#but the desolation ritual is soooo stupid.....

[2ofswords]

Welcome to Ritual Counceling for aspiring Avatars!

"Please... Dear Cult of the Lightless Flame. What is this? What. Is. This? You cannot - and I will stress this, you absolutely cannot - just say 'we'll wait until our Chosen One decides'. That is not even a ritual! Are you even trying?"

"Yes, doing something with meat makes sense, but have you thought about something else than just throwing it in a hole? The church is a nice touch, I understand, but... you could be doing something with the meat? Or better yet, involve... actual people? Who are afraid? And not just run into your ritual on accident?? You know... FOR THE FEAR???"

"Mr Crew, 'Simon will figure it out' is not an admissible ritual. Simon has never figured out anything in his life. And it is a long, long life."

"Please always remember our three Do's: Be scary. Be big. Be on theme. Yes, that also counts for you CuLT OF THE LIghTLeSS FLaMe, why again did you try to birth a child, to fuel your destruction ritual? Care to explain that one?"

"'Just running around :)' is a lovely idea, my dear hunters, but please start consulting me, after you figured out, how your ritual ends. Please. For my own sanity."

"Yes, dear war ghosts, using war is very on theme, but you have to understand that confining your ritual to a boat, is a generally bad idea, if you want the slaughter to OOZE OUT INTO THE WORLD!!"

"Oh, hello, Mr Kennedy, I am sorry, but this is an Advanced Class, 'how to torture 101' is just around the corner :)"

"Also remember out three Dont's: Don't create your ritual around any structure that can explode. Don't involve something extremely specific that you cannot duplicate. And lastly DO NOT antagonize your arch nemesis while creating your ritual. Yes, we have been over this, Gertrude Robinson counts as your arch nemesis by default."

"Please, Jane, why again did you try to open a portal to the hive, while attacking an archive full of fire extringuishers? Care to explain that one to me?"

"Look at Grimaldi's Circus, they figured it out! After the mistake of using the old gorilla skin they switched to the skin of any Archivist, which is way more common to get! Now have you thought about moving your ritual to Greece?"

"I cannot believe this, Cult of the Lightless Flame, you managed to involve both your Arch Nemesis - the Web - AND Gertrude Robinson in your shitshow of a ritual. You barely have a ritual and still managed to screw it up."

"Mr. Banks, stop sleeping in class! I do not care how spiritual the experience is for you!"

"I know, your uncle sponsors this institute, Mr. Fairchild, but you still need to put up an idea that is more concrete that "idk, space?" What, you actually sent a guy into space? That is lovely, what did you learn? "Space, scary?" ..... I don't know why I even bother..."

"What do you mean, Cult of the Lightless Flame, your Chosen One decided to kill herself after one second of doubt?... Did you at least burn her?..... EXCUSE ME???"

"That's it. I am hanging up the portrait of Jonah Magnus again, until one of you can figure somthing out that at least works as decently as his... oh, now the Lukas family is actually working on something."

[pulchramsolis]

Abrogail does not like to admit how sensitive she can be at times, no matter how hard she tries to let things roll off her back. She has never been the subject of cruel gossip, but she would endure it if it meant protecting Helaena. Her sister's words are comforting and she shakes her head in rueful acceptance. "You are my sister too, and far better than the miserable one I barely know," she laughs with her nose scrunched in giggles. Corynna is a wife to the youngest Lannister, and she recalls how fiercely her dragon siblings how scowled at her elder sister's unkindness. Abby thinks the only person that gets along with her is Larys, the two of them different edges of the same blade.

She is so, so grateful to have these four (even though Daeron is not with them) as her chosen family. The opportunity to tie them all together not through choice but through ritual, pleases her beyond all ability to express. "You should give him plenty of kisses, to ease any sting that comes with the news," she teases Helaena. "Soooo many kisses to give Aemond." She makes kissy noises at her, much as she did after Helaena told her of the first time she had kissed the boy, with the girlish innocence they both still tried to cling to. "You both should celebrate your happiness. Besides, your mother is going to be quite disappointed that she won't be able to throw Aemond the grandest of wedding affairs."

