#I don't know what to put xD

[daily-ethoslab]

my bad for not adding skizz won't happen again

[yuriyuruandyuraart]

just a bunch of baddies

[rapidhighway]

gonna vent for a sec but im so tired of this "don't wanna be an inconvenience", people pleasing shit ngl.....do people who do this know that they just come off as really rude and like... it just feels insulting each time

[kateis-cakeis]

Thinking about the structure of the Old Religion.

From what we know there's the Nine which refers to the High Priestesses of the Triple Goddess - powerful sorcerers who obtained immortality (unless killed by some form of magic), and performed important rituals of the Old Religion.

It is unknown if there was a High Priest equivalent, but Gaius in S1Ep13 does tell Merlin that "the High Priests have the power to mirror life and death". This suggests that perhaps there were High Priests of the Triple Goddess, and that they also had a Nine.

There's the Bendrui, women who failed to become part of the Nine. Just like those who eventually became High Priestesses of the Triple Goddess, they were chosen at birth for the priesthood - taken from their families and raised as initiates of the Old Religion. Despite their failure, Bendrui are practiced in potent magic, and appear to have above average gifts.

There's the Bloodguard, warrior priests who swore to protect the High Priestesses. They, like the High Priestesses, were the only people to ever set eyes upon the staff carved from the Rowan tree that grows at the very heart of the Isle of the Blessed.

It could be suggested that like the Bendrui, the Bloodguard could have been failed High Priests, but there is no evidence (other than the existence of the Bendrui, and the mention of High Priests) to truly suggest this.

It is also unknown if the Bloodguard served the Triple Goddess. It is possible that the priests served various different gods of the Old Religion, but due to their relation to the Nine specifically, it is likely these warrior priests served the Triple Goddess.

There's the Catha, which contains priests. (Alator is referred to being "of the Catha, warrior and priest", he also says "I'm a Catha priest").

It is unknown if they served the Triple Goddess, or a different god of the Old Religion (and we know they are priests of the Old Religion because Morgana says, "He's a Catha...priest of the Old Religion.").

They have their own language, however, suggesting that they are a unique culture, and perhaps even an ethnic group. (This is further supported by Alator saying Catha are trained from birth to master all physical pain, it is also said that they guard their ancient knowledge - which leans towards them being a people rather than just initiates of the Old Religion)

There's the Disir, the highest court of the Old Religion, made up of three women chosen at birth to be trained as seers and soothsayers. They are the mouthpiece of the Triple Goddess, and interpret her word. As Gaius says, "When they sat in judgement, their word was final". They pass on the runemark, which is both judgement and fate - it contains a person's guilt, as well as the path the gods have chosen for them.

There's the Druids, a peaceful people who worship the Old Religion and often possess magic. It's a part of their beliefs to help people in need of care, and therefore, those who weren't born a Druid can find a home amongst them (Morgana is one such example).

Moreover, the Druids look for children with the gift of telepathy to serve as apprentices (perhaps to keep them safe? perhaps to encourage their magic in childhood?). The Druids also have a tattoo of a triskelion somewhere on their body, perhaps as a part of a ritual (to indicate someone has become a Druid?).

While the Druids have an intimate knowledge of prophecy and destiny, especially regarding Emrys and the Once and Future King, they do not appear to be priests or priestesses in any form. Just like the Catha, they have their own language (called the Druid tongue and Druidic Runes by Gaius), therefore, it is possible that they too are a unique culture and/or an ethnic group.

There's the Isle of the Blessed, a sacred location of the Old Religion, said to be the centre of it, and the focus of its power - it is also where the power of the ancients can still be felt after the Great Purge. Artifacts such as the Rowan staff, the Cup of Life, and the Horn of Cathbhadh were kept there under the care of the High Priestesses. Furthermore, Morgana's healing bracelet was forged on Isle - suggesting that its power allowed for the creation of powerful artifacts (this is further supported by the Rowan staff which was carved from the tree that grows there).

In a deleted scene for S4Ep1, Morgause says when she was first brought to the Isle, the hallways were teeming with women - High Priestesses. Although it is said often within the fandom, canon never establishes if the initiates were trained on the Isle. This deleted scene, however, heavily suggests it.

