#c; anise.

[miasmaburnt]

azotas asked: ❝ don’t do it. ❞ for Arietta or Anise?

[ "don't" starters - still accepting ]

"Huh?" Was all Anise could really say, lowering her hand behind her back quickly. What was with this guy, talking to a stranger so sharply? Maybe he was having a bad day?

"You had some dead leaves on your back. I was just going to brush them off. No need to bite my head off over it." It'd been more of an impulsive gesture, but thinking about it, it really...was a little strange to do that to some stranger, huh? Anise gripped her wrist behind her back, squeezing her Fon Master staff.

"It's right between your shoulder blades."

[katsukiizmoon]

I’m still on my shit about dad!katsuki so..

How do you think the process of talking about babies with katsuki would go?

(gender neutral I think + misc headcanons)

I think it would start small. You’d notice him look a little too long at a couple with their newborn. Or he’d do something nice for a little one, still calling them a brat.

From there he’d either be too shy to approach it up front and wait for you, or he’d say something like “so when do I get a goddamn brat of my own?” And the conversation would start.

I’m sure he’d be a little flustered, to say the least, when talking about the details. Parenting styles, what he’d need to change for it to happen, preparations, and the reality of what pregnancy/surrogacy/adoption is like.

Like,, the convos..

“Babe, love you but you’re not.. the best about being gentle. Ya can’t run up to a 3 year old and yell at em for not being strong enough. I’ll put you on your ass for it.” You’d suggest, giving him a look from the side.

And he’d just clench his jaw a bit, letting his eyes close and breathing low and slow through his nose. “Alright. Fine. How do I fix that?”

N throughout the process I think he’d use his brain to his advantage. Reading books and such to prepare himself.

Eventually he just goes to his mom and asks what the process for her was like, leaving his mom sputtering and blinking.

Especially in terms of pregnancy, he’d be all “so just tell me what the hell to do cause the damn book said it TEARS?! And what the hell is pre-eclampsia ? Talk woman! TALK!”

or he’d burst in through the doors, stalk over to his parents and just “THEY PEE IN THE UTERUS?!”

I feel like it would be even cuter to see him come home with baby items. I don’t even think he’d really MENTION the baby items, just set em on the counter with everything else.

“Yeah got some shit for the little asshat- I know it’s early but the bottle has my NAME on it!”

And eventually the nursery was set up in the blink of an eye.

[talesoftheraysen]

[blockofhoney]

very much a first draft design but i wanted to come up w/ another c!bee duo kid n thought a puffin hybrid would be fun :) her name’s bonnibel

[ascalonianlightbringer]

I took Gwen through "The Accusation," the follow-up to "The Fall of Falcon Company."

I talked a little here about wishing human PCs could be something other than totally uncritical Queen Jennah stans (it's not like plenty of human NPCs don't have issues with her!). In my head, if not on the screen, Gwen's street origin/revolutionary crowd has left her with very little investment in the status quo and she theoretically opposes royalty and (especially) aristocracy. But she doesn't want Jennah replaced by another (worse) monarch and the person/people plotting against the queen are responsible for the death or suffering of Gwen's sister, so for now, okay.

Anyway. Gwen enters the royal court for the first time in her life to find Logan just arrived, and Queen Jennah attended by Minister Arton, Countess Anise (problematic fave!!!), and Minister Caudecus. Given that Caudecus is the ultimate villain of the noble storyline ... hmm.

We jump into the cut scene and actually see Jennah for the first time:

(Hope the throne room isn't drafty!)

The character design shows its age a bit, though I like the patterning on the gold overlay, and the neck piece. I also really like that she looks like a GW1 Krytan—I like that Ascalonians got less white in GW2, but Krytans got wayyyy lighter and I've always found it uncomfortable.

Right, back to the story. Jennah and Logan talk Very Normally about the treason and not about Logan's undying passion for her, and Gwen tells her about Tervelan's confession, without even naming the minister in question. Arton, who is elderly and seems pretty nice, immediately guesses the accused minister must be him and goes under voluntary house arrest.

Also, I want his robe.

Enter Anise, whom Gwen briefly met in the street arc. Anise was introduced back then as the head of the Shining Blade—the group that helped save Kryta back in GW1 and seems an elite bodyguard for Jennah these days—and apparently keeps track of everything, since she recalls that a random sergeant transferred out of Falcon Company, back in the day. Logan knows where the guy is currently patrolling, so he sends Gwen off to question the sergeant while he stays and protects Jennah.

You can actually talk to Jennah herself afterwards, deferentially. She's actually pretty upset because Arton has always served both her and her father with every appearance of loyalty (as I recall, not something that could be said of all her ministers). The charm response was the more neutral ("Captain Thackeray and Countess Anise will ensure your safety"), so I went with that.

Anise remarks that accusing a minister in front of the queen is not only bold, as she knew Gwen is, but fearless. Gwen says, "Not fearless. Determined." Sounds about right!

Caudecus also has a dialogue option, but just kind of whines about all the commotion. Yeah, I've got my eye on him.

Meanwhile, in conversation with Logan, Gwen grimly assures him that if this sergeant knows anything, she'll get him to talk.

