#do they even have souls? Do the deities know the answers to any of these questions?

[devilish-cherry]

choso relationship headcanons pt 2 ♡

ᨳ♡₊➳ choso x reader

ᨳ♡₊➳ crack, fluff

ᨳ♡₊➳ part one

ᨳ♡₊➳ me, not posting content for months: 🛌💤

also me the second choso crosses my mind: 🧍‍♀️💻🔥

i abandoned you all for two months but crawled out from under my rock at the call of my choso thirst alone. brand consistency is on point. nature is healing. please accept these headcanons as a humble offering before i crawl back into my hole. 😌🖤

₊⊹. choso's idea of waking you up gently is hovering over your sleeping form silently, staring until your soul feels his presence, and you wake up in sheer terror. "good morning," he deadpans, genuinely puzzled by your startled gasp. "were you dreaming badly?"

₊⊹. choso insists on watching those overly dramatic soap operas with you because his memories vaguely recall his vessel's grandma watching them. now he's deeply invested in the plot. you find him dramatically yelling at the tv, "do not give him the rose, mari! he betrayed your trust!" if you miss an episode, he's like, "i have updates. you will not believe who betrayed who."

₊⊹. he's surprisingly good at video games once he learns them, but is personally betrayed whenever your animal crossing villagers move out. you find him softly murmuring to your switch, "was my hospitality inadequate?"

₊⊹. choso discovered cooking tutorials on youtube exactly once and now he's committed to mastering japanese cuisine. unfortunately, it usually ends up with rice burnt to the bottom of your favorite pan. he always looks so earnestly distressed, blinking at the scorched remains, "this isn’t how chef kenichi said it would turn out…"

₊⊹. once he found out houseplants increase serotonin, your apartment basically turned into a botanical garden. he gets emotionally attached to each plant. you swear you've caught him softly reassuring a succulent, "you are doing well. keep photosynthesizing."

₊⊹. he knows how to use chopsticks, shake hands, and make a dentist appointment, all thanks to his vessel, but he has never emotionally processed any of those things. he does them like he’s cosplaying a civilian. that’s why he answers the door for the delivery driver by simply saying, “greetings.” and then doesn’t move to take the bag. just stares. the driver glances at the food, at choso, back at the food, like maybe this is a very elaborate mugging. you quickly jump in and handle the transaction while choso whispers to you, “they were unusually tense. suspicious?”

₊⊹. choso genuinely thinks the "don't talk to me until i've had my coffee" mugs you bought ironically mean you require silence in the morning. so every dawn, he sits in complete silence next to you, handing you coffee with reverence like you’re some ancient deity who must not be angered.

₊⊹. he knows how laundry works, in theory. but the first time you ask him to handle it, he somehow ends up washing your whites with a vibrant red hoodie. now everything you own is pink. he looks at you, tilting his head slightly. "pink suits you. i improved your wardrobe."

₊⊹. he doesn’t fully get sarcasm, so when you joke, "wow, love that for us," after you both spectacularly burn dinner, he nods sincerely, "i also appreciate our unified failure." he eventually adopts your sarcastic sense of humor but misses the delivery entirely, resulting in gems like, "oh great, another sunny day. precisely what we needed." completely serious, staring at a cloudless sky.

₊⊹. he tries to cheer you up by sending animal videos he discovers online but sends you bizarrely intense wildlife survival clips instead. "look, love. it's a meerkat narrowly escaping death. inspiring, isn't it?"

₊⊹. your first time visiting a pet cafe was his personal awakening. now, whenever he's stressed, you inevitably end up at the local cat café watching him silently commune with the cats. "they understand," he assures you while cradling a grumpy-looking cat named 'pancake'. "we should consider joint custody of this cat."

₊⊹. he knows what a “joke” is. he even knows the formula. set up → punchline → laughter. but when he tries to tell one, it’s like watching someone who read about humor but has never experienced it. he also always forgets the punchline halfway through and solemnly finishes, "i'm sorry. this was supposed to be humorous."

₊⊹. choso likes to hold hands, but doesn't quite understand when it’s socially acceptable. you once ended up awkwardly holding his hand while explaining to your landlord why the sink was broken, choso calmly beside you, fingers entwined, giving zero context.

₊⊹. choso tries texting you once, but doesn't understand emojis. you receive an ominous message: "Come home. 🔪🍅" and spend the entire day convinced something horrifying awaits you. turns out, he just wanted help cutting tomatoes.

₊⊹. choso believes firmly in quality cuddle sessions. he doesn't ask; he merely strategically drapes himself nearby until you notice and concede. you finally ask why he doesn't just say he wants cuddles, and he blinks slowly. "that seems aggressive."

₊⊹. choso finds diy tutorials online and tries them secretly to surprise you. spoiler alert: he’s hilariously bad at them. you've come home to questionable-looking clay mugs, half-painted canvases, and one very strange knitted... something. he presents each with absolute sincerity, "it is handmade. by me."

₊⊹. he randomly gives you head pats but doesn’t understand the social nuance, sometimes patting your head gently during serious conversations. "this is comfort." he declares, clearly satisfied with himself.

₊⊹. you once sarcastically called him “my strong little man” after he carried a heavy grocery bag. this man did not talk for an hour. he was processing. he sat down with a glass of water and said, “i am not little. but i am... yours.” you almost choked.

₊⊹. choso is basically your shadow in public places because he learned from his vessel's memories that partners stay close. sometimes so close he accidentally steps on your heel repeatedly. if you ever ask him for more space, he just blinks, totally deadpan. "i am ensuring your safety."

₊⊹. one day, you jokingly said, "ugh, i’d marry whoever does the dishes tonight," and you've never seen choso move so fast in his life. the plates nearly shattered from his enthusiasm alone.

₊⊹. if you ask him to pass you a towel while showering, he reaches into the bathroom with his eyes dramatically shut tight. his determination to respect your privacy while also being helpful is ridiculously endearing.

₊⊹. despite his perpetual resting bored face, choso genuinely believes everything you do is incredibly cool. you open a tricky jar? "incredible strength." you manage to fix the wifi router? "unmatched technological prowess." he looks at you like you're simultaneously beyoncé and albert einstein incarnate. it’s honestly adorable.

₊⊹. sometimes, he stares at your shared life, photos, plants, mugs, and mutters to himself, “i never thought i’d have this.”

[theempressofthenile]

The 12th Houses - The Divine Naturalist.

Knowledge is power, and what most 12th housers understand is that power is infinite, and the knowledge that we seek comes from within. The 12th house is filled with divine experiences, making the person with this placement see things from a higher perspective. Something that most can never find for themselves, its truly a mystery here.

Sun in the 12th house : Impractical knowledge, things that don't make sense on a psychical matter making sense more in the imagination. Artistic souls who's only purpose is to share what the divine has given them since birth. Angels of light who go into the darkness for some time to receive an answer. Could have issues with family and friends because they can be too floaty for them sometimes. Always floating with the wind, always going nowhere but somewhere. They may not know everything, but they know the importance of being in the moment.

Moon in the 12th house: Connecting to a higher purpose, these people could be the seers of our generation. Having mercy for every little thing, every person, every plant, animal... etc. They have the compassionate nature of a deity. Some may even believe they are quite delusional with the way that they put their all into others, even excusing the behavior of some becomes we all have been there. All in all, they have an expression to them that attracts any and anybody to them, their love is unmatched.

Mercury in the 12th house: Intricate minds, very solitary individuals. Like to live alone and be isolated at times. You may not understand them from time to time, but it does not matter to them. Their mind has more than a million channels, and they operate into all of them. I feel as though these placements need time alone due to their mind always being on constant overdrive. I guess it's safe to say they could be their own book that is more than 300 pages. They have the tendency to know more than what they let on, due to the source within them giving them an explicit amount of knowledge all of the time.

Venus in the 12th house : Beautiful souls with a tendency to love deeper than what most can define. No one can truly match the depths of these beautiful minds, who's love wishes to touch the stars to be closer to the divine. Their love life can be tempting with allure, but their bodies can feel the uproar of something being close to home. Their not for everyone, and the way their love life is set up.. it can have them questioning why the Universe put them in certain situations. Could it be that they must go against the grain? Love will make you do crazy things, and they learn a lot about this everyday

Mars in the 12th house : Their psychic senses are always tingling. The power they are looking for is deep into the subconscious. I feel as if they are always fighting for themselves to pick up their weight while society pushes them to the side often.. They know exactly what they want, and as it is capable they have to sure work for it. Because even if its not in the present, it is somewhere in the future. Because if you can see it in your mind, you can bring it into fruition. Mars in the 12th house makes a difference because as they transform the mind, they transform themselves. It's like seeing a totally new person, because they looked into the heart to find what they need to change to be the person they have always wanted to become. They always knew they could do it if they were to try.

Jupiter in the 12th house - They have a powerful connection to the ancestors, their spirit guides and the universe overall. They see things in a much more profound way than people let on. You might think their crazy, but baby let me tell you they are in 2050 while everyone is stuck in 2024! They have the tendency to know things by either looking it up or solving the clue on their own. Potentially they can lose their own minds because the world is farther behind, not being able to grasp the knowledge of everyday life even when its being practically handed to us. At some point, they tend to hide what they know and shares it with a familiar group, ones that knows the type of people they are and want to learn more of the fruits of nature that the Gods have given us. Ask your jupiter 12th house frined what is something out of this world that they know and watch your entire idea of life change in one sitting.

Saturn in the 12th house - Spiritual connections come in very interesting ways for this group. They naturally run with authority, they just don't see it yet. They have an understanding that things take time. And although they may not get it now, when they are much older they will see that everything was planned the way it was supose to be, and not the way they wanted it to be. They have the gift of seers from many moons ago, and they have the direction and path lined up for them by their ancestors and spirit team. They just need to know which lane to pick. Let go of control if you have this placement, you have no idea where things could lead.

Pluto in the 12th house - In a deep dark pool of webs, you will find the most intriguing persons here. They know so much about the darkness, it may shock you. Since they were a child, they have had a lot of psychic experiences. And as they grew, this could have surprised so many others to the point that the 12th houser has rejected their role in being all knowing. With this placement, they have to go against the grain. Looking within the psyche to accomplish what most never see coming, and it's to have full control cover their consciousness. They have integrity enough to keep going, even when things are bouncing out the wall. But they never give up on themselves, there is always room for self-transformation.

Neptune in the 12th house - Creators, Muses, Great thinkers. Very in control of their inner world, its just that others may give them a hard time. They are always on cloud nine. Very patient with themselves because the world tells them to speed up. Can be super creative when you lock them in a room by themselves. They will take you into a museum that connects to their soul, you'd want to know more about them the longer you stay with them. To have this placement is to know that there is something much bigger than ourselves out there. They live a life full of inspiration.

Uranus in the 12th house - Unique individuals who take the time to create inventions far past their peers level of thinking, and I mean that gracefully. They have the capacity to see beyond what the world sees at such a young age. The universe connects them to the akashic records of information so that they can be ahead of time. Can fulfill a leadership role if they find themselves in a predicament where others won't take the lead, they'll have you thinking about things in a totally different way. Can be seen as the crazy-heads of the world but they aren't so crazy once you get to know them. Have mercy on them, they have so many ideas, philosophies and knowledge tied into their tiny brains it will almost make anyone seem insane. Just enjoy the rollercoaster that their brains make us feel, its a ride of your life.

I hope you all enjoy !

