An Enchantment Of Ravens And A Court Of Thorns

MAGICAL GIRL TRANSFORMATIONS DON'T HAPPEN IN REAL TIME YOU FREAKING IDIOTS.

I am so sick and tired of people asking "So THe viLlaIns JusT wAIt For THeM tO FiNiSH????" or trying to come up with a super complex answer as to how it works, when there's there's the simple (and very logical) explanation that they're actually super quick. Do you think that when we get super long flashbacks the characters just stand there staring at nothing until the flashback ends??? NO OF COURSE NOT. THAT'S STUPID.

The sequence is there to represents how it feels to transform and look pretty. AND I'M TIRED OF SEEING PEOPLE NOT REALIZE THIS. DID YOU NEVER WATCHED POWER RANGERS AS KIDS???

PD: If you're not aware, Israel has been commiting an active genocide on Gaza/Palestine for around 4 months now, they've killed thousands of innocents including babies under 1 year old. This is not a new thing either, Israel has been terrorizing the Palestinian people for over 7 decades now!! You can find lots of information on how to help just looking it up or going to #palestine here on tumblr

Any help, as small is it is, counts. So please, even if there's just ONE way you can help, do it. Wheter it's donating a little, signing pettitions, marching, boycotting etc.

From the River to Sea, Palestine Will be Free🇵🇸🍉

What a dweeb…

(bonus)

Heyyyyy any to kill a kingdom hcs? I'm sorry I'm not good with complimenting, I wish I was.

Hi! Of course:

Lira and Elian keep bickering

And whenever Lira boards Elian’s boat, the crew is always so on edge because these two won’t stop trying to kill each other

But in a good way

Everybody can see how truly in love they are

Even though Lira, in her human form, seems so much more threatening to all of the men and women on board

Elian still looks at her like she’s the whole sun

And during those trips, Lira and Elian can only find alone time during the night

He finds her leaning against the railing, her hair down, her eyes turned to the sea

He knows she can hear him, but she does not turn

Not even when he wraps his arms around her, touching his lips to her temple

“You’ve been like this all day,” he says, resting his chin on her shoulder

Her body relaxes against his almost immediately, but her eyes are full of shadows

Even as she turns her head to lightly kiss him, one hand underneath his chin

Elian pulls away, watching her eyes

“I feel the ocean restless,” she says

Elian turns his eyes to the dark waves, his hands circling her waist

“Do you wish to leave earlier?”

“No,” she shakes her head. “My sisters have told me everything is fine. It’s just a foolish notion, I’m sure.”

“Lira,” he insists

“Leave it be,” she turns in his arms, touching his cheeks. “I’m here with you now. And I want to make the most of it.”

As tender as her words are, her mind is not present

Elian touches her chin, lifts it

He says, “Your mother is not coming back.”

Lira blinks in surprise, though she doesn’t doubt that he can read her that easily

He always could

“I know,” she whispers. “I just-”

“Tell me,” he asks

Lira hesitates, trailing her eyes over his jawline

“I have a feeling something worse is coming.”

“It might be anxiousness for leaving your home,” he says, “and your people.”

She remains silent

Elian leans in, kisses her lightly on the lips, before saying, “If it is something - we will fight it together.”

“I don’t want you anywhere near the ocean should something come up,” she frowns, her voice cold

“You can’t stop me from being at your side,” he smiles, caressing her waist. “Look at me.”

She does

He whispers, “When have I ever turned away from you?”

She doesn’t answer, but Lira’s eyes look up at him, and her expression gets tender

“Never,” he says, “doubt me, Lira. I am not a man to run from the things he’s afraid of. And not a man to run from the things he loves.”

She shakes her head at him, as if in wonder, and leans her forehead against his chest

Elian wraps his arms fully around her frame, pulling her close

“I might die,” she murmurs, “from feeling this strongly someday. Your love might kill me.”

He smiles, a breathy laugh escaping his lips. “I could say the same for you.”

She looks up at him, eyes bright. “I love you.”

He smiles wider, touching his nose to hers

He catches her lips in a seering kiss, before he answers back, “And I love you.”

