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anthrofreshtodeath · 4 months ago

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untitled drabble

clearly I’m still thinking about Jane and being bad.

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Jane lumbered out of the confessional booth in St. Joseph’s, her boots heavy against the well-worn tile as the wood of the seat creaked beneath her. Everything about the moment was so damn old, including her, she thought. She refused to think about the physical aches and pains that came with her exit because Maura had a concussion - a fucking brain bleed - and Nina had just gotten out of surgery, but she couldn’t block out that ancient catholic guilt, belonging to the generations of parishioners here before her and settling on her shoulders now.

Not her guilt - to be quite fair. No, she felt something far older, something that tingled in her fingers, dragging them to the holster on her hip. Perhaps that feeling was catholic, too. But the absence of guilt told her that here was where she needed to be.

Told her she might be too far gone, and so she’d better get her ass to church, because she’d felt this way before, and it’d caused her to do some stupid things.

And forty years of guilt other people told her to feel, it aged her. If not in body, in spirit. How many times had the tang of vengeance singed the back of her tongue, only to be cut down by the icy deluge of admonishment? How many times had she been told that she felt too much, too often?

Now the tang was all she could taste, and the best she could do was stand before God ahead of time. Because like she told the priest, she hadn’t been to confession in years, and there was a lot to confess, but perhaps her grandest sin was standing in defiance of regret.

Not for what she planned to do now, anyway.

She marched right past the pews on her way out the heavy double doors, only breathing in when that chilly fall air settled on her face.

It’s not what I’ve done - it’s what I’m going to do.

She’d left an important part out. And that I might not make it to the other side of this.

That, however, was a sin for another confessor, and Jane, craving nothing more than the Newports she used to chain smoke in junior college, prepared herself for more penance on her way to her car.

Beacon Hill had been aptly named, because it called her.

She released herself into the driver’s seat of the unmarked with a thud. When she closed her eyes for a bit of peace, to quiet the raging of all those thoughts before she turned the key in the ignition, she exhaled. Loud, unsteady.

God she needed sleep.

But first, she needed to get to Maura.

So, she buckled up, blinked herself into wakefulness, helped by the light of the moon, and drove west to Beacon Hill from the North End.

She’d made the trip a thousand times over the last five years; she barely needed eyes on the road. She used most of the time to think of what to say, or rather how to say it. She thought she’d just about got it right when she pulled up on Pinckney street, but it left her when she shuffled through the courtyard and turned her key in the lock.

Maura was standing there, back to Jane when Jane entered, still in the day’s black blouse and pink trousers. Still with the butterfly bandage on her head, in front of a sink with dinner’s dishes still soaking inside. Maura herself stared out the window, gripping the lip of the counter.

“H-hey,” was all that Jane could muster. She closed the door with respect, the latch clicking softly. The warm light of Maura’s front room caressed her, such a sumptuous affront to the dimness of St. Joseph’s. It almost burned away the murder in her.

Almost.

“Hi,” Maura answered, but she never turned. “Where have you been? Your mother’s been looking for you.”

“I… hmm,” Jane did not expect the emotion that stifled her. She pushed through. “I went to church.”

“To church? What for?” Maura began to scrub.

“Confession,” said Jane when she brought herself over to the granite counter. She placed each hand on it, key ring still looped on her index finger, teeth biting into her palm as she pressed. She licked her lips - that is how the moment should feel, yes. Again, penance. The discomfort met the mood.

“Oh,” Maura acknowledged. There was a beat, like she would be too defeated by her own pain to ask about Jane’s. But then she cleared her throat. “Am I allowed to ask what you confessed?” It was quiet, timid.

And Jane hung her head.

Where was her Maura who, at the start of those five years, had winked at her and asked did you have a lot to confess to? Who had put sex into every syllable of that question? Sex and unequivocal joy?

This Maura, run ragged by circumstance, by the violence in Jane’s orbit, barely allowed herself space in Jane.

And that angered this Jane, hollowed out and filled up with nothing but rage and the animalistic fear of losing whatever iteration of Maura she could get.

She walked over to the sink, dropped her keys in her pocket, and put her face to the crown of Maura’s hurting head. It still smelled like flowers and fruit. “You’re allowed to ask things of me,” Jane whispered. She hoped Maura felt it like Jane felt strands of hair against her wet lips. The walls fell. “You’re allowed to demand things of me.”

Maura stiffened. There were long moments where she only tightened her grip on the counter and Jane only froze in place. But then. Then. “Tell me what you confessed.”

“That I wasn’t, hmm,” Jane found herself struggling to find the right words in light of Maura seizing her opportunity. “That I’m gonna-“

“That you’re going to kill Alice Sands,” Maura said.

