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dragonbard-bastard · 3 days

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Another day another slay! Posting this late, and with Tumblr fucking me over :)

Started off today by heading to Grymforge! We pushed a Duegar off a boat (admittedly for my own personal enjoyment + extra XP, Soph would never) and sailed into the old fortress.

Sophronius was very unhappy about the fact they kept slaves and the attitudes of the Duegar they met first. So, they're not in the picture anymore. He was also not at all thrilled when he saw a massive amount of bodies piled up and the Duegar pushing them into the water. He dealt with them and proceeded to remove the bodies and give them a proper sort of shrine to remember them. It doesn't look that great I worked with what I had lmao

Talked to Stonemason Kith, have I said I love Stonemason Kith?

We got the Adamantine Forge working and killed the guardian in only a few turns using the crucible! We made the Adamantine Splint Armor for Lae'zel and the Shield for Shadowheart. With Sophronius wearing the helmet from the Guardian, those three cannot be crit'd against!! The dice hate me so this is great news.

We also walked by the Lava Elemental and it was surprisingly chill? Bro had no issue despite totally seeing us. Anyways we grabbed the Adamantine Chest and sent it to camp for Astarion to unlock later (he's been in camp all of Grymforge, you know why). In the box was the Amulet with the giggly monk and now Soph is wearing it

We teamed up with the rebels to kill Nere and of course Tactician has to make the Scrying Eye basically immune to every single damage type except thunder so that was a HUGE pain. Ended up luring the eye to the right where that chasm is and throwing it off. Some guy got mad but he didn't move or attack, he didn't take his turn at all and spent a minute doing nothing until he was dead.

I love Soph so much, these options fuck hard.

Anyways the bug where none of the enemies move or take actions happened in this fight too with some of the allied Duegar also feeling the glitch- it was annoying, boring, and long because it took a minute for each enemy's turn to be forcefully stopped. We didn't lose any health though I guess.

The gnomes were free!!! Soph demanded Brithvar let them go, and after watching him turn Nere into a was he got the idea. Took Nere's head and went back to the Myconid colony, where we delivered it to Spaw. Then we went back to Grymforge and up the elevator, into Act 2.

Traveling through the topside of the Sharran temple, one of the Moonrise Towers we got to the Shadowcursed lands. Immediately Shadowheart was like "OMG the curse doesn't affect me!!! Shar loves me!!!" I know it's not because she had the Blood of Lathander but I like to imagine she thinks it's Shar and it's literally just cuz she has a light source. from, you know, the morninglord.

Anyways we help the Harper's fight off the shadows and I was sad because Yonas purty but now Yonas dead :( After heading to Last Light we talk to Jaheira, she does her whole vine bit, and Mol comes to our rescue. We have a glass of wine w her and detect the truth shit but drink it anyways. Soph doesn't have anything to hide.

We talked to Isobel, got the blessing, and helped fend off the Winged Horrors and I don't think there were any casualties, and Isobel was alright. We also got Karlach's engine 'fixed', enough so I could give her a big ol' hug.

I took a few long rests in quick succession in the hopes of getting my scene with Wyll but no fucking Durge and Dream Visitor shit is overriding it. Also got one of Gale's scenes.

The dream visitor said some shit I don't remember, but the butler guy showed up and was like you gotta kill Isobel and I'm not doing that so. Fuck off. Then that's where I left off.

A few notes about Soph being a Durge by the way: Since Soph is an OC the Durge storyline isn't totally 1:1. This run is supposed to be an AU basically, but basically his real story is basically "has been mind controlled by an evil cultist to kill hundreds of people." The parallels of killing in his sleep are the main reason I made him Durge. Also I needed to do a durge run. Another idea I had was if the Urge made me break my oath I would essentially switch over to doing an evil run? Where I'd give into the urges, because of a few lore reasons. When Soph gets mind controlled it leaves a sort of remnant of the magic in his head and it also turns his eyes all black and spooky and he's very easy to manipulate after that especially.

#bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 #dragonbard ramblings #bg3 durge #dragonbard Sophronius

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vidalinav · 4 years

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Character Analysis: Elain in light of Nesta’s POV

You know, I really hope Elain doesn’t stay “good” and not that I mean that I want her to be evil, but I guess I just want her to be “normalized.” If there’s anything I know for sure is that Elain and Nesta are on two opposite sides of a spectrum when it comes to dealing with emotion. One hides herself by being bright and gentle and one hides herself by being angry and spiteful. I argue that if ACOSF showed us anything, it’s that Nesta needed to be a little more like Elain, where she saw the good in the world, the hope and chose hope over the hatred. But I argue now that Elain needs to be more like Nesta too, where she sees how bad the world is and she gets angry about it, so angry that she explodes and takes action against it. Both of those aspects of being hopeful and being angry are very healthy emotions, just not in extreme amounts. Nesta was so spiteful that she became bitter and was ruining relationships, but Elain is so “bright and easily lovable” that she’s underestimated, viewed by others as being boring, naïve, and in need of coddling, which also doesn’t help her build close relationships or have her gain more autonomy and independence.

So, quite honestly, I do hope we get to see Elain doing something bad. Not something super bad, personally I’m partial to this dark!Elain scenario, but something that knocks the pedestal away from her, where she can no longer be this “good” girl who’s always polite, always nice, always happy, always in her garden. There’s not a problem being this type of person, but it’s only a facet of a character, and I think we also have to question whether that hopefulness is genuine or how genuine her personality is. Because to me, I read Elain’s happiness the same way I read Nesta’s anger, where she’s probably not that hopeful or kind or happy or easily lovable, and that that in itself is a way that she copes with the world around her.

But it’s interesting because I find that Elain’s character is one of the hardest to analyze, because 1. There’s not too much about her yet and 2. Because I know so many people who were “supposedly” the nicest people around who ended up being the worst people I knew, which made it worse because they played into this role of being sweet and precious and the ended up really just being two-faced and hypocritical. It wasn’t bad that they had these flaws, it was the fact that they were hiding these flaws under the guise that they were this perfect person, and actively tried to be this perfect person. This is something that I think a lot about with Elain, because she can certainly be this person at the end of the day. SJM butchers characters all the time, not that she ruins them, but that she ruins them in the way that you can’t see them in either extremely good or extremely bad cases. It really just depends on the circumstance and the POV. Mostly they’re morally grey with a lot of flaws.

I think the way we have seen Elain is fascinating, because in Nesta’s POV she does have flaws and she should have flaws. I even argue that Nesta does treat her normally for the most part, because she treats her like everyone else with the same disdain from ACOSAF to ACOSF. But the thing that I can’t help but point out is that Elain didn’t like being treated like everyone else, she didn’t want Nesta’s disdain, she wanted Nesta’s love. So when she says “you can’t have it both ways...” resenting the small quiet life but also stopping her from doing something greater, I also argue that she can’t have it both ways either. She can’t dismiss Nesta’s worry about her when that is her form of love, Nesta is a protector, and then also expect her love to be freely given without restraint. I want to know exactly what Elain means by that line when she said “And yet somehow all you can think of is what my trauma did to you.” Because Nesta is worried about her, because she was stolen by the cauldron when she tried to scry the first time. Not only that when she first turned fae Elain literally became lifeless, and fell into a depressive state. Elain has always been shielded by Nesta, and she certainly wasn’t complaining about it before in any of the books or arguing against it though she had ample opportunity. This change of attitude only occurs after Nesta became also mean to her.

But you would think that these two sisters would understand each other the most, because they literally have gone through everything the same. They were both dipped in the cauldron, they both gained extra cauldron power, they both were in the war, directly with Hybern, they both suffer with dealing with the aftermath. But neither Nesta nor Elain understand each other. Nesta doesn’t understand that Elain really couldn’t help her because she’s going through a lot of pain that she hasn’t dealt with herself and Nesta is a hard person to deal with. Even if Nesta could help her when Elain was in the same situation, Elain is not Nesta. But Elain doesn’t understand that Nesta is going through what she went through and doesn’t seem to put more effort in helping her nor cut her some slack nor share more empathy, even sympathy. She enters the library in the beginning in ACOSF like it’s not a big deal, and then is unexpectedly hurt because Nesta isn’t nice about it, like what did you expect? And then she’s like with this scene, you can only think of what my pain did to you, and then at Feyre’s birthday, with Did Feyre pay you this time to come here? And then you know she’s in her room every time Nesta comes around. Like Elain cuts her no slack, even though, logically it makes more sense for her to be nicer to Nesta than even Feyre being nice to Nesta, because we have this preconceived notion that Elain is the kind and understanding and hopeful one, and we also know that Nesta’s love made a difference. We can’t dismiss that Nesta did support Elain when Elain was in a bad way and as a human her whole life, in the pursuit of claiming Elain is being coddled. Because both of those statements can be true and are true at the same time.

Nesta and Elain did not get a resolution in this book. So it will certainly be interesting to see what that means for Elain’s POV. Because Elain has something to prove. To the others she needs to prove that she is capable, but I also think that she has to prove to herself that she’s capable. Because most of what we know she has done, is very little. She didn't help Feyre as much as Nesta didn’t help Feyre. She now hasn’t helped Nesta like Feyre has helped Nesta. And she’s certainly of course not responsible for taking care of others, but we can’t dismiss that she has certainly lived better and well, because others have taken care of her, so she can’t resent that now and then call out someone else for their hypocrisy. I said in another post a long back, that Nesta in her own narrative had to be self-critical or no growth would happen, she’d have to acknowledge that she had done wrong, because that’s how healing works. It’s an internal thing. No one is at fault for your own actions and feelings except for yourself, like there was certain level of accountability that Nesta would need to take back control of her life, even with her relationships, because relationships require a collaboration of entities, you’d have to acknowledge how the other person feels. So Elain in her own POV, has to acknowledge that she has done wrong, even if the wrong that she’s done is because she’s done nothing. Because one can’t expect meaningful relationships without acknowledging the other’s feelings, understanding where they are coming from, understanding that relationships are two ways and that Nesta “technically” doesn’t have to be close with her, no one has to be close with her, if she doesn’t actively try to be close to them, and also no one is stopping her from helping or living something greater, Elain does not put her foot down and then follow through. She does not take initiative to control her life and it’s not any of the character’s fault if they don’t think too much about her or don’t give her a chance, because she has not shown action. She needs to show action. Whether that be getting angry, yelling, telling people how she feels truly, demanding to go on trips with them or help with the cauldron, demanding and then placing herself where the action happens. She says “Find me when you wish to begin.” Well Elain, no one can find you, you need to be there when they need you. Which is the entire problem.

Anyways, hopefully this made sense. At a certain point these analyses start sounding like rocket science, arrows leading into a thousand different directions. Truthfully, I do just want Elain to be an interesting, complex character. But I don’t want her to be extremely good. Because she’s not. No one is. Perfect characters are boring and not what SJM writes. People just don’t hold her accountable like they do Nesta, because she’s more pleasant and happy. But damn, I’d hate this girl if she started being like y’all don’t give me a chance or acknowledge my trauma, but then doesn’t acknowledge that she benefits from the situation, in a way that no character does, and she doesn’t actively stand against it, so what is she really complaining about?

Sigh. These characters. SJM is too good at writing imperfect people.

#nesta archeron #elain archeron #acosf #acosf spoilers

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fangirlxwritesx67 · 4 years

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Samhain

Christmas Tea (3000 words) NYE Bubbly (1500 words) Valentine’s Day Chocolate (2100 words) Happy Birthday Sam (2000 words) Samhain (3600 words)

Sam X Rowena A/N: did anyone ask for 3600 words of Samwitch Witch!Sam? No? Well, I still wrote it. Also managed to delete the first posting, so trying again.

Tags: sex, so much consensual sex, oral sex, finger banging, discussion of edging, some language, mild dirty talk, fisting, magic sex and/or sex pollen, alcohol, Rowena being irresistible, size kink, hand kink

It had been almost a year since the first time that an invitation to Rowena’s apartment turned into a sizzling night of sex for her and Sam. Since then, they had celebrated several holidays and spent many more visits just enjoying one another.

While their relationship grew, Sam’s understanding and practice of magic had grown, too. Before, he had assisted Rowena with a few spells when needed, but had never studied spellwork for any purpose other than undoing the results. Now, he was gradually learning the rhythms of magic, the phases of the moon, and the cycle of a witch’s calendar.

He might light an occasional candle, or burn some herbs - really, nothing he hadn’t been doing as a hunter for years. Although Dean teased him about being Rowena’s protege, he certainly wouldn’t consider himself a witch.

He did notice, from time to time, that he felt increasingly aware of Rowena’s power. At first, he brushed it off as just the intense physical attraction between them, or his interested attention to her every word and move. But there were moments, he could swear, where he actually saw her manipulate the forces of magic, like light around her body.

He understood more than ever how important Samhain was to Rowena. He knew that it was the most powerful Sabbat for a witch, the starting point for the Wheel of the Year. Still he was surprised when she told him she wanted - no, needed - to join her that night. He couldn’t imagine what she had in mind. But she had called, so he went to her.

He didn’t know what she was planning, but he also didn’t want to come unprepared. He found a bottle of wine called Witches’ Brew, so he bought it. Rowena had very specific tastes, so she might hate it, but at least he wouldn’t arrive empty handed.

On October 31, Sam knocked at Rowena’s door. She greeted him wearing black from head to toe, sheer black, some kind of shimmery thin robe that clung to her curves and swirled around her every motion.

She took the wine and led him to the kitchen. He watched her hips sway as she walked, taking in the fact that her underwear was little more than bits of lace and lacing across the cleft of her ass. The room was aglow with banks of white candles casting a warm light over everything.

She uncorked the bottle and then turned to face him. “This wine is better heated.” He watched as swirls of light coiled upwards from her hand around the bottle, and was not surprised when the glass she poured him was hot. He took a sip. It reminded him of her kisses, that spicy sweetness that he could never get enough of.

She seemed to know it, too, as she met his gaze with a smirk. She raised her glass and he followed suit. For a long moment, the two of them sat and sipped in comfortable silence. Finally, she spoke again.

“There is a spell a witch can only perform when she has another witch for a lover, one who is true of heart and same of soul.”

She reached for a wide shallow bowl at the other end of the table, one Sam had not noticed before.

“What-” She silenced him with the press of her fingers on his lips. Without thinking, he kissed them. She smiled to herself and dipped those fingertips into the water that filled the bowl.

“Look,” she commanded.

He watched as the water rippled and clouded, and then faded into a scene of the woods. Between the trees he could just barely make out - Rowena, walking on and on. At first it was almost too dark to see, but the moon rose, growing and grew full and heavy as she continued her journey onward.

The moon in the scrying bowl was pearly bright when the image of Rowena reached a broad slab of stone, an altar, he supposed. She was not alone, there was a taller figure there, and as he peered more closely, he saw that it was him. He watched in the water as they joined hands before it rippled again, a glow covering the water, and the scene disappeared.

“I need you, Samuel. For days now, since the new moon, I have been - denying myself the pleasure of sexual release. Saving, so to speak, for tonight, for you. “My power will increase immeasurably if you will complete this cycle with me.”

“So you want me to -?”

“Perform this spell with me. Pleasure me, satisfy me, make love to me all night long.”