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson My rating: 5 of 5 stars Rating: 4.5 Since I see a lot of recommendations to people who love ACOTAR, I’ll just say that as someone who never enjoyed ACOTAR I’d still recommend this book. With it being a standalone there wasn’t as much time as a series would have to wrap up all the loose ends or expand on certain things, but what is offered in this single book is plenty to satisfy the reader. In this story, humans can use “craft”, which is a reference to things like cooking, building, art, etc. Fae on the other hand have magic and lack human feelings. While humans cannot use magic or be immortal, fae cannot use craft lest they lose their immortality and die. This leads fae to seek out humans to provide them with craft, and humans likewise desire their immortality and magic. Except for our heroine, Isobel. She is a very talented painter who has many patrons among the fair folk. Yet she has never desired to drink from the “Green Well”, a well that transforms any human who drinks from it into an immortal fae. The reason becomes clear as the story progresses, but I’ll leave that a mystery for those who have yet to read. The romance element comes into play when the autumn prince comes seeking her craft. Little does she know that this is part of a whole string of events that have already been set in motion. And before she realizes it, she winds up on a journey through the various seasonal courts, surrounded by mysteries and court intrigue. Plans ever changing as new information comes to light. ********** There is so much to love about this book, and only a little that made me feel it was more appropriate to give it 4.5 stars instead of 5. Personally I wasn’t a fan of the idea that fair folk couldn’t craft. It seemed a bit absurd, but ultimately I think it helped create a more balanced approach to the dynamics between fae and humans. And I think that was one of the main points, so I can’t be too hard on it. On the contrary, seeing a sort of symbiotic relationship between the two species despite the underlying dangers to both sides was refreshing. There is also a little part of me that wonders why people ever try to write romances where one side of the relationship supposedly cannot feel human feelings. Inevitably I always find the author putting bits of humanity into non-human characters, or there’d be little chance of any real romance. This isn’t the first book to do this and it won’t be the last. Just a little nitpick I have. But not enough to make me feel that it ruined anything. There weren’t any characters I disliked in this story, but my absolute favorite was Gadfly. An apt name for the type of role he plays lol. Indeed Rook, the autumn prince, was the best partner for Isobel. But Gadfly is that elegant character who’s always smiling while secretly causing all the trouble. Sometimes it’s unclear where his loyalties lie or what his intentions are, but he is very present in every fiber of this story even when he isn’t there. He’s even got his hands in the budding romance at times XD. Part way through I’d already guessed what he was aiming for, and I was right. Though that just made it all the more enjoyable to watch him work. I think if someone enjoys the portrayal of fae in Holly Black’s FOTA series, then they’d probably enjoy Margaret Rogerson too. There’s a similar vibe. However I’d say that the type of stories they are telling are different. This book is more of a journey story than one of court politics and action, though it also has some of the latter. It’s also a bit more on the whimsical side. It actually surprises me that this book isn’t rated higher, so if it sounds up your alley, go read it!

Siren!Penelope: Yo, this sailor says he's afraid of the water?! How the hell am I supposed to work with that?!

Other Siren: I dunno, just roll with it!

Siren!Penelope: Sure, I guess. Also, what do you think? Boy dad or Girl dad?

Other Siren: Oh Girl dad! 99% sure!

Siren!Penelope: Let's hope it's not that 1%.

Made for @honeqq and they MrBillPines AU, one of my and my dearest friend favs au's. I made it so quickly, just for express this.

If TCF Manhwa Readers and TCF Novel Readers have a conversation about a bleeding Cale...

Tcf manhwa readers: So why is it... a 'GOOD THING' for Cale to get hurt?

Tcf novel readers: You meant 'coughing out blood'.

Tcf manhwa readers, sputtering: W-Wha- Isn't that the same thing?

Tcf novel readers: No, no, no. Cale Henituse getting hurt is only the tip of the iceberg, Cale vomiting out blood is an entire planet.

Tcf manhwa readers, deadpan: He is vomiting out blood because he IS hurt. You can't bleed without getting injured first!?

Tcf novel readers, shrugging: Well apparently for our protagonist he can---

Tcf manhwa readers: But can you tell me EXACTLY why is it a GOOD THING that he is bleeding?

Tcf novel reader: Because it's the greatest ultimate thing that has presented to us in this depressing world my dear, that is why it is a good thing.

Tcf novel reader: Oh, and also soon enough he's going to stab himself in the chest, it's the most awaited moment for all tcf fans everywhere, yet!

Tcf manhwa reader: .....Which chapter?

Tcf novel reader: Chapter 750+.

Tcf manhwa reader: Okay, I'll try reading the novel.

