Jonathan, Looking Out The Window And Once More Watching Dracula Scale The Walls Like A Lizard:

Odysseus's fixation upon his son could possibly be explained by the timeline.

A small thing that needs to be said is that according to Homer Odysseus left Telemachus a "newborn" (or at least so Menelaus says in the Odyssey). Interestingly is hard to tell how long Odysseus and Penelope have been married before they had Telemachus because the time line is not cut and clear.

It seems like their marriage took place during the oath of Tyndareus period when Odysseus was at Sparta as a suitor to Helen. From the Oath till Helen's infidelity or abduction or forced seduction by Aphrodite we see there were around 10 years of difference (quite frankly according to some accounts Helen mentions she was 20 years in Troy). That means that he and Penelope were potentially married at least a decade (which makes sense given that he made a wedding bed for her from scratch making it seem that their palace was also being rebuilt at that time)

But if Telemachus was newborn or almost newborn (like let's say about 1 year old tops) that means that Odysseus and Penelope were childless for almost a decade. Either that means they were having some issues aka Odysseus running errands in the kingdom or that they were trying very hard to have children and somehow they couldn't

Do you imagine what this means?

Odysseus potentially had to leave behind a son he wished for for almost a decade full and not to mention that Palamedes nearly killed him, that very son that he potentially tried so hard for and wished for so much!

Hell no wonder he names himself "Father of Telemachus" and quite frankly one can understand why he would hold a grudge against Palamedes (be it Higenius you follow where he frames him or be it Pausanias who says he drowned him) one can imagine why his brain would snap like that! If this hypothesis is correct that is.

old character’s redesign for funsies ✨

An Absolute Guide To Manage Your Time And Energy For School

If you struggle with time management and are still struggling, then maybe this short guide can help you become better, not perfect but better.

These are not time management techniques, no. None of the techniques personally worked for me because let's be honest. It's not that practical. I'm someone who does not get Pomodoro, nor can i get anything done if i write it down.

It's a mockery really but here are some adjustments that i made that helped me manage my time and energy.

Between classes/breaks/lunch

Have some incomplete work? Do it between classes. The short breaks. The teacher is 5 mins late? Complete at least some of the work, you might not believe it but you get a lot of things done when you add the spare time.

Travel

If you have a lot of travel time, do some of your studying then. If you get headaches, just do active recall or skim through notes, try to revise. You can even practice for tests, take your question paper and try answering the questions in your head.

Home=Studies

I personally only prefer studies at home. All written assignments, essays, extra curriculars, everything is only during school hours (If you don't have the "time". Do it during breaks). Because home is the one place you have minimal distractions beside your gadgets so use that opportunity in any way you can.

Mental lists and Accountability Partners

Normal to do list never work for me so i always keep a mental list of tasks i have to do every single day. It helps. An additional tip is to keep an accountability partner, share your tasks with each other and keep each other on track. Make it more challenging by making each other do something like a dare or something stupid if you don't complete your lists.

No time allotments

I personally feel that keeping a time allotted for every subject/topic is unnecessary like it doesn't work for me. I'll change the subjects when i'm bored. I'll take a break when i feel tired. Having time allotted is like a barrier. (At least for me) It will take time for you to understand difficult topics. Easy concepts can be fitted in the allotted time but difficult ones need more time and energy.

Only important things in the morning

Mornings are the best things that can possibly happen. I'm generally not a morning person, seriously but if you have to study complex topics or if you have some kind of important work then do it in the morning. Nobody disturbs you. Everyone is asleep. You can concentrate on your work and your mind is fresh, you can grasp more things and get your work done by the time everyone gets up.

Get in the flow

Learning things is not difficult. Making aesthetic lists and vision boards is not difficult. Anyone can do it, hell, everyone does it. Sticking to the process consistently is difficult.

You won't see results right away. It will take you time. It will take you energy so take a breath. Stick to the stuff longer than an hour and you'll actually see how difficult topics turn into easy ones. It normally takes 20 mins for you to actually get into "work" mode and it would take another 20 mins to actually get what you're trying to do.

Mindset Shift

What i realise when i look around me is that literally no one actually wants to do the hard work. Many of my friends literally give up after studying a hard topic, they don't put in the effort and the only thing i hear is "It's too hard and i don't have the time and energy right now" and that is the exact mindset that leads them to unwanted stress and cramming before a small test or an exam.

The thing is time is going to pass anyway so might as well get things done. And get it done in the best possible way. Period.

Get Assignment Done In Advance

My school gave me around 5 assignments every week or so, the only way i got them done was through doing all of the work during school hours. Complete them during breaks or free periods, after school or just between classes. And i know, sometimes you'll feel like "This is weird" because everyone else is relaxing and talking. You know what i did? I just sat with my group of friends and i just did my work (written work) while also talking to them. It's not as difficult as you think it is. It's more fun honestly. Honestly, after a while, they too joined me.