Her green eyes were wide and bright, the words spilling like stars from her glossy lips.

He didn’t have to think twice before nodding. “For you, yes, whatever you ask.”

The smile that crossed her face was smug, as if she had no doubt that he would agree. She stood and gathered a few things before taking a seat again.

“Oh, and one more thing. Once the spell is cast, it must be satisfied. I am trusting you with this.”

He nodded again, unsure how to answer.

Rowena sprinkled herbs over the surface of the water before reaching out. Sam took her hand in his and allowed her to weave a broad ribbon between their joined fingers and then around their wrists. He helped her tie it in a knot, binding his intention with hers. She murmured words in a voice too low for him to hear and the ribbon dissolved into a ring of light, tiny sparks sizzling downward.

She stood up, and he stood with her. Their lips met as she sank into his arms with a sigh, and he savored the flavor of dark wine and spices in her mouth. More than ever, her kisses felt magical, lips pressing, sucking, tasting, exploring, all hot and slippery and close.

Sam was so lost in her, in the warmth of her body in his hands, that it took him a little while to realize that she was whimpering, grinding against him shamelessly like a cat in heat. She was always open with her desire, but this was something new.

“What do you want?” he murmured as his lips pressed down the column of her neck. “Tell me, my queen, tell me exactly what you want.”

“Take me to bed, my love.” she begged.

He raised one eyebrow and looked around. The couch, the table - plenty of times in the past, they hadn’t made it to the bedroom.

She followed his gaze and shook her head, her eyes wide and imploring, “Bed, now.” As if to make her point, she pulled away, tugging on his hand, nearly dragging him down the hall.

The bedroom, like the kitchen, was arrayed with candles on every side. Sam drew in a deep breath of the air, heavy with incense. In the flickering flames, he saw goddesses, crystals, and cards, the shadowy light making everything seem more arcane and fantastic.

Rowena lay back against the bank of pillows on the bed, her hair like coiled vines against the silky dark sheets. She reached for him, hands curling with need. He stripped off his clothes before kneeling on the bed at her feet.

Instead of leaning into her grasp, he sat back, sliding his hands along her pale legs, pushing the sheer cloth of her gown up in voluminous folds. His hands settled around her waist, thumbs stroking the dip of her hip bones. He pulled down, fingers spreading to cup the swell of her ass as he slipped off the bits of lace and ribbon that made up her panties.

She was bare before him but still he took his time, pressing kisses to her creamy thighs as she whimpered and sighed.

“Don’t tease,” she murmured.

There was nothing he loved more than to tease her, to hear her beg. But he had promised to do whatever she asked. He lowered his face into the copper curls over her sex. The taste of her was better than the best wine, warm and wet.

He had barely begun with his lips and tongue before she bucked up against his face, the softest sighs falling from her lip as her legs shook around him. He paused, took a breath, and then pressed in again. He slipped one finger, then another into her. Her entire body drew up, quaking under his attention, before she let go with a cry.

“Samuel,” she panted. “I’ve waited long enough. I need you, inside me, now.”

It was the easiest command he had ever obeyed. He slid up, over her, meeting her mouth with the taste of her still on his lips. She was whimpering again, begging, her hips rising up to grind against him.

He looked at her and saw her eyes were glazed with desire. “Are you sure-?”

“Please,” she cried, her fingers scrambling for purchase on his shoulders.

Sliding into her was like coming home, the tight wet heat of her so close and perfect. Sam heard himself moaning, unexpected and needy.

“Yes,” Rowena panted. “Please, I need you to, goddess, fuck, Sam, I- you-”

It was nonsense, the broken curses falling from her lips, but watching her mouth was enough, the contrast between her beauty and the profanities. Sam trailed his lips and tongue down around her breasts as she tilted her head back, gasping and panting.

He felt her clench around him and he groaned her name. For one long moment, he was lost- in the woods, under the light of the moon - and then he slammed back into his body. He came hot and helpless inside of Rowena as she cried and tightened and let loose underneath him.

For one long breathless moment they clung to one another, sweaty and shattered. Sam could just see stray sparks of magic trailing off Rowena’s skin, into the dim light around them. Finally he rolled onto his side. Rowena made a soft sound of loss before he turned her into his embrace. He trailed his fingers softly over her hair, feeling her racing heart next to his. Finally her breath slowed and settled.

“Shower?” Sam asked gently. She nodded in response. Sam stood up and held out both hands, pulling her to her feet. He helped her out of her gown and guided her to the bathroom, where he turned on the water steaming hot, the way he knew she liked it, as she twisted up her hair. They stepped into the shower together, bodies pressed together, slippery wet in the close space.

Sam took Rowena’s body wash and lathered it over her shoulders, caressing her skin with open palms. He rubbed her back in broad circles before she spun to face him. He took his time, fingers following the trail of the water over her body, across her collarbones and down her ribs before he pressed up, farther, cupping her small high breasts in both hands. He circled her nipples, watching them rise and harden under the creamy bubbles of body wash.

Her mouth dropped open, lips curving as her hands groped for his waist, tugging him against her. She shifted, pressing her thighs together. “You can’t just- I need- more, please.”

“Ok, hang on.” He murmured, “Let me, we’ve gotta take care of the soap.” He spun until she was under the shower, spray bouncing off her shoulders as the water sluiced down her skin. Once the last bubble swirled down the drain, he turned again so her back was pressed against the end of the shower.

He knelt in front of her and looked up to meet her gaze. Her face was expectant, her chest rising and falling with quick breaths. He lifted one of her legs, hooking her knee over his shoulder. He steadied her with his hands around her waist as he dipped between her thighs. Her soft whines and panting moans echoed off the walls of the shower as he pleasured her until she came again, going limp in his grasp, trusting his grip to hold her up and not let her fall.

Once she could stand on her own two feet again, Sam turned off the water. He grabbed one of the luxurious fluffy towels and patted her dry from head to toe. Her pale skin was already pink from water and pleasure. The shower had washed off her makeup, leaving her face bare. She looked younger like this, softer. He covered the freckles on her cheeks with whisper-light kisses, and her eyes widened, pools of green framed by her wet red lashes.

“Come back to bed with me,” she murmured, holding out one hand. He reached for her, let her lead him, following her every wish. Back in the bedroom, in the wash of candlelight, her skin seemed luminous, lit with a glow from within.

They lay on the bed together, facing one another, lips meeting and parting and meeting again. Sam’s hands roamed her bare body, over every curve and angle. He knew her, this was familiar, but he never tired of touching her, holding her. As his hand strayed lower, pressing into the dip of her hips, she whimpered.

Her fingers closed around his, drawing his hand up to cup her face, nuzzling her cheek into his palm.

“Your hands, goddess,” she murmured. “I think about them all the time, think about all the things you can do. I want you so much, want your hand inside me.”

“I know you love my fingers, love how you come on them for me,” he whispered with a kiss.

“No.” She pulled back and looked at him, green eyes wide and hot with lust. “Your hand, your whole hand.”

He sat up, running one hand through his tangled chestnut hair. She followed his movement with a glance, unable to stop the whimper that fell from her lips, watching the way his fingers slipped through the silky strands.

“Are you sure?” His brow furrowed with doubt.

“Have I ever lied to you or been anything other than completely honest with my desires?” Her voice was low, breathy and utterly convincing.

She was, as always, right. He slicked his hand with lube before slipping two fingers into her, working her over with his thumb as he pumped his fingers in and out. This was familiar for them, from their very first time.

“More,” she gasped, and he obeyed, adding a third finger, curling up against her as she clenched down around him. He kept up his pace, whispering endearments and encouragement until she came with a high whine.

“You still want this?” he stopped to check. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t, I know you won’t. Please, do as I ask.”

He nodded and tucked his thumb against his palm, pressing into her slow and steady, giving her time to stretch around him. When his knuckles slipped into her, she hissed sharply. He paused, waiting, until she drew a deep breath and nodded.

He rocked his hand, taking his cues from her increasingly frantic groans of pleasure. Her head tipped back, slim fingers fisting handfuls of the sheets.

When he heard her first low curse, he knew she was close to letting go. He smiled as he lowered his mouth to her, lips ghosting over her clit with the lightest of kisses as he turned his knuckles again inside her.

Her back bowed up, arching off the bed, hips tipping toward him, her entire body taut and quivering. Her breath tore into ragged moans and her thighs shook around his ears. This time he was waiting, watching, and saw light envelop her entire body in a wash of iridescent color. She cried his name in ecstasy as she came.

He eased his hand out slowly, stroking her through the aftershocks that left her trembling and flushed, little bursts of magic still sparkling off her skin. When her body was fully relaxed, he stretched out next to her and pressed his lips to hers. Her cheeks were blushed pink, little curls sticking damply to her temples.

The sheer amount of pleasure they had enjoyed together was incredible, to say nothing of the magical power she had revealed. He could’ve kept going, was aroused and wanted so much more. But he could see that, for now, she was done. He would wait.

He went to the bathroom to wash up and returned with a damp cloth and a towel. Her eyes were closed, heavy lashes fluttering open under his touch. She watched lazily as he wiped her skin with strong sure strokes.

Then he slid into bed behind her, pulling the covers up over her and tugging her back against his chest. She nuzzled against him, her movements slow and sated. He slipped one arm around her, holding her, keeping her close. He didn’t quite catch her words as she drifted off to sleep, but it sounded like she called him, “...my witch, Sam.”

The full moon shined through the bedroom window, casting a pale beam over Rowena’s alabaster skin. He watched her for a long moment, wondering not for the first time at her reckless vulnerable beauty.

He didn’t feel worthy of being her lover, much less her partner in magic. He didn’t deserve to work a spell with her, not even one as wonderful as this one. But she had chosen him. And with that thought in his mind, he fell asleep too.

That night, Sam dreamed of the scene Rowena had shown him in the scrying bowl, picking up where the vision had left off. He saw himself with her on the broad stone altar, naked in the glow of the moon. He caught glimpses of some of the things they had done together. As the moon grew low just before dawn, Rowena lay back in his arms. Her magic was visible in bands of light circling her body, weaving between them, sigils sparking off into the trees.

“Samuel,” he heard her whisper his name softly, and his eyes slowly opened. He saw Rowena in his arms, just as he had dreamed, but without the forest or the magic. Just holding her, loving her, was magic enough for him. As their lips met, he let his hands slowly roam her body, her beautiful generous body that had given him so much pleasure.

He could tell the spell had been satisfied by her response, by the way she hummed lazily, without the desperate desire that had driven their sex the night before. Still he had to ask-

“Did it work? Are you so much more powerful now?”

She threw back her head and laughed, full throated and free, before fixing him with an intense stare. “You saw it, didn’t you, in your dreams?”

He knew better than to ask how she had seen it too, and instead just nodded.

“You did so well, took such good care of me.” Her hand cupped his face, thumb easing across his bottom lip. “Thank you, my love.”

“Not like it was difficult, not with you.” Their lips met again and again, slow and seeking and deep. Rowena pressed closer to him, movements languid, pulling his body towards hers. He followed her lead, caressing her with strong sure hands, even as the touch of her fingertips left shivers on his skin.

She pushed his shoulder back, not that she could move him, but showing him wordlessly what she wanted. He rolled back, tugging her with him. She sat up, shaking her hair back from her face as she straddled him. She planted both hands on his chest and ground down, drawing a sigh from his lips.

His hands circled her waist as she took him in one hand and guided him into her. He saw her bite her lip as she sank down around him slowly. He let her set the pace, content to watch the way she moved, her endless sensual grace.

Finally he tugged her shoulders down, so she lay atop him. One of his arms slipped around her back, embracing her, while the other settled over the small of her back, fingers splaying over the curve of her ass. She moved in a slow sinuous wave, rolling against him until a groan punched from his lips.

“Come for me, one more time.” His voice was low and ragged, his hands sliding down over her thighs to pull her knees up around his waist. She rocked from side to side as he went deeper, hitting that perfect spot inside of her.

Her mouth dropped open in a long moan, her hands curling into fists against his chest, and he felt her clamp tight around him. He gripped her waist, swiveling her down, grinding their bodies together as he thrust up over and over until finally she cried out, high and breathless. Only then did he let himself go, too. His vision went dark as his release hit him, and he glimpsed stars out of the corners of his eyes.

For a long moment the two of them just lay like that, as close as two people could get to becoming one. The moment stretched, curved around them, the only sound the beating of their hearts.

Sam didn’t want to break the silence, but when he glanced down, Rowena was looking up at him, her gaze bright and hopeful.

“I’ll always do whatever you ask,” he promised softly. She nodded just once before their lips met again, sealing his words with a kiss.

Thanks to @mskathywriteswords for the preread. @songofthecagedmoose made the graphic of Rowena in the sheer gown.

SPN First Last and Always: @boondoctorwho @dawnie1988 @deanwanddamons @defenderrosetyler @divadinag @emoryhemsworth @fookinghelljensensthighs @idreamofplaid @kalesrebellion @kickingitwithkirk @maddiepants @magssteenkamp @onethirstyunicorn @there-must-be-a-lock @tloveswriting

Sam Girl For Life: @awesomesusiebstuff @lilsylvia @winchesterxfamilybusiness

Rowena My Queen: @delightfullykrispypeach @lilsylvia @marril96 @pansexualdarling @songofthecagedmoose

Dean Curious:@adoptdontshoppets @awesomesusiebstuff @deangirl7695 @deans-baby-momma @mrsjenniferwinchester @stoneyggirl @wayward-gypsy @winchesterxfamilybusiness

#samwena #sam x rowena #sam winchester fanfiction #rowena macleod fanfiction #celebrations

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uraniaswrld · 4 years

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answering witchy questions

(from @theclosetedwitch)

1. What type of witch are you? - i hate the whole trendy “witch types” thing, but i work with both high and low magick and i work with the Fair Folk and deities and a lot of herbalism.

2. Do you believe it is wrong to hex? - very little is inherently wrong or right. you need context to decide if it’s moral or not. i don’t do hexes for no reason and i don’t initiate conflict, however if someone has fucked with my friends at all or tried to magickly harm me, you bet your ass that i’m gonna return-to-sender that bitch at the very least. TL;DR i believe in revenge as long as it’s proportionate :)

3. Have you ever hexed anyone? - depends on what you consider a hex. i’ve certainly cast return to sender spells and tripwire spells, but i’ve never done baneful work to someone without them doing something to me first.

4. Which deities do you worship, if any? - i’m a devotee of Aphrodite, and i follow Rhiannon and Morpheus as well. i used to follow Apollo also but the time in my life that he was present for has ended. i work with a few other deities very casually on and off, but those three are the ones i’m worshipping right now.

5. What got you into witchcraft? - the pastor at a church i had to go to was doing a slideshow on “bad religions” and he pointed to a pentacle and said “this is a pentagram, a symbol used by wiccans. and you know what the call themselves? witches. and wizards. or warlocks, actually. witches and warlocks.” obviously, he didn’t know much about wicca or witchcraft but the sheer fact that there were people calling themselves “witches” was enough to pique my interest and i started my research.

basically a christian pastor turned me pagan.

6. What is your favorite moon phase? - i love any time when i can see the moon, but i’m connected to the waning moon for Rhiannon, and the full moon because, idk, it’s pretty? i’m a dyke? unknown.

