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loveandlegacy · 4 months ago

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the mutation must survive

singed, viktor, power, and progress

ok i said!! some while ago that i think the line 'the mutation must survive' is deeper and/or more sinister than it seems at first and talking with a few friends finally motivated me to articulate the whole. red-string board thing in my head about the themes of progress and power in arcane and specifically what singed and his estranged mentee, viktor, represent at the intersection of both.

ime most off the cuff responses take ‘the mutation must survive’ to mean something like ‘one must survive at all costs’, or that singed, the line’s speaker, believes that nature is brutal, and survival by any means necessary is always justified. i’ve always been kind of dissatisfied with that reading because there’s already a character who expresses this belief in so many words (silco), and it seems unnecessary and redundant for singed to have a world philosophy that's basically a duplicate of one of the major characters.

so what is he doing? what does ‘the mutation must survive’ mean and why is singed the one who says it? despite having quite a lot of influence on the story, singed is far from a major character, why have him say anything that feels Thematic at all?

there’s a lot going on in arcane, and conversations about power and progress recur frequently. characters approach the question of both from different positions, but the story makes the point that each begets the other. they're inextricably intertwined.

jayce, enchanted by magic, consistently reiterates that piltover should step into its destiny as the city of progress and embrace the arcane. he gets his way eventually and inadvertently creates tools of power - the atlas gauntlets and the mercury hammer - and uses them violently against the already downtrodden zaunite workers in a shimmer factory. heimerdinger opines about piltover’s legacy of progress, oblivious to the literal human cost of his idealism, and fearful of “a world that cannibalized itself over power and pride.” silco proclaims power as the avenue to revolutionary and liberatory progress.

on the fringes of these interwoven ideologies, we have singed. the story never presents him as an agent who cares about power in the same way that any other character does. granted we like have to pause here to define what 'power' is in the world of arcane, and that has a multifaceted answer. for the individuals seeking some kind of social control or liberation or domination, arcane outlines systemic power as some combination of wealth access, the ability to enact wide-scale violence without fear of retribution, and a willingness to use the first two to further one's own interest.

i imagine most people in piltover would follow heimerdinger’s example and say they don't care about having this kind of power, or that they think pursuing it is dangerous or kind of gauche, but implicitly piltover's whole existence is all about systemic control - and how power permits dominion over zaun in particular. this implicit disposition all comes out very explicitly in like. marcus. and the other enforcers and their brutality.

and then in the undercity there are varying attitudes about what to do with systemic power. vander gives up on the pursuit of power and liberation after the day of ash in the hopes that the enforcers will meet him halfway for a peace he’s never really granted. caitlyn’s statement that the people of zaun live in fear of “violent crimelords” implies that the chem barons deal in very direct acts of violence-as-power for the sake of amassing greater wealth. silco is obsessed with "real power" belonging to people who will fight for it (ie ruthlessness, the willingness to use violence and/or wealth to further his ends).

in a standout contrast to this, singed doesn't really express any interest in this type of systemic power. even in cases of violence, his behavior is framed as an almost personal interest compared to other characters. marcus, the chem barons, silco, vi, sevika, and even ekko and jinx all have intimate relationships to violence, but their intimacies are somewhat utilitarian. brutality is one act among many that a person might undertake in the interest of self defense, intimidation, protection of a loved one, or political domination. in other words, violence is a social tool and not a curiosity in and of itself.

by contrast, the story rarely confronts singed with circumstances that would require violence. he never needs to defend himself except in the one instance where silco threatens him after jinx’s shimmer infusion. and singed doesn’t physically fight with silco, he only states the obvious: that he saved jinx’s life.

he also never uses brute force to intimidate anyone. he has no loved ones to speak of, much less protect, and he never demonstrates any interest in organized violence for the sake of politics on the scale of silco’s vision or vander’s naive idealism. if anything, the story presents him as a man who was doing what he wanted to do long before he met silco and as a man who might continue to do what he wants to do with or without someone in political need of his skills. and what he wants to do could loosely be defined as scientific research but veers pretty wildly into the realm of malpractice and torture.

maybe the easiest thing to scan about singed is that he’s a solitary man with a sadistic interest in interpersonal power, primarily held over his patients and test subjects. he demonstrates some glee in condemning a cat to die by way of a shimmer-sickened mouse and he cheerfully informs jinx that the agony of her shimmer infusion will “only get worse.” so we could maybe say that violence comes easily to him, but an interest in political, social, financial, or military control is absent.

instead, he chases after progress.

out of the show's ~6.5ish hr runtime, singed has less than 10 total minutes on screen, and he spends most of that time talking about life, death, or survival ("will he live?" / "long enough"; "she's dying….the mutation must survive"; "rio will live"; "i thought you understood. the mutation must survive"; ”[shimmer] should provide everything one needs to survive a violent transition"; "i know the look of a doomed man"; "are you prepared to lose her?"; "sometimes death is a mercy"; "i saved her life").

he never abjures death and he doesn't glorify life. death is a mercy. a person can live ‘long enough’, which isn’t the same thing as living especially well. all these lines of dialogue frame him as the man who stands at the boundary between life and death and who views both things as obvious consequences of nature, equilibrium-like in their relationship if left undisturbed.

progress, though, requires one to contravene nature’s apparent life-death equilibrium, as he tells viktor repeatedly.

in his first meeting with viktor, singed describes rio as a "rare mutation that [he] cultivated" - presumably from some other genetic lineage that occurred by way of stochastic process. this selective breeding is his first intervention on life and death, on what genes are expressed and passed down through generations. he then goes on to say that rio is dying. i'm attempting to prevent that - another intervention.

everything dies, and there's no reason to believe singed takes issue with that fact in a general sense. a later scene even reveals that he isn’t trying to save rio’s life out of sentimental attachment to her, and in one of his culminating interactions, he tells silco sometimes death is a mercy, all of which suggests that even if “the mutation must survive”, survival isn’t always the better outcome for the subject in question.

looking at these two statements - ‘the mutation must survive’ and ‘sometimes death is a mercy’ - side by side, singed’s attitude highlights that there’s value in diverting what might have been the most obvious or best outcome for an organism if there's a chance the consequences will prove interesting by his metric. all well and good, if not for one problem:

nature has made us intolerant to change.

on the global level of arcane as a text, this statement seems to be true, particularly of people with access to systemic power. the piltovan council is incredibly inflexible and suspicious of change regardless of whether that change is likely to benefit them (hextech) or endanger their interests (zaun's liberation). zaun's most powerful figures, the chem barons, are similarly resistant to change. they would prefer to dispense with silco's vision for liberation because it destabilizes their present-moment interests. the underground's former leader, vander, had completely given up on the possibility of change before he died. silco even accuses him of this directly, in an observation that draws a circle around singed's point that real change is quite hard for most individual people to embrace: you'll die for the cause…but you won't fight for one.

despite his revolutionary ideology, even silco has a brittle attitude towards change. his liberatory strategy involves reproducing a violent, class-stratified regime within zaun where the chem barons comprise the ruling class in question, presumably doing as little for zaunites as the council of piltover. his aspirations are noble! but even for him, change involves retracing the boundaries of a known quantity.

whether or not change is necessarily always a good thing in arcane is a conversation of its own, but it's clearly a desirable thing to singed. after stating that an intolerance to change is common among [us], he adds: but fortunately, we have the capacity to change our nature (emphasis mine).

given this context, i think it’s worth returning to the note that power and progress are deeply intertwined in arcane, with different characters pursuing both in different ways. singed seems like an oddity at first in that he’s disinterested in systemic power but interested in progress, as outlined above. but his disinterest makes sense. his vision of progress requires a power mechanism that seems almost orthogonal to intercultural struggle. given everything described up to this point, singed’s ethics (or his cosmology, or whatever you want to call it) can be summed up as:

living things are resistant to change

change is desirable because it produces interesting, unexpected outcomes

being able to influence or alter the expected outcome of biological events is therefore also desirable, given the first two points

in this way, power and progress are not separate for singed any more than they are for any other character. but for most of the figures in arcane, power and progress have some attachment to society. through singed, certain forms of power take shape in the slippery alchemy of biology and chemistry.

shimmer is power because it drives living things off whatever course their natal biology set for them (it should provide everything one needs to survive a violent transition). genetic engineering is power because creates novelty (the mutation itself). manipulating the circumstances such that the mutation can survive (lol) is power too. arguably, creating those circumstances is the most influential force pervading all life, and the one that is most emblematic of progress: evolutionary power.

it’s easy to confound this. ‘evolution’ is pretty frequently conceptually misapplied irl in kind of shitty popsci and pseudoscientific texts. so i want to pause here and say: don’t take ‘evolutionary power’ to mean ‘the pursuit of optimization’ or ‘in search of an apotheosis’ in this case. singed doesn’t articulate an interest in specific end states for a mutation’s survival. even for rio, his interest is dispassionate. she must survive for the circular reason that he wants to know if she can survive by infusing her with the precursor to shimmer. he never opines about a subject’s teleology - that’s silco’s deal.

in other words, on the occasions where singed discusses survival, survival alone is the only qualifying criteria of interest - ‌[he’ll live] long enough; the mutation must survive; i saved her life. the quality of life for the subject or the general function of the mutation in a state of survival never comes up. when he tells viktor that shimmer should provide everything one needs to survive a violent transition, he also cautions him about the cost of said survival, implying that the other side of this rapidly-approaching event horizon might actually be the opposite of optimal.

if you take this path, they will despise you…

all this paints singed not as a man invested in the eugenic concept of survival of the fittest, but as the eerie steward of change itself. evolution drags all things along in its inexorable tide, mutations are the delimited space between what was and what will be, violent transitions are the catalysts for change, and whatever survives the fallout is the interesting data from which new truths about that change can be divined.

if you want to know what a mutation looks like on the other side of the catastrophic break between ‘before’ and ‘after’ - well. you’ll have to manipulate the circumstances such that the mutation survives. and if you succeed, and if you gather new, glittering fragments of truth out of the wreckage - if you’ve learned something novel - that’s progress.

but what does all this have to do with viktor?

taking everything together, singed’s presence in season 1 foreshadows quite a bit about viktor’s arc in season 2. i’m going to turn away from what i guess is pure analysis at this point and into the realm of theory-crafting from here on out, so…enjoy.

if viktor goes the way of league lore (and i assume he mostly will), his fate quite literally includes the word ‘evolution’. but in contrast to singed, viktor’s glorious evolution is all about a certain apotheosis. he is likely to become his former mentor’s obverse, leveraging an engineered evolution towards a specific telos, rather than dwelling at the threshold of change itself.

