#he also learns other spells from the grimoire later

[notdapskie]

there is no true healer in their party but phoenix has a few paladin healing spells

[marimoscorner]

Consumerism & Witchcraft

Written by Marimo (he/they)🌿

I’ve seen a turn for the better in some witchy spaces regarding consumerism in the past few years, but overall it still tends to be an issue for us as a community. I’ve decided to try and breakdown the pitfalls I’ve noticed in my own journey, in the hopes that it will inspire and assist others. I’ve also provided alternatives and ideas on how to make small changes in our practice to help us better protect the Earth, stick it to the failing system and still acquire our bits and bobs we love so dearly.

As always, I am no authority on any subject nor am I perfect—but we’re all learning as we go, so let’s dive right in 🌿

A Preface

There are some things that should be made entirely clear before we begin:

You are not a bad person for wanting an aesthetic

You are not a bad person for unknowingly falling into pitfalls. Only if you continue to purposefully do so after knowing better

You are not a bad person for consuming content/objects or for not always making the most sustainable decisions. At the end of the day, we can only control our small part of environmental impact, while the rest is left up to the major corporations that make more pollution than any of us ever will

You are only human. Show yourself some grace and understanding that the internet so lacks.

My Experience in Consumerist Hell

I have fallen victim many times to consumerism in witchcraft. Starting my journey at the ripe age of about ten years old and heavily in the broom closet, I was quickly drawn in by the shiny rocks, the brand new candles and scents, the promise of new tarot decks and pendulums and other fancy, shiny new equipment. I was consuming an online aesthetic along with my ideals, and it distracted me from starting my journey by learning well.

I began to spend my birthday and holiday money on the aesthetic of things. While, granted, I still did buy a few literary resources now and again from my local secondhand bookstore—I was stubbornly ignoring the sage advice to learn and understand first before diving in headfirst.

I purchased statues, crystals, too many tarot decks to use. I purchased osteomancy bones I later returned to the earth, for I had not done enough research to know that that animal was mine to practice with. I had a tankard full of incense sticks, and even a growing pile of books that would not be read. While I liked to consider myself crafty with my homemade Maypole and various hand-bound Grimoires, something was becoming apparent: this was all a distraction.

The aesthetic I was partaking in was providing me with a false sense of progress and practicality.

When I’d go to do a tarot reading, I’d become far too overwhelmed with choosing a deck to read in the first place. When making an offering to a deity, I’d feel pressured to also bolster the altars of all the other deities I’d set up, and with my wide pool, the connections felt muddy. Often times I’d be off-put on a project or spell because I knew I needed to film it and it needed to look nice.

In the long term, I don’t have many of these items today. I’ve sold and donated a vast breadth of them. Feeling overwhelmed costed me a few years retreat from my craft to recuperate. However, what has stuck with me is the knowledge I picked up along the way.

So, What’s the Issue? TL;DR

I’ve noticed a few issues here in making these mistakes myself.

Consumerism absolutely distracts you from learning and your craft

Overconsumption leads to environmental damage. If everyone hoarded supplies, there would not be enough to go around. And with what gets thrown away every year…it paints an ugly wound on the Earth

We damage our learning abilities by not allowing ourselves to be anything less than perfect

The need for aesthetic creates barriers to entry within the community and creates a divide of haves and have-nots

You won’t be able to truly follow your individual path if you are only consuming and not creating for yourself

Consumerist culture promotes appropriation. Metaphysical stores carry items from closed practices (such as white sage and palo santo, or coyote bones) because someone is buying them. Don’t be that person, and find alternatives relating to your own culture instead

Consumerism can influence your spiritual decisions based upon monetary inclinations (where some may sacrifice a quality ingredient over a higher quantity of a lower quality ingredient)

So, what can we do?

Firstly, I want to clarify that I am not against collecting, nor am I against maximalism or the beautiful visual aesthetic we carry as a community.

I am an artist a very visual person and understand the longing for a beautiful home and workspace. However, this aesthetic shouldn’t come at the cost of irresponsibly harming the Earth or another community.

Thus, I’ve compiled a list of small things that I will be incorporating into my practice to make it more mindful and sustainable. I hope that you’ll join me in a few of them.

Minimize Supplies. While I used to have a huge selection of stationary for my Grimoire, I now limit myself to a simple pencil and watercolor set if I’m feeling artistic. This helps me actually use my Grimoire for study, rather than to keep perfect. It’s also friendlier on my wallet!

Thrift Supplies. There are plenty of perfectly good items that get donated daily. You can get high-quality candles and holders, old crystal bowls for altar offerings, spare crafting supplies, fabric for alter cloths and even clothing if you so wish—all for a fraction of the cost new and while saving the planet just a little bit more. Hell, you can sometimes even find good silver!

Share Supplies with your Community. You can create a sort of barter system with other witches in your area. Perhaps you create a sigil for them, and they provide you with a candle spell. Play to your strengths and grow together!

Look for Creative Outlets. Do you really need to go buy an altar statue that’s been mass-produced? Or can you give your deity the personal gift of a drawing, painting or even hand-modeled or hand-carved rendition? This will also deepen your connection to your craft and your magic, and make it more meaningful and stronger. If you really like something, though, go for it!

If you aren’t the artistic sort, consider supporting an artist before going to a large company. While I haven’t purchased from them myself, Blagowood on Etsy has beautiful deity statues carved from wood by their small team in Ukraine for a comparable cost to the standard mass produced metal statues. I consider this extra labor of love going into these pieces and those of similar small companies to be much better energy for my practice. I myself may put out some art prints and other handmade supplies in the future, but I will likely spread them around my community first.

Try Secondhand Books. While not available in every area and further still not as available for witchcraft and occult books, you may strike luck! Not only are secondhand books less expensive, but you’ll be supporting a local business. That’s not to say you can’t buy firsthand books, but some searching around may be beneficial to the earth and to your wallet in the long run.

Be mindful of where you source supplies and decor. If you are a fan of taxidermy decor, make sure that you source cruelty free. Bats can practically never be sourced without cruelty, so if a shop carries them, I’d be mindful of their other specimens. The same goes for if a shop decides to forgo a culture’s wishes and carry supplies sacred to them, such as white sage or dreamcatchers. Supporting folks who turn a profit off of others’ suffering is not something many would wish to include energetically in their craft.

Search the Wild for Tools. Find sticks, flowers and other plants out in the forest. Learn how to rockhound in your area for crystals. Your craft will be more powerful the more connected it is to the land you are surrounded by. Be sure to reference guides for safety and legality!

Get Creative with Purposes. If you are having difficulty finding exactly what you need by thrifting or searching, make another tool multipurpose if it would do the job good enough. Find supplies that are easy to source and work as substitutes for other ingredients (ex. Quartz as a stand in for other stones)

Spend more time Doing. Go out into the woods (safely) and advance your connection to the earth instead of worrying over the perfect item for your collection. Your craft will benefit

At the end of the day, all of this is your decision. Take what you like, and leave what you don’t. Even if we don’t agree, I thank you for your time and open mind. I will continue updating about how I incorporate these steps, and I will also hopefully post more on witchy crafting in the future.

I wish you well, and hope you’ll decide to follow along on our journey!

[akirathedramaqueen]

Is the knowledge of magic gatekept by Hell's elite?

Time for another shitpost speculative analysis. And, suddenly, no conclusions—just some facts I’ve gathered about the topic from the show and a bunch of questions for you. Because this time, as much as I would’ve liked to deliver some hot details, there isn’t enough information yet, and I prefer not to claim anything without having at least some degree of certainty in it.

So let's just talk and make some fun, semi-educated guesses, shall we?

Yesterday, @tealvenetianmask released a wonderful post about Blitzø and his insecurity regarding his intelligence. Give it a read—it's a topic that isn’t discussed enough. One of the points raised was his limited access to education, which made me think.

Grimoire.

An infinitely powerful artifact possessed by Stolas Goetia is central to the series, at least before The Full Moon episode, as it is the only way for Blitzø to access the mortal realm. While it serves its own purposes for bringing together—and ultimately breaking apart—Stolas and Blitzø, it also has many interesting properties and details that allow us to speculate on magic as a whole.

It made me think: Who theoretically can use this grimoire or other spell artifacts? Why is it that no one but Stolas is permitted to use it? Are there genetic and/or biological reasons for this, or is the restriction societally driven?

Namely, would all hell beings be able to use magic if given the chance to learn it?

Let’s examine the evidence we have and try to answer at least some of these questions.

Clue one: Using the grimoire by anyone other than Stolas is illegal

It is clearly stated by Stolas himself in these two episodes.

You know, I have been... permitting you to access the mortal realm less than... legally for quite some time now? S1EP1, Murder Family, 8:31

You will be able to go anywhere you want in the human realm without fear of consequence. Without breaking demon law. You no longer need my grimoire. S2EP8, The Full Moon, 19:05

The question is, why? We know it’s not crucial to have Goetia blood to channel magic from the grimoire—Loona has read spells from it, as we'll discuss later.

Could the reason be that the Goetia family wants to keep their powerful artifacts a secret and maintain their hold on power?

Clue two: Magic books are written in runes

The grimoire and Stolas's book about Asmodean crystals are written in runes, suggesting the potential existence of a language barrier when sharing magic-related knowledge.

Left - S1EP6, Truth Seekers, 17:44 Right - S2EP1, The Circus, 19:45

It is oddly convenient if you want fewer people to understand the sacred information you wish to keep to yourself.

Clue three: Stolas does not need his grimoire to cast spells from it

It is briefly discussed in the Seeing Stars episode.

[Blitzo]: No chance you can conjure us a couple of those, can ya? [Stolas]: Sadly, no. I'm afraid without my grimoire, my powers are just a tad limited in the human world. [Blitzo]: What, you can't memorize your fucking spells? [Stolas]: Oh, your memory's so great?  S2EP2, Seeing Stars, 6:33

See, Stolas does not deny Blitzø's assumption and gets annoyed when his memory is belittled. Therefore, I believe we can safely deduce that it is indeed a matter of only remembering the necessary chants to cast a spell. It is still possible that the artifact holds power on its own and Stolas needs it to access magic in the mortal realm, but it doesn't seem like the absence of the book prevented him from making two poor little human beings soil their little fancy trousers.

S1EP6, Truth Seekers, 19:11

And he does not need the book to summon the portals, it is seen multiple times throughout the series.

S1EP6, Truth Seekers, 20:10

Not mentioning him performing small magic tricks quite regularly:

Left - S2EP6, Oops, 7:42 Right - S2EP8, The Full Moon, 2:00

So, can we make a conclusion the grimoire is not so unique after all, if to memorize all the spells? Not sure, because... okay, I promise, we will get back to it later.

Clue four: Loona can use the grimoire, even though she is a lower-class demon

And she can shapeshift without any artifacts, which might suggest she has more magical abilities than other members of I.M.P. Her ability to read runes is also noteworthy.

Shhhit! I can't... I can't read the spell in this light! I can't see dick! S1EP6, Truth Seekers, 17:43

Do you think she could become a skilled magician with proper education? It's quite impressive that she knows the rune language to begin with, given her origin!

Clue five: Blitzø, Millie, and Moxxie are never seen using the book

Is this accidental, or are they simply unable to use the book? If the latter, is it because they are physically incapable of channeling magic (e.g., due to being imps), or is it because they don’t understand the language of the spells?

I noticed them bantering about replacing Loona because of her horrible attitude once or twice (such as at the beginning of the Seeing Stars episode). Does this mean they could take on her responsibility of opening the portal, or is it just bluff? There’s no way to know for sure.

If I'm so terrible, how about you just grow a pair and replace me? S2EP2, Seeing Stars, 3:03

Clue six: The I.M.P. crew is never shown trying any spells from the book other than those for portals

I.M.P. never tries any spells other than opening the portal, which seems strange, especially since they could have used disguise spells, as mentioned earlier in clue three.

Is it because they physically can’t use other spells, or is it an unspoken rule not to meddle with a powerful artifact whose true implications they might not fully understand?

Clue seven: Without the grimoire, the I.M.P. crew is not able to access the mortal realm

And it is posed as a big deal—the whole Season 2 setup revolves around Stolas freeing Blitzø by calling off the transactional agreement and providing a grimoire replacement, the Asmodean crystal.

Official Music Video, Just Look My Way, 0:11

This seems to contradict clue three. Perhaps there are specifics we have yet to learn or understand.

Why? If simply remembering the spell is enough, they would only need the book once. If Loona can read runes, she could write the spells down when Blitzø stole it, making the entire ordeal unnecessary.

Maybe, just knowing the spell isn’t enough to use it without the book. Maybe, special education or training is needed to prepare the body for it. Or, maybe, being born into royalty is a prerequisite for channeling magic without artifacts.

Maybe, if not conclusions, let's at least make a guess?

So, here’s everything I’ve gathered on the matter.