7.What is your favorite season? - beltane or samhain season

8.Which pagan celebration do you like most? - beltane for me is super happy and rich and beautiful, samhain is the time of year when i’m most connected to my craft, and imbolc season sucks ass but the rituals are really nice.

9.Are you in the broom closet? - to my family, somewhat. i talk about astrology to fuck with them because they’re christians, but i don’t talk about witchcraft or paganism because i’d surely get kicked out or at least punished super heavily.

10. What is your favorite herb to work with? - i’m gonna interpret this as favourite herb/spice, so nutmeg, cloves, juniper berries and chamomile

11. What are your favorite crystals, and why? - to be honest, most crystals i just use for the colour correspondances. i’m not super connected to most crystals but i do love black tourmaline for protection, and then i have some specific crystals that have a lot of meaning for me, like an amethyst point i got from a coven sister for my first imbolc, or a half of a geode that i share with my best friend, or my obsidian worrystone that shows up when i need it.

12. Have you ever had a spell backfire? - i’ve had spells not work, but outright backfire i don’t think so.

13. Do you work skyclad? - no, because of *body image issues* and also i’m cold all the time

14. Are you in a coven? - yes! it’s pretty casual and informal, and there’s not hp/ hps so it’s more of a working group, but coven sounds way better. our coven blog is @circleofpyxis and our instagram is circleofpyxiscoven

15. Do you believe in good and evil? - in individuals, yes. i know that there are inherently evil people. i don’t think that there are any inherently good people, and i think we’re all born neutral, but our actions define where we lie as far as morality.

16.What is the most successful spell you have ever performed? - either a very stupid surface-y spell to get a part i wanted in a play, or a spell to get rid of unwanted romantic feelings.

17. Do you do any divination? - yes!

18. If you do do divination, what kind? - i read futhark runes, dabble in tarot, and scry using fire or water

19. Do you read tarot? - a little

20. If you do, what is your favorite card? - i can’t remember them all off the top of my head but i love the hierophant in my deck

21. Have you ever had any dreams that came true? - i don’t have prophetic dreams, but i have a different sort of brand of metaphysical dream. i’m not sure how to describe it, but i think it’s my spirit guide just watching out for me. for example, i once needed to wake up at 6:30 but forgot to set an alarm, and i had this experience-- it must’ve been a dream-- but it felt like i was awake but my eyes were still closed, and then i heard my mom’s voice saying “it’s time to wake up, you have to go to your meeting” and i opened my eyes (in the dream) and saw my mom. then i woke up for real and no one was there, but the clock read 6:30 exactly.

another time i had a dream where my dad told me that distrokid had updated and i could see how much money i’d made, and then i woke up and distrokid really had updated, which only happens every month at most.

22. Are you in a religion? - i’m still trying to figure out exactly my denomination, but i’m a pagan of celtic and hellenic traditions.

23. Which do you like better: new moon or full moon? - i adore all of the new moon goddesses but i’m sorry, the full moon has my heart.

24. What was the first spell you have ever performed? - it was this really little simple spell for happiness. it was really just an incantation actually, i didn’t use any tools or anything, but it worked so i’m not complaining.

25.Do you believe it is wrong to cast love spells? - if you don’t have the consent of the other individual(s) then yes. otherwise, if you’re just attracting “a good match” or self-love, there’s nothing wrong with that.

26.Have you ever cast a love spell? - self love spells and romance-banishing spells yes.

27. What is your favorite magickal tool? - my peach wood wand that i made myself!

28. Do you like to work during the witching hour (3am ) ? - i do 90% of my workings at midnight or later, so yeah :)

29. Are you a hereditary witch? - nope, it’s just me and my suspiciously-invested-in-crystals-and-astrology sister ;)

30.Do you believe it is possible to be born witch? - you can be born into a family of witches but it’s not like some people are born witches and no one else can practice. everyone has magick, everyone has power. some people have different intuitive strengths, but everyone has strengths.

31. Do you believe initiation is essential to be a witch? - no. in some religious traditions you need to be initiated (like wicca), but witchcraft is for everyone.

32. Do you have a familiar? - no

33.What is your spirit animal? - i’m not indigenous so i don’t have one.

34. Which deity or god are you closest to? - my patroness is Aphrodite

35. Thoughts on reincarnation? - i believe in reincarnation but i also want to die and have it be over so it’s complicated jdfhjhfd

36. Current altar setup? - my mabon altar is still up since it’s still technically mabon season but i’m putting up my samhain altar tonight. i also have shrines to Aphrodite and Morpheus on my altar year-round.

37. Feelings and thoughts on Wicca? - i don’t practice, and there are a lot of issues with gardner, but there are issues with people in every religion. i don’t see a problem with wicca or wiccans, it just isn’t my religion.

38. What is your favorite element to work with? - water

39. Do you have a book of shadows? - i have both a BoS and a grimoire

40. Have you ever tried reading runes? - yes! that’s my best method of divination.

41. If so, what is your favorite rune, and why? - THIS IS SO HARD! i have a few. eiwaz, peorth, and ehwaz are some of my faves.

42. Do you believe in casting circles before every spell? - no, i do it for my rituals and sabbat workings, but at least for my practice, with the frequency that i do workings, i simply don’t have time to cast before spells.

43. If so, how do you cast your circles? - i might do a post on this later, but i close/ cast the circle deosil and then open it at the end of a ritual widdershins.

44. Ever tried knot magick? - yes! i use knot magick for a protection anklet i always wear.

45. Have you ever participated in, or watched the Great Rite (ritual sex)? - no. i’m underage and not interested in sex magick anyway.

46. What is your favorite color to work with, in magick? - red and black

46. Which deities do you have altars for? - Aphrodite and Rhiannon.

47. What is your favorite setting which you prefer to practice in? - i only do rituals after dark and i like practicing solitary but i also love practicing with my friends/ covenmates.

48. Do you know how to read palms? - no

49. If so, have you ever read palms, either yourself or others? - no

50. Are you more connected with the masculine, or the feminine? - feminine, but i try to work with a balance

51. Favorite day of the week to practice in? do you even care? - friday but not for any metaphysical reason, just because i’m least stressed then and have the most time.

52. How long have you been practicing? - over two years

53. Which witchy traditions do you observe? - i celebrate the wheel of the year sabbats, and the esbats, and Rhiannon’s day on march 1st

54. Favorite planet to work with? - Venus

55. Favorite direction ( est, west, north, south) to work with? - west

56. Favorite number to work with * numerology *? - 64 and 11

57. Do you have a magick wand, and if so, what is it made of? - yes, it’s made from peach wood.

58. Do you prefer the sun or the moon? - moon

59. Pointy hat or no pointy hat? - absoLUTELY pointy hat

60. What is it that you LOVE about witchcraft - i love my deities and i love how comforting my craft is when i feel alone

#witch #witchy #witchcraft #witchery #pagan #paganism #pagan tag #witch tag #witchy questions #pagan questions #q and a #introducing myself #occult #esoteric #belief #religion #spiritual #spirituality #religious

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whimperwoods · 4 years

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titles are hard. it’s d&d-based fantasy whump tho. Arms of the Enemy? somebody give me a better title challenge.

I saw a post about being rescued and carried bridal-style by an enemy and it was great but now I don’t know where it is? If you have it, please shoot it my way and I’ll link it, ‘cause whoever thought of it first was a genius. ^_^

Anyway this got quite long so I’m stopping here and hopefully gonna write more at some point?

Castor is a warlock, in service to the Great Old One and the Dark Emperor, in that order. Ed is a fighter, a knight and battle master in the service of the True King of Lumenea. They have always been enemies. In the space between the Old One and the Emperor, they might be able to become something else.

Also Ed is hurt real bad and Castor is carrying him out of the dungeon because sometimes he acts on impulse.

tw: blood, tw: coughing up blood, tw: descriptions of deaths in battle

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

Castor stepped into the cell and found himself frozen, his feet unmoving on the floor. It was one thing to see Sir Edmond like this in his scrying orb and another entirely to see it in person.

The limp, battered form of his enemy didn’t move at the sound of the door creaking open, and Castor felt a cold weight settling in the pit of his stomach. He’d left his room in the tower knowing the knight couldn’t be left in the dungeon, but Sir Edmond had still been awake then, struggling to keep his head up even as the rest of his body lay unmoving where it had been thrown.

His footsteps didn’t rouse the man, either, and the relief he would have expected turned to a sick horror twisting around the weight in his gut. He hurried forward, moving before he could second guess himself, and scooped Sir Edmond into his arms.

His hand shook as he held it out toward the point where the chain around the knight’s ankle was attached to the wall. He had to be careful, had to cast the spell far enough on the other side of the wall that he wouldn’t catch the two of them in it, but he couldn’t afford too long aiming or he’d drop the dead weight in his arms.

He released the magic, and a concussive wave sped forward with a loud crack, breaking open the end of the chain and sending a ripple of cracks outward through the stone, stopping just short of his feet.

Sir Edmond started shifting in his grip, moving weakly, and Castor felt his face begin to burn, unsure how to explain himself. But what was done was done, and he needed to hurry out of the cell before someone could find him in the middle of things.

He’d meant to wrap the end of the chain around Sir Edmond before he left the cell, but up close, there was nowhere to wrap them that wasn’t already bloody, the knight’s body ripped open in so many places that even where he was whole, Castor couldn’t see it through the blood crusted over his skin.

He scooped up the end of the chain, gathering it up and draping it over his own arms before he hurried out of the room, his greatest enemy cradled safely against his chest.

*****

As Ed came to consciousness, everything hurt. His breath stuttered and faltered in his chest, and his eyes teared up in silence as the movements of his own lungs sparked waves of agony that rolled through him like fire.

Something was different. He wasn’t on the ground. He was in the air, held up by - something. Something warm. There was something against his side, against his cheek, that was warm and solid and gave like the floor didn’t.

He needed to know what it was. It was new. He forced his eyes open, desperation and despair settling against his breastbone as even that required two flickering tries to accomplish.

He was being held. Carried. He could feel the motion, now, could identify the additional waves of pain that didn’t match his breathing. The arms around him were strong, but the chest was clothed in a thick sweater he didn’t recognize. The face was blurred with the tears he hadn’t been able to hold back, and he couldn’t identify the man.

He leaned into the man’s chest as best he could, grasping the front of the sweater and holding on, hoping it would help him steady himself at least long enough to blink his eyes clear.

*****

Sir Edmond’s breaths came in shallow, broken gasps that shook his whole body, and Castor was relieved when the man grabbed ahold of his sweater, because it meant that he at least wasn’t trying to get away.

His own heart was racing and not only with the exertion of climbing stairs while carrying a man nearly his own size. Before, he never would have managed. Before, Sir Edmond had been a looming figure, terrifying, his eyes full of fire as he crossed battlefields, kept away from Castor and the other mages only by the strength of Zhok’s rage kept defensively between them. He still had nightmares, sometimes, of Sir Edmond’s sword tearing through an assassin’s chest, the light dying from her eyes before she even realized she hadn’t evaded his notice.

Sir Edmond’s grip on his sweater tightened and Castor instinctively pulled him in closer as they reached the top of the dungeon stairs, his heart racing and his throat filling with an old lump.

He knew where he’d meant to go, but it meant so much extra distance, before the night was out, and Sir Edmond was so weak, so much weaker than he’d realized, through the tiny image of the crystal.

Sir Edmond’s breaths were loud, choking things, and Castor’s feet turned toward the outside, where he’d planned to go, and tried not to worry too much about the rest. It would be extra distance, but the sound of the knight’s breathing wouldn’t echo, wouldn’t be so deafening without the walls to bounce it back to him, hollow and damning.

He just had to get outside. Get to the stables. Not look back, or second-guess himself. He pulled Sir Edmond closer again, hoping he wasn’t making a terrible mistake. Things had seemed so clear through the crystal, so obvious when Sir Edmond was lying, ruined, at his feet, and now - now the only thing he could make sense of was that he’d at one point had a plan.

*****

Ed blinked. Blinked. Forced his eyes to open, to close, to open, to clear.

The face above him was familiar, but it took a moment to place, even knowing where he was imprisoned. Castor the Black, Herald of Night, Battle Mage of the Dark Emperor. One of many men who had killed Ed’s soldiers. The man who had blasted common soldiers backward like he had a cannon at the end of his am, who had sucked the life from their battle cleric with one hand and run away so fast even horses couldn’t keep up with him. One of the emperor’s finest.

He sucked in a sharp, deep breath that made him dizzy with pain. His body spasmed around it, his tensed muscles pulling open his injuries as they tried to protect the aching lungs that half-collapsed in his chest. As he gasped to refill his lungs, his whole body convulsed with a violent, racking cough that brought up some of his own blood.

“Shit!” the mage said, stopping in his tracks and pulling Ed closer to him, holding tighter as Ed’s coughing shook them both. “Shit! It’s ok! I’ve got you!”

Ed choked and gagged, every inch of him screaming in agony around the rough jerk of his coughs, and his eyes filled with tears again, obscuring the mage’s face.

He was pressed tightly to the mage’s chest, and the hand he’d balled up in the man’s sweater had instinctively clenched tighter against the danger of falling, his own body betraying him as it fought to live through the coughing fit.

His head grew lighter, and then lighter again, bright sparks lighting up the inside of his eyelids with every sharp, shallow hack his cramping lungs could manage.

His breath only slowed itself after his consciousness slipped away again.

*****

Castor felt Sir Edmond’s grasp tightening in the front of his sweater, but the man’s panicked choking still threatened to wrench him out of Castor’s arms. He slid to his knees, trying to shorten the distance to the ground, and ended up half curled around the man, as if that would protect him from what had already been done.

Sir Edmond’s fingers loosened when he fell unconscious, and Castor took a deep breath, his head sagging forward toward the knight’s bloodied face as he held the man in his lap.

“Fuck,” he whispered to himself. When it didn’t satisfy him, he whispered it again, more vehemently. “Fuck!”

He sat up.

This was stupid. A mistake. This had always been a mistake. And yet - he looked down at the unconscious body in his arms, the man he had watched through his scry crystal for all those years and hated, watched again for all those months of unbrokenness and scorned, watched in these last days once he was broken and pitied - no. No, he’d made his choice.

He rearranged his grip on the knight and clambered shakily to his feet, hoping to get to the stables before the man woke up again.

*****

Ed hurt. He hurt. He fought through the pain, trying to find a sense of himself, and realized only after a dozen ragged breaths that he wasn’t in his cell. He was warm, floating, held by something, and the surface against his face was - was - things slid into place and he cried out weakly, shoving away from the mage’s chest and going nowhere, his arms too weak to free him.

“Hey,” the man answered, his voice rumbling through his chest so that Ed could feel it in his hands, a pleasant hum in a pleasant warmth, and everything in him hated that Castor the Black was the only pleasant thing in his world, now.

It was a trick. It had to be a trick. A new torment, cleverer than the old pain, like this enemy was cleverer than the ones who had beaten him in the cell, long after he’d given them what they wanted.

“No,” he rasped, his voice more groan than speech, “No.”

A ‘please’ hovered at the tip of his tongue, right there, before he snatched it back. No. No. He wasn’t begging. He had begged before, just once before, and look what it had gotten him.