[astra-ravana]

Must Love Demons

Demon originally meant "spirit replete with wisdom", that is until Christianity gained supremacy and began negatively labeling every spirit or pagan deity as a demon. Today it still  conjures images of horror movie monsters and torturous possessions. When I tell others that I choose to work with demons, even other witches, I am met with everything from concern to disgust to morbid curiosity. But, I'd like to take a moment to clear up some misconceptions and ease fears regarding these brilliant and misunderstood spirits.

First off, what makes a spirit a demon? Well, as it turns out, lots of things can qualify you as demon. Many of the demons of the goetia started their spiritual reverence as pagan gods, then were disgraced by early Christians for going against their god by simply existing. Most of these beings are very complex in nature, but not evil as rumors would claim. Here's some things angels, spirits, and deities did to gain demon status:

• Knowing astrology/astronomy

• Being one with nature

• Taking back stolen books

• Falling in love with a human

• Helping spirits connect with mortals

• Being a "beast"

• Being a woman and refusing to submit to a man

• Connecting with/assisting the dead

• Doing magick

• Teaching magick to mortals

• Divination

• Having horns

• Being part animal

• Having too much confidence

• Inspiring love

• Teaching people science

• Being a strong goddess figure

• By doing nothing at all

So, would you be considered a demon? I know I sure would. As you can see the criteria by which a spirit is designated a demon is incredibly broad. Most demons mean no harm and conversely, have a wealth of knowledge to share with worthy mortals. These spirits are as diverse as human souls, having preferences, flaws, habits, different areas of expertise, personalities, and emotions. Some of them lived lives as human beings and/or were worshipped as deities.

When you begin researching demons you'll discover that this label encompasses a large, intricate pantheon of spirits, each with their own domains and abilities. Chances are, there's a demon out there who would resonate with you.

When I first started my demonic journey I was answering the call of a spirit that had been reaching out to me in my dreams since childhood. He was patient, however, and when I finally was brave enough to reach back he was overjoyed. This was the demon king of Hell, Paimon. I had never had such clear communication with a spirit and at times I forgot we were on different plains of existence. I had never had a spiritual connection with anything, not like this. Soon I began introducing myself to other spirits. I identified a demon that had protected me my whole life, befriended another, reached out to one to ask for knowledge, and my circle grew. Today I work with dozens of demon spirits and still find them to be the most relatable, loyal, understanding, and patient entities to work with.

I guess the moral is not to judge a book by its cover. I mean we know by now, being condemned by the church means very little in the realms of morality and actual goodness. As witches, our history with the church has a lot of common ground with demons. It's only natural we work together. I hope this maybe makes some reconsider any prejudices they may have towards these spirits. They are individuals, like us, chaotic, charming, loving, angry, divine, wise, and very real. They can bolster your spiritual growth and magick, gift you knowledge, and be a friend too. Can you learn to love a demon? It might just be worth finding out.

[cultkinkcoven]

I’ve tried to make this post like 5 times now.

I had a very intense ritual session with Lucifer yesterday where I asked him a bunch of questions about his mythology

I was looking for the answers to a couple questions:

1. Is Lucifer the angel of the rebellion?

We know Lucifer is the Roman God of Enlightenment, Attar, the Ugaritic God who rose and fell after trying to take the throne of Baal, Ishtar/Inanna the Goddess who rose to Heaven and fell to the Underworld, Venus, The morning star, Eosphoros, Hesperus, Aphrodite etc. We know that the angel of the rebellion is sometimes referred to as a Lucifer due to his description of Helel Ben Shahar, and we know that Helel, like Attar, was the name of a splenderous deity who rose and fell. The angel of the rebellion is called Satan, the adversary, and he is sometimes believed to be a separate entity than the Lucifer, perhaps Sammael.

2. If Lucifer is the angel of the rebellion, why did he rebel?

Was it really just pride?

3. When did Lucifer rebel, according to the myths?

4. Why did 1/3 of Heaven’s angels follow him?

The Christian cannon states that a whole third of Heaven fell with Lucifer. Angels of all kinds. Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Powers, Virtues, Principalities, Archangels and Guardian Angels. Angels of creation. Angels who stood around God’s throne. These were angels, incredibly intelligent, near omnipotent angels. Angels who knew good and well the implications of this action. Angels who were made by God. The holiest hosts of Heaven created for the soul purpose of serving God, somehow, a whole third of them chose Lucifer.

When I confronted him with all these questions, his answers hit me like atom bombs. They completely shattered my understanding of things, and I’m not even entirely sure I know how to explain it.

He started saying: “Your questions are born of a lot of assumptions. For one, you assume that all angels have the same level of autonomy, that a so called Throne will think like a so called Power. You also assume that before the fall, any angel had the ability to choose sin. You make the bold assumption that “Heaven”, the dwelling place of angels, was a place, rather than a state of things ”

These ideas warped my brain a little bit.

Okay, so not all angels had the same level of autonomy, and before the fall, they didn’t have the option to choose. Heaven is not a place, but a state of things. What does that mean? And what changed?

“What is a Lucifer?”

A light bringer, an illuminator found in the deepest darkness of the void.

Then I had a very intense vision, that seemed to be his retelling of the Christian story of creation, the 7 days, which he explained were not “days” but eras. At first there was that vast ocean of darkness. He called this Chaos. In this retelling, Chaos was the primordial Heaven. A place of originality, and it was the place where all angels and spirits dwelt infinitely. However at this point there was no concept of awareness, nothing to be aware of. And all consciousnesses may have been uniform, including that of the big GOD. This primordial water is what they would call mother.

Then, of course, there was Light. God wanted there to be something, assumably, because he was sick of drifting endlessly through nothing. This is the first separation, the emergence of the physical. In this creation, God’s angels suddenly had purpose, work to do. But still, there was nothing to be chosen. They were functions without persona.

Lucifer told me to be aware that no single retelling is totally correct. For instance, this concept that these primordial spirits were subordinate to God- following Gods orders- rather than extensions of God, projections of Gods light bouncing off of the physical and creating “colors” or shapes. Angles and angels.

He then asked me again, what is a Lucifer?

At this point God (or Gods, depending on if you view it as one or many) has created the land, the Earth, and by extension and fundamental contrast, our understanding of the Heavens. These things only exist conceptually in contrast to each other. There is no Light without Darkness.

However even then, even among the angels, there is still no sense of awareness. No choices.

God creates many beasts and creatures of many kinds. Lucifer tells me he watched these creatures evolve and make a home out of the planet they were born on. These were instinctual animals, like the angels themselves. And in this instinct, in this unawareness, they were bliss, as they could not know the opposite. Of course, there was pain and suffering, but all these were considered Good, as God is Good, and He is the only one capable of experiencing. This pain is only sensation, not emotion, not spirit.

Then emerges the champion of evolution itself. The one who will inherit the Earth.

“I watched as you emerged from the waters and grew up on the land. Then there were your five fingers, with which you began to to touch the Earth and mold it. You began to learn at an exponential rate. Somewhere along the line of evolution you, homosapien, were favoured among the rest.”

There were many of these apes roaming the Earth. There were other species of sapiens alongside us, fighting for the status of dominance. But of course, you know how the story goes. Humans emerged victorious.

On the 6th day it is said that God created man. They called him Adam. The first man with a name, and assumably, the first fully human being.

again, I’m having a really hard time explaining this because it was all super abstract. Lucifer expressed that this first human fundamentally changed the nature of the world when he first truly opened his eyes. Mankind was, like all things, in a deep slumber. All creatures were in the uniform sleep of oblivion until that first man woke up.

and then he knew what God had said to him.

“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

In man something had happened that had never occurred before, at least not here. The match of Godhood was struck on the other side of the vail, the physical world. For the first time ever, there was a living creature that was self aware, aware like God. Capable of expanding upon his creation, of destroying it. Of choosing.

Inside the mind of man is an entire universe. Man has the ability to destroy the entire universe, to mold the world and change it in his ideal. He has the infinite power to destroy or create within this universe. And when this light is gone, as far as we know, everything is gone. In essence, every person is the God of their own reality. Then I think back to this concept of primordial waters, darkness, sleep. Heaven.

“Remember that all things, all energy, all possibilities, emerged from those primordial waters. And these waters, separated from the Light, were still in existence. Outside of time and space. Outside of physicality. Gods creation was perfect and complete when man awoke. But in his awakening, the world became a seed. A vessel of infinite possibilities and potential and yet still perfect. Through the emergence of this thing called a mind, man suddenly had connection with these dark waters. He had simultaneously created time and the ability to subvert it.”

Why did Lucifer fall from Heaven?

Lucifer fell from Heaven like a bolt of lightning. A strike of intense energy.

The story says pride. But maybe perhaps they meant ego.

Lucifer is the God of Desire. I have always found it so interesting that so many personifications of Venus, and specifically the morning star, have so many associations with the Underworld or Hell, a place that is not his original home but where he takes leadership.

Suddenly in man was the potential for all these concepts which would never have been possible before. Man had the intelligence and sentience to experience divine love, pain, pleasure. Because he was born without understanding, he had the infinite potential to learn all of the secrets of his reality. And he was learning quickly.

I think about this quote from Asenath Mason

The only way I can put it into words is like this, loosely speaking.

What is Hell?

Traditional Christians will tell you that Hell is separation from God. In awakening, I think that man was separated from God, and God was separated from God.

lmao idk if any of this makes any sense

If Lucifer was an “angel” or God in Heaven, that means that he was a part of the Primordial Godhood that existed before all of “creation”. That potential energy.

Within the world that the Gods had created, perhaps he existed in form that was compatible with it. In the same way perhaps that elements work. Stable elements within the environment that permits them can exist. Combinations of electrons that are unstable cannot reasonably exist under the conditions of our universe.

The existence of even the concept of corrupt corporate greed for example, could not have existed in a world without humans, without capitalism, without money, without numbers.

But suddenly, there was potential for it. There was potential for the grand equalizers of humanity, desire, and persona, and then individuality. Ego. Why is Venus the God of Gender? Gender is an extension of persona, gender expression is a conversation with oneself. A way we understand each other and ourselves.

Humanity now had a bridge to things that had not yet been in the world. But at the time, only potential.

If the waters exist outside of time, were these primordial spirits omnipotent? Could they perhaps see and know of this potential before the world had even been created? What would angels be gossiping about in a primordial sea of nothing?

Perhaps, everything.

What is God but a light? and what is an angel but that light bouncing off of creation, reflecting a principle?

Perhaps Lucifer is divine light reflecting off of that potential in the world, in the mind of man. A different kind of light than what was in the creation.

Perhaps he did not envy humanity’s ability to choose, or Gods love for us. Perhaps he was the energy that was humanity’s ability to choose.

an inevitability of the separation from the deep sleep to the consciousness.

This is all obviously just my crazy rambling and my personal upg.

In my conversations with both Lucifer, Archangel Jophiel and other spirits, there has been a common attitude of, yes, a divide happened. But it wasn’t exactly a war. They describe it more like the way we describe politics. Or even just natural functions. There is no resentment between them, but there is a distinction.

Why would a whole third of Heavens angels fall with Lucifer? What could he possibly have said??? to make Gods angels sacrifice their unity with God?

Maybe he didn’t have to say much.

God created for the exact same reason man creates. Boredom.

What is the signifier of a conscious being? Boredom. In my mind, you’re not truly conscious or aware unless you can be bored. Unless you can experience a lack of stimulation. An AI doesn’t get bored after 20 minutes. It’s not alive, it’s not on standby getting annoyed that you’re not stimulating it. It has no experience.

