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aquarianwisp · 5 years ago

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Cleansing, blessing, and protection basics

If you are new to witchcraft this guide is for you, but even if you are seasoned in the craft I still think it’s a really good idea to read other witches posts for new ideas and inspiration!~ Cleansing is such an important practice for anyone, not just witches. It is very commonly seen in many different cultures and religions worldwide and is practised in many different ways depending on the tools being used. Cleansing can be done with the help of deities or spirits, or it can be done in a secular way as well with reliance on your own energy or tools. Some people have different beliefs around when cleansing should be done and what rituals should be done at different times of the year. My path is one that works with the natural flows of energy around me, and I call upon deities and spirits to help me in my workings. I cleanse as I feel it is needed, and during the new moon period as well. However, you can adjust your practices to suit your own path and what makes you feel happiest.

Reasons to cleanse and when it should be done: Cleansing is so important for many reasons. It gets rid of heavy emotional energy, it prevents us from being influenced by unwanted energies, it gets rid of negative entities, and it helps to protect us in some cases, depending on what you are doing. You might want to cleanse when there has been a fight, or when an activity has been repeated in an area (like stress in a workplace) and a residue of the emotions felt while doing that activity has been left. Another time to cleanse would be after someone has been sick. It is best to wait until the person has become well again because if you cleanse while they are resting in their sick room and you use smoke you may make them feel more unwell. Once they are better again, it is good to go into the room they were resting in and give it a good cleanse to banish evil spirits and fumigate. Overall though, it is good to give things a cleanse even if nothing negative has happened. Spiritual people don’t always feel wonderful and magical all the time, and we aren’t immune to creating bad energy. Sometimes you come home and you’ve had a bad day, or you might just be tired, or you feel angry, stressed, etc. Maybe you’ve had a party and all your friends left their energy in your house. Even if nothing happened, this everyday stuff just builds up and needs to be removed every now and then. This is why it’s often good to set a regular cleansing time, such as the monthly new moon as well. Things that can be cleansed Pretty much anything can be cleansed. Commonly though, people cleanse their homes, their bodies, other people, objects, spiritual tools, and charms. There is really no end to what can be cleansed, and there is no end to what can pick up negative energy. Even your phone could pick up negative energy, and you then carry that around everywhere and touch it non-stop, allowing it to affect you. Tarot cards and other divination tools I would actually suggest to cleanse more often than other tools because they tend to pick up negative energies faster. What you can use to cleanse Smoke- This is one of the most common methods for cleansing, and you can use bundles of dried herbs, resins, or incenses to do this. You just need to light them up and waft the smoke around whatever is being cleansed. Cleaning your house- Clutter, dirt, mould, and mess attract bad energy that likes to hang in your laundry pile. Cleaning also helps us feel a lot less stressed, making room inside of you to experience healing energies. Don’t forget that mould and other ugly things can make you sick and affect your mental health as well, so it is very important to keep yourself and your home clean. Water- In some cultures water is considered to be very sacred and purifying, and is utilized by taking cleansing baths and showers, washing the body or objects that are being cleansed, floor washes, and just by sprinkling. Be careful with this one though, because if you do not dry some surfaces they may become mouldy. Some types of crystals and natural materials like bones and wood don’t really like water and may become damaged from it. It is better to cleanse these with salt or smoke. Fire- Again, in some cultures, fire is considered very sacred and holy. You do not need to burn your house down to achieve this. Be careful with this one, because you do not want to become a crispy sausage. But fire can be represented in smoke cleansing, or it can be used to banish things by burning something that represents what it is that you wish to get rid of. I often find that speaking or praying over a flame and asking help from fire to remove something will result in massive energetic changes- especially long term. Please ensure to never leave a fire unattended- this is basic common sense but you’d be surprised how many people don’t follow this! Air- A cool breeze can work wonders to clear energy! It’s so nice to open your windows and doors and let the cool air flow through the home. Salt- We all know salt preserves things from bacteria and other nasties, but it also has a very electrical charge almost, it carries a lot of powerful energy. So it is really good for cleansing, especially when entities are around. I like to keep some by my bed to keep entities away from me while sleeping and to prevent bad dreams. Sound- Sound is really powerful, especially because we know that sound carries vibrations and can carry them far. Bells, singing bowls, drums, your voice, clapping, youtube healing frequency videos, chanting, and prayer are all really amazing at cleansing things. Heck, even pots and pans can be bashed together to clear entities. I also sometimes feel like spirits are sleeping, so I usually wake them up with gentle bells. Mists and floor washes- Again, water here, but usually, this is a good option if you can’t burn things. Beware again though, that you don’t leave things wet otherwise they can grow mould and as I said before, some types of crystals and natural materials like bones and wood don’t really like water. Usually, though, these are just water mixed with something such as essential oils, herbs, crystals or salt etc, which have been chosen to imbue the water with a certain element or property. These are then spritzed with a spray bottle around or on whatever you are cleansing. Floor washes can be mopped or thrown over the floor. Oils, alcohols, floral waters, and vinegar- Essential oils such as peppermint, myrrh, frankincense, eucalyptus, and myrtle are really good for cleansing things, especially if you cannot use smoke again. Diffusing essential oils is also a very common practice outside of the spiritual community so this might be a good option if you aren’t able to be so open about your path. Alcohols such as Florida water are often used in cleansing, but keep in mind that some people consider Florida water to belong to closed cultures. Some people, however, disagree with this. But, you can always make your own floral waters for cleansing or you can buy them from essential oil manufacturers as a byproduct of essential oil production. You do not need to use Florida water if you are concerned about appropriation here. Floral waters are often sold by essential oil wholesalers, as they are usually sold to cosmetic manufacturers for use in moisturizers and balms. You can buy rose water or orange blossom water from Middle Eastern supermarkets, or if you are lucky enough they might be available in your local supermarket as well. Vinegar is really good to cleanse and also for cleaning. You can mix lemon and tea tree essential oil into vinegar, and these together are really good for cleaning and removing unwanted energy around the home. Vinegar is also good for banishments. Some basic and good ways to cleanse a home: When cleansing a home, pay attention not only to the rooms but especially to the doors, windows and any mirrors. A lot of things are happening energetically in those spaces and they are usually hot spots for activity. Using salt and water: To cleanse a home with these, sprinkle water around the walls, and place a small sprinkle of salt in each corner of every room. You can also place salt along the front of a door, or along a windowsill. Sometimes though, salt can damage paint so don’t leave it on painted surfaces for too long. You can also paint protective symbols over the door and window frames with the water. Using smoke from herbs, resins or incense: To cleanse using these, take the smoke around to each room and move it in an anticlockwise circle three times. Also make sure to waft a lot of smoke around doors, windows and mirrors. Sound and prayer: You can go around each room with instruments, or you can sing over or speak over your home to cleanse it. If you choose to pray, make sure to state what needs to be removed, and what will happen within that space instead. Eg. “May all anger, hurt, stress, and any other unwanted energies leave this space. May this room be safe, still, and peaceful, and may we experience joy, laughter and happiness in this room.” How do I know if there are entities in the room? If you are practised enough in sensing energies you will know straight away. However, if you are a beginner please keep in mind that your fear of entities alone can mean that you might believe there is an entity in your home even when there isn’t, or your fear might even attract one. Sometimes we can also fall prey to the power of influential words, and a psychic or someone else who senses energies might claim that you have a spirit in your home and then you will start seeing signs for its existence even if nothing is there. Even if the psychic didn’t pick up on a negative entity, but just said the word “spirit”, many people have different interpretations for this word based on religious beliefs, influence from movies and pop culture, etc. You may have misunderstood. In fact, there are a lot of spirits around us all the time, ancestral spirits, household spirits, plant and animal spirits- and not all of them mean harm. But some people interpret the word spirit to instantly mean the worst. Mould can also affect your mental health and if it has made you unwell enough it can make you hallucinate and see entities or experience haunting activity. Check for things like this before worrying and stressing yourself unnecessarily. If you had an entity that meant harm, you would just know. And until you experience the sense of “just knowing” this kind of thing, you probably will not understand what I mean here. Energy flowering and blessings Once you have cleansed a space and depending on what you used to cleanse, the space or object might feel like a blank canvas. You need to do what is called energy flowering or charging to reconfigure the energy of a space or item. Energy flowering is usually done with floral waters, resins, crystals, or incense sticks. Bundles of herbs are used mostly for cleansing, but depending on the herb they can be used for flowering as well. But in my personal opinion herb bundles are best for cleansing only. Salt or soil can also be used for this- as I said before salt seems to carry a very electrical feeling energy, and soil from the earth can also be used to recharge objects. Resins are really good for raising vibrations and creating healing and beautiful emotional energies. To recharge with incenses or resins, waft the energy around the home but in clockwise circles and if possible use your dominant hand. You can also hold objects like tarot cards or crystals in the smoke or you can waft the smoke towards yourself or someone else. Cinnamon, sandal, frankincense, myrrh, and dragons blood are really good for this purpose. To recharge with floral waters, you can wash objects in them, or you can sprinkle them around the walls, doors, and windows. Altar spaces and deity images usually really like this type of cleansing. To recharge objects with soil, bury them until they feel ready. Make sure to leave yourself a marker on the ground so you know where they are buried. If you live in an apartment, you can definitely bury things in a pot of soil. If you cannot get soil you can also leave objects on a bed of salt for as long as needed. To recharge using crystals, place the crystal you want to use over the object or within the space and leave it for as long as needed. Clear quartz is a good energy conductor and will bring intense universal energies down. Copper is also really good for conducting energy, so if you have any copper items they can help recharge an item or space as well. Blessings A blessing ritual is a really lovely way to give a room, a person, or an object your goodwill, and also to call down the highest good upon something. You can make a charm to bless someone, you can pray or speak over someone or something, or you can also anoint objects, places, or people with sacred oils. This is also where some fun stuff like glitter, colourful threads, beads and other cool stuff can work its way into your magic. A basic blessing ritual for a person White, pink, and green candles Rose water Salt Rice Anointing oil Honeysuckle incense A bowl of water, soap and a towel.

Create a small mixture of salt, rice, and your anointing oil. Keep some of these ingredients separate and to the side. Wash the hands of the person you are blessing with the rose water, and rub the salt, rice, and oil mixture into their hands gently. They can rest their hands for a bit until the ritual is done. Sprinkle their head with the rose water, and offer rice and salt to them in the direction of their mouth (they don’t have to eat it so don’t shove it in their mouth lol) and also to the each side of their temples and the top of their head (you just need to hold it in your hand and point it in the directions listed above). Waft the incense around them three times clockwise, and offer the candles to them by moving them in a clockwise circle three times as well around the person. As you are doing this you can say out loud or in your heart “May you be well, may you be protected, and may you be free from suffering.” Think of everything good that you wish for this person as you are doing this ritual. Anoint their forehead at the hairline with the oil. You can then offer them the soap, water and towel for them to clean their hands once all this is done. The ritual is complete! Making charms for blessing and protection You can make charm bags and fill them with all sorts of fun stuff like colourful glitters, sequins, crytals, herbs, meaningful items, images of deities, or handwritten prayers or sigils. Colourful glitters are cool because glitter is fabulous, and all the colours have meanings associated with them so you can pick the colours based on what you want to achieve. You can also make yourself some jewellery, and if you want to you could use religious icons or images in your jewellery, or choose colourful beads that represent certain ideas, archetypes, or deities. Other charms can also be candles or herbs for example. You could hang dried herbs around the home, or you can anoint a candle with an oil of choice and it will act as a charm. You can also anoint jewellery with oils. Making a charm from jewellery Select a piece of jewellery. It is better if it is made of something like gold or silver, as fashion jewellery can become damaged from oils of whatever you might use. Beadwork should be fine. You can make this into a ritual if you like, or you can keep it simple. Personally, I like to keep things simple when it comes to making charms, but each to their own. You can remix this however you like to suit your needs. Before you start, I believe it is respectful to ask the object if it wants to become a charm. Even inanimate objects contain the spirit of the universe or contain a consciousness. You cannot force it to serve you, so please ask respectfully if it is happy to help you. You will sense the answer with your intuition, or you might experience other phenomena such as synchronicities, seeing or sensing colours or energy, or hearing something. Just listen patiently. If it says yes, wash the object in water to purify it and leave it on a bed of salt for a hot minute. Light some candles with the colour that corresponds to your intention, and burns some incense. Anoint the charm in a blessing oil, and ask it to carry this intent for you. You can pray over it or speak over it what you intend for this charm. Give the offerings of candles and incense to the charm and thank it for helping you. It is respectful to bow before the object while giving it thanks.

It is now ready to wear, but you might want to clean it off. I can’t imagine jewellery with caked-on salt looks too nice. Creating protective charms for the home Religious iconography near doorways is a really good option if you are able to openly display these. Some cultures make protective charms from certain objects like horseshoes, chilli peppers, bells, lemons, sigils, or similar items from temples and shrines. In each case, it is again respectful to ask the object if it wants to help you. You can do a similar ritual to the above, or you can make your own charms for the house. Basil charm to call down holy fire Basil is a herb I use in spiritual healing because I find it often has a very fiery energy that can really intensely open up and allow universal energy to flow. It is very simple to make, all you need to do is dry a bunch of basil. Ask if it is happy to serve as a charm for the home. If it says yes you can hang it in the home up high above the head, and preferably in the main room such as a lounge room so that everyone can be influenced.

Bay leaf doorway charm Sew some dried bay leaves together in a chain, big enough to fit the measurements of the door frame you wish to place it over. Once the length of the chain is big enough for the door, ask the object if it wants to serve you. If the answer is yes, hang it above your door frame. This will protect evil spirits from entering the home and will bring luck and abundance to those inside. Jar of holy salts for the bedside Combine sea salt in a jar with oils such as peppermint, frankincense, orange and lavender. You can mix in some of the same dried herbs if you like as well. Ask the object if it wishes to serve you, and if yes place it by the bed. This is a protective charm that will ensure a peaceful sleep without being bothered by bad dreams, negative entities, or anything else that you want to keep away. I had a friend who had a terrifying experience of having his name yelled at him by some sort of spirit just as he sat down to sleep. This charm has helped him feel calm and protected and he has not experienced the issue since.

Maintaining charms Charms do not want to be forgotten. They can often become spiritually blank or deadened and will be unable to continue their purpose if they are not cared for. They need love, they are a consciousness that wishes for its own happiness. One of the best ways to keep charms happy I find is to talk to them and build a relationship with them. In the morning when I do my regular incense burning and candle lighting I also give them offerings as well, by going around the house and waving the incense and candles towards them. I might also re-anoint them when needed. I find that if the object is respected as being holy and as being part of the family it will continue to happily serve the home. Don’t forget this step to give your charms love and treat them as if they are alive with consciousness! ♥ Building a relationship with the spirits of the home and land for protection Just as charms contain a consciousness, so do all inanimate and animate objects in the home and on the land which your home resides. It is good to honour these spirits and energies with offerings, and they can, in turn, be called upon to protect the home. I always leave incense burning in a safe place outside as an offering to the spirits of the land and home, and as I do so I ask for their protection upon the home. Over time, you will be able to sense their energies more and they will begin to surround you and protect you. You do not need to do much here except allow time and routine to do the work for you.

#witchcraft #spellwork #spells #witch #spirituality #animism #cleansing #protection #blessing #babywitch #baby witch

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willow-salix · 4 years ago

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Why hello there

Is there anything you would recommend a babi witch like myself studying that has been missed from my list :>

Mah list (so far):

○ Witch vs Pagan vs Wicca

○ Types of witches

○ Grey witch

○ Black witch

○ Crystals + Properties

○ Sacred geometry

○ Pentacle + Pentagram

○ Sigils

○ Protection

○ Moon phases

○ Sabbats

○ Types of salts

○ Respecting nature

○ Graveyard etiquette

○ Spirit guides

○ Divination (runes, Tarot, Coins, etc)

○ Casting a circle

○ Candle magick

○ Colour magick

○ Closed practice appropriation

○ Herbs

○ Astrology

○ Tree of life

○ Auras

○ The five clairs

○ Energy/visualisation magick

○ History of starseeds

○ Astral projection

○ Methods of meditation

○ Grounding

○ Plant magick

Ooh OK! Here goes.

First and foremost, as a witch of twenty plus years, the most important thing I can tell you is to be yourself. If this is a belief system and way of life that you want for life it has to fit in with you and your personality.

Forget everything you see on Instagram, tictok or Pinterest, it's not about the aesthetic, it's about you.

There is no room for witch shaming on my blog.

And by that I mean that EVERYONE works in different ways, at a different pace and to different levels. Never compare yourself to anyone else or how they work. Never think that you aren't doing enough or that you aren't progressing enough.

You are on your own path and that is the right one for you, so you do it your own way. You want to stop and smell the flowers? Do it. You want to dip your feet in that stream? Go for it! You want to stop and rest for a bit? Best idea ever!

You should never feel pressured to do anything that you aren't ready for or aren't comfortable with. That includes such things as blood magic, working with deity you don't feel a connection with, working skyclad, doing any kind of sexual magic or anything that makes you feel off about it. It's YOUR craft.

