#RENEW WITCHES OF EAST END

[dark-corner-cunning]

Uncrossing With A Directional/Crossroads Cord-Cutting

Note to Reader: This post is alignment with my "Clear Your Path to Spring Success with Path Clearing Magick". This working can also be done in alignment with a Path-Clearing or Road Opener.

In life's journey, we often form connections with many individuals or situations, some of which may no longer serve our highest good. These attachments or cords, at times, can become detrimental, carrying negative energies, crossed conditions, or even manifesting tulpas that can wield influence over our thoughts and perceptions. To address these issues, the practice of a Crossroads or Directional Cord Cutting/Uncrossing can be immensely beneficial. 

The primary goal of this working is to sever all emotional, energetic, and spiritual ties that no longer serve us, including those we might not consciously recognize or know which direction they are coming from. It's important to emphasize that cord-cutting is not a tool for trivial matters, petty disputes, or seeking revenge. Engaging in this practice during moments of anger or emotional turmoil is not advised; instead, it is recommended to undertake this working from a place of clarity. However, I am not your witch mama lol and as a firm believer in free will, follow your intuition and act accordingly.

By actively releasing these attachments or cords, individuals can liberate themselves from the past and facilitate their own personal growth. As you undergo this process, you may experience a profound sense of detachment from situations or individuals that once held significant influence over your emotions. This newfound liberation can pave the way for a fresh perspective and a renewed sense of emotional, energetic, and spiritual freedom.

In essence, cord-cutting serves as a transformative working that encourages both parties to move forward in their respective journeys. As you embark on this spiritual practice, you may find yourself unburdened by the weight of past attachments and cords and find yourself more aligned with your true path. Embracing the power of cord-cutting can be a profound step towards healing, growth, and reclaiming your yourself and power.

Crossroads/Directional Cord-Cutting & Uncrossing:

Items Needed:

1 black figure candle to represent yourself. Also, a plain black candle will work too if you can't get your hands on a figure one.

4 white candles for the Crossroads & Directions

4 pieces of white cord

4 white pieces of paper with your name and date of birth on them

Frankincense and Myrrh incense for consecration

Uncrossing or Banishing Oil

Crossroads dirt (optional) you can also draw the crossroads

Aluminum pan (optional) I love these to burn in. Makes clean-up a breeze.

Candle Dots Adhesive (optional) you can always melt the end of the candles to your surface. However, these $5 treasures make attaching candles to any surface effortless!

Some hair cuttings (optional) I like using hair as a taglock

Directions:

Begin by burning the Frankincense & Myrrh incense. Use the smoke to cleanse and consecrate your candles, cords, paper, and pan.

Next, write or carve the directions on each white candle and for the black candle write or carve your name and date of birth. Or you can taglock it with some hair in a later step when you apply the Uncrossing Oil.

Now prepare your pan with the crossroads dirt or draw (+) a cross to represent the crossroads inside the pan.

Setup spell work like the picture above. Place a piece of paper with your name and date of birth under each white candle… also place the paper and candles in the correct directions… you might need to use a compass app to find the correct directions of the crossroads for you. It may be tricky tying the cords on the candles...this is where the candle dots help out by reducing the movement of the candles coming undone from the pan.

Put some Uncrossing oil on the white candles only. Work in opposites. North to South, East to West.

Ground and call in spirit guides, ascended ancestors, or any patrons or saints you may work with for your highest well-being and potential. You may want to offer some incense and a glass of water as offering while performing the spell.

Now it's time to open the crossroads by placing your hands over your working and say:

At the crossroads, I stand so bold, Where energy flows, boundless and untold. Paths diverge, choices to be made, Energetic roads, my power to aid.

I open the gates, direct the flow, Guiding the energy, high and low. At the center, I lay, in control and sway, Shaping the future, with each word I say.

Energetic pathways intertwine and bind, From the center, I stand, a force of a kind. Empowered and focused, in this sacred space, I shape destinies with my will and grace.

I command the crossroads to open wide, Reveal the path where destinies collide. Unveil the choices, the options to choose, Let me chart my course, win or lose.

Crossroads, part ways, reveal the unknown, Guide me through the journey I must own. Grant me the wisdom to make my decree, As I command the crossroads, open your gates and set my spirit free.

Put some Uncrossing oil and this would be the time to add some of your hair on the figure candle and say:

Here I stand surrounded by cords, shackles, and chains, workings and bindings against me for other’s desires and gains.

Protection comes to me this day and any unserving cords and crossed conditions will no longer have sway. By this uncrossing and cord-cutting, all unserving energy is sent away, back to the sender from which it came.

• Now call in the fate of the crossroads of the spirit gate and light the figure candle:

As I call to the fates of The Crossroads, I call to my highest self. Gateway of Spirit and Soul. I call you forth and invoke your ancient force. Crush and remove all malevolent entities, all unserving cords & attachments, and all curses & crosses placed upon me. Break & dissolve. Bless and set free. As it is now, so it is & so shall it be!

To be set free I will now call to the powers that be, from every fate of the crossroads to release all cords, crossings, and energy that isn’t serving me.

Now it is time to get ready to call in the fates of the crossroads of each direction and light the candles for each direction. Say the direction first and then light its corresponding candle right after. Remember to work in opposites.

North: As I call to the fates of The Crossroads, I call to the Winds beyond the North gate. Gateway of Air and Father Sky. I call you forth and invoke your ancient force. Crush and remove all malevolent entities, all unserving cords & attachments, and all curses & crosses placed upon me. Break & dissolve. Bless and set free. As it is now, so it is & so shall it be!

South: As I call to the fates of The Crossroads, I call to the fields beyond the south gate. Gateway of Earth and Mother. I call you forth and invoke your ancient force. Crush and remove all malevolent entities, all unserving cords & attachments, and all curses & crosses placed upon me. Break & dissolve. Bless and set free. As it is now, so it is & so shall it be!

East: As I call to the fates of The Crossroads, I call to the flames beyond the East gate. Gateway of fire and rising sun. I call you forth and invoke your ancient force. Crush and remove all malevolent entities, all unserving cords & attachments, and all curses & crosses placed upon me. Break & dissolve. Bless and set free. As it is now, so it is & so shall it be!

West: As I call to the fates of The Crossroads, I call to the bodies of water beyond the west gate. Gateway of Water and Grandmother Moon. I call you forth and invoke your ancient force. Crush and remove all malevolent entities, all unserving cords & attachments, and all curses & crosses placed upon me. Break & dissolve. Bless and set free. As it is now, so it is & so shall it be!

Let all candles burn completely and when they are finished say:

Consumed by the great and victorious fates of the Crossroads I have been set free.

Release Spirit:

Spirit guides, ascended ancestors, fates of the crossroads,(Patrons & Saints), and highest self… I release you to return to the infinite with my utmost gratitude and appreciation for watching over and assisting me. As above, so below. As within, so without. As the universe, so the soul.

Lastly, release the crossroads:

I command the crossroads to close now, No more paths to wander, no more to allow.

No more hesitations, no more second-guess, I command the crossroads to close, no more to access.

Dispose of the remains how you choose.

[chenford4ever]

Is Tim Bradford Leaving The Rookie? Eric Winter Posted a Big Clue to if He’s Returning For Season 6

As one of The Rookie’s original officers, the LAPD wouldn’t be the same without Bradford. But after five seasons, could Tim Bradford leaving The Rookie? The actor who plays him posted a telling clue about his character’s future.

Eric Winter plays Tim Bradford, a training officer at the Los Angeles Police Department who served as a Marine squad leader in Iraq and Afghanistan before joining the LAPD. In an interview with HollywoodLife in 2020, Winter, who also starred in Lifetime’s Witches of East End, explained why Bradford is one of the most difficult roles he’s ever played.

“It really is one of the more challenging characters I’ve had to play,” Winter said. “Alexi talked about this early on because in TV world every episode is such a slow build in real life for them. Everything is a slow pursuit and it’s very tempting for an actor to want to jump ahead with different emotions right away. So for him to really be able to play this balance of how little Bradford shows with emotion, how stoic he can be, and when he shows emotions and over what things, and what his triggers are, it’s been fun to dissect as an actor for this type of character.”

He continued, “It’s not as easy to be that stoic or that serious and tough and angry. He’s a very battered human. He’s got a lot of issues. He’s a broken guy. It’s been to see him shed off those layers little by little and show a softer side of who maybe he was the day he got into the academy. You can see how much the job has probably changed and shaped him. For those moments of bringing those out, it’s been really fun to peel back and show more and more and how he is with his training officers versus how he is with the other rookies. It’s been an incredible ride.”

But could Bradford’s time with the LAPD be over? Read on for what we know about if Tim Bradford is leaving The Rookie and what Eric Winter has said about his character’s future.

Is Tim Bradford leaving The Rookie?

Is Tim Bradford leaving The Rookie? The answer is no. Eric Winter, who has played Bradford since season 1 of The Rookie, confirmed in a Cameo video in January 2023 that he plans to stay on The Rookie if the series is renewed for a season 6. “You are the best fans in the world. It’s unheard of that we are growing in ratings because of the support we get from you all, so thank you for that. Please keep doing that, please keep enjoying the show,” Winter said. “Our ratings are better than ever. I feel really confident about a season 6. Nothing is official yet, but I do feel very confident given the way things are going, so get ready for more Rookie.”

