The children of the Tuatha De.
You know how I'm writing a play about this and making abominably slow progress, given that I only have the opening scene and about eight billion characters? (I also have the look-and-feel of the play coming together in my head, but that's more of a design thing and not actual script-progress.)
Well, I've been getting what can only be called song requests from various ancestors/Tuatha De. And by "song requests," I mean that "the ancestors/Tuatha De sing a certain song in my head and request that I put it in the play."
Barring the Spring Awakening soundtrack, the not-from-a-musical song requests started with Hanschen. Last week I was listening to "Come to my Window" by Melissa Etheridge, and Hanschen went "THAT. I'M SINGING THAT."
I'm like "The hell does that mean?" So he showed me himself singing it on a stage, with lights and audience members and everything.
---
A few days after that, I was meditating and suddenly Moritz walked in completely naked. And not in the "war-painted Celt about to go to battle" naked, he just... didn't have any clothes on. And nobody really notices/cares but me, so I ask, "Not that I'm complaining, but Moritz? Why are you naked?"
Hanschen informed me, "Because he's shit at hiding things."
"That makes sense. I guess?"
Then he pointed out, "Have you noticed that when you're not in your Irish outfit, you're barefoot?"
At which I looked down and realized that I was indeed not wearing any footwear whatsoever. "No, actually."
"It's because you're not used to walking. Even Wendla wears ballet flats."
"Wait, do I even NEED shoes in the Otherworld? I've been running around in the forest and shit without a problem."
He facepalmed and went, "That's not what I mean. You're only a little better at hiding things than Moritz." So then he mentioned that when I'm not in my Irish bard regalia, I'm wearing a plain white shift. And ONLY the shift.
After my mortified flailing tapered off, Hanschen pointed out that shifts are technically undergarments already, so "Why would you wear something UNDER your underwear?"
Apparently, spirit-clothing translates to how "open" someone is, and seeing as Spirit-Me tends to wear the bare minimum of clothing, it's why I have so much trouble filtering things out.
Of course, other things happened afterward. And by that I mean, "the Tuatha De had traumatic flashbacks of Christianization and British oppression after I asked Aengus a seemingly-normal question" again.
I don't even remember what I asked him because he just got horrifically depressed, which got Caer Ibormeith and Brighid over to make him feel better. And suddenly Brighid was in a room/hall surrounded by people glaring at her, and she started screaming that "THEY'RE WATCHING ME, THEY WANT ME TO MAKE A MISTAKE AND THEN THEY'LL EAT ME!"
And yeah, I had no idea what that was until I remembered she was adopted by Christianity as a saint. But... well, the connotations of "sainthood" aren't always nice. "You have the patience of a saint" means that you'll put up with things that nobody else will.
Lir and Robb Stark came to give her hugs. I remembered that Robb's title is "the Young Wolf," so I trawled Google and found out that Cormac MacAirt was raised by a she-wolf in childhood.
After Aengus and Brighid calmed down, the Tuatha De actually started to come up and show me things, as opposed to accidentally getting triggered by something I said. Mainly tied to Christianity's takeover, and how the gods remember it.
-Ruadan was crying with Brighid. "Mom, they think I'm dead. I'm a GOD."
"Well, sweetheart, lately people don't think we're gods. And if they do, they can't tell anyone or they'll die."
"That's STUPID!"
-Bel was walking alone in a dark field on Bealtaine, wondering where the fires were. He knocked at a lot of doors asking for people to let him in, but they were either afraid of him or they threw him out when he told them he was one of the Tuatha De Danaan. So he kept wandering around lost and terrified in the dark. Until someone walked up and put a hand on his shoulder. Bel calmed down a little and asked, "Ogma?"
"Come with me."
-Aengus was standing with Manannan at Enya's grave. Manannan said to him, "She's not coming back."
"I know, but she's my daughter."
"I know."
-Brighid asked Arthur very tiredly, "Can I go home now?"
-Lir was standing with his children, but they were all facing away from him, and he saw the crosses on their graves and just started crying. Later, he explained to a teenage Manannan that "Sweetheart, they won't come back. Even if you ask them."