as an audience member, i hope the story doesn’t set viktor on a redemption arc. even if the narrative continues to build out his choices as understandable reactions to his circumstances, it's better to sit in the mire of people digging their own graves. and i do think viktor’s history with singed might make redemption impossible.

at the end of season 1, viktor tries to steer himself off the path he’s chosen, realizing too late that it involves the literal blood sacrifice of the woman who loved him. but we all know he won’t stay the course. he’s touched the void, the hexcore is hungry, and even if he escapes the hexcore’s direct influence, he’s about to witness the crumbling of what little good will exists between piltover and his home.

depending on which version of the lore you prefer, viktor’s eventual rise to accidental cult leader happens for one of two reasons. he either takes up his quasi-transhumanism because he comes to view his faith in human goodness as a product of emotional naivety (the new lore) or because he specifically wanted to carve out the jealous parts of himself that left him feeling broken after stanwick’s repeat betrayals (the old lore). in arcane, i think the story will change again.

in a last-ditch effort to cure his own terminal illness, viktor returns to his creepy former mentor for help. he claims to ‘understand, now’ what singed told him all those years ago about mutations and survival. knowing what comes next (sky’s death), one has to wonder if he really does. after all, before giving viktor the shimmer variant that might save his life, singed pauses to warn him that love and legacy are the sacrifices we make for progress.

it’s a leading line that invites a lot of questions. what love, whose love? sky’s maybe. or jayce’s. or heimerdinger’s, whose love is very flawed, but is arguably still love that viktor could lose. those are all compelling particulars or parts of the puzzle of viktor’s life, but i think singed is pointing viktor towards something more totalizing.

throughout season 1, viktor’s story has deviated from his league lore somewhat. he hasn't really been preoccupied with human error; instead, he has both desired and rejected different kinds of affection. rather than grappling with jealousy or heartbreak over stolen work, he wants to help the undercity - but ultimately mourns the fact that his illness will steal his opportunity to build a legacy, not his chance to make the world a better place.

summoned back into the role of necromantic mentor, singed seems to intuit this new emotional framework when he reminds viktor that progress has no room for love or legacy. those are the two sacrificial lambs required for progress to take place.

but if viktor truly believes what singed says (and it seems like he does at least a little bit), i don't think he’ll be able to abandon the want for either on his own. even in the wake of killing sky or in the wake of what we assume will be a very painful falling out with jayce, the story still frames him as a person with the basic human desire for closeness. he's afraid to tell jayce what he's done to sky, after all. if progress, otherwise known as the glorious evolution, is to proceed, he'll have to cut out his own heart not for the failings of jealousy or illogical inefficiency, but because the need for love and recognition has made him selfish.

he won't succeed, obviously. not the least in part because no need or feeling is entirely black or white. love brought him to his friendship with jayce. legacy made him brave enough to defy heimerdinger and chase magic. but pain, loss, and self-loathing distort all things, and i think that, in viktor's view of himself, the fragile yearnings of the human heart will become grotesque, the source of all his own wrongdoing.

in this way, singed’s unifying thesis has loaded the spring-trigger guiding viktor’s trajectory. if viktor hopes to forge a better way for the people of zaun, if he hopes to build something new in the world, he'll have to eviscerate himself first. such is the bloody price of progress, and so goes his evolution's apotheosis. it's not the man who matters. the mutation must survive.

#i was born to be this degree of unwell actually it's my calling #i could say more!!! even!!! if you can believe it!!!#especially about singed murdering his daughter #because he did murder her for the sake of progress hello #viktor is just like him and nothing like him all at the same time #viktor #singed #arcane #analysis #s2

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thisgirlnamedblusy · 3 months ago

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Always her doll

Yesss!!! I hope you like it!!! Thank you for your request, and for your beautiful words!!! They lift my spirits!!! Sorry for the language mistakes!!! :))))

Pairing: Donna Beneviento x Fem! Reader

Warnings: G!P Donna, smut, Minors DNI, jealousy, Donna being Donna

Word count: 5,750

Summary: Maybe you you were too popular

N/A: Sorry about the language mistakes!!! Requests are open!!! I'm waiting yours!!! I love you all!!! :))

“Mmm, I think they're ready,” you murmured, sighing and turning off the oven.

The old kitchen gave off a sweet, almost intoxicating aroma. Carefully, you took out that tray of freshly made muffins and ran a hand over your forehead, satisfied with the result.

“Perfect…” you whispered shaking your hands, scared when you noticed a presence behind you, gently grabbing your waist and pulling your body back. “Oh…” you jumped.

“Hi, tesoro…” the lady in black asked with a tender whisper in your ear, kissing your cheek, without letting your body go. “Did I scare you?”

“Donna,” you said smiling, closing your eyes to feel better her caresses, her displays of love that were not lacking in your daily life. “How long have you been hidden in the kitchen?”

“Hidden? You’re not thinking I was here to scare you,” she murmured amused, swaying your body.

“That's true, that's more like Angie,” you said with a tender smile, turning around to capture her lips with yours. “I thought you were busy with the dolls.”

“Mm,” she murmured, nodding, kissing you quickly and moving away from you, looking at the muffins with curiosity. “I couldn't concentrate with this delicious smell,” she commented amused.

“Oh, my bad,” you joked, pointing at yourself while wiping the excess flour from your hands. “Relax, I'm done.”

“What a pity…” she purred, with a tender smile, playing with your hand. “Muffins?”

“No, honey, they're not just muffins,” you said amused, pointing at your creations. “They're (Y/N)'s special ultra-delicious muffins”

“Mm, but they're still muffins,” Donna said, blinking mockingly. “Did you make them for me?”

“Well, you will have the honor of trying them,” you commented, with a mischievous smile. “But I warn you that they can give you a deliciousness attack,” you whispered, pretending a serious tone.

The lady in black laughed, shaking her head and studying those muffins, tilting her head.

It was just another day in your perfect life.

Being born in that sinister village was something like a life sentence, always surrounded by shadows, snow, grey skies… The fact that you had been blessed with a kind, fun and outgoing personality didn’t change your destiny, unless you yourself did something about it.

Not wanting to succumb to the shadows that surrounded that place, you decided to make your own path, to flee from the darkness, to avoid wasting your life in a loveless marriage, or serving day and night in the old castle.

No, a life of an ordinary villager was not for you, and you knew it.

After starting to lose hope, thinking that perhaps the Black Gods had already written your life and you could do nothing to remedy it, something that would change your life forever happened: you met her.

Donna Beneviento was one of the four pillars that held Mother Miranda's dominion. Mother Miranda, the priestess of the Gods and undisputed ruler of that snowy place.

You had heard so many things about that Lady Beneviento that having her near you made your body tremble.

But people like to talk, to invent terrible stories about the unknown, about the terrifying doll maker.

To be completely honest, some of those rumors were not wrong. The gifts of the Black Gods had granted that sick woman the ability to make you suffer the worst fear of your life, to turn anyone stupid enough to enter their grounds into a case of tears and unbearable terrors, if they survived…

Loneliness, darkness, complexes… All of this surrounded the young Lord. The claws of the dark demons had sunk deep into her skin. You always tried to live away from rumors, but even that didn't help when, on one of your endless walks, you crossed the threshold that separated light from darkness.

The woman in black had surely prepared to kill you, so her loneliness would be her companion once again. That was the only moment in your life when you were afraid, but it didn't last long.

Sick? Yes, disturbed? Oh, of course, sweet and kind? Sure. Little by little you discovered that words were absurd if you compared them to reality.

An extroverted girl like you didn't seem like the companion she was looking for, nor did she seem like the great love you dreamed of every night, but your grandmother had a saying: wishes always come true, but not in the way you expect.

She was right, you fell in love with that lady in black, with that soft voice, broken by lack of use, with her hands, with her body, and, finally, with her beauty.

A wounded, deformed beauty, but a beauty, the most beautiful you had ever seen in your young life. Not even an insignificant scar, nor the worries she had about the gift of the Gods to her body, were enough of a reason to abandon her, to not feel the love that filled your soul when you were with her.

There were problems, yes, your social and almost popular character clashed with her desires for tranquility, for solitude. Of course, there was nothing that could break that love, nothing, not even that different behavior.

“Mm,” Donna murmured, savoring one of those freshly made delicacies, as always when you cooked, with a frown, studying each ingredient. “You put cinnamon on it.”

“You don't miss a thing, do you?” you joked, giving her a nudge, which made her laugh shyly, sweetly... You loved her with all your soul. “Eat as many as you want, but leave at least 5 or 6.”

Donna nodded with a tender look, checking every detail of that sweet.

“(Y/N),” she said, as if she had just realized something important. “You said they're not for me...”

You rolled your eyes, taking a breath, preparing for a tense conversation, as always when you wanted to leave the old estate.

“No, they're for Luiza and my friends,” you said quietly, clearing your throat. She looked at you with her eyebrow raised, her expression serious.

“You're going to leave again,” she murmured, shaking her head with a sad sigh. “(Y/N), you spent the whole afternoon out yesterday.”

“Well, I'm really in demand,” you joked, closing your eyes, instantly regretting your choice of words. “Um, forget I said that.”

“In demand? What do you mean? D-don’t, don't make me nervous,” she said, with a worried look, her brow furrowed, studying each of your possible micro expressions.

“I don't want to make you nervous, Donna, I mean... Well, you know I have a lot of friends,” you said, thinking better of your words.

“Too many,” she commented, in a small voice, looking away from you.

You, wanting to avoid a jealous attack, smiled tenderly, approaching Donna and cupping her face in your hands, kissing her to calm her nerves.

“Don't be mad, my love... I promise I'll be back soon,” you whispered tenderly, hanging on to her waist, without your lips completely leaving hers.

“You always say the same and then, then I spend the whole night waiting for you,” she said, nervous, moving away from your kisses, with a dark look. You snorted, guiding her face so she wouldn't stop looking at your bright eyes.

“I'm just going to have tea at Luiza's house, I'll be back before you know it,” you said calmer, playing with her hands, with your best good girl face. “Why don't you dedicate yourself to your dolls?”

“I've been in the workshop all day, I wanted to be with you,” she protested, with a tone that couldn't help but be a bit childish. “In-inoltre, you know perfectly well that when you're not her I can't be calm.”