The Rookie sparked theories Bradford was leaving on March 1, 2023, when the series’ official Instagram account posted a trailer for season 5, episode 18, “Double Trouble,” in which Lucy Chen says, “Tim just disappeared.” The trailer then cuts to Aaron Thorsen radios his team from outside a dumpster,” Seven Lincoln seven, I just found a body…it’s Tim Bradford.” “if tim is gone i am gone,” Instagram user @madison.cardillo commented on the post. Instagram user @destinee_the_best commented, “If he dies I’m not watching the show I’m sorry.” Instagram user @aug.eh added, “no way he’s dead lucy would be way more upset and they wouldn’t make a documentary.”

The episode, which aired on March 21, 2023, turned out to be a red herring. In “Double Trouble” the dead body isn’t Bradford but his look-alike, Dim, a criminal who is out of prison and goes on a crime spree with his girlfriend, Juicy, who is Chen’s look-alike. The episode starts with Thorsen finding Dim’s body in a dumpster after he went missing. Dim was missing for four hours and his time of death was about 30 hours before Thorsen found him.

In the end, the team discovers that Lisa Miller, Juicy’s best friend who Dim was cheating on her with while he was in prison, killed him. When Dim left prison, Lisa couldn’t handle that Dim was with Juicy instead of her, so she tried to run them off the road. When that didn’t work, Lisa met Dim, shot him dead and dumped his body in the dumpster. The episode ends with the team arresting Lisa after a shoot out between her and John Nolan.

In an interview with HollywoodLife in 2020, Winter explained how there was so much left to explore with Chen and Bradford’s relationship. “I couldn’t be happier to be part of it,” he said. “They picked this duo and turned them into Chenford and Tucy. It’s amazing, because going into the show, I don’t think anybody predicted that or thought that was even in the future.”

The episode, which aired on March 21, 2023, turned out to be a red herring. In “Double Trouble” the dead body isn’t Bradford but his look-alike, Dim, a criminal who is out of prison and goes on a crime spree with his girlfriend, Juicy, who is Chen’s look-alike. The episode starts with Thorsen finding Dim’s body in a dumpster after he went missing. Dim was missing for four hours and his time of death was about 30 hours before Thorsen found him.

In the end, the team discovers that Lisa Miller, Juicy’s best friend who Dim was cheating on her with while he was in prison, killed him. When Dim left prison, Lisa couldn’t handle that Dim was with Juicy instead of her, so she tried to run them off the road. When that didn’t work, Lisa met Dim, shot him dead and dumped his body in the dumpster. The episode ends with the team arresting Lisa after a shoot out between her and John Nolan.

In an interview with HollywoodLife in 2020, Winter explained how there was so much left to explore with Chen and Bradford’s relationship. “I couldn’t be happier to be part of it,” he said. “They picked this duo and turned them into Chenford and Tucy. It’s amazing, because going into the show, I don’t think anybody predicted that or thought that was even in the future.”

He continued, “When he was going through stuff with Isabel, she was the one there trying to protect him and keep him from getting into trouble and going down the wrong path. She’s constantly looked out for him even though he tells her not to. She’s returned that tough love with a lot of care back, and I don’t know that he’s experienced that with any other rookie. So to answer your question, I think he’s going to continue to be tough on her, but it’s different. I think he’s always going to worry and care about her because I think there’s something more with him than just another rookie. Whether it’s deeper friendship or whether it’s going to be love, whatever the case is, she’s not his typical rookie.

Winter also told HollywoodLife at the time that he would be open to a romantic relationship between Chen and Bradford.” I think it’d be great to see it develop,” he said. “I don’t think it should be something that happens all of a sudden like him and Rachel or Lucy and Emmett where they’re in bed one day and, boom, they’re together. That moment when and if it happens… We always joke it’s the Ross and Rachel moment. Everybody’s waiting for this to happen. Will it ever happen? Well, if it does happen, are they going to screw it up? It needs to be fumbled and bumbled and messed around until that spark happens. It’ll be that much bigger. You know, when I gave her CPR when I rescued her, everybody took it like I made out with her.”

When asked if he thought Bradford was in love with Chen, Winter told HollywoodLife, “I know fans think that we’re both in love with each other. I think there are real and new feelings emerging for Bradford that is making it very frustrating for him. Because I don’t think he’s ever had this happen. With his ex-wife, they were in the academy together and they came up together. This is different. I don’t think he’s ever had this sort of muster of emotion and feeling for a rookie. I don’t think he’s ever allowed it. I think his walls are so thick and hard, especially because he met his wife in the academy, so he wouldn’t really be doing that anyway. He was married. But I think this is the first time that hard exterior is being chipped away by someone who’s been persistent. I do think there is a real care and love that’s evolving into more that is frustrating for him because he’s not sure how to deal with it or how to process it. We always joke on set… Who would make the first move? Would it be Chen or Bradford if it were to happen?”

Will there be a Rookie season 6?

Will there be a Rookie season 6? The answer seems to be yes. While ABC hasn’t officially renewed The Rookie for a season 6, the show has already started casting for the upcoming season. In March 2023, acting agency Stan Kirsch Studios shared an Instagram post announcing that their client, Dave Kumar, had been cast in the upcoming season. “Congrats to @davekumar_ on booking his role in #ABC’s #TheRookie!!!” the post read. “thank you!!” Kumar commented.

Many fans also took to the post’s comments expressing their excitement over The Rookie season 6. “Wow! The Rookie season 6?” Instagram user @coli.fata commented. Instagram user @emma_amelia95 added, “So The Rookie is getting a season 6?” “#therookie #season6,” Instagram user @evilremobadkitty wrote.

[danielditomass0]

@danielditomasso as #KillianGardiner in #WitchesofEastEnd season 1 ❤👍 #tbt #fbf #DanieldiTomasso #RenewWitchesofEastEnd https://t.co/WOB2GDtbGB https://t.co/USCIarVKGk

[ramus-mortium]

Bring back my witchees 😭😭

[tvmoviesandmagic]

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@danielditomasso #KillianGardiner #WitchesofEastEnd #RenewWitchesofEastEnd #DanieldiTomasso #WOEESequel #WOEEMovie

[emiarainewrites]

Anyone interested in Blood Drive fics?

Reader inserts mainly. Maybe headcannons, depends on what you might be looking for.

I’d be happy to write for just about any of the main characters (especially Julian Jonathan Slink!)

I just wanna resurrect this fandom and support it and do something for this show. It richly deserves anything it’s fans can give it.

Like Rocknrolla, if we aren’t getting a continuation then I’m gonna have to get my fix somehow!

PSA:

Blood Drive is a criminally underrated show that was cancelled WAY too early (fuck you syfy channel). So go check it out and spread the word!!

[i-am-a-scholar-of-magic]

On The Origin of (Witch) Species - My Thoughts

In previous posts, I have touched on the development of bile sacs and magic in the “The Owl House” series, promising to dive deeper into it. Now we come to my thoughts on where witches came from on the Boiling Isles. For this post, I will be examining the similarities and differences between witches and demons on the Boiling Isles and sharing my thoughts on why witches so resemble humans.

As referenced before, Eda claims in “The Intruder” that witches used to perform magic “differently,” with the implication that this somehow predates the bile sac and is related to the glyphs that Luz discovers. Another interesting line is Eda claiming in “Adventures in the Elements” that wild magic is about “making a connection with nature” and that the “earliest witches knew that.” This is the basis for the history of witches apart from demons given in the series so far. 

As for demons, Hooty claims in “Knock, Knock, Knocking on Hooty’s Door” that their “ancestors arose from the muck of a decomposing Titan,” providing a clear confirmation that demons came from the Titan of the Boiling Isles. However, this implies that witches did not. Granted, the distinction between the two has always been a bit vague, with some witches having obviously inhuman traits, such as Boscha’s third eye. 

However, I have come to the conclusion that the largest distinction comes from the origin of witches, which is completely different from demons. I think that while demons were formed from the Titan … witches originally came from the human realm. 

More specifically, witches are the descendants of humans. 

In the series premiere, Eda explains that “every myth” humans have is from a bit of the Boiling Isles “leaking” into the human realm. This seems like a handwave to explain Eda’s stand until the end of “Keeping Up A-fear-ances” in season two, when Gwendolyn first mentions “Titan’s Blood,” and gives more information on these “leaks” that carry “plants, animals - you guys have a lot of garbage, by the way. But humans are rare.”

This idea is further elaborated on in “Eclipse Lake,” where one of Philip’s diary entries goes deeper into the concept of “wild” portals: “There are old tales of lakes reflecting green trees and blue skies. The Titan’s veins run through the land. And many believe that these wild portals are created when a little of its blood leaks into the water. That is how I came here …”

This provides further confirmation that humans can be caught in these wild portals, and that such things have been happening for quite some time. Centuries, at the least. 

Now, Gwendolyn does refer to Titan’s Blood as “rare,” but a simple conjecture is that it is only rare in modern times. Like any non-renewable resource, supplies dwindle over time with its use. It stands to reason that in the distant past, Titan’s Blood was far more common, and perhaps created larger wild portals, more frequently, and that stayed open for longer. 

This might explain the creatures of human myth no longer seem to exist, but that’s neither here nor there. 

It is entirely possible that these “olden portals,” shall we say, accidentally transported a population of humans that were stuck on the Isles and forced by circumstances to adapt or die. Heck, given archaeologists theories about several “waves of migration” of early humans, it’s possible that this kind of event happened several times all over the world and introduced humans of numerous areas to the Isles. *This also would explain why witches resemble human phenotypes - such as Gus and Skara resembling African/Black humans, Willow resembling East Asian phenotype, and so on.*

Now that we know how the ancestors arrived, how did they become witches?