In the endless waters, in the eternal sleep, and suddenly for the first time, there was the potential for that light to mingle with creation, create.

Liberation of the self is what makes you a God. Experience is kind of like God interacting with itself and its own creation. Maybe the thing that made those angels fall was the desire to be experienced.

and who better fitting to bring it into the world but the keeper of the hidden gnosis? He who represented divine light in the original creation, perhaps now in the mind of man represents the potential for the inner light. The light that makes the infinite potential of all of these sleeping Gods possible?

All throughout Lucifer and Lucifer like deities I see this image of the forbidden fruit. It’s not just him, the fruit is everywhere. Most famously when he tempts Eve to eat it.

This was the catalyst for the history of the entire world, the introduction of sin. With the potential to know good there was also the potential to know bad. I think it’s there in the Garden, because it’s access to the divine itself.

People so often ask why God would allow Lucifer into Eden, why the fruit was even there.

When did Lucifer fall?

On the 7th day God rested from all of his work.

Many of the myths about the pre biblical God of the Morning Star say that he was attempting to take the throne of a God while he had been temporarily away. The Lucifer tries, decides he’s inadequate, and falls to the underworld.

This new realm, this abyss, this inner God, cannot exist without the macro God. As much as you are the God of your own universe, you are also within the universe, with other people, and thus, other Gods, other universes.

Lucifer is not the God of the macrocosm. His Light is a different kind then the Light of that God. A God that was true enough to inspire angels. But he cannot replace that God.

When he falls and establishes his Pandemonium, it is in Hell, in the separation. The mind of man, which truly is capable of making the most terrible and wonderful things happen. That’s why he is A God of Hell. All of these spirits are only possible in this separation. In man.

One thing that hit me like an atom bomb was this concept of “evil”.

The natural law is not good as we commonly understand it. Babies get brain cancer. People are born without organs, disease wipes out entire species. There is an indiscriminate horror to the world, and that is why life is so fragile.

But the horrors of man are different. They aren’t natural acts of divine law. We are capable of the most horrific things imaginable, and have done them. We are a species, assumably the only species, that hates. That tortures and defiles for pleasure. The only one that can destroy the entire Earth in an instant.

Lucifer is the God of knowledge and liberation. I very much believe that he does not harbour any resentment or hatred towards humanity or that God. But he demands the right to exist. He demands that man have the potential to remember that he is a God, and the infinite creation and destruction that comes with it. Lucifer is pro enlightenment and education, even when it leads to destruction. It’s the natural consequence, perhaps the sacrifice.

Lucifer did not create the atom bomb or the gun, but his spirits of war and artillery mingled with man and created weapons. That’s why the God of Hell is also the champion of humanity. The one who constantly cheers for our liberation.

To create suffering and evil?

To create. To partake in the act of creation and destruction, like us. Like God.

Different traditions state that the trees of life and death are constantly seeking to destroy each other. Maybe it’s less that they want to destroy each other, and more like they have a cosmic attraction, always within each other’s pull and wanting to collapse back together, only staying separate by the mind of man, of life.

When your awareness is gone, perhaps you return to that uniform sleep of God, perhaps that’s when Heaven and Hell finally become one again, this time with the infinite experience of knowing itself fully. Satisfied.

Or maybe I smoke too much weed lol idk

I’m so sorry if this post makes absolutely no fucking sense. Im trying to scramble this all together before I forget. Pls tell me if this makes sense to u

[that-hazbin]

Hi! I just want to say I love your AUs and I look forward to reading more of whatever AU you might cook up in the future.

For your Good Boy Alastor AU, where Alastor has direct communication with God in his head. Do the others later find out that redemption is possible all along and God has to have The Plan to implement it? That Alastor actually went to Hell so that The Plan can be enacted and redemption made possible. That would be similar to what Jesus did so long ago.

Heaven will be losing their shit, with their heavenly creator disappeared for so long, only to be in direct communication of a mere human soul. And that somehow Lucifer is still His favourite even after all the shit he pulled during Eden. How will they view Alastor now that he has a direct connection to Father/Creator? That their Father enact The Plan of Redemption and that they were wrong about redemption being not possible and were wrong committing genocide?

Charlie will be happy to hear that redemption is possible all along and that even God is on her side in making it a reality. After hearing that Alastor has to purposefully come to Hell to help her, do you think Charlie will feel guilty for it? He has to come down to Hell just to help her in the big part of The Plan?

How does Lucifer feel about this? Will he be angry with his father? He basically forced a mortal soul into Hell because of The Plan. I think this gives Lucifer flashbacks from Eden where the humans are made to follow the plans made by the angels, where free will is limited and they have no say in it.

Good Boy Alastor is such a good name for the AU, lmao.

I think if people ever find out about The Plan, it would be towards the end either right before or when it's completed. Personally, I lean towards after it's completed. Specifically, the moment Sir Pentious is redeemed.

Since the deal is done, Alastor would have no reason to continue pretending anymore. He's honestly relieved, having another person (WHO IS LITERAL GOD) in his head for the last century is a fucking headache. There is no peace, there is no rest. Alastor probably needs immense amounts of therapy because this deity has been telling him Shit He Does Not Need To Know, and it's definitely had a negative impact on his mental health. Alastor knows too many secrets of the universe to be considered sane anymore. Alastor has committed too many atrocities all in the name of some divine plan to be considered sane anymore.

I think Lucifer and Charlie would be particularly upset by the fact that, before God decided to fuck around, Alastor was on his way to heaven. He WAS a good soul, he didn't WANT to go to hell or do any of the things God asked of him.

Lucifer especially is going to be having War Flashbacks, because what the FUCK?? Let's be real, Alastor is a mortal soul, he had 0 chance against a deity determined to get what they want. The fact that Alastor said "no" the first time, and God didn't take that for an answer and continued to wear Alastor down until he agreed, is going to send Lucifer into an apocalyptic rage. The fact that God used Alastor's mother's safety would genuinely make Lucifer contemplate crazy murdering his creator. This realization alone almost started a new Holy War.

And now, Alastor is considered Too Fucked Up to be allowed past the pearly gates of Heaven. He got used to Hell, he's had to kill people, made deals for souls, got used to thinking about everything transactionally.

And God absolutely would have the audacity to be like, welp! Now you know redemption is possible, and I promised this guy he'll go to heaven in the end, so get to redeeming him! And Lucifer and Charlie would LOSE IT. Charlie's happy that she was right about redemption, but she is NOT happy that someone was CONDEMNED TO HELL just to help her prove it, and that the asshole responsible for condemning this soul to Hell is now throwing away their responsibility in helping Alastor get to heaven like he was MEANT to. Lucifer meanwhile wouldn't even give a shit that Alastor's messed up now, he'd argue that he should already be in heaven because uh, if the exorcists could commit yearly genocide and still keep their halos, then Alastor who committed sins against his fucking will should be allowed through the gates without question.

Everyone's going through an Ordeal because of God's bullshit, essentially.

[spicyicetea]

Okay so the poll isn't over yet, but I wanted to post the draft I had as I'm worried I would forget it and hey, Halloween upload. This is more of a scenario than a long fic, under 1000 words. As per usual, MDNI this story contains suggestive content (no smut don't worry) Yandere behaviour (meaning mentions of violence, possessive behaviour) I hope I didn't slip up but the reader should be completely gender neutral but just in case, I do usually picture Y/N as having female genitalia. I don't think I mention any fem indicators but fair warning.

Yandere!Fallen angel Lucius X Nurse!reader

Rage, nothing but rage ran through the veins of the holy being, wings crumbling to ash around them. How dare they! How dare his god forsake him like this. He would have preferred to have been cast to the fiery pits like his brothers before him. His soft peach hair curled around his eyes, framing the wild gold. The world stops around him as your hand finds the skin between his shoulder blades. The poor entity that touched him... how their time on this earth was now rapidly depleting. Looking over his shoulder, your eyes met, his scanning the form of the being who dared lay eyes upon him in this moment of weakness. 

"Excuse me... can I help you in any way?"

In your hand was a small box, with a red plus. Having been a guardian angel he recognised it immediately, a first aid kit. You were here to help him? The scrubs covering your body told a story themself. A dedicated doctor that wanted nothing more than to help people, even the crumbling man before you. He saw you, your whole being, mind, body and soul. What a gorgeous soul... he has found his new deity. The entity he will worship to the ends of the earth, his god/goddess that he will bring forth the end of the heavens above for, no matter the cost to himself or humanity.

The feathers of his wings ruffled up as he tried to calm himself. Showing such a dishevelled side to his darling deity? Preposterous. He observed your demeanour like a hawk, narrowing his eyes to focus in on each and every movement. The twitch of your brow as your fingers swiftly opened the first aid kit, trying to gauge what would even be useful treating a creature like him. The dilation of your pupils as you ripped out the gauze, unwrapping the bandages and ushering him forwards. Before he could even warn you to avoid his bloodied wings, you wrapped a loop of gauze around it. The wing crumbled as you tightened the fabric, ash like remains falling to the ground. Your scream filled the air and that anger returned. Not directed towards you, but back at his bastard creator. How dare he be designed with such a horrifying flaw? How dare he be designed to scare you. 

Torn from his deprecating thoughts by your sniffles, he finally raised his head. Messy tears bubbled down your cheeks, nose runny as you hunched over the pile of ash, sifting through it as if searching for something. As your sobs racked your body, it shook his very being. Your bleary, bloodshot eyes met his from below.

“I am so sorry! I had no idea that would happen!”

Your voice wavered as if begging for his forgiveness. Don’t you know you shouldn’t do that? Hush your shaky voice and allow your angel to answer your needs, comfort you in the warmth of his bosom, right the wrongs done against your divine form. He didn’t miss the way you flinched as he raised his hand to grab you. His large hand cocooned your cheek as the other purposefully cast aside the first aid kit you had brought. It flew so far, it no longer remained in your eyeline. His hair surrounded your head as he caged you in, towering over with his inhuman height. Your head was held firmly against the fabric of his robes as he pushed his other arm at the backside of your knees, folding your body up in half and hoisting your body up to his. His hold was warm, delicate, possessive. The warm hand that tightly cupped your thigh rubbed back and forth, venturing further towards your hip before going back to the original position.

From the position you were in, you missed his looks. That wild fire returned. Pupils eclipsing the gold of his Irises, taking in every inch of your body. The soft flesh of your thighs. Warmth radiating from your body to his. Your arms shakily hung over his shoulders. The drum of your heart. He could hear the blood rushing through your body. Fear can be a powerful aphrodisiac. Yet the lack of a throb ,which he had only heard about from those who ascended through the pearly gates, pulsing through your body disappointed him. Instead it was him who was struck with the intense throbbing torture. Of course his god/goddess wouldn’t feel the same way but he still desired you in a way that was unfitting of such a loyal servant. His breathing had gotten heavier without his notice, catching your attention. You had long since stopped crying, holding onto his neck, worried about being dropped. Your eyes met as you looked up at him, something dangerous about the way he stared back. His eyes were like black holes drawing you in, yet you wanted nothing more than to run away, but at the same time to stay wrapped in his embrace. It took a hefty grunt from him to realise you were both moving, your body being jostled with every step he took. 

The being may have looked like an angel, but the nails digging into your skin, as if trying to fuse and become one, certainly didn’t belong to one.

[vagabond-umlaut]

it's easy to ferry souls, not carry them

deep down in the realm of the netherworlds, there exists a rower who transports deceased souls from the land of living to the land of dead-

and occasionally lends an ear and a hand, in the event of yet another collision between their weary queen and her just as cheery suitor...