There's the Caerlanrigh, a sacred spring within the Grove of Brineved. There, the Disir reside within a cave, where the spring feeds into an ancient pool - in which the Disir divine from. The old ways are at their strongest there, and it's at the very centre of their powers (whether Gaius meant the old ways or the Disir here is unclear).

There's the Cauldron of Arianrhod, a sacred site of the Old Religion. The lake contains the power of the White Goddess, who can be summoned to heal those affected by the Teine Diaga ritual. However, if such a person is tricked into entering the cauldron, their soul would be lost forever.

There's the Crystal Cave, said to be the birthplace of magic. It is filled to the brim with scrying crystals that show the past, present, and future. Taliesin used the cave as the source of his prophecies for the kings of old. And as much as the crystals can be controlled, they can force visions upon powerful sorcerers too.

The cave can also hold spirits within it, seen with both Balinor and Taliesin.

While this may have been the case for Merlin alone, the cave can restore a person's magic.

There are celebrations important to the Old Religion too, such as:

Samhain, a time of year where the people feel closest to the spirits of their ancestors, in which they celebrate their passing.

During Samhain it was traditional for the High Priestesses to gather on the Isle of the Blessed and perform a blood sacrifice to release the Dorocha. This was done on the stroke of midnight, when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest.

Since the Dorocha do not roam free in the world throughout the series, it is suggested that a second blood sacrifice was done by the High Priestesses - perhaps before the night was through - to close the veil once more.

In Camelot, a feast is held as part of the celebrations. (This suggests that while the Old Religion and its practices were abandoned during and after the Purge, the heart of the religion and its holidays were never replaced).

Beltane, a time of year where the High Priestesses would gather at the Great Stones of Nemeton and summon the spirits of their ancestors with the Horn of Cathbhadh. It opens the door to the Spirit World and allows the person who blew the horn to see and speak with their ancestor of choice.

In Camelot a feast is held as part of the celebrations (which much like Samhain seems indicate that the Old Religion has been around for so long that it cannot be removed from society entirely - that the people clung onto some traditions, including the royal family).

There's the Gods of the Old Religion, the Triple Goddess, the White Goddess, and Nemaine. It could be implied that the White Goddess, and the Earth Mother Nemaine are part of the Triple Goddess, but it is just as likely for them to be separate gods.

If so, the Triple Goddess is heavily associated with the Nine, destiny and fate, and the immortality of certain sorcerers. Perhaps she is also associated with the balance of the world, due to the power over life and death being tied to the High Priestesses and supposed High Priests.

The White Goddess, however, appears to be associated with one's soul and healing. It was only her power that could heal and retain Gwen's soul after Teine Diaga ritual.

The Earth Mother Nemaine is related to Gean Canach, as it is said her tears forged the creature. The book Gaius reads from has more information, and from what can be deciphered, it says that Nemaine first wept at the slaughter of war, resulting in the Gean Canach crawling out of the Earth's belly (there is more written on the page, but it is impossible to tell what it says). This suggests that Nemaine lives within the Earth's core, and that she is indeed associated with nature and living beings as her name implies.

Furthermore, since she wept at the slaughter of war, she is perhaps the god of life itself, but not of the entire cycle. And due to the Gean Canach's abilities, to devour and drain a sorcerer of their magic, it is likely that this war's slaughter was brought about by magic.

It is possible that The Earth Mother Nemaine could be related to the Pool of Nemhain. Despite having different spellings in the show (the subtitles), they have extremely similar pronunciations (even if it is a bit different). Perhaps they are unrelated, but if they are one and the same, it could be suggested that the Earth Mother is connected to death as well as life, due to the pool being the last of the Five Gateways to the Spirit World. (This contradicts what is analysed in the above paragraph, but this post is meant to speculate multiple possibilities.)

Honourable mentions:

It could be suggested that the Quest Ritual was once part of the Old Religion. It includes the heir to the throne of Camelot transcending their body in order to receive a vision of a quest. This quest is meant to prove their worth to the people, and their worthiness of the throne. The heir prepares themself by cleansing their body and dressing in white robes. They spend an entire night kneeling on the floor, barefoot, with their eyes closed.

