#i know this pantheon was livid

[tahthetrickster]

playing karma is just like. one long yakety sax solo

[summertimemusician]

Honestly I find it really ironic that the one time I decide to try posting a fic related to the in between point of BOTW's story (because I personally can't see TOTK representing that inflection point, because of the whole founding of Hyrule thing and the lack of Sheikah tech, though I have thoughts about that I'll probably write down later), and another with the infection point of the Adult Timeline, whom I have many thoughts about because the implications delight me and I have way too many thoughts about it and how it relates to the First Hero's time and the rest of the Zelda Timeline and technically could relate to LU but I doubt anyone would want me to go off about it right now, Ao3 is fucking down because of a small minded hacker group that's generally homophobic, transphobic, likely way too conservative for my liking and posing as another minority to get clout and rage all over bit coin of all things.

It makes me want to laugh and cry hysterically.

[classicschronicles]

Hi lovelies,

Okay so the other day it was like 6am and I went to the bathroom and there was the FATTEST spider just in the skink. Just chilling. Now according to my religion it’s seriously frowned upon to kill spiders, but also I wasn’t about to put the thing outside at 6am, so you best believe I brushed my teeth in the kitchen sink. Anyways, it naturally makes sense that today I tell you about the myth of Arachne, the spider woman. (Also just a quick TW, this myth does mention r4p3 towards the middle so skip that if you need to and stay safe!)

Arachne (spider in Greek) was a beautiful woman with a great talent for weaving. It is said that nymphs would come from the forests simply to come and watch her weave, and claimed that no other than Athena could have trained her.

Falling victim to human pride, the praise went to Arachne’s head a little and so one day she boasted that her weaving was so good it would put Athena to shame. Now, if you know anything about Greek mythology, it’s that you do not insult the gods. But Arachne obviously ignored this and so when Athena had heard what Arachne said, was enraged.

Athena, disguised as an old woman, appeared before Arachne and warned her of the consequences of upsetting the gods. I will say this one of the few instances of the gods giving a human a chance to show remorse, but Arachne was not in the least bit apologetic and challenged Athena to a contest. She foolishly said that if she lost the contest she would accept any punishment Athena chose for her. At this point, Athena revealed her true form and accepted the challenge. Many were horrified at Arachne’s audacity, but still she refused to back down, and so a weaving competition between the two was decided.

Athena created a tapestry complete with scenes from the history of the gods. She placed Zeus (strategically) in the middle of the Olympic pantheon as well as her own contest, alongside her own victory against Poseidon. At the corner of the tapestry she cleverly depicted humans who had defied the gods and scenes of them being mercilessly punished.

Arachne, however, still determined to defy the goddess, chose a scene that depicted the infidelities and vices of the gods. She too placed Zeus at the centre and portrayed a whole host of indiscretions. She showed a few of the many r4p3s of Zeus, including Swan Zeus and Leda, the Bull and Europa, the Eagles abduction of Aegina, the shower of gold and Danae, and the Satyr and Antiope. According to the Latin narrative, the tapestry showed a total of 21 various divine indiscretions, including those of Poseidon, Apollo, Dionysus, and other Olympians.

Maybe a slightly controversial take, but whilst this may not have been the smartest move she could’ve made, there is no denying its significance in demonstrating the behaviour of the gods and Arachne’s boldness does have to be admired. However, this was obviously not the opinion of Athena who, although she could not deny Arachne’s skill, was still livid over Arachne’s humiliating portrayal of the gods. Athena, therefore, decided to transform Arachne into a spider saying that Arachne and all of her descendants would henceforth hang from threads and be skilful weavers whose works would always be destroyed by humans.

There you have it! The story of Arachne (and also why spiders are classed as Arachnids today). Maybe just think about this myth next time you see a spider, and whilst it may not be true, I think we can still appreciate the beauty of webs. Anyways, I hope you all have a lovely rest of your weekend xx

~Z

[worstloki]

Wait… so Thor already had his hair forcibly cut and was forced to fight ”to the death” in an arena. And now the same director is having thor forcibly stripped and apparently fighting in an arena again this time for the greek/Roman pantheon? I know this is ancient history but are they serious? I’m livid.

also, people on Olympus dress like Asgardians

[orokinarchives]

Stolen Dreams

Find the thief Maroo and uncover the secrets of the Arcane Codices.

