Gender Fluidity, non-heterosexual, and gender variance behavior in mythology.

For the purpose of this thread, and keeping it short cuz even though this is my off month to finally rest from burn out, I've got publishing obligations, signings, and stuff to do -- we're keeping-- this to South Asian mythology:

I've already done a thread about third sex/intersex and trans (Hijra) in South Asian culture and the portrayals in a pop culture IP recently - Monkey Man by Dev Patel --

This is a short primer really:

Harihara - the union representing --

Tawaif - a highly skilled courtesan (skilled in: music, dance, poetry, and singing) who catered to nobility in South Asia. Similar in respects to Geisha in many ways, including that sex was NOT obligatory. It occurred, but the primary function was entertainment. Most commonly -- romantic poetry like Ghazals -a form of Arabic poetry that made its way over to South Asia: odes of long lost lovers, tragedy, separation, stuff to pull at your heart strings. And, shairi, another Arab/Persian kind of poetry that is built on monorhymed quatrains or--

The Celtic Goddess Danu - the Mother Goddess, the goddess of and manifest divine waters. The waters that fell from heaven to create the sacred river, Danuvis or the Danube.

The Tuatha De Danaan are translated as "The Children of Danu."

There are similarities here between this-- Ganga and the forming of the Ganges. But more notably, Danu from Hindiusm - the primordial mother goddess of ancient/first old waters - liquid. There is also a river named Danu in Nepal.

She is the mother of the Danavas, a larger category of the Asuras - celestial/supernatural

The Maruts!

Let's get into these cool badasses from South Asian mythology:

The Murats AKA the Marutagana are a group of storm gods out of the Tridasha, the Vedic 33, consisting of 11 in that pantheon, or ranging from 27 to 60 - or 3x60 in the Rig Vedas in number. They are often linked to Rudras (not to be confused with the Vedic wind and storm god Rudra), but often considered the SONS of Rudra and Prisni.

Like the storms they represent and herald -

Pakhangba - The Meitei/Manipuri Primordial Dragon God. It hails from Meitei religion and culture (From the Manipur Kingdom at the Indian/Burma border before it fell under the British Protectorate as part of overall India then).

The name Pakhangba means: "The one who-- has realized his father."

The story in short is: Pakhangba and his brother, Sanamahi, were given a task by their kingly father. The task?

The son who could circumambulate the universe 7 times, and then return to their father first, would be given the throne of the universe--

So, this thread is for @Spirited_Gal , who is a wonderful person & author. She reached out curious about Asian storytelling structures and techniques, then links to South Asian ones. This became a convo about native/common/historical structures/styles/techniques from South Asia. So, let's get into some loosely (just to make y'all aware, without turning this into an academic essay because it easily can - but I do not have time for that, and am not being paid for that writing, and it could be a lot when fully fully fleshed out).

When people ask why Tales of Tremaine has a silk road analog, and trade and currency and economy is talked about, it's because the history of India has never been monolithic, in religion, culture, exposure, none of it. Nalanda was the world's first residential university-- attracting students from across the world to study philosophy, science, religions (like buddhism especially), and magic (yes things like alchemy were pursued as well as the harder actual sciences). Trade happened, arts, people migrated out, and emigrated in, Indo-Greek kingdoms--

I'm in the gym, might have a gym thread later on some helpful tips for folks, but before that, given some things I've seen today and heard, I'm going to take this moment instead to stress this, which many of you have heard from me - still relevant:

Be...kind. Seriously. It costs nothing.

But, my god.

In writing circles, in book circles, overall arts, entertainment, personal life, all of it, there is so much unkindness.

Quiet, behind backs, and in front of faces.

Just be kind.

You're adults.

This is in your power--your control--

Tapati, who is she, and why is she significant?

Well, first, she is a river goddess, but daughter of the sun god, Surya. However, her name means the hot one, the burning one. Interestingly enough, her name is tied to the river she's said to rule over - HOWEVER, -- language time.

Agni, a vedic fire god, has a scythian counterpart similar in name (and the scythian's are the older culture that broke off to form the vedic, indo iranian/iranian, and levant people as well as others - mixing, breeding, invading).

Back to Tapati--

Look late night, and I'm kind hecked up, but after my 2 writing tips popped off on AI, I should have just been honest and spilled the big writing secret:

You know no one needs an AI to write a novel right? Here's a secret fail proof tip on how to book:

You ever consider-- taking a trait of yours or a horrible flaw and just self inserting that into a piece of fiction (literary or sff) and then going hey they go off to learn a bunch of lessons to fix this and succeed or fail...or they fuck it all up? Maybe they get worse?

Hey-o...just called--

Themes of sacrifice - significance of human sacrifice in mythology:

To gain you must give - consider it a proto-take of Equivalent Exchange, you FMA nerdarinos!

First, we have the cosmic twins, manus and yemo, one of whom is always sacrificed to create or create from- this is similar to the sacrificing and creation from/of ymir in norse myth, ymir (etymologically) comes from yemo, as does remus (also sacrificed) in the story of romulus and remus.

In the greeks, we have the castration of ouronus/the sky, from whom Aphrodite is created--

You do this for/with every character you want that has a pov: First do the main one.

Ex: When Aang (the avatar) reawakens from being a popsicle and finds the world has been taken over by the fire nation, he must set out on a quest with friends to master the bending styles--

https://twitter.com/MJLWrites/status/1660258830507229186

and free the world. But, will he succeed, when an awkward teenager obsessed with his honor, and the fire nation led by (angry mark hamil noises) seek to capture him?

Answer: yes.

Now, do those for kora, toph, sokka.

Kora: When she discovers the avatar in an iceberg-

Some of you know I've struggled with my appearance, dysmorphia, for the longest time. Having a whole history of only taking selfies with books or other images. Uncomfortable showing my face. It's weird now after a lot of work to have that changing. A little progression: I'm not really smiling in these pics. It's just mouth shut, staring. It's been hard. My posture is kinda rigid and tight. I've been uncomfortable for the longest time. Now, slowly, I've been changing. It's been a lot of therapy and a struggle - my issues (I know) came from a lot-

Yeah, alright, no. No don't this. I'll do you a few fucking better and teach you right here and now how to do this:

You game? Blurb and lesson time. Got you.

First up, a SPOOC. This is one technique that can be expanded (gonna give you examples too). WRITING LESSONS AHOY:
🧵 SPOOC = Situation, protagonist, objective, obstacles/opponents, climax/cost.

So, when Frodo Baggins (protagonist) inherits the Ring of Power (Situation), he must set out on a quest to destroy it (objective). But, will he succeed when the forces of sauron and saruman unite and --

Something I think people often forget but it's SUPER FUCKING IMPORTANT:

In Homer's version of the Iliad, not later reinterpretations and retellings, THERE IS NO MENTION OF ACHILES BEING INVULNERABLE.

He's not shot through the heel.

There's early Greek art showing him-- shot through the torso.

This matters--why?

Because, there is mention of specific armor he's given and made for him by Hephaestus, along with a shield. This is SUPER IMPORTANT. And why reading the myths properly matters (especially with all the damn retelling crazes) --