Be kind to yourself, don't have expectations and don't ever think you aren't good enough or worthy.

This includes making your craft unique to you. Visualisation is one of the witches most poweful tools, the magic doesn't come from the expensive athame, insence or candles, its in the heart of the witch. The power comes from you. And visualisation is your key to that but so is choosing how to make it work for you.

Take me for example, I'm this loveable thundernerd witch, so that reflects in my craft.

In circle (mediumship development) we did a meditation and I was directed to the beach. So what beach did I go to...

"There's a lovely beach, I can feel the salt water on my skin, I can smell the salt in the air, there's a light breeze that's rustling the leaves on the palm trees all around me and in the distance I can hear the faint sound of someone playing the piano."

Hell yeah I was there. That's my happy place!

I need to ascend to a higher level of consciousness? Am I taking that golden winding staircase or am I calling John for the space elevator? What do you think I'm gonna choose?

I need to go lower, below the earth to go into trance? Hell I'm taking Alan's seat down.

Make it work for you.

Working with charms, that's a very important thing for me. I have lucky charms, trinkets and things everywhere. And they don't have to be pagan. I put a spell on my car to keep me safe and the car safe. Then I charged up a little TAG John and Virgil, they live in my car, Virgil is my co-pilot John is my navigator. They help me feel calm and safe.

Energy weaving is a big thing, I always do it that any energy I raise for something that doesn't already have a predetermined purpose, say for example it's full moon and I'm bouncing around outside, everything I raise I direct out to the earth as healing. I'll raise my arms to the heavens and say : I send this energy out to anyone or anything that needs it right now, I send my love and healing into the wind and trust that it will be taken to where it can do the mslt good.

Talking to other witches about how they do things and how they work is sooooo important. That's why I'm not in a tradition ( alexandrian, gardnerian etc) because I don't like having just one way to do things. That doesn't work for most people, they just won't admit it.

Trying different things to find a way that works for you is so much nicer and healthier than struggling to work the one way that you've been taught. So read, a lot, watch a lot of reputable youtubers (I recommend Tylluan Penry, she's amazing, a grandmother witch and a good friend of mine) and make your own choices. And remember that nothing is set in stone, we are ever evolving and every changing, if you feel the urge to try something new and work a different way, do it. You don't have to stick with it.

An astral altar, sooo important but something I don't see many people talking about. An astral altar is something you build in meditation.

You have your happy place, somewhere you feel safe and calm and protected (Tracy Island and the beach for me or my Nan and Grandads house as I remember it before they passed away) but it could be anywhere, a woodland, a house, a stream, a playground you used to love. Anything or anywhere.

Here you find a nice place that you like and you dream up /visualise your altar base, like a nice table, a tree stump, and rock, anything. And here you place all the items you might need, all the things you've dreamed about that you can't afford or the things you have in real life. And you place them all there. You keep that space, you charge it up, you spend time there and then, any time you are away form home or can't get to your altar in the real world for any reason, you have somewhere to go, somewhere to work and some where to commune.

Tools, I didn't see that on the list but might have missed it.

Anything can be a tool. That's the biggest lesson of all. Our pagan ancestors would have used whatever they had to hand, no tools were single use or bought for the purpose of their craft. A cauldron was cooked in all week, a knife is used to chop everything and then used to direct energy.

These days we have the resources (and don't have to hide) to be able to have specific tools that we use only for our craft, but they don't have to be expensive. Go to a thrift store or buy cheap on eBay, a letter opener is an athame, a single wine glass can be a chalice, a pretty bowl is your offering bowl, a single plate is an offering plate, mismatched candle stick holders. All valid and will work just as well. The tools are a focus, they are NOT the source of our power.

Another tip, make witchcraft part of your every day life. Make it as natural and normal as everything else you do. It's part of your life and should be treated as such.

Making coffee in the morning? Set your intentions for the day and focus on it as you make it. You want to draw positivity? Stir doesil (clockwise) that's attracting. Want to rid yourself of the bad mood you had yesterday? Stir widdershins (counterclockwise) that's banishing. Not got anything? Stir a pentagram and call it good.

Sigils, doodle them everywhere (if you want a quick lesson on how to draw them and make up your own, let me know). Charm the shit out of everything.

Whisper a food blessing before you make food or eat. Bring that abundance in.

Trail your fingers along a wall or bushes to feel the energy as you walk.

Everything is magical to a witch.

Read mythology stories, it helps us learn and helps us connect to the stories of our pantheons and deity.

And heres the biggest thing I can tell you. Don't worry about getting things wrong. It's how we learn and honestly there is no such thing as wrong as long as your intentions are right.

Wording of spells doesn't matter, the intention and feeling behind them does.

You can do a cleansing by saying : Blessed spirit, Father God, mother goddess, I ask that you bless this house/tool /space and help drive out any negativity. Spirits that reside, if you're good you may stay, if you wish me halm, then please leave.

Nothing wrong with that.

Or you do a me: Mother Goddess, Father God, I'm back. Help me out here please, I need to cleanse this shit. Yo, spirits, good guys, ya chill, bad shit, get the fuck out! I'm the witch I'm in charge, do as you're told *claps hands all over the place and follows up with a cloud of vape smokes because my intention is in my breath and I'm blowing that negativity away*

And last but not least. I'm sure you've heard "Ever mind the rule of three, what you send out comes back to thee" That's very true, try to only send out good if you can. But you're human and it won't always happen, you'll have bad thoughts and negative emotions, that's normal and fine. Just don't do it with nastiness in your heart.

"and if it harms none, do what you will."

There's a line here most people don't know... "do no harm. But take no shit."

Because the one person most witches forget to look out for is themselves. Being good, doing good and being positive is great, but not at the expense of yourself. If it harms you, don't do it.

Love and light, and bright blessings to you. X

#witch #witchcraft #paganism #pagan witch #paganpride #Witches #wisdom #blessed be

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strawberryshroomz · 4 years ago

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Standing in the soaked and wet rubble of the community house, Tommy made a rash decision. He always made rash decisions, but he had to do something to prevent L'Manburg, his home, from being blown up for the third time.

As Techno prepared to leave, dark eyes flitting between each of the weapons pointing at him from nearly twenty people, Tommy shouted in a hoarse voice cracking with fear,

"Wait! Stop!" He dropped the axe of peace, the enchanted weapon forgotten as Tommy grabbed Technoblade's red satin cloak, its material slippery between his fingers, almost like his friendship with the man who wore it, who turned to face the glassy eyed teenager.

"What are you doing Tommy?" His voice was forceful, confused, but still angry… hurt. Tommy had hurt him, Tommy had hurt a lot of people he'd begun to realize, even someone he had thought unable to be hurt.

"Please… wait,"

"Wait for what? For all of them to attack me?" Tommy looked to the others who were still training their weapons at Technoblade.

"You've gotten what you wanted Tommy, your friend, your government-"

"Y-you're my friend too!" There were faint murmurs where it was tense silence before, Tommy could hear some talking about how he was a traitor. He ignored them.

For once Technoblade was stunned into silence, his black eyes wide as he blinked slowly.

"Please, Technoblade… Techno, you said you trusted me yesterday, so trust me now!"

"Why?"

"What?" Tommy was slightly taken aback by the single word response.

"Why should I trust you when you've stabbed me in the back and betrayed me not once, but twice after I helped you?"

"I… I…" He stumbled for an answer, and nearly fell forward when Technoblade ripped Tommy's hands from his cloak.

"That's what I thought, I'm pjust a weapon for you to use-"

"I'm sorry!" Tommy squeezes his eyes shut as he yelled, hands clenching into tight fists. "I'm sorry for everything, for being useless, for being a pain in your ass, I'm sorry that I rushed in here like an idiot, or that I went to your base to scrounge for supplies like a raccoon! I didn't know where else to go then and you were the strongest person I knew!" He fell to his knees, hot tears staining his already dirty cheeks.

"When Dream finally broke me in exile I didn't know what to do with myself, and when I finally had the chance to break free I went to you because… because I thought that maybe… just maybe I could actually be strong instead of weak against him like I always have been!"

"Toms," Tubbo's voice is soft, cutting through his cries.

"Just…" Tommy wipes his eyes pathetically on his shirt sleeve, barely looking up at the anarchist. "Just go… I don't need you to rub it in my face that I'm just as worthless as Dream and you said I was." Tommy hears a sigh, and shifting before his chin is being lifted to look at a much more tired looking Technoblade, one much more worn than he'd seen him, even when dealing with his own antics.

"Are you actually sorry Tommy, or are you just saying this to get me to stay?"

"Would it matter?" Tommy wretches his face out of the others loose grip, huddling up with his knees to his chest, sulking like a child. "You want to destroy L'Manburg. You said you'd do it even if I sat out, so why would you change your mind now?"

"... You're right, I did say that," He stands up, brushing himself off from the charred remains of the community house walls dusting the floor. Tommy looks back at him through his thin arms, watching him look at the people glaring down at him, weapons still trained. He sighs, tightening his grip on his trident.

"But I want to know if you're really sorry Tommy." His voice is still terse, like scolding a child… Tommy supposes he is scolding a child, him.

"I…" He fumbled, voice muffled by his arms. "I know I fucked up so many times. Destroying George's house and not doing what Tubbo said, stealing your things, um… making Sapnap release Mars… I - I know now…" He swallows down more tears, biting his lip. "I know now I'm just as friendless as Dream said because I never listen…" His voice grows smaller as he speaks, until it's barely a whisper.

"Tch, who cares what Dream thinks. He's just some homeless dude, and when did any of his opinions matter to you anyways?" Tommy flounders for a minute, unsure what to say at the grinning Technoblade offering a hand to help him up. No malice from what Tommy can see. He shakily accepts the hand, and he's hoisted to his feet.

"What?" Tubbo's voice is even more clear to Tommy now… Tubbo, who he'd betrayed and said was worthless to the discs… god, what had he become in that moment?

"Now don't go thinking I trust you fully, you didn't earn that trust back fully from the last time you betrayed me… but if you're really sorry Tommy… I accept the apology," Tommy stares wide eyed, unable to process what's being said to him.

"Besides, I don't trust Dream either. I just owe him a favor similar to how L'Manburg owes me for trying to murder me-"

"You set off withers! You killed countless-"

"What do you want us to give you as penance?"

"Well," Technoblade places a hand on his chin, Tommy still staring at the anarchist flabbergasted while Quackity argues with Tubbo in the background, others chiming in their two-sense.

"Well, I think I have two, small little things." Tubbo puts a hand up to Quackity, silencing him as he faces Technoblade again.

"What are they? Aside from L'Manburg's destruction…" Technoblade laughs, and Tubbo chuckles nervously with him. Tommy stares between them, mouth dry. Technoblade… had accepted his apology, and wasn't immediately killing everyone else either.

"Well, first, like Tommy here just did, I want an apology. I'm not a weapon or a tool, and Pogtopia used me to help overthrow the government to install just another tyrant," Tubbo flinches back, ignoring the yells of protest from others like Quackity.

"I speak for myself and as president, it extends for everyone else as well… Technoblade, we're sorry."

"For?"

"For using you for our own gain, and," Tubbo adds. "For hunting you down when you protested against this unfair treatment." Techno smiles wider.

"And the second thing, abolish your government."

"Woah, woah, woah!" Tommy cuts in, his brain catching up with him finally. "If L'Manburg doesn't have a government, how will we be a nation, how will we actually have a way to argue against Dream just taking us back and making us un-independent again?" Technoblade tilts his head at Tommy's outburst.

"You have your friends now again, don't you?" Tommy's jaw flaps for a few seconds.

"Yeah, but-"

"Alright." Tubbo cuts him off. Face resigned and tired, bags looking far more prominent than they had ever before.

"Tubbo! You can't be serious!" Quackity's voice cuts in for Tommy, and Tubbo gives the other man a tired look.

"Dream was right, I wasn't a good president. And how all of you stood back and said nothing proves he was right… we were wrong hunting down Techno, doing that only made him angry at us Big Q. So," He turns back to Technoblade with a sigh.

"I resign as president, but before I do I declare that no new presidents shall be elected and that there are no positions of power. We are all, truly, equals on the same ground. We still stand for freedom and liberty from tyranny. We don't need a government to do that."

"Tubbo, are you sure?" Tommy's voice wavers. "I'll stand by you, no matter the decision, but,"

"I'm sure Toms. I ask Techno though, you want us to apologize for what we did. I ask the same of you. The withers, the hostages, all of it you've done against L'Manburg, please." Technoblade considers for a moment, face dutifully crafted into a poker face as water drips on them all before shrugging.

"The hostages were probably a bit too far, so yeah, sorry."

"Don't lie to us either." Tubbo's voice is stern itself, tired, but stern. And Technoblade takes a second to nod.

"Maybe you aren't such a bad person after all… yeah, I'm sorry for the withers and the hostages." A quiet 'me too' comes from Tommy, looking down at the ground. Tubbo's shoulders relax as he lets out a sigh.

"So, you won't destroy L'Manburg?"

"No… but hey!" He grabs Tommy's wrist and throws them both up into the air with the trident propelled by the water around them. "We have a homeless green man to deal with who thinks I still got a grudge to deal with!"

A short "fix" it with the festival ending. I enjoy Techno's and Tommy's dynamic. But both of them, as well as everyone else, is flawed.

That doesn't mean that I think rehashing the same event for the destruction of L'Manburg with the same arguments of betrayal was a satisfactory or narratively right thing. I would have enjoyed a flip on what happened last time. Aka PEOPLE ACTUALLY TALKING AND USING THEIR GOSH DANG WORDS! Because what's a better way of showing character growth, other than actually flippin showing it on all ends. Not just on Tommy's or Tubbo's, but on Techno's too.

Also, sorry if anyone seems out of character, it was quickly written for me to mostly get my thoughts out of what I wish had happened (might make a comic when I get my computer. Not 100% though. Also might continue writing blurbs for this "fix" it AU too. Idk though.)

#i just really hate how it was just a rehashed bugger version of Wilbur's arc conclusion #but with less of the emotional impact on the characters doing it #like it was impactful on those in lmanburg but it wasnt on our quote unquote villains perspective #so yeah time to do what i do best and imagine what could've been and lament on tumblr dot com #dream smp #technoblade #tommy innit #tubbo #quackity #the festival #gonna tag these as #brighter future au #aka GODDAMNIT LET ME HAVE SOME GOOD CHARACTER INTERACTIONS WITHOUT FUCKING RUINING THEM WITH MISCOMMUNICATIONS

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spiras-stargazer · 3 years ago

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Hey all!

These are some Hannibal fic Ideas free to any home. I don't have time to write the full story down but I have these Ideas in my head that won't go away. At least this way they're free to live and grow. Take them as you please or don't.

Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham

1. Old West Time Travel - As they fall from the cliff they are teleported back to the old west (in my mind it Red Read 2 Online by Valentine; teleported by old gods or whatever teleports that guy in the single player from the 20's) Will arrives alone and becomes a bounty hunter (moves to Saint Denis figuring Hannibal will end up there.) Hannibal arrives months later and is nursed back to health by the owner of the ranch hand saloon/bar and stays in the area because it's the sort of place Will might like. When a few rude ranch hands go missing and a bounty is posted the two finally meet up again.

2. AU Hannibal did not become a serial killer and he struggles to find meaning or happiness in his life. After meeting with Alana he offers his services to the FBI and is called in to help on the Minnesota Shrike case. He meets Special Agent Will Graham, the rudest man he's had the displeasure of knowing but despite that there's something about the man that keeps drawing Hannibal in. And then someone starts murdering people and deliberately leaving idea kits for inspiration on how to turn the corpses into works of art....'This is Your Design'

3. HanaHaki Disease - after they recover in Cuba, Will is ready to admit to Hannibal that he has feelings for him, but Hannibal has started a rebound relationship with their one of their neighbors, another criminal. (Happy Ending please)

4. Frustrated Hannibal - Hannibal is inconvenienced daily by the depth of his feelings for Will and often walks away from anything they try to do together muttering to himself in Lithuanian. Will thinks he's making Hannibal angry so he turns on the charm. At this rate Hannibal might forget English completely.

5. Merlin AU/reincarnation- Merlin, or Will as he goes by these days, gave up on Arthur ever coming back and moves to America trying to find his place in a world where magic has been all but forgotten. Arthur, or Hannibal now, had been reincarnated but with no Merlin to guide or help save him, Hannibal is forced to save himself and gives in to dark urges of despair and loneliness after the events of his childhood. Fast forward to Hannibal meeting Will in Jack's office. He immediately warms to the prickly profiler because he's the closest person to Merlin he's ever found. When he catches a the familiar flicker of gold in Will's eyes he decides to do everything he can to keep Will close. And Will...well he hasn't met anyone that frustrated him this much since Arth...oh no...(bonus points for Will trying to step back into his servant role and still managing to be the worst servant Hannibal has ever had, but Hannibal realizing he loved Will for it)

6. Dragon Goes House Hunting/Hannibal crossover - Hannibal didn't imagine after leaving his home and the rest of the elves he'd end up in real-estate, finding homes for others when he didn't feel at home anywhere himself. He also didn't imagine that one day a rude blue dragon named Will would be particularly hard to house. Yet here they are, at the 63rd property and he already can tell Will is going to say no. If he didn't know better he'd swear Will is only interested in traveling with him for his company...

