in silence. Days passed like that, and weeks, and then the Storm rolled in, black and bold and blustering. It flooded Arepo’s fields, shook the tiles from his roof, smote his olive tree and set it to cinder. The next day, Arepo and his sons walked among the wheat, salvaging what they could. The little temple had been strewn across the field, and so when the work was done for the day, Arepo gathered the stones and pieced them back together.

“Useless work,” the god whispered, but came creeping back inside the temple regardless. “There wasn’t a thing I could do to spare you this.”

“We’ll be fine,” Arepo said. “The storm’s blown over. We’ll rebuild. Don’t have much of an offering for today,” he said, and laid down some ruined wheat, “but I think I’ll shore up this thing’s foundations tomorrow, how about that?” 

The god rattled around in the temple and sighed.

A year passed, and then another. The temple had layered walls of stones, a roof of woven twigs. Arepo’s neighbors chuckled as they passed it. Some of their children left fruit and flowers. And then the Harvest failed, the gods withdrew their bounty. In Arepo’s field the wheat sprouted thin and brittle. People wailed and tore their robes, slaughtered lambs and spilled their blood, looked upon the ground with haunted eyes and went to bed hungry. Arepo came and sat by the temple, the flowers wilted now, the fruit shriveled nubs, Arepo’s ribs showing through his chest, his hands still shaking, and murmured out a prayer. 

“There is nothing here for you,” said the god, hudding in the dark. “There is nothing I can do. There is nothing to be done.” It shivered, and spat out its words. “What is this temple but another burden to you?”

“We -” Arepo said, and his voice wavered. “So it’s a lean year,” he said. “We’ve gone through this before, we’ll get through this again. So we’re hungry,” he said. “We’ve still got each other, don’t we? And a lot of people prayed to other gods, but it didn’t protect them from this. No,” he said, and shook his head, and laid down some shriveled weeds on the altar. “No, I think I like our arrangement fine.”

“There will come worse,” said the god, from the hollows of the stone. “And there will be nothing I can do to save you.”

The years passed. Arepo rested a wrinkled hand upon the temple of stone and some days spent an hour there, lost in contemplation with the god.

And one fateful day, from across the wine-dark seas, came War.

Arepo came stumbling to his temple now, his hand pressed against his gut, anointing the holy site with his blood. Behind him, his wheat fields burned, and the bones burned black in them. He came crawling on his knees to a temple of hewed stone, and the god rushed out to meet him.

“I could not save them,” said the god, its voice a low wail. “I am sorry. I am sorry. I am so so sorry.” The leaves fell burning from the trees, a soft slow rain of ash. “I have done nothing! All these years, and I have done nothing for you!”

“Shush,” Arepo said, tasting his own blood, his vision blurring. He propped himself up against the temple, forehead pressed against the stone in prayer. “Tell me,” he mumbled. “Tell me again. What sort of god are you?”

“I -” said the god, and reached out, cradling Arepo’s head, and closed its eyes and spoke.

“I’m of the fallen leaves,” it said, and conjured up the image of them. “The worms that churn beneath the earth. The boundary of forest and of field. The first hint of frost before the first snow falls. The skin of an apple as it yields beneath your teeth.” Arepo’s lips parted in a smile.

“I am the god of a dozen different nothings,” it said. “The petals in bloom that lead to rot, the momentary glimpses. A change in the air -” Its voice broke, and it wept. “Before it’s gone.”

“Beautiful,” Arepo said, his blood staining the stones, seeping into the earth. “All of them. They were all so beautiful.”

And as the fields burned and the smoke blotted out the sun, as men were trodden in the press and bloody War raged on, as the heavens let loose their wrath upon the earth, Arepo the sower lay down in his humble temple, his head sheltered by the stones, and returned home to his god.

[sameenbyhat]

Sora found the temple with the bones within it, the roof falling in upon them.

“Oh, poor god,” she said, “With no-one to bury your last priest.” Then she paused, because she was from far away. “Or is this how the dead are honored here?” The god roused from its contemplation.

“His name was Arepo,” it said, “He was a sower.”

Sora startled, a little, because she had never before heard the voice of a god. “How can I honor him?” She asked.

“Bury him,” the god said, “Beneath my altar.”

“All right,” Sora said, and went to fetch her shovel.

“Wait,” the god said when she got back and began collecting the bones from among the broken twigs and fallen leaves. She laid them out on a roll of undyed wool, the only cloth she had. “Wait,” the god said, “I cannot do anything for you. I am not a god of anything useful.”

Sora sat back on her heels and looked at the altar to listen to the god.

“When the Storm came and destroyed his wheat, I could not save it,” the god said, “When the Harvest failed and he was hungry, I could not feed him. When War came,” the god’s voice faltered. “When War came, I could not protect him. He came bleeding from the battle to die in my arms.” Sora looked down again at the bones.

“I think you are the god of something very useful,” she said.

“What?” the god asked.

Sora carefully lifted the skull onto the cloth. “You are the god of Arepo.”

[stu-pot]

Generations passed. The village recovered from its tragedies—homes rebuilt, gardens re-planted, wounds healed. The old man who once lived on the hill and spoke to stone and rubble had long since been forgotten, but the temple stood in his name. Most believed it to be empty, as the god who resided there long ago had fallen silent. Yet, any who passed the decaying shrine felt an ache in their hearts, as though mourning for a lost friend. The cold that seeped from the temple entrance laid their spirits low, and warded off any potential visitors, save for the rare and especially oblivious children who would leave tiny clusters of pink and white flowers that they picked from the surrounding meadow.