Due to how Arthur reacts in the morning when Uther pulls him out of it, and how sacred the entire process appears to be, it is as if the heir is actually gifted with a vision of a quest. This is supported by his reaction, as he looks dazed when relays what he has seen. Therefore, it seems as if the ritual includes some form of magic due to the preparation, and if so, then it's likely it was a practice of the Old Religion (specifically for the heirs of Camelot? Due to Camelot's association with the very heart of magic?)

It has been around for hundreds of years, so it is not outside the realm of possibility that the Quest Ritual is so old that the general consensus has forgotten its ties to the Old Religion, or much like Samhain and Beltane, it is perhaps so baked into society that it couldn't be abandoned.

--

In S1Ep13, Merlin says that the "Old Religion died out centuries ago". Even in Series 1 this is far from true, but later seasons make this remark seem entirely ignorant. If anything, this sentiment comes from a post-Purge society, where the structures of the Old Religion no longer exist. Perhaps it is even propaganda that Uther pushed forward as people became more fearful over the years, turning away from the old ways despite once practicing such beliefs (and for the people of Camelot, still practicing some of those beliefs).

It is possible this was a retcon but if so then it's directly retconned in S1Ep13 when it's revealed that Nimueh is a High Priestess.

Anyhow, in response to Merlin's ignorance, Kilgharrah says, "The Old Religion is the magic of the Earth itself. It is the essence which binds all things together. It will last long beyond the time of men".

This shows that the Old Religion doesn't just refer to the religion and the gods, but rather it is the very magic that makes up the fabric of the world, and as Balinor says in S2Ep13 it's either a part of you or it isn't. This suggests that it is indeed not just a religion, but the very world, the Earth, magic.

He also goes on to say that Merlin must "find those who still serve it", which shows that Uther very much didn't succeed in eradicating the structure of the Old Religion entirely, at least at that point in the show. And perhaps that anyone could serve it, even after the very structure collapsed.

All this is to say that the Old Religion is extremely pagan. The structure itself is vague perhaps because Old Religion is personal, it is vague. The differences between the High Priestesses, the Catha, and the Druids make this clear. Following the Old Religion's beliefs, traditions, and holidays is personal and spiritual because it varies, because there is no wrong way. Because there are no set rules or a real structure at all. The High Priestesses had power, yes, but this seems to come directly from the Triple Goddess herself, rather than a societal standing.

Nimueh was at court, and she was Uther's friend, but she was also very quickly thrown from the court after Ygraine died. And yes, the High Priestesses went to war with the Ancient Kings, but that appears to be a difference in factions, rather than let's say the Christian church and its power over the centuries.

Therefore, I propose that the Old Religion as a religion was loose in its structure, that it never died out like Merlin said (which does seem to be a post-Purge sentiment), but instead simply changed and evolved, and continued to exist even after the Purge, with its holidays in Camelot, and with the Druids and their practices/beliefs.

-----

Overall, the information we have on the structure of the Old Religion is vague and patchy. This was perhaps intentional so the writers could work around existing canon to introduce new concepts without being constricted by their past worldbuilding. But that's getting into the Intentional Fallacy, so I'll leave that there.

It appears that the High Priestesses had the most power in society, due to their past wars with the Ancient Kings, and their sheer power and knowledge. Not to mention their artifacts and control over creatures like the Fomorroh.

But there are different beliefs and structures to the Old Religion, like with the Catha and the Druids, suggesting that there are multiple ways to worship and follow the Old Religion.

The many sacred sites show that there are different powers and sources to the Old Religion that have different purposes. Like how the path to the Cauldron of Arianrhod was lined with banners for pilgrims, not to necessarily summon the White Goddess, but to visit the site. Or how the Isle of the Blessed is a powerful religious site, while the Crystal Cave is a fairly legendary and unknown place that few ever get to see.

In conclusion, the Old Religion is vast and has many facets to it. There is some structure, but it doesn't seem entirely necessary in order to follow the Old Religion. And in reality, it is inherent to the Earth, it is magic itself.

[heythereneighbor]

Wally! Stop doodling on the promo graphic!!