Previous story quest: Once Awake

Starting the quest

The quest is awarded by completing the Phobos Junction on Mars. After it is unlocked, it can be started at any time from the Codex. Stolen Dreams must be completed as a requirement for unlocking the Europa Junction.

Once the quest is started, the Tenno will receive an inbox message from the Lotus.

Inbox message: INTERCEPTED MESSAGE: Grineer Commander Tyl Regor

The rat Maroo takes us for fools. Find her. We must recover the new Arcane Codex before she sells it to the Corpus. If she no longer has the codes, you may use any extraction techniques necessary to learn their whereabouts. This interrogation can be her punishment; she need not survive.

You are commanded, Tyl Regor

Lotus: "This is unexpected. After decades of searching, the Grineer finally uncovered the last of the Arcane Codices, only to lose them to some thief. Tyl Regor must be livid, which means this 'Maroo' is in real trouble. I need to have a word with her before the Grineer do."

Ordis: "Arcane Codices? Why have I never heard of them? Ordis needs to do some research."

First Mission: Capture Maroo (Tharsis, Mars)

(Corpus Ice Planet concept art – Zeljko Duvnjak)

The mission takes place on the Corpus Ice Planet tileset, with Corpus enemies.

Lotus: "I have tracked Maroo to this Corpus outpost. Bring her to me for questioning. Be as persuasive as necessary; she may not want to come with us, but it's in her best interest."

Lotus: "The Arcane Codices have been a mystery ever since they were uncovered decades ago. They appear to be part of a set that was incomplete until the Grineer found this final code. Without the full set, nobody can agree on what exactly they are."

(upon spotting Maroo) Lotus: "Maroo, I am the Lotus. I come as a friend. You are in mortal danger and you need to come with us."

Maroo is armed with an Aklex and can cast Smoke Screen to temporarily become invisible. She will continuously speak unsubtitled lines until she is captured.

Maroo: "I'm not playing around, and I ain't got no business with a Tenno."

Maroo: "Don't come near me. I'm warning you!"

Maroo: "Nobody, but nobody catches Maroo!"

Maroo: "I don't take orders from anybody. Stay the hell back you tin-suits."

(when being captured, variant) Maroo: "Ahh hey! That kinda tickles!"

(when being captured, variant) Maroo: "Augh! It stings!"

[on board Orbiter]

The Tenno will receive an inbox message from the Lotus.

Inbox message: DEBRIEFING LOG: Maroo

Once the severity of the Grineer capture order was made clear to her, Maroo was more than willing to accept our offer of protective custody. In exchange, she will aid us in locating the Arcane Codices.

The following is an excerpt from our debriefing with Maroo.

Maroo (video): "Oh, so you tin-suits want to know about that Arcane Codex? Heh, is that all? Okay here goes: Tyl Regor offered up big-time credits for me to pull the code from some strange machine on an Infested Orokin derelict. Thing is, I never much liked the Grineer, so the code I pulled, ain't the code I gave em. Haha, I guess they've finally figured that out? I bet you're looking to get your hands on the code? Too bad, I already sold 'em to the Corpus…. Now, if you were to make it worth my while? Maybe I'd tell you where they're keeping it…."

Second Mission: Take an Arcane Codex (Unda, Venus)

(Spy 2.0 hype image)

The mission is a Spy mission on the Corpus Outpost tileset, with Corpus enemies.

Maroo: "Listen up, ya tin-suits. With the Grineer itching to torture the life out of me, I've accepted your Lotus' offer of protection. In return, I'm gonna help your sorry behinds find that Arcane Codex."

Lotus: "My Tenno are quite capable, Maroo. Perhaps you would prefer it if we dropped you off outside the nearest Grineer mining asteroid?"

Maroo: "Wow. She always this much fun?"

Lotus: "Maroo?"

Maroo: "Fine. Here's the business. The Corpus are keeping the Codex in one of these fortified data vaults. You gotta break in and take what's yours without triggering the data destruction sequence."

There are three data vaults. Only one of them needs to be successfully hacked, but all three need to be attempted before the mission can be completed.