He shoved against the mage’s chest only to find the man’s grip tightening instead of loosening, humiliation on top of humiliation. His throat tightened, and his breath came harder, made him fight harder for it, made his whole body shudder and quake and threaten to rattle itself into broken, bloody pieces. He was dying. He was dying. Why was he not just allowed to die?

The arms tightened around him, the pressure agonizing against his wounds, but the tightness in his throat was something else, something else, and it was getting worse, and he would not cry in front of Castor the Black unless he was made to.

“It’s alright,” the mage said, the rumble in his chest back, his voice gentle, gentle, a trick. “It’s alright, we’re almost there. I’ve got you.”

“No,” he managed again, barely a whisper, his hands sliding uselessly down the front of the mage’s soft sweater as he tried to push away and found himself falling closer instead, his arms giving out before he could even begin.

Castor the Black had armor, gleaming leather as dark as he could get, almost not brown at all, but in spite of the blood Ed had gotten on it, the fabric under his cheek and hands was soft, warm and comforting, something that belonged somewhere safe, somewhere far from here. His fingers closed around it, and he couldn’t stop them.

*****

Sir Edmond stilled in Castor’s arms, going quiet and unresisting, his fingers locking back into the front of his sweater, and Castor didn’t know if that was better or worse than the knight trying to push away. It was at least easier, which was something, and Castor forced himself to concentrate on that part, on the practicalities of putting one foot after the other and getting to the stables.

His arms ached from carrying the man’s weight, almost as dead and leaden now as it had been when the knight was unconscious.

He wasn’t built for this. He wasn’t trained for it. He’d fooled himself, thinking himself so different from the wizards that made up most of the emperor’s forces. If their positions were reversed, Sir Edmond could carry him with ease. If their positions were reversed, Sir Edmond would have put a sword through his heart long ago.

When he reached the well beside the stables, he set the knight down beside it and collapsed onto the ground next to him, his arms strangely weightless and aching softly.

He knew better than to speak directly into the man’s mind, knew he shouldn’t open up that kind of link, knew it would only frighten someone who had been an enemy for so long. He caught his breath instead, watching the knight pull himself together, curl in on himself in tiny, weak, desperate motions, and split open some of his wounds, barely scabbed over.

“Don’t,” Castor said, as gently as he could manage, his hand hovering over Sir Edmond’s shoulder as he realized he couldn’t find a place to touch him that wouldn’t be worse. “Don’t. You’ll only open up more of your wounds.”

*****

Ed’s face burned. Castor the Black pitied him. Had he really fallen so far? He moved in tiny, tiny jerks, motions of less than an inch that took all of his strength and sent dizzying waves of pain through him as surely as the mage’s steps had.

It didn’t matter. Breathing hurt, too. Everything hurt. He’d never hurt, like this. Not even with lightning coursing through him in the middle of a fight. A wretched, pained noise fell from his throat unbidden, and he turned it into a growl as best he could, baring his remaining teeth at the enemy mage.

The mage sighed heavily, tipping his head back and leaning it against - something. Ed forced his head up, trying to get a better look, only to find that he didn’t have the strength to keep it there. Fuck. He turned his face away from his enemy as much as he could without grinding it into the dirt, embarrassed and focusing the last dregs of his strength on keeping himself from crying.

“I don’t think I can get you back to the castle tonight,” the mage said eventually, his voice calm and soft. “So we’ll have to make the best of it.”

The mage moved, a rustling sound accompanied by a soft half-grunt, and then footsteps. Ed twitched, an instinctive flinch he only half managed to stop, and another pathetic high-pitched noise wheezed out his throat. He breathed again, his closed eyes tightening against the shame and the motion of his lungs hurting, hurting, hurting.

Make the best of it. Gods, what did that mean? The words thumped dully against his brain, but he was too dazed and overwhelmed to know anything more than that they sounded like the important part.

He breathed, and breathed, and did not cry, even as reopened wounds oozed blood down his back and thighs.

The mage walked away from him, the man’s footsteps becoming fainter and fainter, and Ed lay there, too weak to run, too weak to move, too weak to fight for anything but a last shred of dignity. His throat was thick and his sinuses pressed at the back of his nose. It wasn’t enough. He wasn’t enough.

The breeze blew over him, gentle, and he waited, and feared, and hurt, and did not cry.

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hadit93 · 5 years

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A Sleepless night.

I have been going through a crisis as of late, which seems like a regular statement I make on this tumblr. The correct phrasing would be I have been going through a crisis for a while and thought I was out of it but stumbled back into it. The crisis involves not having a spiritual connection anymore, or not perceiving communication from an outside source. I can’t explain it more effectively than that, I had gotten used to being plugged into something higher than myself that when I can only perceive myself things seem to get a bit dark, at least in comparison.

For the past few weeks I have had interrupted sleep, not by external noise, but simply a restlessness that I cannot seem to shake. It’s not a physical, emotional, or mental restlessness, it is a spiritual one. There was an urge to do something, a desire to put something into action, but I couldn’t work out what. It wasn’t the standard rituals I was working. I began to think perhaps it was Enochian, something I have neglected for a while and keep wanting to get back into. But when I dug out my Enochian equipment there was no innate urge to use it.

Every morning in the early hours I have gone into my temple and done the same old rituals without satisfying that need I had burning within me. I am at the time of writing this exhausted, not only did I want this urge to be satisfied and my spiritual self to open up again, but I also want and need sleep. Finally this morning (or whenever I actually post this, so maybe yesterday!) I had a breakthrough. I was trying to dress this urge up in another system. I was clouding the divine inspiration with symbols and systems which are inherently man made- or spirit lead, but man completed.

It occurred to me that this urge, this feeling, this frequency was my HGA, my angel. It has been a while since I’ve felt the connection this strong. I turned my back on the angel, placed my focus elsewhere and I had thought that he had abandoned me when in fact it would seem the opposite is true. So how did I approach this? I prayed. I spoke to my Angel intimately, from the heart. I told him of my troubles, I apologised for turning my attentions away, and hardest of all I asked for help. I am not accustomed to asking for help, I hate beseeching deities, I am more of a business type- I’ll leave offerings if you perform x. But my angel doesn’t care for offerings in the normal sense of the word.

Today is the first time in a long time I have felt the angel respond. It was a presence at first which was intimately familiar but also more intense. It brought me to tears to feel this presence. It was like the missing piece I had long been accustomed to and lost had been returned to me.

In the midst of this interaction I was guided to get my crystal ball. I keep this beneath my altar wrapped in silk. I unravelled it and dusted it off- it has been a while since I’ve done some scrying. I lit some candles and I tuned into the Angel. I prayed for guidance.

What my Angel gave me is personal and workable advice as to what I should be aiming for in my mundane life- what I need in order to gain stability in the realm of Malkuth. My finances at the moment are okay, but my employment is both unsecure and unintersting. I was told that this may take a few years to settle, but that it would eventually get there. Other things were discussed which were hard to hear and I don’t wish to share them here.

I am much more auditory when it comes to scrying. I don’t know why, but I can hear the spirits more than I can see them. I believe this comes from early practices in which I valued instruction over vision- I always focused more on the communication rather than being a passive receptor to vision. But today the crystal opened and I saw strange landscapes. I saw a scene of stars and we were above the Earth, wrapped around the Earth was a green and gold serpent, writhing around it. It squeezed the Earth and a red liquid seeped from the poles and travelled towards the equator. Upon meeting the whole thing bursted into flames, but the snake stayed in place and seemed to coil around nothing at all, suspended in space.

I shan’t derive meaning from this vision. It could be utter nonsense, however, it seemed to have some relevance to something we discussed.

So one night of spontaneous practice born out of prayer turned out to be the most spiritual experience I have had in perhaps six months or so. Never knock the power of good, honest prayer from the heart. It is a good way to facilitate a connection to the divine. More personal than formal ritual, and sometimes more powerful in getting the spiritual motor running.

#holy guardian angel #hga #ritual magick #vision #Magick #prayer

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fanfic-collection · 5 years

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Valhalla: Loki x Reader - Pt 1

I’ll post more after I’ve eaten, this got heavy so I decided to break it up into smaller parts.

Spoilers

“Wake up sleepy head.” You cooed softly.

Loki scrunched his eyes, already shut, keeping them closed. “Five more minutes.” He grunted, rolling away from you.

You stroked his pale cheek with the back of your hand, so cool, so soft, how many years had it been, you wondered. “Loki.” You held his name, dragging out the word.

For a moment he stilled, his whole body tensing. Slowly Loki rolled over, eyes opening as he looked at you, mouth falling open, eyes wide. He breathed your name softly, tears welling in his eyes as he reached out to touch your face. His hand moved slowly, haltingly, as though you were an illusion and might fade at any moment. “Where? How? The dark elves...”

Loki lay on his back, half sitting now as he looked at you, hand still tentatively reaching for your face. You knelt beside him in the grass on the top of a gentle rise in the grassy plains. A gnarled tree cast a soft shadow from the evening light over the two of you and Loki looked around, the perpetual twilight of the land.

“It's been so many years, I held your lifeless body.” Loki whispered, words catching in his throat.

You took his outstretched hand in yours, pulling it to your face and holding it. Leaning into his touch, you rested your cheek against his cool hands, the long fingers cupping your face perfectly.

Slowly Loki pulled his hand away from you, reaching up to touch his throat. His eyes darkened, ghosts of memories crossed over his vision. “Where are we?”

“Welcome to Valhalla, where fallen warriors find rest.”

Loki swallowed hard, hand moving to his chest, feeling for a familiar pain that no longer ached. “Valhalla?”

You smiled sadly, looking down at your gown and gripping the fabric.

Loki glanced towards the swaying grass, teeth grit. “Valhalla.” He repeated, throat tight. Licking his lips briefly, he looked towards the sky, the clouds passed as though a storm might come but it never did.

“There's someone who wants to see you.” You held out your hand as you rose to your feet. “She's missed you a great deal.”

Loki looked up at you, slowly taking your hand and allowing you to pull him to his feet.

The two of you moved through the grass at a strange speed, seeming to cover leagues in seconds while spending hours taking steps.

“Where is everyone?” Loki asked as the two of you walked.

“They're here, and there.” You responded. “It's complicated. You have to know who you're looking for or you'll get overwhelmed by the vast number of lives that have existed throughout history.”

Loki nodded thoughtfully, “Where do humans go?”

“I'm sure you'll find out.” You glanced over your shoulder and smiled. “You've always had a gift for finding connections between worlds.”

Loki chuckled but didn't respond.

The two of you passed through a small copse of trees and found yourself in a valley of sorts. A quaint stone hut with a welcoming plume of smoke rose from the chimney. Plants of all kind grew on and around the hut, strange shimmering plants that spoke of magic and sorcery. On all sides of the hut, except for a small path, a garden grew in every direction for as far as the eye could see. Animals scurried and chittered about.

“What is this place?” Loki asked softly, the magic strong in the air.

You squeezed his hand.

The cottage door swung open and a regal woman with rose blond hair walked out, smiling warmly. “My son, I've been waiting for you.”

Loki glanced at you, then back to the woman. Frigga.

For a long time he stood there in stunned silence.

Frigga clasped her hands in front of her, gently smiling and waiting for a response.

You glanced at Loki and could see a myriad of emotions crossing his face. Guilt, sorrow, anger, remorse, confusion, regret, the emotions flashed continuously and in the span of a second.

Finally he stepped back and shook his head.

“I'm not your son. You said so yourself, those were our last words.” Loki hissed, eyes glazed. He looked away from Frigga, staring bitterly at the ground.

“I have never stopped being your mother, Loki, even in your anger and even in my failures. We have both had our mistakes. Our whole family. I have had a great deal of time to reflect and think on what I would say on this meeting. I have been able to see much of the past and the present through the plants that grow in this place as well, plants that have long been lost to our people.” Frigga whispered softly.

Loki snapped his head to the side bitterly, taking another defensive step back. You gently reached for his hand. He stiffened but allowed you to hold it.

“I did not realize the full extent of what happened to you, as a mother, I couldn't fathom something so horrible happening to my son and I did not want to. It was easier to accept an alternative.”

“You thought so little of me that I would act so cruelly?” Loki looked up, eyes blazing.

“I couldn't bear the thought that you had endured something so horrible.” Frigga's eyes were misty, she shook her head, dabbing at the tears, “I didn't want to think that it could happen, so I believed a terrible alternative. I didn't know what to think. I was wrong, Loki. I made grave mistakes and it endangered you.”

Loki looked away.

“You met your sister.” Frigga added.

“Similar to Odin.” Loki muttered.

“I saw what became of her, and through my scrying, I saw how she turned out after her punishment. I feared the same for you. I hoped if I could encourage you to complacency, to ignore the pain of whatever you might have endured, that you could appease... him. That you might at least find a semblance of a life as you once had.”

“Living in a shadow, a life of subservience and acquiescence, accepting the humiliation and degradation, day in and day out, for centuries.” Loki snarled, “You expected me to fall back into that complacency?”

“It would have been better than madness!” Frigga cried, pleading with him, then added, “or worse, death, to lose you. Do you know what it would have done to me, to your brother?”

“I'm dead now, aren't I?” Loki sneered, “Do you know what his last words to me were?”

Frigga was quiet for a moment before slowly responding, timidly, she said, “Yes.”

“For a thousand years, I did everything for him, went everywhere for him, every abuse, every thrown punch, everything, for him. Always to please the golden son, to be good enough for my dearly beloved brother, and what has it gotten me?” Loki threw out his free arm. “I'm in damned Valhalla. I'm dead. The wretched beast that spent the greater part of a year torturing me into madness killed me and half of our people, and for what? My brother's brilliant plan to destroy Asgard to kill our half mad sister, crazed because your damned husband can't figure out how to be a half decent father?” Tears ran freely down Loki's face.

“We failed you, Loki.” Frigga whispered, bowing her head. “You have every right to hate us, to hate me. I accept this, if your hatred is my penance, so be it.”

Loki's anger seemed to drain from him as he saw how defeated Frigga looked. She no longer seemed the regal queen, merely a tired and frail woman, cowed by the force of his onslaught. “Mother...” He began softly, his hand reaching out slowly, clenching into a fist.

“I just want you to know, it has always been from a place of love, even if it has been misguided and failed. I have loved you since I first laid eyes on you. From the moment Odin brought you back to me, still cold from the wastes of Jotunheim. He laid you in my arms and you looked at me with such wonder and awe, I knew then that you would always be my son. I would always think of you as my child, I did not think of a day coming that you could disown me or hate me as you do, though I understand why you do. I felt such love for you in that moment, even as I do now. My heart swelled, it was as holding any of my other children by birth, you were no different. Odin may have spoke of war or conquest at the time, I don't remember, his words were drowned out, you have always been my son. When I saw that you were more sensitive than Thor, more open to communication and less blunt action, a diplomat who did not follow so closely to Odin, I began to fear that he favored Thor. Perhaps he did, but I think a small part of me favored you. You understood the complexities of magic like few others have, it reminded me so much of my childhood, and the books that you would devour and the conversations we could have. You are truly deserving of humankind's naming their north star after you. Loki, I have failed you, I am truly deeply sorry. I don't know what I could have done differently, but I truly and honestly wish by the nine that I could have done something.”