“Well... Hey, I can call Luiza and tell her I'm not going, what do you think?” you offered, not wanting to argue with her, knowing that, in part, if we forget about the absurd jealousy, she was right.

You had many friends, in the village you weren't just any girl, everyone knew you. If they asked you, you could swear that it was the only part that Lady Beneviento didn't like about you.

The lady in black sighed, kissing your hand and walking away from you while shaking her head.

“I-I can't do that, I can't stop you from doing whatever you want... You, you told me it wasn't right,” she stammered, with her gaze down, biting her tongue so as not to tell you to do it, to cancel that tea.

“I say a lot of things,” you sighed, rubbing her back while she focused absurdly on the counter. A strange idea popped into your head. “Hey, why don't you come with me?”

“Cosa?” she asked confused, with a disoriented face. “Me? With you?”

“Yes, you, with me,” you repeated amused, being the one who grabbed her waist from behind, nodding profusely. “Why not? To get some fresh air from time to time is good for you.”

“I don't mind getting some fresh air, but, but...” Donna said, grabbing your hands so you would let her body go, turning slowly. “No, what do you want me to do with all those villagers?”

“Oh, sorry, Your Majesty,” you mocked, something that the lady growled annoyed at. “Hey, come on, it might be a good idea, right? I've talked so much about you to my friends that I'm sure they're dying to meet you.”

“Yes, literally,” Donna pointed out, shaking her head again. “They already know me, (Y/N).”

“Well, not as much as I do,” you insisted, hanging on to her shoulders again, kissing her lips in a mischievous way. “Come with me, Donna, you'll have a good time… Besides… Are you going to turn down the opportunity to know what I do when I'm not at home?”

“Mm,” she murmured, frowning, her gaze on yours, but at the same time, far away from it, thoughtful. “I hadn't seen it that way,”

“Don't forget that I always manage to convince you, always,” you whispered in her ear in a mischievous way, making her whole body tremble.

“I have that weakness for you...” she sighed, while you approached the kitchen door, winking at her.

“Put on your veil, darling, we're going for a walk,” you joked, leaning on the door frame and leaving the kitchen with a playful gesture.

The walk through the forest was always relaxing. The winter breeze seemed warm with her hand in yours, with that slow walk, with that desire to enjoy your company to the fullest. Unfortunately, you were not alone...

“Where are we going?” Angie, Donna's inseparable doll, asked. One doll that many times, made you want to throw her into the fireplace.

“Again?” you said annoyed, rolling your eyes.

“Where, where!?” the puppet shrieked again, forcing you to press your lips tightly.

“To Luiza's house, it's the fifth time I've told you,” you growled, being comforted by the soft caresses of the lady in black, who looked at you through her veil. “Donna, was it really necessary?”

“I'm not going anywhere without her,” the lady whispered in a dark voice. You had no choice but to snort in defeat, enduring the doll's mocking words.

“Ha! Suck that, you stupid village girl!” the doll mocked, clinging to her owner. You darkened your gaze, but looked away sulkily.

“Angie, basta,” Donna said, calming the doll's excitement, one that was inevitable every time she left the estate.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Angie shouted again, making you regret your offer. “Shall we play movies?”

“No,” Donna and you said at the same time.

“Come on, I'll start... Do you know what movie I think of when I see you two?”

“Oh, not again...” you lamented, especially knowing that her film culture had increased thanks to the Duke's forbidden tapes.

“Scema e più Scema,” the puppet hissed, making you dig into the snow, fists clenched.

“I've been living with Donna for over a year. Do you think I don't know what you said?” you asked angrily, but knowing that messing with you was her biggest hobby and that, after all, you could consider her something like a friend.

“Mm, you're Dumber,” Angie said.

“Don't listen to her, tesoro,” Donna whispered, pulling you to move, finally leaving the property.

“(Y/N),” an old woman, who recognized you as you headed to your destination, said. You stopped with a smile, separating yourself from your girlfriend and approaching her. “Gods, how nice to see you…”

“Mrs. Ivanovic, you look well,” you said in a friendly manner, shaking the old woman's hands. She looked over your shoulder at the lady in black, lowering her head in respect.

“My dear, if I'm here it's thanks to you… I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't helped me with the cracks in my house,” the woman said, taking your hands in a grateful manner. “Tell me, girl, does she take good care of you?”

“Donna?” you asked, giving away the old woman's question, one that caught the attention of the lady in black. “Oh, of course she does.”

“Every day I pray for you, I pray for her to take pity on your soul,” the old woman whispered, with terrified eyes that discreetly looked at the Lord.

“Don't pray that much, Mrs. Ivanovic, you know you have a privileged place next to the Black Gods,” you joked, saying goodbye to the old woman, who almost ran past the lady.

“Who was it?” Angie asked, indiscreetly.

“Oh, well, a woman I helped a while ago, her house was almost in ruins,” you explained, taking the hand of the brunette again, who seemed to have her gaze fixed on that poor old woman. “Donna? Come on.”

The Lady grunted, and, after greeting a few villagers who came to talk to you, you arrived at your destination. Donna didn't say anything, she seemed nervous.

“My dear, what a joy to see…” Luiza said as she opened the door, turning pale when she saw who was accompanying you. “Lady Beneviento…”

“I'm accompanied today,” you said amused, running a hand over the shoulders of the brunette, who shifted uncomfortably. “I hope it's not a problem.”

“No, of course, of course it’s not,” the woman said, nervously, stepping aside. “It's an honor, my lady.”

Donna nodded kindly, entering the house with you, holding her faithful doll in her arms.

“The Black Gods bless me with your presence, my lady,” Luiza said, walking while playing with her hands, leading you to the living room, where your friends were already waiting.

“Hey, guys!” you said with a smile, greeting your friends effusively, leaving your girlfriend behind, who sighed, surely overwhelmed by so many people.

Everyone turned around with a smile that faded when they saw your companion, staying with their eyes wide open, totally petrified.

“What's wrong with you? Did the Lycan get your tongue?” you joked, approaching your best friend, Elena, patting her back affectionately.

“(Y/N)… Hey, hello,” the young Lupu said, as did the others, staring at Lady Beneviento.

“What are those faces about?” you asked, leaving the muffins on the table, frowning in amusement. “Calm down, she doesn't bite.”

“Speak just for Donna, silly,” Angie said, startling those present, who lowered their heads in terror.

“Oh, come on, relax, pretend she's not here,” you said, gesturing with your hand. “She's here to accompany me, not to judge you for your sins.”

“Please sit, my lady,” Luiza said, indicating a place for Donna to sit, without letting your friends' eyes leave her.

The lady nodded again, sitting down with a stoic pose.

“Would you like a cup of tea, my lady?” the woman offered, to which Donna nodded slowly, staring at your friends, as if she were analyzing their soul.

“Well…” you said, sitting down too, trying to break the tension of the moment. “I see your arm is better than ever, Viktor,” you said, pointing at your friend, who seemed to relax at last, now avoiding eye contact with Donna.

“Oh, yes, much, much better,” the boy said with a smile, taking one of your muffins. “Oh, really, (Y/N), you should sell these things…”

“That's what the baker is for,” you joked, always keeping an eye on the brunette, who remained motionless while Luiza served her tea, trembling.

“I've already lost two teeth because of his bread,” he joked, shaking his head. “Your hands are really divine…”

The lady in black abruptly turned her head towards you, but you ignored her, looking at your friend.

“Can't you stop flattering me for a second?” you said amused, with a blush visible on your cheeks. “Hey, Elena, how's your father feeling?”

“Oh, mu, much better,” the girl said, with a calmer smile. “If it weren't for you, he'd still be sick.”

“Don't thank me, thank Donna's fabulous plant encyclopedia,” you said, grabbing the lady's hand, which seemed to be shaking. “Right, honey?”

They all looked at each other, visibly uncomfortable.

The lady didn't answer, so you shook your head, ignoring her passivity.

“We missed you on bonfire day,” another of your friends said, changing the direction of the conversation, feeling less and less afraid.

“Yes, I told you…” said another of them, laughing amused, receiving a slap from Luiza before he took another one of your muffins.

“Let's pray,” the woman said, clasping her hands and bowing her head towards Donna, feigning fearful respect.

“Oh, come on Luiza, it's not necessary,” you said, indicating to the woman to sit next to you, something she did without taking her eyes off your girlfriend. “Come on, eat, they're freshly made. Do you want one muffin, darling?” you asked Donna, who gently shook her head, her whole body tense.

“You should have come,” your friend Ivan said, amused, when the atmosphere relaxed, almost forgetting that the fearsome Lord was present, something easy, since the lady in black looked more like a piece of furniture than a person.

“No, thanks, I don't want to get lost like last year,” you said, taking a sip of tea.

“You got lost by yourself,” Elena joked, with a calm smile. “I think you were sure you had seen the same tree twice.”

“Well, it was a very similar one,” you said. “Luckily you managed to find me.”

“Find you? I doubt you even knew where you were, (Y/N),” she said, arching her eyebrows and shaking her head.

“That’s true!” Viktor said, laughing mockingly. “We had to carry you… Home.”

You laughed embarrassed. You could sense from her awkward movements that Donna was not amused at all. After all, she was the one who took care of you that night.

“Poker, losers!” Angie shouted, who, unlike her owner, seemed to be at ease in company, taking the savings from three of your friends, who protested with a grunt.

“It seems that Angie is having a good time,” you whispered to the brunette, who looked distractedly at the doll while you calmed her with a soft caress under the table.

“Last year was very funny,” Elena commented, attracting your attention again. “Do you remember the bets?”

You were left breathless for a moment, praying that neither of you would talk about it.

“Yes, of course I remember, (Y/N) lost and had to spend ten minutes locked in the closet with Katia,” one of your friends commented, so you closed your eyes.

As expected, the brunette didn't like that comment, and she folded her teaspoon over itself, dropping it on the table and drawing everyone's attention.

“Oh, wow, do you want another teaspoon?” you asked cautiously, looking at that shattered cutlery. She shook her head. You couldn't see it, but you knew her eye was burning under the black veil.

Without saying anything to you, she reached out her hand for the doll, which moved towards her, floating in the air as she stood up abruptly from the chair.

“I'm going home,” she whispered so only you could hear her. She seemed terribly upset, and it was no surprise.

“Oh, yeah, okay... Um, we're leaving,” you said with an apologetic look. Elena looked at you and waved her hand.

“Are you coming on Friday?” she asked.

You nodded as Donna walked towards the exit, looking at you to follow her.