(upon approaching a data vault) Maroo: "The data vault is nearby. Do your best and try not to trip the alarms."

(upon completing the first data vault) Maroo: "You got that Codex. Why don't you see if the Corpus are hiding anything else in the other vaults?"

(upon extracting data undetected, variant) Maroo: "Hey, surprisingly impressive. You found the Codex, and the Corpus are none the wiser."

(upon extracting data undetected, variant) Maroo: "There's the codex! There might be hope for you after all."

(upon setting off alarms, variant) Maroo: "Now you've gone and done it. Get to that console, quick!"

(upon setting off alarms, variant) Maroo: "Smooth one, tin-suit… now, hurry up and get the data before it's destroyed."

(upon setting off alarms, variant) Maroo: "There's the alarms. Get moving!"

(upon extracting data after detection, variant) Maroo: "Well, it weren't pretty, but you got what we were looking for."

(upon extracting data after detection, variant) Maroo: "Nice recovery. Had me worried for a second there."

(upon failing the first data vault) Maroo: "Too slow! Good thing there's another vault. Try not to mess things up next time."

(upon failing the second data vault) Maroo: "Again? really? You know we're here to take the data, right? You've got one more chance."

(upon failing the third data vault) Maroo: "You managed to fail every vault. Maybe you're just not cut out for this type of work, tin-suit." [mission fails]

(after hacking the last vault) Maroo: "You've explored all the vaults and found that Arcane Codex. Your Lotus told me to tell you to get to extraction."

[on board Orbiter]

Ordis: "Operator, I've been looking into these Arcane Codices. Did you know the Corpus are in possession of three Codices and the Grineer two?"

Lotus: "And now the Tenno have one too. Nobody has ever examined them all together. That's our plan."

Ordis: "The Corpus seem to think they'll lead to some lost Orokin treasure."

Maroo: "Ordo, did you say treasure?"

Ordis: "It's 'Ordis', and, while just a theory, it is plausible."

Maroo: "Either way, it's right up my alley."

Third Mission: Take the Grineer Arcane Codices (Pantheon, Mercury)

(Spy 2.0 hype image)

The mission is a Spy mission on the Grineer Galleon tileset, with Grineer enemies.

Lotus: "Maroo tells me that the Grineer are storing their two Arcane Codices on this Galleon. You need to find both to complete this mission."

There are three data vaults, but only two need to be successfully extracted.

Maroo: "The Grineer claim the Arcane Codices will help them to a cure for cloning decay syndrome. I think that might be wishful thinking."

(upon extracting data, variant) Lotus: "That's it. That's an Arcane Codex."

(upon extracting data, variant) Lotus: "Good work. You found an Arcane Codex."

(after attempting all three data vaults) Lotus: "You've got the Codices and there is nothing more for us here. Get to extraction."

[on board Orbiter]

Ordis: "Operator, have you looked at these Codices? They're absolutely beautiful. Composed with such elegance and grace – I have never seen anything like them. Is there even an Operator capable of writing something so perfect?"

Maroo: "But you still have no idea what they mean, do you?"

Ordis: "…No, not really. Pfft… well, I wouldn't expect the likes of you to understand."

Fourth Mission: Take the Corpus Arcane Codices (Roche, Phobos)

(Spy 2.0 hype image)

The mission is a Spy mission on the Corpus Ship tileset, with Corpus enemies.

Lotus: "We've tracked down the remaining Arcane Codices to this Corpus facility."

All three data vaults must be hacked to complete the mission.

Lotus: "There are three data vaults and three Codices. Proceed with caution; if Corpus security destroy even one of these fragments, this mission will be a failure."

(upon extracting the third data vault) Lotus: "We have all the three Codices. You may extract now."

[on board Orbiter]

Ordis: "Operator, these make sense now! This is machine code, meant to interface directly with… a machine. Pity that machine has likely rusted into dust by now."

Maroo: "Ordo? Did you say something about a machine?"

Ordis: "Ordis' name is Ordis."

Maroo: "Yeah, yeah. Listen, that first Codex is in the derelict. I pulled it from some sort of machine."

Ordis: "Hmmm. I wonder, if we load the complete set of Arcane Codices back into that machine, would the code still execute?"

Lotus: "We're about to find out. Tenno, get ready to go into the Void."