That's my girl :)

[chaosrisingverse]

ANISE BLOOD, twenty (biological age - semi-immortal)

ALIAS | n / a

FAMILY | Jason Blood (’father’), Etrigan (’father’), (siblings tba)

ENDGAME SHIP | Aracely Rivera

ORIENTATION | bisexual, cis woman

POWERS / ABILITIES / EQUIPMENT

POWERS | Accelerated Healing, Claws, Enhanced Senses, Fangs,  Hellfire Projection, Semi-Immortality, Superhuman Agility, Superhuman Durability and Superhuman Strength (via Demonic Physiology), Clairvoyance, Eldritch Blast, Energy Absorption, Exorcism, Magic Wards, Necromancy, Precognition, Retrocognition, Summoning, Telekinesis and Telepathy (via Magic)

ABILITIES | Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced), Meditation, Multilingualism, Occultism, Skilled Fighter and Swordsmanship

EQUIPMENT | n / a

FACECLAIM | Lex Dakota (@vintage_venom_)

PINTEREST | Anise

[ascalonianlightbringer]

A tangent I originally cut out of the post, btw:

Even apart from religious practices, a lot of the most central human figures in the main story are aligned with magic/mysticism in some way. Gwen Thackeray, Lady Althea Barradin, Queen Jennah, Countess Anise, and Kasmeer Meade were/are all mesmers (chaos mages/illusionists). The maddened King Adelbern is remembered as "the Sorcerer-King" for cursing his people into eternal undeath; Vizier Khilbron of Orr used evil magic to obliterate Orr and return as a lich; the (spectacularly stylish) villainness Varesh Ossa had holy magic.

Originally the closest thing to a protagonist figure in GW1 was probably the monk Mhenlo—a cleric in all but name, with an annoying but powerful elementalist girlfriend and a friendship with the Canthan ritualist Master Togo that provided the transition between the first two GW1 games. The most important NPC in the third GW1 game, Kormir, absorbed the immense magical power of a god and became the sixth god of humanity centuries before GW2. Logan Thackeray is the main human figure in core GW2 and a Guardian (a paladin type with a mixture of heavy armor, martial skill, and fire, radiant, and defensive holy magic), while the main human NPC role later mainly shifts to Marjory Delaqua, a noir PI necromancer.

Humans are not innately magical as a species—some of them don't have any link to magic or particular connection with the gods, and the devs have said something to the effect that humans only developed magic after being brought to Tyria by their gods. Their link to the mystical is cultural and historical in-story, not racial, but also reinforced by the narrative choices to link the human story to the mystical, magical, and divine.

Speaking of GW1 and GW2 ... I've had plenty of complaints over the years about how GW2 has chosen to handle and retcon human-centric GW1 lore, the framing of the human gods, etc. That said, I've recently been appreciating that GW2 has retained a particular element of GW1's treatment of humanity and their gods that I've always really liked.

Humans in the GW universe are not really generic everymen, as humans so often are in fantasy settings. Nor are they so wildly varying and unpredictable that there's no sense of humanity having its own distinct flavor like the other playable species do. In many ways, they occupy a vaguely "elvish" position in the world—they've been on this world for a very long time and used to be a major power, or rather, made up many major powers with various warring factions that sometimes found common cause.

But in more recent eras, many of the ancient human civilizations have dwindled and/or suffered various atrocities and/or lost their minds. And culturally, humans tend to have a strong affinity for the mystical and even more for the divinely mystical, which their political power in previous eras was directly tied to. The vast majority of humans in this world are faithful worshippers of a human pantheon of six gods (formerly five).

Not all humans are magical or religious, to be sure, but a lot of them are, to the point that this seems their most distinctive cultural quality. Minor NPCs tend to have background dialogue invoking the gods ("By the Six!"), or referencing one of the gods (often but not only the goddess Dwayna, leader of the Six). The main human NPC of the core game, Logan Thackeray, continually references the gods, as do most of his military fellows.

Most interestingly, though, if you choose to play a human, you will automatically be a devout adherent of the faith of the Six regardless of any other choices you make. In addition, human PCs are blessed by one specific god among the Six whom you choose at character creation.

This mostly has minor flavor effects in practice. A priest of the god you chose permanently hangs out in your home district, and sometimes other priests of your god can perceive some mark of their deity's favor when they look at you.

Howeverrrrr, when I say "their deity," I don't mean that they exclusively worship the god they've dedicated their lives to, or that "your god"—the god whose favor you enjoy as a human PC—is your god in any remotely monotheistic way. Humans faithful to the Six are faithful to all the Six until one of the gods falls to evil. And when that god becomes the villain of the second GW2 expansion, various human NPCs are shown going through a crisis of the soul regardless of whether he was their particular patron or not. Having a more specific personal tie to one of the gods, or being particularly blessed by one of them, or being specifically devoted to a life of service to one of them, does not in any way prevent humans from devotion to the rest of the pantheon.

Mechanically, this means that no matter which deity you choose as your particular patron, your human PC starts the game with the ability to pray to Dwayna, goddess of life and air and healing. When you pray to her, a blue image of Dwayna materializes, heals you, and vanishes. As you level up, your human-based skills will extend to prayers to the other gods.

