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I'm so tired, and I have no idea why. I went to bed at a reasonable hour (1AM), woke up at 9AM, so I got in about six or seven hours of sleep.
But I woke up and just felt completely drained. My caffeinated teas aren't perking me up, and I found myself sluggish at work today. Odd.
I got some tips on caring for Daia through gardening, which is great. She ( Read more... )
But I woke up and just felt completely drained. My caffeinated teas aren't perking me up, and I found myself sluggish at work today. Odd.
I got some tips on caring for Daia through gardening, which is great. She ( Read more... )
Fionn, the King of Ireland, loved dogs. One of his subjects, Fergus Fionnliath, hated dogs with a passion, to the point of rewarding anyone who provided proof of torturing the poor beasts. King Fionn's mother went on a trip with her younger sister, Tuiren. Both women were so lovely that married men cursed their sacred vows.
On this trip Tuiren was married to Iollan Eachtach, a nobleman of the Ulster Clan. She was given away reluctantly by Lugaidh, who was in love with her (as were all men). King Fionn did not have either a positive nor negative relationship with the Ulstermen, and so demanded that Iollan promise to return Tuiren should she give the slightest hint of being unhappy in her marriage.
The marriage was a happy one, but unfortunately Iollan had a romantic history with a lady of the Sidhe. Uct Dealv was her name, and she loved Iollan dearly. Her sister cautioned her that mortal men were fickle, but she paid no heed.
Except Iollan stopped visiting Faery, and they knew he wasn't dead because otherwise his spirit would be in Faery. Word of Iollan and Tuiren's marriage reached Uct Dealv's ears, and her sister triumphantly declared,"I told you so."
Jealous and outraged, Uct Dealv disguised herself as a messenger from King Fionn and went to Iollan's castle. She drew Queen Tuiren aside and turned her into a dog. Then, with malicious glee, she brought the dog to Fergus, the man who dearly hated dogs and beat the crap out of any he saw. Uct Dealv continued her pretense of being a messenger from King Fionn and told Fergus the dog was a gift, to be cared for until Fionn could come retrieve it.
Fergus was naturally astounded. He knew that Fionn loved dogs dearly, and indeed possessed hundreds of the beasts. Fergus' own hatred and disdain for dogs was equally famed. Still, he reluctantly accepted the gift from the King.
Now, Tuiren-the-dog is freaking out. She's been confronted with her husband's nasty ex, turned into a different species, and is in the home of a man who is likely to throw stones at her for sport. She's shaking terribly, and this bothers Fergus. He summons a servant to cuddle her until she stops shivering, but Tuiren-the-dog reacts with a snarl and snap.
Resigned, Fergus cuddles the dog, since if King Fionn shows up and finds the dog in poor condition, it's his head on the line. Tuiren-the-dog is calmed, and starts licking him affectionately. One day he comes to the realization that the dog actually likes him.
Better yet, the day after that he realizes he likes the dog! So he places her under his protection and spoils her rotten, even moreso when she was merely
a 'gift' from Fionn. She winds up having puppies.
Now, King Fionn hears rumors that his aunt is no longer living with Iollan. He sent Iollan a message demanding the return of Tuiren per their prenuptial agreement. When Iollan admits he has no idea where his lovely wife has gone, Fionn issues an ultimatum: Either bring back Tuiren or bring back your head.
Iollan went to Faery to find Uct Dealv. He tells her he is in danger of losing his head to Fionn. Cooly, she says that if she saves his head from Fionn, then his head belongs to her. In exchange for finding Tuiren, Iollan must agree to be her sweetheart until the end of life and time.
Iollan gives his pledge, and the two go off to see Fergus, the Reformed Dog Hater. Tuiren's spell is broken, and her human form is returned. Her pups, Bran and Sceolan, unfortunately must remain dogs, as they were born as such. Fionn took them in, and cared for them greatly, as they were loyal as hounds, smart as humans, and his own cousins besides.
Tuiren was then wedded to Lugaidh, who loved her deeply and whose poems became famous for their gentle touch.
As for Fergus? He lay bedridden for a year and a day, and would have died of heartbreak had Fionn not sent him a special pup. This pup became his Star of Fortune and Pulse of his Heart, and he lived happily ever after.
(....*grins* This story has everything.)
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...but yea, I see your dilemma. On one hand, it's funny, but then there's the dude having to swear to be the sweetheart of Uct Dealv in order to save his own skin...hrum, tricksy indeed.
Best of luck deciding! Not going to lie, I love my realistic, moody pieces (my new crack being a series called "Suikoden III"), but pick the one you figure you'll learn the most from.
/my two cents.
oh, one more thing...I know I get really "omg!" about showing my drawings to people, but I'd love it if you had progress reports with pics of character sketches and the like. ^_^ I love watching other people get their shit together, and this sounds really kick ass.
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