Loki sighed, and slowly shook his head, “No, mother, I failed you.” He bowed his head. “I was in the prisons, Thor was supposed to protect you. I should've stopped Kursed somehow.” He pressed his palm to his forehead, “I'm sure I caused Asgardians to die.”

“It is hard to tell what an enemy of Asgard will do when you offer them advice, regardless of if you tell them to do one thing and mean another, or tell them the actual truth, my son.” Frigga responded gently. She stepped forward and rested her hands on Loki's shoulders, looking at his bowed head. “You have been through a great deal, I have always been honored to call you my son, and I would be honored to continue doing so.”

Loki looked up at her slowly, a weak grin spreading across his face. Carefully you slid your hand out from his grip and allowed him to move freely. Mother and son embraced each other in a much needed hug.

“Can you forgive me, or at least begin to try?” Frigga asked, head leaning on Loki's shoulder.

Loki nodded, “Of course.”

“No, no. Take your time. I want you to mean it. You have been through a great deal, and you've only just got here. You have all the time you need.” Slowly Frigga pulled away, “Now come, you two, let's have some tea, I have wonders to show you.”

#Loki x reader #multi chapter

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douxreviews · 6 years

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Constantine - Series Review

I come not to praise Constantine, but to bury him.

Well, okay. A little of both.

In a fairly short amount of time from when this is posted, season four of DC's Legends of Tomorrow will premiere, featuring Matt Ryan as a regular cast member playing our favorite bisexual petty dabbler in the mystic arts; John Constantine. This makes it a great time to mention two things. First, if you weren't aware, Doux Reviews has a regular reviewer of Legends of Tomorrow who's both insightful and terribly sexy, so you should definitely check that out. Second, Constantine's one and only season as an independent property is ripe for a fresh look, now that we know we have more trenchcoated goodness coming our way.

So, let's take a look at Constantine's thirteen episode run, in light of what we've learned about the character since, shall we?

The series is now available on demand, so let's go episode by episode, while we count down to his next appearance.

'Non Est Asylum':

Re-watching this episode – and for the record, I re-watched it three times while trying to sort out how I felt about it – two things become very clear. Almost everything in the episode is brilliant, and they absolutely should have thrown away all but the last two minutes and started from scratch there, even if it meant only getting twelve episodes on air.

The issue, as most of you who care will remember, comes down to studio interference. 'Non Est Asylum' exists to establish two characters, John Constantine, and Liv. Liv is the daughter of a friend of John's who mysteriously died recently, has a mysterious magical cabin which is not at all like the TARDIS as owned by John Dee, will serve as the show's home set, and has all sorts of mysterious hints about why he abandoned his daughter and what his story was. All of this is clearly meant to set up Liv's character arc as 'female Neo who fights demons instead of robots'. That's her character brief, and it couldn't be clearer that it was meant to carry the season.

But at some point the studio clearly insisted that they cut Liv's character and replace her with a different type of female lead that they thought would fit the vibe of the show they wanted better. This isn't an inherently terrible thing and is totally within the studio's rights. The exact same thing happened with Big Bang Theory, and if you've ever watched the abandoned pilot of that show with Not-Penny, you know that it was a change for the better. But they absolutely needed to cut this episode loose as a result of that decision, because the scars of Liv's removal really, really show.

You can identify without effort the one single scene that was changed. In the original plan, John has Chas drive Liv past the place she scryed about earlier to see that something terrible had indeed happened there. Obviously this was meant to affirm her commitment to helping people despite her fear of the magical world. Instead, they inserted a scene to follow it wherein other characters discuss how she was so scared by the realization that she left the area, moved to the other side of the country, and would never be mentioned again. Good thing that she left the keys to her dad's cabin, so we still have a home base, huh? It's a sloppy edit that leaves the whole episode feeling wasted, and they absolutely should have scrapped the whole thing, starting the new pilot with John's encounter in the alleyway where he ignites his hands, because that's an amazingly strong image, segueing into the introduction of Zed drawing that same image, which should have, and would have, been a strong intro to her character if it didn't feel so much like a back pedal away from Liv.

It's all a shame, because like I said, the rest of the episode has a lot of wonderful stuff. The dialogue is absolutely cracking, specifically lines like, 'Where do you come from, John?' 'Oh, the sordid passions of my parents.' The effects are beyond first rate, specifically all the flashes to skulls and zombie/demon makeup, which is really tricky to not overdo and they stuck the landing every time here. And finally, the performances, even Liv's, are better than you should usually expect from a pilot. Anyone who thinks that Matt Ryan is just playing himself as John Constantine would do well to watch his portrayal of the electricity demon dressed up in John's body to taunt John. He's playing two entirely different characters arguing with one another, one of which is in what could easily have turned into Halloween makeup, and he completely crushes it.

Other thoughts about this episode; it was a mistake to rush that much information about Astra in right at the beginning of the series in what was already a pretty full episode. Ritchie was a fun character, but they really shouldn't have introduced both him and Chas in the same episode because that reads as a bit of a wasted opportunity for later. And speaking of Chas, now that we know that John is bisexual, do we suppose that he and Chas have had sex? Clearly, the answer at this point appears to be yes, but we'll keep checking in on that point as the season progresses.

'The Darkness Beneath':

Jesus Christ, yes. This. This is what the show should have been directly out of the gate. Just look at how much less we know about Zed than we did about Liv, and yet how much fuller and richer a character Zed is simply by virtue of the fact that we aren't being force fed studio notes back story about her for the entire episode. Ditto for John Constantine. This, apart from being set in the US instead of England, is exactly the sort of situation he'd have been mixed up in in the pages of Hellblazer, and the show was rarely stronger because of it. The absence of Harold Perrineau helps as well, since all he really accomplished in the pilot was to loom menacingly and say, 'I'll be important later.'

If they'd had the balls to completely throw out the pilot and start with John Constantine in the alley with his fists on fire segueing directly into this episode, we would currently be enjoying the premiere of season five of this show. I have absolutely no doubt about that.

'The Devil's Vinyl':

Satan cuts a demo. Reviews are mixed. I suspect that this is the version of the show that the network wanted to have; basically The X-Files with demons for aliens and a warlock/psychic combo for FBI agents. It's not terrible, as monster of the week episodes go, and it provides a good intro for Papa Midnite, but you can't help but feel like the show is rushing to introduce as much Hellblazer back catalog as they can to make up for the pilot episode misstep.

And Chas brought John orange juice because he was worried about his blood sugar. They didn't just have sex in the past, they're currently still at it. John even called him 'Daddy.' Can Chas show up on Legends? Because I am shipping them so hard right now.

'A Feast of Friends':

For thirty-eight minutes of screentime, we get a pretty standard demon of the week wrapped up in a not particularly subtle addiction metaphor. Good enough television, but nothing groundbreaking. But then John walks his old friend Gary into a theater, fully aware that he was leading him to his slaughter just because he couldn't think of another way to win, and we get our first real glimpse in this series of John Constantine: Hellblazer. The interesting thing about Constantine in the comics is that he is always a man who fully expects every single thing he encounters to be the shittiest possible version of itself, and is rarely disappointed. But contrary to how that sort of character is usually portrayed in fiction, that knowledge neither makes him bitter and cynical, nor longing for hope. It makes him pragmatic. And pragmatic is scary and interesting, because it's rarely seen as a virtue and never portrayed as aspirational. Except in Hellblazer.

I hate to keep focusing on sexuality, but it would be fascinating to know what Matt Ryan thought about John's sexuality while filming this series, because we keep encountering moments like John's kiss to Gary's forehead which display an extraordinary level of comfort with male on male physicality while at the same time not glamorizing it or making it feel exploitative. At the very least, I bet Matt Ryan is a hell of a kisser.

'Danse Vaudou':

Jim Corrigan! Dammit, I'd forgotten that they were setting up the Spectre and never got to pay it off. I know I've been saying this almost every story, but can Jim Corrigan please, please, please, show up on Legends?

This is the episode that almost broke me as far as re-watching Constantine goes. There's just so much rich potential and setup that we know is never paid off. The rising darkness that never happens, the live action realization of The Spectre that they were clearly building up to and would have been amazing, Papa Midnite who they had properly set up to be as compelling and layered a character as he had been in the comic books. It's just heartbreaking.

'Rage of Caliban':

A fairly standard Halloween filler episode, the likes of which The X-Files had been banking for most of the 90s. The title exists solely to allow me to make a poncy literary reference for the sole sake of validating my English degree, which I'm going to hold off on for the moment. But the scares are genuinely scary, the child actors aren't irritating, and the twists are pretty good.

Chas, meanwhile, has taken to arguing with Constantine like an old married couple while he's under the influence of the truth telling sword. But then he goes and raises questions by mentioning someone named Rene, so I guess the implication is that John is his rebound relationship? Yes?

'Blessed are the Damned':

Apparently there is a rule that all genre shows are required to do at least one show about snake handlers and one show about faith healing. Sensing that their run would be limited, Constantine does both at once. And, it's pretty much your standard genre show about snake handlers and faith healing, to be honest. Zed's sudden desire for faith stands out as a little out of character, but that's because it only happens for the sake of making us fall for the 'grab the feather' fakeout later on.

It is interesting to wonder what Manny thinks is going on in this episode, with the benefit of hindsight. Were he and Imogene working together? Did he pull out her feather? Or is it just a coincidence that two different angels are up to shady dealings simultaneously? Don't hold your breath for an answer on this one, I'm afraid.

'Saint of Last Resorts, Part 1':

This is the moment you can see the show figuring out what it wants to be. As an added bonus, as the scripting and themes are gelling, the cinematography is absolutely gorgeous and there are a couple of directorial flourishes that are just beautifully handled. The DP on this one was Scott Kevan. I will be looking up his CV later, because his work here is so much better than we usually get.

'Saint of Last Resorts, Part 2':

It's a little odd how completely the naming ties these two episodes into one coherent two-parter, because really they have very little to do with each other as far as plot goes beyond this one picking up where the last one left off. But then, this one picked up the previous episode's cliffhanger from before the holiday break, so that's not so unusual.

By the end of this episode, all the pieces are in place for what the show should have become. Zed's backstory is just roughed in enough to allow for a lot of future development. We've explored why John makes the choices he does through the time honored technique of taking a different character and watching them get forced into making those same choices so that we can better understand how John got there. And Chas continues to prove that he's John's one true soulmate. I've started referring to them as Chastantine, if anyone would like to join me in shipping them.

'Quid Pro Quo':

In which we meet a really fun potentially recurring villain, the pathetic, elderly, also-ran magician Felix Faust, who you just know they would have found a way to bring back repeatedly as a sort of Mudd/Quark hybrid. Plus we finally hear Chas' backstory, in which we find out how he basically became Captain Jack with a countdown clock, which is a great idea and could have been explored in a thousand interesting ways.

Okay, I've been a little puckish about Chas and John's relationship, but this seems like the right time to address the issue like a responsible adult. I think, based on what we've seen this season, that John and Chas have definitely been physically intimate at least once in the past, but purely on a friendship basis. I think that they currently have feelings for another that transcend what we currently think of as friendship but don't really qualify as romantic love. I'd say that they'd reached a pure form of the Greek concept of Philia, but I'd hate to be that pretentious. And I'll tell you why. Because John Constantine would never, ever, think to worry about whether someone was still all right to drive after a night out. But he does for Chas.

'A Whole World Out There'':

And we're back to what's essentially a Supernatural or X-Files monster of the week episode. That's not a terrible thing, intrinsically. As they go, this would have been one of the better Supernatural or X-Files episodes. Plus, Jeremy Davies is always worth watching. It just suffers a little bit from being sandwiched between the previous week's excellent study of character relationships and the knowledge that we're only going to get two more episodes after this.

The show can hardly be blamed for it, but our time with Constantine is rapidly running out, and we don't have time to waste treading water like this. Frustrating.

'Angels and Ministers of Grace':

The evil artifact of the week is a black diamond and not one person made a skiing joke. I find that disappointing.

It's really hard to square this episode with the following week's revelation about Manny. It feels like the whole point of this installment was to humanize Manny and bring him more into Team Constantine's fold, but we learn pretty conclusively in the following episode that that is not where Manny's storyline is going, so what exactly are we supposed to make of what happens here? And what was the long term plan for Zed's brain tumor, which is clearly sitting there in the final scene wearing a tiny t-shirt that says, 'I'm going to be a significant plotline later on', and then never gets the chance to be.

Honestly, as I near the end of re-watching these, the thing that's striking me the most is how much optimism the writing room is showing; diligently moving forward with planting the seeds for long term plans, carefully setting up mysteries inside backstories, all meticulously orchestrated to come into play later on. There's a strange and tragic nobility in the amount of faith they were showing in the show's prospects for a future.

'Waiting for the Man':

This was an amazing season finale. It gelled the developing Constantine/Zed/Jim Corrigan triangle, which we already know to be doomed. We get the foreshadowing of The Spectre, who clearly has very specific wounds that we're going to presumable see inflicted on Jim as he dies and is transformed into his supernatural identity. We get the new information about Manny that completely flips the table on everything we thought we knew about the season's storyline and just begs the viewer to re-watch the season while waiting for answers in season two. Plus we get a stand alone story whose style feels like it could be straight from the pages of Hellblazer; involving ghostly goings-on colliding with the most grotesque and debased aspects of humanity.

This is a heartbreaking series finale for all those same reasons. The showrunners' optimism about the program's future remains unbowed, and no concession is made to the possibility that they might not be renewed. Instead the storyline marchs boldly on, telling a solid standalone story while delicately weaving in the seeds of events to come. If you'll pardon the mixed metaphor.

The closest the show itself comes to acknowledging its situation vis-à-vis renewal is a speech of John's early on in the episode about human life, in which he basically says 'we're here as long as we're here, and then we're gone. It can't be changed, it can't be helped, and it can go screw itself double hard, because we're not going to let fear of that matter.' Which is basically the most John Constantine sentiment ever expressed.

So, now that the charms are all o'erthrown, if I might borrow an appropriate line, what do we make of it all?

This would have been an amazing show, is the closest I can get to a concise answer. It was doing everything right, it was proceeding in good faith and making no concessions to fear, and it got screwed out of continued existence by the most banal and crushing forces. So, in a way, the show Constantine is very much a reflection of Constantine the man.

For those who don't know, or don't remember, the answer to what happened is depressingly simple. The network needed to make final decisions about renewals and cancellations by a fixed date, and Constantine hadn't aired enough of its run by that point to get the amount of positive feedback it needed to survive. It might have made the cutoff if they hadn't tripped out of the gate with the replacement of Liv for Zed, making it feel like the show was already troubled to network executive eyes from the get go. The combination of that initial wobble and the show happening to air a lot of its episodes after the cancellation decision had been made finished it. There aren't really any bad guys in the story, just a confluence of terribly unfortunate factors that no one could change. This is also, in its way, the most Constantine thing ever.

