books

Myth #8 & #9: Explaining The Origins Of Thunder And Lightning

Posted on by jasinrockgod

This is a myth I made up, not one I have heard before.

Once there was a powerful witch that roamed the earth named Storm. She was the most powerful witch on the planet, but she could not seem to be satisfied with her powers.  All of the other inhabitants of the earth, from the lowly peasant to the most powerful of the Gods, feared her and revered her at the same time. 

One day, while starving for more power, Storm came up with a spell that would make her more powerful. She would steal the power from the God of the weather, Sunshine. 

She waited until the perfect moment to get Sunshine alone, then she cast her spell.  The spell, however, did not go as planned. It killed Sunshine. It gave Storm the power to control the weather, as she predicted, but it also gave her Godlike powers that her mortal body could not handle. 

Within a few minutes, she began to have power surges.  Her body shook violently and electrical charges shot forth from her fingers. She was out of control. Every time she opened her mouth to scream in pain a loud rumble escaped her lips.

The other Gods were alerted and came to investigate. After seeing the death and destruction Storm had caused, they decided to banish her from the Earth into the atmosphere.  There she can still control the weather, but not be as harmful to others.

Now with each time there is to be a change in the weather, Lightning shoots from her fingers, Thunder escapes her mouth and the Storm begins. 

Myth #4: Why We Are Born and Why We Die

Posted on by jasinrockgod

This is a myth I made up, not one I have heard before. I did, however, base these beings in the story off of the Taltos from the Anne Rice novels.

Once upon a time, the Earth was peopled by immortal beings. There was no sickness and there was no death. They were extremely tall, averaging seven feet, with long legs, arms and fingers. Perfect for performing the magic that was within each of them. They lived in tribes around what is now Europe, but were all connected telepathically. There were no strangers anywhere.

But there were, unfortunately, some evil beings among them. When evil was done, the council of elders would gather together, in what is now called Scotland, to judge the punishment of the offender. Usually these punishments were mild for an immortal being, a century of banishment from their tribe, public shaming, or in extreme circumstances, imprisonment.

As time went on, the beings all began to ignore the council. They felt as immortal beings they didn’t need to be ruled and they could do as they pleased. They became more brave and daring with their breaking of the rules. They ignored punishments shunned the council all together.

This enraged the council. They had always been a peaceful people before, and now all hope of that was lost. So the council made a life altering decision, they would strip the immortality from the beings, including themselves.

The beings were furious, war broke out between the ones that followed the council and ones that did not. For the first time ever, an immortal being died. Followed by another and another and another. Eventually, the only beings that were left were the council of elders, who had gone into hiding.

As the council grew old, and knew their death was inevitable, they pooled all their magic to create a smaller race of people. These creatures, which they called humans, would life their lives, procreate, and die within the course of a few decades. They children would be born small, then grow to their normal adult selves, then they would die as new humans were born. They called this the circle of life.

Eons ago it was proven that immortality was more of a curse than a gift. This why we are born and why we die.

Myth #3 & Myth #5: Why The Sky Is Blue and Why The Grass Is Green

Posted on by jasinrockgod

These are myths I made up, not ones I’ve heard before.

When the Earth was formed, everything was given a role and a place to spend eternity. The seas were never to come on land, the trees were to stay rooted in the ground, the sky was to surround the Earth never touching the ground, while the grass was to stay on the ground never being in the sky. Things were fine for millennia, things stayed out as they were told to be in their hazy nondescript color scheme.

But the sky was sad, never touching the ground. Growing sadder by the passing days, the sky turned blue to reflect it’s sad mood.

The Grass was jealous of the sky, being forced to stay on the ground and never able to leave it, it turned green with envy.

After turning the colors they remain to this day, all the trees and flowers and animals chose their own colors, some out of necessity, some out of desire. But none as sad as the jealousy and envy of the grass and the sky.

Myth #2: Why The Leaves Change Color

Posted on by jasinrockgod

I was told I should preface this with the fact that it is a myth I just made up. It is not an actual myth.

At the beginning of time, when the Earth was new, there were many Gods. Everything had its own God or Goddess. A God of life, a Goddess of beauty, a God of time, even a God of insects. The Gods and Goddesses were much like the people today, constantly trying to impress one another, fighting amongst themselves, and sometimes falling in love.

Tree, the God of plants and foliage, had made all his creations green, as it was his favorite color. He was also madly in love with Prism, the Goddess of color. He tried desperately to impress her by making all the blooms on his flowers as brightly colored as possible, often asking her for suggestions so she could share in all the growing splendor. But she was so caught up with the vibrant colors she created, she barely noticed his affections.