Praying to Lyssa, goddess of illusion/chaos magic and water and beauty, confounds foes by inflicting random conditions on them and random blessings on you. Praying to Kormir, goddess of spirit, order, and truth, will free you from negative effects like immobilization. The final prayer you can use, iirc, and the most powerful, is the prayer to Balthazar, the god of fire and war who ends up going super evil. If you're playing a fragile class like an elementalist or mesmer, praying to him is actually great, because he blesses you with two fierce hounds made of flame who fight alongside you and soak up damage. (Praying to Balthazar does feel a lot weirder in retrospect, I'll admit.)

In any case, the point is that you can pray to ANY human god and receive a brief visitation from that god, because the entire human pantheon are your gods even if you're only special to one of them. A similar dynamic is at work for NPCs as well. A recurring NPC in the core GW2 story, for instance, is Rhie, a priestess of Grenth, god of cold, darkness, judgment, and death (he's not evil, just goth). Even by priest of Grenth standards, Rhie is greatly favored by him, and as a result is able to perform powerful rituals dealing with the boundaries between life and death. But there's no expectation that this means she should abjure the other gods in any way, and she certainly does not (in fact, she provides a Human Religion 101 rundown about the gods in general in her first appearance in the human storyline).

And it's so common in fantasy, I feel, that polytheistic cultures are conceptualized as giving adherents a wider choice of gods to be the one they actually worship for real, often with the implication that worshipping one god in the pantheon naturally translates into hostility or apathy towards other gods in the same pantheon. And so I do enjoy playing a religiously devout character who has a special patron deity blessing her and who is emphatically polytheistic throughout her entire original storyline.

[bebemoon]

look for the name COPPELIA (requested by @c0ppelia) | chloé silk musseline cut-out top w/ ruffles, onitsuka tiger "ensemble 59" silver metallic lace-up ballet flats (c. 2ooo's), prada large matellasse bowling bag in wrinkled padded nylon fabric, first edition hardback book "the principles of classical dance" written by joan lawson (published in 1972), issey miyake "a drop d'issey" eau de parfum (almond milk, damask rose, orange blossom, lilac, jasmine, star anise, ambrox, musk, atlas cedar, vanillin)

[lazyevaluationranch]

*pats askbox gently* there are more Thermoreceptors?

(I'm sorry ur dome was so hot; I hope its much cooler now!)

My bluff has been called! Hooray!!

I am not a neurologist, a biologist, or a scientist. If anyone with better credentials than "obsessed with emergent properties" contradicts me, listen to them instead.

Cell membranes include little portal proteins that open under certain circumstances based on the shape of the protein and let chemicals into and out of the cell. These portals are useful for all sorts of things: managing water and nutrients, sending messages to nearby cells, serving the whims of tiny intercellular cats. Science hasn't found the tiny intercellular cats yet, but we all know they're there; the existence of a door that can be opened necessarily implies an indecisive feline.

Some protein shapes open up if the temperature is within a certain range. This means that if a cell with that sort of protein in its membrane experiences a temperature in the right range, it will move some chemicals around. This is used to make nerve cells that send a message towards the brain whenever they experience a certain temperature.

Because evolution does all its best work the night before the deadline while on a Code Red Mountain Dew bender, the opened-by-temperature portal proteins are mostly copied from opened-by-a-specific-chemical portal proteins. All of them, in fact, still open for specific chemicals, which means there exist out in the world liquids you can put in a bottle that most animals will instead perceive as "a temperature between 8 and 26 degrees" So things can get a little weird.

Temperature-opening portal proteins:

TRPA1 Opens for temperatures below 12C (not air temperature, skin or body temperature, so you might be kind of in trouble when this happens). Used by hunting snakes to detect where heat isn't so they can find prey. Feels painful in an itchy sort of way.

This one also opens for allyl isothiocyanate. Many plants have evolved to take advantage of the existence of a chemical most animals perceive as itchy pain, especially horseradish and wasabi. Allyl isothiocyanate is harmful to plants, so they keep two separate components in tiny compartments. When an animal bites the plant, the compartments break open their contents mix to create allyl isothiocyanate.

"This plant tastes like itching" is a good defense against almost all animals, but some humans have taught themselves to appreciate the taste of itching.

TRPM8 Opens for temperatures between 8 and 26 degrees. Opens for menthol (peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen) and linalool (roses, orange blossoms, basil). Feels cool or cold.

"This plant tastes like cold" is a somewhat less effective defense against being eaten than "this plant tastes like itching" but it's a more widespread defense because TRPM8-activating chemicals don't harm plants and don't need elaborate two-part storage.

TRPV4 Opens for temperatures from 27-37 C. I'm not sure what this one feels like, or if even feels like anything, since it covers normal human body temperatures. Whatever feeling we get from this one, we're feeling it nearly all the time.

Plants do make a chemical that tastes like this temperature, and it can repel nonhuman creatures with different body temperatures: allicin, the flavour of garlic. Like allyl isothiocyante, it is stored in two compartments inside the plant, and combined when the plant is bitten.