“Yes, I'll try,” you said in a friendly tone, hugging your friend goodbye, something that made a furious growl sound through the hallway. Donna was already gone.

“I'm, I'm leaving,” you said timidly, leaving the house hastily, trying to catch up the brunette. “Hey, Donna, wait!”

The lady stopped without looking at you, letting you take her arm, almost dragging you through the snow.

“Hey, hey, are you having a crisis?” you asked, noticing her labored breathing. She stopped and looked at you through the fabric.

“No,” she answered dryly, walking back towards the old mansion.

“Oh, okay... Um... Donna, don't go that fast...”

With a hurried step, without saying a word, the waterfall loomed over you again. The lady in black let you go and opened the doors with a furious gasp, pushing the veil away from her face, showing you her irrational anger.

“We had a good time, didn't we?” you said shyly, closing the doors again, with a good girl look.

“E che cazzo, (Y/N)?” she hissed leaving Angie on the floor, breathing heavily.

“What? I, I don't know what you mean…” you stammered, scratching the back of your neck. “What's wrong, honey?”

“What's wrong? How dare you to ask me what's wrong?” the lady said shaking her head, blinking in disbelief.

You rolled your eyes and sighed impatiently, kicking the floor.

“I ask you because I don't know, what’s wrong with you?” you said with your emergency tone, a calm and patient one.

“Why did you want me to go with you? To rub in my face how much everyone loves you?” Donna asked again, with a dark, dangerous look.

“Excuse me?” you said, arching your eyebrows. “Donna... It's not about that.”

“No? And what is it about? Do you know what it's been like for me to endure that kind of strange adoration that everyone has for you?” she asked, furious, pointing at you with her finger.

“Calm down,” you whispered, making a gesture of relaxation with your hands. “You're losing control, honey, come on, breathe...”

“Vaffanculo!” Donna shrieked furiously, moving her hands in an exaggerated way, dragging out her words. “I'm not losing control, you're driving me crazy, (Y/N).”

“How rude,” you joked with a mischievous smile, approaching the lady to caress her face. “Don't be mad, my love... That people love me shouldn't make you feel bad.”

“Oh, of course, of course,” she said, with a nervous laugh, moving away from your reassuring caresses. “I'm very happy to see that everyone loves you, to see that they have fun locking themselves in a closet with you, that they only have nice words for you...”

“If I remember correctly, you like me that way,” you counterattacked, with a haughty tone, not letting yourself be provoked. You were already a black belt in arguments with Donna, in handling the problems of her wounded mind.

“What way?” the doll maker asked, shaking her head, blinking erratically.

“Kind and affectionate,” you said, raising your head. “According to you, that's what made you fall in love with me.”

“Yes, and I'm starting to think I'm not the only one who feels that way,” Donna hissed, without relaxing her hardened features. “Tell me, (Y/N), how many times have you cheated on me with that stupida?”

“Who?” you asked open-mouthed, surprised by that baseless accusation. “Oh, no, you can't be serious…”

“I'm completely serious,” she whispered threateningly, grabbing your arm too tightly, so you protested with a hiss of pain.

“Donna, you, you’re hurting me…” you said, fighting against her grip, against the nails that dug into your skin.

“You’re the one who’s hurting me, (Y/N)… Do you like hugging that stronza? Let's see if you like it the same way when I get rid of her.”

“Okay, that's enough, Donna,” you said, making an effort to free yourself from her grip and give her a slow slap on the cheek.

“Now you hit me… I see everything clearly,” Donna hissed, putting a hand on her bruised cheek. You rolled your eyes, starting to lose patience. “You've never loved me.”

“I hit you so you'll stop saying stupid things. I hugged Elena because she's my friend, friends hug each other, did you know that?” you said with a haughty tone, trying unsuccessfully to reason with her deranged mind.

“So how many friends do you have, (Y/N)?” she asked, not giving in. “Do you hug all of them?”

“Many, I have many friends, Donna,” you hissed, trying to be threatening, something that wouldn't be possible. “But you know what? I'm not surprised you don't know. You haven't had a friend in your entire life…”

Donna recoiled from your words, unable to respond to that terrible truth, one you didn't want to use, one you instantly regretted.

“Donna, honey… I, I didn't mean…” you said in a softer tone, moving closer to take her hand, a hand she pulled away with a snort.

“You said it, (Y/N),” she whispered with a broken voice, looking away from you. “if you said it, it's because you mean it.”

“No, well, I… Let's see, it's true that I…” you stammered, grabbing the brunette by the shoulders, fighting her attempts to get away from you. “My love… Hey, I love you, you know? I love you so much and…”

“You love them too,” Donna whispered, stopping resisting your hold, her eye wet with tears.

“It's not the same,” you explained, relaxing your breathing, controlling hers with gentle movements.

“You don't understand, do you?” she said, starting to sob, shaking her head, totally out of her mind. “You don't understand what it's like to always see you surrounded by people, to see how they smile at you and... Hug you and...”

“I guess I can't help it,” you said with a tender smile, playing with her hands that allowed your soft caresses. “You've fallen in love with a very popular girl…”

“A very beautiful girl,” Donna sighed, closing her eye to calm her demons.

“Well, that's what they say,” you joked wrongly again. Donna didn't seem angry. She simply brought a hand to your cheek.

“It hurts me, tesoro, it hurts me to think that someone could... Could take you away from me... Y-you're right, I, I've always been alone and... I don't... I don't know what...” she said with a broken voice, passing her hand over your face, touching, feeling all your beauty.

“Shh…” you whispered, moving a little closer, swaying your body, closing your eyes and rubbing your forehead against hers. “Shut up, my love… My precious Donna… You have nothing to fear…”

“You know that no matter how many times you tell me… I will always be afraid of losing you,” the lady whispered, placing your hair, letting her body move with yours.

“Well, but I can do something to make you believe me,” you said with a tender smile, running a finger along her lips. “There is something I don't do with anyone else…”

Slowly, you approached her lips, kissing them softly, savoring the salty taste of her desperation, of her irrational fear. She deepened the kiss, as if that romantic and simple act had been enough to calm her. You knew it wasn't like that, but at least, it seemed to have an effect.

“See? I only do this with you…” you murmured with a tender voice, biting your lips. “I'm yours, darling, only yours…”

“Only mine…” Donna whispered, blinking in confusion, as if she was thinking about something. “You're right, you're mine…”

Her voice became dangerous. Her hands gripped your face tightly, dragging you into a much messier, deeper, more impatient kiss. Her hands began to get out of control, traveling down your body, clawing at your legs under your dress. The gasps were not long in coming.

“You're mine!” the lady shouted with a furious growl, pushing you roughly against one of the tables in the hall.

You gasped in surprise, but not annoyed, letting the lady hug you from behind, kiss your neck wildly, your breasts were an easy prey for her hands.

“Donna,” you sighed with a smile, letting the heat replace the jealousy, letting the brunette's surprisingly wild attitude continue.

Donna was always affectionate, maybe too much. She was always gentle, always holding you like you were something fragile, kissing you softly, making love to you slowly, romantically. That possessive attitude was totally different, but you didn't know you liked it that much.

“You're not going to abandon me... You're mine...” she whispered nervously, pulling up your dress as your body was covered in kisses, as your back lowered to give her better access to her desires. “And I'm going to prove it to you.”

“Mm, okay,” you said amused, silenced by a hand on your mouth, as your underwear was stripped from your body with a furious tug, letting it slide down your ankles.

“Don't... Talk...” Donna hissed, pressing her hand against your mouth, with a dark, but exciting tone. “Only do it if you're going to say you're mine, I just want to hear you say that, is it clear?”

You nodded, arching your eyebrows at that abruptness, when her fingers went down your wetness, when they ran through your folds, deforming them for what was to come.

“Now you're going to... stay still,” the lady in black whispered, playing with her dress, releasing her throbbing erection and passing it through your wet entrance, causing a moan and a tremor of your hips, which desperately sought more contact.

“Mm, Donna...” you moaned, repressing the pleasure that simple touch caused in your body, the sensation of her hard shaft moving freely through your folds.

Definitely the wild Donna was climbing positions.

“Hey! Tell me,” you protested when she entered you roughly, stretching your body hastily, forcing your walls to accommodate the intruder. “Donna, you know you're big... It-it hurts...”

“Shut up!” she squealed, moving slowly, making her way into your wetness, giving you a strong tug on your hair. “If you love me, you'll have to hold on. I don't want to waste time.”

“Oh, okay,” you said amused, moaning in pleasure at all those sensations, at how exciting it was to see her out of her mind while she was inside of you. “Mm… Honey…”

“Do any of your friends do this to you? Huh?” she said nervously, starting to move when the wetness of your entrance allowed her, sliding effortlessly, with your walls praising, squeezing her erection intensely.

“Not at all,” you joked, following her frenetic rhythm with your hips, getting a spank for your boldness.

“I said, shut up… Just nod, doll,” Donna hissed, scratching the skin of your hips, moving your body to her will, making that table move dangerously.

You obeyed, hiding your face, euphoric with pleasure, moaning discreetly as she took you intensely, quickly, but making you feel the greatest pleasure possible.

“Doll… I like it,” you said among moans, leaning so she could move better, so it would be easier for her to manipulate your hips, to dig her nails into your skin.

“Do you like it? Good…” she said, moaning too, slowing down the rhythm of her thrusts, taking you slower, enjoying the journey her body made inside yours. “Because that's what you are… La mia bambola…”

“Mm, yes… Yours…” you repeated, losing control of your movements, moaning scandalously, hitting the table because of your inability to hold her while she moved inside of you, while she deformed your wet walls.

“Mine, only mine... If, if someone lays a hand on you I will...” she said, fighting against her own pleasure, against the warm, wet embrace of your body in hers, stimulating it with your own movements.

“No one will lay a hand on me… I’m yours, your doll… Only yours… Do whatever you want with me, my love,” you moaned, fighting the impulses that alerted you of your imminent release, one that her rough and wild attitude caused to advance.

“That's it… Good doll…” she whispered, hardening her thrusts, controlling the trembling of your body with a firm hand on your back, moving gracefully as she moaned, while completely dominating you. “Mine…”

“Donna, I'm, I'm close…” you said nervously, with your legs shaking when the lady in black slowed down, torturing you, knowing that you weren't lying.