Fifth Mission: Find the Arcane Machine (Alator, Mars)

(Grineer Settlement concept art – Branislav Perkovic)

The mission takes place on the Grineer Settlement tileset. Both Arid Grineer and Infested are present, fighting each other across the map. Both factions are also hostile to the Tenno.

Lotus: "Tenno, Maroo is the only person who has been on the inside of that derelict and lived to tell about it. She'll guide you through this mission."

Maroo: "This is it. Your Lotus has promised me a cut of whatever treasure you find, so don't you tin-suits go messing this one up. Get to the Void portal."

Lotus: "Maroo, I said 'if' there is any treasure."

Maroo: "Eh, c'mon, the Orokin were all about treasure, weren't they? The only question is, how much?"

A Void gate leads to an Infested Orokin derelict.

Maroo: "The Grineer have been trying to get inside this derelict for days, but the Infested keep tearing them to shreds. Your Lotus seems to think you'll do better. We'll see."

In the middle of a large room is an Orokin device emitting blue streams of energy. Floating suspended in the energy currents above the machine is what appears to be the skull of some large animal.

Maroo: "There it is, the machine I pulled the final Arcane Codex from. You've got the full set of Codices; upload 'em and say hello to treasure."

The Tenno must upload the Codices by interacting with the machine. A video transmission will appear on the HUD, consisting of a largely static-filled view of empty space with a mysterious voice speaking a cryptic message: "All is silent and calm. Hushed and empty is the womb of the sky." The audio, somewhat glitchy, will repeat once. After that, the skull will dissolve into smoke and disappear.

Maroo: "What just happened?"

Lotus: "The machine, it's gone. Tenno, watch out."

An Infested spawn pod nearby will produce an Arcane Boiler, simply a larger and blue version of the standard Boiler unit. It must be killed.

Lotus: "Tenno, I don't know if we got the answers we came for, but there's nothing more for us here. Exit the derelict and head for extraction."

Maroo: "What? Where's my damn treasure? I was told there would be treasure."

Lotus: "Whatever that was, it wasn't here for our benefit or yours. Only time will tell what we've just uncovered."

[on board Orbiter]

Ordis: "So, you're saying there was no treasure, no cure for cloning syndrome, no lost Tenno Cephalon?"

Maroo: "Ordo, there was nothing."

Ordis: "That really is a shame, Maroo. I am sorry."

Maroo: "Nah, I'm used to it. When you don't run with any of the major factions or Syndicates, the big paydays are few and far between. I'll manage. Listen, I can't say it hasn't been fun, but with the Arcane Codices gone, I think it's safe for me to venture back out into the wild. Cya, tin-suits."

Next story quest: The New Strange

[Navigation: Hub → Quests → Stolen Dreams]

[minaminokyoko]

Captain Marvel: A Spoilertastic Review

Well, here we are. Our first female-led Marvel movie (unless you count Ant Man and the Wasp, which I kind of do because Scott was basically useless and Hope ran the whole movie like a boss, but too bad she ran the show on a dull, rushed movie). How does it measure up?

It's fine.

I'd coin Captain Marvel as good, not great. It's definitely a popcorn flick, in the same vein of Ant Man for sure in terms of where it fits in our giant pantheon of MCU movies. I'd rank it dead center, so slightly underneath Cap 1 and Thor 2, but above Doctor Strange. I think Ant Man is a good comparison for the tone and the enjoyment of this movie, although it does do more to characterize the main lead than Ant Man did for Scott Lang. To be fair, though, somehow they end up in the same spot for my personal rankings.

So let's dive in and see why.

Overall Grade: B-

Pros:

-Plenty of action. No shortage on that whatsoever.

-Lots of off-world adventures, for those fans who sometimes are annoyed that too many MCU movies are earth-based. We don't hit earth until about the halfway point and there are still some shenanigans then.

-The dynamic between Carol and Fury is a lot of fun. Larson and Jackson work off each other's energy very well and the banter feels fun and familiar without ever veering into any weird territory. Fury is just as effective as ever at her side, and it's before he becomes full on grumpy Dad Fury, so he's a lot less cold and it's fun to see.

-It was also delightful getting to see Coulson one more time, although it's a cameo, not a whole role as some of the trailers sort of imply.