Maybe this is why vampires abhor garlic. There is a feeling that, as humans, we always have. Something we don't notice, something deeper than touch. That feel disappears forever when you become a vampire, except those unbearable moments when garlic returns to you for a fleeting moment the experience of lost humanity.

TRPV3 Opens for temperatures 33-39 degrees. Opens for eugenol, found in cinnamon, nutmeg, bay leaf, holy basil, ginger, allspice, and cloves. Feels like warmth.

Plants with high quantities of eugenol, like holy basil and Japanese star anise, are sometimes sacred to buddhists because they smell nice and bugs don't like to eat them, so you can burn them as incense without worrying about all the little crawly guys.

Humans apparently think food that tastes like "warm" is comforting.

TRPV1 Opens for temperatures over 43 degrees. (The one I was experiencing in the overheated dome, which I had never felt from air before) Opens for capsaicin, the active chemical in hot peppers. Opens for the combination of temperature and acidity of fevers and infected wounds. This one we feel as pain, as burning, as flame.

TRPV1 says: Your flesh is failing, and your doom is very near.

Humanity says: This is incredible. We are going to breed plants that cause this sensation as much as possible, and we will spend thousands of years getting it right. We are going to dry this and powder this and flake it and grill it and ferment it and eat it with everything.

And when we leave earth and go into space, we take hot peppers with us. Without gravity, fluid builds up in nasal passages, and astronauts sort of have colds the entire time they're in space and can't smell food very well. But the Nearness Of Your Doom is not a smell and is not perceived by the nose, so - with their doom always on the other side of ten centimeters of insulated aluminum - astronauts can taste hot peppers. In 2002, Peggy Whitson, commander of the ISS, jokingly refused to let a replacement crew on board until they handed over the hot sauce.

We are a strange and wonderful species.

[najia-cooks]

[ID: First image is of a golden brown boule studded with blueberries and covered with seeds; second image shows the boule cut in half to show a holely bread with blueberries throughout. End ID]

Rustic no-knead blueberry bread

This is a crusty, no-knead, sweet-savory bread that pairs blueberries with spices and herbs inspired by West Asian cooking. Fennel, anise, sesame, and mahlab powder are reminiscent of the دُقَّة كَعْك ("duqqa ka'k"; cake powder) used in pastries, while za'tar and caraway skew more savory.

The long rise yields a well-fermented dough with a robust flavor that stands up well against the sweetness and pungency of the fennel and aniseed. The result is a jammy, complex, aromatic boule.

This bread has an open, irregular crumb, great for slicing, toasting, dipping, or spreading. Try it with labna and honey, olive oil and za'tar, or a spreadable cheese. I've also made sandwiches with thick slices of this bread and fried, glazed tofu drizzled with tarator and topped with Iraqi mango pickles, to excellent effect.

Recipe under the cut!

Patreon | Paypal | Venmo

Makes one medium-sized boule.

Ingredients:

3 cups (360g) bread flour

2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp dry active yeast

2 tsp mahlab powder (optional)

1 tsp fennel seed + 1 tsp aniseed, coarsely ground

About 1 2/3 cup water (room temperature)

1/2 cup firm fresh blueberries

1 Tbsp za’tar (wild thyme), crumbled

Additional fennel seeds, aniseed, caraway, and sesame, to top

Mahlab (محلب) powder is the ground-up pits of Mahleb cherries. It can be purchased at a halal or specialty spice store.

Za'tar (wild thyme) can be found in dried form at a halal grocery store. Note that the spice blend, which includes wild thyme, sumac, sesame seeds, and other spices, will also be labelled "za'tar." If you don't have or can't locate any of the herb itself, use any dried woody herb of your choice (e.g. rosemary, thyme, sage), chopped.

Instructions:

1. Making the dough. Measure flour into a large mixing bowl. Add salt, yeast, seeds, and thyme and stir to combine.

2. Gradually add water until a soft, sticky dough forms. You may need more or less than 1 2/3 cup.

3. Flatten dough in the bowl and top with some of the blueberries. Fold the dough to enclose the blueberries, add more blueberries on top, and fold again. Repeat until all blueberries are incorporated.

4. First rise. Shape dough into a ball and place in the bowl seam-side down. Pat the top of the dough with some olive oil and cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Allow to rest at room temperature for 16-20 hours.

5. Shaping. Gently remove the dough from the bowl and allow it to deflate. Shape the boule by folding an edge in over the center, rotating the dough slightly, and repeating until you have gone all the way around.

6. Flip the ball over so the seam side is down. Place your hands on either side of the dough and then move them down towards the base of the boule, tucking some of the dough under and towards the seam, to tighten the top of the ball. Rotate the ball slightly and do this again, repeating until you've gone all the way around a couple times.

This is the basic method for shaping a boule, lightly adapted to avoid breaking any blueberries. If any of the blueberries start to pop out of the surface of the dough, just press them back in.

7. Second rise. Place your boule on a piece of parchment paper and cover with a kitchen towel. Allow to rise for 1-2 hours, until noticeably puffy.