“Is my little doll close? You're such a good doll…” she said amused, grabbing your neck, leaning it back so she could capture your lips. “Ask me, doll. Ask me to let you venire…”

“Mm, please…” you whispered, leaning forward again along her evil laughter, surely due to the clumsy movements of your hips, which were desperately trying to regain that overwhelming sensation.

“Louder…” Donna hissed, moving painfully slowly, grabbing your hair again.

You, totally sunk in pleasure, were unable to say a word, earning a strong tug followed by a loud spank.

“Louder, doll!” the lady shrieked.

“Please, Donna! I'm a good doll! Let me cum!” you said with your voice broken by pleasure.

“That's the way I like it,” she said, satisfied, fulfilling your wishes, resuming her thrusts, holding your hips, not letting you even think about moving away.

Your orgasm came soon, forcing your body to tense, to arch, held by her arms, overstimulated by the continuous movements of her hips, which seemed not to want to stop.

“Cazzo…” the lady moaned, holding you tighter as she released herself inside of you, unable to resist the involuntary movements of your walls. Her heat filled you in a terribly pleasurable way, like a wet caress, claiming you, letting her seed mix with your arousal with a furious growl.

Then there was a moment of silence, only interrupted by your disordered breathing as your bodies relaxed.

“Donna…” you sighed moving away so she could get out of you, pulling down your dress and turning around. “It was…”

“I'm sorry,” she said, her forehead sweaty, lowering her hands to your waist. “I, I went too far…”

“What? No, I…” you said amused, shifting uncomfortably due to the dampness of your legs, turning her face to look at you. “It, it was great, my love, different…”

“So… do you like being my doll?” Donna asked, with a cautious tone, frowning.

You nodded, giving her a quick kiss on the lips, hugging her affectionately.

“I'm yours, Donna. I'll always be yours…”

#donna beneviento #donna beneviento x reader #re8 donna #re8 village #oneshot #requests

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ephemeral-cryptid · 2 years ago

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why some gods are more commonly worshiped than others

So, we all know that some deities are much more commonly worked with and worshiped than others, and most of us have our own ideas as to why. I think there’s a multitude of reasons, including the unsavory myths surrounding them, cultural bias, and lack of pop culture fame. However, the factor I want to talk about in this post is this: a lot of the less popular deities are deities with less obvious/direct impacts on our lives.

I’m going to go through each of the 12 Olympians (plus Hestia) and explain how I believe this impacts our view of them and how we can recognize and get closer to them in our everyday lives. I’m only doing the 12 Olympians because I am most familiar with the Hellenic pantheon and if I did every single deity in this post, it would take a million years. I might do other deities in the future if anyone is interested or I feel called to.

Zeus:

So, I have to address the elephant in the room on this one. The big reason that people are wary of working with/worshiping Zeus is because of the popular myths surrounding him. With that out of the way, another thing influencing his worship, or lack thereof, is the fact that many people only think of him as the god of thunder, lightning, and rain. So, for the people that live in very dry areas, especially areas in a drought, it might feel unimportant to worship him.

However, that is silly, as Zeus is not only the god of rainstorms. He also rules over the sky as a whole, all forms of weather, law and order, destiny and fate, and leadership.

Some ways to connect to Zeus in your day-to-day life are admiring and appreciating the sky and the weather, being thankful for nice weather, following fair rules and laws, acknowledging their importance, and being appreciative of them, taking initiative when necessary, and being a good leader if you’re in a leadership role. Zeus affects everyone in a very direct way, but a lot of us fail to realize it.

Hera:

Another deity whose worship is negatively impacted by her mythology is Hera. She is also affected by the common misconceptions about her dominion. For lots of people, when they think of Hera, they think of weddings. Everyone knows she’s the goddess of marriage, but a lot of people ignore the part that comes after the wedding, and weddings aren’t exactly an everyday occurrence, so this means a lot of people skimp out on their worship of her.

She is not only the ruler of weddings though. She also rules marital harmony (the part that comes after the wedding), family, women, and a protector of women during childbirth/some say the goddess of birth itself.

Some ways to connect with her in daily life are spending time with your family and/or partner, showing appreciation to your family and/or partner, setting healthy boundaries and having an open line of communication with your family and/or partner, researching parenthood/childbirth before you have kids or if you already have kids, expressing your femininity (this goes for men to, everyone has different levels of femininity and masculinity, no matter the gender) if you feel comfortable doing so, celebrating/appreciating the miracle of birth and fertility, and just in general being a good family member, partner, and parent.

Poseidon:

Poseidon also has negative connotations due to his myths, though to a lesser extent than Hera and Zeus. Many people also choose not to worship him because they live inland far from the ocean. They feel disconnected from him because they’re so far from his domain (or so they think). Many of us don’t take into consideration his other aspects besides being the lord of the sea.

However, he also lords over earthquakes, any ocean-related storms (such as hurricanes and tsunamis), horses, droughts, and floods. If you have a connection to horses or experience a lot of floods, earthquakes, and/or ocean-related storms, you probably have a deeper connection with Poseidon than you think.

Some ways to involve him in your everyday life include being aware of and prepared for any incoming storms, possible floods, droughts, and earthquakes, getting involved with horses if that’s something you are interested in and capable of doing, conserve water, support foundations dedicated to cleaning the ocean, hurricane/drought/flood relief, and horse rescues if you are able, staying hydrated, doing what you can to reduce pollution (like not littering and picking up garbage off the ground), learning about geology/the ocean and the creatures in it/horses, and just appreciating water, horses, and the earth.

Demeter:

Demeter is an interesting case because I feel like a lot of us know how directly she impacts us but don’t feel close to her because of how uninvolved most people in first world countries are from the harvest. Most people inhabiting developed nations don’t grow our own food, so we aren’t knowledgeable about planting and harvesting, therefore we don’t feel connected enough to Demeter to worship her, much less devote ourselves to her.

She is primarily the goddess of the harvest and agriculture, but she also presides over fertility, plants in general but specifically grain, the life cycle, sacred law, and soil.

Some ways you can include her in your daily routine are planting a garden or even just a few flowers, appreciating and being grateful for the food you eat, educating yourself on what types of plants grow in your area and how to grow/harvest them, growing your own food when possible, learning about the life cycle, acknowledging the beauty of life and death, enjoying nature, and grounding yourself with the earth.

Athena:

Athena is perhaps the most popular deity on this list so far, but she is still underappreciated in the modern era. I’m not exactly sure why she is worshiped so little. Perhaps it is because many people find her primary domain (wisdom) to be boring or maybe they just don’t think they’re “smart” enough or “good” enough to worship a goddess so revered as Athena (which I personally think is likely in a lot of cases).

Athena is not only the goddess of wisdom but also war, good council, weaving and sewing, handicraft of any form (pottery, arts and crafts, etc.), and practical reasoning. You don’t have to have a certain “level of intelligence” in order to connect with her, only the desire to gain wisdom and knowledge.

Some ways to honor and connect with Athena in your everyday are learning about what you’re passionate about, reading, doing any form of crafts or handiwork, sewing or weaving, using your reasoning skills when you need to, making well-informed decisions, asking for and listening to advice from people more knowledgeable than you (if the advice is good), controlling your temper and impulses, learning how to channel your anger into something productive, standing up for yourself when necessary, and just in general pursuing wisdom and knowledge.

Ares:

Ares is also a victim of unfavorable myths and representation in pop culture, which makes him less popular to worship. Unlike many of the other deities on this list who are unpopular only in the modern era, Ares was never popular, even in Ancient Greece. He suffers from having a domain that not many individuals like and most people nowadays will never directly experience. Most people in most developed countries will never go to war and a lot won’t even know anybody directly impacted by war, so they don’t think worshiping Ares is important. Seeing the Russia-Ukraine war is not enough for a lot of people because they’re just not there. In reality, everybody is impacted by war all the time, but I think a lot of people just don’t really consider how deeply it affects them. War is a core foundation of the human experience, but a lot of us fail to realize it.

Ares is the god of war (particularly brutal war), courage, battlelust, civil order, and the spirit of war personified. For this reason, I believe a lot of people are also afraid to worship him, but war is a constant in the human experience, whether we like it or not (which most of us obviously don’t), and Ares is much more important than people give him credit for.

Some ways to connect with Ares on the daily are being as courageous as you possibly can (without being stupid, of course), educating yourself on wars of the past, why they occurred, how they went down, etc., educating yourself on and perhaps getting involved in ongoing wars (what I mean by this is just spreading awareness and donating money if you can), being an activist for causes that are important to you, standing up for yourself, learning how wars from the past and ongoing wars are still affecting people in the modern day, acknowledging both the positive and negative aspects of war, and channeling your anger in a productive way.

Hephaestus:

Hephaestus is unpopular, in my opinion, mostly because people either think he’s unattractive and wrongfully judge him for it and/or they don’t do metalwork themselves, so they think that he has little impact on their lives. Of course, that’s not the only thing he rules over, but that’s what he’s most known for, so people tend to forget him.

Hephaestus is not only the god of metalwork and blacksmithing, but also fire, volcanoes, carpentry, the art of sculpture, metallurgy, artisans, and technology in general. (I personally also see him as a protector of people with disabilities, but that’s just a UPG.) The device you’re using to read this post right now is a blessing of Hephaestus.

Some things you can do to include him in your daily life are acknowledging and appreciating all the ways technology helps you everyday, building and putting together things (this can be as simple as building with legos or doing a jigsaw puzzle), building a fire in a fireplace or creating a bonfire if possible, appreciating the beauty of fire and acknowledging how it benefits you, sculpting if that’s something you enjoy, and creating new things (even doing art falls under Hephaestus’s sphere of influence). Anytime you are creating something new, you are honoring Hephaestus.

Aphrodite:

Aphrodite is the first deity on this list that I feel doesn’t suffer from a lack of popularity, likely because love is something almost everyone has some form of experience with. Aphrodite impacts us all in a very obvious, direct way, which makes approaching her easy and desirable. It’s crazy how much of our lives revolve around love.

Aphrodite is the goddess of all forms of love, beauty, sexuality, desire, lust, fertility, and procreation.

Some ways you can honor Aphrodite are by being a good friend, family member, and partner, seeing the beauty in everything, setting boundaries and having healthy communication in your relationships, loving the little things in life, being kind and loving to others, seeing the beauty in yourself and others, having confidence in yourself, not feeling shame over lustful feelings, educating yourself on reproduction and healthy relationships, not judging others for their physical appearance, and appreciating the beauty of life and fertility

Artemis:

Artemis is less popular than Aphrodite, but she doesn’t have the lack of popularity that the other deities on this list do. She has a very direct impact on people’s lives as well. The moon is something everybody has experience with and it comes out everyday and nature is everywhere, which makes her sphere of influence very noticeable, hence the popularity. Nature and wildlife is also everywhere and has a very easily observable effect on our lives. She is also a very empowering protector of women, which adds to her popularity.