The short answer: Evolution. 

Now, before people start to freak out at that word, here’s the definition I will be using: “The gradual change of a species over time.” This is the basic idea of very slow change in a species can be seen in real life through selective breeding of domesticated animals - though that is technically not evolution as it is guided by design rather than chance and happens much faster.

Now then: When these ancient human populations were dropped onto the Boiling Isles, they found a way to eke out a life, but something caused them to evolve into modern witches with bile sacs and who could digest food of the Isles. (See “How Bile Sacs Work - My Thoughts” for more details on differences between humans and witches.) The most likely answer is magic itself. 

In the opening of “Young Blood, Old Souls,” King explains that the original magic of the Titan was “so potent that all life on the Isles evolved to wield magic, too.” This is a direct reference to evolution of species on the Boiling Isles, and provides credence to the idea of witches-from-humans. It also strongly hints that the magic of the Isles is what caused this process, the sheer potency of the local magic acting as a mutagen. 

Why this didn’t impact these proto-witches’ outward appearances - to the point that Luz mistook Eda for a human upon their first meeting until she revealed her pointed ears and Willow only determined Luz was a human by noticing round ears - could be because physical changes would not have helped them. The law of natural selection, a cornerstone of the theory of evolution, denotes that useless or harmful mutations will hamper a subject’s ability to survive and repopulate. 

It is also possible that crossbreeding with demons kind may have contributed to this adaptive process, as in “K,K,KoHD” Hooty has a folder labeled “Hybrids.” Whether this refers to witch-demon hybrids or hybrids between demon “species” is unclear. This would also help explain why biped demons, in Hooty’s words, have bile sacs “just like witches.”

To finish this narrative, the proto-witches would have had no bile sacs to draw upon for quite a few generations. Thus, they likely used glyphs to interact with the world through magic. Using them may have even accelerated this process as it kept them in direct contact with magic. When bile sacs emerged and their properties were discovered, glyphs fell out of favor and were eventually forgotten. 

A final interesting note is the implied history of Philip’s mysterious companion/possible brother that strongly suggests he fathered a child with a witch. Biologically, plants and animals have to be extremely closely related genetically to create hybrids, such as horses and donkeys breeding to foster a mule. This adds evidence to the idea that witches and humans are closely related and/or have a common genetic background. 

To sum up, the show strongly hints that witches have a different origin than demons. Further examination suggests modern witches of the Boiling Isles are the magic-altered descendants of humans brought to the Isles by wild portals. 

Thanks for reading! More to come …!

[kuromikoneko]

I just finished re-watching Witches of East End...

...for like the third time and I’m pissed it left us with so freakin’ many cliffhangers. I understand WHY they did that, but like...ugh they didn’t get renewed. Soooooo, here’s what I’m doing in my head to ‘fix things’ for a nice clean finale. Below the cut cause spoilers:

Freya can sense Killian’s SOUL, not his body. Even though the spell Dash uses is old (and he claims untraceable), it’s not as old as Freya and Killian’s love, so she’s going to recognize it’s NOT Killian in that body EVENTUALLY and figure out how to fix things.

Wendy will find a way out of the Underworld and back to the land of the living. I do not have the specifics but she can’t be dead for long. Helena greeted her in a not quite confrontational way so MAYBE they were on good terms and can commiserate over their father’s assholery? And since she selflessly gave up her last life for a single father and a man she finally and truly fell in love with, maybe that’s a point in Wendy’s favor for getting a second shot at life.

Also, not a neat, clean finish, but I don’t believe King Nikolaus is dead. I think he just lost the host body of Tommy. I don’t have any more than that but logically I think he’s still around somehow.

High heeled boots leaving the knifed body of Frederick...hmm...one would assume it was Raven the FBI agent cause she was last seen at Fair Haven arresting Dash and Frederick was there, but how could she get the jump on a warlock unless they were trying to introduce Witch Hunters who might have special powers. If it is Raven it might make sense because she talks about East End and Fair Haven like some big mystery she’s been trying to solve or find for some reason. But Frederick could be that big, one true death of the season, or someone finds him and heals him. Or he’s also been cursed by Nikolaus in a similarly ‘kill you and you reanimate/heal yourself after some time’ since they discussed torture over the centuries. Maybe it’s like Zelda killing Hilda and then burying her in the garden.

Ingrid having a kid. It better be Dash’s and I think it could be a good thing if Dash ever gets his shit together and avoids his grandfather’s legacy. And Ingrid could be a good influence on Dash, especially as she knows what happened in the past with herself and Archibald, so she could avoid those pitfalls again. Whether it’s romantic or just co-parenting, it could be good. I hate Dash immensely, but I do see moments of great kindness in him, especially around Ingrid.

Oh and I want Alex to come back to Joanna!

[bestworstcase]

Ok, based off of Moira saying ‘this is why I never went to church!’ Do Saporians have an organized place of worship for any deities? Are there masses or whatever held for Zhan Tiri? Is it a weekly or monthly thing, or are some ppl super devout and worship on the daily? Zhan Tiri does have a statue that gets offerings, was it common to do that pre-conquest, did they have small altars or shrines inside? Are there traditional prayers to Zhan Tiri by fishermen against storms? (All the questions!)

broadly speaking char malách has temples, cathay has barrows, and zhan tiri has henges or gardens. and then you get shrines everywhere - big ones in public squares or government buildings, and smaller ones in private houses and so on it’s very. everywhere. and then there’s places that aren’t like... places of worship specifically but are held as sacred grounds by their cults. so, uhhh

thorn syconium / zhan tiri

cashághē is the formal name of the socona henge, about five miles east of socona and right up against the edge of the peatland just south of the pingora mountains. it was always one of the larger henges and it’s one of the few that escaped being completely dismantled by coronans during the occupation, mostly because the nature of the terrain made it too hard to get to on horseback. so now it’s the seat of the syconium and kind of the place where henge holidays are formally celebrated. 

the syconium doesn’t really do... like anything resembling mass or sermons, organized worship is very oriented around henge holidays, of which there are... eleven (sometimes twelve) minor ones per year and then five major festivals. the five major festivals are like if you’re pious, if you’re observant at all of the syconium’s tenets, you go to a henge to observe the festivals if you can, and if you can’t then you do the observance at your own shrine. and then the minor henge holidays occur every month on the fifteenth of the month, they’re called crēzáthanchīl / lady’s day, and you Can go to a henge for them if you want to but only deeply devout people do that. they’re pretty much just days of rest and, traditionally, feasting.

the five major festivals are: 

azdīnach - the vernal equinox:

this one is kind of weird because, um, the sorchān calendar has a three year cycle of full year (ghaénīchē), small year (ghoshnīchē), and long year (nicheílean) and. in full years, the equinox happens on the 26th of araeháziray, which is the final month of the year and the last  month of the ‘formal’ winter season. and then small years don’t... have a spring equinox, hence the name. and then long years have two spring equinoxes, one on the 9th of azlóhot, which is the first month of the year and the first month of the ‘formal’ spring season, and then one on the 19th of the intercalary month shaecaher, at the very end of the year during what’s called ‘little spring.’

so because of this weirdness azdīnach is a festival very concerned with beginnings and endings. the spring azdīnach is the ideal time to open a new chapter of your life; the winter azdīnachs are best for letting go of things that have been harming you. if you’re a farmer or gardener you start planting on azdīnach, if you have a child you name them during the festival or at least hold off on announcing their name to the community until the festival, and one of the biggest components of the festival is funerals! for everyone in the community who has died since the last one. 

[there is no burial or equivalent component of saporian funerals, so it’s like - within the syconium, when someone dies the burial rites are done and the body is planted right away, and then you hold the memories until the next azdīnach and everyone in the community participates and mourns together.]

cresilínaeraegh - the summer solstice:

the saporian name for this one translates as ‘flower-maker’s day’ and out of the five it’s definitely the one that is the most. like fun. the festival itself is generally just kind of a big party, there’s a feast, there’s history songs, and prior to the conquest it was mostly notorious for being extremely loud and often very drunk gkjslkdjf. but theologically what cresilínaeraegh is about is commemorating the creation of ki itself, which was a joint… effort would be a strong word since it was kind of an accident LMAO but a joint project of zhan tiri’s and ri ni’n’s and huma’s and turul’s! and then this gets generalized into a celebration of life and growth in general. 

azchīlál - the autumnal equinox:

 so. this is kind of the shadow twin of corona’s festival of lights, in that the festival of lights is kind of ‘we are saying goodbye to the sun and bracing for the winter to come’ and has this big focus on symbolically remembering and honoring the sun in order to survive until spring. and azchīlál is more like ‘we are ritually killing the sun to perpetuate the endless cycle of rot and renewal’ KLASDJFK. azchīlál is the one where you get the ceremonial sacrifice of goats and other animals. harvests during the day and the sacrifices / feasts / revel after sundown. 

tároshdhan - 15th of tárosh

this is one of the lady’s days but it’s the important one, and of the five major festivals it has the most significance and like, weight. traditionally it’s considered the day zhan tiri achieved or discovered choimghē (so, the day she ate ri ni’n), although i tend to think sorchā fudged the dates here a little bit. tároshdhan is very very very heavily associated with magic and the mingling of the profane and sublime. it’s kind of a witch’s holiday; magic is thought to be most potent on tároshdhan, there’s a lot of syconium rituals that are properly supposed to be performed or begun or ended on tároshdhan, stuff like that. (the crēdathámanē takes several years and is supposed to both begin and end on tároshdhan). the festival itself is accordingly pretty focused on magic and ritual. 