Icy, the God of winter, also loved Prism and wanted to find a way to grab her attention. But the white of his snow and the clear crystal of his ice wasn’t exactly impressive to someone who thrived upon bright colors.

One day, in the earliest planning for winter, Icy thought of the most spectacular idea. While he could make all of Tree’s plants go into a hibernation for the winter months, what if he could start the process early? Before the leaves fell have them become brighter and more vibrant before they shed themselves for the long cold winter. He thought it would be wonderfully impressive to Prism if he could show reds, oranges, and yellows against a neutral background of browns and tans. Surely, that would get her attention.

He started his process three moon cycles before the onset of his winter time. As the mighty oaks and maples began to turn to his intended color pallet, he walked Prism through the garden of Earth. He pointed out all the changing colors and how he planned from now on to have these colors change every year, all in her honor.

This made Tree very jealous. He wanted Prism to love him, so he stopped the hibernation process on a few of his most impressive specimens, the conifers. The pines would stay a bright green all year around, even through the coldest, whitest time of winter. And just for spite, as winter was coming to an end, he would have two of his flowers, tulip and daffodil, arrive before the winter was over. All to show Prism the beauty he created could withstand Icy’s winter.

This fight goes on today, all to try to win the affection of Prism. Tree and Icy continue to show Prism the beautiful colors they create, and each year she dotes on their magnificence. But little do Tree and Icy know that Prism is already in love with Tint, the God of painting.

Myth #1: The Rising and Setting Sun

Posted on by jasinrockgod

In the beginning of the universe, there were thirteen spirits that created everything. Five were light spirits, that were responsible for everything good and light. Five were dark spirits, that were responsible for everything evil and dark. Three were neutral and served as the voice of reason amongst them.

When the Earth was created, a fight broke out amongst the spirits. The light spirits wanted the Earth to be a place of light and good. Always bright and pleasant to see at all times. The dark spirits wanted the Earth to be dark and a place for evil to reign.

The argument was taken to the three neutral spirits. One sided with the light, one with the dark. The final spirit saw both sides of the argument and could not decide. He thought long and hard about how to create a compromise between the dark and light.

After much consideration, he came up with the idea of a Sun for the planet. It would shine on the Earth, always lighting exactly one half of the planet. The lighted area would always be good, while the dark contained all the evil.

Eventually a war broke out between the inhabitants of the Earth along the border of the light and the dark. The light beings were too good, and the dark too evil. The spirits gathered to decide who should win. It all came down to the same deciding spirit, he needed to find a balance before the inhabitants of the planet destroyed each other. He decided to have the Sun circle the planet, it would still light exactly one half, but that half would always be moving. No people of the Earth would be good or evil all the time.

This is why the Sun rises and sets, to keep the good or evil from being better than the other. The Sun keeps the balance amongst our inhabitants.

Writing Myths

Posted on by jasinrockgod

I recently came across a prompt on Facebook about writing myths. There are 20 prompts, and I thought it would be a good exercise in writing. I’ve been batting some ideas around in my head about them, so I thought I’d share a few and see what people think. I’m going to write them in a short story context, but we all know I’m long winded, so we’ll see….

Here are the prompts:

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Several of these, I know the reason of them because of, well, science. But I am going to attempt to put that out of my mind and write a myth based on what I think people would have believed if they didn’t know the truth.

Feedback is always welcome!

Day 15: 30 Day Writing Challenge

Posted on by jasinrockgod

Today’s topic is supposed to be my favorite tumblr pages. Except I no longer use tumblr, and when I did, it was to look at naughty things, and I’m not running that type of blog here.

So instead I’m going to blog about my favorite quotes. I don’t often include quotes in my writing, as I have a horrible memory and I fear misquoting people. But I will double check these as I go.

“My only love sprung from my only hate”. This is from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. This quote has always resonated with me because I was raised in a very homophobic society (it was the Eighties after all), and being gay at one time just made me feel guilty. It was like loving someone your parents hated.

“What would an angel say? The devil wants to know.” from the song Criminal by Fiona Apple. I’m not a religious person, but this line has always meant something to me on a personal level. I’ve not always been a “good boy” to the people I should have been, and I’ve often wondered what I should have done differently.

“Give me liberty or give me death!” said by Patrick Henry in 1775 at the end of a speech promoting raising militias against the British. I agree, I’d rather be dead than have to suppress my freedom. I will fight for it, but I refuse to lose it entirely.

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” by Dr. Seuss. My sentiments exactly.

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent” by Eleanor Roosevelt in her book This Is My Story. This is very true, if you don’t stand up for yourself, you are giving them permission to walk all over you.