7. Lucifer/Hannibal crossover - Hannibal shifted uncomfortably, cell phone in hand "We need to go to Los Angeles." Will looked up over the edge of his tablet, "Whatever it is, order it online." "I...I owe someone a large favor and they have called in their marker." "I'll bite. Who in the world could you owe that kind of favor to? The kind that could get us imprisoned and/or killed." Hannibal visibly braced himself for Will's reaction, "Lucifer Morningstar." Will put the tablet down, "That's...the Devil." "He's apparently now God. He's getting married to a former police detective and wants me to be the head chef at his wedding." Will snorted and picked up his tablet again, "I knew it was only a matter of time before eating all that people meat made you crazy." "Will I'm serious..."

8. Merkin/Merpeople - Will is the demi-god son of Calypso herself and out of all her children, Will is the only one to prefer fresh water to sea water. When the sea goddess tells Will it's time to return to the ocean and come into his full potential, he refuses. Calypso is furious and she lays a curse on Will that forces him to transform regularly into his Merman from and bathe his body in the sea water he dislikes. As the curse worsens, Will calls in sick to work and reschedules his therapy appointments again and again. Worried Will is extremely sick, Hannibal goes out to Will's house and finds the merman trapped in a cramped, hastily constructed large wooden box, lined with trap and filled with sea water, half starved and completely helpless. Hannibal nurses Will back to health and then goes to Calypso to strike a deal to free his beloved from the curse. (Bonus points for Hannibal being a god/spirit of vengeance)

9. Cuddly Will - Hannibal notices Will loves to cuddle up to him but Will refuses to initiate any touches himself so Hannibal makes ridiculous excuses for Will to be close to him.

10. Tailor and the Carpenter - Hannibal always begins a new chapter in his life by taking up a new skill. Music, surgery, cooking, drawing, therapy, art restoration, languages...the safe house in Cuba was where he planned to become a tailor and sell his wares locally, maybe online. He assumed Will would spend his time fishing or volunteering at an animal shelter but then power tools and work benches start appearing in their garage, large pieces of drift wood take over the backyard and the shrill scream of a buzz saw covers the sound of the ocean. However it's all worth it when Will brings in his wild and dark stained crafts.

#hannibal #hannigram #fic ideas #merlin #spoilers #lucifer

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auroras-bones · 4 years ago

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Book review: Witchcraft/Wicca edition

When I started off a few years ago as a wiccan/witch, the internet was overwhelming and I didn't quite know what sources to get solid information from. I was given the advice of looking into books about witchcraft and Wicca to have a more stable approach. I have collected quite a few over the years and I would like to share them for anyone who wants to look into these types of books, as well as showing off my collection. Let's begin :)

1) The learned arts of witches and wizards by Anton and Mina Adams

8/10

This was the very first book I had purchased regarding witchcraft, from a used bookstore. It was actually pretty good for a beginner like me, going over the basics of everything from types of Wicca, to different culture's practices(it says white magic but this refers to 'good' magic), to spell work and altar tools. Over all a very good book to start with, it's just a little old and not the prettiest.

2) Wicca a guide for the solitary practitioner by Scott Cunningham

9/10

This book taught me the most about Wicca at the start of my path. It is HIGHLY informational and goes into detail about things like the stories behind the sabbats and why we celebrate them. The only reason it is a 9 and not a 10 is because you really need to give all of your attention to it while you read it because every sentence holds something important to learn from. Overall I would defineteley recommend this to a new wiccan or someone who just wants to research the path!!

3) Basic Witches by Jaya Saxena and Jess Zimmerman

6/10

I am a big believer of getting many different people's views on witchcraft to learn and evolve my craft more to my liking, but this book was simply not very transformative for me. It focuses a lot on modern things, not really explaining any practical aspects, so I would only recommend this to witches who have experience already and know the basics. It's a little all over the place and the spells and rituals are not very useful to me personally, but the art is stunning and the book is very well made, so it does at least make a pretty edition to my shelf. If you want a peak into how witchcraft is viewed in a more modern sense, you can give this one a try.

4)The good witch's guide by Shawn Robbins and Charity Bedell

10/10

Yes!!!!!! This book is amazing!!!! Not only does it have the benefit of being gorgeously illustrated and made, it is very useful in all the basics of spell in ingredients from crystals to herbs to flowers, it has many recipes for kitchen witches from breads to tincture and tonics, and it goes over many different subjects that a witch may want to look into. Over all a FANTASTIC book for a witch who wants to look into the many different ways to practice, as well as someone who wants a good thorough guide on herbs and how to use them in spell work and in healing (of course please do not rely on just herbs to take care of yourself, see a doctor if you are having serious illnesses and please please please get vaccinated!).

5) The good spell book by Gillian Kemp

9/10

This little book of Romanian style spells is charmingly put together, and gives the reader an insight to the interesting roots, history, and spell work of the Romanians. It's a great spell book for the more seasoned witch who knows more about how to work with magic. I would not recommend this to a beginner simply because one might see how 'simple' a lot of these spells can be and dive right in, giving themselves magical exhaustion(looking at my past self here). An experienced witch knows their limits and how to work with magic in a safe way. A great spell book, but be sure to understand the power of the magic you are working with before you dive in head first.

6) The green Witch by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

10/10

Like I said before, I like to look into different ways people practice witchcraft, and this includes different paths as well. If you are a baby witch looking into the path of green witch craft of even a more experienced green witch, this is a fantastic guide full of everything you need to know about herbs, flowers, plant care and even things like projects and spells and recipes you can incorporate into your path. Although I do not identify as a green witch, if there is certain type of plant I'm researching for a spell, I often find myself turning to this book for help. A great read for any witch in my opinion!

7) Celtic myth and magic by Edain McCoy

10/10

This book is incredibly full of so much rich detail in celtic history, tradition, and myth! I began working with Celtic deities when I didn't have any luck connecting with other pantheons and turned to where my heritage lies. I wanted to form a very strong bond, so I searched for books that taught me about the Celtic way of life back in the day, and the traditions it's people still learn today. It may not be the most aesthetically pleasing book, but if you want to learn about Celtic myth and magic and the history it holds, I would really recomend this book!!

8) The mammoth book of Celtic myths and legends by Peter Berresford Ellis

10/10

When I started my research on Celtic deities, I found it hard to find one source on the many many deities. This books tells a chronological story of the Celtic gods, and it's written like a story rather than some sort of historical article, so it can be very captivating to read. This one has taught me a lot about the old stories, and I am very fond of it :). The only thing I wish it had is pronunciations of the names so I didn't have to look up how to say a new name every time a new person showed up! This is one of my favorite books.

9) Wicca a modern practitioner's guide by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

10/10

This book is an amazing read for the well seasoned wiccan who knows all the basics of Wicca and has developed their own style of practice, but now wants to learn more about the how's and the why's of wiccan tradition and culture. It really made me think hard on my beliefs, evolving them further and challenging my previous thoughts and opinions that effected my practice. This book is such a great read for any wiccan who is sick of seeing only baby witch posts and beginner guides when they want to search for more advanced ways of enhancing their craft. It also has a few 'right of passage' rituals that I was very excited to read more in depth about! I can't recommend it enough!!

10) The practical witch's spellbook by Cerridwen Greenleaf

10/10

My most recent edition to my collection, this spell book was something I was hesitant purchasing at first, but it has quickly become my favorite guide for spells, giving you a spell or ritual for every occasion, from the sabbats, to love, to money, to the home and etc! This book has gotten me more excited and motivated to do more magic every day. With this book, I hope to further expand my magical stamina as I want to do a spell a day, even if it's just a small little house blessing or cleansing. It also doesn't hurt that the book is beautiful and the illustrations are super pretty! This is a great spell book for those who are ready to practice magic more frequently but are having trouble finding spells that suit their every day life!

And with that, my post comes to an end. If you have any recommendations, comments on these books, or you just want to ask more about the information that these books have, please feel free to reblog and comment on it, or even message me for more detail! Blessed be, and if that's not for you, have a lovely day :)🌊🌟✨

#ocean witch #sea witch #wicca #wiccan #witch #witchcraft #witchy #witch aesthetic #celtic witch #celtic witchcraft #witch book #witch books #witchcraft books #wiccan books #witch book review #wiccan book review #baby witch #baby wiccan

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resinatingbeauty · 3 years ago

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Witchcraft & Expectations

What do you really expect from the Craft?

I had considered writing this for a while before actually doing it just because I didn't want anyone to feel like they were being attacked or singled out. Offending you isn't the purpose of this post, so please do not be discouraged by anything you read here. There is no wrong way of practicing your Craft and to each their own. I was just curious about perspectives when it comes to your expectations regarding Witchcraft, magick, and spirituality as I have dealt with many different people following many different paths since focusing more on my Craft and art through my shop which began on Mercari and grew enough to become more established on Etsy.

I do sell many spiritual / witchy items from personalized spell kits to witchy mystery boxes compiled with Intuitively chosen and my own handmade, one of a kind items. Among the most popular spiritual offerings are my 'buy one get one miniature spell jars,' which allow my customers to select two general purposes or a personalized request from which I assemble and enchant a miniature glass spell jar containing herbs, crystals, essential oils, and other objects based on their needs and requests. I wanted to make these little portable vessel talismans more available to everyone price and purpose wise, compared to others that have been charged with a more specific intent or devoted to a specific deity.

I have a long history of using spell jars myself for various purposes whenever I feel compelled to create one or a special occasion arises. I'm picky about larger jars and bottles, however, so they are usually created in small corked jars or in larger jars that I will sometimes embellish or try new things to integrate that allow the spell jar to also be an appealing or intriguing piece of handmade everyday decor while serving its spiritual purpose, such as the one in the photo above.

For the most part, I have found a surprisingly amount of success with my spell jars. Not just myself, but others as well have reported events that they thought were directly related to their spell jar. I had created one for my neighbor a couple weeks ago who had been searching for a better job than the one she had at a preschool. The day after I gave her the jar, she received a text from an old coworker who notified her that a position at a bank she had applied at months ago that had nothing available at that time had just opened up.

This actually exceeded my expectations. In my experience, magick takes time. Others who have commented on the success of their spell jars or magick in general would contact me a few weeks or so after using their spell kit or receiving their spell jar. I created a spell jar back in January to help jumpstart my small business selling my crafts and Craft and didn't really start to see a huge change until mid-March-April where I was more successful than even I anticipated.

This was about on par with what I expected in terms of time, as most spells I've ever done have taken days, weeks, or even months to start manifesting results that couldn't be passed off or ignored. To be sure, I include a scroll with each of my kits and jars explaining how they are best utilized, to have patience, how to set a purpose and intentions, the power of thinking positively, and that magick rewards those who are willing to work and make sacrifices for what they desire. To me, all of these things are virtues that this path teaches us and are part of what makes the Craft so empowering overall. Whether it was the spell or your hard work, you are the catalyst for change. You made things happen. I mean, what is more empowering than that?

This is part of the reason why I personally chose to over spell kits and magickal tools rather than offering to cast spells or perform rituals on one's behalf. It was my desire to make YOU feel empowered and you are the one ultimately responsible for your own success or failure, whether spiritually or otherwise. I'll gladly steer you down the road of success and provide you with my knowledge, experience, and guidance, but I am always clear about what to expect.

Unfortunately, we live in a time where instant gratification is anticipated and expected, which I never considered in terms of Witchcraft. I knew that no matter how many times I write 'set realistic expectations, focus on your purpose, be patient, and keep doing what your doing' that some people would just blow through all that hoping that they just bought a quick fix for all their problems for $6.99 + a buy one get one deal.

Two weeks or so ago, I had received an order for said jars from a young man who simply said he wanted a personalized spell jar for lucid dreaming and dream work and selected his second 'free' one for self empowerment. I reached out to clarify and answered some of his questions. My immediate impression from him was one of discord. He expressed a lot of turmoil in his life over the past few months and claimed to have taken on a lot of responsibility. He seemed young and eager, with a ton of questions regarding magick in general. I answered his questions the best I could, but reiterated the same values I expressed in the previous paragraph when asked why such and such spell wasn't working, 'should I not have done this,' etc. Magick takes time to manifest, especially when it comes to financial purposes like he explained which are inherently unlikely to resolve themselves overnight.

He seemed happy enough with his purchase and said as much when he received his package. A couple days later, I received a notification about a review he had left which was negative, saying one of his spell jars didn't work with a message delivered in tandem asking what purpose I had set for his spell jar.

Let me say this: I am not upset with him or complaining about his review. He is entitled to his own opinion, although I was annoyed with how quickly he had come to the conclusion when in the instructions I provided him I specifically said that these things take time to work. Anyone who receives results instantly or within the next day or so are exceeding my own expectations. Which is great! Hooray!

But this is definitely not the standard I've come to expect in all the years I've been practicing the Craft.

I continued chatting with and answering this young man's questions and ultimately uncovered that he was upset about a variety of things that had been going on in his life. In his mind, he felt entitled to have these things work for him sooner rather than later and was frustrated and angry that nothing he tried had been working out the way he expected.

In the time that I have opened my little shop, I have (thankfully) only run into one other person like this- where their understanding of Witchcraft seems to have been compiled from television and movies. After the first, I learned to tread lightly around these individuals because, whether it's their fault or not, they have been mislead.

Television shows like old school Charmed and the newer Salem and Witches of East End are really entertaining. I enjoyed watching them, but they are the absolute enemy of those who practice magick / witchcraft as a form of religion or spirituality. Sure, some of these shows actually do their research. Even Buffy the Vampire Slayer was ahead of its time introducing Wiccans, Technopagans, and New Age practices to pop culture and in many ways helped to show people an obscured version of the truth during the 'Satanic Panic' period when even witches hated being called witches and the pentagram / pentacle difference became an actual difference that wasn't just a choice of words.

Newer generations growing up with Harry Potter, which is hardly a great introduction into magickal traditions, were at least more open minded than the previous generation to the actuality of witchcraft and magick as a spiritual practice.

I mean, who doesn't want to snap their fingers and make the house tidy in one fell swoop?

I sure do. But even when I first started practicing at 11 I understood that that just isn't how it is.

This young man who was saying he lead a coven sounded more like he was LARPing than legitimately asking for spiritual guidance. I realized real quick that I couldn't do anything for him. What he wanted and expected, no matter how many times I referenced the instructions I provided (he evidently hadn't acknowledged) and relayed to him my own experience and expectations, he was looking for that 'quick fix' and someone or something to blame for when it didn't work the way he thought it would. The main reason for his complaint? The night after he received his spell jar, he said he just dreamnt about the moon.

My understanding of lucid dreaming was having direct control over ones dreams. The more I talked to this person the more it became clear that this wasn't his understanding of lucid dreaming. I tried to ask what he had tried to gain that control, as many of you know that I suffered from sleep paralysis for years and taught myself how to realize and 'break out' of it over time. He referenced making offerings to a goddess. I had to stop.

I'm sure that another business minded witch would have sold him something else or offered an exchange. I (stupidly) tried to make him understand that he has the power to manifest his desires. All I did was provide him with a tool to help things along.

This was the same for the woman I had dealt with months ago who said that she had been told by this coven owned business that she was a vampire reincarnated to be with her lover. That was the ultimate end of our conversation because she didn't seem very open to anything I suggested. Whether the things she bought were 'effective' for her or not we will never know. When she started messaging me to the point of harassment I deleted her messages and flagged them as spam. All this time and effort spent consoling someone who really isn't in the right frame of mind for magick or witchcraft.

The main point in writing this ranty post is to get the perspective of the community. What are your expectations for your own spells? What do you tell others when they ask? If you are also a 'witch shop' owner or own your own spiritual practice how do you deal with clients that have set unrealistic expectations for you and your Craft?

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votederpycausemufins · 4 years ago

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oh hey it’s 2 am, here’s a chapter. Hope it’s not too short. i’m gonna sleep

@petrichormeraki

Mumbo offered to help take off Philza’s house arrest boots, but they found that they were actually quite easy to remove. Since it was the furthest away, they decided going to Techno’s base would be the best to stay out, though there were some complications due to rain and Wilbur not doing well together.

While Mumbo would have loved input from Techno, the piglin hybrid was only around for brief periods of time, trying to mess with the compass that signalled his direction. Still, the hardcore player had good insight into more combat related plans.

Eyes widened when Mumbo placed down the shulker box that held his redstone tools. To try and keep Tommy from taking it, he had to give one of his shulkers that just had wood in it to the young blond. When Tommy tried to hide it in his ender chest, he actually jumped back in surprise. “What the fuck?! Where’d all these diamonds and emeralds come from?! And I’ve got more?!” He pulled out a shulker box from the chest.