8. Baking. Place a Dutch oven in your oven and preheat to 450 °F (230 °C). Remove the Dutch oven and place the boule, along with the parchment paper, inside. Put the lid on the Dutch oven and return it to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes.

9. Remove the Dutch oven's lid and bake bread for another 20 minutes, or until the crust is deeply golden brown.

To bake the bread without a Dutch oven, preheat a baking tray in the center of the oven, while preheating a skillet (rated to at least 450 °F) in the bottom; once preheated, transfer the bread and parchment paper to the tray, and pour a few cups of water in the skillet; bake for 30 minutes. Remove the skillet and bake another 20 minutes until golden brown.

Allow the bread to cool completely before cutting into it to avoid creating a mushy texture.

[jules-writes-stories]

Just Enough Light to Cast Shadows

Azriel x Eris

Chapter 37 on AO3

The sacred space was rife with magic. He could taste it on his tongue—smoky sweet, like anise or nutmeg. The massive oaks grew in a semicircle and towered above, almost blotting out the gray feathered sky. Their blood-red leaves were the size of battle shields, and their craggy outstretched branches arched above like a domed canopy. It was like the Mother herself fashioned an amphitheater for the Fae to watch the bloodthirsty spectacle. 

The silvery bark of the massive sentinels rippled like scars or scales. In the trick of the dappled light, with the magic buzzing, Azriel swore the grooves and ridges of the trunks almost resembled faces. 

The Sacred Grove of Autumn was traditionally reserved for the Blood Duel. The duel's strong magic and the intensity of the anger in the blood spilled kept the leaves forever drenched in red. 

Eris sauntered into the grove wearing dark brown Autumn leathers. Azriel was going to kill him.

Thanks to everyone still on this journey with me. Special thank you to @pippsmcgee for beta reading ♥️

Please let me know if you ever want on our off the tag | @the-darkestminds @fieldofdaisiies @mistandmemories @c-starstuff-man0 @molcat07 @chunkypossum @going-through-shit @talibunny30 @yanny-77 @lilah-asteria @amalhe-kofee @futurehunt @seihdacalling @honeysuckle-daydreams13 @unanswered-stars @that-girl-reading @christeareads @g00seg1rl

[golgafrincham]

Quick red chile mole

1 1/2 tsp each: cumin seeds, coriander seed, anise seed, dried oregano

1 sm white onion finely diced

2 cloves garlic finely minced

1/3 cup mild red chile powder (NM or Ancho) (you can also add some powdered chipotle)

1 1/2 c water

2 tbl oil

1 Oz Mexican chocolate, chopped

Salt

1 tsp sherry vinegar

Toast then pound seeds, saute onions until golden then add garlic and all spices. Add chile and stir to combine then add water and bring to boil. After 10 min if it's too thick add a little more water and the chocolate to melt. Add salt to taste and vinegar at the end.

Use over meat/tofu/enchiladas or posole (or just eat it with a tortilla if you're me)

@gravitasmalfunction

[talesoftheraysen]

[the-mortuary-witch]

INCENSE PROPERTIES

A

ACACIA: burned with sandalwood to stimulate the psychic powers.

AFRICAN VIOLET: protection and to promote spirituality within the home.

ALLSPICE: attract both good luck and money.

ALOES: attract good fortune, love, spiritual vibrations, and strength.

ALTHEA: protection and to stimulate the psychic powers.

AMBER: love, comfort, happiness, and healing.

AMBERGRIS: burn for dreams and aphrodisiac.

ANGELICA: protection, harmony, integration, insight and understanding, stability, and meditation.

ANISE SEEDS: meditation and emotional balance incense.

B

BASIL: exorcise and protect against evil entities such as demons and unfriendly ghosts, and to attract fidelity, love, good luck, sympathy, and wealth. This is also an excellent incense to use when performing love divinations.  Also burn for concentration, assertiveness, decisiveness, trust, integrity, enthusiasm, mental clarity, cheerfulness, confidence, and courage. 

BAY: facilitate the psychic powers, and to induce prophetic dream-visions.

BAYBERRY: attract money and also burned for protection, happiness and control. 

BENZOIN: purification, astral projection, clears negative energy, emotional balance, eases sadness, depression, weariness, grief, anger, anxiety, and to attract prosperity. 

BERGAMOT: money, prosperity, uplifting of spirits, joy, protection, concentration, alertness, confidence, balance, strength, courage, motivation, and assertiveness. 

BISTORT: burned often with frankincense as a powerful incense to aid divination.

BRACKEN: burned in outdoor fires to magickally produce rain.

C

CARDAMON: mental clarity, concentration, confidence, courage, enthusiasm, and motivation. 

CARNATION: protection, strength, healing, love, and lust. 

CEDAR: purification, to stimulate or strengthen the psychic powers, attract love, prevent nightmares, and heal various ailments, including head colds.

CEDARWOOD: healing, purification, protection, money, balance, grounding, clarity, insight, and wisdom. 

CHAMOMILE: harmony, peace, calm, and spiritual and inner peace. 

CINNAMON: protection and to attract money, wealth, prosperity, business success, stimulate or strengthen the psychic powers, and aid in healing.  Also burned for stimulation, strength, and lust. 