crēlādīnacharogh - the winter solstice:

this one translates as ‘sun-eater’s night’ and in a similar vein as cresilínaeraegh it commemorates the slaying of jinarche and creation of the cosmos by [what would become] zhan tiri. in contrast to cresilínaeraegh though it’s a very solemn holiday! it’s kind of an accounting of wrongs and it’s kind of equally about atonement and retribution. crēlādīnacharogh is both a time for making amends or laying grudges to rest and for striking back against those who have harmed you, and there’s whole theological arguments to be had about identifying when the former is appropriate and when the latter is necessary. it has a reputation for being the bloodiest and most dangerous of the syconium’s holidays and prior to zhan tiri’s banishment i think that reputation was pretty earned because. if zhan tiri decided to smite you this is the day she’d do it. jksdfkj

it also has an element of paying reverence to huma, which is a really common characteristic for winter solstice holidays throughout the world because of the ‘humaic winter,’ which rosalia references in moonless air 13 and which - basically early in the shattered era one of huma’s cults pissed her off so she took the sun away. for six months. which caused famines and freezes and obviously it was night all over the world for six months while people frantically petitioned their gods for help. gkjsdjkf and then after that she was cajoled into bringing the sun back but this obv had an enormous cultural impact and now virutally every culture across the globe has some sort of holiday that boils down to ‘appreciate the sun or she might disappear again’ and also a big part of the reason why huma, despite being the third oldest god around and supremely powerful, has only a teeny tiny handful of small cults scattered around.

anyway! other important places for zhan tiri in saporia include: 

janus point/cresezáhan - a much smaller ceremonial henge built around a yew tree zhan tiri inhabited from time to time, enough to imbue it with her power. unlike cashághē it’s not the sort of henge you’d go to for holiday festivals; it was used for specific rites and by witches who would visit it to collect magic.

 stashalaghē - the pitch pond sirin visits in benighted chapter 2. like cresezáhan it’s a deep reservoir of zhan tiri’s magic, and specifically it’s located in the hollow zhan tiri tears in the peatland in this snippet. there’s no henge built around it because, for personal reasons, zhan tiri didn’t want one there, but it’s otherwise used the same way janus point is. 

the charcāthēn gardens - these don’t actually exist anymore, but they were a sprawling, half-wild garden in charcāthēn’s religious quarter prior to the conquest. sorchā grew them, maintained them, and lived in them, and they were kind of a cross between open-air theater, community garden, school, and nest.

 lady’s point/crēchíol - all that’s left of this is the defaced statue of the lady cassandra sees in benighted chapter 22; it used to be a much more elaborate and well-maintained shrine. this one was built by źatīr thēshala after they swore fealty to her and - kjsdfjk yes alcorsīan sailors would leave offerings there (of shells and bits of seaweed usually!) for good luck before they disembarked. 

and then anyone who keeps a garden or a farm or anything where they’re growing plants or keeping animals will probably have a shrine to zhan tiri somewhere. prior to the conquest this was often like, literally a little statue you’d stick in the garden somewhere, but in modern times it’s a lot more common to have like, ‘stealth’ shrines where it’s like, a murex shell tucked away somewhere or a bundle of feathers tied to the side of a planter box or something like that that a coronan wouldn’t be able to identify as an icon of zhan tiri. 

the splendorous temple / char malách

 pre-conquest there were large, elaborate temples in each of saporia’s major cities - artois, alcorsīa, and charcāthēn - with the one in charcāthēn doubling as a seat of government where the thaómazhatēm convened. the one in artois was torn down during the occupation, the one in alcorsīa survived for a lot longer but was effectively barricaded by coronans and sat empty and neglected for centuries until it was also torn down about a hundred years ago, and the one in charcāthēn has been gutted and is partly in ruins but also still in use, albeit secretly. 

services in the temples also don’t really. bear any resemblance to mass - there’s no preaching and i think of it as being more akin to like, a creative workshop? the temple in charcāthēn definitely skirts around the illegality of ternary worship by fronting as an arts school ajksdfjk and i think if a coronan stumbled into a service they… really wouldn’t see anything amiss unless they knew what to look for and where and knew enough saporian to recognize epithets of char malách. and then there’s also i think a really strong culture of like, small group philosophizing where you get together with some friends and a cháthar and just talk over tea.

i think of the splendorous temple as having tons of little holidays scattered throughout the year and really pious people might observe all of them but most just kind of pick and choose the ones they like! a lot of them involve lighting fires in some capacity jksdf. but. the Big One is cháraen, which always happens on the 5th of chámchar so the last month of formal summer. and cháraen’s festivities are basically.

- a water fast begins at noon on the preceding day (the 4th). adults who are observing the fast will generally spend the night cooking, because

- you get up at dawn on the 5th and break fast either in the temple itself or in your own community; both options are a potluck style feast where you’re expected to bring your own homemade dishes 

- then for the rest of the day and evening it’s - almost like a fair with music / dancing / street performances but also the idea is you spend the day Making Things, so on cháraen you see a lot of people in the streets with easels and in heavily pious neighborhoods a lot of craftspeople and artisans will open their workshops and give lessons to the public - as a consequence of this a lot of apprenticeships get started during cháraen because it gives professionals an opportunity to spot young people who have the knack for their craft or just seem really passionate about it.

 - at midnight there are huge community bonfires or even like pyres and you ceremonially burn the things you spent the day making.

it’s. meant to be a celebration of the beauty of both creation and destruction, and like a time of reflection on mortality and the finite nature of existence and finding appreciation in what one hands whilst accepting that loss is inevitable but survivable. 

char malách doesn’t have as many sacred places as zhan tiri does because he’s a lot less liable to get attached to specific places but one really significant location for him is laran house & the golden spring. which has actually indirectly shown up in the story, here:

“—And this is ‘Daybreak on the Golden Spring.” Nigel clears his throat as he glides to a halt before the next painting, and Rapunzel gives it a dutiful glance. A tumble of pale stone, dewy ferns; honeycombed with small azure pools. Steam rises off the water in misty suggestions of gold, giving the whole landscape a gauzy, sun-struck look. “Marvelous piece. From Pamona Percy’s garden series; she completed this one in fifteen… forty-six, if memory serves. See how the water shimmers? She mixed powdered nacre with her paints to achieve an iridescent effect.”

it’s a system of hot springs nestled in the pingora mountains - i think of it as being actually quite close to rapunzel’s tower because the idea of calanthe visiting on the regular really tickles me - and laran house is… kind of a cross between an inn and a museum? built just beneath it. it is super off the beaten path, to the point that i don’t think corona is actually aware of its existence. but the springs are sacred to char malách and touched by his magic - the legend is that the springs bloomed in the wake of massive volcanic eruption that was a manifestation of char malách - so laran house is run by the temple and gets a steady trickle of saporian guests.

the barrow makers / cathay 

there is a vast system of interconnected barrows under the hills of śaedhíhran, a town close to charcāthēn that is essentially a fully-fledged city populated entirely by cultists, barrow-wights, and an assortment of criminals and dissidents who aren’t too squeamish to hide out from the law there.

most religious saporians pay reverence to cathay on her holidays and [if they’re not following syconium burial rites and funeral customs instead] during funerals, and otherwise let her be. her cult is largely composed of bone-witches like sitheach, and then undertakers, grave-diggers, barrow-makers and so on, people for whom death is a profession. and then she does get some really extreme little murder cults that pop up now and again but, while mass murders and wars do draw her attention, cathay doesn’t really… care? about individual deaths so murder is not like, encouraged. and the ternary cult is under constant pressure from the syconium and the splendorous temple to not be killing people willy-nilly so it tends to dispatch the murderdeath cults when they pop up gjkdksf anyways

the point being. barrow burials, funerals, and parts of salanmora are open to adherents of the other two cults of the ternary, as are the rites involved when you’re hiring on undead workers (i have mentioned this before i think but a LOT of saporia was built with undead labor, and most pre-conquest saporian buildings will have a little shrine to cathay built into them somewhere as payment for services rendered), and bone-witches are allowed to do temporary reanimation in front of other people, but everything else is closed.

 a key component of the faith is repudiation - bone-witches give up their given and sometimes family names and take on new monikers, they might sacrifice certain memories or feelings, it is… not uncommon for the really highly-ranked ones to have undergone amputations and replaced whole limbs with bone constructs and stuff like that! it’s considered to be one of the strictest and most difficult magical paths not just in saporia but anywhere. and it’s all very secret and even within the cult one’s personal repudiations are considered to be extremely, extremely private information. it’s between you and cathay and nobody else has a right to ask. 

when the cult gathers it’s almost always for wight-raising, which is an Event! traditionally it happens during the closed portions of salanmora or on the 5th of shóldan (in spring), dathamánē (in summer), sicáraen (in autumn), or shalámaer (in winter).

and the difference between temporary reanimation and wight-raising is a temp wight is only viable for a few hours at most - cathay’s magic is propagated through the blood of the caster, so basically with temp wights as soon as the cuts scab over the magic washes out of the corpse. whereas a permanent wight is prepared and usually done by large groups of bone-witches; there’s a variety of different rituals for different kinds of wights - the rite sitheach used with lance in moonless air chapter 8 was pretty much an abridged version of a rite that would, with an actual corpse and a few more bone-witches to help, result in a flesh-wight that wouldn’t rot until the magic unraveled a year or so later. these are the popular choice for undead labor because they’re physically quite a bit stronger than bone-wights and also a lot less intensive to create, vs bone-wights which can last for centuries but are comparatively weak and take a huge amount of effort to raise. 

wight-raising aside a lot of the religous practices in the barrows involve meditation, both individually and in groups, often in magically-induced altered states of consciousness like what happens during the public portion of salanmora. it’s a very. contemplative faith that is very concerned with separation from the individual consciousness and seeing and appreciating and being integrated with the pattern of the collective.

i think the first rite anyone goes through when they become acolytes of cathay is spending the night alone in a crypt or a catacomb with nothing but the dead for company - it’s about facing the reality of death and then relinquishing your fear of it and if you can’t do that then you’re not allowed to fully enter the cult. 