“Oh good, you’ve still got all your items from Hermitcraft. That’ll hopefully make things much easier.” Mumbo took his log box back from Tommy now that he had his own. “I’m not sure what all you have, but I’m sure anything will be helpful right now.”

“What the fuck! I have a block of netherite in here?!”

Grian decided he was not actually dead. At least he was pretty sure that wasn’t the case. He had been here for a while and learned a few things. While there was some sort of ground, he could pick up both his legs without falling and just sort of floated there. Waving his arms and legs didn’t seem to help him move. Or maybe it did, he wasn’t sure since everything looked the same. And after trying to do that for quite a while, Grian felt tired.

Feeling tired assured Grian, and he was fairly certain that being dead meant you couldn’t get tired. He couldn’t be sure though. It hadn’t come up in his questions for Wilbur when he was catching up with his family. He was also worried about getting hungry too, but at least that didn’t seem to be a concern.

Grian was trying to think of things to distract himself with. He had already tried just about every idea he came up with for trying to get out with no luck. He had tested gravity a little too much and felt like throwing up when he had tried doing a flip in the air, only for gravity to shift with him instead of staying stationary. Fortunately he could also sit instead of just stand or float.

He had tried checking if he had any items on his person, but other than his clothes, Grian had nothing. That was a shame as his next idea was to try building something so he had something to focus on other than his hands or legs. Staring into the vast white void had become old, quick and disorienting.

So, being unable to do much else, Grian simply closed his eyes and started to imagine a build. He started to mentally work on a nice little cottage, a nearby pen to fill with chickens. Perfect to collect eggs to throw at his friends. Then he started imagining what he could add onto his mansion. Maybe with his family in the picture again, he could add in rooms for each of them. He had already thought of adding a place for Tommy.

When he hopefully saw them next, he would need to ask what they all wanted. It seemed Wilbur’s favorite color was still blue, so a room with blue accents would do well for him. Techno likely wouldn’t have stopped loving yellow and gold seeing as he was a piglin hybrid and all that. But in checking in on his family, he had made a nice wood house, so possibly it could be a much more standard room.

Tommy’s room would likely take after his tower. He had been so proud when he had started building it and the other Hermits voiced their approval. Grian chuckled. He asked how tall it was going to be and Tommy put his hands on his hips and said-

“All the way up to build height! I’ll make sure I can barely see the ground below. I can get all the way to the top and jump off to fly wherever I want without a rocket or anything!”

Grian’s eyes shot open at Tommy’s voice and found the white expanse replaced with a familiar scene. He was back in hermitcraft and standing next to Tommy and himself.

“You sure? It might be cool, but would take a long time to put it all together. I mean, how long did it take to build these floors?”

“Uh…” Tommy rubbed the back of his head. “Okay maybe I won’t go all the way to build height.”

Grian tried walking and found he actually moved around. “Is this… what is this?” He wasn’t quite sure. “I mean, at least it’s better than literally nothing.” He sat down and just watched the scene play out, it going just how he remembered.

Techno came back to the cabin to rest. He had been all over the place and had even pushed himself a little more just to get back, so the first thing he did was crash onto his bed to rest. Philza stopped helping Mumbo to keep watch, but if Mumbo was completely honest, he wouldn’t mind more people showing up if they could help them as well.

Ghostbur had wandered off to who knows where and Tommy was messing with the items he had found in his ender chest, leaving Mumbo working on his own. Without much of an idea on where to look for Grian, currently the idea was to work on prepping. Potions of invisibility and full netherite gear would be good, so the nether was going to be a must.

Since grinding for TNT was a bit harder with a lack of farms and shops, beds were crafted and slowly filled up chests. Using the room Tommy had dug out beneath the house, Mumbo created a bit of a bunker to put all their prepared gear. He tried not to think of the time he had to help Grian coax a terrified looking Tommy out of one he had created.

Shouts suddenly came from outside and Mumbo quickly left the bunker through the outside exit. He saw Philza confronted by four people, two of which Mumbo recognized, though their attire was different.

“You’re supposed to be under house arrest! You can’t just defy the president like that!”

“Well you didn’t really do much to keep me in there.”

“We’ll make sure that you can’t take the boots off this time.”

“I can’t let you do that.”

“Please can you listen? You’re my grandpa!”

“And Techno is my son.”

Mumbo walked over, not as cautious with none of the visitors currently wearing armor. “Excuse me, may I ask why you’re here?”

The four people turned to face Mumbo. He frowned at the face that they too also sported magenta eyes. “Who are you?” One of them in a suit that resembled Mumbo’s own spoke.

“Um, the name is Mumbo. I’m a friend of Iskall. I believe at least one of you knows him.” He frowned as none of them, not even Fundy seemed to recognize the name. It seemed it was worse than he thought. “Oh dear, well, I’m sure you have a very good reason for being here, but you really shouldn’t.”

“Are you trying to defend Techno?” One of them spoke. Mumbo didn’t know who they were either. “He destroyed L’Manburg and needs to pay for that.”

The door to the cabin slammed open. “We’ve got more important stuff to do than that!” Tommy shouted and Tubbo was the first to look over.

“T-Tommy?”

“Hey Big T.”

It took a bit of explaining, but the butchers, as they were calling themselves, agreed to help out, mainly at Tommy’s pleading. Mumbo explained more of his plan, which Tommy seemed grateful for. Tubbo kept trying to get their friend’s attention, But Tommy couldn’t look back, refusing to meet their eyes.

Neither he nor Mumbo knew why everyone’s eyes were like that. Mumbo had assumed that was why no one could remember anything, but if that were the case, then why could Tommy still not recall any of the past few years now that whatever magic - at least, the assumption was the color was due to magic - was gone.

Tubbo seemed to think that Tommy was still upset about the exile even though the blond kept insisting that wasn’t it. So Mumbo tried to reassure Tubbo. “Hey, he’s dealing with the fact that he was living with someone you were coming to attack and that’s why he’s seeing you again, along with knowing he’s lost many memories and learning he’s got a brother trapped by Dream. It’s perfectly fine that he’s feeling a bit put off right now.”

Tubbo reluctantly agreed, Which Mumbo was glad for, allowing them to continue working on their plan. And then that was when Ghostbur walked in.

“Hey Techno. I didn’t know you had any neighbors. Do you think they’ll help?”

Techno, who was still trying to rest a bit, sat up. “What do you mean neighbors?”

“Well there’s a place nearby. Oh, but there’s a sign on it saying no trespassers, especially you, so maybe we can’t talk to them.”

“Wilbur, do you think you could go back there and look around, telling us what you see?” Philza asked his ghost son, who was happy to help as he left again.

Grian had decided he would much rather be dead. This place showed him memories of whatever he started to think of. It had been fine at first, but then one thing led him into a spiral of bad memories. Even though it wasn’t real, right now he was hiding along with his memory copy, trying to hold his breath and not cry too loudly to let Yuki know where he was. The suit his copy was wearing was full of cuts from the girl’s knife and even though he didn’t have any of the injuries, he could remember the pain.

He tried hard to think of something different, something better. He looked around hoping something would give him an idea, but it just made him worry that Yuki could be there. He looked down at his shaking hands and saw the band of metal on them and finally, a new memory, a better one, crossed his mind.

Instead of hiding from a crazed girl, now he was in his mansion, Jrumbot following him around.

“Please! Please dad I won’t even sell it to you! Just let me show you!”

The memory Grian sighed and looked at his son. “Oh all right. What do you have?”

“Well, Uncle Iskall was telling me some things and made some joke which left me confused, and that’s because you and daddy are my dads.”

“That we are.”

“And apparently dads are supposed to get married?”

“Well, we don’t have to get married. There are some worlds that do that, and your daddy and I do like each other a lot. But we have you, we don’t need to get married.”

“But, well, Iskall told me that people who love each other a lot and get married have rings to show other people that they love each other that much and I want to make sure everyone knows that you’re my dads.”

Grian smiled as the memory Jrumbot gave his memory version a little ring made out of a gold nugget. It was a bit rough, but gold was pliable enough and Jrumbot was a strong robot, so it was okay.

“Alright, well if you made it, I can wear it for you. That means that it doesn’t just show how much I love your daddy, but how much I love you and Grumbot too.”

Grian smiled once more and looked at his own ring. He happily shined it against his sweater before admiring it. It reflected his face back to him and- Grian froze. Magenta eyes looked back up at him instead of his hazel ones.

ooo colors colors colors, what could they mean?

#hermit!tommy au #hermit!tommy #tommyinnit #mumbo jumbo #technoblade #philza #wilbur soot #ghostbur #tubbo #itsfundy #ranboo #quackity #grian #grian xelqua

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ashesofangst · 3 years ago

Text

Sweet Memories

Trigger Warning: Broken bones; knives; character death mention

Pairing(s): Angus x Bing (septic, not iplier)

Characters: Angus and Bing (S34N but briefly and Henrik is mentioned)

Summary: Bing can't help but look back at sweet memories of Angus. If only he could get him back….

Alright, b***hes. Fluff is over, time to shove angst down your throat. And yes, I’m getting to requests, just had to finish this up first.

6/26/21

"There, it should be fixed," Bing told the other android as he moved back. He sat down his tools in his drawers and glanced at S34N. "Please try and break anything else this week. This is the fifth time you needed my help with something."

S34N looked at the Bing-themed android. "I'm sorry. Robbie needed to be looked after, and Henrik asked me to look after him. I'll try and break nothing else why I'm looking after him," He promised the other ego to do the best he could do. "Anyway, I'll be going now, bye." He bowed slightly and left.

Bing just waved and stared out a window. He couldn't help but think back to the memories of a better time. Well, mostly. Angus fell out of a tree and broke his arm.

~*~

"Ow! Bing, it hurts! Don't touch it," Angus screeched in pain as he freed his arm out of his boyfriend's grip. "Are you trying to break it even more?"

Bing quickly shook his head. "No, I'm just trying to see how bad it is, stay still!" Bing managed to keep the hunter still as he examined the broken arm, despite all of Angus's cries. "You seem to have a broken bone around your forearm. We should go and have Henrik look at it."

Angus pouted and shook his head. "Hell no. Da- Henrik is going to lecture me on climbing in trees. I rather not sit and listen through them." He went to yank his arm free but just ended up wincing.

"Nope, we're seeing Henrik, now," Bing stated with determination and began dragging the complaining, pouty hunter off to the hospital.

~*~

Bing chuckled at the memory. Angus ended up getting grounded, and Bing couldn't see him until his arm healed. He secretly wondered if that tree still existed. Of course, it was stupid to even be thinking of that tree....

Bing didn't care. He immediately exited his room and ran down the stairs. He looked around to make sure none of the egos were there to see him do this. Good thing there wasn't. He didn't need anyone to see his and Angus's spot.

The search engine-themed android left the house in a hurry, heading out to the forest that surrounded the house he lived in. He walked through the forest at first but then began running, wanting to their secret spot badly.

After a few minutes, he reached his destination. It was a small, grass clearing with a patch of bring yellow sunflowers sprouting from the ground. In the center of the patch was a big weeping willow. Despite how the tree was blocking out light for most of the sunflowers, the patch still looked healthy.

Bing felt happiness when he saw that the tree still stood right at their spot. He remembered when Angus first brought him there.

~*~

"I want to show you something," Angus told his friend, getting Bing's attention. "There is a place near my cabin I want you to see. I promise it's worth it."

Bing titled his head. "Is it safe? I mean, I trust you, but you didn't exactly have safe places to go when you lived in your cabin." He got slightly closer to the hunter, looking into his eyes just to see if he should trust him.

Angus nodded. "Yeah, it is safe. Close your eyes though, I want it to be a surprise," He begged the android, giving him puppy eyes on purpose. He just wanted to show Bing something cool.

Bing bit his lip before he nodded. "Alright, but if I get broken or anything, I'm taking your jacket and burning it," He warned the other. He closed his eyes, letting the other guide him through the forest. He really did trust Angus.

They soon came to a stop, and the sounds of footsteps going from behind to in front of him indicated Angus was probably standing ahead of him. "Alright, you can look."

Bing slowly opened his eyes and looked at the area, a hand covering his mouth in pure awe. "Did you.... Did you plan these flowers?"

Angus shook his head. "They grew here before I came along, but every year, I make sure they continue to grow here." He smiled at the fact he made his friend surprised. "Do you like it?"

Bing nodded and hugged his friend, looking at the area as he nuzzled the human. He hoped they would come back here often.

~*~

Bing slowly approached the patch of sunflowers and sat near the tree, looking around. He wondered if Angus was still alive, would he still like this area? Or would he moved onto a different place for them to hang out at?

Either way, Bing knew he would want them to hang out here. He loved this spot and it's beauty, even if Angus was no longer here....

Bing suddenly felt very alone and wrapped his arms around his legs as he curled up. This spot normally brought the android closure, and now it's making him feel alone. He wanted to leave, but a voice in his head made him stay.

The android looked around, thinking of a possible reason to stay here and enjoy the hang out alone. When he thought of none, he stood up. Perhaps he could see if the cabin still exists. He remembered when he first seen it.

~*~

Bing looked at the old, mostly worn out cabin. "This is where you lived before Jackie found you? Isn't this unsafe for humans?" He took a few steps towards the cabin, immediately backing away when he heard a loud creak.

"It isn't unsafe, I promise," Angus told the android, taking his hand. "I've lived there for three years, it's perfectly fine." He gently began to lead his android lover inside. "Just watch your step, okay?" He opened the door slowly and let Bing inside first.

Bing looked at Angus before he entered the cabin. He looked around and realized it was quite odd for a cabin.

There was animal pelt laid all over the floor, one of a bear and another of a deer. On top of the bear pelt was a chair made out of wood with animal furs placed onto to possibly make it more comfortable.

The walls held hand-crafted hunting tools, like spears and bows along with arrows. There was a also hunting knives, varityping in sizes, a hand-crafted axe, more than likely used to get wood.

Angus held a shelf that kept food hung beside the hunting tools, but strangely, it had no meat. It only held non-poisonous mushrooms, bugs, and a few vegetables.

There was a handcrafted bed with once again, animal fur to make it more cosy and warm for when winter comes. The bed also contained attempts of pillows using what looked like cotton stuffed in fur pelts.

"You lived like this," Bing questioned as he looked at the one-room cabin. "This.... Don't come back and live here, please. You shouldn't live back in this environment."

Angus looked at the android with a confused look but sure enough, he nodded. He wasn't going to if that's what Bing wanted.

~*~

Bing slowly approached the cabin. It was still old and unsafe looking, but it was worse than ever now. The door was wide open, banging against the wood when the wind blew by.

The android gulped. Maybe he shouldn't go inside to see if it's all still in there, but of course, curiosity got the better of him. He slowly headed up the stairs and entered the cabin.

Well.... It wasn’t that bad for being left to sit for almost 5 years. The shelf of food Angus once ate was hand one end, the fur on his bed and chair were all floor, and the chair was broken into pieces.

Bing frowned for the reasons only he would know. Angus seemed to love living here, and now it was in ruin. If his boyfriend saw this, he was certain he would be upset over it.

There was another reason he frowned however. This was the place Angus died. Oh he could still hear Angus’s cries in pain and pleas not to be forgotten as he hugged Henrik….

No. Now isn’t the time to think about that. What was done has been done and can’t be reversed, even if he didn’t like who was taken from him, even if he cried nights after the death, and even if he still secretly wished it was him who had died.

Bing had enough of this place; He shouldn’t have come here, now was the time to leave. As he went to leave, he heard something fall. He came to stop and turned around, looking for what fell.

His eyes stopped their search when he found the object in question. It was a piece of paper rolled around a pencil, making Bing tilt his head. He glanced around just in case before he walked over to the paper.

The android quickly unrolled the paper and read it. “It’s not your fault, Sunflower,” was written on it, and the hand writing…. It was very close Angus’s. Both of these things were enough to freak him out.

Just when Bing thought it couldn’t get worse, he heard something- or someone- exit the cabin very quickly, as if it were afraid to be caught. Bing glanced at the being as fast as he could, only catching sight of a person in dark orange hoodie and black jeans as well as black hunting boots- Angus’s clothes. He couldn’t see any features of the person sadly as he only got a back profile when they exited.

The android stood up immediately and headed outside, chasing after it. Unfortunately, as soon as he got out of the cabin, the person was gone, and Bing was once again alone.

#tw broken bones #tw knives #tw death mention #jacksepticeye #septic egos #angus irwin #bingsepticeye #S34N #angus/bingsepticeye #the ashes write #the ashes ship block tag

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peachyydesires · 4 years ago

Text

The YTTD Cast Playing Minecraft

genre: crack / platonic relationships

warnings: n/a

bloopers: 🌳 [tba]

a/n: my good friend, alyson, and i wrote this as a collab together! she has an ao3 account that she recently started for both danganronpa and your turn to die! if you like either fandom, i 110% suggest to go check out her work/subscribe to her! she’s an amazing person so go show her some love if you can!! i recruited her a bit last minute and we spent all day yesterday writing, but this was definitely one of the most enjoyable things to write so far!