She is the goddess of the moon, the hunt, nature, wildlife, young women, animals, virginity, archery, sudden death of women and girls, and childbirth.

Some ways to get closer to Artemis everyday are appreciating the beauty of nature and the moon, treating all animals with kindness (unless they’re endangering you or something), volunteering or donating to animal shelters if possible, not littering, cleaning up litter, learning archery if you are able and want to, getting involved with feminist movements and other movements you’re interested in, help hurt animals or women that need it, if you go hunting, thank your prey after you kill it and use all parts of the body that you can, thank all the meat that you eat for their sacrifice and don’t take it for granted, get educated on reproductive health, treat all people, but specifically women, nature, and wildlife with respect and kindness, learn about the wildlife and nature in your area, and learn about moon cycles and how the moon affects the earth

Apollo:

Apollo is arguably the most popular deity among modern day polytheists, which makes sense given the sheer amount of domains he rules over. Health, the sun, art, prophecy, and archery are probably the first things that come to mind for most of us, but that only begins to cover the things that he rules over.

Apollo is the god of health, archery, prophecy and oracles, music, all forms of art, plague and disease, protection of the young, the sun, knowledge, herds and flocks, light, truth, guilt, poetry, protection of cities, and more (if I listed everything, we’d be here for days). So you can probably see why he’s so popular.

There are so many things you could do to honor him in your daily life. You can make art, music, or poetry, you can listen to music, read poetry, or look at art, you can keep yourself as healthy as you can, you can learn archery if you’re able, you can help the sick and the young in any way you can, you can sit outside and enjoy the sunlight when it’s out or just open your curtains, you can learn about things you’re interested in, you can try to be as honest as possible, you can work through your guilt and overcome it, you can protect children if you see they’re in danger, you can learn an instrument, you could share your knowledge with other people, and I’m sure you could think of much more given his wide sphere of influence.

Hermes:

Hermes is probably the second most popular deity in modern days after Apollo. Again, this makes sense given how many things he has dominion over. His realm of influence is also very important and easy to see the direct influence of in your real life, which also boosts his popularity. He’s also said to be the “most human” god because he interacted with them the most often through his messages and being a psychopomp, and he’s known to be quite easy-going and easy to work with, which definitely helps.

He is the god of communication, herds and flocks, travelers, hospitality, trade, thievery, cunning, heralds, diplomacy, language, writing, athleticism and competitions, astronomy, astrology, merchants, wit, speed, commerce, and he was a psychopomp and messenger of the gods. Like Apollo, I’m sure there’s some things that I’ve missed, but if I covered everything it would take forever.

There are soooo many things you can do to connect with Hermes, more than I could ever list, but some things you can do are improving your communication skills, setting boundaries in your relationships, travelling if you want to and are able, learning a new language, journalling, working on your writing skills, being kind and hospitable to strangers, talking to people, doing sports/taking a walk/anything athletic, participating in competitions if that’s something you enjoy, learning about astronomy and/or astrology, and being diplomatic in your conversations with others (unless you have a good reason not to). Again, I’m sure there’s much more, but these are just some ideas.

Dionysus:

Dionysus is another fairly commonly worshiped deity among current polytheists. Unsurprising considering how popular alcohol and theater is in most cultures. Dionysus has always been and will always be popular due to his fun, chaotic nature and how popular his sphere of rule is.

He is the god of alcohol (specifically wine), theater, madness, ecstasy, festivity, insanity, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, and wild frenzy.

Some things you can due to get closer to Dionysus in the day-to-day are drinking alcohol if you are of age (responsibly), watching live theater and movies/tv, doing things you enjoy, dancing (bonus points if you’re dancing erratically), eating fruit or drinking fruit juice (especially grapes), taking care of your mental health, educating yourself on mental health, learning about the history of theater, and just enjoying life.

Hestia:

Hestia is another deity that does not get enough appreciation. She used to be one of, if not, the most universally worshiped deity, but now it’s very rare to find someone that regularly worships her. I think maybe a part of it is that she’s considered more “boring,” but I also think lots of polytheists are uneducated on what she actually has influence on. I think people hear that she’s the goddess of the “hearth” and think that she must be outdated since we don’t have hearths anymore. Meals also aren’t as valued as they were back in Ancient Greece because they are so much easier to access, so she just isn’t quite as relevant as in the past.

Hestia is the goddess of the hearth, the home, sacred and sacrificial fire, virginity, family, and the state. She has some very important influence in our life, but a lot of people just don’t know what she’s really the goddess of.

Some things you can do to honor Hestia are cooking, cleaning, burning a fire in your fireplace or starting a bonfire if you’re able, being kind to people, being good to your family, and being a contributing member of the state.

I hope some of you found this useful. If you disagree with me on anything, that’s alright. My word isn’t law. This is just my opinion, and you’re free to leave yours in the comments. There are many nuances and details that are left out of this post because it’s not comprehensive, so just know there’s a lot I left out. If you got this far, thanks for reading, and I hope you got something out of this :)

#helpol #deity work #hellenic polytheism #hellenic pagan #hellenic deities #hellenic devotion #pagan #paganism #spirit work #aphrodite devotee #apollo devotee #hermes devotee #dionysus devotee #witchcraft #witch #EPHEMERAL: HELLENIC POLYTHEISM

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chronic-escapixt · 6 months ago

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Garden of Eden AU: Klaus is literally the devil and Bonnie is Lilith

She laid out beneath the shade of her favorite tree, like she always had around this time of day, only this instance, Adam was nowhere in sight.

The slithering serpent decided to make his move, proposing his most generous offer to the desperate mortal, who so badly wanted a way out of the life that was chosen for her - made of the same soil as Adam, yet cursed to live as just an extension of him as his wife. Klaus didn’t desire a subordinate, he had enough of those already, he wanted a Queen to rule his dominion at his side - and who better than the first woman?

The lovely creature was too busy tending to a patch of lotus flowers at the bank of their little pond to notice when he ascended from the tree. She turned at the sound of his footsteps getting closer and confronted him in his truest form. She recognized him instantly, the sulfuric soot from Hell’s embers stained his perfect skin. But she didn’t startle, eyes widened just a little in pure curiosity of the only other living being she had encountered.

He was awfully beautiful for a demon with his blushed lips that looked soft to the touch, sparkling skin that was speckled with freckles and beauty marks and tousells of blonde hair to frame his face. But after all, he was a fallen angel.

Without a word, he reached up and grabbed the ripest pomegranate from his father’s tree. The very tree that was forbidden to consume from. The very tree she constantly preferred to sit beneath, as if toying with the idea of temptation. Now, temptation has confronted her in human form, holding the picked fruit in his hand.

She rose to her feet.

That Fruit is Forbidden.

He continued, fingers prodding the fruit, digging into the husk before slowly tearing it apart.

You will live eternally and prosper within the confines of this garden in so far as you spend your countless days conforming to the plans everyone else has set forth for you - your husband, my father. Your destiny will be determined by others who will dictate who you will be for all of eternity.

She watched with bated breath as he took a bite, so casually breaking the only rule set forth for them.

But there is more than just this garden. This is a whole universe, bountiful in opportunity, worlds beyond this one where we can create our own stories with our choices. You do not have to be a prop in my father’s garden, not when you can choose free will.

Her eyes flickered up to his blues, fiery with passion.

And what will become of me if I take it?

Though she always fantasized about that very thing, she was afraid. For all she knew she could turn back to the heap of dust she was created from.

He smiled, dipping into the flesh to collect the dark red juice on his fingers before raising them to her lips.

You will embark on the greatest adventure of all, becoming my queen.

She shouldn’t have considered it. She should have pushed him away, called for her husband but she didn’t. The temptation to take what was right in front of her was too much to resist. She did not want to be a puppet to the creator and the wife of the first man. She wanted to choose..

Just a bit of the juice dripped from the corner of his mouth, staining his glistening skin crimson all the way down his jaw.

She wanted to sin.

She took hold of his hand, pulling him down to her level and licking the sweet juice from his lip. He grinned, watching the flavor invigorate her, fill her mind with power and desire. The most lovely flower in his father’s garden was his at last.

Thunder cracked overhead, storm clouds swelling and swirling, a sign that his almighty father had learned the news. Klaus pulled her close and whisked her away to his subterranean kingdom where they'd rule together.

#bonnie bennett #tvd #klaus mikaelson #klonnie

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dcdreamblog · 1 month ago

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Is it true that the reason Uncle Sam and several other WWII-era superheroes disappeared even before the whole McCarthy-HUAC debacle because they went to an alternate universe where the Axis won in order to continue the fight against Fascism?

The one hand, it sounds kinda crazy, even for superheroes, but in the other it sounds in-character for Uncle Sam.

Yep. I mean like you said its fucking ludicrous, even for the kind of lives that these heroes lead but its just true in this case. The Multiverse is a really hard idea to wrap your head around outside science fiction but sometimes it will come roaring in whether we like it or not.

(Propaganda poster of the Freedom Fighters produced in 1946)

The Freedom Fighters were already a very insular and embattled part of the Squadron. Their specific mandate was to support resistance movements against fascism all over the world along the periphery of Axis territory where Uncle Sam's considerable influence could stave off the Spear of Destiny while they worked in secret. Their main ports of call for most of the war were in Burma, the Phillipines, China and the southern Mediterranean.

Because of the secretive and intensive nature of their work, they became a very opaque bubble within the Squadron, tightly bonded to one another with their locations and activities often unknown even to the Squadron at large for weeks or even months.

Soon after the war (as in, ON V-J Day) they became aware of the alternative universe you mentioned where the Axis managed to not only win the war but hold dominion over most, if not all, of the world.

During the entire period between the end of the war and the early days of the Justice League they were embattled as the main resistance in that universe, eventually turning the tide and overthrowing Nazi rule with the JLA's help, where they returned to our world. (Not the Firebrand on their team was the Earth X version of original Firebrand Rod Reilly, who died during the Pearl Harbor attacks on our world and did not survive the Fighters' final battle on Earth X)

I DO want to talk about Uncle Sam at some point though because as you implied he is a fascinating figure. (I've actually met him. Like, legit spoken to him, he comes into the museum like...once or twice a month. I think he knows my name)

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rei-ismyname · 3 months ago

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Mr Sinister should be experiencing profound existential despair

*Yes, I'm aware that he's not really capable of those kinds of feelings, but even from a character perspective the guy has lost his reason for existing. Huge spoilers for the entire Krakoan age, plus Heir of Apocalypse #1-3. We're talking about this guy.