CITRON: burned in rituals to aid healing and also to strengthen the psychic powers. 

CITRONELLA: cleansing, warding off, healing, and exorcism. 

CLOVE: dispel negativity, purify sacred and magickal spaces, attract money, and stop or prevent the spread of gossip. Also burn for pain relief, intellectual stimulation, business success, wealth, prosperity, divination, exorcism, protection, eases fears, and improves memory and focus. 

COCONUT: protection. 

COPAL: purification, uplifting spirits, protection, exorcism, spirituality, and to attract love.

CYPRESS: strength, comfort, healing, eases anxiety, stress, self-assurance, confidence, physical vitality, willpower, and concentration.

D

DAMIANA: facilitate psychic visions.

DITTANY OF CRETE: conjure spirits and to aid in divination, astral projection, especially when mixed with equal parts of benzoin, sandalwood, and vanilla.

DRAGON’S BLOOD: dispel negativity, exorcise evil supernatural entities, courage, purification, attract love, and restore male potency. Many witches also burn dragon's blood for protection when spell casting and invoking. When added to other incenses, dragon's blood makes their magickal powers all the stronger.

E

ELECAMPANE: strengthen the clairvoyant powers and scrying abilities-divination by gazing.

EUCALYPTUS: healing, purification, and protection.

F

FERN: burned in outdoor fires to magickally produce rain. Also used to exorcise evil supernatural entities.

FRANKINCENSE: dispel negativity, spirituality, purify magickal spaces, consecration, protect against evil, exorcism, aid meditation, astral strength, induce psychic visions, courage, protection, attract good luck, and honour Pagan deities.

FUMITORY: exorcise demons, poltergeists, and evil supernatural entities.

G

GALANGAL: breaks the curses cast by sorcerers.

GARDENIA: peace, love, and healing. 

GINGER: wealth, lust, love, and magical power. 

GINSENG ROOT: keep wicked spirits at bay, and for protection against all forms of evil.

GOTU KOLA: burned to aid meditation.

H

HEATHER: conjure beneficial spirits, and to magickally produce rain.

HIBISCUS FLOWERS: attract love, lust, and also used for divination.

HONEY SUCKLE: attract money, happiness, friendship, and healing. 

HOREHOUND: burned as an offertory incense to the ancient Egyptian god Horus.

HYACINTH: happiness and protection. 

J

JASMINE: attract love and money, and also to induce dreams of a prophetic nature, purification, and wisdom and astral projection.

JUNIPER: stimulate or increase the psychic powers, and also to break curses, exorcism and hexes cast by evil sorcerers. It is also burned for calming, protection and healing.

L

LAVENDER: induce rest and sleep, and to attract love-especially of a man. Also burned for cleansing, healing, happiness and relaxation

LEMON: healing, love, and purification.

LEMONGRASS: mental clarity.

LILAC: simulate or increase the psychic powers, and to attract harmony into one’s life.

LOTUS: elevate mood, protection, spirituality, healing and meditation.

M

MACE: stimulate or increase the psychic powers.

MASTIC: conjure beneficial spirits, stimulate or increase the psychic powers, and intensify sexual desires. The magickal powers of other incenses are greatly increased when a bit of mastic is added.

MESQUITE: magickal powers of all healing incenses are greatly increased when mesquite is added. 

MINT: increase sexual desire, exorcise evil supernatural entities, conjure beneficial spirits, and attract money. Mint incense also possesses strong healing vibrations and protective powers.

MUSK: aphrodisiac, prosperity, and courage. 

MYRRH: burned (often with frankincense) for purification, consecration, healing, exorcism, and banishing evil. Myrrh is also aids meditation rituals, and was commonly burned on alters in ancient Egypt as an offering to deities Isis and Ra.

N

NUTMEG: aid meditation, stimulate or increase the psychic powers, and to attract prosperity.

O

OAKMOSS: money and attraction.

ORANGE: divination, love, luck and money.

P

PATCHOULI: attract money, love, growth, mastery, sensuality and also to promote fertility. 

PEPPERMINT: energy, mental stimulant, exorcism, and healing.

PINE: purification, and to banish negative energies, exorcise evil supernatural entities, and attract money, as well as to break hexes and return them to their senders. Also burned for grounding, strength, cleansing, and healing.

POPPY SEEDS: promote female fertility, and to attract love, good luck, and money.

R

ROSE: increase courage, induce prophetic dreams, house blessing, fertility, healing and attract love. Rose incense is used in all forms of love enchantment and possesses the strongest love vibration of any magickal incense.

ROSE GERANIUM: courage and protection.

ROSEMARY: purify, aid in healing, prevent nightmares, preserve youthfulness, dispel depression, attract fairy folk, and promote restful sleep and pleasant dreams.

RUE: help restore health.

S 

SAGE: protection against all forms of evil. It is also burned to purify sacred spaces and ritual tools. Plus it is great for promoting wisdom, clarity, attract money, and aid in the healing the body, mind, and soul.

SAGE BRUSH: aid healing, and to banish negative energies and evil supernatural entities.

SANDALWOOD: exorcise demons and evil ghosts, conjure beneficial spirits, and promote spiritual awareness. Sandalwood incense is also used by many Witches for protection, astral projection, healing rituals and in wish-magick.