-Aaaaaaand various other things. Some traumatic, some just sad, all of them involving a distinct theme of darkness, disguise, and loss/departure.
And suddenly Aengus called to the Tuatha De, "And if I shed a tear, I won't cage it."
They responded with, "I won't fear love."
Hanschen remarked, "Our demons, they will dance--but we'll play."
Melchior called to the ancestors, "And if I feel a rage, I won't deny it!"
They answered like the Tuatha De, "I won't fear love!"
So I asked, "This is a song I heard, right?"
Aengus told me, "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. Sarah McLachlan. Get it NOW, you need to learn it."
So I did, and I've been listening to it for a while. Hell, I'm listening to it on iTunes right now.
---
Finally, Ogma and the Morrigan showed me two things:
-Ogma and the Dagda were talking in the darkened hall; the Dagda asked, "What are we going to do about the children? They aren't used to being alone."
Ogma told him, "This will pass. You know it will. In time, they'll come back."
-The Morrigan kept going to people and telling them to follow her, but sometimes they wouldn't, and sometimes they didn't have the right abilities. She just kept asking until she came across thirteen-year-old me, curled up and trying not to see anything, and she smiled and said, "Well. I can wait a few years."
So I asked Aengus why everyone was showing me all this and he said, "Because you asked."
"I can't be the only person who wonders why nobody's heard from the Tuatha De who got baptized."
"No, but you ask US. 'What happened to your daughter? Why do you look like certain characters? Why do most of you have British or American accents when you're the Tuatha De Danaan?' And we figured, hey, you're a bard trying to find your family and write a play about it. Why not tell you about our family?"
And I ask, "...Is this why the Tuatha De REALLYREALLYREALLY want me to write a play and reunite with some of my ancestors?"
He, Ogma, and the Morrigan went, "YES."
"Well, lots of people have written about the whole 'loss of the old gods' situation that Christianity tends to invoke."
"There's nothing new under the sun. But they're writing about the gods; you're writing about a family."
"God, Aengus--this is a HUGE family."
"You have ten aunts and uncles. On your mother's side. In this life."
"...Point."
"Besides, we didn't lose EVERYONE."
-----
-Brighid showed me when she got back home; she was on a pier and all wobbly from the ship ride, but then Ruadan ran up and tackled her, going, "MOM!" And after the celebration ended about a week later, she noticed the candles that people lit for Saint Brighid.
-Bel was out on Bealtaine again, and even though there weren't any bonfires, people didn't throw him out or ignore his knocking. Whenever they realized the oddness of a tall and attractive young man wandering around at night and asked if he was one of the Folk or an angel, he chuckled and went, "Sure, let's go with that."
Which was technically not an answer, but he always made sure to help them out for the year.
-Manannan and Aine got married. Again, huge celebration.
-Aengus and Caer were playing with an infant Enya.
-Brighid and Ogma were helping Macha and Aine process their rage.
While I was listening to the Tuatha De tell me stories yesterday, Hanschen and Wendla started braiding my hair in my Irish fili hairstyle. It did indeed take an (Otherworld) hour to make five braids and wrap four of them in a crown, but once they were done, Hanschen went, "There we go, now it won't get everywhere."
When I was about to end my meditation, River reminded me, "Boots," and handed me her combat boots. I put them on, and when I asked why she gave me hers, she went, "I have spares."
So... yeah. My play's theme is about family, and that's helping a lot with how to get all the scenes in order.
Also, I really want to be a main character's understudy for my college's play. Time to run the character's lines and songs so I can try out on Wednesday WITH MINIMAL HELP, bitch.
Shamanic group's drum-circle is today at four! Thank god we don't have to do too much laundry.
-----
Edit: THE WARBLERS FROM GLEE ARE THE FIANNA.
Wes and David showed up today, so Kurt/Ruadan and Blaine/Nechtan were like "HEEEEEY DUDES" and I'm like "Wes and David?! Who are YOU?!"
David went, "FIANNA, BITCHES."