“No,” Jane replied.

“Then tell me,” Maura ordered.

Jane’s old, tired heart thrilled. It beat faster, sending another impulse to her fingers. This time, she obeyed, wrapping them in Maura’s hair and tugging.

Maura hissed when she went back, but Jane knew.

Jane knew that it wasn’t from pain. She moved her lips to Maura’s temple. “I’m gonna feel no regret when I put a bullet in her head,” she murmured. “I confessed that I’m gonna kill her and I’m gonna enjoy it. But there was somethin’ I left out.”

“Don’t make that mistake twice,” Maura turned her head so that her mouth danced on Jane’s as she spoke.

“Wasn’t a mistake,” Jane returned the favor. “I was savin’ it for you: I might have to give myself up to get that. To end her. But it’s a price I’d pay every time.”

Maura’s gaze narrowed, and Jane’s grip loosened, but they stayed close. And when Jane’s fingers, still in her hair, settled on the nape of her neck, she uttered one last command. “Well, make sure you don’t have to. Because I’m not god. I won’t forgive you if you do.”

And Jane, reinvigorated, nodded.

#rizzoli and isles #lauren dabbles in rizzoli and isles fanfiction #apparently they gotta be sad for me right now #this came to me as I was planning chapters 4-5 of HHLL #It’s… I have no idea what this is #god bless #literally I guess #The word reinvigorated is doing a lot of work here #I think I’ve forgotten how to do this #in another universe where this is a whole fic there’s nasty sex in it

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twistedshipper · 5 months ago

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"Go to the place that men call the Isle of the Blessed, where the power of the ancients can still be felt. There you will discover Arthur's salvation."

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lyculuscaelus · 27 days ago

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It’d be interesting to view the failed nostoi of Achaeans (which is the migration of Trojan War heroes to other places like Italy) in the context of the Hesiodic lore of the fourth age of men (Works and Days, line 156–175), aka the Heroic Age.

ἔνθ᾽ ἤτοι τοὺς μὲν θανάτου τέλος ἀμφεκάλυψε, There certainly the death’s end enshrouded some [of them],

So many of the Achaeans met their end in two campaigns against Thebes and especially the Trojan War.

τοῖς δὲ δίχ᾽ ἀνθρώπων βίοτον καὶ ἤθε᾽ ὀπάσσας Ζεὺς Κρονίδης κατένασσε πατὴρ ἐς πείρατα γαίης. While to the others he sent with them a living and abodes apart from men, Father Zeus the son of Kronos, and settled them at the ends of earth.

They were sent to Italy (which is pretty far from the Mainland), for a living, the abodes being the cities they founded there.

καὶ τοὶ μὲν ναίουσιν ἀκηδέα θυμὸν ἔχοντες ἐν μακάρων νήσοισι παρ᾽ Ὠκεανὸν βαθυδίνην, ὄλβιοι* ἥρωες, τοῖσιν μελιηδέα καρπὸν τρὶς ἔτεος θάλλοντα φέρει ζείδωρος ἄρουρα. And look, they dwell, holding a carefree heart In the isles of the blessed beside the deep-eddying Oceanus, Happy heroes, to whom the honey-sweet fruit Growing thrice a year—the fruitful earth bears them. * tell me I’m not the only one being reminded of this same word used in Teiresias’s prophecy—runs off to prepare for another post

Here, the Isles of the Blessed are depicted at the end of earth where the swirls of Oceanus flow. Note that in Roman mythology, the land of Hesperia (the western end of earth) was associated with Italy, and the colonies of Greeks (where Magna Graecia now lies) were also mentioned in Virgil’s Aeneid. Not necessarily what the Romans had in mind, but it’s an interesting connection nonetheless.

τηλοῦ ἀπ᾽ ἀθανάτων: τοῖσιν Κρόνος ἐμβασιλεύει. τοῦ γὰρ δεσμὸν ἔλυσε πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε. Far from the immortals—Kronos reigns over them. For the father of gods and men released him from his bonds.

Isn’t it fascinating that the god Saturn, the Roman equivalent of Kronos, was one of the most important gods in so many Italian tribes back then? Now that these Greeks were far from their homelands, far from the realm of the gods they knew of, and submitting to the reign of Saturn, who was associated with Kronos in the Greeks’ mind?

τοῖσι δ᾽ ὁμῶς νεάτοις τιμὴ καὶ κῦδος ὀπηδεῖ. And honor and glory attends to these greatest ones equally.

Considering how many heroa (ἡρῷα) there were in Italy, yep.