SOLOMON’S SEAL: mainly as an offertory incense to ancient Pagan deities. 

STAR ANISE SEEDS: stimulate or increase the psychic powers. 

STRAWBERRY: attract love and for luck.

SWEETGRASS: conjure beneficial spirits prior to spell casting.

SWEET PEA: friendship, love and courage.

T

THYME: purification of magickal spaces prior to rituals, to aid in healing, and to attract good health.

V

VANILLA: attract love, increase sexual desire, and improve the powers of the mind.

VERVAIN: exorcise evil supernatural entities.

VETIVERT: break curses, exorcism, for protection against black magick and thieves, money, peace and love.

VIOLET: break curses, exorcism, for protection against black magick and thieves, money, peace and love.

W

WILLOW: avert evil, attract love, and promote healing. It is also used by many witches as an offertory incense for Pagan lunar deities.

WISTERIA: protection against all forms of evil.

WORMWOOD: protection against all forms of evil.

Y

YARROW: courage and exorcism. 

YLANG YLANG: love, harmony, and euphoria. 

[galacticnikki]

A Baby Witch's First Grimoire

Grimoire Entry 14 - Protection Herbs

A:

Acacia

African Violet

Agrimony

Ague Root

Aloe

Althea

Alyssum

Amaranth

Angelica

Anise

Arbutus

Asafetida

Ash

B:

Balm of Gilead

Bamboo

Barley

Basil

Bay

Bean

Betony, Wood

Birch

Bittersweet

Blackberry

Bladderwrack

Bloodroot

Bluebell

Bodhi

Boneset

Briony

Bromeliad

Broom

Buckthorn

Burdock

C:

Cactus

Calamus

Caraway

Carnation

Cascara Sagrada

Castor

Cedar

Celandine

Chrysanthemum

Cinchona

Cinnamon

Cinquefoil

Clove

Clover

Club Moss

Coconut

Cohosh, Black

Cotton

Cumin

Curry

Cyclamen

Cypress

D-G:

Datura

Devil's Bit

Devil's Shoestring

Dill

Dogwood

Dragon's Blood

Ebony

Elder

Elecenpane

Eucalyptus

Euphorbia

Fern

Figwort

Fleabane

Frankincense

Galangal

Garlic

Geranium

Ginseng

Gorse

Gourd

Grain

Grass

H-K:

Hazel

Heather

Holly

Honeysuckle

Horehound

Houseleek

Hyacinth

Hyssop

Irish Moss

Ivy

Juniper

Kava-Kava

L-M:

Lady's Slippers

Larch

Larkspur

Lavender

Lekk

Lettuce

Lilac

Lime

Linden

Loosestrife

Lotus

Lucky Hand

Mallow

Mandrake

Marigold

Masterwort

Meadow Rue

Mimosa

Mint

Mistletoe

Molluka

Mugwort

Mulberry

Mullein

Mustard

Myrrh

N-Q:

Nettle

Norfolk Island Pine

Oak

Olive

Onion

Orris

Papaya

Papyrus

Parsley

Pennyroyal

Peony

Pepper

Periwinkle

Pilot Weed

Pimpernel

Pine

Plantain

Plum Purslane

Quince

R-S:

Radish

Ragwort

Raspberry

Rattlesnake Root

Rhubarb

Rice

Roots

Rose

Rosemary

Rowan

Sage

St. John's Wort

Sandalwood

Sloe

Snapdragon

Southernwood

Spanish Moss

Squill

Sweetgum

T-Z:

Tamarisk

Thistle

Ti

Toadflax

Tomato

Tormentil

Tulip

Turnip

Valerian

Venus' Fly Trap

Vervain

Violet

Wax Plant

Willow

Wintergreen

Witch's Hazel

Wolf's Bane

Yerba Santa

Yucca

Feel free to check out my master post for more information!

[ascalonianlightbringer]

I got around to the finale of "The Orders of Tyria" after finishing "Speaker of the Dead." This doubled as Gwen's induction into the Order of Whispers as an initiate.

The basic plan was to use an illusion of Queen Jennah to draw Kellach out, tricking him into revealing himself and then giving him a chance to surrender, but defeating him if he refused. This in no way addressed Gwen's earlier concern that he'd drag undead through every town on the way to Divinity's Reach in order to get to Jennah (or "Jennah"), but lalala.

Gwen talked to Logan first, who was predictably on edge about the queen. Gwen had the option to reply "the gods will watch over us," which I kind of like for Gwen, who I've always imagined as unexpectedly devout, and who would be more concerned about Logan, Ihan, and herself than Jennah, anyway. But I ran through the alternate option as well, where you can ask about Logan's incredibly obvious feelings for Jennah. He insisted, "She is Kryta."

I do think it's interesting that his devotion to Kryta and his love for Jennah have essentially fused into one thing, or at least are so joined up that they feed into each other (in a way that strikes me as ... not completely healthy, but still, intriguing).

Gwen also talked to Anise, my problematic fave, who explained that she was there to make the illusion of Jennah seem authentic and also explained what the Shining Blade is. I remember helping them out in GW1, so no surprises there.