Without additional information, it seems a bit contradictory, and I admit, I sometimes get the feeling these might be plot holes left because this isn’t the focus of the story. This would be surprising though, as the show is usually very detailed and well-built in terms of worldbuilding.

I’m going to try to fill in these gaps with my speculations, just for fun. Please don’t consider this as making any claims; it’s more about me engaging in some mental gymnastics because I’m a lore geek and love figuring out how the fictional world works in media.

So, my take on whether the knowledge is gatekept or not: in short, it is.

If not so short:

I speculate (like highly speculate, because I have no proof), that any hellbeing could theoretically learn and use magic. It might require certain genetic preconditions, natural talent, and extensive training, but success is possible to varying degrees;

Artifacts assist in channeling magic for those who are untrained—like the grimoire helps the I.M.P. crew open portals;

Magic knowledge is encoded in runes to complicate the learning process for those not taught in it;

This knowledge is kept secret and shared only within royal circles, with different branches having their own secret techniques and specialties;

There are also laws prohibiting the sharing of this knowledge with lower-class demons.

Why? It’s simple—power wouldn’t be power if it could be used by just anyone. Withholding resources and granting access to it only to the wealthy is a characteristic of non-democratic regimes, and, mind you, Hell is an absolute monarchy at best.

But what do you think? Share your opinion via poll, reblogs, and comments!

Instead of my usual funny giggles at the end, I’ll reiterate from my reblog yesterday:

FREE AND ACCESSIBLE EDUCATION FOR ALL

Because only by sharing knowledge and making it public can the community truly prosper.

[melverie]

⸺ LESSON 11 ⸺

Solomon

Lucifer

two bitter exes

demons & angels (& humans)

strange feelings & soup

records of a banshee

fragments of the past

misc

- lesson 10 || lesson 12 || all posts so far -

Since season 3 releases starting July 2, I hope I can finish the recap by then ;-; I actually have a few more thoughts on the 'two bitter exes' & 'records of a banshee' categories, but I'll put them in their own posts. It also has to do with 10-A btw :) General spoiler warning for all of Obey Me Nightbringer, as well as for the original Obey Me taglist: @lonely-north-star

⸺ SOLOMON ⸺

treat for the Solobesties <3 [11-1; pic below]

Solomon says he hasn't been to the reaper's cave in a long time [11-4], but we went there in OG season 2?? Was that really that long ago??

Solomon apologizing to MC for putting them in this situation [11-8; pic below]

we learn that the rule at the Fountain of Knowledge is that no promises can be made there and Solomon claims he forgot about it [11-8]

Solomon reminds us that we can't return home even if we wanted to [11-12]. Thanks Solomon ._.

Thirteen gives MC the brothers' grimoire and adds that, since grimoires are born at the Fountain of Knowledge, that's probably why Solomon wanted to come here in the first place [11-16]

⸺ LUCIFER ⸺

apparently Diavolo and Barbatos wanted to come with Lucifer, but Lucifer somehow managed to talk them out of it. He also told Belphegor to stay with Beelzebub [11-14]

if MC tells him that he isn't actually angry, Lucifer doesn't answer and instead just looks annoyed [11-14]

he has moments where he seemingly calms down for a second only to immediately go back to trying to recreate the OG's lesson 16 incident [11-14]

⸺ TWO BITTER EXES ⸺

(hi the category title is a joke. That being said, re-read lesson 11-14 and you'll know what I mean)

Solomon calls Lucifer out on essentially needing Diavolo's permission to do anything because he swore complete loyalty to him for all eternity [11-14; pic below]--which is SO funny to me btw?? Like, Solomon is really out here acting like Lucifer wasn't actively committing treason the first time they properly met back when the exchange program first started -> that being said, he does seem to put a lot of emphasis on Lucifer having sworn his loyalty to Diavolo... -> also why is Solomon provoking Lucifer further btw, the situation does NOT call for that

Solomon mentions that Lucifer already sees him as an enemy which then caues Lucifer to fall silent and change the subject [11-14]

Lucifer casts a spell on Solomon and MC to immobilize them. I have a few problems with this because

1. I might have misremembered, but wasn't it (offhandedly) mentioned in NB season 2 that Lucifer was still learning demon magic? OG Solomon should definitely be able to easily break free of the spell then 2. Solomon easily overpowered pissed off Diavolo once 3. Solomon thought a war against the entire Devildom by himself 4. even if Solomon isn't necessarily stronger than Lucifer, the OG has stated multiple times that they are on par with each other

You can argue that Lucifer's magic was enhanced because he was so pissed and overprotective of his brothers in that moment, but Solomon is also super protective of MC. He should have absolutely been able to overpower Lucifer here -> also, Solomon later does break free from the spell, however he was only able to do so because Lucifer lost his composure after seeing the grimoire [11-16]. I call shenanigans, but that's for another post... (-> also just wanted to say that I love overprotective Luci. That was such a good moment ❤️ [11-14; pic below])

when MC decides to hand the grimoire over to Lucifer, Solomon seems saddened by their choice, and Lucifer questions if they truly know what they are doing [11-14]

⸺ DEMONS & ANGELS (& HUMANS) ⸺

Solomon asks MC to side with humanity [11-8] -> he wants the other realms to see humans as equals -> he does kind of make it sound like he won't be able to side with humanity himself for whatever reason [11-8; pic below]

⸺ STRANGE FEELINGS & SOUP ⸺

Leviathan calls Thirteen the 'mean and scary type'. Asmodeus rightfully points out that Leviathan should have no idea what kind of person she is [11-12]

both Leviathan and Asmodeus seem kind of bothered by how much Thirteen loves MC [11-16]

⸺ RECORDS OF A BANSHEE ⸺

once again, the only two brothers that originally went to free Beelzebub also happen to be the only two that now attack MC for being human. Who knows what would have happened had Solomon and the rest of the brothers not shown up when they did

while discussing the lesson @misc-obeyme (hi CC!! Thanks for letting me post this <3) pointed out that the entire situation with Beelzebub was probably orchestrated by Nightbringer to force MC into revealing the truth [discord server lol; pic below]

⸺ FRAGMENTS OF THE PAST ⸺

Solomon's past!

1. he and Thirteen met back when he was a kid [11-8] -> he was looking at her through a lattice window from the basement and shrieked when they made eye contact [11-10] 2. Thirteen says that back when they first met Solomon's soul was captivating [11-10] 3. Barbatos brought Solomon to the Fountain of Knowledge when he was on the verge of death and nursed him back to health. Once his wounds were healed, Solomon left. Thirteen doesn't know where to [11-10] 4. Barbatos gave Solomon the title as "the Witty Sorcerer" and told him that he now has to look after the Fountain of Knowledge [11-10] -> ever since then, Solomon's soul has changed 5. Thirteen says that Barbatos let him experience whatever he wanted which is why he lost his innocence and why nothing scares him anymore [11-10]

⸺ MISC ⸺

Thirteen lore Thirteen lore Thirteen lore Thirteen lo--

1. she lives in the 'Otherworld'. [11-4] Solomon says it's called that because Thirteen enjoys her freedom 2. she already has the RAD uniform because Diavolo gave it to her in hopes of her attending the school. After modifying it a little, she now wears it because she likes it [11-6] 2. each level in the reaper's cave has a different rule that must be followed, otherwise One Must Pay the Price™ [11-6] -> the rule at the Fountain of Knowledge is that no promises can be made there [11-8]. MC later promises the brothers to help them and Must Therefore Pay The Price™ [11-16] 3. she has an older sister called Candy ( @too-much-gacha is that you? XD). Solomon says he hasn't seen her ever since she fell victim to one of the traps decades ago, Thirteen claims she's fine [11-6] 4. she hated the human world back when she first met Solomon because of how depressing it was with people dying left and right due to diseases [11-10] 5. apparently reapers are supposed to stay neutral, but Thirteen does her own thing [11-16]. Queen <3

Leviathan gives us the basics on how grimoires work [11-16; pic below]

Asmodeus turns into Leviathan's personal interpreter for a second, you love to see it lol [11-16]

Satan and Luke bonding over a cat ❤️ [11-A] -> btw has anyone else noticed that they've sort of become a dup lately? They keep sharing Nightmares and events...

[dragons-and-dwarves-are-nice]

To the Shadows that Cry Witch /// Chapter 22

And here's the final chapter of Part 2! Thank you to all who have taken the journey with me so far, I'm trying to make the slow pace as worth it as possible (even though it's taken me over a year to start the actual plotline *sweats*) Chances are I'll disappear for a while again, but that'll be because I'll be putting my all into Part 3. Enjoy! <3

Summary: Magic was real, but it came at a price. So when two girls end up in the one place they never thought they could reach, strange things began to happen. Good or bad? That's up to them to find out.

Tags: Kili x oc/reader - Fili x oc (POV to be written soon) - Thorin's company × ocs/reader (platonic) - fluff - angst - EXTREME slow burn - crack - Bagginshield

Word Count: 5622

Warnings: Swearing.

Taglist - comment or message to be added!

Want some background music? Check out my Soundtrack Playlist!

Now available on Wattpad and AO3 (please let me know if links aren't working)

< Chapter 21 // Chapter 22 // Part 3

Part 2: Chapter 22 -

Rearranging furniture.

Psithurism (Definition): The sound of wind in the trees and rustling of leaves. (Noun / Origin: Ancient Greek /sith-yuh-riz-uhm)

Bag End, Hobbiton, The Shire – T.A. Saturday, 23rd April 2941 of the Third Age (Monday, 3rd Thrimidge, 1341 in Shire-reckoning)

11 MONTHS LATER

“WOAH, Griffo! I told you not to go for the head!” I yelled, watching the small hobbit child scamper into the bushes with his wooden sword, giggling to himself. Letting out a harsh sigh, I marched off after the troublemaker.

Almost a whole year had passed since Bertie had found those horses in the field, and eight months when he had officially declared them ours, shoving the oversized reigns he had found into our hands the second he had found them. We rode them whenever we had the time, learning the reigns – literally – though it took a lot of getting used to. It was difficult in the beginning, trying to understand how the two animals ticked, and how we were to balance on them; I had only ever ridden a horse two or three times during my life on Earth, and I didn’t even know about Kay, so this was a whole new experience for the both of us. But we learnt, and now Hecate and Calhourn were a perfect addition to our growing group.

It wasn’t just that, there were also physical changes. We hadn’t grown, no, but our bodies were changing.

Despite my chronic habit to sleep in for as long as possible, we had kept up with the exercises and training Seathan had drilled into our minds. Our muscles had developed, not extremely, but enough to be seen by the weight we had lost. Not only were we thinner, leaner, but also fitter. I personally was no longer losing my breath after about 20 minutes of hardcore exercise. Our hair had grown longer; we trimmed it a few times to rid of any split ends, and I had Gladiola cut my fringe and curtain bangs back in a few times, but the rest of my straight brown tresses were now reaching my lower back, and Kay’s copper waves reached her elbows. With our earnings from work, we had also paid Gladiola for some new outfits, and our wardrobes were getting fuller by the month.

On the topic of magic. After almost a year and a half, from getting our wands to practicing it in ‘our’ clearing, we had a several spells memorised between us, and a larger amount written down in my growing grimoire and spell books. The shelves in my room had filled, jars of herbs and other random ingredients that could be used in the cauldron Kay had gifted me for my birthday.

Despite the short amount of time, we had also increased our skills in sword-fighting, having upgraded from the wooden swords to the blunt steel ones, becoming familiar with wielding the heavier versions, and hopefully to the real thing once we paid Seathan another visit.

Right now, we were in the clearing, accompanied by Mrs Greenfoot’s kids. Menegilda was shyly letting Kay show her how to upper-swing with the wooden sword in her hand, along with her much more excitable younger sister, Berylla, who was currently spinning in circles as she flailed her own sword around. I was managing the other five as they pretended to battle each other, the boys – Rothad, Griffo and Madoc – against me and the other two girls – Melba and Lalia.

Us girls were winning. Until Griffo decided to adopt guerilla warfare tactics.

“Griffo I need you to stay in my sight. It’s your mum’s rules after all!” I called out, trying to peer through the leaves and branches of the bushes.

“He just wants you to follow him so he can scare you.” Said a young voice, and I looked down when I registered the feeling of a tiny hand gripping my knee, to see Lalia peering up at me with an exasperated look. Turning to the bushes, she raised her voice. “Griffo! We’re leaving without you and I’m telling mummy you ran off by yourself and broke a rule!” When she was met with silence, she called out again. “AND I’LL TELL TURPIN TO NOT INVITE YOU TO HIS BIRTHDAY PARTY!”

A moment of silence passed. But nothing could be heard apart from the chirping birds and the light wind rustling the leaves on the trees.

