December 2011 midnightwriters.webs.com midnight.writers2013@gmail.com
Ask Aphro & Dite
Musings of Hades
Athena’s Corner
To submit questions, please email askaphro@gmail.com. They will remain anonymous!
Believe it or not, I like the winter holidays. Because, you know, my wife Persephone is actually home this half of the year. We’re not picky which holiday we celebrate. Some years we do Christmas, others Hanukkah, sometimes Kwanzaa, or, more often than not, all of them combined. I’m the God of Riches. We can afford to splurge multiple times a year. We’ve accumulated a lot of wealth over the millennia. If we’re going to live forever, then we might as well live comfortably, right? Persephone also has this thing for making huge donations to this or that charity, so that makes up for our kind of luxurious lifestyle. (We look like peasants next to Zeus and his sports car collection, or Poseidon and his yachts.) So. Yeah. Immortality. It gets a little uneventful after a while. We don’t worry about rent or groceries or gas, Persephone and I don’t have kids (if we did, we’d have to choose who they’d spend spring and summer with), and if anyone tried to fire me from my job, hell would be unleashed unto the world. Literally. Just ask Zeus about the Black Plague. Anyway, I’m not going to say anything about envying mortals for being able to die, though. Death is part of their natural life cycle. It’s not for ours. Still, the reason why you hear about us gods having illicit affairs and starting wars is because otherwise immortality would just be a fat load of boredom. We can only do so many Sudoku puzzles. Maybe that’s the real reason why Persephone and I like the holidays. They bring a change of pace. Huh, maybe we should invite the family this year… Pffft, no freaking way. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and all that good stuff.
Grave Mercy: 2012, Robin LaFevers Ismae was scarred at birth and doomed to a life of abuse and stares, but her luck changes when she goes to Mortaine’s abbey. She learns all the tricks she needs to become a servant of Mortaine and kill the ones He marks. But during Ismae’s mission at court, she begins to learn that serving Mortaine is not a simple as she first thought, and love may not be the burden she believed it was. This Dark Endeavor: 2011, Kenneth Oppel Victor Frankenstein, his twin Konrad, and their friends Elizabeth and Henry live peaceful lives until they find an occult library in their basement and are forbidden to return. When Konrad falls deathly ill, Victor becomes obsessed with finding the Elixir of Life to cure him. The adventure soon becomes more perilous than Victor ever imagined. This prequel to Frankenstein will thrill readers and encourage them to reread Frankenstein with new eyes. The Lost Goddess: J. Christien Lee Irene is a young worshipper of the Lost Goddess Athena in a world where everyone worships the Greek gods, and everyone chooses a god or goddess to be their patron. Irene pursues pursue Hellenology, an extremely difficult career, and almost succeeds when Keene bursts into her life and destroys that dream. Now Irene must decide whether to trust Keene, because the life she’s always known is slowly becoming undone.
Dear Aphro & Dite, My brother is at college and the most I talk to him is once every two weeks on Facebook. If I’m lucky. How do I make him talk to me? Sincerely, Brotherless Dear Brotherless, College is a stressful time. You can't make someone talk to you. If he's a freshman, he needs time to adjust to his new surroundings and make friends. College is like starting over with out any old friends from elementary school. Try talking to other people. I love my younger brother to death, but I still don't like talking to him 24/7. Sincerely, Dite Dear Aphro & Dite, In many classes, I hear people talking about this question for that test. “You need to know XYZ.” This cheating has become so widely used that people no longer consider it cheating, but it’s still cheating. I can’t tell them to stop talking because it’s none of my business. I can’t tell a teacher because that’s squealing. I usually try to ignore them, but it still bothers me. Any suggestions how to handle this? Sincerely, Very Irked Dear Very Irked, It’s high school, my dear. Grades are important to many students If they’re someone you consider a friend or good acquaintance, tell them it bothers you and explain it's still cheating. A lot of people don’t realize this is cheating because, as you said, it has become so widely used! Telling a teacher doesn't help a situation at all. It unnecessarily escalates the situation, but your problem with that shouldn't be because you feel that you're “squealing.” In my opinion, this is not as serious of a misdemeanor as a lot of other ways students have found to cheat. But that's just me. If it still bothers you just confront the person when you can get them alone! Hope this helps. LOVE, Aphro
Special thanks to Sra. Steele and acknowledgement to Hades, Athena, Hippolyta, and Hermes.