Abby felt only a little sorry because it also felt like vindication for the unhappiness they were already put through. "I should look at my dresses, see what I can make into something proper. Aemond and I will… have good fun with it, I think." For she does love him, the way a sister loves a brother, and they will not go to the altar miserable and desolate. Even if their spouse is not their first choice, they have friendship and love all the same. This did not need to be a sad affair, when it was meant to keep them together. That is a happy thing. "My maiden cloak is nearly done anyway. We're supposed to go riding later. I need to pilfer some dinner for us." A routine the pair had for years now. Long, languid rides on Sunfyre, dinner shared when he did not want to face the judgement and disapproval from his grandfather and mother. Watching the sun set in quiet companionship. How often she wanted to kiss him. Stupid, kissable, face.

She tilts her head and tucks a strand of hair behind Helaena's ear. "You both survived, right? Perhaps it is you - your blood, and therefore you all the same." Her heart breaks at the idea that the barbaric practice would continue. Even though she's older now, the idea of childbirth still scares her - not just for her mother's strange illness and prolonged death, but witnessing all that Helaena went through.

"Nonsense. They will talk," Few were the things kept secret amidst the red walls of the Keep, and gossip did not concern itself with truth. It would all fall to them, then; Abrogail painted in the worst of lights, Helaena herself seen as deserving of pity. It does not matter. If not that, courtiers would find other reasons to hate and disdain, if it suited them. "And it will make no difference. Your happiness is worth enduring a few unkind whispers and more. The children, even when they grow, will have no reason to resent you when I take no offense to any of it."

A tearful smile is better than no smile at all, she thinks, reassurance that there may be a brighter future for them against all odds. A chuckle of her own follows her sister's laughter, dissolving sorrow in girlish mirth. Aegon would never hurt her, 'tis true; and that in itself speaks more of his feelings than Helaena thinks even he realizes. Were Abrogail just like anyone else, she would not be faced with kindness and respect. That is for the two of them to figure, however; her blessing was asked and willingly she gave it, but what came next depended on Abby and Aegon alone. "I hope so too," She says with a soft smile. "You both deserve to find happiness too."

The onslaught of kisses makes her giggle, any lingering shadow sent away, if only for the time being. "We may not share the same blood, yet you are my sister in every way that matters. I love you — to act for you to be happy is only natural, Abby." There is no reason to waste gratitude on actions motivated by deep love, acting for her sister's happiness easy and natural as breathing. "We start the proper arrangements soon — there won't be much time, but it will be enough."

"In the meanwhile, I will tell him," And she knows it will be bittersweet, still, knows that he did not wish to be wed any more than Helaena wished to see him wed, but if it is for Abby, if it ensures they will not be robbed of the little happiness they made for themselves, then Aemond will not be opposed to it. The princess is grateful, in spite of everything; this is how they remain together. She will not need let go of either of them. "And you prepare to talk to Aegon — make your feelings known."

Mother of Dragons, Abby calls her, and it is not entirely wrong; she is daughter to one and mother to two, though the dream of the violet eyed girl on a funeral pyre did not quite fit her. There had been a dragon of red eyes and black scales, and sorrow and magic thick in swirls of flame. "I do not know that I am her — what I do know is we were both too young to be mothers, dragons or not."

[klutzdeluxe]

My Second Ritual - Omaha 11/6/2018

Okay. Finally, my second ritual. So it was over a month ago at this point, and I cannot believe I never put up my notes about it! It was amazeballs. Just as good as my first one in Kansas City! I met up with some super cool fans from a Facebook group beforehand and we got some supper. Some of us were VIP/photo op, so after we ate, we waited in line together. They helped me keep my sanity because I was absolutely FREAKING OUT about meeting the Cardinal. Thanks, guys! I’ve never met any sort of celebrity before. EVER.

~The moment I stepped through that curtain, I was a goner. I briefly made eye contact, felt my soul leave my body, and couldn’t look him in the face again. I shook his hand and he said, “Oh that’s quite the tight grip you’ve got!” or something along those lines. My brain short-circuits and I think I’m hurting him or some shit. I yelp, “I’m sorry!” and practically drop his hand. He wraps an arm around me and helps guide me to the photo spot because all I can do is mumble about never having done a photo op before and look at my feet. He holds me and we take the photo. I get my wits together enough to tell him, “Take care of yourself on the road!” and the Cardinal says he will and thanks me. I was so starstruck that I forgot to give my name, ask for a hug, or tell him basically anything I wanted to, so I was upset about it for a few days.