With a sigh, I patted Lalia on the shoulder. “Stay here, I’ll go find him.” And I reluctantly pushed my way through the branches, trying to ignore the way they snagged and scratched at my skin and clothes. Finding a small parting, I carefully knelt down, giving the ground a quick scan as I searched for any thistles or nettles before placing my hands down and began crawling my way through the undergrowth.

Hearing a giggle in the distance ahead, I sighed once again in exasperation and pushed forward. I tried not to hiss whenever I accidentally pressed my hand down on a gnarly fallen branch or thistle, ignoring the tiny beads of blood that grew in number on my palm. Eventually, the bushes began to thin, and it wasn’t long until I was in another clearing. Pushing myself up, I brushed any loose dirt that wasn’t already stuck to my now-stained dungarees, and scanned the area for the small hobbit boy.

“Griffo!” I called. “C’mon this isn’t funny! Your mum’s going to be really upset when she finds out what you did.”

Worry began to settle in my stomach when I was answered once again with silence, and I scanned my eyes over every bush to try and find where he was hidden. There was a tree up ahead, its branches low enough for someone 2-3 feet tall to climb onto, I marched over to it, but was stopped halfway there, frozen in my tracks, when my eyes met some very familiar green ones.

Up on one of the twisting branches, about level with my head, was the black cat, and my mind raced with flashbacks of that night I was chased through the woods, adrenaline beginning to rise as the memories returned.

Taking a cautious step forward, I eyed the cat wearily as it flicked its tail.

“You haven’t taken Griffo this time, have you?” I asked, half-jokingly, my hand unconsciously coming to grasp the wrist where my Grandad’s bracelet was clasped around.

All it did was continue to stare, slitted eyes shifting minutely as they darted slightly over my face, and I went to inch myself closer, arm raising slightly.

 But just my luck, the still air was suddenly broken by the sound of a war-cry, the bushes to the side of me shaking violently until Griffo burst out, his sword raised as he charged at my leg, whacking and hacking at whatever he could reach.

“Oh for – Griffo!” I cried, kneeling down to grasp at his small shoulders in attempt to calm him down. “What on Earth were you doing disappearing off like that?!”

The boy soon calmed down, attempting one last slap as he looked up at me through his brown curls with wide eyes.

I sighed. “Look, I’m all for you playing however you want, but you need to do it where I can see you ok?” All he did was stare, so I added on. “If you try something like this again, it’ll be Lobelia Sackville-Baggins that’ll be looking after you from now on.” I stated firmly, giving him a stern look.

This seemed to do the trick, as the boy let out a string of panicked ‘no, no, no!’s as he scurried off back in the direction of the clearing. I went to follow, but paused, turning my head to look back at the cat. Only to be met with an empty branch.

Gone. I was alone once again, the cat had vanished – leaving me with the wind rustling the leaves in the small clearing and the sound of the hobbit boy’s retreating footsteps.

Shaking my head, I jogged to catch up with Griffo, the hobbit thankfully taking a path that allowed me to stand up as we both returned.

When we did, he returned to normal, letting out another battle cry as he charged at Lalia, who was patiently waiting for the two of us. Letting out a squeal, she sprinted away as fast as her little legs would carry her, and the battle between the five rallied up again tenfold.

A quarter of an hour had passed when I found myself on the brink of exhaustion, and Kay had graciously offered to take over the battle, to which I gasped out a thank you, swapping places before I was overrun again by tiny, hyper children, and asking the slightly calmer, elder siblings if they wanted to learn archery.

--

Crouching behind Menegilda, I watched as she nocked the arrow and pulled it back as much as her strength would allow. It had been about half an hour, and she was yet to hit the target hung on the low branch, the arrows of her previous attempts littering the grass in front of us.

“Ok, just make sure your left arm is straight, and you’ve pulled it so your three fingers are brushing against your right cheek.” I urged gently, watching as she pulled the string back a little further, her arm trembling slightly with the tension. “Your feet are alright, so just make sure you release it as quickly as you can, so your grip doesn’t slow it down.”

With a shaky breath, she gave a slight nod, her large blue eyes remaining focused on the target directly ahead, trying to ignore the curl of hair that the wind brushed over her face. A sharp thwip whipped through the air, the arrow a blur as it crossed the distance. A second passed, and hit the target with a thunk.

Despite the arrow only hitting the outer ring, it was enough for Berylla to let out a whoop of victory from where she stood next to the girl, throwing her arms in the air before embracing her older sister, who returned her enthusiasm with her own shy smile.

“Well done Gilda!” Kay called from across the green as she headed over, the pretend-fight having ended just a minute ago. Leaving the other kids to catch their breath, she approached the three of us, though Menegilda and Berylla soon pattered off, joining their siblings to celebrate Menegilda’s progress. Stood at the edge, we both watched the seven of them chatter away.

“They’re learning well.” Kay commented, huffing in satisfaction.

I hummed in response, prodding at the tiny stab wounds on my palms that had now scabbed over. “As well as we can teach them. But we’ll all get better over time.”

Kay paused in thought, staring at the ground as she leant on the tree behind her, twisting her upper body slightly to face me. “Speaking of time, do you know what day it is?”

My brows twitched into a light frown. “You know what, I really don’t.” I looked over at her. “I forgot to write the date down once around late February and ended up losing track since. Why do you ask?”

She went to open her mouth, but snapped it shut as she regarded me with a look of confusion. “Have you seriously spent over two months not knowing what day it is?”

“I know what day of the week it is!” I shot back, slightly offended. “I just haven’t had the need to know the specifics.”

She sighed. “Maybe you needed to know because of what’s coming?”

I smacked my lips as I realised. “Yeaaa I should’ve kept that in mind.” I muttered regrettably. “The only thing that reminded me to check was the fact that Gandalf and Thorin should’ve already met in the Prancing Pony on the 15th March. To be honest they could all be on their way right now.”

“It could even be today and we’re completely unprepared for it!” hissed Kay quietly, as to not draw the attention of the children metres away.

“You’re not the only one who’s beginning to shit themselves, cause I don’t know when Gandalf is going to show up and if he shows up at all.” I uttered with wide eyes, not hearing the light patter of small feet approach me.

“Shit.” It parroted.

“Huh?” My eyes darted around in confusion, briefly meeting Kay’s as she also scanned the area, though hers quickly landed on something on the other side of me, and I twisted my head, looking down to meet the bright blue and very round eyes of Melba blinking up at me.

“Shit.” She chirped with a toothy grin, her dark curls flopping round her face as she bounced on her feet. Kay snorted from beside me as I immediately began to panic.

“Oh – crap. Mel-Melba! Melba.” I stuttered, dropping to my knees to become eye level with the tiny girl. “That’s a bad word – you can’t say it unless you’re a grown-up.”

She pouted. “But you aren’t a grown up. You only turned nineteen in August!” she protested with a whine.

“That’s because I’m not a Hobbit, darling. We grow up quicker because we’re humans. Promise me you won’t say it?” I pleaded, holding out my pinkie finger as an offering.

A couple seconds passed as the girl glanced between my face and outstretched finger, clearly debating whether or not she was willing to listen. But to my relief, she grinned, hooking her finger with mine, just as we had taught her and her siblings months ago.

“Okay! I won’t say it ever again!” she stated proudly, and she swiftly dashed off to join her siblings, though I highly doubted she would remember her promise for long.

“Wow.” Was all Kay could vocalise from behind me.

“Hush.” I retorted, pushing myself up from the ground. “Let’s head back – it’s still mid-morning so we can ask Bilbo what day it is just in case.” I suggested, trying to change the subject.

Nodding, Kay pushed herself away from the tree, marching across the clearing to where Calhourn and Hecate were roped up munching on the grass by the outskirts. Following suit, I called out for the kids whilst scooping up our weapons, who despite their whining about the session being cut short, they reluctantly trudged over, putting any belongings back in their packs and slinging them over their shoulders.

After much squabbling, the kids worked out who’s turn it was to ride on the horses with us. Madoc and Berylla were victorious, after much debate (and protests from Griffo). The rest ran ahead down the path, screaming battle cries as they brandished their swords, apart from Menegilda who was calmly leading the way as eldest sister as usual.

Keeping to the left of the path, we politely kept our horses out of the way of the locals walking past, who still craned their necks up to glance at the towering animals, then at the wave of loud, lively kids with a nervous or distrustful edge, despite us having taken them around town on numerous occasions – if not all the time.

Whilst trying to keep Berylla from squirming from where she sat in front of me as we rode over one of the bridges, my ears perked up at the sound of my name being called. Turning my head, I watched Kay nudge Calhourn into a brisk trot, hooves clacking against the stone then grass as she lined herself up with me, until we were riding side by side.

“We should probably think about packing as soon as we get back.” She suggested.

“Oh, definitely.” I agreed, failing to realise that we were being listened to by two intrigued children. “I’ll try and see if that undetectable extension charm will work on our bags.”

“Why are you packing??” “Are you leaving us?!” exclaimed Rothad and Berylla, the two of them trying to twist in their spots to face us with wide glossy eyes.

“Nononono, guys it’s fine.” Blurted Kay in an attempt to calm the two before their siblings overheard. “Nothing’s happening, we’re just talking about packing some furniture away, aren’t we Kate?” She eyed me expectantly, and I quickly nodded along.

“Ye-Yea! It’s nothing for you lot to worry about.” I agreed with a shaky laugh.

In the next twenty minutes it took to reach Gladiola’s house, we had spent it trying to convince the two that everything was alright before they fell off the horses in a panic. Eventually the squealing kids we’re received by their father, who ushered them inside, giving us his thanks. Though we could only give a short reply, when Melba had proudly stated to her dad that she had learnt a new word, and we immediately took that as our cue to flick the reigns and canter away as fast as politely possible.

Returning Calhourn and Hecate to the stables, we tossed a quick hello to Bertie, before trudging on foot back up the hill to Bag End.

Reaching the gate, Kay briefly checked the letterbox for mail, and we tiredly hauled ourselves up the stone steps, dropping our bags on the floor and dragging them behind us as I pushed open the large green door.

Wandering further into the house, I waited in the hallway as Kay ran to her room, snatching up her leather backpack, before rejoining me, and the two of us ducked through the hallways, crossing the house until we reached my bedroom.

Sitting cross-legged on my bed, the two of us laid our bags out between us, and took our wands out. Reaching over to my bedside table, I grabbed my soon-to-be-full spellbook, the pages now slightly crinkled and unable to lay flat after months of use.

“Ok,” I breathed. “So I’m pretty sure the charm is Capacious Extremis, and we just need to visualise how big we want the space to be.” I explained, Kay nodding along with me. “Now, this is a stupidly complex spell, so the chance of it working first try is low, so we’ll keep doing it until it works.”

With a snort, Kay rolled her eyes. “Or until it backfires and we blow the house up.” She remarked, shifting into a more comfortable position as she picked her wand up and pointed it at her bag.

“Probably.” I shrugged. “What size are you going for?”

“Umm, like probably about the equivalent of three of four large suitcases?” She answered. “And let me guess, you’re expanding yours to the size of a house?” She stated expectantly as she looked down at my briefcase.

I side-eyed her. “No.” I guffawed. “I’m only putting in a few rooms.”

She held back a laugh. “Of course you are.”

The attempts we made to successfully complete the spell were… entertaining, to say the least. At one point, instead of expanding the inside, Kay accidentally expanded the whole bag, the object growing in size so fast it ended up whacking me in the nose, and I spent the next five minutes bent over the bathroom sink as I waited for the blood to clot up as Kay desperately tried not to laugh. I was no better, when sparks ended up flying out the end of my wand during my third attempt, and we both had to quickly flap our arms about to stop them before they landed on the quilt and set it ablaze.

The both of us sighed in relief when nothing extreme happened on Kay’s fifth attempt, unclipping her bag to see that the spell had finally worked, peering down inside to see a space much too big to be physically able to fit in.

Mine worked on the sixth attempt, seeing as I was aiming for a much larger result. Laying the large rucksack on the rug, I unclasped the buttons and zips and swung open the flap, pulling the opening wide to reveal a steep set of wooden steps, leading down to what looked like the inside of a small wooden hut.

“I take it that Newt Scamander’s briefcase was the inspiration for this?” Kay remarked.

I grinned as I gave her a nod, before twisting myself around to reach my foot over the threshold, testing the planks as I cautiously made my way down. As my feet touched the floor, Kay poked her head over, leaning her torso in slightly to have a peek around.

Shuffling about, I inspected the rows of shelves and drawers that lined the walls, pulling my finger at the odd handle to check the space given. Creaks came from behind, as Kay made her own way down, coming to join me as she revered at the results I had luckily achieved. Her eyes landed on a door opposite the ladder, and she stepped towards it. The brass handle was shaped like an outstretched bird’s claw, waiting patiently for someone to grasp it. Turning her head, she silently asked to open it, and I nodded in response, watching as she curled her left hand around the shape, twisting it until the latch gave way and swung the door open.