One of the revelations of Krakoa was that Mr Sinister is not Nathaniel Essex, the 19th century Victorian eugenicist and scientist (now space god trapped experiencing the moment of death for eternity.) He's a clone *created* by Essex to achieve Domionhood (the highest form of non-linear gestalt machine entity - traditionally formed by joining singularities of machine intelligence together with so much processing power they are functionally Gods) through the study and utilisation of mutant power.

What a paragraph!

Here he is in 1924, threatening Destiny after killing Sinister.

He thought he was seeking Dominion for himself, not knowing he was a clone or that when he achieved Dominion his progress would be harvested by Essex. Essex created 3 other clones/variations for the same purpose but through different means -

Dr Stasis through post/humanity and Orbis Stellaris through the 'cosmic powers' (dude took over the Progenitor 's Worldfarm - a staggeringly impressive achievement for a 19th century clone from Earth)

These two dickwads

Finally, Mother Righteous through Magic (physically a clone of Essex's dead wife Rebecca, but just as much of a callous existential colonialist and monster as any Essex spawn.)

There she is, having a tanty after Enigma stole her Dominion success.

Each was created without knowledge of the other, and had mental blocks in place to prevent them learning about it. They ALL succeeded in various timelines and their efforts were harvested by the real Nathaniel Essex - Enigma, leaving the clones with nothing. Less than nothing. Alive but very dejected.

Making a huge unforced error

Instead of enjoying his godhood he chose to fight the X-Men and thanks to Jeanix, Xavier and Moira he's now a smear across infinity - defeated and broken but trapped at the moment of death forever.

Get Phoenix'd idiot!

Mr Sinister knows all of this, he even participated in the fight. Dr Stasis and Mother Righteous are dead, though Orbis Stellaris is still out there. His brain was only able to comprehend this stuff properly very recently. Even when working against Enigma there were still blocks in place.

Any one of these truth bombs would mess his head up, but all of them at once should ruin him. He doesn't have a sense of ethics but he does need purpose. Consider how bummed he was when the Progenitor ignored him on Judgement Day. He's not a real boy like other clones are.

- He's a clone with all sorts of fake memories

- Created with the compulsion to fulfill someone else's endgame

- Everything he's done for the last 200 years has been in service of Enigma's plan. Even the stuff that makes no sense. Especially the stuff that makes no sense.

- He has no other reason for being.

- Enigma smote him at least once.

- Enigma is dead, like super dead.

- Everyone else knows this as well

What the hell does he do now?

*Sigh*, he'll probably just be treated as Nathaniel Essex again, given Brevoort 's transparent policy of overwriting Krakoan lore. He could just clone himself with a new purpose/hard reboot as we've seen him do in Immortal X-Men, but how would he even decide? Also, he's the mutant devil - anyone who knows about him should want him dead, including some very powerful people. Two of the things I found insulting about Heir of Apocalypse was Exodus being next to Sinister and not eviscerating him AND Mr Sinister just acting like his old self as if nothing had changed. At the very least it should be explained - it's really not that hard either.

Mr Sinister is a system not a person, so he can make whatever changes he wants. It's not a very compelling villain if we don't know his motives though, and he's been there before.

Once that door is opened you can't ignore it. It'd be a shame to throw away the development he received, while ignoring potential for interesting new stories.

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chaotic-creator · 5 months ago

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The Expanded Pantheon of Discord!

So I'm a massive Doctor Who fan and I've been watching the new series. Gotta admit, it's been a weird run but I enjoyed it overall. During "The Legend of Ruby Sunday", we got the confirmation that The Toymaker's Pantheon is the same as The Pantheon of Discord that The Trickster belongs to.

We also got a list of other deities in The Pantheon and that got me thinking of other Whoniverse villains who could fit into The Pantheon along with a couple of OCs. So sit back and enjoy, my version of The Pantheon of Discord!

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The Toymaker: The God of Games- A canon member of The Pantheon from the main show. The master of games and Lord of Play, a crazy madman obsessed with his games and an opponent to The First, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors

Hecuba: The Goddess of Fate- A canon member of The Pantheon from an audio story called The Queen of Time. She's the sister of The Toymaker and aunt to Maestro. She's capable of trapping The TARDIS and is the mistress of her own pocket dimension. I feel like Goddess of Fate works for her

Trickster: The God of Traps- A canon member of The Pantheon and the first one to officially be called part of The Pantheon of Discord back in the Sarah Jane Adventures episode The Wedding of Sarah Jane Part 2. He creates chaos by making deals with people close to death, changing timelines and the resulting chaos feeds him, this chaos is typically world ending in some way. Each of his deals is a trap, as to undo his actions the person who made the deal has to take their agreement back and die.

Maestro: The God of Music- A canon member of The Pantheon, parent of The Harbinger and the child of The Toymaker. Their goal is to keep their dominion over music and lock it away inside of them, depriving humanity of one of our most precious sources of comfort, empathy and expression. A brief (but memorable) enemy of The Fifteenth Doctor

Reprobate: The God of Spite- An as yet unseen deity, though I have my theories. I believe this is another name for Fendahl, a classic Doctor Who villain who fed on souls, as classic Who described Fendahl as the same species as The Mara, another member of The Pantheon. A being that is cruel enough to feed on your very life essence? Seems pretty spiteful to me

The Mara: The God of Beasts- A canon member of The Pantheon and an enemy to The Fifth Doctor. Representing a massive snake and called a psychevore originally, Mara is a shapeshifter, having "many forms and none" that feeds on raw emotion and requires a host to form in the real world

Lucifer: The God of Despair- This one isn't canonical but I love the idea of The Beast from The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit being a member of The Pantheon. Every pantheon needs their horned deity and The Beast fits perfectly. Not to mention he was voiced by Gabriel Woolf the voice of Sutekh. I made him The God of Despair here because in his episodes he was referred to as The Prince of Despair and Lucifer was also a name attributed to him. Not a canon member of The Pantheon

Abaddon: The God of Hunger- This is the child of The Beast, featuring in the Torchwood episode "End of Days". Described as The Great Devourer who eats at life itself, he was eventually defeated by trying to devour Captain Jack's immortality. As I made his dad a member of The Pantheon, I thought Abaddon would also work and his "Great Devourer" title makes him the perfect candidate for a god of hunger. Not a canon member of The Pantheon

Fenric: The God of Pestilence- A classic Who villain and enemy of The Seventh Doctor, described as "an evil force from the dawn of time". As he was able to infect the minds of an entire Viking clan and their descendants, altering their destiny, Pestilence seems like a good domain for him. Not a canon member of The Pantheon

Jester: The God of Fear- An enemy from The Sarah Jane Adventures, an insane shapeshifter who caused and fed on fear. Throughout time he has appeared as The Pied Piper and fed on the fear of The Plague of Rats and later on the fear genrated when he took away Hamelin's children. Later he took the identity of Odd Bob the Clown and kidnapped children, feeding on the fear that these kidnappings caused. Not a canon member of The Pantheon

Krampus: The God of Trickery- A canon member of The Pantheon, from the comic story Imaginary Enemies. He tried to remove Amy Pond, Rory Williams and Mels Zucker/River Song from time in the 1990's by tricking their classmate Veronica Stackmore into wishing them away. He gives his victims disguised gifts that grant him manipulative power over them.

Harbinger: The God of Chance- Yes I'm making Harbinger a God and also just one being. They're now a shapeshifter and the child of Maestro. They serve as a lesser deity and lie in wait, at moments in time, where there is a chance to break the barrier between the outer plane where The Pantheon lives and the mortal universe. Harbinger is now master of The Not Things and released them from the edge of the Universe when The Fourteenth Doctor and Donna crashed there, causing 14 to "invoke a superstition at the edge of the Universe". This one slight nudge to chance warped reality and let Harbinger's fellow gods loose.

Moloch: The God of Chaos- The brother of Fenric and a canonical God of Chaos, since I made Fenric a member of The Pantheon, it seemed fitting to make him part of it too, especially since it's a Pantheon of Discord and he's a god of Chaos. Seems very fitting that The Pantheon would have a deity whose domain is the name of their whole group. Not a canon member of The Pantheon

Incensor: The God of Disaster- A canon member of The Pantheon and mother of Doubt and Dread. Having read about Fenric and Moloch, I thought I could tie in Incensor by making her, another name of "Mi'en Kalarash", a legend from before Galifrey itself who is described as The Blue Fire and a being that inhabits "the wasteland between realities". That felt too perfect to not be the realm of The God of Disaster, so I made the two beings one.

Light: The God of Endings- Another classic Who villain and another being described as "an evil older than time itself" by The Seventh Doctor. He was obsessed with cataloguing everything in The Universe and became enraged whenever anything changed. He could teleport, move at "the speed of thought", had telekinesis and telepathy along with electrical abilities. As he detested change so much, bringing a permanent end to all change seems like it would fit him. Not a canon member of The Pantheon

Akhaten: The God of Plagues- The villain from The Rings of Akhaten, described by The Eleventh Doctor as "a parasitic deity" who fed on the hopes, dreams and souls of the people of Akhaten. As 11 called him a plague on the people singing to him and the people themselves called him "An Old God" I wanted to include him as a God of The Pantheon and I think a domain of Plagues suits him. Not a canon member of The Pantheon

Midnight: The God of Shadow- This is my take on what The Creature from the planet and episode Midnight was. An immortal being so old and powerful, so evil and dangerous that it could only be imprisoned on a planet where the sun ate away at any form of biological matter, to stop it gaining a host. It's jailers named the planet Midnight as a warning of The Deity it imprisoned but over time this meaning was lost. Now Midnight, roams his prison planet, driven insane and wanting nothing but escape. Not a canon member of The Pantheon

Kronos: The God of Time- A classic Who villain and enemy of The Third Doctor, from the story The Time Monster, Kronos was worshipped but feared as an evil god, a destroyer, child slayer and destructive force of evil. Captured in Greek mythology as The Titan of Time and Father of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Hera and Demeter. With how often this being is symbolized as evil in both Doctor Who and media in general, Kronos Lord of Time fits in well here. Not a canon member of The Pantheon

Void: The God of Darkness- This deity is partly OC and partly based on some stuff from canon. This is the physical embodiment of The Void, the space between dimensions that contains "No light, nothing. Only darkness" according to The Tenth Doctor. Responsible for The Darkness of The Mind, where the worst ideas of sentient life come from, Void's power bleeds through dimensions and realities to infect every living thing with its power. Not a canon member of The Pantheon

Sutekh: The God of Death- A canon member and apparently the leader of The Pantheon, described as "the mother, father and other of all" and "the god of gods". Sutekh faced The Fourth Doctor in "The Pyramids of Mars" and later The Fifteenth Doctor in "Empire of Death". A creature obsessed with death and ending all life in The Universe as he sees life as a perversion, Sutekh stands on high as the Master of The Pantheon

Huitzilin: The God of Fear- Another of the same species as The Mara in the Classic Who novel, The Left Handed Hummingbird. Like how Mara feasted on emotion and Fendahl who fed on souls, Huitzilin feasted on fear and panic, as he's the same race as Mara and Fendahl in Classic Who, I thought making him a member of The Pantheon worked and a god of fear fits with the other gods. Not a canon member of The Pantheon

The Doctor: The God of Life- Surprise! I am basing this on a theory I have. The Doctor was found as a child by Tecteun on Galifrey before The Time Lords formed as a race. But why was he beneath the monolith as a child? What if he was a banished God? The God of Life and antithesis to Sutekh. This would explain his seemingly infinite regenerations.