Tcf novel reader with an identical scamming smile as Cale's: Splendid idea my friend.

Let us embrace the fact that psychos like us TCF novel readers is what TCF manhwa readers or anyone is what attracts them to read Trash of the Count's Family and that somehow just rises my pride?

Possibly Rogerson's strength is taking the same concept as another author but being able to move in a different direction with it.

Like, An Enchantment of Ravens at first glance has a lot in common with acotar but is INFINITELY better, not least by making the fae a lot more tied to folkloric concepts and just generally more alien. Vespertine isn't better than Sabriel (good luck being better than Sabriel) but the beginning is extremely similar even while it (thankfully) does its own thing after a few chapters.

Guess I have to read Sorcery of Thorns now

A funny thing about magical girl media is that folks who are broadly aware of the genre but don't take it in tend to assume Pretty Cure is the most G-rated of the lot, based on the fact that it's got brighter colours, frillier costumes, and generally younger-looking protagonists than average – then you actually watch the fight scenes and those squeaky middle schoolers are doing Bruce Lee shit to the monsters.

OKAY I WAS NOT EXPECTING PEOPLE TO LIKE MY RESPONSE TO THE REPOST AND I APPRECIATE IT A LOT 😭😭

Now onto what I want to say, it's about what I stated earlier. There is something I would like to address that I noticed a bit after spending some time in the greek mythology whirlpool of wonderful chaos. Although there really aren't that many, I still want to address how there are people out there who seem to get very confused about Odysseus's character and what's what, and then accidentally say things that never actually happened with his character and then it leaves everyone upset and embarrassed which sucks because it's not really anyone's fault, and not many people are actually explaining it all, so that's what I'm going to do here to hopefully save some people from having to go through everything. I hope this doesn't get buried in the Tumblr algorithm as I'm honestly not doing this for likes or praise or any of that, I really just want this to get out there and help others get a better grasp of it all so everyone can enjoy their greek mythology fun in peace and maybe even help others get into the fun as well! ^^

First off I have to state this:

The only canon Odysseus is in Homer's Odyssey and Homer's Iliad, he was the creator of the character and all the characters within both book series. If the one you are reading isn't authored by Homer then it is an iteration therefore it is not canon to the actual story.

Now with that being said, and before I go any further, this doesn't mean you shouldn't read the different iterations or modern takes on the character, I mean why else do you think aus and fanfiction are a thing as well? (And ones created for this story as well because this fanbase is LIVELY) That's basically exactly what this all is except it's about an ancient story. People create different versions, spread different information which is either not what happened in the canon story or completely taken out of context. And these things happen, it's a story all the way back in ancient times, games like telephone are bound to happen and that's okay, no one should be at eachother's throats about it as it's out of people's control and happens with many and I mean many modern shows and stories as well.

But what I do suggest is just applying basic principles to it like we do now, such as:

*If you read an iteration of the story and you mention something from it, make sure you state it's from an iteration so that way people won't get confused with the actual story

*You don't have to read all books of Homer's Odyssey and the Iliad, but when you hear something from it you should do a quick look up about it to make sure you have all the context and that it was from Homer's story and not an iteration.

*Don't assume anything and make a comment about it immediately. I am sure every single person here did the same about something regarding Homer's Odyssey and Iliad at some point, I can almost guarantee it. If not then great for them ^^. But the point is, if you jump to assumptions and misinterpret something then make a claim about it, unfortunately the results don't turn out in your favor. So it's best to do your own research on it first before taking what is said as fact.

Basically just do your own research first before jumping to any conclusions, besides learning more about something can you discover something you may really enjoy that you haven't thought about before! :D

Now, onto the real elephant in the room, which is Odysseus's character. And we are going to be talking about Odysseus's character in Homer's Odyssey and Homer's Iliad and hopefully this helps to clear some things up for those that both aren't looking to get into the whole story and for those who are, so here we go! ^^

"Odysseus cheated on his wife! He committed Adultery!" : This is the biggest one that I have heard, and it is in fact false. Odysseus is unfortunately a major victim of SA both from Circe and Calypso, and while Circe's was more subtle, Calypso's wasn't as she kept him there for seven years. Odysseus was one of the few men in greek mythology who was 100% loyal and faithful to his wife till the very end and beyond. He didn't want any other woman, he wanted Penelope. He fought for Penelope, he loved Penelope and no one else.