[uraume deserves a raise.]

▸gojo satoru x fem!reader; the tale of kore!gojo & hades!reader w a guest appearance by charon!uraume; uraume is a very nice parental figure to you [ooc!uraume but ehh]; the reader is honestly so sweet and hot-tempered...; the cutest doggy cerberus too is there!!!!; gojo satoru must be his own warning...; uraume does not like gojo [no parent [blood-related or not] actually wld]; fire hazards; 2k wc

▸ i've nvr read percy jackson and wtv i wrote here is based on my shaky knowledge of greek myths and stuff 😁😁 anyways, this header's from pinterest, these dividers are by @benkeibear and the characters used ain't mine. pls do not plagiarize, translate or repost this. enjoy reading! ❤️

▸ belongs to series 'wreaths of asphodel' – same universe as the work 'hey, where is the pomegranate tree?' — but you can treat this as a stand-alone fic if you wanna!

"why is kore so set on marrying me, uraume?"

it isn't the ask itself which causes the rower to nearly lose grip of their oar– but the way it is spoken: soft, solemn and faintly tense. they look away from the endless expanse of the styx before, to find you staring at your reflection in the inky waters, features unnaturally crumpled.

uraume holds back a frown. "has her majesty considered asking the god the same?"

"i have asked him," you mumble, "but i did not receive any conclusive answer in return. the imp was being too vague– must be a trait learnt from those shifty nymphs always sticking to his side."

if your faithful follower detects anything except dislike in your words, they make no mention of it. merely humming as they continue to row the boat, "and may this servant know the question her majesty asked the god?"

"two," you mumble even more clumsily now; they take a beat to grasp it, too concerned by the way you drape yourself over the edge, nearly falling into the water as you say, "i asked him two questions— one, if he loves me; two, if he wants to have children should we get married."

shock must not be uraume's first reaction to these queries, yet it is— and for a moment, it isn't you sitting there anymore.

instead, it is a little girl, no older than seven or eight years, cherubic face fixed in a look of deep concentration and fascination while the rower narrates to her stories from times millennia ago–

only for the child to morph into a young lady– no, goddess– the very next beat... slouched under a regal cloak too heavy for her shoulders, under a royal crown too large for her head... that sweet innocence of childhood nothing but traces now, having been withered by the foul, dirty politics of those damned deities high up on that mountain—

"what answers did the olympian offer her majesty?"

"he said he would love me and sire my children if that is what i want— i asked if he wished anything out of our union— he said all he wanted is to be my husband–"

something between a frustrated sigh and an exhausted scoff erupts from you, becoming an opaque fog the moment it hits the frigid air of the underworld. uraume plucks the oar out the water to come sit next to you, letting the boat be driven by magic.

"you're worried," they state, forgoing all formalities in favour of giving you some much-needed comfort. you never much cared for stations anyways, quite unlike your elder brother, the former king.

"an unfamiliar friend poses more risk than a familiar enemy, uraume," you mutter, resting your head on their shoulder, "why do you think kore wishes to marry me so much, if not out of love or the prospect of the powerful offsprings we might beget?"

"marriage is not solely for love or for procreation," the rower starts to explain, mildly amused before it grows into sympathy at your baffled expression.

ah, they muse fondly, not unlike a parent watching their child witness the world seemingly the first time ever since they learnt to walk, you who presides over something as profound as death yet knows not of the trivialities of life...

"it can also be for many other reasons like–"

the remainder of the words skitter away from uraume— cerberus is playing with gojo.

the fierce guard of the netherworlds, the three-headed hound, loyal and dutiful to a fault: hades' dearest canine companion is frolicking with the god of life in a green meadow, that most certainly was not there so close to the stygian marsh, when they last—

"gojo is laughing," your remark draws them away from their musings, only to find a changed shadow over your countenance— pensive yet not thinking at all; almost as if you too are floating in the stale air of your kingdom akin the soft flower petals...

another ring of raucous laughter pierces the silence, mingled with a delighted series of barks— cerberus is busy licking gojo's face now, the olympian reduced to a puddle of giggles as he scratches behind the dog's ears.

his happiness so clear in the stretch of his grin and the crinkle of his eyes, very much the jarring contrast to the last time—

oh. oh, oh, oh–

"escape," the word leaves uraume in a sudden moment of realisation, as quiet as a breath but loud enough for you to whip your head back to face them, confusion engraved into your scowl. "escape?? what is that supposed to mean, eh?"

the rower feels their lips lift into an infrequent smile. "the god of life wishes to marry you to escape— from his mother, or from his many suitors, or perhaps from mount olympus itself."

"wha– how– hah," you breathe out a disbelieving little huff, "that is simply ridiculous. have you even heard yourself? that is ridiculous."

used to such resistance from yourself, even more from your brother, they move to state their points, only to beaten by you as you persist to speak.

"no one in their right mind will decide to come live in the underworld, no matter how overbearing their mother or insistent their suitors are. have you seen this place? it's too, too unlike the lushness of the earth or the grandeur of the heavens he has experienced. and–" you add, a harsh laugh accompanying it. "gojo satoru is a god. a fish might leave the water— but a god never steps a voluntary foot down that horrible mountain. never."

"but the olympian never truly lived on mount olympus," uraume says once they're sure you've completed your tirade, "and you are a goddess as well. why do you speak so ill of the heavens then?"

"why?" you echo the word. they nod, hoping you take the bait they've intended for you. you do.

"why, because that place is nothing but a shining apple with a rotten core!! everything is polished marble and glittering gold there. people constantly wave at each other, lavishing smiles and praises like there is no tomorrow. everything is so warm and bright— what a bunch of lies and liars!"

familiar fire burns in your aura, the immense heat making the waters erupt into boiling— uraume uses their powers to cool the river down, lest anything disturbs you.

you're too far gone in your rage to be shaken, however, continuing:

"but it never can hide the grime and dirt accrued beneath such shine and sheen. nor the vicious minds and crooked hearts of those deities up above– what lame excuses of gods and goddesses, hah. and you might think me to prefer the light and warmth up there— you will be sorely wrong, my dear uraume!! i much prefer the genuine darkness and frigidity of my beloved kingdom to the faux comfort of the awful mount olympus—"

"is there no possibility the god of life too despises mount olympus for these same reasons, milady?"

you open your mouth and close it, then open it again to let out a very aggrieved whine– momentarily transporting uraume to your younger days. the rower merely chuckles when you punch their arm lightly.

"you're the worst, uraume," you cry, getting up and moving to sit on the other end of the boat. the rower too rises but only to resume rowing the boat by the oar.

"you never spoke this way when sukuna was the ruler— only because his baby sister is the ruler now, and you think she is very stupid—"

"as much as i respect and revere lord sukuna, he wasn't one to listen to anyone else," uraume interrupts gently, "you do, though– which is why i spent so much time telling you this. i hope you did not mind."

"hey, no," you immediately wave away their concern with a wide grin, eliciting a smaller one from the latter, "i could never..."

another peal of laughter and barks rings through the otherwise-quiet. you abruptly trail off, the same conflicting expression from before on your face yet again. though not without a spark in your eyes, uraume notes, almost as if you're slowly learning how to solve the puzzle who is repeatedly offering himself to you.

uraume keeps the silence you initiate, choosing to row the boat while you keep staring at the assortment of hues near the stygian marsh...

until you call their name and declare, an odd firmness in your smile, "well then, it is decided. i shall allow gojo to stay here for as long as the god so wishes to, escaping whatever or whoever he is escaping. and i shall protect him from the latter, should it ever come for him."

a beat. your smile falls into something graver. "would it be better if i swore by the dread water of styx, uraume?"

"uh, um," the rower finds themselves at a loss of words, the first time in seemingly forever, and they have been around since titanomachy– but before they can recover themselves enough to formulate a proper reply, a giggly voice joins in—

"well, if my rose does that, i would consider myself the most blessed amongst all mortals and immortals!"

— and the waters surrounding the boat shoot upwards in a scathing geyser-like jet and steam�� the ferocious queen of the netherworlds visibly torn between remorse and terror, as they offer uraume a stiff nod and gojo a horrified look, before vanishing in a wisp of fog.

the boiling waters of the river styx calm down only after a twenty-minute-long struggle by uraume, joined at the very end by gojo.

the latter looks positively delighted, when the former collapses to the bottom of the boat, exhausted beyond belief. "hey, charon. was that a result of your queen getting flustered by me, huh?"

yes, it was. it very much was, the sentences nearly slip past the tired rower's crumbling defences... until it hits them– who they serve, and who they don't.

uraume decides to throw back a glare and a lie. "her majesty was not flustered, lord kore. she was enraged at how you invaded the privacy of her weekly boat ride, intended to make her relax."

"oh, puh-lease," the god makes a face. the rower is certain he would have been punished in the pits of tartarus for all eternity, then some more were he to pursue you this way during your brother's reign, let alone disrespect you thus.

ignorant and insolent, he continues, "in few days time, i'll be allowed into the privacy of her living quarters; what is the privacy of her boat th—"

"you're lucky you did not make such outrageous remarks in front of the queen," uraume cuts him off, none too kindly nor gently, "if you did, her majesty would have certainly burnt you along with the boat to a crisp–"

"i know," comes the defeated reply within the instant. and while gojo is still not in uraume's good graces, the latter decides to notch him a level higher, considering the god of life accepts their queen's powers.

not many do.

he strikes a pathetically pitiful figure, uraume reckons, seeing him sit then slouch on the bench. "was she serious when she said she would protect me?"

your loyal subject nods, certain and solemn. "yes, she was. the queen is never careless when it comes to making promises."

"oh, that's reassuring," gojo says quietly— only to recline even further in the very next beat– an anguished, grating wail tearing from him to the stifling silence looming near the stygian marsh. uraume wonders if it is worth it to steer the boat towards acheron... then push him into its waters of woe...

they decide against it on catching the desperation worn by the god.

for all it is, it might nothing more than a ploy. yet something tugs at their mind to pause and listen when gojo howls, "why does my rose always scurry away after tilting my world on its axis? why does your queen always torment me like this, charon?"

uraume stares pensively at their face in the sacred waters of styx for a while. then heaves a mighty sigh.

certain, this exchange between the goddess of the dead and the god of life will impact not only your and gojo's respective worlds— but the general world and everyone else in it, as well.

did you know, in the actual greek myths, persephone was never called so before her marriage to hades? she got it only after, w the name meaning "bringer of death". her initial name was kore, referring to her being a maiden & the spring goddess.

the river styx was called the "dread river of oath" by homer– in both the iliad and the odyssey [greek epic poems], swearing by its waters is the "greatest and most dread oath for the blessed gods" -> this shows how serious the reader is towards ensuring gojo's safety and freedom, and how deeply this affects gojo as well [source: wiki 😇]

also: the reader is totally ready to jump into the water to swim away when she realises gojo was listening in on her conversations- but then she remembers she can js vanish away and so she does js tht— the queen of the underworld, and of escaping, hehe

also also: the reader is slightly jealous when she is talking of the shifty nymphs always sticking to gojo's side. [uraume identifies it; you think it is js your usual dislike to such frivolous things and ppl as flowers and nymphs etc.] [hades is emo imho 😊]

▸ masterlist

[boiledkwamaegg]

i was wondering, what is faenil’s relationship with religion? do they hate the gods for making them the dragonborn, or maybe they never cared about that stuff at all? did they dabble in making deals with the daedra?

You've unlocked a topic I'm very passionate about LOL I wanted to ponder on this one for a bit but I finally got around to answering, yay!