The god sat in his peaceful home, staring out at the distant road, to pedestrians, workhorses, and carriages, raining leaves that swirled around bustling feet. How long had it been? The world had progressed without him, for he knew there was no help to be given. The world must be a cruel place, that even the useful gods have abandoned, if farms can flood, harvests can run barren, and homes can burn, he thought.

He had come to understand that humans are senseless creatures, who would pray to a god that cannot grant wishes or bless upon them good fortune. Who would maintain a temple and bring offerings with nothing in return. Who would share their company and meditate with such a fruitless deity. Who would bury a stranger without the hope for profit. What bizarre, futile kindness they had wasted on him. What wonderful, foolish, virtuous, hopeless creatures, humans were.

So he painted the sunset with yellow leaves, enticed the worms to dance in their soil, flourished the boundary between forest and field with blossoms and berries, christened the air with a biting cold before winter came, ripened the apples with crisp, red freckles to break under sinking teeth, and a dozen other nothings, in memory of the man who once praised the god’s work on his dying breath.

“Hello, God of Every Humble Beauty in the World,” called a familiar voice.

The squinting corners of the god’s eyes wept down onto curled lips. “Arepo,” he whispered, for his voice was hoarse from its hundred-year mutism.

“I am the god of devotion, of small kindnesses, of unbreakable bonds. I am the god of selfless, unconditional love, of everlasting friendships, and trust,” Arepo avowed, soothing the other with every word.

“That’s wonderful, Arepo,” he responded between tears, “I’m so happy for you—such a powerful figure will certainly need a grand temple. Will you leave to the city to gather more worshippers? You’ll be adored by all.”

“No,” Arepo smiled.

“Farther than that, to the capitol, then? Thank you for visiting here before your departure.”

“No, I will not go there, either,” Arepo shook his head and chuckled.

“Farther still? What ambitious goals, you must have. There is no doubt in my mind that you will succeed, though,” the elder god continued.

“Actually,” interrupted Arepo, “I’d like to stay here, if you’ll have me.”

The other god was struck speechless. “…. Why would you want to live here?”

“I am the god of unbreakable bonds and everlasting friendships. And you are the god of Arepo.”

[wellhalesbells]

If you have the time and if you don't mind, what are some books you really recommend? Doesn't have to be all time faves, but anything that pops into mind that you want more ppl to read and love, Extra points if lgbt+ , i got the whole summer with little to do and i wanna spend it reading some good quality writing and honestly so far your recs have introduced me to so many faves its unbelievable

[blushes profusely] oh wow, thank you!!!  i’m so glad you’ve trusted me enough to check out some of the stuff i reblog; that is like the ultimate compliment, i can’t even???  i don’t mind at all(!), fair warning though: i only started recording what i read partway through last year and my mind is like a sieve so i’ll do my absolute best to remember what’s sang to me in the recent past.  warning number two: i’m in an open relationship with absolutely every genre out there so i’ll try to note which belongs where so you can avoid those that hold no interest for you.

LGBT+

i’ll give you the sun.  i loved this book, the writing is fucking transformative and all the characters are so damn likable, while still being realistically flawed human beings.

the raven cycle (tetralogy).  definitely my favorite series since harry potter.  the writing, the world-building, the characters, it’s all on top-form.  i wrote a little, mini non-spoilery review of it: here, back when i was better (worse?) wordly-wise and my feels were brand new.

more happy than not.  i’m still not sure how i feel about this book.  it was hard, but it felt very true to the characters and the lingo and style matched the ages of the players and i have a lot of respect for that.

the watchmaker of filigree street.  woooow i loved this book.  i admit ‘historical fiction’ kind of makes me cringe.  it never precludes me from reading a book but it does knock it down the list by a book or five because they’re often very dense and very clunky and end up taking me ages to get through.  but this one was gorgeous.  i loved the plot, the attention lovingly placed on every character and the historical elements.  the surprise gay in an already brilliant book felt like winning the lottery honestly.

captive prince (trilogy).  okay, truthfully, i’m only putting this on here because the second book is such a high point for me.  it was never bad at any point but it had unfortunately been hyped far too much for it to live up to my, admittedly, very high expectations.  hopefully it’ll fare better with you?

everything i never told you.  i go back and forth on this one.  i like the writing a lot, i like the LGBT aspect a lot, and i like the mystery aspect a lot but there are definitely characters i would cut out entirely for sheer predictability if i could and that killed a lot of my enjoyment at the time (but i think much more highly of it in retrospect?).  so, take that as you like.

aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe.  if there’s a book that handles its characters with more care or respect or consideration then i haven’t run into it.  i love the way this is written and the people it’s populated with.

flying lessons & other stories.  a bunch of uber talented authors writing a bunch of uber diverse and LGBT-focused stories and, yes, that is exactly as awesome as it sounds.

the song of achilles.  it is utterly heart-breaking but so rich, honestly.