Inside revealed a short hallway, barely a couple of metres, which led to two further doors with matching handles; one opened to a small room, that looked a bit more like a pantry, with shelves and cupboards lining the walls, along with some brass hooks on the ceiling to hang the odd thing, then a long table in the middle. The other room was quite bare, but had a small wardrobe and chest of drawers attached on one side, and a spindly three-quarter size wooden bedframe on the other with a matching bedside table.

“You’re not planning on sleeping in here?” Kay asked, a little concerned. “Because I think some people might be a bit jealous.”

“Oh, no.” I replied with a shake of my head. “That wouldn’t be fair. I was planning out this layout with the long term future in mind, not just what could potentially happen soon. This is only a backup for some other time.”

She nodded slowly. She spoke, and I hummed in question. “We’re doing some pretty advanced magic right now. We’ve learnt in a year what others would in almost a decade.”

I whirled round to face her. “It’s called being insane at everything.” I grinned.

She scoffed with a matching grin, lifting her hand up, to which I high-fived with my own. “Clearly.”

“Of course.” I answered obviously. “Now, we need to pack asap. Do you know what you’re bringing?” I pointed at her, waiting for an answer.

Kay put her hands on her hips. “Yep. I’m taking the essentials along with some precious keepsakes. And you’re bringing everything but the kitchen sink.”

I glanced around sheepishly. “Pretty much.”

She shook her head, stepping out the room. “I mean, you did prepare for it.” She said, gesturing to what was around her. “Now get cracking, I know how long you take.”

I gave a small salute. “I’ll get on it.”

--

The call of the early morning birds filtered through the crack of the paned windows as per usual, and as routine, I blinked in an attempt to clear my bleary eyes against the sun rays that glowed against my face as I tried to make out my brown hair in the mirror, running a soft bristled brush through it.

Gently placing it back on the dressing table, I stared emptily into my reflection, fixing the lace collar on my nightgown before pressing my eyes shut, as sleep had yet to lift its hands from my head.

My ears perked up at the sound of my bedroom door being opened, and I slowly turned my head to squint tiredly at whoever was stepping though the doorway.

I watched as Kay made her way over to my bed, already fully washed and dressed as she hauled a pile of random objects onto my bed.

“You’re never up this early.” I groaned, resting my head on my hand as I turned slightly in my seat to face her. “The only time I’ve seen you up before me was to get ready for that 7am flight to France.”

“Couldn’t sleep.” She answered as she turned to face me. “Bilbo was up before me to visit the early market, so I took the liberty of nicking some of his stuff.”

Now my eyes were fully open. “You what. Why didn’t you invite me?”

She sat herself down on the quilted duvet. “I did earlier, but all I got was snoring in reply.”

Too tired to retaliate, all I gave was a pouty frown, turning back to the mirror to reach for my mascara that I had remembered – by some miracle – to use the duplication spell on (Geminio – a lifesaver when you realise eyeliner isn’t popular in Middle Earth), otherwise I would have ran out six copies ago.

Brushing the black paste onto my lashes, I look over at Kay through the mirror. “What did you get?” I asked.

“Just some things he would consider ‘essentials’ that he would forget.” She replied, rummaging through the small pile next to her. “A hat, some money, couple of books and random keepsakes he could look at.”

“Did you add the handkerchief?” I added.

“Of course I got the handkerchief, plus six more.” Kay remarked, and I felt the impact of something soft and light on the back of my head. “Saves us that awkward moment and his first impression with them.”

Slotting the mascara wand back in its bottle, I twisted in my seat to lean down and retrieve what had been thrown against my head, the object revealing itself as a finely-made handkerchief. Picking it up, I ran the soft material between my fingers. “Do you think he’ll notice these things gone?” I questioned, chucking the cloth back at her.

Raising her hands, Kay caught it. “My best guess is that Gandalf is gonna show up over the next few days, and Bilbo owns at least twenty of these. But knowing our luck so far? Yes.” She answered with a tired look as she placed the handkerchief back on the pile.

Standing up, I stretched my arms above my head until I felt my spine let out a series of pops. “ ‘Course.” I groaned, flopping my arms back down. “So why’d you bring them here?”

Standing up, Kay lifted the pile of stuff and hauled it into my unsuspecting arms. “You have the bigger bag, so I need you to hide them in one of your millions of drawers.”

Attempting to balance the load in my arms, I nodded, before padding over to one of the corners of my room, where the accursed wardrobe stood, and where my bag now sat slotted between the wall and that tall piece of furniture.

Placing the pile on the floor, I lowered myself on my knees as I dragged the bag out, trying my best not to jostle it too much and being mindful of the contents that were now sat within. Calling over my shoulder, I told Kay I would join her for breakfast soon, she agreed, and I listened as the door was swung shut with a click, the muffled sound of her bare feet against the wooden floor fading away as she ventured to the kitchen.

Five minutes later, after organising Bilbo’s belongings into one of the drawers, I found myself reorganising some of the herb jars. Sliding the last bottle in place, I stepped back, admiring my handy work. Almost everything I owned now lined the shelves of my bag, the remaining objects back up in my now bare-looking room being my everyday essentials that would be packed the morning we would leave.

Leaving. The thought of it made my stomach churn. Not in a bad way, but not quite in a good way either. Like the feeling you get when you’re at the front of a queue, about to step onto a ride you had never tried before at a theme park. Excited, but knowing that what is to happen might not quite be what you expect.

Swallowing the feeling down, I grasped the side of the step ladder and climbed my way up and out. I finished my morning routine, quickly washing in the bath and threw my shift, kirtle and skirt on as I braided my hair into two low space buns, finishing it off with a wide white ribbon over my head and tying it off with a bow underneath. Pulling my fringe and curtains bangs out from behind my ears, I twirled them into shape before heading over to the door, closing it behind me as I went to meet Kay in the kitchen.

Barely a few steps in, however, I was met by a spritely Bilbo.

“Ah! There you are!” He grinned as he marched over from where he came through the back door hallway (though it was more of a door that was round the bend further along the path), still in his blue overcoat as he handed me a straw-cloth sack full of something unknown.“ I thought about some furniture rearrangements for the parlour whilst I was out and could really use both of your opinions. But breakfast first! I heard Kay was making those pan-cakes.”

Slightly bewildered at the sudden onslaught of conversation, I blinked, nodding silently. Shifting the bag of itchy material in my arms, I followed him through to the kitchen.

After demolishing the stack of pancakes Kay had prepared, we wandered after the hobbit as he beckoned us into the parlour, now only in his green trousers, white shirt and golden waistcoat. “I’m not quite happy with the way it looks by the window.” He called out behind him. “I figured we could do some moving about to see if anything suits our fancy?”

--

“Right, Kay, could you just push the table this way.” Bilbo asked, pointing over to where he wanted to try it out next. “Try keeping the dishrags underneath the legs so you don’t scrape it –” The hobbit was abruptly cut off as he ducked, narrowly missing a wooden leg as he tried to not get hit by the floating chair that was flying towards him. “KATE! WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT USING YOUR WAND INSIDE?!?!?”

I gaped slightly as I lowered my wand, the chair slowing down as it slowly approached the ground. “I was trying to help?!” I protested, trying to ignore Kay who was trying not to make a sound from where she was leaning over the table, shaking violently with laughter.

“You’re trying to incapacitate me, that’s what you’re doing!!” cried Bilbo, grabbing the chair as soon as it touched the floorboards beside him.

“Not on purpose.” I sulked with a frown.

“Clearly.” He remarked as he eyed me with a weary glare. Pausing for a moment he looked around. “Come to think of it, this arrangement looks nice.” He pondered, shoving the chair back under the table where it belonged. “Whelp! I’m off outside for a smoke.” He huffed, patting his trousers for the pipe weed hidden in one of the pockets. “You two can join if you’d like, it’s a lovely morning outside!” He offered, voice echoing through the hallways as he vanished off to fetch his pipe.

--

The sound of Hobbiton coming alive in the morning echoes over the hills, wagons being pushed and the chattering of neighbours as they hung out their washing mixed themselves with the chirping birds and rushing water. Kay and I were sat partially hidden behind some bushed in Bilbo’s front garden, and I tilted my head back to try and get the rays onto my pale skin.

 “I know we’ve been preparing for this trip for a while now, but is it bad that it makes me so nervous that I feel sick to my stomach sometimes?” I pondered as I leant back on my hands, feeling the blades of grass poke between my fingers.

“Not at all.” Kay replied from where she was laid next to me, an arm tossed over her eyes as she soaked up the early morning sun. “I don’t know how we keep forgetting to ask the date, but it’s causing me to wake up every morning worried that it’ll be our last day here.”

I hummed worriedly in agreement as I watched Bilbo’s smoke rings float above the bushes we were sat behind, the wisps fading into the air. Picking some dirt from under my nails, another thought came to mind.

“What if he doesn’t let us?” I muttered, aware of the hobbit sat on the bench out of sight a few metres away.

Kay made a confused noise. “Who?”

I lowered my voice to a whisper. “Thorin. We’ve seen how he is, and there’s a strong chance he’ll say no. Hell, even Gandalf might!”

At this Kay pushed herself onto her elbows, squinting in the sun as she looked at me. “I highly doubt Gandalf will say no.” she whispered back. “Plus, Thorin wants an army to join him – he asked Dain after all – so chances are either us, or Gandalf – hopefully – will use that as the counter argument.”

My eyes flitted over the rose bush in front of me, listening to the sound of footsteps pass by as I thought it over. “You’re right, we’ll leave it to think about later.”

Kay nodded, and began lowering herself back down, when the sound of someone sputtering filled the air, followed by some throaty coughs. The two of us went silent, listening to see who was the culprit of the sound.

A few moments of silence passed, until it was finally broken by Bilbo’s wary voice.

“Good Morning.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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[chaifootsteps]

it's kinda sad fans will talk til they're blue in the face about how good it is for HB or HH to represent abuse and have messy queer relationships, but won't think critically about Stol*tz and just swallow what the show is telling them is the 'right' way to look at it.

I also think it's frustrating to see fandoms use having supposedly progressive values as a pretext to shut down critiques by generalizing all of it as 'just hating a bisexual Salvadoran female creator' (while ignoring threats, lies and doxxing done to the critical community), but then they'll completely refuse to do any class analysis in terms of the failings of how the show is written.

There's a really interesting conversation that could be had about the class structure in Hell and the way imps are obviously written as an underclass - they literally provide most of the food through farming and in nearly every other context we see them working, it's in menial or as literal servants (Stolas has a meeting about the divorce in a cafe literally called The Richest Cup with the side advertisement Where the Poor Pour For You! in Western Energy) - and how Blitzo fits into that.

As an imp he's supposed to settle for whatever he can get in life but he refuses to. He starts a business - something Striker says most imps don't do - and the idea is so ambitious he needs to get to the human realm to pull it off. And I think there's another conversation to be had in the way that critcizing Stolas for the Full Moon deal is immediately met with 'Blitzo could just wriggle out of it / Blitzo didn't have to start that kind of business / Blitzo should run IMP some other way' - putting it another way, viewers are more comfortable suggesting that Blitzo should settle for being a servant or working a minimum wage job & potentially bankrupt himself and his employees by closing IMP, than they are questioning why it is that the rich and powerful have unfettered access to the human realm through powerful artifacts when even lower class hellborns like Hellhounds can learn magic and use the Grimoire's spells proficiently.

They're more comfortable taking Blitzo saying he doesn't fuss about when he and Stolas hook up literally one time at face value and use it as 'proof' that Stolas never did anything wrong coercing him into a deal for sex because they claim Blitzo doesn't mind, instead of digging into the notion that Blitzo has internalized the message from a very young age that it's fine for him to be literally bought if he can get what he needs to live out of it, all because he was born a poor imp. In other words, viewers want any out that Stolas didn't do a bad thing and don't apply any nuance to the fact that Blitzo is doing what he needs to do to keep the lights on. Just because Blitz has learnt to cope with it by either disassociating or even trying to eroticize his own subjugation by being the 'dominant' one in his encounters with Stolas, it doesn't make it right. Being as blunt as possible, even if Blitzo looked happier later down the line in hanging out with Stolas the initial agreement was still made under coercion, and Blitzo keeping it going is not the evidence of a free choice.

I just think it's typical of the way people view power and wealth that they will endlessly nitpick someone trying to survive if they complain about their poor treatment and cherrypick examples to undermine why they aren't really a victim, instead of critiquing the wider system that allows Stolas all that power and wealth in the first place. And if we must do individual critiques - why is it OK to say Blitzo should just give up on the book and his business, but it's not OK to ask why Stolas couldn't just get him an asmodean crystal or not propose the full moon deal in the first place?