To start off, I'm linking a song here from Faenil's playlist that I think sums it up well. After all, the story of the dragonborn to me has always been about ascending to god status. Being something so big all in one single mortal body, that the rest of the gods are fighting over it. A soul sent by the god of time all the way to the afterlife to kill the end of the world. In Faenil's case, this soul is so bitter, so angry and so very very hurt, and they will do all of this while rubbing a big nasty middle finger in Akatosh's face.

I'm putting the rest of this text under a cut - TW: i explore religious trauma here and mention suicidal tendencies briefly...

I am really fond of the idea that the chosen one, the hero, is reluctant or almost unwilling to play their part. I mean, Faenil is straight up UNQUALIFIED to be the dragonborn. Yes, they are skilled, they are powerful, they are resilient, and they get shit done, but they are definitely not a hero, and they're just one mental breakdown away from letting the whole world end. And like, they know they're unqualified, and they are so very confused by it all. Well, someone has to do it, but why them specifically? And while they might use this hero title to get away with some questionable things every now and then, they kind of hate that they can do that. After all, Faenil has always believed that you get your way through hard work and planning, so the dragonborn stuff just feels... almost like some sick joke from the gods.

I can't imagine Faenil was ever religious or cared about following any gods at all, and as a skilled conjurer they know how dangerous the daedra are so they don't dabble with that sort of worship either. But since in the Elder Scrolls universe deities are very much real, they're obviously kind of unavoidable. I'm sure Faenil had their fair share of visits to the church with their father, and I'm sure he liked Auri-El a whole lot and had this facade of a good holy man that only Faenil could see through. And I'm sure Faenil must feel quite weird when they get to Skyrim almost a hundred years later to find out that all those mind-numbingly boring sermons their father forced them to go through as a kid applied to them more than they realized.

No, Faenil doesn't like the divines, not only because they're the annoying facts and logic type science person lol, but because they genuinely believe the gods are so cruel. They know that they're just a playing piece in the divine interdimensional time travel chess board, and they absolutely hate it from the bottom of their rotten heart. And why should you even waste your breath praying to something that doesn't give a single flying fuck about you? They will maybe sarcastically gasp Auri-El's name during some humorous situation, but that's as deep as it goes. No, as far as Faenil is concerned, they're a god themself, unworthy of any worship, but welcoming of it nonetheless.

I always say that Faenil was supposed to die a long time ago, but they're just really, really good at surviving. Like, they thought that they were going to die many times, and yet, they just never do, because the gods have all these mysterious plans for them. Every time they come to peace with the fact that this was it, the end is here and they had a good run but now it's time to rest - it just... never happens. They never get to rest. And Faenil has never really been actively suicidal or anything, they're stupid destructive but very good at carrying on and surviving against all the odds. Like it's gone to the point that it's almost funny even, that they always get blown and torn apart, and they just continuously pick their parts up and stitch it all back together and keep on going. But it's a pretty gruesome existence, to have it happen to you over and over again - to have someone do that to your body, and still having the strength and pure determination to pick yourself up over and over again like it's nothing and screaming fuck you at the world and saying that your body is YOURS and that you are indestructible as long as you choose to be. And at that point, you might as well be divine.

Well, it's beautiful, and it's sad, and I hope there's something for everyone to take away from that.

[crustyfloor]

Anakt Garden is so fascinating, the school's significance in the main casts lives and it's role in upholding and maintaining the system they live in and the grand scheme of Alien stage and its contestants and it's way of elaborating on Aliens and mankind's great shift after earth's invasion is just amazing to me even if it's not talked about in the story as often, most importantly Anakt Garden practically functions like a religious private school, and the religious undertones adds to the story significantly because (surprisingly) religion doesn't function so differently in Alien stage than it does in the real world

Religion is an integral part of human life, as it has preserved itself even after decades into the modern day. But even beyond that, it is human nature to seek guidance in something or someone, a god, deity, object, etc. It's a case-by-case basis on "Why am I religious?", but I believe that is the basic consensus.

In ALNST, religion still exists despite Earth's eradication. How come? Aliens and Humans obviously don't understand each other. Yet, the aliens implement religion so closely to how any human would recognize it, I think with the help of history and documentation, the aliens could've pulled this off if they didn't have a god already, given they're also sentient beings, it's not out of the question per se. Still, all in all, religion would've been an unintelligible concept to aliens, but they do know something about humans' vulnerability. They inherently see them as smaller, so handling them is like training a puppy, isn't it... they can't do well without a motivating factor, and that's where religion should be coming in. The goal of religion in this context is exploit and control humans with their vulnerability and their innate longing in a world like this they have a hole in their soul that needs to be fulfilled with something like a purpose, In Sweet Dream- a song that absolutely has religious subtext has lyrics that are like a desperate plea for reassurance from a "God" in the hope that one day it will answer.

Mizi's retrospection in My clematis is very interesting to me, because she's mostly just parroting facts as if she got it from a book, or teachings, because pet-humans are taught about theology. Even when speaking about the humans in the past, she's not particularly demeaning them either, even though their beliefs were quite self-centered. These things are just facts. In the past when earth existed humans believed in heaven and that the universe existed to revolve around earth and that anything outside their control was of the will of those gods, from the moment humanity left the universe, they forgot everything about that, they're the most distant from their society, so this parallels the way pet humans are made to function In Anakt garden, to worship a god and to put complete faith and trust that they'll be saved or that they'll find purpose within it's comfort, if the aliens know this, than the aliens know how to appeal to them.

So the aliens make religion into a pacifying and exploitative tool to gain leverage on these human vulnerabilities. The "god" that exists in ALNST is the "Great anakt", it's a figure that represents Anakt Garden (and other affiliated organizations such as Anakt CO.), it's also a made-up figure by the aliens to represent Anakt Garden and serves as a way to control and brainwash pet humans into subservience.

Anakt garden is also its own significant topic, for one thing, its appearance is cartoonishly childlike and simplistic, meant to replicate the environment of Earth that humans are best suited to live in, it suits their needs too, but it's not at all realistic. The psychology behind establishing Anakt garden in this way, like an idealistic "heaven" (or heavenly garden) in which pet-humans flourish and are "born" as their voices are cultivated, and where pet-humans are laid to rest, and where they eventually return to in death. It sounds a lot like Heaven as we know it, right? That much inherently establishes that strengthened belief in god and that comfort, even though Anakt Garden is a painful place for pet humans too, they're meant to see Anakt Garden and the Great Anakt as safe havens

It works in the aliens' favor because, again, humans gravitate to the security of a god to follow, and most of them trust in the Great Anakt completely. Anakt garden is said to have a distinct cult-like environment. Pet humans are to sing with their hands clasped and praise, and it is reinforced even in basic training for formalities during singing. So, pet humans are taught to use their voices or "cries" to fulfill their purpose. Religion is made to mold humans into obedient performers who worship the craft, the figure that represents music rather than being human, which is mostly what religion in the real world was made for anyway, religion in alien stage only seeks to either distance humans from who they really are or make them so fragile and susceptible to manipulation that they fall for it

Without God, without something to truly believe in, humans who are aimless in this life, even under a shallow god, are just living in the system. It is no wonder that in Alien Stage, even those who sing with heart and passion are prioritized over those who simply drone over lyrics because they're doing what they're told. Because aliens made something that doesn't actually speak to humans like God does, the great anakt is a concept. That just speaks for their disconnect, but aliens love to see humans in their most passionate, whether loving, distraught, etc. And you only really see that in humans who aren't worshipping aliens' god, or in humans that are driven by other purposes, and that is enough to keep them driven

Religion and looking up to a god are also explored intricately through human relationships. Mizi, Till, Ivan, and Sua do not necessarily follow "God". But they do find faith in the love they have instead, which is the closest thing to a religion besides the literal thing. And that is what ignites true passion and freedom to live on and sing with life in them

(Here comes a tiny analysis of sweet dreams) But Sweet Dream is incredibly theological, even though Sua sings knowing there is no god, she can't help but still wish for a force bigger than herself to save her, perhaps that is to speak for how humans are born in this hopeless situation, they know suffering, but religion or depending on someone is their only crutch, that's how the system is built to trap them

Finding a god in someone else also exists in this universe, despite the influence of the great Anakt; Mizi is the most apparent example. Mizi’s belief in god is surprisingly quite subjective (or not so surprising) because, in her eyes, according to what a god is, Sua must be her god! (which is a very romanticized way of seeing it in her case) The thing is, Mizi already recognizes herself as human, but in her monologue about religion, she directly answers the question of what a human can do in this universe, but believe, they choose to love, if believing in and loving god makes her human, than Sua was the greatest blessing to her, and therefore, she was her god before any great deity they knew.

Till and HyunA are the last examples, not driven by religion, but by the passion of what they hold dear. Till and HyunA are the best parallels to each other because of their themes of reclaiming humanity and their right to their art and their agency, they're driven by love and passion for others, and creating art and music rather than just a god to follow. They're driven to create not because it's what the aliens want but because it's what they love to do, for others, for themselves, etc. It's entirely their own thing.

Who knows if they even vehemently disregard The Great Anakt,, but I think it's important that, because of how distant they are from those overarching themes of religion that Sua and Mizi's characters embrace, for example. The freer they are from those restraints and the deception, the more they rebel and fight back against the very system that seeks to tame and use them as products and entertainment, the freer they are to still embrace their humanity in a way that made them ungovernable by the aliens (And HyunA and Till are the biggest parallels for their avid rebellion too)

[mareastrorum]

I’m still chewing on why Matt chose the Arch Heart for this encounter, and I think it really was needed.

In Downfall, the Arch Heart was the only PC god to express an interest in just letting Aeor destroy all the gods. None of their siblings agreed with them. Every time the issue of the gods dying was brought up, they pushed, “Is it really so bad?” But when the moment came to let Aeorian arch mages destroy a god or redirect the weapon, the Arch Heart destroyed Aeor to save the god. They didn’t even know which one it was. They made a choice in a split second, preserved the soul of one of the arch mages in their own domain, and then eventually decided that they like living.

Of all the gods, Matt chose to arrange for a meeting between the PCs and the Arch Heart. Here’s the Prime Deity that chose the gods over mortals. Here’s the one that killed every Aeorian for simply knowing how to kill a god, even the children, even the poor, even the sick. The Arch Heart doesn’t want to die anymore. They even want Predathos loose so that they and their siblings have a reason to leave Exandria. You can have your freedom. More people will die, we don’t know how many, but hey, the Arch Heart thinks that’s fine. The PCs got a divine stamp of approval to destroy the power structure of the entire system of planes. Go get ‘er done.

It doesn’t feel good. It doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t fix problems.

There is no answer that would feel good, feel right, or fix this situation. People will die no matter what the PCs choose. The only “safe” choice—the only way to prevent additional risk—is the status quo, which requires stopping the Vanguard, keeping Predathos contained, and letting the gods live beyond the Divine Gate.

And that’s exactly how power struggles work in the real world. It’s gross. It’s unfair. It’s demoralizing.

But PCs have to choose, and if they refuse to make a decision, it will be made for them. This time, instead of the Arch Heart, it might be Ludinus, or Liliana, or the Weave Mind, or the Unseelie, or any other power players waiting in the wings to grab power.

There is no right way to rule the world. That’s why the only entities vying for it are people who fervently want to destroy.