FANTASY

the diviners.  (also has a minor LGBT character, who may play a bigger role in the sequel?)  fair warning, i have not read the sequel, lair of dreams, because it is somehow still not out in paperback (yes, i read physical books, yes, i pretty exclusively read paperbacks so i can lug them everywhere with me, YES, I PRE-ORDERED THIS ALMOST TWO YEARS AGO AND IT’S STILL NOT OUT, NOT THAT I’M BITTER ABOUT THAT OR ANYTHING) so i can’t speak to that one finishing on a high note as i don’t know.  but this was the first historical novel i managed to like in a long while.  it does such a good job of fusing in 1920s lingo and dress and aspects that i couldn’t help but love it.  add in the fantasy elements and i can admit i’m the perfect sucker for it.

the scorpio races.  i’m not sure why but it took me a long-ass time to get into this book, i wasn’t flipping pages with gusto until well towards the end but - especially as i was reading so much YA at the time - i really appreciated coming across a romance that lets both people come into it as themselves and stay themselves, neither puck nor sean were ever smashed or crumpled or shaved away to fit into their relationship, which was so refreshing.  plus the water horses were fucking cool.

the night circus.  the writing, the atmosphere, the circus.  just… it is all very whoa.

all the birds in the sky.  i loved this writing style and these characters and the magical elements.

CONTEMPORARY

i’ll meet you there.  there was something about this and i just… ended up liking it way more than i expected to.  i might’ve just read it at exactly the right time, i’m not sure, but i really enjoyed it.

the invoice.  this is honestly just hella cute and so freaking surreal.  swedes, man.

NON-FICTION

why not me?  i like mindy kaling a lot.  i make no apologies for that.  plus you can read both her books in about five seconds, haha.

SCIENCE FICTION

station eleven.  i loved this book.  the way the narrative is woven is so refreshing and i wish the comic book miranda was writing in this book was a real thing more than anything else in the woooorld.

illuminae.  hot DAMN this book was cool.  the plot was rock solid, the characters were hilarious and badass and the graphics made out of text and spiraling words and just the way this thing is put together?  shit, it’s worth your money and then some.

a robot in the garden.  okay this is just cute as hell.  i can’t even with tang, he’s the most adorable robot to ever adorable.

annihilation (southern reach trilogy).  (LGBT minor characters.)  okay, honestly?  i don’t know.  this was freaking zany but i was invested as fuck in all the kookiness for reasons i can’t articulately elaborate on.

the martian.  hilarious, engaging, SPACE.  what more do you want?

HORROR

things we lost in the fire.  this is more atmospheric than anything but, damn, could this get me wishing i wasn’t reading this in the dark or looking over my shoulder to make absolutely sure no one was standing behind me.  it’s a book of short stories (by the way, i love books of short stories and i definitely realize that is not true for everyone) and each one is so well-delivered and stylized.  i really enjoyed reading this.

let the right one in.  okay, this is legit horror so definitely stay away if you’re easily squicked out but it is harrrrrd to find good horror (at least in my opinion) and this definitely, definitely qualifies.

horrorstör.  i honestly had such low expectations for this, a horror story set in a wannabe-ikea, but it ended up being so ridiculous and strange and funny that i was won over by the finish.

the girl with all the gifts.  holy unique and well-executed zombie idea, batman!

SHORT STORIES

the bigness of the world.  there were definitely ones here that hit better than others but the ones i liked, i really liked!

GRAPHIC NOVELS (i read a lot of these so, um, prepare yourself)

saga.  (LGBT minor characters as well.)  this is world-building to a degree that i’m convinced did not exist before.  just, i can’t say enough amazing things about this series and the staggering amount of imagination that regularly goes into it.

ms. marvel.  heart-warming as fuck.  it’s definitely really easy to lose faith in the world these days, luckily kamala is there to remind you that people are primarily and genuinely good.

black science.  this is another one that took just an insane amount of imagination to cook up.  i got off to kind of a rocky start with this one but the gray-ness of all the characters really speaks to me, and that doesn’t really blossom until later in the series.

spider-man/deadpool.  this was very satisfying for my super duper spideypool-shipping mind.  joe and ed did us so good, and joe basically said in his sign-off: i made it absolutely as gay as they would let me, haha.

the wicked + the divine.  (LGBT minor characters that you’re going to get way too attached to, and retroactively.  it’s awful [sobs].)  the concept for this, gods reincarnating into teenagers before they burn up their hosts after a predetermined set of time, is so fucking cool.  the humor and the characters and the plot is all just aces.

iceman (LGBT MAIN CHARACTER).  okay, so this just started.  like issue #2 was only released days ago but 1) i am liking it so far and 2) marvel did it so dirty and barely advertised bobby - an openly homosexual superhero - was getting his own series, like, i found out about it the day before it went on sale and i keep my ear fairly close to the ground (not as close as some BY A LOT, but closer than the lay person i’d say) so if you can support it, please do!  pre-orders mean a lot in terms of numbers. :))))

descender.  admittedly, this starts out rooough.  because the main character, TIM-21 (and his little dog too), are annoying as hell.  he’s an android so there’s no dimension to him so he’s booooring as all get out but i am so glad i stuck with it through to the next trade because, probably picking up on the unsustainability of him as a main character, he gets shuffled off and the side characters get the stage and they rock so hard.

paper girls. (LGBT main characters.)  i’m kind of just convinced that brian k. vaughan can do no wrong at this point.  his plots are so tight and mind-blowing and badass.

monstress.  here’s a little tid-bit about me: female comic book writers are 100% more likely to get my money and my time because they are so damn rare and this series is unique, badass, and eye-opening.

black monday murders.  i’m a little premature with this since there’s only one volume and i usually try to wait until there are at least two but i check up on a volume two a lot so that definitely means something intrigued me!

nailbiter.  okay, i haven’t read the final volume yet ‘cause i’m reluctant to let it go but, so far, a series about multiple serial killers all being from the same town has me VERY HOOKED.

i wish i could remember more but this is honestly way better than i expected to do, haha.  they’re definitely not all my all-time faves but they’re ones that have stuck with me for one reason or another and that i didn’t feel i wasted my time on, so that’s something, right?  i hope this helps get you started and that you don’t think too awfully of me when you inevitably run across ones that aren’t your cup of tea!