And on a more basic level, I think a lot of this is just human nature - fans want to like both Stolas and his creator so they'll do anything to say they're in the right. I'm sure if other characters or creators behaved the way Stolas & Viv did but they just weren't as popular or well-loved, no one would present so many bad arguments trying to defend them. It's just plain old cognitive dissonance because fans don't want to give up on a fandom/show/character they're attached to

This is a good analysis, Anon. Agreed.

[chunkymamatam]

Hi omg welcome back! Thank you so much for the detail on your description about the classes! When and if you have time, I would love to hear more! Have you had classes with Crewel yet? And are there any other teachers aside from the ones we know from the game? Thats something Ive always wanted to know! Also, have you gone to Sam's shop yet? How is he? He is my favourite staff member!

Oh and how long did you stay? Did you experience any events ingame and maybe some that werent in the game? Have you gone to anyones homecountry like the events?

PS: If there are too many questions, feel free to chose some to skip! I dont want to overwhelm you :) <3

It's not too much to answer the questions! There's only 2 asks now including this one and the other one if for one of my fanfic blogs so I should have enough energy/time now lol

First The rest of my classes for the current semester:

Animal Language Class

No Magic required

Consists of basic body language of different animals that might accompany you on your journey through being a "Proper mage" as Professor Trein would put it lol. This includes cats, dogs, rats, etc (basically any animal you can find in a Disney film.)

As the class goes on you learn how to decipher what they're actually saying verbally and non verbally. Unlike here animals are sentient, they will make fun of you later trust me. Ace and Deuce are frequently the victim of this lmfao

Its pretty difficult for me personally but I'm bad at communicating with humans so I wasn't really expecting any less lmfao Its as difficult as learning any new language in all seriousness so if you find that hard then welcome to the club I made cookies.

Difficulty: 4/5

Potions/Alchemy (Creation/material studies)

Magic materials will be provided by class instructor, minimal magic is needed from the mage

Consists of different creation techniques, what materials have what properties, what the different potions do, etc. There's a potion for anything and everything, most only having temporary effects but some are more permanent (base level and under specific conditions). Honestly this is one of my favorite classes. Its the most fun in my opinion.

It's not at all difficult because we're allowed to have our recipes at all times.

Difficulty: 1/5

Spell casting

Magic required

Now this is where being magicless really sucked (I still got a really good grade). I wasn't able to participate much in the begining and I was stuck memorizing spells I would never be able to use. I shit you not this man (The prof) looked at me and said

"You may not have the proper abilities to cast spells but I'll be sure to turn you into a grimoire of them by the end of this class"

Honestly stayed true to his word ngl. The amount of notes and textbooks and reciting the damn things, practicing proper spell casting formation/posture. I could instruct the other students at this point. I'm having flashbacks just thinking about it lmfao

The class consists of the actual spells, the motions needed to enact each spell, the proper posture to take when casting. We learn what each spell does, and the proper situations to use them in, etc. It is mostly just actually casting spells though and a I've only relatively recently learned how to use magic. I'm getting there with the help of Azul and my professors tho.

I wouldn't say its the worst difficulty wise but my memory is decent when it comes to academics.

dificulty: 3/5

Astrology

This class consists of studying the stars, constellations, planets, and the moon cycles and how they affect the magic we produce.

"Just as the ocean is affected by the moon and the stars, so too is our energy and magic."

Corny shit but accurate and factual lmfao. It's a really easy class and that's really all there is to it. It's mostly so you understand why your magic is stronger/weaker on different days. this also used as a reference in other classes. Like "X spell is more affective during Y Moon cycle"

Difficulty: 1/5

There's definitely more classes that I don't know of yet but we'll get to them eventually!

''Have you had classes with Crewel yet?"

Yes! I'm actually his favorite student weirdly enough lol. He's chill as long as you act right (paying attention to the lesson, doing your classwork/homework, etc). This man fr defended me from these bitch ass guys who were like

"She doesn't even have magic why does she have the top scores????"

To which he responded "Maybe if you were as diligent of a student perhaps you could also be part of the top scores, until then however, return to your seat"

Never felt safer with a teacher I swear.

"Are there any other teachers aside from the ones we know from the game?"

Yeah. I can't remember their names right this moment cuz I haven't been back there in a minute. My mental health has been ass and I fell out of love with shifting for a long while but I'm back now! I'm hopefully going back soon. I miss my boys and my classes. Mostly my boys tho. I'll have to share who they are and what their names are after I go next.

"Have you gone to Sam's shop yet? How is he?"

I have! Actually when I got my monthly allowance from Crowley (I manifested that in with the intention method cuz I'll be dammed if that cheap bitch fucks me over) it was the first place I visited. He sells damn near everything you need to live on campus. I got soap, an African net sponge (its called Savanna net sponge cuz ✨Afterglow/Sunset Savanna✨) and some lotion. I barely had enough for my groceries after that month. I was living on Ramen and the school allotted lunch (。﹏。*) This being said be prepared for Sam to over price everything. This is a rich people school and I mean eat the rich and all but PLEASE HAVE MERCY

As for how he is as a person, he's really chill. Very nice but he is still a salesman so keep that in mind with your interactions. He may have mercy if he's feeling generous (pity) lmfao. Jokes aside hes actually pretty nice outside of his business. He allowed me to talk to him about struggling with living with Vil for that month with his unseasoned dry ass chicken 😭

"How long did you stay? Did you experience any events in game and maybe some that weren't in the game?"

Currently I'm dealing with STYX and Idia's overblot. Up until that point its been about 6-7 months over there. Everything in the main game happens so fast and in such quick succession. I've experienced the Halloween events, birthdays, and the New Year events. I didn't participate in Sams event cuz I was dealing with living with Vil training for the SDC/VDC and calming down from everything with Jamil. TBH there might have been events that weren't showcased but I was just too busy with the main events and classe/hanging out with other students.

"Have you gone to anyone's home country like the events?"

Not yet but we are staying at Rooks many homes while on our way to STYX to rescue everyone rn. Hopefully soon tho because Idk it seems like a lot of fun to learn more about my friends and their homes.

[mahvaladara]

I was tagged by @izayoirii. Thank you. I love doing these.

B A S I C S

Name: Khal'lil Varysia (Khalil)

Nicknames: Khal, by everyone, dragon, by Mako, my child, by Hydaelyn, Star (by others of his race and dragons).

Age: Adult, appears to be in his mid thirties.

Nameday: 10th of First Astral Moon. Was the day he was found.

Race: Asheren (outsider) Dragon, everyone believes him to be a Raen Au'Ra.

Gender: Male

Orientation: Pan. Catching feels for a deaf librarian.

Profession: Warrior of Light, Wandering Scholar, Mage, wandering star.

P H Y S I C A L     A S P E C  T S

Hair: Long, red and straight. He leaves his side-bangs loose and ties half of his hair in a bun. He also likes side-braids.

Eyes: Shifting between a sharp green and neon green.

Skin: Pale and caucasion, littered in gold scales. Khal does not tan easily, and if it was not for being a dragon, he'd walk around sunburned.

Tattoos/scars: Khal has a very deep scar on his chest, right over his heart. It appears he was pierced by something or pinned. The scar's a little bruised from being shot by another dragon and later on by an ascian cause seeing his friend get shot was not deterrent enough to stop him from trying. He has a few adventuring scars on his arms and back, some spells he failed to dodge or a blade who got to close for comfort, or a lesson or two from being too cocky.

As for tattoo, Khal doesn't have tattoos but he has full body warpaint on. It's quite water resistent and not easy to smudge. When it does get smudged he either paints it back on himself, asks someone else to help him with it, but most of the time just uses magic to reapply it.

F A M I L Y

Parents: He has no parents. His parents passed away several decades/centuries ago. Far before he became lost and was buried. His parents disappeared around the same time the rest of his race started disappearing.

Siblings: No siblings he knows off. Khal is a lone star.

Grandparents: Technically, Majah, as the mother of all Asheren, would be considered his grandmother.

In-laws and Others:

Mostly friends. He holds very few people as important in his life. He cares deeply for Ryl and feels a connection with the elezen, as if they have met before in another world. He respects and looks up to Mako, as a much older and much more skilled WoL. Gets along with Ishwa, Inouva and Haoru and often goes adventuring with Gal, another fellow adventurer.

S K I L L S

Abilities:

Very simmilar to the Echo but also different, Khal has the Sight, associated to a third eye he choses to hide. The sight gives him sinesthesia, and he can see emotions, auras and intentions. The rest of it acts almost identical to the Echo. He has no control over it.

Khal as a great prophiciency at many types of magic, from wielding it with the use of grimoires for offense or defense, to mixing it currently with a blade with red magic, Khal has understanding of both white and black magic and arcamina. He is absolutely fascinated by the flow of aether which has lead some of his friends to suspect that perhaps Khal comes from the realm of Aether or from another world watsoever.

Hobbies:

Seamstress, journaling , botany and traveling. Learning anything he possibly can. Khal is a knowledge hoarder. Reading, he's an avid reader and often visits libraries to borrow books.

T R A I T S

Most Positive Trait: Selflessness and curiosity.

Most Negative Trait: Recklessness and pride.

L I K E S

Colors: Wine Red, Moad and Rhotano Blue, Grape Purple.

Smells: Pine, lavenders and sandalwood. Also the scent of freshly baked bread.

Textures: Silk, cotton and fresh grass under his feet.

Drinks: Chamomile and lavender tea and Mead.

O T H E R    D E T A I L S

Smokes: No.

Drinks: Water, Tea, wine and mead. He loves mead.

Drugs: He does not take them. But someone needs to remind him some people don't want heroes around, and that qualifies WoL too. He should be careful with what he drink or eats. We never know when it might be drugged or poisoned.

Mount Issuance:

A white chocobo named Volante and a calvary drake he's still trying to tame.

Been Arrested: No. At least not yet.

I tag: @izayoiri (make for another char); @lazysunjade (for any character you wish); @dandylion240 (any character you wish).

[aikoiya]

Hello there, it that lurking talking procrastinating (by giving other people prompts that for reasons original idea not working) cheese wolf.

I have a very long ( like 10 years)post (AGIT) canon Danny Phantom au about Tucker, now here me out

After 10 years after AGIT where everything went kinda okay after and Tucker moved out to Maple Grove ( I used a random us city generator) in Minnesota after graduation from a university while Danny stayed to do stuff ( you can pick a reason Danny stay like being the ghost king, help being a bridge between ghost zone and the living world, or something else your choice) and Sam is supporting him, so with a agreement for talking weekly online Tucker is off. While Tucker is at Maple Grove he got a job as a technology teacher at Whitewater school (used another random generator for the name) and after a few months he got a hang of it and while Tucker is at the school park after the sun went down, he noticed that one of his student with a baseball bat and book fighting a.... He doesn't know what it is, but he is sure that is a monster that is somehow infused with ectoplasm and the boy is tired and sluggish, so tucker pull out the emergency Fentons laser gun and fire it at the monster.

Harry Miller (random name generator) is tired of his life so far in that at the first day at school, he is tricked by bullies to go to the school basement to get something ridiculous but found a grimoire in a secret room with most of the pages ripped off the book, found out the supernatural exists after fighting a heavily weakened vampire in said secret room with a baseball bat, being alone with a best bro named James Brown who loved anime and have knowledge about the supernatural and it weaknesses ( even if is from watching anime), found out that Maple Grove is top of a ancient temple that if activated with 4 keys will give the beater ultimate Power and that the 3 being that want the power that pridefully called themselves gods, Dhoemis (god name generator), Aelia (Same generator), and Yaldabaoth (Harry mocknly call it yal) (they are not gods, they are (while powerful and have loyal servants) unaging manipulator that which to use the temple power to control the world but they are infighting as the temple can only give one person ultimate Power, and Harry don't want that as if a 'god' win humanity will lose their will and mind as they become, in a word, puppet for the 'god'),after getting bunch of the grimoire page and halting the 'god' plan a lot, he fought a monster that somehow enhanced (and glow green) that it took a risky gambit to kill the monster and while he is fighting the other one later while tired a laser hit it and Harry looked to the direction that the laser comes from and saw his technology teacher carry a laser gun. After the monster is slain, Tucker wants an answer about this and after a conversation an agreement about Tucker helping Harry with the monster problems and after getting a question about what to do with the enhanced monster, Tucker knows a person that can help with that (Danny and Sam) but it will take couple of month before they will arrive.

Tldr Tucker becomes a kinda mentor/ weapon teacher for Harry after learning about the 'gods' and their plan.

(the 'gods' didn't know about the ghost zone at all and just recently barely understand that infusing their servant give them ghost like power to get rid of that pest (Harry Miller) unknowingly give the infused ghost like weakness like Fenton tech and other stuff)

Also it is funny if there is like an anime about the event of Danny Phantom (but slightly changed) that is James favorite.