Indie Wally Darling RP blog and art ask blog with no focus on the horror elements. Established March 2023. Crossover and OC friendly. Sideblog of @dreamingofmuses

[the-words-we-sung]

Day 9: anime

For Simon’s Month 2024 hosted by @youngroyals-events

[doncadst]

Bruh bruh bruh whattt???????? OMG!!! ❤💗💗❤ THIS IS A DREAM OMG!!!!! my favorite mice will return god they will return!!! Stf7itfivyvyovoyevyihdvyodhupf

[krysmcscience]

Saw this prompt for incorrect OC quotes and couldn't resist with a bunch of my Breach goobers. Some of them would absolutely say these things word for word in canon if I gave them half the chance to, though. XD

They're in order of when they showed up in person - Qīng, Ghost, Red, Marisol, Shio, Cam, Daruk, Tawoos, and Alondra - as well as some important honorable mentions who have only been mentioned or gotten dialogue - Star, Blake, and Creation.

Star's design is a slight spoiler, I suppose, but it doesn't reveal if they're human or impostor, so it's all good. Creation's "design" also isn't a spoiler at all, because They can look however They want, LOL. As for Shio...some of you who have seen the body horror I've done of them may be wondering why they look so normal here, but I promise there are Reasons. :3c

In other news, will I be making a liar out of Shio in an upcoming Breach canon divergence? ..........Maybe~ >:3c

[theblackcatblog]

KOOOBYYYY

My baby ♡♡♡

(Don't ask about his face)

[silver-horse]

???? he just walked out wearing basic wizard robes. How did this happen?

I am so confused by how npc models work in this game. I know I recently put him in the slut dress but that shouldn't affect his model's appearance in the game. (or so I thought) I NEVER put him in this basic ass wizard robe so it seems like the game just defaults to this for him if he loses his clothes. but that's what I don't understand. how did he lose his clothes?? the very problem with npcs in this game is that their clothes are part of their models. Their "naked" state is with their default clothes on. So if I mess around and he needs to default to something then shouldn't that be his usual clothes? so strange.

Well I guess he ditched the absolute for sure this time. Even threw away the clothes. But his new clothes are not the basic sorcerer robes, it's basic wizard robes.

Nere 🤝Rolan switching the default clothes meant for sorcerers and wizards.

[lieutenantselnia]

Finally finished my anniversary piece, even if it's a couple days late :')

The 14th of January was mine and Heinz' third anniversary! He's been with me since 2021 and seriously, he's made my life so much better. Things haven't always been easy, but imagining that he's by my side helps me so much whenever I'm feeling down or stressed. Falling for him took me completely by surprise, and I never expected my love for him to grow so strong, but here we are. I love all my f/os, but he still earns a special place among them. He's my everything and my heart belongs to him❤️

I hope I can draw more of him and me/Selina in the coming year, since I actually have so many ideas! I want to show more of their story, I want to draw funny and cute moments between them, I want them to be happy and completely and utterly infatuated with each other. Here's hoping for many more good memories together <3

Also an alternate version under the cut because I couldn't decide whether I wanted an actual background or not (but decided in the end that the characters should be more in the focus)

[yuriyuruandyuraart]

.shattered dream.

-buy the newest shampoo and make your hair wavier than our favorite dark angel's-

there's gotta be a secret to her looks! >:'Dc

shattered belongs to @galacii

dark cream/studio au belongs to @zu-is-here

fem!studio au designs are made by me

[popiellart]

Tell us ur DUNC thoughts pal! <3

what can I even say about DUNC other than i fucking love it!!! i've been a shameless dick rider for denis villeneuve ever since Sicario, and I went to the cinema to see DUNC and DUNC 2 which. one thing about me is i hate cinemas. i didn't even go to the cinema for scorsese or yorgo lanthimos or top gun 2 so you know it's serious

the visuals are straight up incredible, the casting is peak, the material is handled with a lot of what feels like genuine love and passion, the lady going ham on the arabic yodeling on the OST is a queen, and in general wrt dune fans watching DUNC, I imagine that's how people who like Tolkien felt when Peter Jackson's LOTR came out

i can't wait for the conflict between the matriarchal eugenicists with milking machines and the patriarchal eugenicists with breeding tanks

which is what the books are really about. oh, and i guess the galactic jihad also happens, so that's fun

[brown-little-robin]

.