[kitfoxart]

I’ve just discovered my new favorite painter, Vittorio Reggianini - those smarter than myself probably already know of him as an Italian painter from the 1800s who made satin look even satiny-er than satin. I just cannot get over how much he loved painting women who were NOT. HAVING. A. MAN’S. SHIT. 

But there was one hottie that everyone seemed to like, and I can’t blame them…

Vittorio knows what the ladies like. 

[jessgoulder-deactivated20240724]

List of Greek Gods & Goddesses

— THIS LIST IS NOT COMPLETE !!! IT IS JUST A BASIC SUMMARY OF DEITIES. I DON’T HAVE TIME TO WRITE A PARAGRAPH FOR EVERY ENTRY. THANKS! —

THE ORIGINAL TWELVE OLYMPIANS ( THE GODS & GODDESSES WHO RESIDE ON MOUNT OLYMPUS )

Zeus (Jupiter) - King of the gods and ruler of the heavens. God of the winds, rain, thunder, lightning,law, oaths and hospitality. Hera (Juno) - Queen of the gods. Goddess of the sky, women, marriage, childbirth, family, heirs, kings, and empires. Poseidon (Neptune) - God of the sea and rivers, floods and droughts, storms and earthquakes. Demeter (Ceres) - Goddess of the earth,fertility, grains, agriculture, the harvest, sacred law, and the seasons. Hestia (Vesta) - Goddess of the hearth, home, domesticity, family, and the state. Hephaestus (Vulcan) - God of fire, volcanoes, metalworking, stone masonry, sculpture, and crafts. Husband of Aphrodite. Son of Zeus and Hera. Athena (Minerva) - Goddess of reason, wisdom, intelligence, skill, peace, warfare, battle strategy, and handicrafts. Daughter of Zeus and Metis. Hermes (Mercury) - God of boundaries, travel, communication, trade, language, and writing. Apollon (Apollo) - God of the sun, music, poetry, knowledge, healing, plague, prophecy and archery.Twin brother of Artemis. Artemis (Diana) - Goddess of the moon, the hunt, forests, hills, animals, childbirth, and protector of the young. Twin sister of Apollo. Aphrodite (Venus) - Goddess of beauty, love, sex, desire, and pleasure.Wife of Hephaestus and lover of Ares. Ares (Mars) - God of war, violence and bloodshed. Son of Zeus and Hera.

…………. 

Hades (Pluto) - God of the dead, the underworld, subterranean regions, darkness, riches, and metals.~ Although Hades was a major ancient Greek god, and was the brother of the first generation of Olympians, He resided in the underworld, far from Olympus, and thus was not usually considered to be one of the Olympians.~   Dionysus (Liber) - God of wine, viticulture, fruitfulness,vegetation, parties, festivals, madness, drunkenness, ecstasy, and theater. ~ Besides the twelve Olympians, there were many other cultic groupings of the twelve gods. Most listings include either Hestia or Dionysus as the twelfth Olympian.~

THE PRIMORDIAL GODS ( THE FIRST GENERATION OF GODS )

Achlys- The goddess of poisons, and the personification of misery and sadness. Said to have existed before Chaos itself. Aether- The god of light and the upper atmosphere. Aion- The god of eternity, personifying cyclical and unbounded time. Sometimes equated with Chronos. Ananke - The goddess of inevitability, compulsion, and necessity. Chaos - The personification of nothingness from which all of existence sprang. Depicted as a void. Initially genderless, later on described as female. Chronos - The god of empirical time, sometimes equated with Aion. Not to be confused with the Titan Cronus (Kronos), the father of Zeus. Erebus - The god of darkness and shadow. Eros (Cupid) - The god of love and attraction. Gaia (Terra) - The first earth mother. Mother of the Titans and wife of Ouranos. Hemera - The goddess of the day. Hypnos (Somnus) - The god of sleep. Nemesis - The goddess of retribution. The Nesoi - The goddesses of the islands and sea. Nyx (Nox) - The goddess of the night. The Ourea - The gods of mountains. Phanes - The god of procreation in the Orphic tradition. Pontus - The first sea god , father of the fish and other sea creatures. Husband of Thalassa. Tartarus - The god of the deepest, darkest part of the underworld, the Tartarean pit (which is also referred to as Tartarus itself). Thalassa - Personification of the sea and consort of Pontus. Thanatos (Mors) - God of Death. Brother to Hypnos (Sleep) and in some cases Moros (Doom) Ouranus (Caelus) - The first sky father. Father of the Titans and husband of Gaia.