~In the end, the picture turned out decent, which is rare because I’m unphotogenic af. Plus I wrote him a card (with a cat on the front) with everything I wanted to say in it and was able to get it to another fan to give to him at their photo op. In that, I had some closure.

~We chatted with a few security guards before the show, and they really didn’t know anything about Ghost but seemed eager to learn about them. Later on, I saw the same guards bobbing their heads during the performance and taking a million pictures on their phones. It was great to see.

~To the ritual! I was third row in the orchestra pit, to my left, in which the seating was a bunch of folding chairs that would definitely not be staying in place. BOOM. Ended up right in Aether’s line of view this time. Eye contact immediately when the curtain went up during “Ashes.” Persisted throughout the whole night.

~For the record, if you’re toward the front during any show, it’s really not that hard to snag the attention of the band members. Especially if you’re a jumpy, bouncy bitch who sings along to everything like me. I was at it with my hands up the entire way through. INSTANTLY this was different than the Kansas City show. They sounded so fresh and ALIVE. You could tell they had the day off before.

~Periodically throughout the show, Aether would be jumping in time with my bunny-hopping, looking at me. It made me so freaking happy. What a goof!

~The Cardinal was annoyed about it being a Tuesday, so he made us pretend it was a Friday night instead.

~I think I got to hear him say, “For shits and giggles” at one point. I’ve never felt so blessed.

~I was one of the few belting out “Lord of silence/Desolated one/Vengeance is his” during the bridge of “Idolatrine.” Copia stared at me, gestured at me, and conducted my screechy singing.

~Waving my hands around, conducting the ghouls while they played “Devil Church” and getting various head tilts and “wtf” stares from them.

~At this point, I had been interacting with Aether from my spot quite a bit, so I cheered him on as loudly as I could during the pre-Cirice duel with Dewdrop. This time, he lost on trying to pick out A-ha’s “Take on Me.” For some stupid ass reason, my brain couldn’t figure out what the song was until I saw a video of it the next day.

~THE LITTLE GIRL GETTING CIRICED. I DIED. IT WAS SO PRECIOUS. We were all clapping so loudly for her. Also props to her for having the coolest dad in the world. I believe she did the photo op too.

~As “Cirice” ended, Aether pointed at me and attempted to throw me a guitar pick. He whiffed it, as it ended up in the hands of a man in front and to the right of me instead. Now, I missed his pick in Kansas City due to a similar circumstance, so I kind of just shrugged and pouted at him, and Aether shakes his head and throws his hands up in an apologetic gesture. I’m a bit sour about missing yet ANOTHER pick from him.

~Conducting the ghouls again during “Miasma” and just absolutely losing myself dancing to it, as you do. Aether was watching me dance. At this point, the chairs have really been moved around, in and out of the rows.

~Copia telling us to clap on the 2 and 4 of “Jigolo Har Megiddo.” The dude next to me sassed him saying, “So, 1 and 3?” very loudly. Copia stopped short and said, “NO! No, that’s stupid!”

~Copia conducting us during the vocalizing at the end of “Pro Memoria.” There’s nothing like it. It’s one of my favorite bits. Cue my screechy singing again in order to be loud.

~Dew didn’t come over to our side of the stage much but he did at some point and gave me a head tilt. I doubt he remembered me from KC. I’m kind of plain-looking.

~Swiss noticed me and started copying my dance moves during “Witch Image.” Just different ways of swaying and small hops.

~So it’s “Life Eternal” again and I’m crying. No meaningful interactions with the ghouls this time, BUT I got the smug satisfaction of seeing Dewdrop NOT interact with anyone during the song like he did with me in Kansas City. I’m horrible, sorryyyy. Chatted with some wonderful people around me during intermission.

~”Spirit” and “From the Pinnacle to the Pit” go by, and I’m getting real antsy about not still having a pick from Aether. I noticed that there is a wide open space (due to chairs being shifted and people not coming back from intermission) right in front of the stage, directly in front of Aether. “Majesty” starts up and I see that a few people have already jumped rows. I debated for a bit, looked security (who weren’t giving a rat’s ass), and climbed over seats to the open spot at the front. All of us in the VIP section paid the same price to be there, after all. Aether cocked his head at me, seeming surprised to see that I moved, and then just nodded.