It's ironic that Constantine, the television character, has lived the opposite experience of Constantine the comics character. In the funny books, John was a random factor that occasionally cropped up in other supernaturally flavored books, most usually Swamp Thing. We didn't know much about him, but every time he randomly popped up he got more popular until they eventually gave him his own series. On the television, they jumped right to his own series, and then after that wasn't renewed began using him to pop up in other character's shows as a mysterious magician who served as a random factor in their storylines. Maybe if they'd done it the other way around his own show would have flourished earlier, I don't know. What I do know, however, is that Matt Ryan is clearly beloved, both by fans and by the people making decisions on the TV shows, because a character from a cancelled show on another network just does not get a brought back and given a second chance at life on other shows. That absolutely, categorically, never happens. The closest possible other example is Richard Belzer, and both of his shows were at least on the same network.

So, I highly recommend going back and watching these 13 episodes, because they really are for the most part damn good television. And John would absolutely want a party, not a wake. As to the overarcing plot about the rising darkness, I managed to find peace with it by telling myself that the rising darkness referred to the demon Mallus, who John was eventually able to help defeat on Legends of Tomorrow, and so it all worked out. We still won't ever know what the hell Manny wanted out of the whole situation, but if you squint at it sideways it all hangs together.

Nine out of ten trenchcoats. It's only not ten because the first half of the season is clearly finding its feet, but even so it's fantastic. Now bring on season four of Legends, wherein Chas turns up and helps John summon the Spectre to rescue Zed from the Brujaria.

I can dream, can't I?

Oh, and 'Rage of Caliban' is a quote from Oscar Wilde's introduction to Picture of Dorian Gray. You're welcome.

Mikey Heinrich is, among other things, a freelance writer, volunteer firefighter, and roughly 78% water.

#Constantine #John Constantine #HellBlazer #Legends of Tomorrow #Matt Ryan #DC Comics #Arrowverse #Doux Reviews #TV Reviews #something from the archive

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sieben9 · 6 years

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“the devil’s due” impressions

{Quick request to anyone reading: I’m watching OUaT for the first time, and I want to avoid spoilers. So, if you want to discuss something spoilery, I’d be grateful if you could start a new post for that. Thank you!}

Dear Lord. This episode. Did I like it? Did I not? I’m not sure, but I sure have some strong feelings on the matter. They just don’t separate neatly into positive or negative ones.

One thing I do know without a doubt, and that is that I might just have witnessed the funniest ten seconds of dialogue in modern television.

“I’m sure we’ll laugh ourselves sick about it one day.”

yeah, that is the face of a man having WAY too much fun.

Anyway, watch me figure out what I think under the cut. Warning, this is even ramblier than usual, and therefore kind of long.

So… yeah, probably not my favourite episode. It’s not terrible as such, and I love some bits and pieces that came out of it, but overall, it just leaves a weird aftertaste.

One of my main problems is definitely that every character seems a bit… off. Not entirely OOC, just “the usual character, but a bit to the left”. And when that’s happening to the entire cast, you do wonder if some kind of alien bodysnatching has taken place. …wait, no, this is fantasy. Maybe a doppelgänger situation, then? Whatever it is, people are being weird this episode, and I don’t like it.

Before I get into anything else, before I get into anything else, though, I just want to mention the one bit I unequivocally liked. And that was Regina visiting Daniel’s headstone. It had next to nothing to do with the actual plot, but it was such a sweet moment, and seeing the look on Regina’s face when she realised that her first love had made it out was just… nice. I liked it. And I appreciate it when we get to see the little moments.

good on you, stable boy.

Just... look at her face! She almost didn’t want to know, and then she was so happy, but also sad, because of course she would be sad, and... ::happy sigh:: Yeah, again: a good moment, this moment.

Alright, on to the main plot. Specifically, the flashback, because it lays the foundation for a lot of… let’s be polite and call it “stuff” in the present.

It took me a while to realise how the plot connects to the present day (more on that later), and even now that I do, I’m still not sure if this flashback was, strictly speaking, necessary.

Yes, we had to introduce drama around Belle being pregnant (apparently), but I’m not convinced this was best way — or even a good way — to do it. At best, the story felt like retreading old ground, and not in the way that showed new facets, either and at worst, it undermines fundamental pieces of established character history. Specifically: one of spinner!Rumple’s defining characteristics was his willingness to do absolutely anything for his son. Now, I’m not blaming him for flinching away from a murder in any way, shape, or form, but I just don’t get with the story was supposed to show me in terms of character depth.

I’m also slightly perplexed by Milah’s reaction to the deal Rumple made with the healer. (And was the only one who thought “if you wanted that guy dead so badly, why didn’t you stab him yourself?”) No, I didn’t expect her to be thrilled, but… how should I put this… Baelfire is something between five and six in this flashback. Something tells me you weren’t really trying to have any more children at this point.

Also, an honourable mention to this weird Hook-doppelgänger, who turns up in the last couple of seconds.

I mean, we’ve seen other flashbacks of Hook from around this time, and while he might have had his tender moments, I don’t believe he had this full-on Romantic Hero mode in him. Especially not in defence of the complete stranger.

Ah, well, water under the bridge and all that.

Back in the present day, let me start with one little tidbit for those among you who are just as immature as I am: apparently, “Underbrook” sounds exactly like “onderbroek”, which is the Dutch word for underpants. (With thanks to @idesignedthefjords) Do with that knowledge what you will. I mostly just giggled at it a lot.

Alright, back to the actual plot. Specifically:

Belle is pregnant. Yay?

…as with the entire episode, I really don’t know how to feel about that. Good things can have bad timing, but I feel like this timing is particularly bad. (Also, they’ve come this far without addressing Emilie de Ravin’s rather obvious baby bump, so it’s not like this is a “we had to write in the pregnancy to explain the pregnancy” situation.) I mean, if nothing else, my OTP is having a baby and there’s at least some part of me that’s happy about that. But please get your shit together, you two, so I can stop worrying about this whole mess.

In conclusion: I should probably be thrilled about the tiny Rumbelle baby (Rumbaby?), but I’m mostly worried. This has all the hallmarks of something that will go extremely, terribly, horribly wrong, and that’s before we count in the fact that technically, the god of the dead has guardianship over the little sproglet and is currently blackmailing its father.

that makes for two blackmailings this season alone. three more and he gets a free footlong!

Also, remember how Pan is not allowed to use the word “fertile” again, ever, in this world or any other?

Yeah, I’m officially taking the words “baby-making” away from Hades, and he’s not getting them back. Sorry, pal, but you’ve proven that you can’t use them responsibly.

OK, inappropriate humour over (for now), back to one of my more burning questions. Which is “What the hell were you thinking, Emma?”

The fact that you told Milah about Neal shows that you know that his wellbeing is of concern to people who aren’t you or Henry. In fact, you’ve never met the woman before, never heard a single word about her until that hilarious introduction, but you immediately intuited that she’d want to know that her son is safe and happy.

…so why did it never occur to you to tell his father? The man literally spent centuries trying to reunite with his son, and you know all of that.

just my uninformed opinion, but this looks like the face of a man who would have liked having that information earlier. and possibly to his face.

So what was the thought process there? Because what comes across is that she was cruel for cruelties sake alone. Not the best angle for one of the main characters, who’s already looking like a selfish ass for dragging her family down to purgatory to save her boyfriend.

Speaking from a writerly perspective, it’s obviously for Plot Reasons, because otherwise Rumple wouldn’t have scryed for his child, so he wouldn’t have found out about Belle’s pregnancy, Hades wouldn’t have been alerted, and Rumple would have no compelling reason to work for him. I’d still like to think that there is a better way to get all of these points across than… this.

By the way, here’s where the flashback connects to the present-day plot, in my opinion: both past and present Rumple were presented with a choice of taking a life in order to save others. (The parallel isn’t perfect, because Hades didn’t bring up Rumple’s unborn child until later, but I think when the literal god of the dead threatens to kill everyone you brought with you, that still counts as imminent danger.) First time around, he refused and found another way, and was punished for it. Both by Milah’s reaction and, oddly enough, by the narrative. In the present, he doesn’t hesitate to deliver the fatal blow, and that’s presented as a bad thing, too. I doubt this was the original intention, but what I’m getting is “sometimes, there are no good choices”. Which is… well, kind of a bummer. (As an aside, I do have to wonder if Hades let Milah see him on purpose, just to back Rumple into this particular corner. It would fit with his personality…)

The one thing I’m objectively angry at, is the writing. Because I want the people responsible to look me in the eye and say that it was really necessary to fridge the same character twice. I don’t even like Milah, but this just made me really uncomfortable. Are you really telling me that there was no other way to make Hades look “scary” and remind us that Rumple does bad shit when he’s backed into a corner?

good scene, though

In a darkly humorous turn of events, this time it wasn’t even his fault for not telling anyone else about the threat. Because Hades’s ultimatum was basically “destroy this ship right now, or everyone here dies”. That doesn’t leave much time to find a loophole, does it?

If nothing else, I did like the quiet conversation between Rumple and Milah. The two actors really got that underlying emotion of “way too much time has passed for us to still hate each other” across. I think that was reflected in Rumple’s comment afterwards. No, he didn’t enjoy killing Milah (Frankly, I highly doubt he enjoyed the first time, but that’s literally another story), because that part of his life is so far behind him, and so far behind her, too, that all strong emotions have long since burned away. I don’t think he would have begrudged her if she had gotten to move on. Shame that never happened, right? ::glares at writers::

Blergh. Sorry this was such a rambling mess, but I was really happy when I realised this was a Rumple-centric, only to have that joy systematically crushed into a pulp of bewildered incomprehension and a faint sense of betrayal. This episode probably wasn’t bad, from a technical standpoint, but it was decidedly unpleasant to watch.

So, to not close this out on me being mopey and annoyed... here’s the Amazon episode summary.

...dear Amazon: are you sure you sold me the right episode?

#ouat #once upon a time #ouat devil's due #sieben watches ouat #ouat writing critical #anti...#honestly there's barely a character i don't say something unkind about #just assume that i was grumpy and in pain while writing #and proceed with care #i did try not to be unnecessarily nasty #so there's that i guess #sieben talks #also sorry if everything is still green #i'm not really in a mood to play around with photoshop atm #because my hands are evil

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gardensprit · 7 years

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Basics of Spirit Work

in case it isn’t clear, this is a shallow, broad overview of a beginner’s guide to spirit work! if you’re just starting out, this is the place to be. this is a pretty long post, so i’m putting it under the cut!

here is a link to sun’s witch academy database, where you can find more in depth posts on many of the topics discussed here! (a work in progress)

a letter to spirit workers take everything i say with a grain of salt. i am not the Ultimate Expert on all things spirity!! in fact, i’m probably still considered a beginner - i just gather information from others, i still lack experience actually doing most things. things that are important to me might not be to you, and we’ll probably see things differently. that’s okay! your path is your own.

do your own research as well, and always check what you find against other sources as well as your own knowledge. be smart and use common sense. ultimately, YOU decide what you believe! (keeping in mind that some things in spirit work are common knowledge/should not be disputed. this mostly is pointed at cultural appropriation. that doesn’t mean that they aren’t disputed, but they shouldn’t be.)

have fun, and love yourself!

~ sun

a note: if you don’t understand something i’m talking about in this post, chances are it will be explained more in depth in another post from the database, or even farther down on this post! just be patient <333

what is spirit work?

it’s pretty self explanatory. it’s when someone works with spirits! spirit work can take many different forms, some people want to learn from spirits, be friends with them, or even have a romantic relationship with them. many spirits can also manifest in the physical world, though not with a tangible body. most spirits reside in a place called the astral - we’ll get to that later.

what is a spirit?

a spirit is a being that does not exist tangibly in our physical world. we can still communicate with them, however! and there are infinite different types of them too.

spirit vs. ghost vs. deity

a deity is a spirit who is seen as divine, and is often worshipped in a religion. they are considered to be more powerful than other spirits. spirits in general are of course these other beings with many subcategories - but they are very much alive. ghosts on the other hand, are humans or other beings who have passed on and perhaps still remain in our world.

key differential: ghosts=dead, spirits=alive. and deities are probably more of the immortal types.

the dangers of spirit work

this is bolded because it is so important for you to know. do not delude yourself. spirit work can be dangerous, if you let it.

you don’t need to be anxious about it - if you use the proper protections, and don’t go seeking out dangerous spirits and situations, it is unlikely that you will be attacked or harmed. it can happen, but that is why you use protections and make sure you are prepared for those situations. if you are attacked by a spirit you don’t know how to handle, immediately go to a more experienced spirit worker to help you. and for goodness’ sake try not to provoke any spirits without protecting yourself and without good reason.

beginner spirit workers are easy to target, because they don’t yet know how to protect themselves or how this all works. if you are a beginner learning how to communicate with spirits, and you find a spirit has come to you claiming that they know you in some way - a powerful guide, a long lost lover or family member, someone from a past life - be extremely skeptical. many spirits will try to manipulate you into believing in them and giving them energy to feed from. we can get into more detail on signs of a malignant spirit later.

just use common sense, protect yourself, and stay safe.

to learn how to ward, follow the link to the database (at the top of the post) and find the link for warding.

misconceptions

there are many common misconceptions regarding spirit work, and it’s likely that i haven’t caught all of them. one, of course, is the idea that all spirits are dead beings (as you read above, they’re not).

here are just a few common misconceptions for beginners:

spirit work is evil.

it’s not! what on earth would make it evil? sure, it’s “otherworldly,” but for those who would argue it “unnatural,” i counter: it has occurred in nature, this it is natural.

demons are all evil.

not true! a demon is a species, like mermaid or dragon or elf, and there are good and bad members of every species.

ouija boards are dangerous and evil.

i’m kinda sensing a theme here, huh?

if there’s any being powerful enough to move shit around in your house and manifest in scary ways, they do not need a ouija board to get into your house. that’s why protection is so important. you should still protect yourself and ward the board when you use it, as you should with any divination or communication tool. a spirit who used a ouija board to communicate may try to scare you. but ultimately, if you protect yourself, you should be fine.

i personally will probably never use a ouija board, as i am an extremely anxious person and it is easy for my mind to get carried away being paranoid about being attacked. movies and media have had too much of an effect on me for that. but if you want to use a board, go for it.

vocabulary

discernment - the ability to differentiate what is happening from what your mind or imagination is making up. alternatively, the ability to determine when a spirit is lying to you or concealing its true identity.

callings - a feeling you receive from a certain spirit, typically one that is up for adoption. it is what signifies that the spirit would like to work with you or have you as a companion.

telepathy - a form of communication with spirits by directing thoughts towards them and listening for responses that are not your own voice. can be difficult for beginners - needs good discernment skills.

the Clairs - metaphysical sensing abilities (clairvoyance, claircognizance, clairaudience, etc.)

lulls - a period of time in which it is more difficult for you to commune with spirits. different frequency and length for everyone.

thoughtforms - a type of spirit that is created by someone’s mind rather than born, but they are still alive.

servitors - a type of basic thought form created to accomplish a certain task. typically simple and single-minded.

spirit guides - a spirit that will serve as a mentor and guide to you. some people believe that everyone has one, is assigned one at birth, etc.

banishment - a method of kicking a spirit out of your space. should only be used if the spirit is causing trouble and refuses to leave when asked.