A lost immortal god, banished as a youngling, would definitely make him "The Timeless Child". This would also explain his desire to save everyone and everything, he is literally driven to preserve his domain as much as he can. It could also explain how The Fifteenth Doctor brought the butterfly back to life in Space Babies

He was taken in by The Time Lords but when they invented time travel he became a danger, A God unbound from time itself, a non linear deity. When his fellow deities saw this, they formed a plan to wipe his mind and bind him into the mortal plane. The Trickster trapped The Doctor by making a deal with Tecteun.

The Trickster granted Tecteun the last bit of knowledge she needed to steal The Doctor's power over regeneration and life and work it into The Time Lord's DNA and descendants. However in return, Trickster trapped The Doctor to Galifrey, they became A Galifreyan biologically, Tecteun rewrote The Doctor's biology to trap him with Galifrey and her people. Not a canon member of The Pantheon

Precursor: The God of The Unknown and Secrets- The only one who's a complete OC deity. This deity hides in the background of their fellow gods actions, ensnaring victims with the knowledge they desperately want, forcing them into deals that Precursor binds them to. They then grant their victim the knowledge but immediately destroy it and feast on the disappointment and rage that their victim feels, leaving the victim a husk. Precursor can also rework reality like their fellow gods, trapping the truth in The Unknown Realm while making a new perceived truth, tricking everyone and keeping the true secret, the real knowledge unknown. Not a canon member of The Pantheon

I hope over the next few weeks, to be able to write and publish short stories for each and everyone of these deities! Hope you enjoyed this expanded Pantheon of Discord

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gifts-of-heimdall-runes · 6 months ago

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An infographic of the Nine Realms for those that love Norse mythology. It is an abstract representation that is designed to show the realms in a way that closely resembles the descriptions of the Eddas. Each shows some features and inhabitants that make the realm distinct, and it shows how the realms connect to each other and Yggdrasill. In reality, all realms would be nested within each each other and fit somewhere on our planet (either in a physical location or in an invisible spiritual location).

Heavenly Realms (upper level):

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* Ásgarð - Home of the Æsir. Each God rules over a kingdom and has his own palace within Ásgarð. Óðinn rules the realm from his high throne. The Einherjar make the palace of Valhall their home. 1/2 of the greatest slain warriors are chosen by the Valkyries to join Óðinn's army and await their final battle against the invading armies of Giants at Ragnarok.

(In this image you can see Óðinn standing at the entrance of Valhall, monitoring the training of his warriors)

* Vanaheim - Home of the Vanir. Once enemies of the Æsir, but now their tribes have been unified. Freyja rules over this realm and other half of the Einherjar join Freyja in Fólkvangr where they train until Ragnarok.

(In this image you can see Freyha and one of her cats leading her warriors in drills)

* Álfheim - Home of the Álfar (Elves). Noble nature spirits that are allies of the Æsir Gods. Elves have dominion over nature and inhabit sacred hills, streams, or groves where they keep the land healthy and prosperous with their magic.

* Gimlé - In Ásgarð nearbye Álfheim exist other minor heavenly kingdoms, like Viðbláinn. Here a palace sits high in the mountains called Gimlé, where the souls of the righteous go after death. It is also where the last surviving Gods will seek shelter from the fires of Surtr in the final days of Ragnarok.

* Bifröst - The Rainbow Bridge. This brightly colored bridge provides a path for the Gods to quickly travel from Ásgarð to Miðgarð. It burns with magical flames that will incinerate any Frost-Giant or Hill-Giant that attempts to invade the home of the Gods. But the Sons of Múspell are immue to the flames, since they are Fire-Giants, and will collapse the bridge as they charge over it to destroy Ásgarð during Ragnarok.

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Yggdrasill:

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* Yggdrasill - The World Tree. This mighty Ash has roots that run far and wide, connecting all the realms. Yggdrasill also houses a pair of humans that will emerge and repopulate the world after Ragnarok. Long ago, Óðinn hanged himself from this tree to learn the secrets of the magical runes

* Urðarbrunnr, Mimisbrunnr, & Hvergelmir-

Yggdrasill stands next to the Urðarbrunnr (well of Urð. Urð is the eldest sister of the 3 Norns, Giantesses that weave the strands fate into an intricate tapestry, which reveals the destiny of all living things. The waters of this well have healing properties and the 3 sisters anoint the roots of Yggdrasill daily to stave off decay.

(In this image the 3 Norns can be found standing beside the Urðarbrunnr)

One of Yggdrasill's primary roots travels into Jotunheim, where it drinks from the Minisbrunnr (Mimir's Well). This is the well where Óðinn sacrificed his eye in order to gain his great wisdom by drinking from the well.

The final primary root of Yggdrasill runs into Niflheim, to the Hvergelmir. This well of boiling water is home to numerous serpents and the terrible wyrm, Niðhoggr. These beasts gnaw upon the root, slowly killing it with their venom.

* Hraesvelgr, Ratatoskr, Niðhöggr, Veðrfölnir, & Eikthyrnir - These creatures live in or near Yggdrasill and interact with each other and the world's -

Hraesvelgr sits high in the top-most branches, flapping his broad wings to create the winds. Veðrfölnir is a hawk that sits between the eagle's eyes and he may act as an informant for the eagle, like Huginn & Muninn.

Niðhöggr periodically travels to the opposite shore of the Hvergelmir, near Helheim. This shore is known as Náströnd (the Corpse Shore) and while there the wyrm drinks the blood of the newly arrived damned souls (oath-breaketlrs, adulterers, and murderers).

Ratatoskr is a squirrel that runs up and down the roots of Yggdrasill, so he can relay hateful messages between Hraesvelgr and Niðhöggr.

Eikthyrnir is a stag that feeds upon the leaves of Yggdrasill above Valhall. Dew gathers on his antlers and drips down to the Hvergelmir where it becomes the source of many rivers. In some accounts there are 4 stags, but this may be a later alteration to the story.

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Mortal Realms (middle level):

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* Miðgarð - The realm of men. The Gods frequently travel to Miðgarð to entertain themselves, influence humanity, or slay invading Giants. Thór, the Bane of Giants, is the protector of Miðgarð.

(In this image you can find Thór, the protector of Miðgarð, has just made his way across the Bifröst)

* Niðavellir - Home of the Dvergar (Dwarfs). These magical beings are nature spirits, related to the Elves, but not divine like their cousins. They shelter under the earth where they are safe from the deadly sunlight and craft marvelous magical weapons and tools for Kings and Gods. Sindri, the most famous of Dwarfs lives in this land.

* Svartálfheim - Home of the Svartálfar (Dark Elves). These Elves are craftsmen like the Dwarfs and are frequently identified as Dwarfs due to their similar appearance and lifestyle. The most well-attested Dark Elves in the Eddas are the smith brothers, onown as the Sons of Ivaldi.

* Miðgarð Sea - This vast body of water surrounds Miðgarð to protect the world from the vicious Giants on the other side. Jörmungandr, the World Serpent, makes this his home after being tossed into the water by Óðinn. Over the centuries he has grown so large that he now encircles the entire world. Beneath the waves lay Rán's Hall, the Goddess of the sea makes ready her home for the poor souls that drown at sea.

* Jötunheim - Home of the Hill-Giants. The Kingdoms of Útgarð (King Útgarða-Loki) and Thrymheim (Skaði) are found here. In the Eddas we hear how Thór and Loki have travelled to Jotunheim many times seeking adventure or revenge.

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Primordial Realms (lower level):

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* Ginnungagap - In the beginning there was a vast yawning void, a featureless plain standing in the darkness, and absent of life. From this land emerged 2 realms: Múspellheim to the south and Niflheim to the north.

* Múspellheim - This volcanic realm is home to the primordial Fire-Giant, Surtr. His army, the Sons of Múspell, is the most powerful and destructive army in the world. Surtr patiently waits for the day he is destined to lead the invasion of Ásgarð. After the world was created, the Gods and Dwarfs gathered sparks and embers from Múspellheim and used them to craft the Sun, Moon, and stars, so that the sky would be illuminated and men could track the seasons.

* Niflheim - This frozen realm is the home of the dead. All humans that are not granted access to one of the other realms to live out their afterlife are destined to reside here. Hel was banished to Niflheim, where she rules over these damned souls. But she was not the first ruler of this realm. In the beginning, the enormous Frost-Giant called Ymir became the first living being to inhabit the world. He would father the tribes known as the Frost-Giants and Hill-Giants, but he was slain by Óðinn, Vili, and Vé. These 3 brothers re-purposed his massive corpse, fashioning it into Miðgarð.

Source: Aaron Chapman (2023)

From: Everthing Norse & Vikings Culture [Facebook]

#Aaron Chapman #Yggdrasil #yggdrasil #Yggdrasil art #yggdrasil art #Yggdrasil World Tree #norse mythology #norse myths #world tree art #everthing norse & vikings culture #norse mythology art #norse pagan #norse paganism #Travelling the World Tree #Nine Realms #nine realms art

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