The spell system in this is the holder of a grimoire has a mana pool that can refill by resting ( slowly refilling) or hitting things in combat ( refill fast at a strike), the way you can perform a spell is to raise the grimoire up and yell the spell name in Latin (the more correct pronunciation the more powerful the spell is) if you try to use a spell while the mana pool is empty either the spell doesn't work or you push to get the spell work but you harm yourself that has to be rested naturally.

Example of the spell of the grimoire

Cure wounds

Berserk form ( enlarge the holder a bit and makes them stronger at melee combat at a limited time of 30 seconds)

Fire rain

And you can think of others

(also Harry is not from any hunter clan, he is just a regular person who is just a bit unlucky to find out monsters exist and had to save Maple Grove from monsters and their 'gods')

This is actually a pretty interesting premise. I get the feeling that Sam will have the most knowledge of this stuff as not only is she a fan of anime, but also goth & seemed to be able to find that sort of info fairly quickly in the show. So, it's likely that she's interested in this sort of thing anyway.

Though, I get the impression that she'd be personally insulted by Yaldabaoth just by virtue of being Jewish. Which, would honestly just add fuel to her desire to end that jerk.

[onlinecorvus]

My OC, Fos Phospo, overlord of real estate in the pride ring.

!! TW: Cults, White phosphorus !!

Originally named Raymond, he was born in 1930s America, a richer part of Mississippi to an upper-class family that raised him well. Raymond was doted on heavily by his parents, older brother, and baby sister. They taught him the principles of being a good man, being kind, respecting women, etc. Which only made his parents wonder what they did wrong by raising their baby boy. 

Fos always had an obsession with power, taking any chance he’d get to blackmail his siblings to do what he wanted. Other than his siblings, he was friendly to everyone else. He was the popular kid in school, people did his homework for him, not that he couldn’t do it, it was because he didn’t care to do it. One thing he was good at was chemistry, enjoying making all sorts of compounds and acids.

He had become a salesman and later, a real estate agent, being able to find the right people to persuade into buying less-than-satisfactory properties. Fos also had a hobby of luring homeless people into his home, not before isolating them from the rest of their contact before killing them via locking them in a special room in his mansion and using white phosphorus to burn them alive until they were nothing but ashes, reveling in the muffled screams as they banged on the walls, too much that the outer walls of his house were soundproofed. Later on, he found it harder to commit his serial murder, stopping for a while. 

Ages ago, when the overlord status was just being established, an overlord and a Goetia demon had made the grimoire for future use. Many sought after this grimoire, the overlord being kidnapped and held by the other overlords for decades until the exterminations started. When the extermination started, he was thrown to the angels and killed. The Goetia demon fled to the human world to hide from the other overlords to keep them from learning information in the book. In the human world, the grimoire would be utterly useless except for one ritual, a binding ritual, doing the equivalent of selling your soul to the one who started the ritual. This book would be locked away in a cave with a spell protecting it. Overtime, this spell lost its effect, letting an explorer find the grimoire, which led to it being sold in an auction

Fos bought it on a whim. 

Fos had only gotten richer with the passing of his parents. He had a lot of money, not thinking much of it until he forgot to pay the electric bill and his house was out of power for a day and he resorted to reading books to satiate his boredom. Before he read the grimoire and used it he completely disregarded the existence of God, being a solid atheist.

Then he started to read the grimoire, practising the rituals and eventually adapting the book into a more “holy” version which was a very filtered version of the original. Using his newfound knowledge, he moved on to making a cult when he turned 30. At first, it started small, recruiting people he made to be friends and instilling an idea in their minds to slowly manipulate them and sell them on the idea that he is an angel sent from god. Later on, as the cult grew, he would perform the soul-binding ritual on all of his followers as a kind of baptism and indoctrination. The first ritual he performed killed his chances of heaven and his physical age in hell represents that even if he died at 47

The reason why this worked so well, was because the magic was real and something you could see, leading to people who were in the cult and “baptised” going to people they knew and bringing them to the next ritual which resulted in a cycle of people getting indoctrinated. Raymond would always perform these rituals, eventually learning how to perform a ritual where another person could perform it and they would still bind their souls to him. Though the going ons of the cult were still hidden from the vast majority, he only brought in suitable victims of the cult, not wanting too much attention.

Knowing that if any of his followers died and found themselves in hell they would probably attack him once they found him so he told them “I am the true messiah and the one the deceived call Jesus was the devil in disguise. He may have spoken truths, but I am the one you truly must follow,��. 

This wasn’t everything in the cult. Raymond would force the followers in the cult to be polyamorous, sleeping with any of the cult members who were of the age cult members and lighting up people who disobeyed him with white phosphorus, these murders were kept highly secret.

The constant rituals came at a cost, he slowly grew mad with each soul that was bound to him, and it affected his body, he may have been 47 by the time (1977) he died, but the insane amount of rituals caused him to age quicker, making him have a heart attack, but this wasn’t the thing that killed him, no he died by falling into the pit he used to burn the people he didn’t like with a glass container of white phosphorus. His followers watched in horror as he burned until every bit of his body was gone, eaten by the flames he used to burn others.

His presence in hell started as a boom, appearing in hell and hitting the ground as a glowing white ball of fire before he fully formed his form into a humanoid shape. Most of his followers were in hell due to their bind, Fos owning their souls if they weren’t killed by exterminators. Many made their place in hell and generally stuck together. Fos had his cult members go around hell after extermination, fighting for land and forcing them to do things that they never would have wanted, the view of him being a holy figure slowly and slowly being lost each time they were forced to kill, older members having lost hope.

I do have more info on him, but I'll show that off another time.

Absolute dirtbag

Inspo: Saul Goodman (Saul Goodman/ breaking bad), Reigen Arataka (mob psycho 100)

bonus: Fos's old design which I turned into one of the later members of his cult since he looked too basic. Flicker, the auditor. I also have a lot of info on him, but like Fos, I'll share that at a later date too.

inspo for him: The auditor (madness combat)

[thechaosmuses]

Full Name; Salem Elijah Bennett Nicknames; Sal, Birthday & Age; February 18th, 1864 (159) Zodiac Sign; Aquarius Species; Heretic Pronouns; He/Him/His Sexuality; Pansexual Occupation; Witchcraft Shop Owner Height; 5'10 Faceclaim; Jordan Fisher

Salem was born in a small town in Virginia where he spent the first few months of his life before spending the next few back in Mystic Falls where his Mom was born. Of course he doesn’t remember any of that, his earliest memory being when he was around 4 or 5 in the small house he and his Mom had in New Orleans where he was raised. It was around this same time that Salem started to show signs of being a siphon witch, something that Eleanor had no idea how to deal with.

Luckily for them both there were a few heretics among the Mikaelson family that happily offered to help, even making the young siphon a small pendant he could draw magic from like their Mother had done for them. Because of this he grew up relatively normal and though Eleanor had no magic of her own anymore she could still teach her son everything she knew, making her own grimoires as she did as she left home without any.

They also learned a lot from the Mikaelson’s and as the years went on Salem grew into a pretty powerful witch despite lacking his own magic, at least for the first part of his life. On his 18th birthday his Mom and the Mikaelson’s offered to turn him which would make him a heretic, giving him access to his own magic and making him immortal like all of them. There were no questions in the Bennett boy’s mind when he accepted the offer.

He decided to use Erik's blood to turn as at that point he’d known most of how they ended up in Louisiana though he didn’t have the whole story or know who his Father was. As far as how he died Eleanor didn’t want him hurt in any way so as he laid in his bed, her holding his hand, Thyra placed a hand on his chest and stopped his heart with her magic. He woke up a few hours later with his Mom still at his side, a glass of blood waiting for him to complete his transition.

After that Salem really came out of his shell and though Eleanor hadn’t known it at the time he was incredibly similar to his Uncle Damon. She still saw Stefan in him of course, in his smile and his eyes, and in many other ways too but when it came down to it she couldn’t deny he was also a lot like Damon. In 1919 when Mikael showed up in New Orleans Eleanor had been one of the vampires he’d taken to lure the hybrid triplets in as he had been told the girl was important to Erik, though Bex and Marcel had both left Salem’s name out.

The heretic was on his way to rescue his Mom when he saw the building going up in flames, the Mikaelson’s, Marcel and his Mom nowhere to be found. He’d just ran home after that, screaming out to whatever God was listening as he threw things around his childhood home before he finally calmed down and performed a spell to try and locate his Mom. The spell had only confirmed the Bennett boy’s worst nightmare, that his Mom was actually dead.

Afterwards he packed his bags, the grimoires his Mom had spent decades making included, and walked out the door, sending his childhood home up in flames as he did. He made his way back into town after that, where the building was mostly burnt out by now, using his magic to put the rest of the flames out as he made his way inside. Salem then used his magic to collect his Mom’s ashes into a jar, silently sobbing as he did and promising her he’d find something prettier as soon as he could. Once he had placed her in the small bag over his shoulder, he whispered one last thing to her which was a soft “I’m sorry, Mother..” and turned his humanity off.

He spent the next decade without his humanity before he somehow found himself back in New Orleans and ran into Marcel who managed to get the heretic back to normal. Once his humanity was back on Salem spent the next few decades working to bring his Mother back and after a lot of hard work he managed to do so. Eleanor told her son everything after she came back though he decided not to reach out to his Dad to continue to protect his Mom as losing her once had been enough.

Main Verse; After bringing his Mom back from the Other Side they decided to open a dual store where she sells flowers and he sells witchcraft supplies. [verse; main]

Past Verse; This could be at any point when Salem was younger, though keep in mind he had his humanity off from 1919 to around the early 1930s. [verse; rewind time]

No Humanity Verse; This is set in the time that Salem had his humanity off after his Mother was killed by Mikael, so from 1919-1930s when he went around basically the whole United States before accidentally returning to New Orleans. [verse; why is everybody not angry?]

[very-salty-popcorn]

Nike Bogg, at the end of the campaign. You can read her epilogue below:

---

Nike Bogg was a hero, a leader, and most importantly, she was a friend to all.

---

After the Battle against Bast, Nike Bogg took some time to go on a honeymoon with Addie. It was no surprise that this honeymoon entailed the typical adventure and hijinks that had become expected from anyone in the Order of the Stones.

After some well-deserved rest from life-threatening dangers, Nike Bogg stayed close to where the Order of the Stone had been established to create an academy for adventures. She called her academy, The School of Rock. The Academy was rather, small at first, but due to the influx of so many people who had come to fight Bast, the Academy steadily grew over time. A small city formed around it, with local businesses taking names after adventures from the Order of the Stone, such as “Myrrh’s Magiks, The Blessings of Finnlay, Scylla’s Skewer Shack, Armor by Abel, “ and many others. The Bogg also became an established Tavern franchise.

The School of Rock was intended to help anyone learn how to fight, whether it is with magic or one own’s strength. Adventures were bound to a creed, “May your actions be kind, your intentions good, and your words be gentle.” Nike invited many of her friends to be guest speakers and even had her own sister, Cricket, aid in the teachings.

Soon, the School of Rock became a well-established institution, with many familiar faces being part of the school’s faculty. The school’s mascot was obviously the Owlbear, and Ene held the position until he retired along with Nike. The School began hosting the Falcon tournament as a regular sports activity and it became a large part of the Academy's revenue. The School also developed additional sports, such as interplanar races, escape rooms, and many other pastimes perfect for future adventurers.

Nike, while being a fighter and obviously helped teach self-defense and other heavy weapon fighting at the Academy also developed magical fighting technics. Using her knowledge of magically bonding weapons to one’s self, Nike developed magic through tattoos. With the help Cricket, the sisters developed arcane magic that could be bound to one’s body. This was the foundation for a type of magic that would take decades to develop. The magic was first dubbed “skin glyphs” as weapons and magical items could be converted into a symbol on a body. It was later tested to see if a wizard could tattoo their entire grimoire unto their body, but quickly was dismissed as any damage to the skin could cause spells to distort and even turn on the wizard. This type of magic is still being developed at the School of Rock, however, it is yet to be properly taught until the magic is stabilized (though this does not mean that there are not those that try without permission).

After some time, Cricket retired from her teaching position to spend some time with Hilda. They were married in Radix, to which their wedding was attended by all the members of the Order of the Stone. Cricket and Hilda did spend some time on their own adventures, developing the next era of magical technology (whatever technology they developed is up to the DM). They also established an adventurer's stone of far speech network, using drawing tablets and chalk (thus creating a “magic” social media platform), calling it Chirp. It became a well-used communication system to alert adventures of opportunities and help organize people.

Cricket and Hilda stayed together till the day they passed. They could often be seen taking later afternoon walks in the main square in Radix, and they often spent their later years being local bowling champions. They were cremated and buried under a tree, next to the Bogg family home. Many travelers pass by to pay their respects, so oftentimes one can find a cluster of flowers underneath.