[badassindistress]

The Thylead (Session 19)

Sweet Citizens of Mytros, will you hear my song

I pray for your indulgence, I won’t be here for long

My name is Mania, I am a fallen star

But now I have been chosen to stop the Titans’ war

The Titans would deceive you, that they are just and fair

But to soothe Sydon's tempest, I had to give up half my hair

So treasure you your kind gods, who would never wish you pain

And distrust those heinous others, who'd use your fear for their gain

So sing a song for Kyrah, pray your thanks to Vallus fair

With the Five and with Thylea, you need never despair

The next morning, Volkan’s weird robot messenger delivers a golden shield. (casts thunderwave as a bonusaction + advantage on initiative and perception)

Thalestris goes to find Makaila, who is jogging. Thalestris informs her that the island can’t wait and she’s going to do something but needs information. There’s not much in the way of cities on Themis, but the last holdout was the sacred temple. It’s probably where she’ll find the not-queens. Thalestris asks if there might be anyone else willing to help. She could ask if Moxenna wants to help. Makaila wouldn’t ask, because she doesn’t know her motives. There’s Temple is on a little island in the bay to the north-east, start there. It’s doubled as a prison in the past, might be where they’re keeping Daran. 13 years ago, it was a narrow space, easy to get guards in and hard to sneak through. It was underground.

Makaila sketches her a quick map of the island. Thalestris doesn’t remember much of Themis. The temple wasn’t a place normal amazons went in and out. Makaila warns her not to try killing them all alone. Thalestris says she’s gonna go ask if the others want to help, but if they say no she’ll figure something else out. Thalestris says that her sister and she are going to be the priestesses of their faith and if another cult has taken over the island it’s her duty to take it back. Makaila tells her to not get herself killed, Thalestris thanks her and says it’ll be fine.

They arrange for Bullbug to ready the ship and go say goodbye to Vallus. Vallus acquired a not-perfectly complete map for them, that shows the relevant Islands. It’s 60 days before the Oath of Peace. I the Peace can’t be renewed, right as the Oath ends would be a good time to strike. Vallus won’t advise playing games with Lutheria unless they’re desperate. Titans are weaker now than they were in the first war, after the Oaths ends their strengths may begin to grow again. She believes striking quickly will be enough. Vallus shows them the 10 islands on the map:

Island of Yonder = library, base for Gaius and the Order of Sydon, might be of use but dangerous because of them.

Golden Heart = The tree and the heart of Thylea, hard to reach, the stars will guide them

Fire Island = lizard people who throw outsiders into volcanos, there’s maybe dragon eggs, try diplomacy, don’t get captured or you’ll get the volcano, they have a bad relationship with the mainland.

Island of the Fates= Vallus doesn’t know which constellation it’s under (one other island is nearly impossible for regular sailors.)

Chimera Island = a small island, home to a rampaging chimera that might have some cool items in it’s hoard

Island of Exiles = for those ostracised, more political crimes than hardened criminals, and also Acastus’ mom was exiled 7 years ago, for Reasons

Scorpion Island = home of centaurs, last known location of the Lotus Witch

Indigo Island = home to a variety of people, recent under attack of a malicious metallic dragon (so not Hexia)

Titan's Folly = Vallus tells them not to go. It is sealed off, which will be obvious should they go there, which they shouldn’t. Phryne asks if that’s a prohibition or advice. It’s both, it’s dangerous for Everyone.

(I think the tenth island is probably the Island of Time, we know this is where the Lotus Witch was exiled from, probably also the island impossible to reach for normal sailors)

The Antikythera can collapse distance between points, it’s 3 days between islands with it. Estor was the last owner of the Antikythera. But the order of Sydon has taken an interest in it, they might find something in the great library of Yonder.

Phryné asks for advice to deal with the Fates. Vallus says bargaining with the Fates is possible but be careful what you agree to, but it can be done. Don’t know how advisable it is to fight them, but it may come to that.

Mania has arranged for all the bards to gather at the Academy and present their songs praising Thylea, the Five and the Chosen Ones. Falana, the popular bard from the Games, brought all her fans and Pancras the Oread came along with all his friends too. Laos has a ballad-like epic, Falana leads her screaming fangirls in a rowdy tavern song. Mania picks a lesser known bard with a sweet song. She makes her promise to guard the harp with her life, to only use it to protect the people of Mytros and to only release it to the Kyrah, Vallus or Mania (and the Chosen, with proof from Mania that it’s really them and not an imposter). Before she hands it over, she promises to show them how it’s done. At her sign, Iliana turns invisible carrying a rope, which she quickly ties around Mania’s ankle. In the rain, kept dry by her new amulet of the desert, Mania starts to glow, levitates herself and sings her song to the people of Mytros. When the last note rings out, she disperses the storms and gentle floats down to the applause of the crowds. Some of them have even gone to their knees in prayer.

On the ship, Thalestris goes to talk to Azelma to apologise for yesterday. It’s nothing to do with Azelma or her family. Azelma says she’s just too used to people assuming things about her. Azelma says she doesn’t trust her grandmother either, but the Oracle gave the necklace to her and she thinks they are the key to something. Thalestris says she thought they were almost friends after the shopping and hopes it didn’t ruin. Azelma says they are friends and they’re going to save the world together. Thalestris says it doesn’t have to be just for that. Thalestris says she’s fun, Azelma says it’s cool when she turns into animals. Thalestris asks if she thinks the group would help her liberate the Amazons and kill the False Queens, it’ll only take a minute probably. Azelma says that Kallis would want them to, so Mania would be into it and the rest would be probably. Also if it’s important for Thalestris. She says they don’t know her, but Azelma says they’ll have time to get to know Phryne is super good, Cleophe is super moral, Mania is… super into promises she made to Kallis… Thalestris says Iliana is her best friend, she’ll help. “If the others say no, would you help me anyway?” Azelma says yes. They’re gonna try on their pretty new outfits.

Thalestris asks them all to help her free Daran and depose the fake queens. They agree to do it, but can’t quite agree on a strategy. Half of them want to try and gain allies on the island first. Mania says Amazons are boring which Thalestris thinks is Mania disagreeing with the plan. Thalestris tries to get them all to agree on not sabotaging the mission by being rude to the reigning powers of Themis, this also doesn’t go very well. {I do not remember who said what here, please fill in if vital things were mentioned here}. They agree on keeping the ship some distance away from port/a smaller island and approaching stealthily with a tender and trying to free Daran first. Then they get interrupted by a sound from belowdecks. Three merrow are trying to bore holes in the ship.

Merrow fight: Phryne with her new shining golden shield, casts a thunderwave at the merrows scratching at the hull. It pushes one of the merrow away from the ship. A merrow takes out a harpoon and starts drilling a hole in the hull, the ship takes damage. Mania Commands it to Flee. Iliana chromatic orb poisons the last one. Thalestris summons 4 reef sharks and gives Iliana a sprig of mistletoe that gives her heroism. Iliana forgot to Mage armour and gets hit by a harpoon. Phryné summons spirit guardian shepherd’s crooks to hit them on the head. Iliana kills one with poison, Mania tells another one to flee as Phryné’s crooks and Thalestris’ sharks attack it. Azelma crisps one (and a reef shark) of them with lightning.

Iliana and Thalestris are hyping each other up while they wait for the Merrow to return. It throws a harpoon to the boat, one of the reef sharks throws itself on the harpoon so the boat is safe. The merrow flees. The sharks pursue and kill it.

Thalestris uses druidcraft to foretell tomorrows weather. It’s going to be light wind and no rain. They elect a sailor to repair the boat with the first repair kit and Mania’s Inspiring flirting while he works. At night, Spectral forms start to appear, but not the big battle and no Estor either. Cleophe’s Divine Sense find no unaccounted for Undead either.

They set up a watch. The next morning, Iliana has learned Fill the Seas and Detect Fish. She sits up on the front of the boat and finds some Fish to take notes and so Thalestris can talk to them. She spots a well-camouflaged octopus. One of the sailors catches a few sardines with her help. Between the fish and the filled sails, Iliana is an immediate favourite with the crew. They should reach Themis early the next morning.