So personally, I do consider the failed nostoi working well within the Hesiodic context, even though they are later traditions themselves, which are inconsistent with Homeric epics. But that’s my personal view. (And of course you can argue that the Isles of the Blessed here are associated with Elysium fields which means that they’re all sent there after death but hey you guys are even putting the location of Hades in Italy which is literally saying “the hell is right here in Italy” which I’ve been wanting to shout at for this whole time…now just allow me to have fun)

#tagamemnon #greek mythology #hesiod #the epic cycle #well…technically no longer the epic cycle #my translation #ancient greek #roman mythology #trojan war #classics tag #nostoi #Lyculī sermōnēs #the reason I keep calling it “failed nostoi of Achaeans” is pretty clear: all these traditions contradict the Homeric version of the Nostoi #where all Achaean leaders other than Little Ajax and Agamemnon returned and stayed in their homelands for the rest of their life #that is an example of Dios boulē as well #but it’s seemingly nonexistent in Epitome where all these wanderings are recounted #and some other accounts of ancient scholarships #here it’s the most interesting to think abt: Hesiod did introduce the Dios boulē while keeping the failed nostoi elements unchanged #with their destination changed to the so-called “Isles of the Blessed” which makes it sound so much better #btw back in Homer and Hesiod’s times the concept of Elysium fields and the Isles of the Blessed wasn’t restricted to dead people only

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kateis-cakeis · 3 months ago

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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.

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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.

#bbc merlin #merlin #i think that about covers everything and has about all i wanna analyse and speculate on :)#this is really a summary that will be helpful to me and probably only to me i expect this will get no notes :P #i love the old religion i really think it's cool and i like how there's gaps we can fill in with fanfic but it's always important to look #back at canon and understand what's actually there what the story says about it #and yeah I wrote this entire post because i was pondering something for my fic - mainly how much Camelot is tied #to the Old Religion which it really seems to be? like everything centres around it the heart the birthplace and such #and maybe there's that kinda thing in other kingdoms but I don't know if that's true given the Isle of the Blessed and hell even Avalon #i didnt include Avalon and Sidhe here because that doesn't quite apply to the human interpretation of the Old Religion #there's only one distinct thing i could say about it and that's the fact that Avalon is only seen by mortals when they're #about to die which links it to death and perhaps the Spirit World but it still appears to separate and more to do with the #Sidhe which seem to exist outside the conventions of the Old Religion we often see in the show - given that their #spell language is different (Old Irish as opposed to Old English much like how the Dragonlord tongue is Greek)#and like Avalon is not related to the structure of humans - and if I included it I'd have to include the dragons and such and that is #out of the scope of this post and it's already long enough so hey ho here have these tags :P #this is a 2.9k post including tags haha XD hope you have the setting on for long posts because im not putting this under a cut

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crimeronan · 11 months ago

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i ship really good pure-hearted characters polyamorously because i want them to be as loved as possible & i ship really terrible evil characters polyamorously because i want them to make as many people worse as possible. the best polyships involve a healthy mixture of these two types of character all fucking with each other in weirdly wholesome ways in their fluffy toxic polycules until the end of time. thanks everyone

#ot6 + hennessy is essential. is the main point here #lavender winter is also essential but theyre mostly just goodhearted kids.#boiling isles adult rebel polycule is also essential because theyre goodhearted but fucking terrible at it. bless

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marztheincredible · 2 years ago

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The Calendar of the Boiling Isles!

A mistake needing to be rectified! I’ve realized that I haven’t posted about the Calendar in Titan’s Blessing here on Tumblr! So buckle up and get ready for some juicy world-building!

“The history of the Boiling Isles is a muddled and confusing one. After Emperor Belos’ claim and making the Isles into an Empire, much was lost. We know for certain one thing. The years marked A.C or After Covens, denote the time since Belos’ reign. Anything before, or known as the Savage Ages, are marked as B.C Before Covens.”

There are 10 months in a Boiling Isles Year, also called a Cycle. Days are also called Rhythms. Proper documentation of the date goes as such: 5th Rhythm of New Callus, 52 A.C. On average there are at least 36 days in a month. Because the Isles are quite dangerous and unpredictable, until they reach maturity (21) children announce their age as how many summers they survived.

“You both are sixteen summers, are you not? And I’m sure you're able to snag some Palistrom wood from the Plant Coven with your parents' money.” -Eda to the Blight Twins in Chapter 15

Celestial Alignment and the moon also take an important role when it comes to certain holidays and celebrations as well as the effects of magic. The moon in the Boiling Isles is also called The Titan’s Eye. As the story is told every year on the final day of The Week of Celestial Observation, the moon is the Titan’s Eye, gouged and thrown into the void after an act of deception from the Titan’s Sister, Hel.