Keiji Shinogi (Aka The 1st Boomer):

❏ This man has BARELY any idea how to play Minecraft at first. Hell, he even had to get Gin to help him install it on his computer. He has to learn how to even use the basic controls, and he’s constantly asking the others what certain keys do (does he do this just to be annoying? The world may never know).

❏ Once he gets the hang of the game, things go a little bit smoother, but not completely. While he may have quickly learned all of the buttons, there’s still a lot more to Minecraft such as PVP, building, mining, the bosses, crafting, etc, and that takes him an eternity to learn (don’t even get me STARTED on the Nether and the End). Without his other friends, he’d probably be stuck in the middle of the night with zero protection or tools on him to fight the mobs that spawn.

❏ He’s mostly just there for the laughs; while he’ll try to stay out of the way from his friends, he’ll show up at the most erratic times. He’ll either immediately teleport himself to someone in the middle of fighting a group of mobs or invade someone’s house and steal their stuff just for fun.

❏ While he’s not as much of a prankster as Shin, he’ll still do some of the most random actions ever, even if it’s not to annoy others. He’ll place down a random door in the middle of a room and just leave it there, or make several holes in the ground while trying to punch some grass to clear it out. When the group is on a voice call, 90% of the call is just the others yelling at Keiji to stop planting trees on their farms.

❏ He’s not one to explore, but wherever his friends are, he is. He’ll tag along with them nearly anywhere, whether they’re doing a dangerous excursion to the End or traveling across the sea, he’ll always be tagging along. He honestly doesn’t know the point of the game, but again, he’s just there for the laughs.

Joe Tazuna (Aka The Brave One):

❏ Joe has played Minecraft before, but he doesn’t care about building a pretty mansion or planting flowers. This man will live in a tiny dirt hut and beat the game. The one thing that Joe always plans on doing whenever he starts a new world is to get a dog and name them “Sven” after he watched one of his favorite YouTuber’s playthroughs one night instead of studying. He would do anything to save his dog, even if it means sacrificing his friends’ lives.

❏ When he plays on multiplayer servers, he always insists on getting the supplies and food for everyone. It’s pretty much all he does. He isn’t afraid of caves or mobs, and he won’t hesitate to run towards a creeper to stab it repeatedly. He is, however, terrified of skeletons and endermen since they always kill him. Once, he dropped down into a cave after spotting iron on the surface, only to be ambushed by a horde of skeletons. No one came to help him.

❏ He tends to forget about his hunger level until he actually starts taking damage. The same thing goes with drowning. It doesn’t help that he’s constantly sprinting wherever he goes. Because of this, he’s constantly falling into caves, ravines, and even little holes filled with water, yet no one ever helps him get out. They usually leave him behind, or they think that he’s simply lost.

❏ His girlfriend, Ryoko, hasn’t yet tried Minecraft, despite him begging for her to play with him 24/7. Although constructing a fancy house isn’t his cup of tea, he’ll do anything to play with Ryoko. He even once asked Sara to help him practice with his Minecraft dates. He needed help with his wording of asking Ryoko if he could put his bed next to hers, so Sara volunteered to assist him.

❏ Joe’s always falling into lava as well, and he gets very frustrated when it happens. Whenever he falls, he starts screaming into his mic while on voice calls (he doesn’t curse because he’s cool like that), yet still, no one comes to help him. Sara only says “teleport to me!” but it’s always too late. Keiji once offered to help him, but Joe declined, saying he didn’t trust or like him since he’s creepy towards Sara.

Q-Taro Burgerberg (Aka A Minecraft Veteran):

❏ Besides Joe and Gin, Q-Taro surprisingly knows the most about Minecraft. He used to play it a lot when he was younger before he started getting into baseball, so he knows the basics such as crafting and mining. Despite not picking up a controller in years, he still knows all of the mechanics the game has to offer as not much has changed when it comes to the controls.

❏ What HAS changed, however, is literally everything else in the game. All of the major updates over the years have nearly changed the game completely, including the Nether, the End, the villages, even the ocean became useful. He doesn’t realize this at first until he goes into the Nether and sees that it’s completely changed (He’ll stand there for a moment, wondering why the caves haven't been updated but the Nether of all things has).

❏ He’ll have to completely relearn the game, having Gin teach him all of the new mechanics such as elytras, banners, shields, etc, and all of the new structures including ruined portals, pillager towers, shipwrecks, etc. He’s always confused on call, constantly asking what a certain block is or yelling into his mic, “Uhh, I found something!!”

❏ One thing about Q-Taro is that he loves to mine. It’s the one useful thing that hasn’t changed all too much, so he can still help out and gather ores for everyone else. Although, he has to have the best armor out of the rest of the group or he might just commit theft. When he learns about Netherite, however, he refuses to wear it; he doesn’t want to admit that diamond isn’t the best in the game anymore, although no matter how many enchantments he puts on it, his armor will never be as good as netherite.

❏ In all honesty, he forgets the majority of the information that Gin tells him. Even after all of the warnings that Gin gives him to ‘not punch everything he sees’, he still punches everything he sees. He’ll run up to something new and whisper vaguely into the mic, “I’m gonna punch it.” And before Gin can scream for him not to, he’ll give the new block or mob a nice good smack. Beehives, llamas, polar bears, and pandas are prime causes of Q-Taro’s many deaths in the game. Regarding the new mobs, he encounters hostile ones a lot. He’ll often forget to sleep (despite everyone else yelling at him to go to bed) when he’s down in the caves, and he’ll emerge from his hole at night only to see 5 different phantoms flying in the air trying to murder him.

Alice Yabusame (Aka The Sailor):

❏ Alice is a rather frustrated player. Nothing ever goes his way when he plays, and he’s constantly cursing on voice calls. His sister, Reko, sometimes kicks him from the calls to keep Kanna and Gin as innocent as possible (although they don’t really care, and Gin sometimes picks up on Alice’s bad behavior himself when he gets mad).

❏ Similar to Joe, he’s an explorer. He loves exploring the ocean (especially the water temples), but his cheerful vibe suddenly switches into a pure, satanic rage once he starts drowning. He gets too cocky sometimes, though. Once while he was looking for an End City in the End, he lost control of his Elytra and flew into the void, cursing and screaming in fury the entire way down. The same exact thing happens whenever he falls into lava and loses all of his belongings; if anyone were to make fun of him when he died, he would craft a sword and kill them without any hesitation out of pure spite.

❏ He would try building a house next to Reko to get a bit closer with her, but once, he went out mining, and when he came back, his house was on fire. He then discovered that Shin was the one who set his house ablaze, so whenever Alice sees the troller, he grabs a stone sword and attempts to kill him (since he’s poor), but Shin is almost always in creative mode, which angers him more and only causes him to scream swear words into his microphone. He begs Sara, the one who created the server, to ban him, but Sara’s excuse is always, “he’s just having fun, which is the whole point of this server.”

❏ Since his house is always being destroyed, he usually makes small bases inside of caves or mountains to avoid Shin, but somehow, the troller always finds them and burns them down or blows them up, so he’s constantly on the run from him. He also does stuff alone since he doesn’t have any friends on the server (besides Nao who sometimes gives him food and supplies).

❏ Due to having to relocate nearly every time he joins the server, he rarely keeps chests on him. He has nowhere to store the treasures that he often finds in shipwrecks, sea temples, etc so whenever he runs out of inventory space he gives his materials away as gifts to his other friends, especially to Reko. Despite always giving out free resources and ores, nearly everyone in the server finds him odd, especially when he’s quiet for one moment only to be throwing a tantrum the next on the voice calls.

Shin Tsukimi (Aka The Troller):

❏ It’s no big surprise that Shin is just as chaotic as he is in-game, if not more, than IRL. Despite being over 20, he often lurks around on the Minecraft forums, always learning new hacks and ways to troll the others in the shared server. For some reason, everyone has server operator on the server, so Shin’s able to switch between Creative and Survival as he pleases, although he rarely goes into Survival.

❏ His only goal in the server is to create mayhem and confusion rather than to actually be productive; he’s always quiet on voice calls (except when he giggles loudly while he’s blowing something up or creeping behind someone), listening in on the other conversations so he knows who he can terrorize next.

❏ Since he’s in Creative, the minute he joined the game he automatically spawned himself netherite armor and tools while everyone else was running off to go trample the forests for wood. He builds a secret hut, making sure no one else could find it (in the side of a mountain, underwater in the sand using a conduit, really anywhere he can hide). He has chests full of TnT, flint and steel, potions, mob spawn eggs, and redstone in case someone forces him into survival.

❏ He’s played a prank on nearly everyone in the server; his favorite target is Alice, as he rages the hardest and tries to murder him despite him always being in Creative. He constantly will throw down an invisibility potion and follow Alice into a cave whenever he goes on a mining trip, waiting until he’s right in front of a conveniently placed lava pool before pushing him in. He’s always heard giggling in the background during voice calls while Alice screams out strings of curses and vows of revenge, which are never followed through.

❏ Sometimes if he’s really in the mood for some chaos he’ll switch into Survival and taunt Alice on the voice call, daring him to come and catch him and murder him now that he has a health bar. This immediately catches Alice’s attention and he literally drops everything he’s about to do just to partake in the wild goose chase that Shin ends up leading him on. He gets close a couple times, but Shin always stands still for a moment before teleporting away to someone like Kanna (“Thanks Kanna!” “SHIN GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE YOU COWARD-”)

Gin Ibushi (Aka The Kid Leader):

❏ As the youngest in the group, Gin obviously is the Minecraft pro compared to everyone else. It’s one of the many games that he constantly plays when he’s not playing with his toys, and it’s a good escape outlet for him. He’s been through nearly every Minecraft update, always mastering the new skills such as flying, potion-making, and new PvP tactics as soon as the game updates.

❏ He was the original one that suggested that the rest of the group start a Minecraft server with him, although Sara was the one that managed to start it up. As soon as he spawns in, Gin’s already off doing who-knows-what to try and speedrun the game, but nearly every 10 minutes he has to stop what he’s doing and help the others out of their confusion. He doesn’t care too much about having a fancy house or not, so he usually just builds a sufficient starter house (which is actually like, 3 stories) in between his adventures.

❏ Somehow, after the first day or so, he already has the strongest armor and tools in the game: netherite. While Shin cheated and used Creative, Gin managed to find the rarest ore in the game (probably after pulling an all-nighter or two admittedly). He’s very insistent on fighting the Ender Dragon early, but everyone else is either off doing their own thing or still on iron armor and afraid of even going into the Nether despite Gin insisting he’ll ‘carry’ everyone.

❏ Gin is always the one to lead excursions off into the other dimensions. He’s very eager to finish the game (despite having done so dozens of times), and he’s always pressuring/convincing the others to go out and explore. He knows everything about the varying structures and bosses, from the Pillgar Towers to the Ocean Monuments and the Wither to the Ravager(s).

❏ Surprisingly, he does die quite a lot. Despite having played for years on end, he still makes careless mistakes even when he isn’t being trolled by Shin; he’s fallen into lava pits countless times and died to the occasional skeleton even with his netherite armor (sometimes he forgets to put it on as he leaves it on an armor stand at home so it doesn’t break). One time he was looking for a Woodland Mansion using an Elytra, following a map while flying over several different biomes at once without a second glance as he was focused on the chords displayed on the screen. When he finally realized he was about to fly right into a mountain, it was too late as he smacked right into the wall and fell to his death even after trying to put down a water bucket to save himself.

Kai Satou (Aka The Quiet Fighter):

❏ Kai hates to admit it, but he’s actually quite a fan of video games, especially Minecraft, considering he played it a bit as a kid. The moment he spawns into the map, he gets wood for a crafting table and supplies for himself, Sara, and sometimes Q-Taro. He’s usually pretty quiet on voice calls since he doesn’t really want to bother anyone, and he logs on sometimes on his own to build a fancy wood house or to get some extra supplies. Once, he logged on and saw that his house was on fire with Shin standing by it, saying taunting things in chat just to piss the loner off. Kai didn’t really care, though, since his houses don’t take him very long to build. Shin is annoyed by this, but still, he just goes after Alice instead.

❏ Similar to Joe, he’s always out hunting for food or seeds. Every time he plays, Kai starts a farm by a river, pond, or even near the ocean. Whenever someone walks on their/his own crops, Kai silently rages inside his head, but he never tells them anything.

❏ He usually goes on mining trips by himself, and he isn’t afraid of mobs or hostile surroundings. Unless Gin is off helping the others, Kai is always the first one to build a Nether portal or travel to the End.

❏ Whenever he plays, he always gets a cat or two from either the jungle or a nearby village. He likes to give them fish, and he takes his precious pets on his less-dangerous adventures. Once when he logged onto Minecraft, he saw that one of his cats was gone. He looked around until he found Shin beating his helpless bundle of joy with a stick until it died. Kai didn’t say anything to him, but he was furious on the inside. He later blew up Shin’s house with TNT after finding his hidden shack, and being an expert with laptops/computers himself, he also got Shin temporarily banned from the server, making Alice exceptionally happy.

❏ Sometimes, Kai invites Q-Taro to go on mining or exploring trips with him, and the athlete gladly accepts. Kai tells him about all the new updates that occurred over the years, even though Q-Taro never really pays attention. He’s pretty quiet whenever he talks on voice calls, so Q-Taro is always shouting for him to speak up.

Kazumi Mishima (Aka The 2nd Boomer):

❏ Mishima had never even heard of Minecraft until Nao brought it up to him one day in class. When Sara made the server for all of them to play in, he jumps into the server wearing nothing but a Steve skin, but Nao quickly helps him change it by making him a skin of his own image. Surprisingly, he got used to the controls of the game rather quickly.

❏ He wouldn’t really know what to do, and he would find Nao doing everything for him, including building his houses and getting him food and ore. He would make a lot of silly mistakes, such as mining gold with a stone pickaxe, eating raw meat, digging straight down, and ignoring fall damage. Mishima isn’t really bothered whenever a hostile mob suddenly appears either and tries to attack him.

❏ If Mishima ever stumbled upon a village, he would clap his hands in joy. He loves villagers and trading, and would even kidnap some of them via boats to experiment and test what they could do at home. Some of the others are a bit creeped out by his fascination, but Nao and Gin find it to be quite entertaining.

❏ Despite being a polite, smart teacher in person, his online persona is the exact opposite. He’s always barging into people’s homes and examining their shelters, sometimes stealing a bit of their stuff while quietly giggling on the voice call. However, he once accidentally killed one of Kanna’s parrots, and he was extremely apologetic about his mistake. He even went out in the jungle just to get her a new one despite her constantly reassuring him that it was fine.

❏ Mishima’s favorite mob would definitely be a cow. He doesn’t really understand why, but he loves their patterns and design. He refuses to kill or eat them, but he’s always on board with the idea of capturing them and bringing them home. If he ever encounters a mineshaft, he’s scurrying around the place, trying to find a name tag for his precious cows.

Kanna Kizuchi (Aka The One Who’s Scared of Everything):

❏ Even though she’s rather young, Kanna has strayed away from video games for a long time. Sure, she’s heard of Minecraft, but does that mean she’s ever played it? No. But she had watched several Minecraft playthroughs on YouTube before, so she was somewhat prepared when she spawned in with everyone else. She knew the basic controls and learned pretty quickly the other mechanics and new features the game had to offer.

❏ She thought Minecraft was a rather tranquil game, and she loved all of the details and peaceful mobs that spawned around her. She loves the flowers and trees the most, constantly picking flowers and exploring the grassland excitedly on the first day. She seems to be pretty good on her own until night comes along. After spending all day flower-picking, she doesn’t realize until she starts getting attacked by the hostile mobs that its night. She’s heard frantically screaming and panicking on the voice call before her death notice appears on screen to everyone else.

❏ After that night, Kanna is terrified of the night sequence(s). As soon as the sun starts to set over the horizon, she’s scurrying inside her house or spam-clicking her bed before she’s even allowed to sleep. Despite people like Gin always reassuring her that she has armor and a sword to defend herself with, she still refuses to go out at night no matter what. She’s also always pressuring everyone to go to bed to make sure she doesn’t have to sit through the night in her house and so that phantoms don’t spawn either (even though she’s never encountered them, she’s determined to keep it that way). She’ll be quiet one moment on the call before suddenly scolding everyone to get inside and go to bed so the server can time skip to day.

❏ Kanna doesn’t exactly realize that not every mob is either peaceful or hostile. While she isn’t like Q-Taro who’s always punching the neutral mobs, she’s still unaware of certain hostile variants such as the Killer Bunny. One day while Kanna was out picking flowers for the outside of her house, Shin got the grand idea to spawn a bunch of rabbits inside of her house along with a Killer Bunny or two that he hid in her storage room. When she came home, she was rather confused and could be heard quietly murmuring on the call, “Where did all these bunnies come from..?”. Her usual soft and melancholic whispers quickly turned to shrill shrieks as she entered her storage room to put away the flowers and the Killer Bunnies, which looked like regular rabbits to her, began attacking her. Shin obviously began bursting out laughing when his invisibility potion ran out and he was standing in the corner of Kanna’s house watching her run away from the mob(s). Although, after she began sobbing quietly on the call everyone went silent, including Shin for once (although some of her sobs were overexaggerated just so she could guilt Shin for traumatizing her) as he silently noted to never troll her again.