One Step Ahead

Look, it's really easy. Set what i call a "One In Advance". Your assignment is due in two weeks? Complete it by next week. Project due in one month. Complete it a week in advance. This is necessary because, when you start early, you finish it earlier than others so you can actually focus on some studying rather than wasting your time managing assignments and tests. You'll actually notice the difference in your stress levels when everything doesn't pile up. The trick is to complete everything before one week.

When You Feel Tired? Rest. Period.

This is non-negotiable. You don't force yourself to work when you are really tired. There is no use doing work when you feel exhausted.

The only thing i did for me to have a few extra hours per day is just allot my time. When i'm at school, it's fully work mode. Do your work and get things done. When i get back home, it's rest + study.

Hope this helps! :)

(By the way, in no way am i promoting toxic productivity. Rest when you need it and take time off. It is a crucial part. Don't. Forget. That. I'm providing you some daily adjustments that made my life easier and can do that to yours too)

why do i keep seeing “young!ditzy!reader” or “trophywife!reader” or stupid shit like that where authors make the ‘reader’ the most fragile person in the world??

at the end of the day, this recession theory shit is real. and it is seen clearly as day on this app.

why are the inspo pics for the oneshot just blonde and skinny white girls?? why are we making the reader sweet and innocent and fragile??

and look, there’s nothing wrong about being a blonde and skinny white girl, but after seeing the same pictures as inspo for a series or a oneshot, it gets annoying and repetitive how there’s no diversity.

also, i’m not saying every post in the “x reader” tag is like this, but they just keep popping up on my feed and i had to speak my mind about it.

please, if anyone reads this, tell me if you found the same problem or i’m just going crazy.

A bond between brothers

Joyce trying to mother Billy when she realizes his situation at home (as a mother who raised two boys in that environment) and Billy assuming she wants him like all the other moms in town. So he plays up the charm, is sweet on her, and Joyce thinks he’s finally warming up to her, finding a home at her house. Then he goes to make an actual move on and she is just like “wOAH MISTER”. She’s ready to scold him to high heavens until he snaps that he just assumed she was like the rest of them, pride hurt, and Joyce rants on for like an hour about the audacity of these women, that he has nothing to feel ashamed, honey, for pursuing them because they shouldn’t have reciprocated and blows a fuse when she asks for a list of names and he mentions Karen. She makes the woman apologize personally to Billy at 10pm at night, and he is just mortified and wants to be anywhere else because please Ms Byers I’m an adult you’re ruining my street cred right now

how to start reading again

from someone who was a voracious reader until high school and is now getting back into it in her twenties.

start with an old favourite. even though it felt a little silly, i re-read the harry potter series one christmas and it wiped away my worry that i wasn't capable of reading anymore. they are long books, but i was still able to get completely immersed and to read just as fast as i had years and years ago.

don't be afraid of "easier" books. before high school i was reading the french existentialists, but when getting back into reading, i picked up lucinda riley and sally rooney. not my favourite authors by far, but easier to read while not being totally terrible. i needed to remind myself that only choosing classics would not make me a better or smarter person. if a book requires a slower pace of reading to be understood, it's easier to just drop it, which is exactly what i wanted to avoid at first.

go for essays and short stories. no need to explain this one: the shorter the whole, the less daunting it is. i definitely avoided all books over 350 pages at first and stuck to essay collections until i suddenly devoured donna tartt's goldfinch.

remember it's okay not to finish. i was one of those people who finished every book they started, but not anymore! if i pick up a book at the library and after a few chapters realise i'd rather not read it, i just return it. (another good reason to use your local library! no money spent on books you might end up disliking.)

analyse — or don't. some people enjoy reading more when they take notes or really stop to think about the contents. for me, at first, it was more important to build the habit of reading, and the thought of analysing what i read felt daunting. once i let go of that expectation, i realised i naturally analyse and process what i read anyway.

read when you would usually use your phone. just as i did when i was a child, i try to read when eating, in the bathroom, on public transport, right before sleeping. i even read when i walk, because that's normally a time i stare at my screen anyway. those few pages you read when you brush your teeth and wait for a friend very quickly stack up.

finish the chapter. if you have time, try to finish the part you're reading before closing the book. usually i find i actually don't want to stop reading once i get to the end of a chapter — and if i do, it feels like a good place to pick up again later.

try different languages. i was quickly approaching a reading slump towards the end of my exchange year, until i realised i had only had access to books in english and that, despite my fluency, i was tired of the language. so as soon as i got back home i started picking up books in my native tongue, which made reading feel much easier and more fun again! after some nine months, i'm starting to read in english again without it feeling like a huge task.

forget what's popular. i thought social media would be a fun way to find interesting books to read, but i quickly grew frustrated after hating every single book i picked up on some influencer's recommendation. it's certainly more time-consuming to find new books on your own, but this way i don't despise every novel i pick up.

remember it isn't about quantity. the online book community's endless posts about reading 150 books each year or 6 books in a single day easily make us feel like we're slow, bad readers, but here's the thing: it does not matter at all how many books you read or what your reading pace is. we all lead different lives, just be proud of yourself for reading at all!

stop stressing about it. we all know why reading is important, and since the pandemic reading has become an even more popular hobby than it was before (which is wonderful!). however, there's no need to force yourself to be "a reader". pick up a book every now and then and keep reading if you enjoy it, but not reading regularly doesn't make you any less of a good person. i find the pressure to become "a person who reads" or to rediscover my inner bookworm only distances me from the very act of reading.

