On A Lighter Note.

On a lighter note.

The main reason I ever wanted to write a Hungarian mythology-based urban fantasy is that I needed to see someone do Bread Magic in a mundane modern setting.

Bread Magic shows up in a variety in Hungarian fairytales. It works like this: when someone evil, usually the devil, sometimes a dragon, wants to come into your house and hurt you, usually by taking your children, what you do is put a loaf of bread on the windowsill. It will speak for you.

When evil demands admission, the bread will say: First, they buried me under the ground, and I survived. When I sprouted, they cruelly cut me down with sickles, and I survived. They threshed me with their flails and I survived. They ground me to flour with their millstones and I survived. They put me in a bowl and kneaded me, then they put me in a hot oven to bake me, and I survived. Have you done all these things? Until you do all these things and survive, you have no power here.

This is pretty powerful magic I think, and it makes sense in a country where wheat is the staple crop and bread is the staple food. If you have bread, you are alive, if you have no bread, you are dead, therefore bread is life. It was customary to refer to wheat as “life” well into the twentieth century, and not in high literary circles either: rural seasonal workers negotiated their wages in so and so many sacks of life.

And I totally want someone to do bread magic with a shitty store-bought muffin.

I was struck with the worst brainrot over this one idea so onto the blog it goes.

(Disclaimer: This is all based off of my interpretation of Greek Mythology and is NOT AT ALL meant to be accurate to the original myths or disrespectful in any way. This is just a thought experiment.)

Anyways I'm going to infodump about Apollo and Metis' nonexistent son

Ok so basically, I think when reading the original greek myths, it would not be too much of a stretch to assume that Apollo is the living incarnation of Metis' unborn son. For those of you who don't know, Metis was Zeus' lover before Hera, and the mother of Athena. When she became pregnant with Athena, a prophecy foretold that her second child, a son, would eventually overthrow Zeus. To prevent this, Zeus ate Metis, and that's why Athena pops out of Zeus' head a couple of years later.

What does this have to do with Apollo? Well, for one thing, Apollo is the only second son Zeus has ever had. We know he was born second since Artemis literally helps Leto give birth to him. He's also considered to be one of the most talented gods on Olympus (this is not just me being biased I swear guys-) He's the god of the most things out of all the Olympians, and was also just a considerably popular deity throughout Greece. It wouldn't be the wildest guess to connect him with the prophecized revolutionary son of Metis.

He also has a lot of connections to Athena. Apollo and Athena are often seen as Zeus' left and right hands, and they're both gods of knowledge. In a few ways, Apollo and Athena seem like two sides of the same coin. Athena is a virgin goddess, while Apollo is known for his lovers. Athena specializes in war and strategy, while Apollo focuses on the arts. Despite this, both of them dabble a bit in the other's domains: Apollo with his archery and Athena with her handicraft. This isn't to prove that Apollo is super close to Athena or anything, he has a lot more connections with Artemis. It just shows that there is something there, if you really squint at it.

I will say that this only works best in certain timelines. Greek mythology doesn't have a specific canon as much as it has multiple different beliefs that coalesce into the basic story we know now. Because of this, we don't really know if Athena came before or after the twins? It's actually really funny because we have these two truths:

In Apollo's birth myth (I tried to find the specific version but I couldn't ;-;) It is said that he declared all versions of prophecy inferior to his own. Athena, who had been divinating with pebbles at the time, was so upset that she cast away her stones. This obviously implies that Athena was alive for a bit before Apollo was born.

On one of the pediments of the Parthenon in Athens, the birth of Athena is depicted. Apollo and Artemis can both be seen in the crowd of gods watching the birth. This obviously implies that Apollo was alive for a bit before Athena was born.

There are historical reasons for this discrepancy, but from a myth stance it's just really funny.

(It also means we don't know who the true Olympian middle child is. It's either Artemis or Apollo, depending on where Athena falls. I guess they can just share lol.)