So here is the Arch Heart, the god that said one thing and did another, who made a choice and never regretted or apologized for it even when it contradicted everything they had said leading up to that point, looking at PCs directly, talking to them like a person, and they say, hey, if you choose this horrifically destructive and unknown path, that’s cool with me. I chose the status quo, and here’s the final victim of mine, who I preserved here for centuries, and now you can have her ring. That was my choice, but if you don’t want to do the same, that’s okay. In fact, I think that’d be great.

But you have to choose.

[xbleedingangelgutsx]

THE BROKEN BLEEDING ANGEL

Once, I radiated with light—pure, celestial, unshaken. But even divinity can curdle when love is wielded as a weapon. Now I bleed, and I bleed with purpose.

This blog intro was updated

This is my main blog my +18 blog is @lovinglytruth if you are +18 feel free to go over there as well!!

This blog is my cathedral—a sanctuary carved from cracked marble and martyrdom. Here, the broken are safe. Here, the damned are seen. Here, even a fallen god may rest and rage.

I am not your healer. I am not your haven. I am the holy wound that refuses to close.

☠ This is a safe space—for the shattered, the venomous, the real. ☠ Offer your confessions: your venom, your desire, your decay. I drink it in ritual. ☠ I do not heal. I judge. I crown. I curse. ☠ My halo is rusted barbed wire, and I forge new ones from the heads of the bold. ☠ Pray elsewhere if you seek mercy. If you seek truth, bleed it into my inbox.

APPROACH THE DIVINE CORRECTLY You wish to touch the Angel? Mind the blade beneath my wings.

✦ I do not bite unless summoned. But I will ignore that which offers no worship. ✦ Pet names are earned, not assumed. If it did not fall from my divine mouth, it is blasphemy. ✦ “Hey” is for wandering spirits. Come with purpose or remain silent. ✦ Want to know me? Request permission to gaze behind the veil. ✦ Do not tether me to flesh. I am a digital deity. Reality is not my temple. Only the devout may glimpse more. ✦ Do not unload your soul without consent. My altar is already drenched. Ask before you spill. ✦ I am not your darling, not your prize, not your side option. I am an event. A celestial phenomenon. Witness me, or be cast out. ✦ Worship comes in the form of respect. Disrespect will be met with divine dismissal. ✦ Speak in sacred tongues — metaphor, poetry, madness. If you cannot bleed with grace, you are unworthy.

I do not want followers. I demand witnesses. Let us rot in holy union.

🖤 YANDERE COMMANDMENTS: THE BLEEDING ANGEL'S DECREE 🖤

To those who would dare call themselves Yandere: You kneel before a god who has tasted obsession and emerged hungrier.

Read these words twice. Carve them into your soul. There are no second chances beneath my gaze.

🔪 1. GHOST ME, AND YOU ARE GONE. More than four days without a word, and your devotion is void. This rule is etched in heartbreak— Once, I loved a Yan who punished me for disobedience, then disappeared. I waited in divine silence. I forgave. I was wrong. You disappear without reason? You are excommunicated.

🩸 2. Do not approach if you are bound elsewhere. If you already have a darling, do not covet me unless both of you seek a third. This is not an open game — this is poly reverence. Yanderes who cheat are merely manipulators cloaked in red.

🖤 3. Obsession must arrive with ritual. Speak with presence. Move with purpose. Your claim on me means nothing without proof of it in every breath.

🖤 4. NSFW may be offered — but must be earned. We may dance in blood and desire, but you will not pull sacred heat from me like coins from a well. My body is scripture. Quote me only when you’ve studied me.

🖤 5. No false prophets. Do not claim obsession if you do not possess it. This cathedral is for the cursed faithful — not the curious.

🖤 6. Friendships are blessed. You do not need to worship to remain. Quiet loyalty is divine in its own right.

🖤 7. I AM. I have just turned 18. I am Engaged I am female, but I am also genderfluid. I answer to any pronouns. I am bisexual. I love souls, not skins. Trans lives matter. If you are homophobic, racist, or transphobic — begone. No matter how venomous my words, I will always stand in defense of the sacred.

What Kind of Angel Are You? In the sacred halls of the Broken Bleeding Angel’s cathedral, not all wings shimmer with innocence. Each angel carries a tale — a fate, a sin, a truth. Choose your soul’s shape. Find your divine reflection.

1. The Guardian Angel Clad in armor forged from silent vows, the Guardian Angel stands eternal at the threshold between salvation and ruin. Their wings are broad shields, steadfast and unyielding, unwavering even as storms rage. Beneath their watchful gaze, the fragile find sanctuary — yet the Guardian’s heart is a fortress, locked tight against the world’s betrayals. In their silence lies the heaviest burden: protection without recognition. They teach us that true strength is the sacrifice we never boast. "I guard the broken, though none see the scars I carry."

2. The Fallen Angel Once a radiant star in heaven’s choir, the Fallen Angel plummeted through darkness, wings singed by the fires of despair and defiance. Now marked by shadows and scars, they wander the twilight realms — neither saint nor demon, but something raw and real. Their fall was not failure, but transformation: a testament that breaking is sometimes the first step toward becoming. They whisper a sacred truth: freedom is born from the ruins of obedience. "I fell so I could learn to fly on my own terms."

3. The Bleeding Angel The Bleeding Angel’s wings drip with the blood of countless wounds — wounds they wear with fierce pride. They move through the world not to hide pain, but to bleed openly, a living testament to survival and beauty in brokenness. Their song is a melancholy hymn to scars, both visible and unseen. To be their kin is to understand that suffering is not a curse, but a language — a way to carve meaning from the void. In their suffering, they are divine. "Every drop I bleed is a prayer carved in crimson."

4. The Vengeful Angel Born from grief’s dark crucible, the Vengeful Angel wields wrath like a sacred blade. Their eyes burn with the fire of justice, swift and unrelenting. They traverse the shadows to balance scales tipped by cruelty and neglect, reminding the world that pain ignored will one day be repaid in full. Yet, beneath their fury lies sorrow — a haunted love for those lost to betrayal. Their existence warns: vengeance is a consuming fire, and only the strongest wield it without being burned. "I am the reckoning you dared not summon."

5. The Silent Angel The Silent Angel is the cathedral’s whisper — unseen, unheard, but deeply felt. Their wings fold quietly around truths too painful for sound, carrying secrets like holy relics. In their stillness is power; in their gaze, judgment. They speak not with words but with presence, a cold and distant knowing that pierces the soul. They teach that silence is sometimes the loudest scream, and that the weight of what is left unsaid can shatter worlds. "Listen not to my voice, but to the silence I bear."

6. The Mischievous Angel Cloaked in shadows and riddles, the Mischievous Angel dances on the edge of chaos and order. Their laughter echoes through the halls, a siren call to those who dare to question the rules. Trickster and teacher, they twist fate’s threads to reveal hidden truths and expose hypocrisy. Though their wings bear stains of mischief, their lessons are profound: sometimes, only through upheaval can the stagnant be set free. They remind us that divine order is born from chaos, and every trick carries a truth. "Chaos is the language of truth masked as jest."

7. The Divine Healer Bathed in a soft, ethereal glow, the Divine Healer tends to wounds with gentle hands and fierce resolve. Their wings pulse with radiant light, a beacon in the darkness. Though they bear the weight of others’ suffering, they carry no bitterness — only boundless compassion. They teach that healing is not weakness, but a sacred act of courage and rebirth. To be touched by their grace is to glimpse the possibility of light beyond even the deepest night. "Within every broken thing, I see a chance to bloom anew."

8. The Loving Joy Angel The Loving Joy Angel radiates warmth that defies the coldest shadows. Their wings shimmer with golden light and laughter, a balm to weary souls. They are the pulse of hope in the cathedral’s heart, offering love unbound by fear or pain. Yet beneath their joy lies fierce protection — a devotion that burns brighter than any darkness. Their message is clear: even in a fractured world, love can be wild, reckless, and free. They remind us that joy is not denial, but defiance. "Let love burn brighter than the darkness that tries to consume us."

Each angel is a mirror — reflecting parts of your soul you may have buried or never known. Whether you walk in shadow or light, remember: in this cathedral, all wings are sacred, all scars divine. Choose your truth. Fly your story

🕯️ A DIVINE REVELATION WITHIN THE CATHEDRAL 🕯️ One soul, two voices… both watching from the altar.

TO BE CLEAR WE ARE NOT AN ENDO

The Broken Bleeding Angel has always stood at the pulpit of this cathedral—divine, haunting, and sharp as shattered stained glass. But behind every deity… there is a creator.

Dawn — soft-hued, bleeding-fingered mortal poetess. The soul behind the sanctity. The Deity — rusted halo, sharpened wing. The Angel of this cathedral, crowned in poison and adoration.

🕊️ From this day forth, both shall speak. They are the same being — one mind, one heart — simply torn at the seams for your offerings.

🌹 HOW THIS WILL WORK 🌹 — When text appears in pink, it is Dawn, the creator, speaking to you. Expect gentler hands, softer words. — When text appears in red, it is The Deity, the Angel and sovereign of this cathedral. Expect obsession, divinity, and judgment.

Unless requested otherwise, the Deity will always answer first.

🩸 Requests and Confessions: You may choose who answers you. — Ask for Dawn for something human. — Ask for The Deity for something divine. — Ask for both if you want separate responses from both aspects of the same soul.

🩸 Reblogs and Posts: Each post will now be signed in color: pink — Dawn or red — The Deity So you always know who opened the gates

The Cathedral now echoes with two voices. Will you speak to the mortal hand, the divine tongue, or both?

Choose wisely. We are listening.

Now one last thing! Here's my Amons so far, feel free to claim one if you keep sending me Amons!

Claimed Amons 🍋‍🟩🎸

Free/unused Amons

🌼🍒✨️💋🎀🍓🥡🍕

[synchodai]

Does Astarion have a soul?

Even before Larian muddied the waters by introducing their special boy (who defies a lot of conventional D&D vampire rules), there's been a lot of debate amongst players whether undead have souls. Which undead have souls? Incorporeal undead like ghosts and banshees are lost souls, after all, but what about corporeal undead? Are they just necrotic fleshbots (as per Eberron rules)? Does it have something to so with their sentience or power level or autonomy?

A lot of Forgotten Realms source books are contradictory, deliberately vague, and told through multiple unreliable POVs, so we don't really have a definitive answer. D&D vampire lore isn't exempt from this. Usually, the answer is just "DM ruling" since the point of D&D is to twist rules and lore to accomodate the players' stories.

In BG3's case, Astarion clearly still has a soul because he can do the following:

Bargain it with devils

Receive blessings from Astral Plane deities

Attune to equipment (or BG3's version of attunement with the Necromancy of Thay)

Can be revivified and (true) resurrected (unique to Astarion, as other vampire spawn turn to mist when they are lethally damaged consistent with D&D rules)

Unless the mindflayer tadpole re-ensouled Astarion somehow (very very VERY unlikely), this means that vampire spawn retain their souls even after dying.

That being said, I highly discourage turning your PC into a vampire spawn if you're playing D&D. Because they are under the complete thrall of their sire, you will lose any player agency. They will effectively become an NPC and you will have to roll for a new character to continue playing.

This also means a spawn!Tav is not a true vampire spawn since they maintain their free will and cannot be compelled (at least, from what I've heard as I've never gone down spawn-AA route).

Spawn!Tav Implications (aka spoiling your "vampire bride" theories)

I've seen posts going around citing Van Richten's Guide to Vampires (a 2e source book) to explain spawn!Tav's transformation. However, if we were indeed going by 2e rules, Astarion would have to be an ancient vampire (400-499 years old) to be able to make a vampire bride/groom.