How to Enchant Items 🔮

To enchant an item is to infuse it with magical energy. This energy can come from a variety of sources, including celestial bodies, elements, crystals, herbs, or even yourself. 

Some individuals use the words “enchant” and “charm” synonymously as a way to describe the process of infusing something with energy, but for the sake of this post and due to my own beliefs, you enchant something and it then becomes a charm. Alternately, a charm can be something with its own innate energy, like a crystal or herbal amulet. 

Enchanting items to turn them into magical objects involves more than just intent - you must learn to channel and manipulate energy, and direct it into that item for enchanting to be successful. 

Although, the process of enchanting is extremely versatile and there are many ways to do it.

Here are a few ideas on how to enchant items, in no particular order:

Surround the item with crystals of corresponding intent

Surround the item with herbs of corresponding intent 

Place the item in a jar filled with herbs that represent your intent

Place the item in front of a candle and meditate on your intent 

Anoint the item with an oil, charged water, or crystal elixir of corresponding intent 

Hold the item in your hand(s) and visualize it filling with the appropriate energy 

Hold the item in your hand(s) and speak or sing your intent aloud

Craft a symbol to keep near the item in an envelope or sachet

Sew, stitch, or carve a symbol into the item  

Write your intention on paper and keep in an envelope with the item 

Pair the item with a corresponding runestone or tarot / oracle card in an envelope 

Take the item and put it in a box with other items that represent your intent such as crystals, herbs, talismans, amulets, etc. 

Bury the item in soil with herbs and/or crystals that match your intent (please don’t put salt on your lawn though, unless you want dead grass)

Pass the item through incense smoke that matches your intent 

Pro Tip: Time your enchantments with the appropriate planetary hour, day of the week, time of day, or lunar phase to increase your chances of creating a successful charm.

© 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺 𝙰𝙳-𝙲𝙰𝙴𝙻𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙰

my 10 holy grail pieces of writing advice for beginners

from an indie author who's published 4 books and written 20+, as well as 400k in fanfiction (who is also a professional beta reader who encounters the same issues in my clients' books over and over)

show don't tell is every bit as important as they say it is, no matter how sick you are of hearing about it. "the floor shifted beneath her feet" hits harder than "she felt sick with shock."

no head hopping. if you want to change pov mid scene, put a scene break. you can change it multiple times in the same scene! just put a break so your readers know you've changed pov.

if you have to infodump, do it through dialogue instead of exposition. your reader will feel like they're learning alongside the character, and it will flow naturally into your story.

never open your book with an exposition dump. instead, your opening scene should drop into the heart of the action with little to no context. raise questions to the reader and sprinkle in the answers bit by bit. let your reader discover the context slowly instead of holding their hand from the start. trust your reader; donn't overexplain the details. this is how you create a perfect hook.

every chapter should end on a cliffhanger. doesn't have to be major, can be as simple as ending a chapter mid conversation and picking it up immediately on the next one. tease your reader and make them need to turn the page.

every scene should subvert the character's expectations, as big as a plot twist or as small as a conversation having a surprising outcome. scenes that meet the character's expectations, such as a boring supply run, should be summarized.

arrive late and leave early to every scene. if you're character's at a party, open with them mid conversation instead of describing how they got dressed, left their house, arrived at the party, (because those things don't subvert their expectations). and when you're done with the reason for the scene is there, i.e. an important conversation, end it. once you've shown what you needed to show, get out, instead of describing your character commuting home (because it doesn't subvert expectations!)

epithets are the devil. "the blond man smiled--" you've lost me. use their name. use it often. don't be afraid of it. the reader won't get tired of it. it will serve you far better than epithets, especially if you have two people of the same pronouns interacting.

your character should always be working towards a goal, internal or external (i.e learning to love themself/killing the villain.) try to establish that goal as soon as possible in the reader's mind. the goal can change, the goal can evolve. as long as the reader knows the character isn't floating aimlessly through the world around them with no agency and no desire. that gets boring fast.

plan scenes that you know you'll have fun writing, instead of scenes that might seem cool in your head but you know you'll loathe every second of. besides the fact that your top priority in writing should be writing for only yourself and having fun, if you're just dragging through a scene you really hate, the scene will suffer for it, and readers can tell. the scenes i get the most praise on are always the scenes i had the most fun writing. an ideal outline shouldn't have parts that make you groan to look at. you'll thank yourself later.

happy writing :)

The Tarot Deciphered

These notes on Tarot, Tarot meaning, Tarot symbolism were given to me years ago by @chaotic-hypnotic-erotic. They're concise and also focus on traditional meanings and interpretation. They can be helpful even for the most intuitive of readers.