“Insanity is doing the same things, over and over again, but expecting different results”. This is from narcotics anonymous, though it has been mis-attributed to Mark Twain, Ben Franklin, and Albert Einstein. It’s very true, if you keep doing the same things, you will get the same results.

“Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans” said by Allen Saunders. If you are always planning the “next big thing” you miss all the little instances of greatness that is life.

“I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work” said by Thomas Edison. Never look at anything as failure, only a learning experience.

“I solemnly swear that I’m up to no good” J. K. Rowling from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I just love it.

“There is no friend as loyal as a book” Ernest Hemingway. True story! Books can be there for you like no one else. They don’t judge you. They help you through problems. The answer your questions. Books are awesome.

I have a lot of favorite quotes. But these are ten great ones.

Tomorrow’s topic: my views on mainstream music (that ought to be interesting).

Would You Rather? (Book Lover’s Edition)

Posted on by jasinrockgod

I follow this great site on Facebook called The Reading Room. They post a lot of great articles and fabulous pictures of libraries, as well as quotes, book reviews, and other awesome book related things.

Today they posted a little quiz “Would You Rather? Book Edition!” This is the link, if want to play yourself.  I thought I’d run through my answers with you. Fourteen questions, it won’t take long.

1.  Would you rather spend the day with your favorite author or your favorite character?

Tough call. But I’m going to spend my day with my favorite author, Anne Rice. I have a lot of favorite characters and it would be tough to choose just one.

2. Would you rather be in a fantasy book or a dystopian book?

Fantasy book, definitely. Books involving dystopian societies are good and entertaining, but if I were in that world, it would be depressing to see a world similar to the one I once knew. Whereas in a fantasy world, it would be completely different.

3. Would you rather read only books from a series, or only stand alone novels?

Series, definitely. I like getting into the world set up by the author and being there as characters grow. Stand alones are great, but I like a series better.

4. Would you rather be with your fiction love interest or your real world crush?

This question seemed a bit silly to me, like we were in middle school again. Really, who uses the word “crush” as an adult unless talking to or referring to a teenager? 
But to answer the question, I guess my husband. I’ve never really had a love interest from a novel. I care about the characters I love, but I can’t say that I thought “wow, I wish he were real to love me”.

5. Would you rather be a professional reviewer or a famous author?

Another tough question. I have wanted to be an author for a long time (I know, get off my butt and do it), but I’d have to go with professional reviewer here. It would be awesome to read others’ work for a living. Reading the words and stories of people far more talented than I think I am, getting wrapped up in their stories and worlds would be awesome. Getting paid to read? Yes, please!

6. Would you rather be Katniss (from the Hunger Games) or Tris (from Divergent)?

Katniss. I have, but have not read, the Divergent series, so Katniss wins by default.

7. Would you rather have a friend never return a favorite book or drop your favorite book in a pool?

I’d be devastated by the loss of a book, no matter the circumstances. I currently own three copies of my favorite book, so as long as one of them was safe, I’d survive.

8. Would you rather have your favorite book become a movie or a tv show?

Tough call. Seeing what the entertainment industry has done to several book adaptations, I can’t say I’d be thrilled with either. But gun to my head, I’ll go with tv show. There is entirely too much information, storyline, and subplots to cram into a 2-3 hour movie.

9. Would you rather have to dog-ear your pages, or never mark your place?

Dog-ear. If I buy a book, it’s mine. I don’t resell them or give them away. I’ve also been known to underline quotes and makes notes in the margins. Some people find it sacrilege, I call it learning and growing as a reader.

10. Would you rather be a character in Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings? 

Harry Potter. Who doesn’t want to be magical?

11. Would you rather have to wait five years for the installment in your favorite series, or get it now but have to read every spoiler about it before you can read it?

Wait five years. I waited longer than that for Prince Lestat, the latest in the vampire chronicles and I didn’t read a single spoiler, review, or synopsis. I wanted to take it all in fresh. I DID read the previous ten books in the series before it came out.

12. Would you rather be forced to read the last chapter of a book first or be forced to see the movie based on a book first?

Watch the movie. I would rather see how Hollywood butchers it than have to know the ending. The way they make movies nowadays, the Book may end differently anyway.

13. Would you rather have to re-read your least favorite book once a month, or never re-read your favorite book again?

As much as it pains me, I’d give up reading my favorite book. I’ve read it over a dozen times as it is, so I will always remember it. But I don’t think I could re-read a book I can’t get into over and over again.