In the captain’s cabin they find Estor’s journal: early parts are records of battles in a victorious tone, rivalries with his brother Telemok. There’s a turning point, where it starts to get kind of rambly and he seems to become obsessed with all the dragons disappearing (around the time he seems to have had a bad breakup with his dragon Arcania) and him thinking they turned on them (they disappeared), this is where he starts thinking about Lutheria appearing in his dreams and promising him immortality if he joins her side. Last entry concerns the journey to Phraxis, Estor’s obsession with the idea that they were abandoned and that this was all a trap. There’s mentions of Kallis and other dragonlords, Kallis was the only one of the Dragonlords still with a dragon left. (Arcania didn’t approve of him killing all the Gygans, that’s why she broke her oath to him. The dragons of Adonis, Rizon and Telemok didn’t disappear when Arcania fought with Estor, they disappeared months later. Right before the assault on Phraxis.)

In addition to Balmytria and Hexia, the dragons who disappeared are Estor's Oathsworn Arkania, Rizon's Oathsworn Sybolkorax, Adonis' Oathsworn Raspytrion, and Tekamok's Oathsworn Tysophalle

Mania takes notes on the battle descriptions for future ballad purposes. Cleophe’s dragonegg is now getting hot to the touch. They rest, Iliana and Cleophe are on the first watch. They see a weird distortion in the air like the gasoline in water effect. A little rift in space appears, some weird clockwork creatures tumble out and fall out of the ship. They keep marching and tumble off the ship again. Iliana magehands one back. It flails with weird little arms and legs. The yellow light tries to encompass the line of creatures. It almost creates a little bubble they’re pushing against. They’re little spears and cubes and triangles. Iliana drags one out, the bubble makes the creatures pop out of existence as the yellow rift closes. It looks at Iliana quizzically with uncanny mechanical eyes. Iliana shoves it in the bag so the light can’t find it. The rest disappeared out of existence with the light. The effect looked like the effect in Cleophe’s house and around Iliana’s resurrection.

And that’s all for this session of the Thylead!

 @aporeticelenchus  @leomundstinyblog @m-siecle @pioup-pioup  @somuchbetterthanthat @guineamaina

[sir-huffman]

Volume 03: the Founders of Delphi

TL;DR: In the end, it is up to you to decide what is true or not. And if you really don’t want to believe the God of Truth and Prophecy with all his power and knowledge beyond this world is nothing more than an unimportant lowly knight, then who is he to judge? That is not his place, he is just another god in many places representing the truth and foretelling the future for those who wish to hear it.

NOTE: A self indulgent messy headcanon that started because Huffman’s name appears in Vera’s Melancholy.

Volume 01: Vera’s Melancholy - a unanswered love letter

Volume 02: Delphi - the ancient capitol of Khanrie’ah

Volume 03: the Founders of Delphi - Huffman and the Witch of the East

Volume 04: Author’s Notes

the Founders of Delphi

"...Afterward, the great king's first messenger, the brave knight HUFFMAN strode west across two continents, crossing great oceans and rivers. As for the IMPERIAL SAGE, the witch from the east, she passed by her hometown on her road eastward, and then came by the land of the Nether. Thus, they finally met here." - Vera from Vera’s Melancholy, Volume VI

Long ago in ancient times, when humanity was but benighted creatures that roamed the land, the envoys of the gods walked along side them. The heavens would watch from above, sending their messengers one by one to answer the questions of the people. But as time and time went on, humanity found out the answers of the truth of the world.

The first chief priest was but a knight who donned a crown of Irminsul branches looked for the land where they could seek the truth. The imperial sage headed east and they finally crossed paths near the land of the Nether. Together, they built a small village, comprised of just themselves before it grew and fell into antediluvian ruins and long-buried altars of sacrifice upon learning such truths.

They praised the god of truth and prophecy, granting them knowledge the heavens forbade.

the Brave Knight | Huffman (the God of Truth and Prophecy)

“They say that, the line of chief priests have always seen this same sight as their days draw to an end: A mountain of crowns in a secret place, beneath a withered tree - each one hiding a lifetime of secrets kept. Each retiring chief priest offers up their crown of flawless white branches to this world. Every mighty and ancient city, and every austere place of sacrifice must one day return to profundity in the earth.” - Prayers of Springtime

From an ancient kingdom, Huffman was a lowly shepherd before he became a valued knight. As time passed and humanity was beginning to question Celestia, he was given the honor of becoming the first chief priest in search for answers.

Huffman made his way into the deepest places of the world. He fought many monsters, slayed many creatures in order to search for the truth. And eventually, when he reached the center and saw the bough of the white tree...he built the city of Delphi.

He built the sacrificial alters and dedicated himself to the god of prophecy, the one who had graced them with the knowledge and truth of this world. With this knowledge, he decided that such secrets must not make its way to humanity. And as such, upon his death he gave back his laurel of Irminsul and his spirit became one with the god of truth and prophecy.

For he was the first worship him in this world, the God of Truth and Prophecy took his likeness. Not that he mattered as the god resided deep in the depths of the earth. But as he loved his people, he loved the brave knight’s more. He spends his time across the universe, across the planes of space and time, as nothing but a lowly human. A mere mortal who is not important in the world. Pretending that he was a brave knight so that he may show his friend the joys of a better future and maybe...one day...it’ll get brighter.

"I am but an echo of time," Ike said as he began his preparations. "As I've said, the past cannot change the future, for the predetermined rules of equilibrium are slightly more powerful than me. But the future, with its infinite possibilities, could save the world." - Ike from Vera’s Melancholy, Volume X

the Imperial Sage | the Witch of the East (the Oracle of Delphi)

“The confluence between the past and future. The original calamity had been overturned, yet the island in the sky set the earth to burn. Chalk pursues gold, in this time inopportune, the eclipse is swallowed by the crimson moon. The future must atone for bygone mistakes, as the bond familiar falters and breaks— of the same blood, elders and the youth... Such is the cycle of the world, in truth. Dain, what is that strand of blonde hair to you? Someone you must kill? Or the object of your penitence?” - the Self-Proclaimed Prophet to Dainsleif

She was known as the witch of the east, the imperial sage in the ancient kingdom. As the co-founder and mother of the city of Delphi, she became the speaker of the truth. The oracle who spoke the words of the God of Truth and Prophecy to the children and people of their village. And over time, only her spirit will remain, taking the form of a young maiden or an old woman. She is timeless, the oracle who spoke of what was to come.

And now, the Oracle of Delphi looks at the stars and celestial bodies, knowing that they have already crumbled away just as they have done in the past. The eclipse had been swallowed, shaking the roots that held up the roofs of what is now known as Khaenri’ah and the branches that pray to the skies of Celestia. It was be the beginning of the end, Ragnarök, once again. And she will watch as humanity struggles to save itself once again - trying to save it from the fate of the gods.

But humanity was already far too late...the long icy winter had already thawed. And the raging war of the axe, the sword, the wind, and the wolf age have already passed. The sun, moon, and stars have been devoured. And the heavens has once again begun to crumble.

So, humanity, will you defy the gods once again and try to overthrow their rule? Or will you perish once more and have the cycle of rebirth continue again...and again...and again?

All prosperity must someday end. But this does not mean that nothing is eternal.

At the end of a cycle, the earth shall be renewed. Thus eternity is cyclical. The search for truth is a product of prosperity, and not the seed that plants it.

They say that, once upon a time, the people of the land could hear revelations from Celestia directly. The envoys of the gods walked among benighted humanity then. In those days, life was weak, and the earth was blanketed in unending ice. - Prayers of Springtime

[revlyncox]

Trees (2021)

A talk abut growth, hope, and paying attention to history

Revised and expanded for the Washington Ethical Society by Lyn Cox

February 7, 2021

In this place halfway between the beginning of winter and the beginning of spring, we draw on imagination and memory, caution and optimism, hope for the future and learning from the past. Many of these things are contained in stories.

I don’t know if the story happened exactly this way, but I believe it’s true. A sage, a wise person, was walking along the road and saw someone planting a carob tree. The sage asks, "How long will it take for this tree to bear fruit?" "Seventy years," replies the gardener. The sage then asks: "Are you so healthy a person that you expect to live that length of time and eat its fruit?" The gardener answers: "I found a fruitful world, because my ancestors planted it for me. Likewise I am planting for my children." I will tell you where this story is from because I want to give credit, but I also want to notice that this story has a universality to it, a truth that the beginnings of things we set in motion can have an impact long past the horizons of our own lives. This story is from the Talmud, a collection of rabbinic conversations on ethics and customs. (Talmud Ta'anit 23a)

We drink from wells we did not dig and eat from trees we did not plant (Deut. 6:11). Our physical, intellectual, and religious lives depend on those who have gone before. Following their example will lead us to plant literal and figurative trees for the world of the future.

I believe caring for ourselves AND others will help us sustain a shared life of meaning and compassion for a long time.

My first semester studying for my M.Div. degree in California, I worked at one college in the south bay area, and went to school in the east bay area. I enjoyed the fragrance of eucalyptus trees around both campuses. The dry leaves rustled in the breeze, leaves rubbing together like the wings of singing crickets. Some people were distracted by the sound and allergic to the smell, but I liked them. The eucalyptus trees were tall and graceful. One might imagine that they had always been there. There’s a story about those trees. I don’t know if it happened exactly this way.

The American West in the late 1800’s was heavily influenced by dreams of getting rich quick. Non-native eucalyptus trees were brought from Australia because they grew quickly. It was imagined that the lumber and oil would become quickly replaceable commodities for those who farmed them. They were promoted as ornamental trees for rich landowners new to the area and not used to treeless landscapes. Eucalyptus trees were all over California by the 1900’s, and were tested for use as railroad ties. They didn’t work out. Eucalyptus from Australian virgin forests, seasoned and treated properly, behaves differently than eucalyptus grown from seeds in California, hastily treated, and set down in the Nevada sand. Some of the railroad ties were so cracked they couldn’t hold spikes. Some decayed within four years.