THE TITANS (THE SECOND GENERATION OF GODS )

Anchiale - Goddess who perhaps represented the warmth of fire. Anytus - One of the younger Titans or Curetes. Anytus was an attendant of the goddess Demeter who fostered her Arcadian daughter Despoine. Asteria -Goddess who presided over the night, stars and nocturnal prophecy. She was the mother of the goddess Hecate. After the fall of the Titans, Asteria was pursued by Zeus and but leapt into the sea to escape him where she was transformed into the island of Delos. Astraeus - God of the stars, the winds, and the art of astrology. He was the father of the four directional winds and the five wandering stars (the Planets). Atlas - God of astronomy and the revolution of the heavenly constellations. He was arrested by Zeus and condemned to bear the heavens upon his shoulders. Homer suggests he was later released from this torment and appointed guardian of the pillars of heaven. Aura - Goddess of the breezes. Clymene - Goddess of fame and renown. She was the wife of Iapetos and mother of Prometheus. Coeus - God who presided over the axis of heaven in the north around which the constellations revolve. At the end of the Titan-War, he was confined by Zeus in the Tartarean pit. Coeus was sometimes described as leader of the Gigantes, who rebelled against Zeus. Crius - God of the heavenly constellations and the measure of the year. Associated with the constellation Aries. He was later cast into the Tartarean pit by Zeus. Crius was sometimes named as a leader of the Gigantes who rebelled against the rule of Zeus.   Cronus (Saturn) - The King of the Titans, originally an agricultural god and a god of time. He led his brothers in the ambush and castration of their father Uranus, but was himself deposed and cast to Tartarus from his own son Zeus .Alternative stories tell of Saturn escaping to Italy where he ruled during a golden age of primordial peace, harmony, stability, and prosperity. Curetes - A group of shield clashing Titan gods who came to the aid of Rhea to act as guardians of her son Zeus. Dione - Prophetic goddess who presided over the Oracle at Dodona alongside Zeus. Eos (Aurora) - The Goddess of the dawn. She was the mother of the wandering stars (that is, the planets) and the four directional winds by the Titan Astraeus. Epimetheus - The Titan god of afterthought. He was appointed with the task of creating the beasts of the earth. Eurybia- Goddess of the power of the sea. Eurynome - Goddess of earth’s flowery meadows. She was the mother of the three lovely Graces by Zeus. Hecate / Hekate - Goddess of the new moon, crossroads, protector of the home, childbirth, magic, spirits and potions. She supported the Olympians in the Titan war and retained all of her privileges. She was given dominion over all three realms: The Heavens, The Earth and Seas. Helios (Sol) - The old titan god of the sun. He rode across the sky in a chariot drawn by four fiery, winged steeds. He was an ally of Zeus in the Titan-War and the brother of the moon goddess Selene. He was eventually replaced by Apollo. Hyperion - The old god of light, and of the cycles of time measured by the lights of heaven – the sun, the moon and the dawn. Hyperion was one of the four brother Titans who held Uranus fast while Cronus castrated him with the sickle. At the end of the Titan War he was cast into the pit of Tartarus by Zeus. Iapetos - God of mortality and the allotment of the mortal life-span. He was cast into the Tartarean pit by Zeus at the end of the Titan War. Lelantos - The Titan god of the breezes of the air. Leto (Latona) - Goddess of motherhood, light, womanly demure, modesty and the night. She was the mother of the twin gods Apollo and Artemis by Zeus. Melisseus - God of honey. He was one of the protectors of the infant Zeus. His daughters were the god’s nurses. Menoitios - The God of violent anger and rash action as his name would suggest. Zeus blasted him into Erebus with a thunderbolt, where he became a bondsman of King Hades. Metis - Goddess of memory and good counsel.The Mother of Athena. Mnemosyne- Goddess of memory, words and language. She was the mother of the nine Muses by Zeus. Okeanos - God of the oceans.Husband of Tethys and father of the rivers and lakes. Pallas - The old god of war craft and the military campaign season. Some say Athena defeated him in battle and crafted her aegis-cape from his goatish skin. Perses - God of destruction. Phoebe - The first moon goddess.Goddess of intellect and the original prophet of the great Oracle of Delphi. She was the grandmother of the gods Apollo and Artemis and gave Apollo his prophetic gifts and Artemis the light of the moon. Prometheus - God of forethought and the creator and benefactor of man. Rhea (Ops) - The Queen of the Titans and mother of the gods. Goddess of maternity, female fertility and the mountain wilds. She saved her son Zeus from being eaten by his father Cronus by substituting the child for a stone wrapped in swaddling cloth. Selene (Luna) -The old titan goddess of the moon. She rode across the sky in a silver chariot drawn by two white horses.The twin sister of the sun god Helios.  She was eventually replaced by Artemis. Styx - Goddess of oaths of allegiance and of the deadly, netherworld River Styx. Tethys - Goddess of the sources of fresh-water. She was known as the great nurse of life and spawned the Rivers, Clouds and Springs. Theia - Goddess of sight and the shining light of heaven (“aither”). She was the mother of Helios, Selene and Eos. Themis - Goddess of the natural order, divine law and tradition. By Zeus she was the mother of the Fates and of the Seasons, and had a seat by his side on Olympus as adviser.

…..