-The female relationships are probably the strongest in the Marvel lineup, aside from Black Panther. Particularly Carol, her best friend Maria, and Maria's daughter. We don't see a ton of it, but it's just enough to put a huge grin on your face. It's very warm and endearing. I also like that Maria was not only a supportive best friend struggling to get over her loss, but she got to join the action as well, and it was badass. I really am happy with Marvel pushing forward to give black women more representation in the superhero genre. Too many folks think black women in film are only sassy best friends or baby mamas or Tyler Perry stereotypes. We love sci-fi/fantasy just as much as everyone else, and so I loved seeing two beautiful black actresses shining next to Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson. It lends the film a lot of heart.

-Brie Larson is relatively decent in the role. She has some moments better than others, but overall, she did a good job. It never felt like she couldn't handle the work of beating some ass, and she sold me far more than Gal Gadot did as Wonder Woman. Which, yes, I know, it's unfair and kind of tasteless to compare them, but I have to note it since I didn't care for the WW movie that this is what I was talking about with film presence. Gal Gadot, to me, looks like a supermodel wearing a Wonder Woman costume. To me, she never embodied the poise, agility, and strength that Diana has in the comics or in the animated series. I believed Gadot more during the softer parts of the WW movie, but she couldn't pull off the action because she just doesn't have the presence. Larson does, imo. She carries herself in a manner that makes me feel like she can kick your ass. She has a stance and a stature that allows me to feel her strength, and it's in line with other Marvel women like Widow, Okoye, or Scarlet Witch.

-My favorite part of the movie is hands down the "I'm Just a Girl" by No Doubt scene. Oh my God. I was internally squeeing and singing along with the lyrics while she kicked ass. I was so delighted to see them perfectly use that song that I already liked in high school anyway, and it just worked so well.

-I also liked the montages of Carol getting back up. That is a really, really important image for the girls growing up to see. It's not about how many times you fall. It's about how many times you still get back up. That's great. We fall and get dirty and scuffed and mocked and hated. But we still get up and try again every time. Love it. It's very empowering.

-The de-aging looked pretty good. Jackson is tougher since he's gained weight since the size he was back in the 90's but they filled in his wrinkles well enough. Coulson's looked better, although I did notice just it a tad bit during the stairwell scene, but overall, I thought it was well done.

-Gosh, her costume looks amazing. I want it. I want to wear it for Halloween. It's gorgeous.

-The sequence of the Skrulls acquiring her memories was very neat and uniquely done. Kudos.

-THE MOTHERFUCKING FIRST END CREDITS SCENE. Y'ALL. I SCREAMED. I SCREAMED AND CLAPPED MY HANDS SO HARD I HURT THEM. OH MY GOD. SHE'S ON EARTH. THE QUEEN IS ON EARTH AND WE SHALL ALL BE SAVED. SHE IS GOING TO TURN FUCKING THANOS INTO FUCKING PURPLE CLAM CHOWDER WITH HER BARE HANDS FOR KILLING FURY AWWWWWW YEEEEEEEEEEAH BOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII. Ahem. Sorry. I am really goddamn excited about that tiny piece of Avengers: Endgame because Marvel and the Russos have been so fucking stingy with details. We still don't know the plot. We only have that 30-second Superbowl spot and the Sad Stark trailer. I was livid they didn't give us a final trailer in front of this movie, but I guess with it a month and change away, they're just banking on us frothing at the mouth wanting more. Jerks. But anyway, yes, this fucking scene is mint and I wish I could rewind it.

-Nick naming the Avenger Initiative after her was a great cherry on top moment.

-I fucking lost it when Nick started singing “Mr. Postman.” Deadass, I just started listening to that song about a month ago thanks to that one famous Vine where those dudes sung it acapella. I was dying. You go, Nick. 