The trees themselves grew like weeds. They did what non-native species are famous for doing: thriving in the new environment, edging out diverse native plants that provide food and habitat, with consequences for the entire food chain. An attempt at a quick profit turned out to have unintended consequences. Recently, there has been more discussion in that region about restoring native trees, but it’s complicated. To say that it will take time to mitigate the damage of an invasive species is an understatement. Then again, compare that to the 2,000-year growth of some living redwood trees. May we learn patience and commitment from slow-growing trees.

We strive to be among those people who have the hope and imagination it takes to envision a world of justice and compassion, a world of liberation and self-determination, a world of peace where people sit calmly in the shade of slow-growing trees. In our neck of the woods, we might imagine a world where every person lives in safety and abundance, with access to the shade of a Witch Hazel, Hackberry, or Redbud tree; the three logically native trees our Earth Ethics Action Team recently arranged to have planted on the WES property. In folk music and wisdom tales, slow-growing trees symbolize enough time for a generation to grow without being uprooted by hunger or violence.

The California eucalyptus story reminds us that some of the environmental mistakes we humans have made were decisions made by a few but using the resources and the risk pool of many. Another time, we can unpack the harm that white American westward expansion had on indigenous land rights and communities, and on the horrors of labor exploitation involved in the transcontinental railroad, and on the energy and resources that were available for white colonization but not reparations for formerly enslaved people after the Civil War. Understanding the wrong choices that have been made in the past may help us turn toward making better choices as a society going forward. We can play an active role in the governments, corporations, and organizations to which we belong and who act on our behalf. Let us embody these relationships for repair and renewal.

Contrast the rushed, climate-disrupting story of the eucalyptus trees with the story of George Washington Carver. I had to catch up on some of his story this week, when my kids noticed discrepancies between what was said about Dr. Carver in the elementary school reader on our bookshelf and what they had read elsewhere. Some of us learned in school that the most important contribution Dr. Carver made as a scientist was discovering and promoting new uses for peanuts, but this version of his story is grossly oversimplified and obscures the way his research and activism supported Black self-determination as well as environmental repair.

After he graduated from the Iowa State Agricultural College in 1896, Dr. Carver accepted a position at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Riding on the train to his new home, he noticed immediately that growing nothing but cotton was causing soil erosion and depletion. He had scientific solutions to that. What took longer was figuring out how to empower Black farmers -- especially those who were being exploited as sharecroppers -- to feed their families, improve their chances for subsequent years, and still make enough money to try to get out of debt. Smithsonian Magazine quotes biographer Mark Hersey about the way Dr. Carver understood the problem:

“What Carver comes to see,” Hersey says, was that “altering [black sharecroppers’] interactions with the natural world could undermine the very pillars of Jim Crow.” Hersey argues that black Southerners viewed their lives under Jim Crow through an environmental lens. “If we want to understand their day to day lives, it’s not separate drinking fountains, it’s ‘How do I make a living on this soil, under these circumstances, where I’m not protected’“ by the institutions that are supposed to protect its citizens? Carver encouraged farmers to look to the land for what they needed, rather than going into debt buying fertilizer (and paint, and soap, and other necessities—and food). Instead of buying the fertilizer that “scientific agriculture” told them to buy, farmers should compost. In lieu of buying paint, they should make it themselves from clay and soybeans.

So ends the excerpt. Dr. Carver understood way before what we think of as the modern environmental justice movement that liberation and conservation are entwined projects. The decisions we make for our families, for our communities, and for the planet all go together, and they all benefit from remembering interdependence and the long years of generations to come. Honoring the very beginnings of things, continuing to work on hopes that are barely tangible, believing in the distant future, allows us to live into Beloved Community. White Supremacy depends on the hurry-up-and-profit mindset that brought cracked eucalyptus logs to the Nevada desert. Beloved Community invites us to consider what may come from a seed.

Strong trees grow slowly. Strong communities learn and grow and make connections to other communities little by little over decades. Healing takes time. Repair takes time. And for all of these, we can’t always tell that it is happening. In most cases, we don’t see the seed unfolding under the soil. Our senses are not adjusted to notice the growth of trees right in front of us. Sometimes resilience is about knowing in your heart that change is possible, even when the evidence is not yet obvious.

The nearly imperceptible beginnings of change are also a theme in the earth-honoring holiday of Imbolc. The Celtic calendar where this holiday comes from is rooted in the seasons of light and dark of the northern hemisphere and the agricultural cycles of western Europe. At approximately the same time of year in the British Isles and here in the mid-Atlantic, the middle of winter means that we can start to perceive the time of sunrise and sunset edging toward spring, just a little more daylight each day.

February into March is the time of year when lambs start to be born, vulnerable and full of promise for the coming spring. It’s still cold outside! One theory for where the word Imbolc comes from is that it’s related to the word for sheep milk. The lambs need a lot of help to stay warm and to survive. Yet their arrival shows the persistence of life. Sometimes resilience is about remembering that life is possible.

This is also the time of year when people who grow vegetables in climates like ours make a plan for the next six months, gathering seeds, starting a few indoors, and figuring out how to make the most of the soil and sun that will be available later. Making plans at this in-between time of year takes courage.

For earth-honoring folks in Celtic traditions, the goddess Bridget (and, in her later form, St. Bridget of Kildare) is associated with this early February holiday. In the legends, Bridget protects access to clean, healing water. She is also a figure of light and flame. When you put fire and water together, you can make entirely new things out of what you had before. You can forge iron, cook food, sculpt clay and fire it into ceramics. Maybe this transformative potential is why Bridget is also associated with childbirth, poetry, healing, song, and art.

There is one thing that newborn lambs, vegetable seeds, soup ingredients, raw iron, and future poetry all have in common: They don’t look at the beginning the way they are going to look at the end. You have to have some hope and imagination to believe in the transformation that is coming. You have to keep doing what you are doing, when the evidence for success has not yet appeared. We need to hold on through the long term, through step-by-step processes, through the discomfort of growth and change. And so another thing we learn at Bridget’s holiday is the need for commitment.  

If we’re paying attention to a legendary figure of generosity, art, and transformation, it’s a good idea to listen to the voices of poets who figured out how to sustain themselves and their families and communities through difficult times. During Black History Month, we are reminded of many examples of poets and artists who showed and inspired perseverance as they provided hope and imagination about a better world that was not yet fully manifest.

Back in October, on Vote Love Day, we heard about the story of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. She was born in Maryland in 1825 to free parents, was educated at her uncle’s school, and had published a book of poetry by the age of twenty. She became a full-time lecturer and writer, and she was an activist for abolition and for economic self-determination in the Black community. One verse of her 1895 poem, “Songs for the People,” [more on that poem here] reads:

Our world, so worn and weary,

  Needs music, pure and strong,

To hush the jangle and discords

  Of sorrow, pain, and wrong.

Harper was well aware of the injustice, economic inequality, and violence that still plagued the cities and towns where she toured. She didn’t fail to address any part of that system in her other writing. Yet she still saw a place for music and art. For Harper, poetry was not a distraction from building the Beloved Community, but one of the technologies that can help bring it into being. Out of intangible words and ideas are woven a network of visions that lift up possibilities for liberation.

Good things grow from beginnings that are not yet obvious. The forces that will become spring are already at work under the snow in the middle of winter.  

On the Jewish calendar, we’ve recently passed the holiday of Tu B’Shevat, the new year of trees. This is a minor holiday. It’s been around for hundreds of years, yet more people seem to be noticing it as we learn to connect spirituality with care for the earth. Sometimes people in Jewish homes and communities gather to eat different kinds of fruit and nuts, to give thanks for ways of growing, and recommit to stewardship of the planet. In regions where it makes sense, Tu B’Shevat is a time to plant trees.

Clearly, looking out the window today, it is not the right time to plant a tree where we live. Nevertheless, in our gratitude for trees, we are reminded of the growth and the fruition of work that exist because of what has come before. The forces that create and uphold life and our ancestors who cooperated with them knew that growth and resilience don’t always look that way from the outside. They knew that growth can start with something tough or plain. They knew the importance of allowing time and of giving thanks.

We drink from wells we did not dig and eat from trees we did not plant. As a community, part of our task is to muster the hope and imagination it takes to consider growth and resilience over time. We think long-term. We honor beginnings of change, even when they are hidden or barely perceptible. Let us be mindful of the impact of our choices, now and in the generations to come.

May it be so.

[danielditomass0]

@danielditomasso as #KillianGardiner @jennadewan as #FreyaBeauchamp #WitchesofEastEnd #Frillian4Ever Missin #Witchees https://t.co/lAYwBGAOxv https://t.co/S9bbR172Ti

[ramus-mortium]

[tvmoviesandmagic]

undefined

#JuliaOrmond as #witch #Joanna in #WitchesofEastEnd #WOEE Have a great #Witchee season! 🔮 #RenewWitchesofEastEnd https://t.co/isvqlpQc14 https://t.co/ctDHQenyfB

[hope-for-olicity]

Fabulous Olicity Fanfic Friday - June 28th, 2019

Happy Friday! So this is my attempt to both thank awesome fanfic writers for their amazing work and offer my recommendations to anyone who is interested. Here are the fantastic fanfic stories I read this week! They are posted in the order I read them. This and all previous Fabulous Olicity Fanfic posts can be found on my blog. There are many great stories out there that I did not read - such as anything from S7, you should check those out too!