Ihan was also there and pointedly reminded Gwen that the Whispers agents are "Our agents, my friend. You're a member of the Order of Whispers now. We all work as one."

Aww, Gwen and Ihan are friends! And look, I love the Order of Whispers so much. I seem to remember the Whispers arc going rather quickly, but I'd happily wander around scheming and sneaking with them for a long time. My people!

Logan wanted an assurance that they'd keep Jennah safe and Ihan promised "on the honor of our Order." They have honor in their own way, which I also love. The combination of skulduggery and dedication to a purely noble goal is just ... they could not be more catered to appeal to me (their vibe actually reminds me a little of my beloved Rogue One).

Ihan also explained that the bombs planted around the room fused Charr and Asura technology. I suspect Gwen was a bit "... :\" about using Charr tech, but she's a pragmatic creature at the end of the day, so I imagine she covered it up with a smile and carried on (a bandit infiltration episode in Brisban Wildlands revealed that her personality is "Captivating," which is fun to imagine).

And then Kellach showed up, apparently by traveling through the sewer system or something like that. Like with Tervelan, you could tell he'd gone wrong by the grime on his Seraph armor:

I'm curious if it's always a code for corruption, but I guess I'll see.

Kellach addressed the fake Jennah as "my beloved queen" (...) and insisted he wasn't going to hurt her, he just needed to, you know, bathe in her blood. I am unsure how this was supposed to happen without hurting her, but he was obviously not all that rational at this point. Upon being told to surrender and that he'd been tricked, he lost his shit and declared he'd kill us all, backed by Risen materializing out of nowhere.

The fight wasn't difficult, especially since Gwen, Ihan, Anise, and Logan managed to lure Kellach + minions into the range of the bombs. But it wasn't a particularly happy victory, given that he started by trying to figure out how to save Kryta from the Risen, and in the end, there was nothing to do but kill him like a rabid dog. Even Gwen said, "Poor Kellach," and I'm inclined to imagine she actually did.

Logan, meanwhile, was pretty shaken:

I bet it does.

Ihan, meanwhile, continued to be super encouraging:

The Order certainly seems a very pleasant crowd. It makes a certain sense, though—they need to be able to get along with anyone.

TYBALT TYBALT TYBALT TYBALT

Er, I mean, I definitely haven't forgotten so much that I've forgotten my favorite Charr ever. I realize this isn't a high bar, but for as much as I dislike mainstream Charr culture and most of their actions over the last 250 years and more, I remember that Tybalt was easily one of my favorite characters in the game.

I really like this moment—the expression, her resolve, the slight bittersweet quality of her rapport with Ihan just as he was about to leave. I seem to recall that Althea did run into him again at some point, but I'm still a bit sad to see him withdraw from major character status.

Then back to Logan! Gwen immediately picked up on how rattled he was and it turned out he'd had an epiphany of sorts. He conceded that maybe defending Jennah wasn't the best long-term use of his abilities, since nobody (including Jennah) is safe as long as the dragons are out there.

Better late than never, I say.

There is a genuine pathos to this for me. I know lots of people dislike him, but idk, I'm really fond of him despite everything.

Gwen loyally assured him that it's possible to come back from mistakes, which are part of being human (...and lbr, also Asura, Charr, sylvari, Norn...). Logan has decided to meet with his old friend Caithe after all of this. Kellach achieved something, anyway!

The cut scene concludes with a cheerful "I'll see you in Lion's Arch!" from Gwen, but it's possible to continue the conversation in the dialogue screen after. Logan freely admitted that his feelings for Jennah go beyond duty, and Gwen said (I think sincerely) that "I hope you find a way to be happy together."

I seem to recall that his feelings end up being more or less unrequited, but that's really not the impression from the personal story.

Logan also described Caithe vaguely (after running the sylvari level 10 story not long ago, his description isn't wrong, but falls a bit short of just how hardcore she really is). He thought she might have discovered something about the dragons that might be helpful, so he was willing to meet up again with her in particular, despite seeing the guild as permanently disbanded. Gwen simply told him to let her know if she could help.

I really do love the female human PC + Logan as 100% bros, and I particularly enjoy it with Gwen and Logan, given how far he was willing to go to help her out in the original street storyline. It's just a peak BROTP in my head.

It's also possible to talk to Ihan before he headed out. From him, Gwen found out that the Preceptors of the Order, Halvora, Valenze, and Doern, are aware of her. Ihan concluded, "Your wits are sharp as knives, Initiate. The Preceptors were right about you." The Preceptors, incidentally, are the visible leaders of the Order, answering to the mysterious and unknown Master of Whispers.

He also told her to take notes on Logan's meeting. Seems sketchy to spy on her friend, but that's the name of the game in the Order. Gwen simply said "Noted," which could easily be a careful ambiguity that's very characteristic of her.

Anyway, that was "The Orders of Tyria." When I first started it, I was like "oh yeah, I have to do the whole arc before I get to join up. :\" But I did really enjoy going through it and very much liked the distinct personalities and human-ness of all the representatives.

Next up: Lion's Arch!