And then they ALL showed up and I'm like "WHY ARE THE FIANNA HERE?!" and David went, "IT'S ALMOST IMBOLC AND YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS."
Fuuuuuuuuuck.
Well, I've been getting what can only be called song requests from various ancestors/Tuatha De. And by "song requests," I mean that "the ancestors/Tuatha De sing a certain song in my head and request that I put it in the play."
Barring the Spring Awakening soundtrack, the not-from-a-musical song requests started with Hanschen. Last week I was listening to "Come to my Window" by Melissa Etheridge, and Hanschen went "THAT. I'M SINGING THAT."
I'm like "The hell does that mean?" So he showed me himself singing it on a stage, with lights and audience members and everything.
---
A few days after that, I was meditating and suddenly Moritz walked in completely naked. And not in the "war-painted Celt about to go to battle" naked, he just... didn't have any clothes on. And nobody really notices/cares but me, so I ask, "Not that I'm complaining, but Moritz? Why are you naked?"
Hanschen informed me, "Because he's shit at hiding things."
"That makes sense. I guess?"
Then he pointed out, "Have you noticed that when you're not in your Irish outfit, you're barefoot?"
At which I looked down and realized that I was indeed not wearing any footwear whatsoever. "No, actually."
"It's because you're not used to walking. Even Wendla wears ballet flats."
"Wait, do I even NEED shoes in the Otherworld? I've been running around in the forest and shit without a problem."
He facepalmed and went, "That's not what I mean. You're only a little better at hiding things than Moritz." So then he mentioned that when I'm not in my Irish bard regalia, I'm wearing a plain white shift. And ONLY the shift.
After my mortified flailing tapered off, Hanschen pointed out that shifts are technically undergarments already, so "Why would you wear something UNDER your underwear?"
Apparently, spirit-clothing translates to how "open" someone is, and seeing as Spirit-Me tends to wear the bare minimum of clothing, it's why I have so much trouble filtering things out.
Of course, other things happened afterward. And by that I mean, "the Tuatha De had traumatic flashbacks of Christianization and British oppression after I asked Aengus a seemingly-normal question" again.
I don't even remember what I asked him because he just got horrifically depressed, which got Caer Ibormeith and Brighid over to make him feel better. And suddenly Brighid was in a room/hall surrounded by people glaring at her, and she started screaming that "THEY'RE WATCHING ME, THEY WANT ME TO MAKE A MISTAKE AND THEN THEY'LL EAT ME!"
And yeah, I had no idea what that was until I remembered she was adopted by Christianity as a saint. But... well, the connotations of "sainthood" aren't always nice. "You have the patience of a saint" means that you'll put up with things that nobody else will.
Lir and Robb Stark came to give her hugs. I remembered that Robb's title is "the Young Wolf," so I trawled Google and found out that Cormac MacAirt was raised by a she-wolf in childhood.
After Aengus and Brighid calmed down, the Tuatha De actually started to come up and show me things, as opposed to accidentally getting triggered by something I said. Mainly tied to Christianity's takeover, and how the gods remember it.
-Ruadan was crying with Brighid. "Mom, they think I'm dead. I'm a GOD."
"Well, sweetheart, lately people don't think we're gods. And if they do, they can't tell anyone or they'll die."
"That's STUPID!"
-Bel was walking alone in a dark field on Bealtaine, wondering where the fires were. He knocked at a lot of doors asking for people to let him in, but they were either afraid of him or they threw him out when he told them he was one of the Tuatha De Danaan. So he kept wandering around lost and terrified in the dark. Until someone walked up and put a hand on his shoulder. Bel calmed down a little and asked, "Ogma?"
"Come with me."
-Aengus was standing with Manannan at Enya's grave. Manannan said to him, "She's not coming back."
"I know, but she's my daughter."
"I know."
-Brighid asked Arthur very tiredly, "Can I go home now?"
-Lir was standing with his children, but they were all facing away from him, and he saw the crosses on their graves and just started crying. Later, he explained to a teenage Manannan that "Sweetheart, they won't come back. Even if you ask them."
-Aaaaaaand various other things. Some traumatic, some just sad, all of them involving a distinct theme of darkness, disguise, and loss/departure.