Nike Bogg and Addie Bogg spent some time traveling, even after their brief time teaching at the Academy. Nike and Addie lived in Cirne for some time, to allow Addie some time to rebuild her relationships with her sisters. It was a peaceful time.

Nike Bogg was the first from the Order of the Stones to pass away.

This was simply a tragic fact that many of her friends knew. It was not a death from a monster or a great battle, rather it was a death from something none of us can fight, time.

Nike knew that she would die first. She did not want to make it hard for anyone, least of all Addie. So when she felt it approaching, she went back home to Radix. One morning, while staying in a tiny home Nike had constructed for her and Addie, she felt it. She got up, and made Addie breakfast. Addie woke to a comfortable silence, but it was when Nike stood up and kissed her on her forehead that she knew. She knew that Nike had to leave, and this time, she wouldn’t be able to come back.

Nike had given Addie a gift, early on in their life together. She bound Argenta’s Lance to Addie so that Addie could carry a piece of her when she was gone. The tattoo was outlined in gold and spanned the length of Addie’s arm. Whenever Addie reached for it, she felt a comfortable warmth.

Nike Bogg said her goodbyes, and then she took her axe and her owl bear and walked into the Olioli forest and she was never seen again.

---

There’s an urban legend, that if you go into the Oliolie forest in Radix alone and unprotected that a spirit of the woods will protect you and guide you back home. This spirit’s light is different from the mischievous will-o'-the-wisps. It’s golden, warm, and comfortable. When you see it, it feels like you’re looking at an old friend you haven’t seen in a long time. It’s often told that there is another light that chases around it. Some have even said they say the outline of a fighter and an owl bear.

---

In the Oliolie forest, there’s an axe lodge within a stump. It has been the source of great mystery. Some say the axe belonged to the great Nike Bogg, while others believe the axe was placed by a God. Whatever the case may be, not a single person has yet been able to remove the axe from the stump. It seems as though the axe has lodged itself, waiting for someone. Many have said that only the greatest hero can wield such a magical weapon, while others say that only a truly virtuous hero may have the right to unlodge it from the trunk.

Or perhaps the axe is simply waiting for the day that the person who placed it there returns.

---

There was a statue built for Nike Bogg after her death, placed at the Academy. It displays her, with her axe and Ene. Written on a plaque, per her request reads:

“Nike Bogg, friend to Addie, Cricket, Scylla, Myrrh, Finnlay, Able, Leo, Jonah, Hilda, Erika, Jessie, and all who may be in need of a friend. You are only as strong as the company you keep. Know that I love you always, despite our distance.”

---

[witchhatgnat]

facts about my transgender warforged d&d pc, Rune:

she is a spores druid who carries around part of a hyper-intelligent, world spanning fungal hive mind inside of her body

this hive mind is her best friend(s) and they talk to each other telepathically

she is also a swarmkeeper ranger, which means there is a colony of bugs living inside her in conjunction with the fungus

her swarm is controlled by the fungal hive mind cordyceps style

she is 4'10" and her body is made of porcelain, and so if you gave her a hug it would feel like holding a warm teacup

she was originally created to work at the infirmary for a college, but she became hyperfixated on the concept of physical sensation and what it feels like to actually have senses. she got fired for asking patients too many questions

then she became the school's groundskeeper while reading every biology textbook in the library

which landed her a job as the resident biology professor and owner of a sick greenhouse in the center of the school's courtyard

she carries around a massive grimoire with her everywhere she goes. it's filled with notes on anatomy, zoology, mycology, and botany, in addition to drawings of plants and people she befriends

the spores from inside of her body leak out regularly, so she always has a halo/miasma of spores around her. this makes her off putting to most people, which netted her a -1 in charisma

to make up for this, she tries to be as kind and hospitable as possible

she took up tea brewing as a way to make friends, and she spent years learning how to make tasty tea only with what grows inside her body

she has a familiar named Archimedes, who currently takes the form of a raven

she once had to go to an island that was anti-magic (including warforged), so she disguised herself. however, her eyes gave away her away, which meant she had to blindfold herself to stay hidden. and because she couldn't see, she had to look through Archimedes' eyes while he perched on her shoulder, kinda like Roswell from TAZ

she has pulled from the deck of many things about 3 times now because she views it as the greatest possible experiment. she has gotten a +2 to both her wisdom and constitution, a near-permanent -2 to all saving throws, and all of her magic items once disintegrated (including an incredibly important plot critical book)

she is the smallest member of the party by far but also has the most hit points and regularly deals the most damage in combat thanks to shillelagh, extra attack, and gathered swarm

she is affectionately known as The Robot Linebacker and The One Hit Wonder

she did her own gender affirming surgery via a magic spell, which she then proceeded to name herself after. there is now a magic rune carved into the porcelain that makes up her sternum

none of the party members have ever seen her exposed skin, except for an ungloved hand on occasion. when they first met her she wore a massive witch's hat and robe that covered everything in shadow besides her eyes. and then later when she switched to wearing overalls and sweaters she started wearing a pitch black funeral veil

she has only wild shaped once in her life, and it was to turn into a worm so she could get inside someone's body

[evilpenguinrika]

well i caved and decided to add the Archer class for Leo because I think having him be a Bard (once I hit lvl30 of Archer class) would be fitting.

Like sure, character backstory wise, Leo would read up on grimoires that Hope and Josie would have (as well as grimoires from Freya) and maybe even learned some of the bare basics or just watched Hope and Josie because he's the only Mikaelson kid that isn't a supernatural creature and is purely human. But he wants to do his best to research and learn so he could hopefully help his three older (supernatural) siblings one day should they need it. Which is why I figured the Scholar (and Astrologian--and I guess Summoner as well but my reasoning for Summoner needs to be tweaked. And I guess I need to expand more on why Astrologian would also be perfect for him--ALSO MACHINIST TOO MAYBE) job would be perfect for him in FFXIV. And he doesn't like seeing the people he loves hurt or injured bc of what happened when he was five before he got adopted by Hope and Josie (you can read about that here!) so it's a bonus that the Scholar job is categorized as a Healer (also more on scholar bc it's 1:13 am as i am typing this and my brain is not cooperating with me and they have a little blurb about the Scholar anyways that makes more sense to read than if I attempt to paraphrase)

But then came a thought.

In my very first Hosie fic, Sad Bedroom Eyes, I think i had Leo be really into plays and theatre and performance and stuff. And then I thought "Oh yeah, Bard would fit really well with his character, and maybe he'd be really into the performing arts when he gets older as well".

And in FFXIV, the starting class for Bards is an Archer. And then I had another thought: wasn't Josie and Lizzie's dad like, a vampire hunter or whatever? Had all these weapons and shit at his disposal. I think--character backstory wise--it would also make sense for Leo to want to learn how to fight if he is to ever support and protect his siblings. So he'd for sure go to grandpa Alaric and be like "grandpa can you teach me how to fight with all those cool weapons you have" or something idk.

Like ok, obviously Hope and Josie would not be happy their youngest is trying to learn how to fight. I mean maybe Hope would be happy to hear Leo wants to be able to hold his own and maybe learn how to defend himself--but the sole purpose of learning how to fight with weapons is to protect them and his siblings? His family that are all supernaturals???? His mom who is a Tribrid???? His other mom who is a Siphoner but also a Gemini witch and also pretty strong????? And not to mention his siblings, a Tribrid, a Werewolf, and a Siphoner--all equally strong and powerful????? Leo, honey, it's okay. YOu don't HAVE to learn to fight to protect them???

But Leo wants to anyways because this is his family and he NEVER EVER wants to lose them like he did with his other parents.

Because aside from learning magic despite not being a witch, he'd probably be able to find some creative way to incorporate what he knows of magic/potions (I like to think Leo is more potions-focused than spells since, again, he's human and maybe there are some potion spells that don't necessarily REQUIRE magic? idk i could be wrong, i never watched TVD, only TO and LGCS so feel free to correct me) into how he fights with weapons or something.

So that's why I caved and had Leo--in the game of FFXIV--pick up the Archer class and then hopefully later, become a Bard (since Bards still uses bows and arrows in the game).

[anxious-changeling]

GN Witch!Reader x Familiar!Crusaders (-Joseph)

We hope you enjoy this!!! We put a lot of love into it!

Avdol

His animal form is a Partridge Rock Chicken!

The only traits he carries from his animal form is small feathers dusting his cheekbones!

You met him while you were walking around Cairo and just happened to feel a pull towards a curtained area.

Following the pull you found yourself in front of a fortune tellers booth, a beautiful man seated behind a table.

With a kind smile he welcomed you to sit and have your fortune read, you could almost feel the electricity crackle in the air.

When he grabbed your hand it felt like lightning had struck you. You knew what he was and he knew what you were. A witch and an unbound familiar staring into one another eyes.

Still he amused you with a palm reading reading of coming good fortune and a lifetime of happiness. With a hint of mischief coloring his voice while saying the latter.

You proposed him the idea of him becoming your familiar to which he agreed after some bargaining. Such as what days he would be employed and what he could and couldn’t do!

He told you of his previous witch, a cruel woman named Enyaba, who would clip his wings so he couldn’t fly. A sad fate for such a beautiful bird.

In his chicken form he’s very cuddly and makes adorable cooing noises when you pet him.

He looks so cute when he falls asleep on your lap as you read from a grimoire you recently bought. Burrowing deeper into your warmth subconsciously as you idly fun your hand over his feathers.

He’s the perfect familiar and the perfect partner, attentive to your every need and attuned to your aura!

He’ll be your loving guardian against any spirits that may try to target you! Beings with malicious intent don’t stand a chance against him!

He specializes in fire magic and reading the auras of the world! Making him perfect for monitoring potions that are volatile!

He likes to show you all the little designs he can make with his fire magic. He loves even more the look of your face illuminated by his flames~

Has a fire elemental he calls Magicians Red that likes to follow him around! Going as far to take orders from him.

Once Magicians Red grows to like you it’ll lean down to let you sift your fingers through it soft head feathers!

Fully expect MR to join you and Avdol to cuddle! Personal furnace right there! Great in winter, intolerable in summer.

Polnareff

His animal form is a Stoat!

Carries his ears and tail from his animal form into his human form! When his hair is down it’s easier to see his ears since they aren’t covered up!

You met Polnareff while sitting in a local cafe, where he had approached you boldly to flirt. When he grabbed your hand to plant a kiss on the back, spark flew.

You could only stare in shock at one another before he grinned largely in joy! An unbound familiar finding a witch, what a lucky day!

You sat in the cafe for hours learning about one another, and eventually you extended the offer for him to become your familiar!

He accepted enthusiastically and thus you set off on your adventures!

He had a previous witch who he was bound to, known as Mariah, but she passed leaving him unbound for a long time.

He’s just as playful in his animal form as he is in human form, and enjoys rough housing with you! He likes to be tossed in the air and caught!

Likes pull pranks by hiding under furniture and farting out to nip at your ankles as you pass!

He enjoys being in contact with you someway, whether it be an arm over your shoulder or his head in your lap.

If you’ve been over working yourself on a potion he’ll whine loudly demanding your attention. He wants your attention but also knows you need a break.

He specializes in earth magic and spell casting! He is a vital help during long spell casting sessions as he helps balance you.

He’s a very affectionate and kind partner making sure to never overstep your boundaries!

Beware anything that sets its eyes upon you with malicious intent because he’ll make sure to tear them asunder.

Has a metal Gollum named Silver Chariot bound to him and it follows him everywhere, silently like a shadow.

Chariots emotions compared to humans is very muted, but if he feels affection for you he will hold onto you.

Chariot shows his affection through gifts and will often present you with flowers he’s found!

You make his bonded one happy which makes him happy! It also helps you’re kinda to him and give him gifts too! He cherishes every treasure you’ve gifted him!

Jotaro

His animal form is a Moray Eel! He’s also quite large for his species coming in at 6 feet long!

The traits he carries from his animal form are that his teeth are sharper than normal!

You met Jotaro while lazing in a secluded cove soaking in the sun. Charging a few crystals for an upcoming major spell.

You barely heard him enter but you did feel when he passed your rune barrier.

You had expected to see maybe a minor demon or a pixie, but not a hulking man who’s cold glare pierced you.

You both exchanged words as the adrenaline wore out, and you just waved him off so you could enjoy the sun without him.

He scoffed shouldering you as he walked past, electricity ran through you both. Like a live wire had hit your skin.

To be an unbound familiar this close to a witch could be dangerous when caught off guard in a secluded area.

So when Jotaro whirled around to bare his teeth at you, he was surprised to find you moving to sit back down. Didn’t you want to enslave him to you?

After a few hours of coexisting on the beach you break the ice asking questions. Sometimes he’d grunt in response or answer in rambling sentences. What an enigmatic creature.

You learned that his last witch had been a hideous woman named Midler. He had been wandering unbound for many years, ignoring every witch who begged to become bound to him.