❏ It’s not very surprising that Kanna has at least a dozen pets. She has an entire pack of dogs (which she only managed to tame after stealing Gin’s collection of bones), several different colored cats, three parrots, two foxes, and even a panda bear she managed to kidnap using Mishima’s classic boat method. She has several rooms in her house that she built purely to keep her pets in, especially the untamable mobs like her foxes. She’s actually rather creative with her rooms, always adding in small details such as scratching posts for her cats and mini trees for her parrots. Her stable for her horses is also humongous and often mistaken for a second house when people run-up to her plot. She also somehow is an expert at coming up with names on the spot and she has a nametag on her 24/7 (admittedly, Shin always secretly restocks her name tag collection that she has in her chest since they’re rather rare and Kanna is too scared to go into dungeons herself).

Nao Egokoro (Aka The Helper):

❏ Nao has obviously played Minecraft before, and she was ecstatic when Sara announced that she would be making a server for all of them. She loves making Minecraft skins, and she made skins identical to how they really look for everyone on the server.

❏ She would totally use those Minecraft house building tutorials on YouTube and would help make houses for her friends if they were struggling. Nao would also get supplies for people (especially Alice since she pities him) out of the kindness of her heart. She really enjoys picking flowers with Kanna and getting cute pets/animals for everyone as well.

❏ However, Nao refuses to harm any animal/mob she finds. She sometimes goes on mining trips with her friends as well. Since she doesn’t want to lay a blood-thirsty finger on any of the animals, she begs Alice to go mining with her for materials since she knows he’s a good fighter, and he could fend off mobs for her as she mines. Alice obviously agrees since Nao has helped him out with Shin’s antics, and he would constantly jump up behind her to stab skeletons, zombies, creepers, and even endermen. They both left the cave even happier than before, and Alice didn’t curse once when he was mining with her.

❏ Nao invited Reko to live with her, and her friend happily agreed (Reko would do anything to move away from Alice). They would go on cute trips together, and Nao would build a stable for the horses that they found.

❏ She’s pretty nervous to play the game by herself, and she always waits until someone else is on the server with her (even Shin) before she does something a bit daring. Nao is always frightful when she has to travel to the Nether, and she has to beg people to go with her out of fear.

Sara Chidouin (Aka The “Mom” Friend):

❏ Although Gin was the one who suggested that they should make a server, Sara was the one who created it. She’s been playing Minecraft for a long time (especially with Joe) and was happy when Gin suggested the idea.

❏ Sara is technically considered the “mom” friend on the server, yet she won’t give a crap about her friends’ issues. If they fell into a hole or were being attacked by mobs, she wouldn’t help them. She would let them die with zero regrets regarding her actions, as she doesn’t think it’s that big of a deal since players can respawn.

❏ She likes to use Minecraft building tutorials, similar to Nao. She’s started to memorize building patterns, and she’s even gotten more comfortable with building in general. However, she doesn’t admit that she uses them, and she likes to flex her “skills” to the others (Shin always calls her out on this with a snicker or two, but he’s immediately silenced when Sara threatens to ban him from the server for terrorizing everyone else).

❏ Even though this has already been said, she still doesn’t give a crap about the others’ issues. Alice would always come to her and beg for Shin to be banned from the server, yet Sara would shrug it off and say that he’s having fun. Deep down, she would enjoy watching Shin torment and tease Alice, even if she was annoyed when he bothered her.

❏ Sara spends most of her time on the server with Joe, Keiji, and Nao, trying her best to avoid Kai, Alice, and Shin. She isn’t scared of doing things alone, such as mining or going to the Nether, but there is one thing that she is terrified of: zombies. She hates how much damage they can do, especially when they’re crowded together in a large horde. She has to beg her friends to kill them for her since she always fails. Joe always kills them for her and taunts her, saying that she owes him back. Keiji would accidentally hit Sara, so the two of them would just run away from the zombie. Nao, of course, wouldn’t want to hurt the zombie, so the two of them would also try their best to escape the annoying mob.

Reko Yabusame (Aka The Raider):

❏ Reko is somewhere in the middle of everyone; she used to play every now and then with Alice when they were kids, but the game has updated so much that she forgot half of the mechanics at first. As soon as she spawns in, the nostalgia hits her like a truck and everything comes rushing back to her. So while the others are stumbling around, voicing their confusion into their mics, Reko’s off along with Gin to go punch some trees down.

❏ Similar to her brother Alice, she gets easily pissed off at the game. While her rage isn’t on the same levels as him, it’s still quite strong. She’ll mutter curse words under her breath, barely audible so the kids in the call don’t hear her. The farthest she’s gone is thrown her controller across her room after falling into a lava pool in the Nether while bridging, and surprisingly it didn’t break. When it comes to her brother and his rage, she’ll often mutter, “Brb.” before leaving her room and storming into Alice’s, and often a loud slap is heard from Alice’s side with no further explanation to the others.

❏ When it comes to her brother, Reko is one of the few people who can tolerate him. She helps him at the start of the game despite her reluctant groans into the mic but ditches him as soon as Shin starts harassing him. It’s not uncommon for her to have to rescue Alice when he’s running back from mining and is being chased by a horde of mobs. She’ll leave her house with only an iron chest plate on and still somehow manage to murder all of the hostiles while Alice runs inside with half a heart. Besides Gin, she’s probably Alice’s mentor the majority of the time, always teaching him new features that he forgot like potion-making and archery. Whenever he dies (which is very often, unfortunately) she can be heard mumbling during Alice’s screams, “I told you…”

❏ Reko’s favorite part of the game is the Pillager raids. For some reason, she finds it an interesting challenge for her due to the different levels that raids can spawn in. She has several different strategies, some of which she made up at the last second. Some notable moments include dropping a block of TNT on a Ravager from her tower, spawning in a large group of Iron Golems at the start of the raid, and somehow shooting a Vex with a bow. She somehow hasn’t managed to die even once during the raids, and even Gin can’t believe her skill and sheer luck when it comes to fighting. She often tags along with him when he goes on adventures, especially when it involves the Pillagers (she finds them interesting, what can I say?). It’s no big surprise when she conquers a Wooden Mansion with ease one day while on a trip with Gin.

❏ After moving in with Nao, she got to teach her pink-haired friend a lot more about the game (especially since she was away from Alice now). She often encourages Nao to step out of her comfort zone and explore, as there’s a lot more to the game than just her house. She accompanies Nao on every mining trip (except for the few times that she chooses to go with Alice when Reko isn’t on) and even takes her out to the other dimensions. She’s always watching after Nao, always standing close to her with a netherite sword in hand to murder any mob that dare come near her. Reko even ends up teaching Nao how to defeat a raid (although she was the one carrying the entire time) and it’s not too surprising when Nao joins the excursion to the End to defeat the Ender Dragon.

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yusuke-of-valla · 4 years ago

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like rats fleeing a sinking ship, pt 6.

intermission ii

<-Previous Next->

AO3

“What the hell.” Akechi is the only one to speak as everyone staying in Takemi’s apartment stares at the TV and the news of Sae’s arrest. “What the actual hell, Sae?” Akechi runs a hand through his hair and starts pacing. “How could you get arrested? How.”

“Makoto’s here.” Akira mutters, more to himself than anyone else.

“We need to deal with Shido. Tomorrow.” Akechi says.

“Akechi, how many times do we have to tell you. We can’t be hasty,” Morgana snaps.

“We don’t have any more time to stall.”

“We have to find Makoto first, at least.” Akira insists. Akechi scowls and Akira rolls his eyes. “Don’t give me that look, if Sae got captured then Makoto’s hear, and our time limit just got that much shorter, we’ll need as many healers as we can if we’re going to finish the whole thing.”

Akechi grumbles. “Fine. Fine, but that’s it. Then I’m going in without you because you’re clearly no use otherwise.”

Akira sticks out his hand “Deal.”

Akechi takes it firmly.

Tae’s apartment only has one bedroom, but she’s let Akira use an air mattress and given the Akechi the couch to sleep on, not that either of them really sleep that night.

Akira stares at the ceiling, thoughts swirling around in his head. Where could the others be? It’s been about a week since Shido called for their heads, and he hasn’t heard anything from half of his friends. He should be able to protect them.

His thoughts drift around some more, though they keep returning to the sinking feeling that he’s failed as leader for not being prepared for this, until Akira doesn’t so much fall asleep as feel his consciousness be ripped away from him.

With a gasp, Akira sits up on a familiar blue cot, with his wrists shackled.

“Trickster.” There’s something... off, about Igor’s tone. Caroline and Justine look more serious than usual too.

“Look, unless you’re here to tell me that you know where my friends are, I don’t care.”

“This is very serious, Trickster. Ruin is approaching faster than expected.”

“Yeah, no shit.”

“Show some respect, inmate!” Caroline shouts, slamming her baton against the bars.

“Our master is trying to assist you.” Justine says.

“You seriously can’t fail! You already messed up letting this Shido guy get the upper hand on you.” Caroline says.

“Our master personally contacted you to make sure you’re aware of the circumstances.” Justine adds, and Akira realizes that she’s nervous. Her eyes keep flitting to Igor, and Akira takes a good look at him.

His air of perpetual smug confidence is gone.

Igor is scared.

“This is different from the other ‘Ruin’ I’m supposed to be avoiding, isn’t it?”

“This was not supposed to happen. An unfortunate miscalculation, but you must understand the gravity of this situation. Ruin may befall us all if you allow your current opponent to go unchecked.”

“Alright. I won’t fail any of you. I promise.”

Just before Akira feels himself wake up, he smells the faintest scent of seawater.

“Akira, come on!” Morgana is patting his paws against Akira’s face to wake him up, and Akira slowly shoves him off.

He checks the time on Tae’s oven and realizes it’s almost time for them to meet the others. Akira gets up quickly and throws on a hoodie and jeans, then grabs his bag as Morgana jumps in and runs past Akechi, who’s been standing by the door the whole time.

They meet in front of Takemi Clinic, and the knot in Akira’s chest loosens up a little when he sees Ann.

Ann’s face lights up when she sees him, and they hug.

“I’m glad you’re ok,” Akira says.

“Same to you.”

“Good to see you again, Akira.” Shiho says.

“Yeah, you too.”

“So, what’s the plan,” Ann asks. “We saw the news last night.”

“We’re going into Shido’s Palace tomorrow.” Haru’s eyes widen and Akira shoots her an apologetic look. “I know we said we’d take a couple more days to look for the others, but with Sojiro and Sae going on trial, we don’t have time.”

“The plan for today is to start preparations,” Morgana says.

“But that doesn’t mean we’re giving up on looking for the others,” Akira adds, giving Haru an reassuring look.

Shiho nods. “I know Ann and I are going to go to Ryuji’s house and try to talk to his mom.”

“Right,” Morgana says, “we also need you to pick up some crafting supplies so we can make tools tonight.”

“I have no clue what you just said, Morgana,” Shiho says, “but I’ll do my best.”

“I’ll try and ask around for Makoto,” Haru offers.

“Can you stop by the church in Kanda too? I want you to ask Hifumi Togo if she knows anything about Yusuke.”

“Absolutely.”

“And while you’re walking around, maybe hit up some vending machines for energy drinks. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”

“Sure. And you?”

“We’re going to Kichijoji to talk to that friend I mentioned before.”

“Alright.”

“We’ll meet back at Tae’s apartment tonight, and then we meet in front of the Diet Building and secure the route to Shido’s treasure, for better or worse.”

Ann, Shiho, and Haru all nod, and as brief as their reunion was, they split up again.

Akechi is silent for the ride to Kichijoji station, but once they arrive at the promenade he speaks up.

“I thought we weren’t worrying about Kitagawa.”

Akira stops. Then he grabs Akechi’s arm and pulls him into an alleyway. “Morgana, can you go on ahead, I’m going to talk to Akechi.”

Morgana leaps out of Akira’s bag and shoots him a concerned look before heading off.

Akira turns to Akechi, dead serious. “Look, I get it. You want to get back at Shido, or whatever. But we’re going tomorrow, just like you want. So can you stop complaining for five minutes?”

“I’m trying to give you perspective. If you’re distracted, he’ll kill you without hesitation.”

“I don’t think we’ll run into Shido’s shadow-”

“I wasn’t talking about Shido. I’m talking about Shido’s cognition of myself,” Akechi says, “who’s responsible for this.” He points to the wound at his side. “I suspected you were messing around in Shido’s Palace and went to confront you. Instead I found that thing that Shido thinks I am.” Akechi’s nose scrunches up in disgust and he bangs his fist against the wall beside him. “A damn puppet who’ll do anything for him. And who unfortunately is powerful enough that even going all out, I barely escaped with my life and arrived at your doorstep.”

“That’s how you knew Shido was about to put out the arrest.”

“Yes.”

“What did you even get from working with him?”

Akechi takes a deep breath. “He’s my father, and I wanted revenge. It was because he abandoned my mother that she killed herself and I was thrown into the foster system. Moving from home to home, completely unwanted. Until I awakened to my Persona. Suddenly I had powers unlike anyone else. I was special. So I made a plan. I approached Shido and offered him my services. I spent countless nights dreaming of the pure satisfaction of the moment when he won, when he was at his highest. And then I, the son he threw away, would force him to admit that he could only achieve his goals with my help, force him to acknowledge me, and then I’d cut him down.”

Akechi’s hands are shaking.

“So that is why I can’t afford to have you hesitate. It seems he would never acknowledge me as the reason for his success, since he thinks I’m some mindless weapon that he always intended to throw in the trash.”

“If he had a change of heart he’d acknowledge you,” Akira says after a moment. “He’d even apologize. Sincerely.”

Akechi snorts. “Yes well, I wasn’t aware of that option at the time. Maybe if I’d met you sooner, things could have been different.”

They fall silent again. Akira sighs. “Look. It seems like we both underestimated Shido. You thought you’d earned his respect, we thought we’d avoided his suspicion. We were both wrong. But the reason he wants to get rid of us so badly is because somewhere, deep down, he’s scared. Even the smallest threat to his power has to be stamped out, even if it’s a random teenager who stopped him from harassing some woman.”

Akechi’s eyes widen. “Wait, that was Shido?”

“Yeah. Your dad sucks. But he’s also a rattlesnake, trying to appear bigger than he is because he’s cornered and scared. We have a chance to beat him, but only if we work together. And we can’t work together if you’re constantly complaining about how I’m not doing things on your timetable. As much as we both want Shido out of the picture, we’re not the ones he’s hunting right now, so you’re going to sit back and let me worry about my friends.”

“You truly don’t give up on anyone, do you?” Akechi asks, tilting his head. “No wonder they adore you. Very well, I’ll refrain from any commentary for the rest of the day.”

“Thank you.”

“Senpai! Akechi-kun!” The two young men turn around to see Kasumi Yoshizawa running towards them, Morgana in her arms, who she lets jump to the ground to throw her arms around Akira. “I’m so happy you’re okay! I’ve been so worried but I had no clue how to get in touch with you.”

“Good to see you too, Kasumi,” Akira says with a smile.

Akechi looks between them. “Yoshizawa-san? You understand Morgana?”

“Yep,” Morgana says, “she’s a Persona user, but not a Phantom Thief. She’s still pretty new to it, but she’s strong.”

Kasumi nods. “Yes, although I’d like to change that middle part. Senpai, please let me accompany you on your current heist. You’re targeting Representative Shido, right?”

“Well, at least you pick up on things quickly.” Akechi says.

“It’ll be really dangerous, Kasumi.” Akira warns. “I mean, you’ve probably seen the news, we’re not in the best position right now.”

“I know the risks. I can’t turn my back on someone who needs my help though. So, please let me join you! Or actually-” Kasumi stands up straight and looks Akira in the eye. “I’m not asking. I am joining you on your next heist.”

Akechi nods. “Alright then. Welcome aboard.”

#alto writes #on the run au #akira kurusu #goro akechi #wordcount: 1500-2000

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ivy-kissobryos · 5 years ago

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hi, im kinda new to witchcraft and i dont really know anything (prayers, rituals, beliefs, etc), plus there's a lot of contrasting info online so i don't know what i should go with. could you please briefly explain how you view witchcraft and what you do? i'm going around asking this to a lot of other blogs to get a general sense of things. thanks!

Before we begin I just wanna point out that when you say prayers and beliefs, I think of paganism. When I hear ritual and witchcraft, I think of magic.

Religion and magic is intertwined but you do not have to be pagan or wicca or whatever to be a witch, or vise versa. For me, a witch is someone who practices magic, whether it be simple things like jar spells or folk magic or traditional witchcraft or anything ceremonial or ritualistic (although some ceremonial magic practitioners prefer the term magician over witch, which is up to them). A diviner is someone who uses divination tools such as tarot or pendulums to seek knowledge (and again, you can be a diviner without ever touching witchcraft). Spirit work and hedge work is also another area for you to look into.