Each rotational cycle is 10 days. Meaning there are 10 days between each New Moon. The phases are also named differently, it goes as so:

Birth Eye=New Moon

Young Eye=Waxing Crescent

First Gaze=First Quarter

Hooded Gaze= Half-Waxing Gibbous

Blinking Eye (Closing)=Full-Waxing Gibbous

Full=Full moon

Blinking Eye (Opening)=Full Waning Gibbous

Tired Gaze=Half-Waning Gibbous

Last Gaze=Third Quarter

Dead/Old Eye=Waning Crescent

Now lets move on to Months!

New Callus (36 Days-Winter)

“The Cycle of a new year begins anew. Old bonds wither away or strengthen. New ones are formed. New Callus can also be considered a month of rebirth, where many witches seek forgiveness to go into the new year with a clean slate. The Rhythm of Reflection falls on the end of the last week of this month, encouraging Witches to seek out the ones they have wronged to make amends.”

Scabuary (42 Days-Winter)

“Winter ends on this month! The harsh cold that travels down the knee, crawls back up to its isolated joint. The dead floral resuscitate and rise from their dried husk, indicating warm months to come. On the 40th Rhythm of Scabuary, the Empire of the Isles celebrates is anniversary since Belos claimed the lands under the 'Titan's Will'. This anniversary is known as "Salvation Day."”

Trudge (45 Days-Spring)

“Boiling rain season. Keep alert for rolling storm clouds and watch where you step! Witches tend to keep indoors as much as they can this month. No one wants to be caught by a stray pain-bow after the rains let up!”

First Till (45 Days-Spring)

“First Till is one of the three farmer months that's name has not been changed or altered since the beginning of the Savage Ages. It is to remind farmers and other denizens of the Isles to plant their crop. This is the time where the weather is consistent and predictable. Druids (Now absorbed, absolved, and known as the 'Plant Coven') celebrate this month in its entirety. It was once known that during the Savage Ages, a wandering Druid would stop by a farmer's field and help them produce a wonderous bounty to collect during The Grand Harvest. Witches would celebrate and respect these Druids though tributes and offerings, hoping to gain favor for their village or town.”

Julymph (42 Days-Summer)

“Summer has begun and it. Is. HOT. The Boiling Isles are not just aptly named because of the Boiling Sea alone. Heat rolls over the land like a dragon's hot breath in waves. Latissa's bogs steam from the weather and if you aren't careful the haze can become as thick and sticky as a spider's web.”

The Grand Harvest (39 Days-Summer)

“The Grand Harvest is here! The Titan's body and the steady hands of the Isle's farmers produce food to last until the next First Till. To celebrate the successful growth of crops the Feast of Abundance is celebrated! This always falls on the last Rhythm of the month, ensuring that any excess crops gathered are used for the holiday. We're not done yet, every three years the Week of Celestial Observation falls on this month. It cycles back and forth between The Grand Harvest and Sun's Smite. The Week of Celestial Observation is a time where the stars and the moon fall in line with the Titan. Demon's and Witch's magic are in tune with the Others, making it a time to cast powerful spells or brew strong potions.”

Sun’s Smite (36 Days-Summer/Fall)

“Summer wanes into Fall and if the heat hasn't destroyed the last of the farmer's crops, the blinding sun will. This is the brightest month on the Isles, giving way to longer days well into the first have of the month. It is here where the Smiths of Old would produce the finest blades or other metal work. Using the glaring sun and their magic to warp metal harnessing its energy for power. The Week of Celestial Observation falls on this month every three years.”

Auguts (36 Days-Fall)

“Fall has arrived! Verdant floral wither and die, while some fauna may begin their hibernation. The Cycle has almost ended, it is time to make way for the colder months and warmer magic to come forth once more.”

Hacktober (39 Days-Winter)

“The snow storms upon the Knee have trailed down its mountainous peak! Bundle up Demons and Witches, Winter is here! You’ll need your best Enchanters and Weavers to intertwine the warmth of the Hearth within your clothes. If you aren’t so lucky to find such a Witch, perhaps a Bard will do. The second Dead Eye of the month can call forth a bitter chill if one is unaware. In the days of old, as a warning, a Bard would sing for the eight days leading up to the moon’s final phase. These melodies were known as The Frigid Refrains.”

Dismember (42 Days-Winter)

“The coldest month of the year! For young witchlings its the most exciting! The Winter Solstice, marks the shortest day of the year and follows into the Long Night. Always falling on a Birth (New) Moon, the Long Night consists of exchanging gifts and celebration of another year lived. Deeper meanings of this holiday indicate that this may be the day the Titan fell into his eternal slumber, creating the Boiling Isles.”