Cons:

-This movie overall has a bit of a bland taste to it. It's most revolving around Carol. The problem is that I think they were too chicken to dive deeply into who she is and her personality and her desires because they were afraid the feminists would complain that they made her too soft, so they replaced it all with action. Which is fine, some people just want a girl kicking ass, but I think it did Carol and Larson a disservice by rushing everything and doing drive-by characterization. The dialogue doesn't stick as well due to the bland flavoring, for example. If you ask me who Carol Danvers is, I can't really tell you. I can tell you what she does, but not who she is. I regret that probably the most out of everything. This movie is a bit of a vehicle than a movie where we discover who she is. We discover what she is, but not who she is. She's kind of just every tough, stubborn, smartass female lead you could see in maybe an Avengers OC fic on AO3. She really needed more distinct quirks and likes and dislikes, and I really fault them for cutting out her life on the Kree planet. It would have shown us so much more about her if we knew what her Kree life was like juxtaposed against her original human life, and it could up the stakes and help them sink it, and give more immediacy and concern to the dangers she faced.

-The villains were telegraphed. Again, people ding Marvel for this all the time. It's because they seem to struggle with balance. Often, the villains are thin to cut down the running time by not developing them at all. It's a shame. I've always found Jude Law very entertaining and I think they should have given him something to work with other than Obvious Bad Guy Pretending To Be Good. It was so transparent, much like the bitchy sister villain from Incredibles II. He might as well have been twirling a mustache. I mean, any dude who tells you your emotions are bad is probably not on the up-and-up. And it would have been better to see him and Carol square off at the end in an emotional battle than for it to just be a cheap shot and a joke. But I digress.

-While there was a lot of action, aside from the "Just a Girl" sequence, I will forget it all by morning. I think they wanted the movie to have mass appeal, so a lot of it comes across as generic. The stuff that stands out more are bits like finally seeing what alien Goose actually was or some of Fury's quips and the bits with Maria's daughter and Carol. The action itself is serviceable, but I'd have liked it to have more flavor if possible.

-Not outlining the limit to Carol's powers. This is going to be tough lining up with Endgame because she's so god-like we're gonna wonder if she just bitchslaps Thanos and that's the end. She feels overpowered without the chip limiting her, so I would have liked them to give us some kind of idea as to how she won't just wipe the floor with him in retribution in Endgame.

-Nitpick: Nick losing his eye to Goose annoyed me. People called it. I didn't want them to be right, but ugh, they were. It was a bit too silly for me.

-Nitpick: They really didn't need to waste our time with the second end credits being Goose puking up the Tesseract. We knew he did. You didn't have to show it, dummies.

-Nitpick: Was hoping for some 90's era cameos from at least one other Avenger, but no such luck. Damn. What a letdown.

I had fun, and I am eager to see her fit into the rest of the MCU. And I am also selfishly even more interested in Kamala Khan someday popping in as the new generation of heroes. Please, God, give me Kamala Khan. I want her and my son Peter Parker to team up and be the cutest superhero dorks ever. But until then...God help us all. Endgame is coming.

Enjoy the sunlight coming off of Ms. Danvers.

Because it's finna get dark up in here, my children.

See you in Endgame.

Kyo out.

[sugarcyanide]

Loki Fix IT!

(Written in September 2014.  Revised November 2017 Transferred from a previous blog.)

Image by Destiny Fall

Last year, times were dismal, when I had found out that we had to move I was pissed. I have had a long-term contract with the Gods. I would walk the path that they ask of me, including all the sacrifices that it takes, for one thing, that they take care of me.  I will not martyr myself for their cause. Promises had been made and, sort of broken, in the past. They had held to the letter of the agreement but not the heart of it. This last Summer was the 3rd time in my life I had to completely rebuild from scratch, all that I had put my heart and soul into.

I turned to the one threat that I knew would get through to them. I had every intention of following through. I would go mundane. I would turn off the God phone, stop all the work they wanted of me and just solely concentrate on my material life. Work my 9 to 5 and turn my back on all the rest. I knew things that people spent their lives searching for. I have seen things that would terrify the hardiest of individuals. I would simply ignore them as if it was never there. This was a very real and valid threat. I had every intention of following through. I was out on my tiny little back deck just cussing out the Gods. A total Hercules moment of damn you! I will never forgive you for this!