14. Would you rather have unlimited free books for a lifetime or live inside your favorite book?

I have questions. Do I get to pick the books? Do I replace a character or am I an addition? I would LOVE free books, but I don’t want to read what others tell me. I prefer to choose my own. On the other hand, live as a character in my favorite book? I would love to, but as the book spans over three centuries, do I get to be alive all of it, or do I just be one character at one point in time?  I guess I’ll take the free books.

What would you rather do in these situations?

Unrealistic Expectations

Posted on by jasinrockgod

My life is full of unrealistic expectations. I’ve accepted it, and learned to adjust accordingly. I know I should lower my expectations, to be more obtainable, but I kind of like reaching for the stars.

There are a lot of things I expect too much of:

-That the people who work under me at work will actually do everything I need them do without me there to babysit….is it all that hard to do your job unsupervised? Being the boss of a department I was once a peon in, I can tell you that it is not.

-That my three cats actually get along. There are eight rooms in my apartment, there are only three of you. If you can’t get along, don’t be in the same room (sounds like my mom’s rules for me and my two brothers).

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Three cats. They all have to be on the couch, but cannot touch one another.

-That things that are so delicious to to eat, will actually be good for me. It would be awesome to eat a tasty bowl of pasta, or a yummy pizza, and still lose weight. Or at least not gain any more. I guess this is more about my unrealistic body expectations. I come from a long line of overweight people, and I (while still chubby) try not let it get out of hand. But I don’t exactly try to make it better either…just kind of maintain.

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My unrealistic body expectation

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My body reality

-That I could get the equal amount of alone time and social interaction.  Sometimes I just want to be alone, sometimes I don’t. Of course they usually happen at times when the other is the case.

-That book series I love would be published as fast (or faster) than in can read them. The waiting is torture! I am looking at you Anne Rice, James Patterson, Kathy Reichs, Rick Riordan, Greg Iles, and Tess Gerritsen…

-That great shows I love wouldn’t end. Or at least not end badly. Friends had a good run, but it could have got another season or two. Charmed could have went on a long time, there is no end to evil, but they had gotten on a rocky path the last season…they could come back and pretend season eight never happened. Cougar Town, it’s only been a month or so, but I miss you already. True Blood, you went off the rails a few times, but a show about immortal beings doesn’t really need an end, right?

These are a few of the things I expect, but will never get. Doesn’t stop me from dreaming, right?

A to Z: T is for Talamasca

Posted on by jasinrockgod

The Talamasca is a fictional organization from the brilliant mind of Anne Rice. Featured in many of her books such as The Witching Hour, The Queen Of The Damned, Memnoch The Devil, and Lasher (among others). The Wikipedia page description: The Talamasca Caste (or Order of the Talamasca or simply Talamasca) is described as a secret society set up to watch over and keep track of the paranormal, in particular, witches, spirits, werewolves and vampires. Rice describes them as “psychic detectives“.

I long to read more about them, but as Anne has stated on her Facebook page, she’s tried several times to write a novel solely concerning the Talamasca, but it never has worked out. I personally feel it could be an entire series of books! I would devour them as soon as they were published.

Having not read Anne’s books in order of publication, I first encountered the Talamasca in The Witching Hour. I was fascinated that a secret organization went back so far to watch thirteen generations of witches, not to mention all the other paranormal creatures they monitor. The history they must know, the things they must have seen astounds me. If they were a real order, I’d give anything to be a part of it, even a small part. But as I have no psychic or supernatural abilities, I doubt I’d be considered.

Regardless, I live to hear more from them and it (among other reasons described in previous blog posts) has made me want to read her works with haste to possibly discover more about them. Even in her fictional world, there is still secrecy with them.

Some of the most fascinating characters in her books are all Talamasca members, Aaron Lightner, David Talbot, Merrick Mayfair, Jessie Reeves, Petyr van Abel, to name a few. Especially since the members tend to intertwine with the supernatural people they are “watching”.  Petyr is the father to two generations of the Mayfair witches (an incestuous affair with his daughter spawned the second). Aaron marries into the Mayfair family hundreds of years later. Jessie is the direct descendant of one of the “first brood” of vampires, her great (times a lot) grandmother, Maharet, was turned over 6,000 years ago. David headed the organization before being swept into the world of vampires by Lestat de Lioncourt.

The novels that could be written are endless. Any one of these characters could tell their story, or any number of new characters could tell theirs and how they interact with the very beings they watch over. A history could be written, she touched on how they had dealings with the Knights Templar in The Witching Hour, that could be a novel in itself. The possibilities are endless.

The motto of the Talamasca is “We watch, and we are always here.” I feel the same way about new works by Anne involving the Talamasca. I’ll always be watching for a new one, and I’ll always be ready to read it.