MINOR GODS AND GODDESSES Achelous - Oldest of the river gods.Son of Oceanus and Tethys. Acheron - A river god. Son of Oceanus and Tethys. Adrestia - Goddess of the revolt and equilibrium between good and evil. Aeolus - God and ruler of the winds. Afer - the south-west wind. Agathodaemon - A spirit of vineyards and fields, providing luck, happiness and health. Aidos (Pudicitia)  - Goddess of modesty, shame, reverence and respect. A companion of Nemesis. Alethia (Veritas) - Goddess of truth. Alpheius - River god of Elis. He pursued the numpty Arethusa until she was changed into a spring by Artemis. Amphitrite (Salacia) - Goddess and queen of the seas. The wife of Poseidon. Angelos - Daughter of Zeus and Hera. Possibly an early form of Hecate. Connected with the underworld. Anteros  - God of passion, mutual love and tenderness. Son of Aphrodite and Ares. Arte (Virtus) - Goddess of virtue. Aristaeus - Protector of beekeepers. Asclepius - God of healing and medicine. Son of Apollo. He was struck down and killed by Zeus for bringing the dead back to life. He became the constellation Ophiuchus. Asopus - A river god. Asterion - A river god. Judged the contest between Hera and Poseidon for the patronage of Argos. Astraea - Goddess of justice. Ate (Fraus)- Goddess of evil, mischief and moral blindness. Boreas (Aquila) - God of the north wind. Caerus - God of opportunities and favorable moments. Calliope - Muse of epic poetry, telling of heroes and their deeds; was often portrayed with Homer. Cephisus- A river god.Father of Narcissus. Cer - Goddess of violent death. Charis - Goddess of delight. Chloris (Flora) - Goddess of flowers and the personification of spring. Wife of Zephyrus. Clio - Muse of History. Corus - God of the north-western wind. Crimisus - A river god. Son of Oceanus and Tethys. Cybele (Magna Mater) - Anatonian mother goddess who was closely associated with Rhea and Gaia. Deimos- God of terror. Son of Ares and Aphrodite. Dike (Justicia) - Goddess of justice and the spirit of moral order and fair judgement Doris - A sea goddess. Daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. Dysnomia - The spirit of lawlessness. Eirene (Pax)- Goddess of peace. Eleithyia (Lucina) - Goddess of childbirth. Daughter of Hera and Zeus. Elpis (Spes) - Personification of hope. Enyo (Bellona) - Goddess of war, destruction, conquest, and blood lust who accompanies Ares on the battlefield. Daughter of Zeus and Hera. Eosphorus (Lucifer) - God of the morning star. Erato - Muse of love lyrics and bridal songs. Eris (Discordia) - Goddess of discord and strife. Daughter of Zeus and Hera. Started the Trojan war by creating the apple of discord. Eunomia - Goddess of lawfulness and good order. Euphrosyne  - Goddess of joy and festivities. Eurus - God of the the east wind / south-east wind. Euterpe - Muse of lyric poetry. Granicus- A river god. Granicus was a river of Ida near Troy. Harmonia (Concordia) -  Goddess of harmony and concord. Daughter of Ares and Aphrodite. Hebe  (Juventus) - Goddess of youth. Cup-bearer to the gods and daughter of Zeus and Hera. Wife of Herakles. Hermaphroditus - Deity of hermaphrodites, unions, androgyny, marriage, sexuality and fertility. Child of Aphrodite and Hermes. Hesperia - Goddess of dusk. Hesperus (Vesper) - God of the evening star. Himerus- God of desire. An attendant of Eros. Horcus - The personification of the curse that would befall upon any person that broke an oath they had taken. Hygieia (Salus) - Goddess of good health. Hymen - A god of marriage and the wedding feast. Iaso- Goddess of healing. Limos (Fames)- Goddess of starvation and famine. Iris (Arcus) - Goddess of rainbows and the messenger of Hera. Kakia - Goddess of vice. Ktesios- Spirit who guarded storerooms. Melicertes (Portunus) - God of ports and harbors. Melpomene- Muse of tragedy. Moros- Personification of doom. Morpheus (Somnia) - God of dreams. Son of Hypnos. Nemesis- Goddess of revenge and retribution. Nereus - The old man of the sea. Son of Pontus. Nike (Victoria) - Goddess of victory. A constant companion of Athena. Nile - was the River-God of Aigyptos (Egypt) in North Africa. Notus (Auster) - God of the south wind. Pan (Faunus) - God of nature, the wild, shepherds, flocks, beekeepers, goats, of mountain wilds, and is often associated with sexuality. Peitho (Suada)  - Goddess of persuasion Persephone (Proserpine) - Queen of the underworld. Wife of Hades and daughter of Demeter. She was seen as the personification of spring. Phantasos- God of surreal dreams.Son of Hypnos. Pheme (Fama) - Goddess of rumour and report. Phobetor - God of nightmares. Phobos - God of fear and terror.Son of Ares and Aphrodite. Phyllis - God of escape. Plutus - God of riches and wealth. Son of Demeter. Blinded by Zeus so he might favour both righteous and irreverent people indiscriminately. Ponos - God of hard labor and toil. Praxidice- Goddess of enterprises, evil deeds and their punishment. Priapus - God of fertility, vegetables, nature, livestock, fruit, beekeeping, sex, genitals, masculinity and gardens. Psyche - Goddess of the soul. Satyrs (Fauns) - Half-human woodland spirits, with the legs and feet of goats. Followers of Pan (Faunus) and Dionysus (Liber). They had hairy bodies with short horns on their foreheads. Older Satyrs were called Sileni. Telesphorus- God of convalescence. Terpsichore - Muse of the dance. Thalia - Muse of comedy. Thaumas - God of the awe-striking wonder of the sea. Embodiment of the sea’s dangerous aspects Triptolemus - One of the original priests of Demeter, one of the first men to learn the secret rites and mysteries of Eleusinian Mysteries. When he died he was deified as the god who presided over the sowing of grain-seed and the milling of wheat. Triton - The messenger of the sea. Son of Poseidon and Amphitrite. Tyche (Fortuna) - Goddess of fortune and luck. Urania - Muse of astronomy. Zephyrus (Favonius)- God of the west wind. Husband of Chloris.