You can be a pagan - lighting incense, praying and making offerings - without being a witch either. Some say there is inherent magic in worship, but personally, if you just worship but don’t practice witchcraft (do spells etc) then you’re just a follower of a pagan religion. And there is nothing wrong with that. Of course, you can also be all that I mentioned above simultaneously too, but there is no hurry to quickly define yourself when you’re starting out. Changing the way you label yourself or your craft as you grow (or foregoing a label in the first place) is equally valid too.

More info on some beginner tips + my views on witchcraft below.

If you’re starting out some times I’d give are:

Learn how to protect yourself. Energy work and shielding techniques is how I started, or calling on Archangels if you believe in them. Once I was more comfortable I began learning how to use witch bottles to defend myself, how to banish (look up the LBRP) and more.

Read and read and read! Not on Tumblr but actual books (the legit ones, not the trendy money-milking ones) and historical sources. If there are contradicting sources, use your gut and your brain. Check for author bias and cross-check with other sources. Listen to your intuition yet use critical thinking and discernment too.

Record and test your divination and spells. See if a prediction comes true. Test if a spell manifest the desired result within the given time frame. If you do a wealth spell, then the spell’s success will be confirmed by increased wealth. Try altering your methods, and note if you become more successful or accurate and adapt accordingly.

Don’t be pressured to spend loads of money on your craft especially when you’re starting out. Of course, you may want to give fancy wine as an offering to your god, but if that isn’t feasible then a home cooked meal alongside traditional offerings such as bread would be alright too. Also with books, of course it is good to support occult publishers but try borrowing from libraries, find e-books and use your university account to borrow them, or find PDFs of them online.

Personally, it may not be suitable for complete beginners but I recommend books by Troy Books for witchcraft info. For learning Lenormand, the Complete Lenormand Oracle Handbook by Caitlin Matthews is the best. I know it’s 600+ pages but I swear it’s so good.

For me, witchcraft is about power. When you feel like there isn’t anywhere else to go, when your friends seem distant or unable to comprehend what you’re struggling with, when the law has failed you and corruption has won, witchcraft is a way to redirect your life and regain your sovereignty. Which is why I also believe in hexes and, in some context, curses (although I know it’s a can of worms to open and I’ll make posts on hexes and curses one day).

Divination is used to give you guidance and insight into something that may take you forever to figure out by yourself. It is also a way to communicate with the divine. What I am against though, is using divination to spy on others, as you’re essentially destroying other people’s rights to privacy. Claiming 100% accuracy is also an act of hubris, which is why I always say that my readings are reasonably accurate because in the end, free will triumphs over all and even the strings of fate has many threads.

If your relationship with a deity is rooted in transaction, then it can be said that you are working with them, not worshiping or devoting yourself to them. A devotional pagan relationship between oneself and one’s deity can be transactional too (eg: I worship Dionysus and he helps me with giving me opportunities to grow, along with giving guidance on my path) but what is more important is the devotion - the love and bond - you have with said deity.

Where the line between witchcraft and paganism blurs is when you involve deities in your spell or divination.

When I was young I used to dismiss the incantations that the monks in my country use. However, one day I went to a ceremony where almost a hundred monks gather and pray, casting their spells in unison, and even with my initial derisive views towards conventional Buddhism I felt something that day. Now, I realize when certain words have been spoken and imbued with power and continues to be recited with fervent faith for hundreds or thousands of years, power becomes inherent in those words. The same goes for rituals and spells.

This is why a beginner who had never managed to manifest anything properly can screw up when doing ceremonial witchcraft and end up bringing misfortune into their lives. Those ceremonies are meant to be performed that way, invoking those gods, for a reason. Best case scenario when you mess up is they don’t work. Worse case is they bite you back. Same goes for spirit work and especially so regarding demon work. I was curious about the Ars Goetia in the past, and I am immensely grateful that my naive, idiotic past self had enough brains not to attempt any summoning. If you want to prove to yourself that the magical world is real, there are better ways to do so.

Do I believe the gods are literally real? That Buddha walked his first step and a lotus flower bloomed under his feet? That Dionysus wrapped a ship in vines and turned the disbelieving pirates into dolphins? I don’t think so. But I have faith in my gods the same way one can be a Christian without believing that the Earth is 9000 years old. And I believe in magic because I have felt it and observed the evidence.

Maybe it was easier for me to believe because I grew up in an animistic and spiritual country, where things like divination and spirit work is ‘normal’ (although people do fear and respect the supernatural). Making offerings to household spirits is something my family does weekly. Hell, almost every family has a mini spirit house in their property that hosts the spirit of land guardians. Going to shrines and praying to our local version of ‘dryads’ and ‘tree ghost’ is common for if you want good luck or a bargain.

Messing with corpses is now outlawed, but witch doctors in my country have been known to make consecrated oil from the corpses of women. As recent as 2012, stillborn fetus had been used in ceremonies which turn them into household spirits to bring luck - if they are pleased and fond of you. Of course, magic of these types are against the law because the actions required to perform them are illegal, but the point is, it shows that magic is very real and still believed in where I come from.

If you’re coming from a western worldview where all of this is ‘weird’ or ‘primitive’ or ‘crazy’, it might feel difficult to trust in your supernatural senses, to have faith or to find your path. But if you keep practicing and refining your skills, you’ll find that magic is something that will always draws you back to it, that it is something you cannot live without.

#about me #witchcraft #paganism #hellenic #dionysus*#tarot #lenormand #energy work #witchblr

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strigascattus · 5 years ago

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Altars: How to Create Your Own (BOS series pt. 4)✨

Considering making an altar but you’re unsure of where to start? Well this post is here to to help you! I will cover the basics of building an altar. When you build an altar you can’t really go wrong, it’s something for you to take control of decide for your yourself.

What is an Altar?

A good place to start when looking into building an altar is to know exactly what an altar is. Essentially an altar is your place of power and where a lot of your magical work will take place. They can also be places to workshop or show reverence to your defies or to a spirit. The uses of altars are endless, and they’re all unique to the individual and the purpose they’re making it for.

There are different types of altars and different themes. Don’t feel like you can only have your altar up during specific times. If it’s a personal altar then let it stay up all year! Me personally, I like to leave mine up year long, and I like to add a little bit of decorations during the different sabbath to celebrate. My altar is set up to honor the the elements (with spirit) along side my goddess Bastet.

This is not an inclusive list by any means. As I stated above, there are endless of types of altars and even subcategories for types. The kind of altar you make is completely up to you, so don’t feel like these are your only options.

house altar🏡- This is the energy center of the house and is an altar for the entire family to use/draw power from. Usually this altar is located in the center of the house or the living room so that it is accessible to everyone. These altars often change with the season, and have some sort of object or item to represent each member of the family.

personal altar💞- Usually only connected to one of two people, and most often kept in the bedroom or closet. This type of altar is very personal to the person who makes it, often representing everything that they love and have passion for. It’s full of things like personal items, patron deity statues, anything that has value to them.

working altar💰- This is an altar that is usually only put up when it’s needed. Used mostly for spell work and spell casting. It’s unique to the spell and intention. When building this kind of altar, think carefully about every aspect of it and how it can add to and enhance your spell.

shrine ⭐️- A type of altar made to honor a specific (type of) deity or spirit. These usually have things like idols on them and a space to give offerings. When building this kind of altar, work closely with the being who it’s meant to honor. Figure out what they like or don’t like.

travel altar✈️- Often seen in mint canisters, these are a small collection of trinkets or items that you carry daily or only during extended stays and you want to keep a magical connection. Use things that you care about, but are also easy to replace incase anything ever goes missing.

Supplies You’ll need or Want

Below is a list of some really basic supplies that you’re probably going to want when building your altar. That doesn’t mean these things are necessary, always make sure to use what works best for you!

Flat Surface- This can be anything from a windowsill to a table. Just any surface that’s flat enough to display everything properly.

Cloth- this is not only to protect your surface, but the cloth can be a sign of respect if you’re making a shrine.

Incense Burner / Oil Diffuser

Candles (and holders) / Wax Melts

Bowl- Used mostly for salt and water, but also to make offerings

Pentacle- A sign of protection, feel free to draw this on your cloth or even a piece of paper.

Cup / Chalice- Used to hold water for blessing, cleansing crystals, or to make offerings of any drinks.

Cauldron- Used to burn or mis things together

Crystals / Stones

Some other, more traditional things you’ll see on an altar are things like:

Athame- A knife used for directing energy (sometimes used as a boline as well)

Boline- A knife used to cut herbs or branches, inscribe candles or carve runs / sigils into anything

Bell- Used to call on spirits or the divine. Basically opens up communications with the spirit realm.

God and Goddess Idols- Idols representing someone’s deities

Wand- A tool used to direct energy, usually gifted to you by nature but can be bought or crafted as well

mortar and pestle- Used to grind herbs, bones, or any other materials

Building your Altar: A how to guide

The part you’re probably waiting for, just exactly how do you build your altar? There is really no direct way to build one but I can offer some basic guidelines. Never feel like this is the only way to build an altar because you can do whatever feels right to you. As long as it looks good to you, and works with your energy well.

First off, you’re going to want to think about exactly where to place your altar. Think about the energy spaces in your home and room. What is your favorite spot or place? What makes you most comfortable? You should ask I take into consideration if you have pets, or high traffic areas. If you’re going to have breakable things on your altar you don’t want your cat jumping up there, or someone bumping into to it. Think carefully about everything.

Secondly, find your surface. My first altar was on a dresser in my closet, so just about anything will work! It can be as big or small a space as you need. Currently I am using a book shelve so my cats can’t reach or break any of my items.

Next get your cloth. You can get fabric from your local craft store or Walmart. Solid colors are cheap and there are tons of them to pick from.

The next thing you’re going to want to decide is your theme, or what kind of intentions you have for your altar. You can pick a center piece that reflects this. I used candles as my centerpiece to reflect me honoring the elements and my goddess Bastet.

Now the next best thing I focus on when building my altar, are where the candles and incense burner are gonna go. Since my main focus is the elements I have placed each candle in their proper direction. If you’re working with candles always have fire safety in mind.

After that comes your tools. Things like cups, bowls, athames, and anything else you would use. Figure out where you want to put these tools that way they’re easy to access.

The next part is to add some personal belongings and really set the mood for the altar. Me personally, one of my specialties is tarot, and that is heavily reflected in my altar. I also love crystals so I’ve added crystals in the spaces between my candles. I also like to decorate around each sabbath. Currently I am transitioning from Mabon to Samhain. I also added a cat statue to honor my goddess Bastet.

Those are the basics of setting up an altar! If anyone has any questions or would like some advice, please feel free to send me a message or ask! Hopefully this will help some of you!

Blessed Be💜

-The Witchy Cat😻

#the witchy cat #blog post #witch blog #witchblr #book of shadows #series post #ecletic witch #witch vibes #baby witch #beginner witch #elemental witch #witchcraft 101 #witch altar #the witchy cat blog series

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talesfromlordaeron · 4 years ago

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Bai’s Apprentice Part 5: The Search

Bai tried to ignore the feeling of panic as she spurred her hawkstrider into a fast sprint, looking for some sign of her missing apprentice. How Zully had managed to disappear so fast was beyond her -- heck, even she didn’t know how to turn invisible yet, surely he couldn’t have done that (right?) -- but she had to catch up with him quickly, wherever he went. Preferably before either of them got into trouble.

She circled the area around the bank and auction house a few times before coming to the conclusion that he wasn’t in the Valley of Strength anymore. “Alright, Bai -- focus,” she whispered to herself. Just before Zully disappeared, she had told him that the mining trainer was in the Valley of Honor. So maybe he had gone in that direction.

It was as good a lead as any. Bai spun hawkstrider around and headed toward the Drag...

As she rode her hawkstrider through the Drag and into the Valley of Honor, Bai continued looking around to see if she could manage to spot Zully. Trolls were notorious for their hunched-over posture, which made them notably hard to spot in a crowd, but she hoped that the less-crowded districts would make it easier for her to spot him and his deep blue mohawk. No such luck, at least on the roads.

The Valley of Honor was, as was normal for late evening, fairly empty. Bai rode up to the Red Canyon Mining, where the trainers were inside chatting with a client. Bai glanced at the adventurer -- a warrior, by the looks of his armor. Another or; definitely not Zully.

“Lok’tar,” the trainer greeted. “Looking to learn some mining?”

The warrior laughed. “Nah, not this mage,” he taunted. “She’s too pretty to pick up a real tool and get herself dirty. Probably doesn’t even know how to swing a real sword.”

Bai glowered at him, but didn’t dignify the insult with a response. “I’m looking for someone,” she told the trainer. “Did you see another mage come in here recently? A troll? Probably would have been looking for your services.”

The warrior let out another guffaw. “Don’t tell me you’re friends with him!”

Bai turned toward him with a raised eyebrow. “He was here?”

“Zully, right? Came in looking for training,” the trainer confirmed. “He left just a few minutes before you arrived.”

“And very nearly dropped his pickaxe on his toe on the way out,” the warrior added. “If he’s a friend of yours, you better go find him before he gouges an eye out!”

“He’s not going to do that!” the trainer snapped back. “You think I’d let that kid out of here if he didn’t know one end of his pickaxe from another?! You insult my teaching!” The two began arguing, completely forgetting about Bai as she slipped out of the shop.

Well, Bai considered, it was at least a start. She may have missed him, but she was on the right track. She mounted her hawkstrider again, trying to figure out where to look next. Leatherworkers, maybe? He’d been interested in skinning...

Bai rode up the Drag, squinting in the shadows as she looked for the leatherworking shop. She found it nearly empty, only the trainers inside. They looked up at her with considerable interest as she entered.

“Another mage, huh? Twice in one day, that’s rare.”

“That’s promising,” Bai said. “I’m looking for one who was coming this way. Young troll, blue skin and blue mohawk hair?”

“Yeah, that’s the one. Clumsy as all fuck, dropped his skinning knife twice but at least he didn’t cut himself. Left about five minutes ago.”

Bai slowly blinked. That was twice that she’d missed him. Also twice that someone mentioned him being clumsy -- no wonder he didn’t feel confident in learning a crafting profession. Bai wondered what training him in magic would be like; was that a reason none of the other mages had wanted to train him? “Thank you,” she said, offering a polite bow as she left the shop.

Now what? Bai got back on her hawkstrider, considering her options. Surely he hadn’t gotten eager enough to start gathering his materials to sell that he’d leave the city without her, especially if he’d been wanting her to take him to Dalaran. Unless he’d gotten impatient with her or thought she’d left him, and went in search of a mage to make a portal himself? Surely not -- how would he even pay a mage’s portal fees in the first place yet?

Maybe he went looking for the mage trainers. That was always the first place Bai went when she came into one of the capitals. Zully wouldn’t need their services yet, but perhaps he wanted to find them anyway. Maybe he figured that’s where mages were just supposed to go.

Bai retrieved her map, frowning as she studied the twisting roads. Getting to the Valley of Spirits was always such a pain from here; her own capital of Silvermoon may have been the largest of the Horde’s capitals and a pain to navigate in its own right, but at least the layout of the roads made actual sense. If she remembered correctly, there was a shortcut through the Cleft of Shadows...

She urged her hawkstrider down the narrow passage into the Cleft. If she didn’t catch up to Zully in the Valley of Spirits, then she wasn’t entirely sure where to go from there. Maybe he’d go back to where they last saw each other. Or maybe he’d be wandering around, looking for her?

As descended into the Cleft, she noticed the hunched-over silhouette of a troll emerging from one of the shops. She gave the figure a quick glance, but didn’t register any recognition. Then as she came closer, the troll lifted an arm and waved enthusiastically. “Bai! There you be!”

Bai brought her hawkstrider to an abrupt stop, staring in disbelief. Surely she hadn’t just randomly run into him down here of all places... and it was no wonder she didn’t recognize him at first...

“Where’s your hair?” she blurted out, briefly forgetting herself.

“Zully be needing a haircut before meeting Rhonin.” He ran a hand across his freshly-shaved scalp. “Zully be bald now.”

“O-oh....” Bai wasn’t sure quite what to say. “That was quite a haircut. Was that, uhh... was that intentional? Did they mean to cut it that... off?”

“What you mean?”

Bai buried her face in her hands, completely at a loss for what to even say. Here she’d been frantically searching all over Orgrimmar in a panic, afraid that she’d lost her apprentice before even getting started, and he was completely oblivious to all of that. When had he even gotten shaved? Had she run past him without even realizing it?

She felt her throat tighten and before she could stop herself, a nervous bout of laughter came bubbling up out of her chest.

“Hey, why you be laughing at poor Zully? You no like his new haircut?”

“Oh -- no, no, I’m not laughing at you -- I’m sorry!” Bai struggled to get herself under control, wiping away a few stray tears. “Nervous laughter, I guess. I just... I thought I’d lost you and I’d been looking everywhere for you, and now here you are just...” She sighed, managing a sheepish smile. “You scared me. Please don’t run off like that in a city this big, okay?”

