{Edit: In case this wasn't clear enough, this is me fangirling. About Hetalia. OBVIOUSLY.}

I started reading Tacitus' Germania, and figured that quite a lot of social structures have not changed that much (granted, Tacitus does not delve as deep as he could have - but the few limited views he grants us, I find quite telling). They coincide with Viking social structure quite nicely. Does not sound that amazing (yet), but if you consider most sources on Viking society were written during the high middle ages... that's a gap of about 1000 odd years. Has so little changed? Or rather, are the fundamental powers still intact because of the things which have NOT changed (landscape, climate, foes)? Plus, isn't the sheer preservation in the face of Christianity just astonishing! Regardless, using what we know of Viking homosexuality and its hazards to back us up, Tacitus' record on punishment suddenly gains another level of meaning - So lets recapture, and then assume...

[Licet apud concilium accusare quoque et discrimen capitis intendere. distinctio poenarum ex delicto: proditores et transfugas arboribus suspendunt, ignavos et imbelles et corpore infames caeno ac palude, iniecta insuper crate, mergunt. Diversitas supplicii illuc respicit, tamquam scelera ostendi oporteat, dum puniuntur, flagitia abscondi.] In their councils an accusation may be preferred or a capital crime prosecuted. Penalties are distinguished according to the offense. Traitors and deserters are hanged on trees; the coward, the unwarlike, the man stained with abominable vices, is plunged into the mire of the morass, with a hurdle put over him. This distinction in punishment means that crime, they think, ought, in being punished, to be exposed, while infamy ought to be buried out of sight.                                                                                                                      - Germania, Ch. XII

I am merely speculating, of course. Considering virðing/drengskapr (similar to lat. virtus) as the forever unachievable ideal/social system, its origin and power it undeniably had over Vikings, the punishment for cowards does not seem so out of place anymore. The opposite of honor is shame, and what shames a man more if not meeting the ideal - an ideal, that is the ultimate goal of each individual. If a man is less than what he is supposed to be - what is he, then? Something different, the opposite. He must, by default, thus be female (or an animal.) Now, I won't open that Pandora's box today of how women were viewed - mostly because Tacitus' record of that differs a little from later Viking society's standard - and skip right into the actual argument instead:

Perversity, "the man stained with abominable vices", is regarded as severe as cowardice. How do these two coincide? Taking into account that only the receiving partner in a homosexual encounter had to suffer the full penalty of his sordid (or should I say sorðinn? Hurhurhur) act while the active partner is undoubtedly the victor, homosexuality was first and foremost a demonstration of dominance.It was a practice used against enemies and competitors as means of establishing a position within society. There was nothing shameful in using a man like a woman, but certainly in being used, in submitting and becoming less than a man. Simply the accusation of being a coward and thus unmanly, was so utterly shameful, a discredit disrupting not only to the man's equilibrium (helgi), but his kin's, that the Icelandic and Norwegian laws demanded the death (or exile) of the accuser, if it was unfounded.

Due to Tacitus' accumulation, we can easily make the connection between the coward, the unmanly and the sexual deviant. They all denote the same kind of person. It is obvious, then, why they would all be doomed to the same fate as well. Unlike traitors and deserters, whose crime it were to nourish different morals and not a fundamental flaw in their nature. One could even assume, that hanging traitors up on trees for all to see, the meaning becomes "Don't do it", as opposed to the unmistakable message of "Don't be it" when it comes to the second group of offenders.

I am not sure whether anyone has compared Tacitus' account of Germanic life/costume etc with the much later age of the Vikings, but I am sure, I wasn't the first one to follow that train of thought.  Aaaaanyways. What's more important right now... OMG I CAN HAZ?

Oh my god you guys. The drabbles. I finished them. But they are not real drabbles. It's physcially impossible for me to write only 100words so it's closer to 500-900words. Also: No porn. :C I'M SORRY. I just can't write it without some preface first which would make it a whole fic thus defeating the purpose of this meme so... meh ;_; Also, I am not a writer. I see the images in my head and I try to describe what I see, but that is sometimes hard and uh,... yeah.

I could also not hold myself back with the DL-prompt. I feel like I could write a bazillion stories about Raistlin right after his test. Mea culpa.