…..

THE FOUR SEASONS: They are the daughters of the titans Helios and Selene,and are described as the four handmaidens of Hera: Eiar (Spring) Theros (Summer) Phthinoporon (Autumn) Cheimon (Winter)

…..

THE TWELVE HOURS: Auge, first light (initially not part of the set), Anatolê or Anatolia, sunrise, Mousikê or Musica, the morning hour of music and study, Gymnastikê, Gymnastica or Gymnasia, the morning hour of education, training, gymnastics/exercise, Nymphê or Nympha, the morning hour of ablutions (bathing, washing), Mesembria, noon, Sponde, libations poured after lunch, Elete, prayer, the first of the afternoon work hours, Aktê, Acte or Cypris, eating and pleasure, the second of the afternoon work hours, Hesperis, end of the afternoon work hours, start of evening, Dysis, sunset, Arktos or Arctus, night sky, constellation (initially not part of the set).

…..

THE NYMPHS: Female spirits who represented different elements of nature:

Oceanids (nymphs of the ocean), Nereids (sea- nymphs), Dryads and Hamad Dryads ( nymphs of ash trees) Oreads (Mountain Nymphs), Epipotamides (river nymphs), Naiads (nymphs of brooks, lakes and springs), Crenids (nymphs of springs), Limnades (nymphs of lakes, marshes and swamps), Nyseides ( bacchant nymphs), Potameides ( nymphs of fountains, lakes rivers, and springs), Limoniades ( nymphs of meadows of flowers) , Napaeae ( nymphs of glens).

…..

THE CHARITIES (The Graces): Goddesses of charm, beauty and nature. Aglaea- Splendor Euphrosyne- Mirth Thalia - Good Cheer

…..

THE MORAI / THREE FATES (Parcae)- -The three goddess who controlled the thread of life of every mortal from birth to death. Clotho (Nona) spun the “thread” of human fate. Lachesis(Decuma) dispensed it. Atropos (Morta) cut the thread (thus determining the individual’s moment of death).

…..

 - - - > For a list of the Roman Gods Click Here

SOURCES: “Who’s Who of Greek and Roman Mythology” by David Kravitz / theoi.com / “Encyclopedia of Spirits” by Judika Illes / “Classic Mythology” by William Hansen / “Mythology” by Edith Hamilton

[multismusa-deactivated20170218]

What she says: I’m fine.

What she means: I understand the Chronicles of Narnia was at its heart a fairytale with theological analogies for children. But why did Lewis never address how they had to adapted to life on Earth again. Why does no one talk about how the Pevensies had to grow up with a kingdom of responsibilities on their shoulders, only to return to Earth and be children. Take Lucy, she was youngest and perhaps she adapted more quickly-but she had the memories and mind of a grown woman in an adolescent body. Edmund literally found himself in Narnia, he went from a selfish boy to mature and experienced man. He found a purpose and identity through his experiences to come back as just Edmund, Peter’s younger brother. Did people wonder why the sullen, sour boy came back, carrying himself like a wisened king? Did his mother wonder why he and Peter suddenly got along so well, why they spent so much time together now? And Susan, the girl of logistics and reason came back with a difference in her. She learned how to be a diplomat and ambassador, Susan the Gentle had to live to endure not-so-gentle circumstances. She had the respect she wanted, only to be just another teen girl. And Peter, he entered the manhood and maturity he so wanted. He earned the responsibility and stripes he yearned for. He learned to command armies and conduct the menial tasks demanded of a king to rule a nation. But he came back, appearing to be just anther glory-hungry boy. Not to mention the PTSD they must have struggled with. Especially Edmund. How often did he wake up in a sweat, screaming a sibling or comrade’s name? His parents believe it’s the war, but it’s an entirely different one he has nightmares about. How often did he have trouble with flashbacks and mood swings? And how many times did he and Peter sit over a newspaper or near the radio listening to reports on the troops. How often did they pour over lost battles and debate better strategies. Did their parents ever wonder why they seemed to understand flight war so well? How long was it before they stopped discussing these things in front of people? Why does no one talk about this??? 

[cocoartistwrites]

Why am i fucking crying

[limblogs]

Why does no one talk about how the Pevensies had to grow up with a kingdom of responsibilities on their shoulders, only to return to Earth and be children

It’s not addressed because it’s understood. It was the shared experience of the generation. You are describing coming home from World War One, battle wearied and aged beyond belief, but walking around in the body of a youth. C S Lewis went to the front line of the Somme on his nineteenth birthday and went back to complete uni in 1918 after demob.

[saxifraga-x-urbium]

Not seen it with this very very pertinent addition before

[herhmione]

god my absolute favorite feeling is devouring a book, when you get so into the pages and the words that you have to stop your eyes from skipping lines and force yourself to read every word, when you’re so impatient for what happens next that you can’t sit still while reading, when you have to re read whole pages because you were too busy predicting and anticipating that you missed the actual events, when you read a part that’s too good for words and you have to close the book and scream into your pillow, that’s what reading a truly great book is about and the feeling is even better when you haven’t found a book like that in a long time and then you stumble across one and something inside of you awakens

[kingwizardandthelizardgizza-blog]

Douglas Adams is the best when it comes to describe characters

[quasarkisses]

they need to teach classes on Douglas Adams analogies okay

“He leant tensely against the corridor wall and frowned like a man trying to unbend a corkscrew by telekinesis.”