[mikimeiko]

I Leoni di Sicilia | Season 1 (2023), Paolo Genovese

[damnation-if]

If the LIs were deities what would be there domains, favored animal, & weapon? Suchebh & Twilit, sweetcheeks (sweetcheeki?) you’ve been evicted, gotta get new ones, sorry :(

oh, this an interesting thing to consider... i wasn't quite sure whether you meant deities within the world of the game, or more something related to real-world deities, so i might try and give an example of both? i will admit that weapons is a bit hard, though, i'm not sure all of them would use specific weapons haha (adding a cut here for Length)

Arianis

Arianis would be extremely Put Out to suddenly be made a deity, but not particularly Surprised... within the game's universe i think the most likely thing they would be made a deity of would be quite unflattering, something like... Parasites. or Decay. there isn't a terrific real-world equivalent but i assume they would be perceived in a way similar to Pestilence from the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, more or less. somewhere between Pestilence and Nergal, anyway - not as Purposefully Destructive as Nergal, that is to say XD

the animal used to symbolise them would probably be a wasp. if pressed to assign them some kind of weapon it'd probably be something like a gnarled and twisted staff of rotting wood.

Heluur

what he would be worshipped for in the game's world kind of depends on the context of... whether or not there's any growth in understanding of the demons and who/what they are. the most positive light i think he could be painted in would give him something like New Beginnings, while negative portrayals would view him more as Corruption. in both versions he'd be strongly associated with time, and viewed as a catalyst of great change. Kronos is probably the closest real-world equivalent, or somewhere in an admixture of Kronos and Aion.

Heluur's animal symbolism will always be a serpent; he generally is not a weapon guy, but i could see something like the Asclepian rod or caduceus being associated with him.

Lithiana

there's probably not a lot of ambiguity in what people would worship Lithiana for - Lust and Sexuality, probably with Sex Work thrown in. unfavourable portrayals of her might add Temptation or Control or something as well. there are a lot of real-world deities that are sort of similar but also a weird amount of them include things like war (Ishtar and Freya for example) so i guess the closest equivalents would be like. Aphrodite or the Mesopotamian Nanaya.

like Heluur, Lithiana's animal symbolism is fairly set - it will always be a shark. the particular type of shark i have in mind when i think about her colouring is a mottled grey kind of wobbegong. and i think for various symbolism-related reasons i'd have to give her a whip or a flail as a weapon.

Malkorath

like Heluur, Malkorath's domains would depend heavily on perception of them and demons in general; in the best light, they'd probably be regarded as representing Individuality and Freedom, and in the worst, something probably more like Death and Calamity. both versions would have overtones of boldness, victory and the hunt. as far as real world equivalents go, probably the most applicable is The Morrígan, though that aligns more closely with the negative aspects than the positive... you could maybe weave in someone like Artemis in that regard.

animal symbolism for Malkorath is kind of tough since they're made up of a bunch of different types already... a falcon, maybe, or a panther. some kind of swift predator. i do think there's not much chance of anyone associating a weapon with Malkorath other than their own natural weapons though lmfao

Suchebh

Suchebh would be fairly universally considered as a deity of Hedonism, Revelry and Excess - negative depictions might add a few things like Madness and maybe Pain, but i think they'd fare more or less the same otherwise. as such, the real-world equivalent is probably quite obviously Dionysus, with a pinch of Pan thrown in for good measure. maybe if you could combine those two with Zeus/Hera at the same time you'd get the best approximation.

as for what kind of animal symbolism people would use for Suchebh, that's a bit rough... peacocks are kind of obvious. birds of paradise, maybe? something flashy like that. for a weapon, they would want something like Zeus's lightning bolts. for the Drama of it all XD

Twilit

most probably Twilit would be worshipped as a deity of Transformation and Metamorphosis. certain people might associate them with Chaos, but they'd personally be offended by the notion that they bring it anywhere themself, so i guess that'd be an argument for priests to have lmfao. it's much tougher to find a real-world equivalent for them... there's Proteus, an ancient Greek god who constantly changed forms and apparently refused to answer questions honestly, but there's also primordial beings of chaos like Abzu and Tiamat, whose forms were too nebulous to be described and represent anarchy and upheaval, which are probably about the best available.

Twilit will always stay as a moth as far as symbolism is concerned. they also almost certainly wouldn't use any weapons, but i can imagine art depicting them holding bones in the way that someone else might hold a weapon.

thank you for your ask! i sure hope this manages to answer your question XD