~OMAHA, I’M SO PROUD OF YOU. We sang that chorus loud and proud during “Satan Prayer.” Copia was SO satisfied with us! Also his cape didn’t fasten properly so it was undone for most of the song; I nearly imploded. Also, several pairs of panties and maybe a bra were tossed onstage during this song. Copia picked up one pair and cracked a joke about, “Someone in the audience standing there bare-assed.” The other undergarments sat up there sadly, to be carried off by an unfortunate stage crewman when the song ended.

~Have I mentioned that ”Faith” is such a jam? I threw my neck out again. During the live performances, the Cardinal adds a growl during the intro that I can feel in my ass. Also Copia acts like he’s waving away a fart behind him during the “A fecal trail across the land” line. I died because it looked like he was sneaking away from cropdusting someone.

~Poor Dewdrop was so sick. During “He Is,” (I think), I saw him lift his mask a little and wipe his dripping snot on his sleeve. He went about it in a “Ewwww” kind of way.

~At the end of that one, Aether ONCE MORE points at me and tosses me a pick. It hits my fingers and falls to the floor. I drop to my knees IMMEDIATELY and scramble to find it. I do fairly quickly, stand up, and kiss it, elatedly holding it above my head in victory. Aether pumps his fist in the air when he sees me waving it around. I tuck it into my bra because “Mummy Dust” is about to start and we’re going fucking crazy. Sadly, very few bills were dropped. I did have Copia thrusting like five feet from my face though. I am eternally grateful for that experience.

~After Aether was introduced during the break in “If You Have Ghosts,” I blew him a kiss, and he caught it and clapped his hand to the side of his face, acting all bashful and cute about it. HE’S SUCH A SWEETHEART.

~For some reason, I was thinking that this was the last song, despite having been to the KC ritual. So when they played “Dance Macabre,” I was thrilled there was still more to the show and boogied around like the idiot I am. That song makes me so happy. Again, Swiss starts imitating my dance movements, adding a little more shimmying around this time. All right. Boi’s got my attention now.

~I’m trying to get good photos of Swiss now, but Aether is pouting and keeps photobombing them whenever I point my phone in that direction, pointing at himself to redirect my focus back to him. I stuck my tongue out at him. Brat.

~Have I ever said how much I love “Square Hammer” live? FUCK. THE ENERGY. Due to it being the “last song,” I blow a kiss to Swiss when it’s all over and get one from him in return. I have perished and am very distracted for the rest of the evening.

~Copia changing his mind about pretending it’s a Friday and telling us, “It’s Tuesday. Go home!” And we boo.

~During his speech before “Monstrance Clock,” he again takes note of the little girl he sang to during Cirice and asks her how her evening was. He also substituted the word “organism” for “orgasm,” for her. Such a soft father.

~I am fully watching Swiss now and his “Monstrance Clock” hips now and GODDAMN HIM. He put me in heat with those moves, I swear. I was instantly a hot mess. I was transfixed and soooo mad that I hadn’t paid more attention to him sooner.

~There was a cute lil’ stuffed dragon sitting at the front of the stage during the song. I’m not sure if it got picked up or not.

~That moment when the lights come on at the end of “Monstrance Clock” and the stage is completely empty as the song fades out is the most HORRIBLE feeling. Because it’s over and the absence of the band members is so profound. “Monstrance Clock” still occasionally makes me sad.

~A few of us waited outside by the buses for the band to come out. IT WAS FREEZING OUT. I hate the Midwest. We didn’t see Tobias (I think they snuck him out the back to their hotel across the street) BUT we did see both Ghoulettes (THEY’RE SO BEAUTIFUL. QUEENS!) and Dewdrop (Per) walk out, along with another member I wasn’t too familiar with at the time, so that was pretty rad.

I know my summaries might come off as a little self-indulgent, but it’s how it happened in my mind. Plus everyone else’s are too. And honestly, my rituals are something I want to remember. Major kudos to the Omaha crowd. Best crowd I’ve seen at a show in a while.