And suddenly Aengus called to the Tuatha De, "And if I shed a tear, I won't cage it."
They responded with, "I won't fear love."
Hanschen remarked, "Our demons, they will dance--but we'll play."
Melchior called to the ancestors, "And if I feel a rage, I won't deny it!"
They answered like the Tuatha De, "I won't fear love!"
So I asked, "This is a song I heard, right?"
Aengus told me, "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. Sarah McLachlan. Get it NOW, you need to learn it."
So I did, and I've been listening to it for a while. Hell, I'm listening to it on iTunes right now.
---
Finally, Ogma and the Morrigan showed me two things:
-Ogma and the Dagda were talking in the darkened hall; the Dagda asked, "What are we going to do about the children? They aren't used to being alone."
Ogma told him, "This will pass. You know it will. In time, they'll come back."
-The Morrigan kept going to people and telling them to follow her, but sometimes they wouldn't, and sometimes they didn't have the right abilities. She just kept asking until she came across thirteen-year-old me, curled up and trying not to see anything, and she smiled and said, "Well. I can wait a few years."
So I asked Aengus why everyone was showing me all this and he said, "Because you asked."
"I can't be the only person who wonders why nobody's heard from the Tuatha De who got baptized."
"No, but you ask US. 'What happened to your daughter? Why do you look like certain characters? Why do most of you have British or American accents when you're the Tuatha De Danaan?' And we figured, hey, you're a bard trying to find your family and write a play about it. Why not tell you about our family?"
And I ask, "...Is this why the Tuatha De REALLYREALLYREALLY want me to write a play and reunite with some of my ancestors?"
He, Ogma, and the Morrigan went, "YES."
"Well, lots of people have written about the whole 'loss of the old gods' situation that Christianity tends to invoke."
"There's nothing new under the sun. But they're writing about the gods; you're writing about a family."
"God, Aengus--this is a HUGE family."
"You have ten aunts and uncles. On your mother's side. In this life."
"...Point."
"Besides, we didn't lose EVERYONE."
-----
-Brighid showed me when she got back home; she was on a pier and all wobbly from the ship ride, but then Ruadan ran up and tackled her, going, "MOM!" And after the celebration ended about a week later, she noticed the candles that people lit for Saint Brighid.
-Bel was out on Bealtaine again, and even though there weren't any bonfires, people didn't throw him out or ignore his knocking. Whenever they realized the oddness of a tall and attractive young man wandering around at night and asked if he was one of the Folk or an angel, he chuckled and went, "Sure, let's go with that."
Which was technically not an answer, but he always made sure to help them out for the year.
-Manannan and Aine got married. Again, huge celebration.
-Aengus and Caer were playing with an infant Enya.
-Brighid and Ogma were helping Macha and Aine process their rage.
While I was listening to the Tuatha De tell me stories yesterday, Hanschen and Wendla started braiding my hair in my Irish fili hairstyle. It did indeed take an (Otherworld) hour to make five braids and wrap four of them in a crown, but once they were done, Hanschen went, "There we go, now it won't get everywhere."
When I was about to end my meditation, River reminded me, "Boots," and handed me her combat boots. I put them on, and when I asked why she gave me hers, she went, "I have spares."
So... yeah. My play's theme is about family, and that's helping a lot with how to get all the scenes in order.
Also, I really want to be a main character's understudy for my college's play. Time to run the character's lines and songs so I can try out on Wednesday WITH MINIMAL HELP, bitch.
Shamanic group's drum-circle is today at four! Thank god we don't have to do too much laundry.
-----
Edit: THE WARBLERS FROM GLEE ARE THE FIANNA.
Wes and David showed up today, so Kurt/Ruadan and Blaine/Nechtan were like "HEEEEEY DUDES" and I'm like "Wes and David?! Who are YOU?!"
David went, "FIANNA, BITCHES."
And then they ALL showed up and I'm like "WHY ARE THE FIANNA HERE?!" and David went, "IT'S ALMOST IMBOLC AND YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS."
Fuuuuuuuuuck.