"Odysseus committed mass murder and killed a bunch of people!": If you are talking about what happened with the Trojan horse then yes, you are correct, however this is often taken out of context. The truth of the matter is that is just how war is. During the fight they already lost Achilles (basically their version of a superhero) in battle, and Odysseus being the advisor had to weigh out the options between the two which is either continue as is and risk losing more lives or create the horse and not risk as many lives. It was a desperation move, and all of it was thrown onto Odysseus to take charge, but the situation needed to be done or no one would make it back home alive.

"Didn't he literally throw and kill a baby? What's up with that?": Yes but again, taken out of context, Odysseus was given a vision that the baby would grow older and kill a bunch of innocent people, so he had to make the choice whether he should kill the baby or not. Zeus was standing there like "Yeet the baby, Odysseus, yeet the child." And Odysseus, not wanting anyone he cared for to die, killed the child. It was a tough choice that he was faced with, as it would be for anyone in his shoes.

"Wasn't he overconfident and got in trouble a lot? Didn't his pride cause him to reveal his name to the Cyclops? He really must not be a good person." : Yes for the first part but no for the second part, he was overconfident and that would sometimes get him into trouble, like with the Cyclops. He was young, bold, confident, and although said to be one of the wisest men there was (which is true) he too had to grow and mature out of his own hubris. He wasn't perfect, and neither are we, he made mistakes but nothing outlandish that made him bad, it just showed that he was human and had done his own mistakes in life, just like we have.

There are many other things as well, Odysseus killed one of the kings on the Trojan side of war and took his horses but he did that because he knew one of the only ways they could stand a chance in the war is getting those horses. Odysseus's friend Ajax the greater killed himself after Odysseus defeated him for the armor of Achilles, however what happened after that was none of Odysseus's fault, as Athena decided to be the one to drive Ajax the greater mad and it caused him to kill the sheep and then himself afterwards out of shame. Odysseus's even tried pleading for forgiveness from him in the underworld (even though none of it was his fault) but Ajax the greater refused to acknowledge him and walked off. Then you have Palamedes, in Homer's Odyssey he was sent to bring Odysseus to war, so he decided to put Odysseus's infant son in front of his plow which caused Odysseus to swerve out of the way, and Odysseus was then forced to go to war to protect his son which then later caused all of these things to happen throughout both stories. Odysseus didn't take that well and he cleverly placed a forged letter and gold in Palamedes tent and got him framed for treason, and Palamedes was stoned to death (and honestly he had that coming)

Now, does any of this mean I want you to go and do what Odysseus did? No, please for the love of god please don't. What all of this does mean though, is that Odysseus was not a bad person, but instead a good guy put in some of the worse positions and situations possible surrounded by people who spoke with their fists rather than their heart. In fact, despite his "I'm so balling right now" personality causing him to get into trouble, he was one of the kindest, wisest, loyal and empathetic people you could meet back then which was incredibly rare back in those times. He went to literal hell and back for 20 years just to get to his family again, he stuck by his men despite them screwing things up multiple times over, same situation was with Agamemnon and Achilles as well, so he kind up to a fault. He was kind respectful to his people, he didn't care what status you were or where you came from, you were treated with respect and kindness all the same, and that inspired one of his workers to be the same when he invited a certain beggar in his home, and that act of kindness spread through the heart of Ithaca as a whole, but when he left it was all gone. To have that much of an impact on people because of kindness just shows how good of a person he really was. And with happened to Ithaca when he left it, it also showed how much the world did not deserve that kindness, but it certainly needed it.

So in conclusion, yes Odysseus made mistakes, and he was by no means perfect, but he shouldn't be seen as perfect or expected to be perfect. He is a really good guy dealing with getting screwed over by literally everyone around him. He made mistakes, he broke down, he fell at times, but he got back up, never lost his kind heart or his true self, and in the end made it back to his family and got a happy ending. Odysseus was and always will be the embodiment of what it truly means to be a human being going throw the troubles of life, what if feels like to go through it and how it affects certain actions you take, and to stay true to your heart no matter what, and overall to never give up. And I hope those who are out there who hate his character due to misinformation are able to see his character for what he is rather than what others make him out to be.

WOW THAT WAS A LOT OF WORDS, I was not expecting to type that much but I really needed to get this out there. I hope all you greek geeks have a lovely day and night and I'll see you next time! ^^

I gotta take a nap after all of that ^^"