“Oh. Zully be sorry.” He tilted his head to one side and added, “but Zully be okay, see? He like his new haircut. Even though he be bald now.”

Bai grinned and chuckled softly. “For what it’s worth, you do look nice as a bald troll. I’m sorry. You just look very different and it took me by surprise.”

“It be fine, mon.”

“Are you ready to start your training yet?”

Zully shook his head. “Nope. Zully gotta go to da big magic city first and thank Rhonin. Den Zully gotta start his business. Den Zully can start learning magic.”

“Right, that.” Well, there was no avoiding it now. “Listen, Zully, about that...”

“Ya mon?”

Bai sighed, shifting her gaze away. “Zully, I can’t take you to Dalaran. I’m not experienced enough to learn that portal spell. I can’t even survive in Northrend yet.”

“Oh.”

“I’m sorry, I know you wanted to meet Rhonin...”

“Maybe you be asking one of your mage friends to help?”

“I...” Bai paused, considering. There were Kirin Tor mages all over Azeroth, and it wouldn’t be unlikely for a few adventuring mages to find their way to Orgrimmar. But would any of them be willing to help. “I supposed I could try,” she said. “But... just... don’t get your hopes up, alright? I’m not sure if I’ll find anyone willing to portal us.”

Zully nodded solemnly. “It be okay. Zully believe in you.”

Bai blushed, turning away. I’m supposed to be the one encouraging him, not the other way around. “Thanks,” she said. Under her breath, she added, “I’m glad one of us does.”

“What you say?”

“Nothing important.” Bai got off her hawkstrider so she could walk alongside Zully -- and hopefully not lose him again this time. “Let’s head back to the Valley of Strength. More people tend to hang out there, so perhaps we’ll get luckier.”

“Okay, mon. Zully stay right beside you so he doesn’t get lost again.”

“Great.” Taking a deep breath, Bai headed toward the main gates. She could only hope when she got there, that she would find someone willing to lend a hand...

#bai's stories #world of warcraft #wotlk #warmane #fantasy rp #mage

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barberwitch · 6 years ago

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I was wondering about your thoughts on familiars? 🐍🦍🐆🐺🦉🐈🦚🦔🐇😁

*Cracks knuckles…prepares for the shit storm* brace yourselves...loooong fucking post.

95% of people I’ve seen talk about familiars, post pictures of their familiars and talk about how their *insert animal companion* helps them with their spell work…aren’t familiars. They are animal companions, aka pets. They also insist that because they are a witch with and animal who sits on their tarot cards, that it’s automatically a familiar.

Familiars can come in different forms (not talking about cat vs dog vs snake) but it must be reminded that familiar is shortened of “spirit familiar”. It’s not that pets can’t be familiars, it’s that the people who talk about their pets as familiars take inspiration from pop culture of what a familiar is. It’s not just an animal that follows the witch around. A familiar actively assists with the witch’s work.

Familiars that come in the shape of animals have been around for ages, and across cultures, but the things that ties them together is they appear of their own volition or in specific ways. They aren’t purchased from a pet store, they aren’t adopted from the shelter…is it possible? Sure I guess? Pet stores weren’t really around when most of the accounts of familiar came from. Oof. I need to organize my thoughts a bit.

Familiars Spirits are traditionally intangible/supernatural entities that may or may not choose to appear in physical form whether animal, entity’s “True Form”, or even under disguise, whether as something else or even as another person. Spirit familiars may also inhabit inanimate objects such as statues, spirit vessels (fetiche) such as roots, clay or earthen figures, empty boxes etc.

Familiars as Gifts

In some accounts, a familiar is given to a witch or cunning folk by another person.

In these cases it’s usually given by a teacher or mentor, or a family member to assist the practitioner in their path. Traditionally it’s someone with a hand in the recipients magical practice.

The spirit passed down may be the witch (or cunningfolk, but for the remainder of this post, I will refer to them interchangeably) indefinitely. The implication there is that the familiar not only is connected to the witch, but to their specific practice and thus can be viewed as a guardian of the path with the assumption that eventually, the witch will pass the familiar onto the next generation.

It may also be a personal familiar that is passed down. Personal as in this is the first time the familiar is passed on, and could become the type mentioned above (guardian style of either the path or family line) or it may be a temporary contract. The familiar may be with the witch to protect it, and assist in place of the original practitioner and may leave/disappear/die when they are able to conjure their own and enter into a pact with a new familiar (or create a pact with the old familiar).

In the case of being passed on, the relationship between witch and familiar, in lieu of a teacher, may impart certain secrets of the path. IT may also not even give the option to continue the relationship if the previous witch only extended the contract to get the new practitioner to a certain point or through hardship.

It should also be pointed out that specifically in european traditions and some north american lore, that the spirit familiar is given to the witch or magical practitioner by yet another spirit or entity who is more powerful. This could be a spirit mentor, Faery, or as a pact with “The Man in Black” Ol Scratch, or some iteration that has been interpreted as the devil or satan. In these cases, it is both a symbol of the relationship, a representative of the pact, a gift, and a tool.

Familiars as Animals

As mentioned and popularized both in folklore and in pop culture, familiar spirits may appear in the form of animals.

In the overly popular example of the Salem Witch trials, we see through trial records the purported importance of a “Witch’s Mark”. The mark is some bodily anomaly that supposedly was where the witch could suckle their familiar. It could be a mole, a birthmark, skintag, and was instrumental in the conviction of the accused.

Certain animals are more likely to be the form of a familiar, and that also depends on the geography of the witch as well as the culture. Example, in the US, black cats are inherently associated with witches, but in Scottland, Britain and other countries, you’re may be more likely to find a connection through hares, toads, and ravens more commonly than the black cat.

One reason that they appear as more common animals is to maintain the secrecy that envelopes the witch.

In pop culture, it’s always obvious when a familiar is a familiar because the animal is represented in stark contrast between the other animals. You will notice if a black crow flies to the same person’s house day in and day out when there are no other crows around. You would also notice if you were in the dessert, and a toad is always standing guard outside a home. The animal forms match the surroundings so it would be conceivable for the witch to deny the familiar as what it is “I found this toad in the scullery, it’s so pesky living near that damnable pond. Please wait a moment while I put this outside.”

There is also a connection and interpretation of familiars as being body doubles, or as having room for 2 spirits. Many stories about the folkloric witch hold that the animal appears throughout the town, or visits neighbors etc and is in fact the witch. Some versions hold that the familiar takes the form of the specific animal because that’s the form the witch can assume (conversely, the familiar teaches the witch to transform into a copy of it). This again maintains the witch’s anonymity because if you see the same animal around for a long time, it’s less likely to raise suspicion. It has also been alluded to that the witch enters the body of the familiar or projects their conscious into the familiar to see what need be seen and do what need be done remotely.

Animal familiar spirits in other accounts assume that shape to better serve the witch whether as lookout, intelligence gatherer or collector of needed ingredients.

Familiars also can assume the shape of multiple animals at once, but usually will be the same one, and smaller such as a cloud of flies, grouping of spiders, several small frogs, and even flocks of birds such as starlings, magpies and sparrows. Again, this depends on both the area and the witch.

Familiar Pets

This is one exception that can easily fall into the category of mundane pets and animals being considered familiars (Please note I said this is the easy exception. There may be others, but those are individual cases.)

Some animals are kept as divinatory familiars. This falls under the branch of Zoomancy - divination done through interpretation of movements actions and reaction of animals.

Ailuromancy, coming from the greek ailouros meaning “cat” is divination through…cats. How this is done varies depending on the culture and time, but it’s done by interpreting the movements, and actions of cats. Noticing how cats jump, where they land, what they do with their tales, whiskers, how they curl up, wash their faces, intonations of their meows.

Alectromancy is the process of using hens and or roosters for divination. Sometimes its observing their movements naturally, other times it’s done by placing the chicken in a circle with different symbols and placing feed on all the symbols, interpreting the actions and choices of the chicken as the answer to the question.

Arachnomancy is the process of divining knowledge past present and future through spiders. It’s been done in multiple cultures from the Inca who kept spiders to answer questions by placing them in bowls and reading how they moved the leaves around. In China, women would collect spiders at fortuitous times in incense boxes and determine events based on if they made webs or didn’t over night. In other cultures, the keeping of spiders was done to read their webs and habits. In other parts of the world, different type of leaves, or cards were moved by kept spiders to interpret omens and fortune.

The reason that these are considered familiars is because they are used directly in the witch’s work. They are kept and fed and cared for, but they have a separate purpose from just existing, and that is as a tool.

I have nothing against pets, I’ve got three myself. I love them, I care for them, they comfort me when I am sick, or tired, or stressed, but they are mundane animals. They were adopted, they were raised, and they do dog things. I joke when I refer to my black dog Arlo as a familiar because he brings me avocados. I don’t use avocados that often in my craft and there’s a tree in my backyard so it’s nothing spiritually enriching, just adorable.

Is it possible that your pet is a familiar? Yes. But most likely it’s just a treasured animal, and familiar in this definition: One who is often seen, and well known; synonym: Companion. Alt.: in close friendship; intimate. Synonyms: Casual, friendly, comfortable, informal.

The term “familiar”, the noun in regards to witches is a different definition: a spirit often embodied in an animal and held to attend and serve or guard a person.

There is precedent to referring to pets as familiars when it comes to having animals that are integral to your craft.

While it may not do anything inherently magical, if used for magic then it is sometimes referred to as a familiar.

Using an animal/pet for a working can also be referred to as using a familiar. Some people use their pets as a conduit or even as a spell holder to deliver the spell to someone else.

Paul Huson refers to these types of animals/familiars/magistelli as a power object

Yes, I mean you can put a hex on someone through your dog. Yes I also mean you can deliver a hex to someone by them petting your dog. or a blessing...that too

Additional note...If you’ve pissed off another witch and go to their home ask if they’ve read my blog before petting their dog. They may be using it to hex you...or bless you.

What does this mean?

If your pet doesn’t attend and serve you in your magical workings, or used in your magical workings on purpose it’s not a traditional witch’s spirit familiar.

If your pet gives you attention and happiness it is familiar to you.

A witch doesn’t need to have a familiar to be a witch. Yes, the 1648 law in Massachusetts defined a witch as one who “hath or consulteth with a familiar spirit.” But even that denotation of what makes a witch was repealed in 1682, ten years before the Salem witch trials. Even the puritans recognized that not all witches have familiars, and sometimes an animal is just an animal.

Familiar Spirits additionally

Some familiar spirits may appear and be subservient or loyal immediately. No pact or contract needs to be done, it’s more just…there.

Familiar spirits may be other spirits who enter into a pact with the witch. Either appearing spontaneously, or through a summons and communication.

This pact may be for a week, a month, several years, or a lifetime…even longer (see above, Familiars as gifts).

Familiars may not always be present. Some may have a resting place the witch must go to, some reside in a different realm, plane, dimension or whatever and need to be called forth to do work. Some may be around the witch at all times, but there is still the function of the familiar.

Familiars do what witches cannot. If that’s going out, gathering items, retrieving lost things, there is an air of purpose that familiars fulfill in assisting the witch in a real way.

This real way is often either physical or spiritual, and with the exception of popculture, most times it is not in an emotional sense like pets fulfill.

Familiars are spirits, and their forms may change, but they are spirits none the less.

Plant familiars are a thing. Most famous is the Alraune/Alrune/Alruna made from a mandrake. Other plant familiars are grouped under the title of Magistellius Flora.

Magistelli is one title for familiars, and some historians denote that the term “familiar” was passed on from the church to further pass judgement on witches for becoming familiar with the devil (through demonic servants).

As mentioned previously, spirit familiars may inhabit objects and go forth from there. The physical tether is usually cared for and attended to by the witch.

Even though the vessel isn’t living, it is fed and tended to usually as part of the pact made with the spirit.

Familiars in Pop Culture That are More Accurate than Others...

The VVitch (Movie)- the hare that appear numerous times throughout the film is a familiar. It’s not made clear if it is there as a watcher for the witch either holding the witch’s conscious, or as the witch herself. Another possibility is that the hare is a harbinger, delivering an enchantment on behalf of the witch to go unnoticed (The musket backfiring while the hare is watching). Another iteration or possibility is that the familiar is taking on the stance of protector or guard. When deep in the woods the hare is seen, and as the location of where the witch(es) live in the woods, it could be implied that it stands guard to repel interlopers, or notify the witch(es) of the presence of the puritans. The hare also, while not as widely associated with witches in the United States currently, must be recognized as still being very intensely connected to witches during the time period. The puritans immigrated to the colonies from England, and it can be inferred that the witch(es) who are at work in the woods also came from England or another European country.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV) - Sabrina actively seeks a familiar and goes into the woods asking for a (hob)goblin to attend her as a partner. Though it’s also acknowledged that familiars can be subservient and chosen that way. Numerous times, the cat (Salem) acts as a protector for Sabrina. As mentioned above, familiars are sometimes called forth to guide and protect witches through trying times, or to be near the witch to assist with workings when other witches cannot. You also see the spirit form of the goblin before it chooses what shape to inhabit. It’s usual for the true nature of the familiar to only be visible by the witch it has a contract with, but accounts (and experience) of others being able to see flits of the spirit if not discernable details is exhibited by Salem only showing his true form to Sabrina when they enter into the pact.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (TV) - Being a prime example of the British and Scottish interpretations of Spirit familiars being Fae, Faery, or the Good Neighbors, the story line includes a Faery referred to as “The Gentleman” (Further example of the relationship between fae and witches relating to the importance of names) who wishes to be the assistant, teacher, mentor of Mr. Norrell. A “common” occurence in scottish witch lore is that either the faery that the witch/cunning folk learns from in some cases is a familiar, but in other accounts bestows a familiar (lesser faery, animal spirit etc) unto the practitioner. This also is a fair representation both of the care needed when working with the fae, but also with working with spirits in general as they have autonomy, and a familiar gained through a pact, needs to be respected.

Harry Potter (Movie And Book Series) - While there are plenty of animals, fantastic beasts and witches throughout the story lines, there are only 2 (kinda 3) animals that fulfill the traditional sense of the word “Familiar”. Mrs. Norris the cat and Argus Filch have a relationship that is a parody of who people would assume is a witch (the irony being that he has no magical powers, but lives among those who do). A curmudgeonly man with a bad attitude, snarl and distaste for interacting with the general populous and a craving for torturing children with a cat (reads like a stereotypical witch). Mrs. Norris is described as having an uncanny ability to find rule breakers and an unexplainable connection to her owner. Being able to notify him when there’s rukebreaking afoot with a yowl and also being able to recognize and see through enchantments (Harry’s cloak). Nagini also fits the bill as being an animal with whom only the witch/wizard can communicate who also is able to act independently of them. Also being sent out both as scout, guard and having a connection the owner can use to see through their eyes/inhabit (Voldemort in Nagini/ the department of mysteries. Also the shapeshifting into Bathilda Bagshot and notifying her owner of Harry’s prescience.) **BEFORE YALL TRY AND GO OFF. I realize that as of the newest film, nagini can’t be considered a familiar as she’s a cursed witch blah blah blah. Before it came out, the books representation of Nagini is textbook Familiar.** Speaking of Fantastic Beasts, the Matagat are described as familiar spirits and it’s a little nod to folklore. They appear for like 3 minutes.

Bell, Book, and Candle (movie)- this film is full of tropes. It lays on some pretty thick liberties loosely based on lore surrounding traditional witches mixing it with fairy tale lore about them, namely witches being unable to love etc. But, the cat familiar Pyewacket is an accurate representation of how a familiar can act and be used. Touching on the subject of working magic through the familiar who is more cat with magic, than imp/goblin/demon/fairy/brownie in animal form, the main character uses Pyewacket as both a conduit for her spells as well as sending it forth for her bidding. It also represents the familiars ability to have autonomy and choose whether or not to listen if the pact is broken (this is shown by Pyewacket’s rejection to the main character after she rejects her powers).

Salem(TV) - Another example of familiars, with the additional Witch’s Mark lore incorporated.

Pan’s Labyrinth (Movie) - The mandrake is a textbook magistellus flora root familiar alrune piece of delicious representation.

There are others too but this post is long enough.

So....there are some of my thoughts. Also keep in mind that this is focusing on familiars in North America and European lore. There’s additional context to be had and differences when including South America, Asia, Africa and Australia. Also keep in mind, this is my view and opinions, if you call your parakeet a familiar, I don’t really care. That’s your choice and your practice and as the world adjusts so do practices, but as a traditional witch and folkloric witch myself......I could go on and on and had to stop myself from talking about Greek Genius spirits, Animism, accounts and trial records of witches and familiars, the Allegory of the Cave and more.

TLDR: Familiars are real, I work with them and they are not my pet dogs. If the only reason you call a pet a familiar is because it’s in the room while you light incense and you’re a witch...it’s probably not a traditional familiar. You can call it that sure, but it’s a different definition than is widely accepted and assumed when you say Witch’s familiar. If you do include your pet for workings then that falls in line with some of the iterations of the classical familiar.

🦇Cheers, Barberwitch

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