Many thanks go to salty_catfish, domorrigan and mcruthless for being so patient and playing proof reader ;_; You guys are awesome, I heart you from the bottom of my heart ♥♥♥
Enjoy.

*************************************

Prompt: Thor/Loki
Fandom: Nordic Mythology; Vikings
For: miarr
( Hrafninn flýgur; PG-13 )

Prompt: Guy
Fandom: Bat-Ella
For: neekaneeks
( They say on Cellaros Alpha, time flies by at lightspeed. Guy is not convinced; G )

Prompt: Skwisgaar/Toki
Fandom: Metalocalypse
For: ftw302
( Vi skal ikkje sove burt sumarnatta; PG )

Prompt: Raistlin
Fandom: Dragonlance
For: miarr, salty_catfish
( Knee-jerk reaction is mandatory; G )

Prompt: Caramon(/Raistlin)
Fandom: Dragonlance
For: miarr, salty_catfish
( It’s only dark if you open your eyes; PG )

Prompt: Xanatos/Owen
Fandom: Gargoyles
For: mcruthless, miarr
( For what it’s worth; PG )

Prompt: Aladdin/Mozenrath
Fandom: Aladdin
For: miarr, casex_y
( Quid Pro Quo; R )

Prompt: One Piece
Fandom: One Piece
For: hideincarnate
( Sayonara; G )

Alright, doing Alliteration verses in the tradition of dem Skalds is fucking hard. Ok? IT'S HARD. It's not just putting same sounds together and you're done. Oh man, I wished. ò_ó But I'll learn it, koste was es wolle.

That said, I filled out a character meme (written, not drawn). First time ever. I don't know why I did it - probably because I was procrastinating and I needed an excuse. Which led me to do a lot of research that was - in fact- unnecessary but still enjoyable. Thus filling out this meme took longer than it should have. Woops.



It's pretty dumb so what. ):

I DONT KNOW
( EENK )

Still crushing hard. Ahahahaha *sobs* So much that I want to learn how to draw his face without a ref. It's not easy, I think I haven't drawn so much in the last three months as I've been drawing lately. Practice practice practice.... God, he looks so great He's so small and yet all muscly and wiry *Q* that little psychopath.

Oh, did I mention Watchmen has everthing MTL-fandom hasn't? You know like.... SEX POLLEN FICs. I kid you not. I've always missed that with MTL, those dumb standard-plots with lotsa PWP-Sex. Maybe the series was too brutal and SRS BSNSS to even consider going where every fandom (usually) goes. That'd been awesome, tho. Maybe with the coming new season? Lets hope.

Am still amazed about all the many Nite Owl/Rorschach fics I find. And they are all so, so well written. It really blows my mind, how do they even... JUST CRAZY HOW GOOD THEY ARE D: They manage to capture Rorschach's voice and emotions spot on, especially when coupled with Daniel's awkwardness (and god, is he ever awkward around him xD)

I still cannot decide what's better, tho: Hobo!Walter or "Tailor!Schach" xD (Whoever came up with THAT particular term, pfffffhahahaha). Mwah, Walter sewing ♥♥ *giggles like a schoolgirl*

I feel delightfully indecent and it came all at the right time. Or worst time, depends on the POV. University POV = not so good, because I daydream and draw and don't do my work. Don't even listen to other students when they talk to me. I zoom out all the time gah T_T I AM WEAK. ON THE OTHER HAND... it's wonderfully sinful in a way and great and just unf. The best part about is that he dies at the end. It's so damn tragic and makes your heart ache and yet... you can't help but wonder about him, his life, his morals...

Yeah I'm babbling SO WHAT

;_; I bet everybody hates me now for talking about Rorschach constantly His middle name is Joseph, holy fuck, someone shoot me, I don't think I can handle the cuteness D: But here's the good news: I'M SAHWWWRY!

The ending was confusing, dumb and utterly rushed. Raistlin was not Raistlin, but especially during the end. Um, he had his fight with Fistandantilus in the Legends, why have them fight again? Also, his power is not his own but Fistis and all that comes now afterward is not by his own doing? NO. WHAT?

What a poor ending to a great series. I heartily agree with the amazon critiques. This book sucked >:(

He didn't lose his virginity, by the way.