companion - a spirit who is a member of your spirit family, who was found by adoption

reverse adoption (ra) - a conjurer takes a small piece of your energy and asks any safe/friendly spirits to step forward if they feel a calling

custom conjure (cc) - the same as a reverse adoption, but with more specifications (if you have a species in mind, or a type of magic you’d like them to be proficient in, or a relationship type you’re looking for

communication and tools

there are three basic ways to communicate with spirits, and only one of them requires tools.

divination

communing with a spirit through methods of divination, such as pendulum, cartomancy, shufflemancy, scrying, etc. can be unreliable, as these methods provide an answer even if the spirit does not give one.

astral

communing with a spirit by astral traveling or projecting, and speaking with them while in the astral. requires a decent clairaudience or claircognizance ability to be able to pick up and understand what they are saying. also requires decent discernment abilities to ensure your mind or imagination is not making up their responses.

telepathy

communing with a spirit by directing thoughts towards them. this does not mean that they can read your mind, or you theirs - the both of you will typically only pick up on thoughts directed as specifically communication. requires strong discernment abilities given the mind’s tendency to think quickly and fill in the most viable response. you have to be able to learn to listen pst that, ignore your own mind and imagination, and truly pick up on what the spirit is saying.

spirit adoption and shops

spirit adoption is the practice of “adopting” a spirit as your companion. this does not mean that they are your pet - the spirit is adopting you as much as you are adopting them. you can think of it a little bit like a matchmaking service. spirit shops (typically found on tumblr) provide information (a bio) about a spirit who is looking for a companion. if you feel a calling for a spirit who is up for adoption, consider sending in an application. this provides the spirit (and the conjurer) with information about you, so that they can judge whether or not they think you a good match. some spirits have specific requirements they’re looking for in a companion. these should be posted in the spirit’s bio. spirit companionship is not something to be taken lightly, and i would not recommend it for a complete newbie. in fact, i would advise against it as a newbie unless you were perhaps 25+ in age. having a companion requires dedication and it is long term, if not permanent. you should not be looking for a companion unless you are prepared to care for them and give them your time and energy. when you adopt a companion, you gain a friend, and you should treat them like you would a physical friend. make time for them. get to know them. if things go well, you will have this friend for years, and hopefully for life.

the drama of spirit companionship

oh look - bold! more important information!

there is a lot of hate and lashing out against spirit companions and shops. this mostly comes from misconceptions, misunderstandings, and flat ignorance. let’s section this out.

vessels

there is a common misconception that spirits are forcefully bound to and trapped inside of a vessel for companionship. that’s not how it works. a spirit would not go up for adoption if they did not want to be a companion. furthermore, good spirit shops should never create bindings that hurt the spirit involved. a binding to a vessel usually serves one purpose: the vessel acts as a beacon to help the spirit locate you, and it can help strengthen the bond between you and your companion by familiarizing the two of you with each other’s energies.

money

some people believe that paying for a companion is bad - that you’re basically buying their friendships buying them like you would buy a pet. i agree. that is, if that’s how things really were, i’d be disgusted. when a conjurer asks for money for an adoption, it is typically because they would like compensation for the time put into conjuring (more common for ra’s and cc’s) or because they are providing a vessel with the companion that cost them money to provide and ship. this applies to good shops anyways. if a shop claims to ask money for the spirit itself, run like hell.

shops

there are bad shops and good shops. some are clear cut AVOID. some are pretty good! always make sure to check reviews and faqs/abouts to see if the shop seems suspicious at all. sometimes it can be hard to tell, but there are a few tells that can indicate whether a shop is a no go.

if they post culturally appropriative spirits.

spirits from closed cultures should not be put up for adoption. if they wish for a companion, it would be better for them to search for someone specifically from their culture.

if they post spirits who are children.

children and infants should never be posted for adoption. they are still in developmental stages and it is not fair to ask a spirit worker to take on the task of raising a child, when they are looking for a companion. additionally, most spirit workers are not capable of taking care of the needs of a spirit child or infant, especially if the child is from a different species.

if they post a spirit that seems dangerous or harmful

all spirits posted for adoption should be thoroughly vetted to ensure their safety and legitimacy. if a shop posts unsafe spirits, it is not a good shop.

if their stated vetting period is too short

it takes a long time to get to know a person. any spirit vetted for adoption should be in the process for three months at the VERY minimum, and that’s if the conjurer is spending time with the spirit most every day. (vetting periods for ra’s and cc’s are typically different, and can vary from shop to shop. no vetting period should be less than 2-3 weeks.)

if the shop asks for money to buy the spirit, and does not clarify that the money is for their effort and services or for a vessel provided.

if the shop treats a spirit like a pet or commodity up for sale, get the fuck away from them.

if you get a generally icky, nasty, or uneasy feel/vibe from the shop

some people are more sensitive to energy than others, but if you feel gross about the shop, consider avoiding it.

if the reviews are generally negative or troublesome, or if there are little to no reviews at all

troubling reviews will give you a clear idea of what’s going on behind the scenes. little to no reviews make it difficult to know what things are actually like! you can proceed if you like, but take caution.

please keep in mind that shops can change! if they pay attention to the criticism they receive and take steps to improve, you can be assured that they’re probably trustworthy! or at least, more so than they were before ❤️❤️❤️

cultural appropriation

cultural appropriation is a little different between witchcraft and spirit work, but the base idea remains the same. you should not use practices or commune with spirits from a closed culture. in spirit work, cultural appropriation can be much more serious. some spirits from certain cultures do not like outsiders, and you should not attempt to commune with them if you know they are not open to that. in addition, some spirits from closed cultures can even be incredibly dangerous and will attack those who are not members of their culture. please stay safe for your own good and don’t attempt to interact with spirits (or deities!) from closed cultures.

religion and spirit work

lots of people use spirit work to become closer to their faith! abrahamic religions use spirit work to commune with God and angels. pagans use spirit work to commune with the various deities and spirits of their belief systems!

i’m going to touch on a few different pagan religion systems that are commonly seen, because many people i know use spirit work to connect and work with their gods and goddesses. the most common pagan religions that i know people use are greek/roman, egyptian, and norse.

the astral

the astral is a place that exists outside of our physical world, and thus, really the only way to get there is through metaphysical means - by traveling and projecting. there are many different planes of the astral, and an infinite number of places and people. one of the astral planes corresponds to earth - it is basically a copy of our own earth, only it exists in the astral, right on top of/ in the same space as our physical earth.

travel vs. projection

many beginners get confused about the astral because they don’t know that astral traveling and astral projecting are actually two completely different things. in astral travel, you simply cast your consciousness into the astral, but still remain awake and aware of your physical body. in projection, you fall into a deep trance and enter the astral completely, leaving your physical body behind so you are no longer aware of it. if you chose to project, make sure you protect your body heavily so that no other spirit attempts to inhabit it while you are gone.

conjuring, and why we won’t be talking about it.

conjuring is the practice of summoning spirits, either to speak with for a short time or for companion adoptions. beginners should not attempt to do this. intermediate level spirit workers should not attempt to do this until they have a capable mentor who is willing to spend the time to teach you properly and make sure you are protected. no spirit worker should ever conjure alone or unprotected.

seriously - don’t try conjuring. you might think i know a lot, right? i have not attempted to conjure yet and i know i will not be ready for a good long while. knowing isn’t everything. i do not have the experience and skill needed to conjure. i’ve been working hard learning about spirit work for roughly six months. if i’m still not ready, what makes you think a new beginner would be?

but i’ll help you get started.

simple practicing ideas

practice energy work (check out the database to find the energy work post!)

make wards

research different types of spirits

research spirit shops and find out if you would like a companion

practice communicating with plant and crystal spirits

try to astral travel (for methods how, check the database and look for the astral post)

practice improving your clair- skills

meet other spirit workers!

spirit work is a huge topic. there’s so much to explore! be safe, and have fun.

love,

sun.

#spirit work #beginner spirit work #baby spirit worker #witchling #baby witch #academy #basics to spirit work

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friendandphoe · 7 years

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ahbonjour replied to your post: no one ever let me watch kiki’s delivery service...

YESSSSS MY FAVE GHIBLI P L E A S E AU NOW

why are you enabling me oh my god okay all my ramblings are below the cut

it’s v v loosely based off kiki?? like the concept of Witches Travel to New Places When They Come Of Age is still a thing but im debating whether it’s more modern or not ((probably not cos i loooove the world of kiki)) and all the witches are grown up and established within their hometowns at this point. also like with kiki each witch has a Special Kind Of Magic that they do and feel most comfortable with

the very very basic plot is that tethys, who has no magic himself but works at a symbol witch’s tattoo parlor tattooing magical symbols onto people, runs into newly-arrived poppy fraiser in the grocery store and is subsequently charmed by her big dreams and loud confidence, despite the fact that she really doesn’t know what she wants to do with herself and the fact that his girlfriend bunny, who specializes in luck and probability manipulation magic, is the town witch and this is considered V Rude, Poppy What Are You Doing You Little Shit. poppy might move to another town, or bunny might allow her to stay under the pretext that she’s not powerful enough to cause any sort of threat to bunny’s power in town, bunny and i haven’t decided yet.

somewhere along the line poppy does grow up into a v powerful spellcaster, specializing in enchanted objects and sometimes enchanted people, and somewhere along the same line tethys has the classic “oh shit i like her” moment that i’m apparently determined to wrangle into every godforsaken story i write for these two. this is lowkey fantasy au 2.0, i don’t have any sort of Actual Plot figured out just yet, just a vague idea of the world they live in

also featured are molly the potionmaker/alchemist and her longsuffering datemate shen, who has no magic but keeps getting transformed into birds by accidental consumption of molly’s potions (regardless of what those potions were actually supposed to do); pat, poppy’s adopted daughter who is too little to really have a specialized kind of magic just yet but Somehow Managed To Raise Herself From The Dead What The Fuck; and dylan, poppy and shen’s cousin that they have a Weird relationship with on the grounds that Our Parents Kind Of Hate Each Other But You’re Pretty Okay, who specializes in prophecy and scrying despite the fact that they’re mostly blind ((not totally blind like tucker! they still have a bit of sight, but it’s v 2d and fuzzy/faded so they have a seeing eye dog named iggy to help them out)) and yeAH there you go that’s what i got

#holy shit this got long #'oh this has no plot but heres thirty thousand pages of vague worldbuilding'#me @ myself good job asshole why are you like this #dylan is based off the see no evil adoptable that emile gave me back on devart #iggy was a random gift from someone on devart and is a Good Boy #i dont know what tucker and butterfly are doing i didnt get that far yet #butterfly might be pyrokinetic just cos i think itd be funny for her friends/family to have to carry around spray bottles of water #but i genuinely have no idea skully knows them way better than i do so im gonna have to get her help on this one #thIS WAS A DUMB IDEA WHY ARE YOU ENABLING ME #ahbonjour #friends #movie house #witch au #??? i guess???#shut up sara

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pauperpedia · 5 years

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Tuesday Brewsday 15: Illusory Tricks

Back in the day when I was first getting into pauper there was a YouTuber that went by the name of Dan (Fanofhistory). He was part of a channel called MagicGatheringStrat which posted weekly pauper gameplay videos, as well as Dan’s ambitious run of the pauper gauntlet. Oh how I miss their beautiful content and rogue brews. There was one deck that really intrigued me during this time period for me, and that was a deck called Illusory Tricks. Chris Weaver, who now goes by Calpine on MTGO, released an updated deck tech video after the first pauper gauntlet in 2014 which I built this deck around, https://youtu.be/55vOWHPEt8U . Since then, many new cards have been released, and I wanted to revisit the deck with my brewing cap on to see if it could be improved.

4 Cloudfin Raptor

4 Mothdust Changeling

4 Spellstutter Sprite

4 Dream Stalker

4 Krovikan Mist

2 Fathom Seer

4 Ninja of the Deep Hours

1 Moonblade Shinobi

3 Smoke Shroud

3 Preordain

1 Careful Study

3 Vapor Snag

1 Echoing Truth

3 Counterspell

1 Deprive

16 Island

2 Mystic Sanctuary

At it’s heart Illusory Tricks is an aggro deck with some tempo elements. Depending on your starting hand, you could have an explosive start, or a controlling one. There is synergy on multiple axis throughout the deck whether it’s through illusions, faeries, or ninjas. Where the deck lacks in consistency, it makes up for a fun experience where no game truly ever plays out the same.

Mothdust Changeling is the wild card in the deck. This shapeshifter counts as everything we need it to be when it comes to the three main creature types the deck cares about. It also has flying if you have a creature of your own you’re willing to tap down for the cause. The other one drop creature is Cloudfin Raptor. Thanks to the evolve mechanic, whenever a creature with greater toughness or power enters the battlefield, Cloudfin Raptor gets a +1/+1 counter on it. It is the deck’s best Delver impersonation, and if left unchallenged could even outclass it.

In the two drop slot is Krovikan Mist. This illusion on its own is a 1/1 flyer, but it gets bigger the more illusion that are in play. Sometimes all you really need is a 2/2 flyer to really swing things in your favor. The deck technically runs 14 illusions which make this misty boi quite the two drop. Next us is good old fashioned Spellstutter Sprite. Blue decks in the past have played Spellstutter all on its own without any Faerie support because pauper decks run a lot of 1 mana spells that are nice to counter. This wily faerie can give the green light to a surprise Ninja by casting it on an opponent’s end step, has synergy with a turn one Mothdust Changeling to counter a spell with a converted mana cost of two or less, and can be played numerous times over the course of a game when you consider Dream Stalker’s ability. Speaking of Dream Stalker, this is the deck’s utility player. When it enters the battlefield you have to return a permanent you control to your hand. There are so many ways to abuse this “drawback” and turn it into a positive, which makes it essential in this list. You can bounce itself back to your hand if you have a Cloudfin Raptor on the board so it gets bigger; you can bounce a Spellstutter Sprite to be replayed as another counterspell; you can bounce a Mystic Sanctuary to be replayed and put a valuable instant or sorcery from your graveyard back on top of your library; and if you’re really desperate you can return a ninja facing roadblocks to be re ninjitsued in with an evasive attacker. It also doesn’t hurt that being a 1/5 blocks almost every relevant land based creature in the format outside of Gurmag Angler.

The last creature you’re actually casting (90% of the time anyways) is Fathom Seer. You’re typically going to want to cast it as 2/2 morph creature for three, then morph it into Fathom Seer by returning two islands to your hand. When you do this you get to draw two cards which is very nice. The added bonus comes in when you’re returning a Mystic Sanctuary back to your hand, since it counts as an island, and replay it to gain even more value.

Ninja of the Deep Hours is such a good card, so good in fact it becomes a lightning rod for removal. It is a creature that absolutely must be dealt with because if it gets in to deal combat damage to your opponent, you get to draw a card. Normally you would have to pay four to cast it, but the ninjitsu ability allows you to pay two mana instead and replace it with an unblocked attacker. This makes our 8 one drop creatures more valuable and can extend the usefulness of our Spellstutters. The other ninja in the deck is Moonblade Shinobi. It relies upon the same ninjitsu mechanic for three mana, but when Moonblade deals combat damage to an opponent, you get to create a 1/1 blue illusion token with flying which makes your Krovikan Mist very happy. Are you ready for the cherry on top yet? The deck also runs Smoke Shroud which gives the enchanted creature +1/+1 and flying, but has the ability to be returned from the graveyard attached to a ninja that entered the battlefield. It almost acts like a blue rancor since the deck runs nine ninjas when you consider Mothdust Changeling.