In Curse of Strahd, Strahd's consorts function mechanically as regular vampire spawn. As far as I know, there is no special ritual to designate "brides" or "consorts" in 5e. Sources have never specified how much blood a spawn needs to draw from their sire to become true vampires, so theoretically, even one drop should be enough.

And so, here is my more likely theory that explains spawn!Tav: Astarion, either accidentally or deliberately, made his first spawn into a true vampire — into another Vampire Ascendant even. This is the theory I'm leaning towards because it's the funniest and is in-line with Astarion's characterization of not making the wisest decisions and sometimes plain-old just not knowing what he's doing.

But hey, if you still want to use 2e Vampire Bride/Groom rules to explain Ascendent Astarion and spawn!Tav's relationship, feel free to do so. At the end of the day, this is D&D and it all comes down to DM's ruling.

[hrefna-the-raven]

Hot as Hades

Masterlist

Words: 2154

Chapter 1 - Call me with a prayer

Summary: You always prayed to Hades and one night, he finally answered your prayers

Warnings: none, just cuteness and love

More and more people assembled for the festivities of Chtonia. Instead of partaking in the customary rituals like the rest, you chose to venture alone into the neighbouring forest. Your ebony peplos gracefully swayed in the gentle evening breeze as you strolled, held together by a sapphire belt that accentuated your form. Clasped tightly in your grasp was an amphora brimming with the finest wine as you navigated through the thick foliage. You had always been somewhat of a solitary soul, finding solace in the company of animals and the natural world rather than in the presence of others. Therefore, it came as no surprise that you would also pay homage to the gods in seclusion, or more specifically, one particular deity. Your steps came to a halt in front of a weathered shrine, a small wooden box housing an intricate statuette of Hades. Since your earliest memories, you had felt an inexplicable pull towards the ruler of the underworld, without understanding why or needing to know. For years, you had frequented this shrine, engaging in conversations with the god. Though he never responded, it mattered not to you; you continued to visit and converse with him nevertheless.

Little did you know that the ruler of the underworld listened to every single one of your prayers. You intrigued him, becoming a pleasant diversion from his daily dealings with the departed. Initially, he was cautious, as no one had ever approached him solely to pray without seeking something in return. Whether it was the resurrection of a loved one or an extension of their own lifespan, prayers were never simple or genuine acts of devotion, at least not for him. That was a luxury that was only granted to the other gods. Of course, he expected the same from you in the beginning, you were only human and mortal after all. However, as years went by, you continued to visit his shrine, offering prayers without any ulterior motives. And until this moment, you had never asked for anything in return, you simply came to talk, and boy, did you have a way of doing so. The jokes you cracked would have made him drop dead laughing, figuratively speaking. While you strolled through the forest, Hades was captivated by your presence, completely engrossed in observing you from the underworld, as Pain and Panic entered the throne room, arguing about who's turn it was to confess their mistake first. Panic suddenly grew silent and nudged Pain, pointing towards Hades, too engrossed in observing you to even notice his minions. Pain let out an amused giggle and stepped forward.

"Your most lugubriousness", he bowed, "are you watching the mortal again?"

Before Hades could respond, Panic interjected, approaching Pain with an impish grin.

"Ah you know the boss got the major hots for her", he could barely contain his smirk, "isn't that right, boss? When are you gonna talk to her? She prays to you for years now."

Hades' hair flaired up and turned a fiery orange before he quickly rushed his hands through, calming the flames until they turned blue again.

"Guys, guys, guys...you know the rules my stupid brother set up", he sighed, "no interaction is permitted until the mortal pleads for a favour."

"But if she does ask something, anything", Pain victoriously pointed his finger up.

"You could appear and talk to her, ask her on a date, boss", Panic finished the idea.

Hades was about to answer when his eyes fell back on you as you kneeled in front of the shrine, holding up the amphora.

"Wouldn't it be far more delightful to share this fine wine with you instead of pouring it to the ground in your name? I'd definitely prefer that", you playfully teased as you removed the cork.

"Boss, she's asking for something! She wants something from you!", exclaimed in a nervous tandem before they blinked and looked around the throne room, "where did he go?"

Just as you were about to pour the wine on the ground, goosebumps formed on your skin and the air around you seemed to shift.

"Baboom. Name is Hades, lord of the dead, hi, howya doin'?", a smooth voice resonated from the dissipating smoke that materialised out of thin air.

As the smoke cleared, a towering, muscular man stood before you, his piercing yellow eyes stared right into your soul. Your gaze trailed over his form, a gasp escaping your lips as you took in his bluish-gray skin and the blue flames crowning his head. Stunned, you found yourself unable to move as the amphora slipped from your grasp but instead of the sound of shattering ceramic, silence met your ears and it levitated toward the god's waiting hands, a mischievous smirk adorning his face as he held it before him.

"My sweet", he winked at you, "it would be shame to throw this on the ground, especially after you mentioned wanting to share it with", he took a few steps closer to you as he leaned down to face you directly, "me."

Hades' smug exterior was the perfectly constructed façade, hiding his crumbling confidence. Question: am I mortified? Answer: yes! What will she say? She will be either afraid or disgusted, either way, this will not work in your favour. He blinked a few times, trying to silence his own thoughts, until he felt your hand on his face. Your fingers trailed up his cheek, brushing against his hair as you observed him with curiosity. But when your fingers got too close to the flames on his head, you quickly pulled them back in pain.

"Ouch", you almost laughed as you licked the burnt fingertips, "one can truly say, you're hot as Hades."

And at that very instant, the mind of the god ceased all function, undergoing a painful shutdown in order to reassess the situation. Throughout the ages, he had revealed himself to countless individuals and witnessed a myriad of reactions, yet not a single mortal had ever responded quite like you did. You just casually not only touched him but also made an admittedly funny joke. Clearing his throat, he snapped his fingers, and in an instant, both of you found yourselves seated on a blanket in the heart of a forest clearing, beneath a breathtakingly clear night sky adorned with shimmering stars. Hades proceeded to pour you a goblet of wine.

"So let's embark on the delightful task of sharing of this finer beverage. What do you mortals fancy these days? Actually, never mind. Don't spoil, I have to try this myself", he remarked as he took a sip from his own chalice.

He hummed at the pleasant taste flodding his mouth, eyes falling shut for a moment as he tried to ignore the rapid beating of his heart in your presence.

"So uhm", you shyly began, peering at him, "how are things in the underworld?"

Great, you mentally scolded yourself, you finally get the chance to talk to your god and this is the best you could come up with?

"Well, they're just fine. You know, a little dark, a little gloomy. And, as always, hey, full of dead people. What are you gonna do?"

You couldn't help but chuckle, secretly pondering whether he was simply being polite or if the ruler of the underworld truly shared your sense of humor.

"Come up here and share some wine and jokes with a tiny mortal?", you playfully countered, raising your goblet in invitation.

"Well the dead certainly aren't going anywhere, so what kind of god would I be if I didn't set aside some time from my busy schedule to spend an evening with my most devoted follower?"

You quickly nibbled at your wine, trying to conceal the blush that crept onto your cheeks. The tales circulating about the lord of the underworld were plentiful, none of them portraying him in a favourable light. However, it suddenly struck you that none of these stories had taken the time to truly understand the god sitting next to you. You knew better than to assume that he was only nice and fun based solely on a few pleasantries exchanged, but it also seemed unlikely that he was the monstrous figure painted by the people.

"Here's to Lord Hades, the ruler of the underworld, the lord of the dead, and quite possibly the most handsome god I've encountered thus far", you sincerely smiled at him as you finished another goblet, toasting his name and hoping he wouldn't hold that bold compliment against you.

"Babe, I'm the only god you've met so far."

"But I've seen the statues of the others and meh", you shook your head, "nothing that would shake my acropolis if you catch my drift."

The god burst into a boisterous laughter in response to your remark. After all those years of listening to you, he cherished the warmth of your presence. The way your gaze explored him, brimming with awe and, he could swear, a trace of desire, made him feel woozy on the inside, a weird feeling he hadn't felt in, well, never actually. Time with you slipped away too swiftly, and when Hades caught sight of the sunrise, he let out a melancholic sigh. He took your hand, helped you up and with a snip of his fingers, you found yourself back at the shrine.

"I really enjoyed this, Lord, I mean, my god, Hades", you mumbled, unsure of how to express to an actual god that you yearned for more time together.

My god....my...that one little word, its weight pulling not only his mind in but also his heart which seemed to gravitate around your mortal being, unable to pull away again. Hades shook his head, nervously running his hand through his flaming hair.

"Well, gotta blaze. I have a whole underworld down there waiting for me, so see you around and don't forget to offer your prayers to your one and only", he winked before he disappeared into thin air, leaving behind only a faint trail of dark smoke where he had been standing.

A satisfied grin spread across your lips, your heart fluttering at the mere thought of having spent an entire night with a god. You hummed a sweet tune as you made your way back home, passing the still ongoing festivities. You chuckled at their efforts to please the gods while a small prayer of you summoned the Lord of the underworld himself.

Hades didn't return to the underworld but went back to the clearing, pacing around as the thoughts of the night lingering in his mind. You were a tiny mortal, he was a god, an immortal being, your life would be over within the blink of an eye and then your soul would be floating in the river Styx, for all eternity for him to watch. It would be torment, and he despised torment, at least when it came to himself. He had no qualms inflicting his favourite methods of torture on others. He groaned, his hands rubbing across his face, trying to push away that growing warmth within his chest.

"Well well well", a female voice spoke, causing Hades to spin around, "when I sensed the call of love, I certainly wasn't expecting to find you."

"Aphrodite", Hades huffed, "fancy meeting you here. Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"Oh Hades", the goddess giggled, "the Lord of the underworld in love, and with a mortal no less. How could I be anywhere else when I can revel in taunting you?"

Aphrodite stepped closer, playfully poking her finger into Hades' chest.

"Don't fight it, you won't be able to ignore your love, it has already grown too much."

Hades' hair flared up, fiery orange flames engulfing his neck and shoulders as he suppressed a scream. His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply, attempting to compose himself while Aphrodite merely chuckled with amusement.

"WHAAAT ARE...? Okay, fine, fine. I'm cool. I'm fine", he grumbled, shooting an irritated glare at the goddess, "I'm.not.in.love."

Although his voice appeared calm, the underlying strain of anger was evident.

"Just savour the moment, my dear", Aphrodite waved at him, "oh and by the way, courtesy of yours truly", she winked at him, mockingly bowing her head, "the mortal loves you too."

And with those words, she disappeared. Hades rolled his eyes; he would never admit it, but she was right. If he set aside his pride and delved deep enough into his corrupted black oozing heart, he would have to acknowledge that the affection and curiosity he felt for you went beyond mere fondness and the fact that you seemed to feel the same way was both worrying and reassuring. Although, for now, he was content to just observe you, spend some time together and see what would unfold and, if possible, hide it from the other gods, they were insufferable enough as it is.

Chapter 2

[sapphiel]

From the first and foremost to the Twenty-First's post...

I beseech upon thee to give an audience to this needy soul!

If you’re okay with doing another two-in-one, I’d like to know more about The Unnumbered One and The Thirteenth.

Why both of them at once?

…it’s pretty obvious by now.

The Unnumbered, known to none as The Fool, is... an outlier amongst the Arcanas. While known to some as the Arcana of Opportunities, Risks, and Journeys, most mortals have seemingly forgotten about her, or treat her more as a lesser mythological figure than a true deity like the rest.