Humming you told him that your homes open to him and left your address on the sands as you left for home. Faintly feeling blue eyes drilling into your retreating form.

Weeks later as you sat slouched over a grimoire taking notes, you heard someone pounding on your door.

When you answered the door you found yourself face to face with none other than Jotaro.

After sitting him down and going through the motions of being a host you began to talk.

He laid out his demands, days he could and couldn’t fulfill his duties, and his boundaries. You beamed at him while signing the contract agreeing to your partnership, kick starting a wonderful future!

It took a bit for mutual comfort to happen but in the end it’s well worth the wait!

Jotaro compliments your spellcasting style and is an excellent potion making assistant! Both of you taking your craft very seriously.

When your relationship takes a slow turn to partnership neither of you are surprised!

Jotaro isn’t much for outward displays but he does like to show his appreciation through gifts. He’ll drop a new griomoire he acquired in you lap saying it was an “accidental buy”.

If you’re sick he’ll call up his mother to get her soup recipes. He’ll complain as he does but you know he really doesn’t mind it.

He specializes in water magic and energy manipulation making it easier for him to control volatile spells! He’s also very proficient in drawing spell circles with near perfect precision!

Has a minor water deity named Star Platinum that always follows him around much to his annoyance.

While Jotaro isn’t affectionate Star very much is and makes up for Jotaro in that aspect!

Star will twirl you around gleefully and enjoys hanging off of you as you read or spell cast!

Both Jotaro and Star would tear apart the world with their bare hands to ensure your safety.

Kakyoin

His animal form is a Orchid Mantis!

He doesn’t retain any traits of his animal form in human form except for some pink dusted here and there!

You first met Kakyoin at your local library as you scoured the shelves for your favorite book.

As you went to grab the book a slender hand grabbed it first. Silently huffing you turned to swear at the thief but found yourself face to face with an interesting man.

He already started to walk away but you felt something pulling at your gut to stop him.

As you grabbed his wrist you felt electricity hum through you and his pupils expanded in surprise.

He tugged his hand out of your grasp and took long strides to the check out and out the door.

Well that’s one way to make an impression on a witch. You by instinct wanted to race after him but your gut anchored your feet as you watched him flee.

You didn’t run into him for many months, a careful unbound familiar who had no doubt been mistreated in the past.

You didn’t actively seek him out but it seemed that fate put its back into dragging you two together.

You found the strange man at your door one morning bloody and bruised badly. Hauling his lanky form onto your couch you got to work fixing him up.

Spell after spell you cast and even eased mild healing potions down his throat. Now all left to do was wait, so that’s what you did.

Curled up on your armchair with the newest grimoire to your collect you began reading. It took him a few hours but finally he began to stir.

He looked defensive as his purple eyes scanned your living room. Eyeing you warily as you slowly stretched from your arm chair.

As you explained what had happened and how you treated him the calmer he became. He also explained he just came to the closest house after he was attacked. A low level demon having gotten the jump on him as he slept.

You happily welcomed him to stay in your heavily warded home, which is near impossible to break into. He hesitantly took your offer and so began your journey with your new roommate!

It took months of tip toeing around one another before he finally approached you with a deal. Very clearly and sternly laying out his boundaries and expectations.

You gladly welcome his into the bond, celebrating by making a nice meal! After many years you finally had a familiar!

He helps a lot to cover the areas you lack in and help mishaps before they happen! If one side of the spell isn’t reinforced he’s there working on it! Making sure it won’t backfire in your face!

In his mantis form Kakyoin is content in just punching on you as you go about doing what you need to! He doesn’t enjoy touch as much as others but enjoys your warmth!

Enjoys looking at the outside world from his smaller perspective, behind glass and wards of course can’t have a bird snatching him!

It takes a while for Kakyoin to allow himself to court you and at first he’s very cautious. Aware of your ever movement, but as he get more comfortable he opens up more!

He enjoys holding hands with you and resting his head in your lap as you read or watch tv.

Enjoys baking for you because he’s a horrible cook. He enjoys making a great variety of desserts and you are his personal taste tester!

If you become sick he’ll show how he can make a mean chicken noodle soup from scratch. The only dish he can’t mess up when cooking!

Is a helicopter partner when you’re sick, worried if he takes his eyes off of you he’ll miss something!

He specializes in air magic and has a keen eye for plant identification! Making him useful very useful when you go foraging!

Has a bonded nature spirit named Hierophant Green that follows him wherever he goes. They’re very attached to one another.

Hierophant will be very wary of you for a long time, but as he sees that you treat Kakyoin well it’ll win his favor.

Once Hierophant becomes attached there’s letting go, he’ll follow you everywhere demanding pets.

He lets off a strangely high pitched purr when you pet him and wraps around you protectively at home.

Hierophant and Kakyoin would sacrifice the whole universe to make sure you stay safe.

Holy shit that’s.. long. We hope you enjoyed and we bid you a good morning/afternoon/evening! A lot of love went into this piece :D

[wisehoagiekidwobbler]

Forms of Witchcraft

•Dolls and Poppets

Poppets are the English terms for what movies call a ‘voodoo doll’. Voodoo doll is a misnomer, and does nothing for either poppets or Haitian magic.

Poppets can be used for a couple of things – mainly either cursing or healing. This doesn’t always have to be physical curses/cures – poppets can also be used to influence thought patterns.

Dolls can also be used to provide homes for Spirits, or used to create guardians. You can also use a doll as a scapegoat to prevent a curse from latching onto you.

•Shrinemaking

Shrine making is less a way to create a defined outcome, and more a way of pleasing Spirits who you may later want to call upon. It’s kinda like taking your new neighbours a pie, in case you ever need them to watch the house whilst you’re away. The pie is an overture to a friendly relationship, not direct payment for the house sitting. However, if you just blundered into their garden one day and offered them £100 to watch the house, they’d probably tell you to get lost. Randomly calling up Spirits, Saint or Deities can have the same effect. I mean, would you help someone get a job if they just banged on your door and waved some incense at you? Get your local Spirits pies. Find out what scents, and objects, and offerings that they like. Keep the land around you clean, and pick up after other people if you can. Use your vote and your money to protect the land from logging and fracking. Build a dedicated ‘meeting space’ where you call up Spirits, and fill it full of pictures of them or things they like. It pays dividends in the future.

Shrinemaking can also be used to help bless and protect your home and land. By connecting with the other Spirits that are there, you solidify the relationship, and can work together against intruders.

•Bottles and Jars

Witch bottles (or spell jars)  are fun, easy ways to create a variety of effects. As a spell base, they can be effective for:

* money

* love

* friendship

* animal work

* protection

Some people define a witch bottle as strictly the traditional version which is used as a scapegoat, and call other spells involving bottles and jars ‘spell jars’. Some people use the term witch bottle to encompass all magics involving jars.

You can learn about all types of bottle magic in the free course which you can sign up for below!

•Candles

Candle magic is a much more modern form of magic than you’d think – especially if we’re talking coloured candles. Candles were very precious objects in the past! However, it was not an unusual item to have, like a hunk of crystal or fairy doll, which is why they became an item to use for undetected witchcraft – like brooms, and cauldrons.

As candles have got cheaper and cheaper and less needed to be used for lighting, much more forms and types of magic have sprung up around them. With the addition of coloured waxes or painted candles, the sorts of magic you can do with candles has grown exponentially.

Candles are a subset of fire magic and therefore are fantastic for banishing, but they are often the beginners tool of choice. It’s easy to understand why – easy to get hold of, easy to use, and there’s as much fancy ritual needed as you feel inclined to give it.

When you want to expand your knowledge, you can still stick with candles – but investigate the use of oils, herbs and crystals in conjunction with candles.

•Crystals and Rocks

Crystals and rocks are often used as ‘ingredients’ in other spells. They are very easy to add to bottles, pouches, dolls and more. However, you can also use crystals in spell work solely on their own by adding them to your pillow, till, money box, plant pot, etc.

Their use goes much further than this, but that enters the realm of energy healing which is a part of many traditions and is a very dedicated and intensive practice all by itself, and too much to explain here.

Air

You can utilize the powers of air in a lot of ways. It’s usually good for cleansing spells – think sweeping with a ritual broom, burning incense (smoke=air, not fire), ringing bells or playing bowls, singing, using flags and wheels. Air methods tend to return quick results.

Earth

Earth brings slow results, but they tend to be larger. Earth practices include enchanting seeds that will bring you money as they grow, burying offerings in the Earth, making vessels and spells out of clay, or writing spells in the mud.

Fire

Fire can bring things into your life, but is much better used to get rid of them – for beginners, anyway. If there is anything in your life that you wish to get rid of, you can write or draw a representation of it and cast it into the fire to remove it.

Water

Water can take the longest time to bring you what you need. However, think of water pounding against a rock. Drips of water became rivers, became waterfalls. Water can often bring you the biggest results, but it may take a long time.

Water spells can include potions (see below), but can also include ritual baths, leaving offers in water, or giving up bad energy or habits to the ocean.

•Bones

Bones are a contentious subject in witchcraft. Some people will never use them, some people’s practice is not complete without them. You can actually get bones in an ethical manner, by either cleaning up roadkill yourself or paying someone to do it for you, or literally keeping the bones from your dinner!

Some uses for bones are:

* Telling the future (casting bones or lots)

* Housing the Spirit of the animal so you can work with them

* Form parts of wands or ritual jewellery or headresses

* Ingredients in pouches

Tarot, Runes and Ogham

You can use all of these fortune telling tools in spells, too! You can choose one of them that has a characteristic or represents an outcome that you’d like. So if you wanted a new job, you might choose the Ace of Pentacles. Then you could do any one of the following with it:

* Use it to focus a candle spell

* Add it to a pouch or bag spell

* Add it to a jar spell

* Use it in lieu of a sigil

* Make a vision board around it

* Even burn it! (You can get single Tarot cards for this purpose on eBay.)

•Potions and Elixirs

Potion Magic used to be a lot more popular. Whilst elixirs, tisanes and tea blends are still popular for use on yourself, the masses of recipes of potions, philtres and similar recipes have all but died out. That’s because a lot of potion magic is only to be used in desperate circumstances, like love potions and curses. The reason so many old fashioned love potions are beyond creepy and controlling is that woman’s husband was her meal ticket. If he left her, not only would she be blamed, but she would be out of a house, food and her own family probably wouldn’t take her in. She had shamed them all. (Often through no actual fault of her own.) She was literally facing public humiliation, being outcast, perhaps even starving to death – and sometimes her children along with here.

So dousing  a lover or husband’s food with love potion made a lot more sense then, than it does now.

Thankfully, most of us don’t live in those circumstances any more, so a lot of philtre or potion use has died out. However, there are still some amazing things you can make to ingest yourself:

* Tea blends

* Tisanes (herbals teas)

* Bath spells

* Lunar or solar water

* Herbal Oils

Spoken Magic

Spoken Magic can be long and complicated, or very short. It doesn’t have to rhyme (but it can) it doesn’t have to flow like poetry (but it can). You can use spoken incantation to help direct energy when you’re using other methods, but you can also use it on it’s own.

Some examples of spoken magic:

* Affirmations

* Words of power

* Singing

* Ritual Offerings

* Wishes

You can even banish Spirit’s solely through your voice. Shouting ‘Leave!’ with the correct intention can be very powerful.

•Written Magic

Written magic has existed since we could write. Many cultures view writing AS magic. Think about it – 26 (or thereabouts, depends on your alphabet) tiny squiggles can become anything when placed in the right order. Dumbledore was right about the power of words.

Written magic can include:

* Petitions to Spirits

* Magic squares

* Words of power or protection

* Wishes

* Tattoos

* Rune work

Bag and Pouch Magic

There is all kinds of bag magic – from mojo bags, to more modern spell envelopes. The main idea behind bag or pouch magic is that keeping a carefully curated selection of objects together for a certain time period will produce the effects that you want. A lot of bag magic produces indefinite spells  provided they are charged. Such bags usually grant the wearer protection, prosperity, luck or good health. However, there are bag magics wear a specific time limited spell is wanted – invisibility spells, hex breakers and the like.

•Enchantments and Glamours

Enchantment covers a variety of spell types, but theme of the spells are pretty much the same. Enchantment covers a lot of the old folklore kind of witchcraft – hidden worlds, changing age, changing into different animals and so on.

Enchanting something fools the viewer into believing something is there when it is not, or isn’t there when it is, or is something completely different.

Think of the Harry Potter scene where Hermione explains that the ceiling of the Great Hall isn’t a real sky, it’s just enchanted to look that way.

Real enchantment can be done for fun, but they can also be useful pieces of magic. You can enchant jewelry, clothes or makeup to bestow certain personality traits upon you. You can enchant your witchy items to look normal if you’re fearful of discovery. The possibilities are just about endless.