“Stones, then rocks, then boulders which pranced past him like clumsy puppies, only much, much bigger, much, much harder and heavier, and almost infinitely more likely to kill you if they fell on you.”

“He gazed keenly into the distance and looked as if he would quite like the wind to blow his hair back dramatically at that point, but the wind was busy fooling around with some leaves a little way off.”

“It looked only partly like a spaceship with guidance fins, rocket engines and escape hatches and so on, and a great deal like a small upended Italian bistro.”

“If it was an emotion, it was a totally emotionless one. It was hatred, implacable hatred. It was cold, not like ice is cold, but like a wall is cold. It was impersonal, not as a randomly flung fist in a crowd is impersonal, but like a computer-issued parking summons is impersonal. And it was deadly - again, not like a bullet or a knife is deadly, but like a brick wall across a motorway is deadly.”

[nudityandnerdery]

And, of course: “The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don’t.”

[assassinregrets]

the one that will always stay with me is “Arthur Dent was grappling with his consciousness the way one grapples with a lost bar of soap in the bath,” i feel like that was the first time i really understood what you could do with words.

[marsdaydream]

I will reblog this every time I see it because these are some of my favorite sentences in the English language.

[shencomix]

[worda-day]

classic lit authors on ao3

Jane Austen: The slowburn writer to end all slowburn writers. Has a mild case of purple prose syndrome. Sets you up to think she's using a really lame trope or cliche, but then pulls the old BITCH U THOUGHT. Gets in fights with commenters who completely miss the point of her work.

William Shakespeare: Where dick jokes meet feels. Recycles old plots that have been in the fandom for years, but always manages to put a new spin on it. That said, he's better known for good character writing than good plots. Kind of problematic, but people love him anyway. Laughs at and encourages commenters who completely miss the point of his work.

The Brontë Sisters: Their fics get lots of comments but they never reply. They never leave author notes, either. They share an account, and there are talks of a collab fic coming soon. Write fics for OTPs of questionable healthiness and consent. Only ever write darkfic. Like, REALLY dark. ...People are getting kind of worried about them.

Edgar Allan Poe: Also only ever writes darkfic, but at this point, people have moved past being worried about him and have just accepted that he's weird, he's morbid, and we love him. Channels his feelings about his ex into his writing. It results in really good stories but everyone's sort of like, "...Dude."

Charles Dickens: Trying to set the record for highest wordcount on ao3, and it shows.

Victor Hugo: Currently holds the record for highest wordcount on ao3.

Oscar Wilde: Only ever writes M/M. Has a BAD case of purple prose, but it's worth it if you manage to get through. His stories are either hilarious or soul-crushing. Or somehow both. People love him but know better than to disagree with him publicly, lest he destroy you with one of his infamous subtweets.

L. Frank Baum: Wrote one really well-loved story that's among the most famous in the fandom, and it's literally all he's known for, and it pisses him off. His popular story became a multichap against his will because it's the only one of his stories anyone actually reads. He keeps trying to end it so he can work on other things, but always ends up coming back.

Arthur Conan Doyle: Feels L. Frank Baum's pain. SO much.

James Joyce: Has fascinating ideas, but takes forEVER to get to the point in his stories. Also a stoner, and it shows.

Lousia May Alcott: Writes stories for her unpopular OTP (that's a NOTP for most of the fandom) and breaks up everyone's favorite ships, mainly out of spite. Also kills everyone's favorite characters, less so out of spite.

Mary Shelley: Writes incredible stories, but publishes under her boyfriend's account because she's banned from ao3. ...Again.

[worda-day]

My contribution to Women's History Month, in my own little scifi/fantasy corner! These are a few of the ruling and inspiring dames of the genre, and women I am proud to promote. I'm still waiting on the CJ Cherryh novels to come in, then it will be complete! Fun facts about CJ- she was made to use only her initials when she began to be published in the 70s so the male dominated industry wouldn't know she was a (gasp) female author. She had a comet named after her in 2001 (said the discoverers, "She has challenged us to be worthy of the stars by imagining how mankind might grow to live among them."), was finally able to marry her girlfriend in 2014 after years of living as domestic partners, and now sits on the board of advisors for the National Space Society. Mad respect!

[floccinaucinihilipilificationa]

[shabbytigers]

Today I learned that the university of Coimbra in Portugal has a great 18th-century library, the Biblioteca Joanina, that maintains a colony of bats to effectively control the population of paper-eating insects called papirófagos. These bats are less than an inch long. They roost during the day behind the bookcases and come out at night. There doesn’t seem to be any English word for papirófago, a cursory search turns up no details about what sort of insect they are, and ngl I am slightly concerned about them as a phenomenon. But I think my overarching point here is clear: 

This library keeps tiny bats that look after the books.

[spookyloop]

I’m here for tiny bats saving books.

[daily-batty-dose]

Aaaahhh!!

[zoi-no-miko]

What good and noble tiny flitters!!!! <3

[donnaimmaculata]

My nayme is Batt And wen its nite On sylente wings I flye to fite

The lybrarie’s My battlefielde Papir’fagoes Haffe to be killed

My foes emerge From payper nooks I eate them all

I sayve the books