C: \Users\Flo>start “Worst Case Scenario”_ multi-chapter Complete by @steelrigged-blog - Oliver is kidnapped. In order to save him, Felicity offers herself in trade. It's his worst case scenario. Or at least it feels like it. The more Oliver works to unravel the problem and get his girl back, the more he realizes that nothing is as it seems... https://archiveofourown.org/works/11304465/chapters/25295535

Nuts About You by @laxit21 - Oliver and Felicity get into a surprising competition at the store. There’s a lot of puns involved. I’m not even sorry. https://laxit21.tumblr.com/post/185753484015/nuts-about-you

Love By Contradiction multi-chapter WIP by @pimsiepim - When Felicity meets Oliver, it’s anything but romantic. Taking her best friend’s spot at a speed-dating event wasn’t exactly how she had pictured spending her Friday night. Meeting said best friend’s soulmate? Even less expected. And even though Felicity never really believed in that silly prediction a fortune teller made ten years ago, the occasion is just too good to pass up. Alena is stuck in a toxic relationship and maybe what she needs to finally get over her ex… is to get underneath someone else. Mission “Get-Alena-And-Oliver-Together” is on the way, and Felicity will stop at nothing to make sure her best friend gets her happily ever after. Nothing. Not even Alena’s lack of interest, or Oliver’s weird tendency to ask Felicity out on fake dates. The plan is perfect, the execution flawless... except for one small detail: it’s not Alena who’s starting to fall for the guy... https://archiveofourown.org/works/18550876/chapters/43969807

The Wedding Garter by @cruzrogue - Oliver and Felicity's wedding day https://archiveofourown.org/works/12222552

Revving It Up by @crazycrystal10 - Mr. Queen comes across a surprising fact about his fiancee, Ms. Smoak. https://archiveofourown.org/works/12226128

The Pull by @theirinrutherfords  prompt: gravity - Oliver can’t stop the gravitational pull he feels towards Felicity. He doesn’t want to. Or five times Oliver wanted to marry Felicity. https://archiveofourown.org/works/11034534/chapters/27781116

The Way Back Home multi-chapter WIP by @it-was-a-red-heeler - When Moira Queen agreed to pay the ransom money to get her beautiful boy back she was told to keep silent and wait for instructions. She’s heard nothing for a week. Meanwhile, halfway across the country Felicity Smoak meets a homeless man with beautiful blue eyes. And no memories. https://archiveofourown.org/works/18647716/chapters/44221912

Will Fate Allow? multi-chapter WIP by @mindramblingsfics - Seeing her parent's marriage dissolve at a young age made Felicity yearn for a healthy marriage of her own. She thought she'd finally found what she was looking for when Billy Malone showed up offering her what her heart desired. She thought she was happy and had everything she could want, but things began to unravel. Slowly she turned to someone who had become an unparalleled constant in her life...Oliver Queen. Oliver and Felicity are the definition of polar opposites. He is the mob boss that strikes fear in the hearts many, while she is seen as the sweet girl next door, but there is more to both of them underneath the surface. Along the way, they become connected to one another leading to their lives being intertwined forever. https://archiveofourown.org/works/16521596/chapters/38699951

Ride or Die multi-chapter Complete by @someonesaidcake - They say that life is a series of events that we can neither predict nor control.... And then there is him. He’s a bit of an enigma. ~*~*~*~ Young CEO Felicity Smoak is just trying to make her mark on the world, yes she's a little high strung and stressed, but it was what is was... until he came along. With eyes a girl could lose herself in and shoulder-tapping hair made for hanging on to Oliver Queen was reckless and carefree. Also, he rode a bike. He was everything she wasn't and he was a sucker for those sinful red lips and everything that came with them. https://archiveofourown.org/works/11800128/chapters/26616567

When Did It All Go Wrong multi-chapter WIP by @wrldtravler - After a mission with A.R.G.U.S. goes south, agent Oliver Queen learns something he shouldn't about Director Amanda Waller. Sent on the run when A.R.G.U.S. turns against him, he’s forced to seek out the one person that never wanted to see him again but whom he trusts with his life: his ex, Felicity Smoak. Putting their past behind them, the estranged pair come together along with John Diggle and Lyla Michaels to stop the looming threat. However, the past never stays buried for long. With their renewed connection comes great strength. But where there is strength, there is also great weakness – one that may cost them everything they worked to prevent. https://archiveofourown.org/works/19019845/chapters/45169432

Helplessly Wrecked multi-chapter WIP by @cruzrogue - A very smart, passionate, woman. Worked to get her dual masters from MIT, it may have taken longer being a mother of triplets but at least she has her mother’s support. Oliver Queen still has a yacht incident and was marooned for shorter time frame on a real deserted island. He never flunked out of his Ivy League schooling and is a very sought-after bachelor. His relationships never last more than half a year and is known to throw himself into his work. His motto ‘work hard play harder’. https://archiveofourown.org/works/19194103/chapters/45628978

Time for a Story multi-chapter WIP by @smkkbert - This fic shows Olicity and their life as a (married) couple with family. Although Olicity (and their kids) are the protagonists, other characters of Arrow and Flash make appearances. YOU NEED THIS STORY IN YOUR LIFE. https://archiveofourown.org/works/3912157/chapters/8757172

seemingly impossible (but not untrue) multi-chapter WIP by @alexiablackbriar13 - Young genius historian Dr Felicity Smoak unknowingly and accidentally calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript within the Oxford Bodleian Libraries - a book that has been lost for centuries. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Felicity wants nothing to do with magic, despite her unruly and powerful abilities. But her discovery of Ashmole 782 sets the world of creatures stirring; with a mystery afoot and new, dangerous magical abilities manifesting for her to navigate, she is approached by the enigmatic vampire biochemist Professor Oliver Queen, who seems to have a deep interest in both the manuscript… and her. Based on A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. https://archiveofourown.org/works/16224353/chapters/37923743  

Summer Lovin' by @theirinrutherfords - A look into Oliver and Felicity's road trip and one of the first few times they're intimate with each other. https://archiveofourown.org/works/19338097

Lights Will Guide You Home multi-chapter WIP by behindblueyes72 - Warning "Lights Will Guide You Home" will be an intense story that will take you to some emotional places. It will be one hell of a ride but our Olicity will land in a beautiful loving spot. https://archiveofourown.org/works/19209877

Providence multi-chapter WIP by @so-caffeinated - Will Queen has struggled in silence in the year since he was shot. But when a shadowy crime lord known as Domino targets the only woman Will’s ever truly loved, fate forces him to confront his demons in ways he never could have imagined… Whether he wants to or not. Amelia Prescott has fought to take control of her life since learning two years ago that her personal and professional worlds were manipulated by others. But nothing can prepare her for just how hard she'll have to fight to set her own course, especially when her heart belongs to a damaged man and a crime lord threatens her every professional move... And her life. Destiny brings them together, but as chaos reigns and personal demons haunt Will and Amelia both, it may also threaten to tear them apart. https://archiveofourown.org/works/17919056/chapters/42308753

If I Tremble multi-chapter WIP by @smoaking-greenarrow - A collection of prompts and ficlets, with all the smut! Olicity sexy times are the best times. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15409122/chapters/35762643

Mother and Daughter multi-chapter WIP by @geneshaven - This story takes place about a month after the end of season four of Arrow. Part 1: https://geneshaven.tumblr.com/post/185514424509/mother-and-daughter Part 2: https://geneshaven.tumblr.com/post/185838451529/mother-and-daughter

Mothers Know Best multi-chapter WIP by @smkkbert - Since they have been kids, they have been best friends. Since they have been friends, their mothers wanted them to be together. After coming back from the east coast, Felicity takes over a position at Queen Consolidated, the company her best friend will soon take over from his father. Their mothers still jjpush for them to be together, and they seem closer to that goal than ever because wedding bells are ringing. The only problem is that they both plan to get married to someone else. https://archiveofourown.org/works/18921118/chapters/44918146

Miami Heat by @dmichellewrites - Oliver and Felicity have a rousing one night stand, and after six long months, they cross paths again at a Waffle House in Miami. Summer isn't the only thing heating up their long awaited reunion. Will they become more than friends with benefits? https://archiveofourown.org/works/19372870?view_adult=true

Worse Fears Realized by @the-shy-and-anxious-fangirl - When Felicity doesn't answer her phone after already being gone from the Foundry for over an hour, Oliver is sure that something has happened to her. Soon after, Dig receives news from an ARGUS agent that confirms that Oliver's worst fears have been realized- Felicity's apartment has been ransacked, and both she and her mother are missing. Oliver isn't sure he can survive the waiting game that follows. https://archiveofourown.org/works/19373998

Kerosene and Desire multi-chapter WIP by @smoaking-greenarrow - An Olicity Notebook AU with a darker twist. https://archiveofourown.org/works/18082427/chapters/42741014

// @emmaamelia95 // @mel-loves-all // @oliverfel4 // @green-arrows-of-karamel // @coal000 // @miriam1779 // @memcjo// @captainolicitysbedroom // @tdgal1 // @spaztronautwriter // @lalawo1// @quiveringbunny // @wrongshipper // @thebookjumper // @vaelisamaza // @myhauntedblacksoul // @lovelycssefan // @laurabelle2930 // @laxit21 // - let me know if you want to be tagged or untagged!