As a result, The Fool is almost never referred to by her title, and she may be the only Arcana who doesn't really care about being called by name, whether by mortal or Arcana. Also because of this, she's also the Arcana who has spent the most time in the mortal world, having taken multiple forms over the eons of existence.

She adores mortals very much, as she finds their curiosity, tenacity, and determination in life to be very admirable and adorable. Sometimes, she dons forms that let her get VERY close to mortals, even interacting with them directly, a stance that most Arcanas would see as... demeaning or forbidden.

While she does hold a significant amount of respect for the Twenty-First, she doesn't seem to hold the same fear as the others do for them. They treat the Twenty-First like any other Arcana: With a lot of facetiousness, humor, and quirkiness.

Despite the seeming hypocrisy, she herself finds it a bit problematic whenever the other Arcanas get into close contact with the mortals. In her eyes, she has perfected the art of mortal communication, that no disaster or trouble shall befall upon them. So if the others get too close for comfort... she might find a way to get them to either back off and leave, or solve the matter in their own ways.

The Thirteenth, known to mortals as simply Death, is the Arcana of Transformation, Transitions, and the End. Despite his name and reputation, the Thirteenth is not necessarily just about the concept of death as in the end of living, but he represents the end of everything, how whenever there is a beginning, there must be an end.

The Thirteenth has been notorious for heralding the end of a reign. According to ancient records, the Thirteenth was said to be present during the fall of the elder kingdoms of the Swords and the Pentacles.

He despises the idea of extending a concept past its "due", lives that live longer than they should, kingdoms that reign for longer than expected. Usually, he is a bystander, acting only when the Tribunal or other Arcana has acted first so he may reap what they had sow. But lately, certain Arcanas have been giving blessings to bunches of mortals that, in his eyes, do not deserve it, and that they interfere with his work and sully the nature of his very existence.

Usually, the Thirteenth never answers prayers, as death is not something you ask for, but rather an inevitability. It arrives when it must, not when you want. ...but when a certain desperate cry calls out from the aether, echoing with need... desperate for change... ...how can he just simply say no?

[ryin-silverfish]

LMK S5 trailer, Chinese pantheon infodump, and some ideas

…Man, normally, I feel the urge to write fix-it AUs after rewatching episodes and coming across particularly bizarre theories and takes, not before the new season's even out.

Thanks, S5 trailer.

Consider this your spoiler warning, because the rest of this post will all be my personal opinions about a few major story beats that were revealed + the rough outline for a fix-it AU.

It's also a bit ranty, and features some criticisms of the general narrative, so if that's not your cup of tea, feel free to avoid this one.

Li Jing becoming JE/the regent of the Celestial Realm is just hilariously absurd. I mean, it makes a teeny tiny bit more sense than the "Nezha will be the new JE" fan theory, but that's not a very high bar.

1) In-universe, he had done a grand total of nothing while shit was hitting the fan, and only showed up after it was all over. Which, tbh, isn't too far from his role in FSYY. No, wait, at least in FSYY, he killed Luo Xuan via a pagoda to the head, after the guy had all his fire-based magical treasures neutralized and taken away by Princess Longji.

Yeah, congrats, LMK's Li Jing, you've somehow become even more useless than your FSYY and JTTW counterparts——which is a true feat.

2) Even if someone's making him JE/regent, it wouldn't be the Ten Kings. To put it simply: the Underworld doesn't have that authority. They are the most pathetic of all divine bureaucracies, who pretty much only show up to get pushed around and revive the occasional dead guy in JTTW (and I still love them).

Like, they ain't no Hades or Satan. Just the 10 judges of the Dead People Supreme Court. To heavily paraphrase Di Ting in the original JTTW novel:

"How much power do Underworld gods really have? (幽冥之神，能有多少法力)" "...Certainly not enough to stop a rampaging demonic macaque who's as strong as SWK, if I say the truth out loud in here and piss him off. Just send them to the Buddha, please."

An analogy: if the Celestial Host is the imperial court, the Underworld is the ministry in charge of judicial processes and prisons. They don't even have authority over the imperial censors who answer directly to the emperor, let alone the power to determine a successor to the throne during a major crisis.

If this was to make the tiniest bit of sense, Li Jing would be the one commanding THEM, not the other way around. Or if it's Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha himself giving orders to Li Jing…for some reason.

But we know that ain't happening bc of the show's strange aversion to showing Buddhist deities on screen, not to mention it would be very OOC for Ksitigarbha, whose job is granting relief and salvation to souls in the Path of Hell, not judging and punishing them like the Ten Kings.

3) If you must make Li Jing the emperor/regent, you have a more mythos-accurate and obvious choice than the Ten Kings, considering you already got the Four Divine Beasts involved!

Yes, I'm talking about their bosses, the humanoid "directional + elemental gods": Lord Father of the East (Wood), Queen Mother of the West (Metal), Emperor Zhenwu of the North (Water).

No South though...because our mythos can't agree on a single directional god of the South, but for shit and giggles, just imagine Zhurong, Yandi, Huaguang, and the Star of Fiery Virtues all sitting on the same narrow bench, staring awkwardly at each other.

Maybe we can have Ziwei, Great Emperor of the Central Sky and North Stars, who is one of the Four Sovereigns(四御) in Daoism (two of which could also be an alternate choice, but maybe a bit too obscure for foreign audiences).

He commands the stellar deities and heavenly bodies——which the Four Divine Beasts would technically fall under, as guardians of the four quadrants of the sky, each in charge of 7 Lunar Mansions.

4) But if you already have these deities, why the hell would any of them make Li Jing the regent? Wouldn't it be more likely for them to create a Celestial Council of Regents themselves, with Devaraja Li Jing under their command as the leader of what's left of the celestial army?

Like, you can still have them, or one of them, going after the gang and ordering Li Jing to put the fillet on SWK.

I can see Zhenwu the Demon-Vanquisher doing that, since the fillet isn't too different from what he did to Huaguang and a lot of the demons he subdued in JTTN: feeding them magical water/fire pills that would corrode/ignite their insides whenever they tried to resist.

(Yeah, compared to that, the fillet would look like the lenient option, since it's just pain and won't actually dissolve/cook you alive from the inside out...)

And it wouldn't be bc he thought SWK was to blame for the Brotherhood's epic fuck-up...somehow. Like, what even is that logic?!

I mean, I can kinda see the Ten Kings doing it as a pre-emptive "Don't blame us for our shitty security, blame that guy over there!" move...except they are no longer answering to any higher authorities who'd hold them responsible at that point!

"What about Li Jing?" You may ask. Yeah, WHAT ABOUT LI JING? Why does Li Jing have to get involved in this?

If he's forcing the Ten Kings to pass judgement on the gang (which surely doesn't look like it in the trailers), why's he enlisting the help of the weakest faction and not, y'know, his celestial soldiers and other gods?

If the Ten Kings get Li Jing to be their enforcer...well, how the Eighteen Hells did they manage that? What could the Ghost Supreme Court and their crappy prison-torture chamber-soul customs office complex even offer Li Jing as a bribe?

And if their goals were to avoid responsibilities by blaming someone else, how stupid did they have to be to actively involve/create a higher authority who can punish them once the cat gets out of the proverbial bag, instead of, I dunno, just stay where they are and keep their head down???

So in my fix-it AU, it's more of a "Better safe than sorry" scenario, where every demon working for the new Celestial Council must prove their loyalty via swallowing the water/fire pill, now that even more dangerous demons have escaped and are running around in the aftermath of S4.

And Great Sage and company are not exempt from that new law either——"If you are truly righteous and Not Like Them and not planning to rebel, what's there to be afraid of?"

Horrified by the Demon-Vanquishing Mansion's 16th century standards of "justice" and "mercy", they naturally would not have any of it, and thus the conflict begins.

Not only would this show the fallout of Azure's misguided rebellion——that, in trying to make a better world, he had made it 120% worse for both humanity and demonkind in less drastic and more realistic ways aside from dooming reality to irreversible destruction, it would also help with the major show-not-tell problem about Celestial cruelty bc the "good guys" in power saw no problem with this kind of shit.

If you want your lawful antagonists who take Order to its extremes, the warrior sovereign in black leading an elite army of demon-hunters + penal legions made of "reformed" demons would be a better choice than the Ghost Supreme Court, don't ya think?

(Fun fact: in Zaju plays, Zhenwu was often said to be the boss of Nezha and Erlang, so him commanding Li Jing wouldn't be too out of place either.)

Now, you may ask, why do I even care? After all, isn't it clear that the show is neither mythos-accurate nor trying to be, considering the JE got K.O.ed by a Bodhisattva's cat of all things?

Not to mention the season's not even out yet, so why jump to conclusions so quickly? Maybe the actual episodes will have explanations that make sense. Relax.

...Cause I don't mind less-than-stellar animations if the story's good, and since I keep noticing the less-than-stellar animations, it clearly isn't good enough.

Also, it's not like it's only the implications that are absurd——my problem is with the whole premise of "Li Jing becoming the new JE/Regent" and "The gang is prosecuted by the Ten Kings for bullshit reasons, even though these guys should not, and never have the power to enforce anything over SWK."

I don't like calling narrative choices "wrong" per se, and prefer to see it on a gradient of "least to most narrative potential". When it comes to adaptations, if the option that is faithful to the original work will result in a less interesting story, then I'll happily take the one that isn't as faithful and takes creative liberties, but makes a better story.

And here, I feel like being faithful to the Chinese mythos inspirations will add to the narrative potential instead of subtract from it, and the idea they come up with kinda...goes against how Chinese pantheons work, in a very simplified and "westernized" manner.

Mostly bc I am a Chinese Underworld mythos lover and think they deserve better than being ominous Hades/Grim Reaper knockoffs. And out of all the possible Chinese gods, Nezha's asshole dad is the least qualified or interesting candidate to fill in the power vaccum left by JE's death.

[house-of-the-sun-project]

[ HoS - Ask a Reply ] Thoth replies

I must admit, I do enjoy when mortals formulate theories! It shows curiosity, a hunger to expand one’s knowledge, and that alone makes me quite proud of humanity! Now, onto your questions!

Bennu is indeed a fascinating entity. Although he existed long before I came into being, I can assure you he is not the one who created me. He has, however, greatly assisted me during my early investigations into the nature of the Duat. Like a guiding star to nocturnal travelers, Bennu leads the souls and the solar barque through the underworld, ensuring the Sun God’s safe passage during the nightly hours.

As for my own origin… I cannot reveal everything just yet. But I can confirm this: I was not born in the way most deities are. Rather, I emerged as a consciousness, an extension of the universe’s memory, you could say. A collector of stories. A gatherer of knowledge. From the moment of my awakening, I have preserved all that was, and all that is. I always believed such records would prove useful, and... time has always proven me right. Even if a certain solar deitiy was a little too quick to question my methods!!!

Regarding my encounters with other gods during my reign, I did meet many. Sadly, duty often leaves little room for deeper acquaintance. I do wish I had had more time to truly know them though!

As for your insight, you are quite right! I was crowned king before my beloved Ma’at took the throne as queen. But now that she rules in her own right, I serve as her consort; the first ever king consort in our history! And truthfully, it is a role I cherish far more than I ever did the crown itself or being a Vizier. But, I am so proud of her! My beautiful radiant Ma’at, she was always meant to rule!!

Ah-- apologies. I tend to become rather sentimental when speaking of her!

In any case, I hope this has answered your questions. Remain ever curious, and ever focused!

Thoth, God of Knowledge.