I bring all this up because if Apollo was born AFTER Athena, things start falling into place. Zeus eats Metis, certain that in doing so he circumvented the prophecy. Athena is "born" and all seems well. But we all know that prophecy is not something that anyone can truly prevent. So, the next time Zeus has children, they're twins, with the second born being a son who will eventually overthrow him. A classic Greek tragedy, honestly.

It's also very interesting because technically, Apollo DID overthrow Zeus. Or at least, he did in a historical sense. Around 275 A.D., The Romans would start celebrating the birth Sol Invictus (The Unconquered Sun). This elevated the god of the sun, who at this point was an Apollo very transformed from his original depiction, above every other god in the Roman pantheon. This continued for a while, and a bit later Constantine I declared Dies Solis (Sunday) to be the day of rest, in dedication to this version of the god of the sun. By the end of the Roman empire, Apollo was definitely more popular than his father.

Btw, if Sunday being the day of rest sounded familiar, that's because this is actually where Christianity starts to co-opt pagan religions a bit, like always. Jesus' birthday actually also comes from this time period, as both Christmas and the birth of Sol Invictus fall on December 25th. So yes, technically, if you really stretch it, Apollo turns into Jesus.

ALL OF THIS is simply to say that Apollo could very much be the foreseen killer of Zeus, and I think that's very girlboss of him.

As a reward for reading this far, have this piece I did of Apollo if he got less time in the sun, was Athena's full brother, and also maybe committed some patricide.

I really need to learn how to do good backgrounds

I always struggled with charatcer outlines or sheets because there were always stupid questions like “what’s their favorite color” or “what’s their favorite memory.” Stuff that would never come up…

My script teacher said you only ever needed to know a handful of things:

What they want. What they need. What’s stopping them. And what they learn.

siberian cats

Ph. Alla Lebedeva

Is it Possible for an Idea to be Beyond Your Skill Level?

                I think writing as a skill is often underappreciated. In that, I mean I think even writers hold ourselves to a standard that no other creator does. Out of all the skills or hobbies, it’s probably one of the least physical ones, which is often seen as the “benchmark” for skill, or the limiting factor in someone improving something.

                For example, musicians get more nimble and can reach their notes quicker and more accurately, allowing them to play more difficult pieces. Athletes get stronger and gain in endurance, allowing them to score more goals or otherwise go farther in the season with their team.

                I see writers all the time who believe they should be able to do anything because they don’t have that physical benchmark to limit how far they can go, and then the draft doesn’t come out how they wanted it to, and they get discouraged.

                Here’s my take, writing as a skill is just like any other. It needs practice. It’s not something you’re either born with or not, it needs to be developed and strengthened.

                With that in mind—I promise your idea isn’t beyond you. No one is ever going to finish a perfect draft on their first try—that’s never how anything works, and it has nothing to do with how “talented” you are.

                Rewrite the scene until it’s capturing what you want it to. Rework that character until they are who you need them to be. Edit until your motifs are coming through. It’s all practice, every draft is another practice towards nailing the end product. Do you think artists nail drawing hands on their first try? What about on their tenth try?

                So why are you holding yourself to this idea that it’s taking too many drafts to perfect?

                It’s okay to keep trying. If you’re really struggling with realizing a concept, take it out of its context. Write the character you want to see in different situations separate from your project. Read how others have done something similar, take notes. Gather sources and inspiration for what you want to do. Reach out to other writer friends for advice.

                Overall, don’t not write because you think it’s beyond you. With a little bit of work and practice, there’s no story you can’t finish.

                Good luck!

This sounds really cool!

Mermaid enthusiasts all need to pay attention to this

An open-world mermaid RPG is in development!

It's called Siren (not to be confused with the TV show), and it's in production by an independent, unpaid team of developers called Loreseeker Games. That video showcases their work so far. If you're as thirsty for mermaid media (mermedia) as I am, this is something to keep an eye on, and if you're so inclined, supporting financially on their Patreon. I really would love to get my hands on this some day, and authentic, un-corporatized art needs to be supported at all times. Signal boost!