I’m running a 3/1 split of Preordain and Careful Study. I love Careful Study in this deck, but running any more than one is risky. It’s at its best when you have excess islands to throw away or a Smoke Shroud you know you’ll get back into play. Preordain is absolutely without a doubt pauper’s best cantrip. Being able to scry 2 and draw a card turns risky one land hands into snap keeps, or can help set you up with answers or more threats depending on the situation.

Blue decks don’t have access to any hard removal spells you’d want to play mainboard. Instead, blue decks rely on bounce spells to help clear the way for your attackers or counter the creature as it gets recast. Vapor Snag is a cheap option that deals one damage to the owner of the creature you bounced. More often than not you’re going to target your opponent’s creatures, be aware however that sometimes the right play could be to bounce a Spellstutter Sprite so you can counter a problematic spell. I’m also running one Echoing Truth as a catch all bounce spell since it can target any non land permanent and not just creatures. It’s also nice to get a two for one every now and then since Echoing Truth returns every non land permanent with the same name as the permanent you targeted. Cast this on bird tokens from a Battle Screech and you’re sure to put your opponent on tilt.

The counterspell suite is made up of three of the OG Counterspells (be sure to have the Tempest art for style points) and one Deprive. Deprive is the deck’s hard counterspell number four, but with the downside of having to return an island you control to your hand. Thanks to Mystic Sanctuary (I love you WOTC) this downside isn’t really a downside at all and you can continually return Deprive back to the top of your library. This often means game over for your opponent if you have an unchecked Ninja of the Deep Hours on the battlefield since the card it draws you is that Deprive.

4 Blue Elemental Blast

3 Coral Net

1 Relic of Progenitus

2 Dispel

3 Curfew

2 Gut Shot

One of the decks I really hate losing to is Burn. To fight that I bring in all four BEBs and both Dispels. I usually end up sideboarding out the Vapor Snags, Moonblade Shinobi, and two Smoke Shrouds. Affinity has the same gameplan except I don’t bring in the Dispels and I leave in two Vapor Snags. Unless I’m up against Ephemeratog, then it’s exactly the same gameplan as Burn.

Against Stompy, Slivers, or white creature based decks I will always bring in Coral Net. This forces your opponent into making two unfavorable choices of sacrificing the enchanted creature or discarding a card. I might also bring in Gut Shot too if they’re running enough targets for it. I usually sideboard out Moonblade Shinobi, a Mothdust Changeling, and a Smoke Shroud for the Coral Nets.

Curfew is there strictly for Hexproof and Mono White Heroic. Oh my is it a great feeling when you’re able to cast curfew and your Hexproof opponent, who thought putting a bunch of auras on a creature was a good idea, suddenly has to watch all of them fall off into the graveyard as they return their creature back to hand. Meanwhile you return a Spellstutter Sprite to counter their next play. I will always sideboard out the three copies of Vapor Snag.

The last deck I consider for sideboarding is Tron. Dispels are both coming in as well as Relic of Progenitus. Taking out all three Vapor Snags is your best option and these three cards give you a fighting chance at least.

That about wraps it up for Illusory Tricks. Trust me on this that the deck is a blast to play and is pretty competitive too. Granted you’re not going to win a tournament with it or anything unless you run unbelievably hot, but the deck can hold up against the best of them. Good luck tricking your opponents. Till next time folks, have a happy Brewsday!

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mirrorstone-fr · 8 years

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Flight Rising Gothic

You see an amazing accent in the AH. It’s beautiful. It’s perfect. It’s a one-off. It’s 5000 gems. You check your vault to see if you can afford it. It’s 10,000 gems. You look away for a moment. Now it’s 20,000 gems. Now it’s gone. Did someone buy it, or did it ascend into the ether, a higher being? You will never see that accent again and the creator is inactive.

Someone posts an excited scry of their dragon as an imperial, talking about how they can’t wait to scroll them into this. There’s been no whisper of imperial scrolls for years. Do you tell them? Do they know? They seem so certain. You wonder what they know that you don’t.

There’s yet another phoatlshop thread in the forums. The title is a pun that you forget immediately after reading. It’s all just unaltered pictures of dragons, posted one after another.

“Don’t exalt my dragon!” a user shrieks frantically at you, as you move to click the button. “Just give it a good home!” They stand outside your lair, screaming. “I hate it when people buy my dragon just to exalt them!” You have owned this dragon for a year.

The site shuts down every night at midnight. “It’s to keep them out.” Undel whispers, eyes darting frantically. “It’s to keep us safe.” Safe from what, you wonder. You wait patiently for the site to open up, to let you back in again.

You put a top hat on your dragon. Ha ha. The economy is in shambles.

#flight rising

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hitodama89 · 8 years

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I saw this interesting looking ask meme about Flight Rising stuff, but instead of using it as it was actually intended I just answer all the questions without anyone having to send me asks.

Ask me things!

Basics

Dragonhome - What’s the meaning behind your username?

hitodama89 is just the name I use everywhere I go.

Sea of a Thousand Currents - Why did you join Flight Rising?

I had some friends who had already joined and they seemed to have good time, so I just jumped in, too!

The Ashfall Waste - What’s your favorite part of the site?

Bestiary and collecting familiars.

The Windswept Plateau - Have you gotten friends of yours to join FR?

My brother and mother, hahah! Neither of them are all that active, though.

The Southern Icefield - What’s your favorite flight?

Water. <3

The Tangled Wood - What’s your favorite FR deity?

I would love it if the deities were a bit more active part of the game... But as it is I like Arcanist a lot.

The Scarred Wasteland - When did you join Flight Rising?

2014-10-13

The Sunbeam Ruins - What’s your favorite lair aesthetic (doesn’t have to be your own)?

I freaking love Egyptian looking dragons! =0 Haven’t seen a whole lair full of them yet, though.

The Shifting Expanse - Do you exalt a lot of dragons or do you keep them?

I exalt a lot. That is right now my main income in the game.

The Viridian Labyrinth - Do you have a favorite familiar?

Psywurm!

Starfall Isles - Favorite piece of trivia you learned on the site?

I love the idea of Podid Town. =‘‘‘D It is mentioned in one of Tomo’s trivia questions.

Lore

Earthshaker - What role(s) do your progens play in your lore (if they do at all)?

They are the dragons that formed the clan.

Tidelord - Does the element of your dragons’ eyes matter to you in lore?

Well, it just means that they were born in the respective flight’s area.

Flamecaller - How do you determine jobs for the dragons in your clan?

I just think what would suit their looks and possible nature.

Windsinger - Does your clan interact with other users’ clans and does that impact lore?

Nowadays not too much. When I first started I got quite a lot of dragons from my friends and those dragons have a few sentences worth of lore about their origin.

Icewarden - Does FR’s official site lore play into your own?

I try to keep it in mind when designing stuff for dragons.

Shadowbinder - Do you have any lore about how your dragons view exalting? If so what is it?

It is a religious event where the exalted dragon is physically send to serve under the clan’s deity. Usually it is a great honor, but I have some dragons that don’t see it solely as a good thing.

Plaguebringer - Do you keep lore if a dragon already has it or do you change it to fit your clan?

I keep it in some form.

Lightweaver - What’s the story behind your clan?

There isn’t really one. =‘) My progens met each other, hung out together for a while and decided to form a new clan.

Stormcatcher - What catches your eye in other people’s lore?

I am pretty lazy at reading long stories and stuff. I like it when things are clear and compact and don’t contradict official lore too much.

Gladekeeper - Do your dragons’ names follow any themes/patterns and if so does that play into their lore?

It depends on who named them. If it was someone outside my clan the name can be anything, but dragons born within the clan usually have names that doesn’t mean anything irl. Certain families also have their own themes.

Arcanist - Do you like writing lore or reading it more?

Reading, I guess. Writing tends to be a pain in the ass.

The Beastclans - Is there an antagonist in your lore? If so, who?

Not really. My clan haven’t had any incidents with Shade and they don’t have enemy clans or anything.

Breeds

Fae - Who’s your random progen?

Marus.

Mirror - Who’s the progen you made?

Carran.

Guardian - What’s your favorite starter breed?

Guardians, but I really do like them all.

Tundra - What’s your favorite breed?

Pearlcathers. Though I tend to handle their nature a bit differently than what has been written about them in the official article.

Pearlcatcher - Is there a breed you like the pose of one gender over the other?

Many, actually, one of them being Imperials. The pose of female Imperial is pretty but a bit difficult to work with.

Ridgeback - What’s one breed you could never go without having in your lair?

Guardians and Pearlcathers.

Snapper - Is there a breed you like the hatchlings better than the adults, and if so what breed?

Not really. Hatchlings are cute and I would even love to have some permababies, but there isn’t really anything that would look a lot better as hatchling than as adult.

Spiral - Do you make breeding pairs for a specific outcome?

Very rarely. Usually I just buy individual dragons and at some point realize that some of them would produce nice babies together.

Skydancer - Do you like to make mates match?

Once again very rarely.

Bogsneak - How often do you impulse buy dragons?

Never really. I am darn picky with my dragons which isn’t all that good considering how poor I am, too, hahah. That’s why my lair is so tiny.

Imperial - What’s one breed you just don’t like for whatever reason?

I know it’s a cliche but Snappers. They are okay and I would never wish to see them for example disappear from the site, but they just are a bit too non-dragon looking for my taste.

Nocturne - Do you collect gen 1s?

Nah. Still poor af.

Coatl - Which dragon breed has your favorite lore, regardless of how much you like/dislike how they look?

Guardians.

Wildclaw - Do breeding cooldowns frustrate you?

No! I’m a patient person.

Flights

Light - What flight did you choose and why?

Water, because that’s my favorite element.

Earth - Do you have flight ambassadors? Why or why not?

No. Tbh I find them pretty boring as nearly every clan tends to have those.

Shadow - If you could change flights for a single day and go back to your own after, what would you switch to and why?

I would love to visit Plague to see what the heck they do to make their dom pushes so devastating. =‘D

Plague - What region of Sorneith is your favorite?

I love the nature of Windswept Plateau.

Water - Do you want your dragons’ eyes to match their colors, and if so does that impact what dragons you keep/breed?

It is not something I require from my dragons, but of course in some cases (Spirals and their huge eyes) it might affect my decisions.

Ice - What’s your favorite flight aesthetic (if you have one)?

Thiiiis was asked already.

Fire - What are your thoughts on dom pushes?

They are cool communal events! Too bad Water is pretty bad at them. => But we try our best!

Arcane - What’s your favorite thing about your flight?

I have never met a single rude or otherwise annoying person in Water.

Nature - Do you like finding newbies in your flight?

Naah; why would I..?

Wind - If you were to summarize each flight into three words, what words would you use for which flight?

Ggggh too much work.

Lightning - What’s your favorite familiar from your flight?

Maybe Seaweed Scavenger.

Customization

Primary - What are your favorite gene combinations on dragons (primary, secondary, and tertiary)? Share your faves!

Poison or Ripple, Toxin or Peregrine and Smoke or Runes.

Secondary - What’s your proudest gene project, if you have one?

Maybe Uppo. He has gone through way too many genes but now he is finally perfect.

Tertiary - If you have a dragon with poorly mixing colors, what is your preferred tertiary gene to try and compensate?

I just leave tertiary to basic if I can’t make it work at all.

Apparel - Do you prefer to dress your dragons for their roles or what you think looks best on them?

A mixture of both.

Accent - Have you ever seen an accent/skinscent/skin that you wished existed for another breed or gender?

Hmm, don’t at least remember.

Skinscent - What is your favorite skin, accent, or skinscent?

Accent: Magic Erosion. It just makes Lienn so pretty.

Skin - What’s your least favorite skin, accent, or skinscent?

Some trypophobic things that make my skin (haha) crawl. Haven’t taken down their names because why would I?

Original color wheel - List your top five favorite colors and why.

Teal, robin, abyss, pistachio aaand any blue/green. But what “why”? =‘D I just like them, that’s all there is.

Color wheel expansion - What’s your favorite gene and color combination (i.e. orca glimmer)? Share a dragon with that combo!

Haven’t spend too much time thinking stuff like this, but abyss Crystal is pretty badass.

Scrying Workshop - What is your dream dragon?

Don’t have one. It’s better for poor to not dream too big. =‘D

Trading and Socializing

Forums - What’s your favorite forum game and why?

Doodle the dragon above. It made me draw last year more than anything else.

Coliseum - Do you like to do coliseum?

Well, no, but I do it anyway when I need to.

Fairgrounds - What’s your favorite Fairgrounds game?

I hate them all. XD Or yes they are alright, but there is so little variation that you have to grind all of the games long enough to make you hate them if you plan on getting anything out of them.

Auction House - We’ve all done it, what one thing did you not notice a misclick while selling that still haunts you to this day?

I sold one of the Fox Rat familiars for treasure instead of gems. It still hurts.

Marketplace - Are you saving up for any big purchases right now?

For once no, I’m not!

Crossroads - Do you ever check in on dragons you’ve sold to see how they’re doing?

Yes I do. =D More often than you would think.

Dominance - Have you ever bought fodder, only to get attached and keep it?

Yup!

Trading Post - Have you made friends through or because of FR?

Naah. I’m not good at making friends.

Festivals and Events

Crystalline Gala - Do you like to participate in the holidays?

Of course! Gotta hoard me some new items.

Trickmurk Circus - Do you hoard elemental currency after the events are over or do you sell it off?

Neither, I just stack away the stuff I have and use it next year.

Mistral Jamboree - If you have elemental reps, do you dress them in their element’s holiday apparel?

Wavecrest Saturnalia - What’s your favorite elemental familiar?

Maybe Fire Sprite just because it was such an achievement to even get one of them.

Greenskeeper Gathering - Have you ever gotten an elemental egg?

A couple times. Never hatched one though, as I have pretty rotten luck.

Brightshine Jubilee - What was the first elemental holiday you ever participated in?

Riot of Rot. Back then I thought it was Riot OR Rot.

Thundercrack Carnivale - Are there events that you participate in on FR outside of the official festivals and events (secret Santa, trick or treat, etc)?

Yeah I took part in Secret Santa last Christmas!

Flameforger’s Festival - What do you do to prepare for an event?

Rest from Coliseum so I have what it takes to grind there during the festival.

Starfall Celebration - What’s your favorite elemental holiday?

Our own WaveSat.

Riot of Rot - Do you have any retired items or familiars that you want to come back for a holiday?

All the first year big apparels! I have no idea why they were so perfect but nearly everything after them have been pretty unusable for me. Also Light Sprite, haha.

Rockbreaker’s Ceremony - Does your flight do anything to prepare for events, if so what and do you participate in that?

During the already mentioned WaveSat we do some stuff, and I try to help as much as I can (which isn’t a lot though).

Week of Welcome - What do you think of the change in registration windows?

Good that the site can handle regular windows now!

Night of the Nocturne - What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever gotten in an event?

I won some boss familiar in a raffle once. It was the best.

#meme #flight rising

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