As I am sitting there just cussing up a storm, up pops Loki. Just chilling on the edge of the railing of my tiny apartment deck. Sitting there on the railing knee up and head in his palm. I was so livid I rounded on him. “What are you doing here? Where is Mom? Dad? You didn’t make these promises THEY DID! I don’t even work with the Norse Pantheon, not really. That's Rocky’s or Justin’s Domain.”  (S/O and BFF respectively.)  I am just standing there yelling at him going on and on and trying to make sense of why He, Loki of all Gods would come down. I was so mad. I just took out all my anger on him. He gave me a moment to catch my breath and he looks up at me from his prone posture with tears in his eyes and says “I’m Sorry.” That’s it. Just two words then a tear slowly trickles down his cheek and he wavers out of focus. Gone. I was left there mouth agape. Rocky sticks his head out the back door and asks me what is going on. “I just... I just got apologized to by Loki and he didn’t even do anything....” I stammer. 

My Best friend Justin is a Lokean and one of my confidants. I told him this story the next day. He started laughing and said, “Loki fix it.”  He said it is pretty standard for Loki to fix things that he didn’t even have anything to do with.  Its apparently a Lokean Joke, other people screw things up and Loki fixes it.

Justin and I bonded over the fact that we were both children of Chaos deities and often joked that Set and Loki were probably poker pals or something. Each trying to cheat the other out of money. *smiles* I asked Justin why Loki came down and not Set or Bast. Justin’s reply “Would you have listened?” Man, does he know me. I wouldn’t have, it was the shock of seeing Loki that calmed me down enough to take stock of what was going on. He laughed when I said that and said: “ Well there you go.”  

There’s more. Up until this point, I had been a Soft Polytheist. Having mostly worked with Egyptian Pantheon Gods one on one and a handle full of others, a time or two. I had this whole theory about Soft Polytheism.  Long story not quite as long, all this time I thought Loki and Set were aspects of each other. Especially with my brotherly bond with Justin. That is sooo Not The Case. Loki is definitely a completely different type of energy. So now my whole worldview of the Gods is kinda up in the air and I don’t know what to think anymore. I am starting to become a hard polytheist. Though that doesn’t quite feel right either. So I got an apology from Loki and in turn, he left my brain spinning. That is SOOO Like him.  

[dreamingofravens]

9/4/2017

A continuation of the Chaos Spirit story from last month! This may turn out to be a series of short stories all connected together... I hope everybody enjoys. For now, I’m going to tag it as ‘Controlled Chaos’.

“It’s not that hard to understand. You said not to, and I did it anyways.”

Satan would have pinched the bridge of his nose had he possessed any of these appendages. Eris stuck her own nose up as if bragging about her ability to both smell and pinch. Set shuffled in the back, a little less defiant in the face of serious divine punishment. Whori was present and fuming just as much ash and smoke as always.

“You are all, idiots… Take a good look at what you’ve done, you lot.” Satan waved one of his many, many, many wings and a vortex appeared. It was showing the aftermath of… What appeared to be a rigid and intense election process in one of the Earthen nations. Eris pursed her lips and looked from Satan to the vortex, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I don’t see the issue.” Eris started. Satan slapped another one of his wings upside the goddess’ head and expanded in size, closer to his true incomprehensible dimensions. At this size he towered over the others. A great flaring of heaven’s fire and hell’s wrath flashed before the group who sheepishly cowered at the sudden and unexpected anger. It seared Eris’ eyebrows clean off and reduced Set’s whiskers to curly nothings.

“This is unprecedented! The High Council is livid! I’m livid! This was not prepared for! The Holy Union is panicking to try and right what you’ve done, you imbeciles! We have no idea what kind of consequences this will have on the world as we know it!” Satan kept rumbling, voice raising to a feverish pitch that caused the others to slap their hands over their ears. Soon Satan’s voice was nothing but an indescribable scream, hundreds of voices of him joining together in a cacophonous ringing that chanted the sins of the fellow agents of chaos before him.

Eventually the singing, screams, and murmurs stopped, leaving Satan heaving in a trembling fit of resides anger as he slowly took control of himself again. Set whined and put his hands over his muzzle, eyes closed. Whori was silently puffing smoke, grinding his teeth as he looked down. Even Eris seemed to have lost some of her cool..

“You have to fix this.” Came the strained murmur from Satan. Whori beat his hands against his thighs and opened his mouth wide in a yell.

“What do you mean!? Fix it?! We’re not agents of peace, Satan, we’re agents of chaos.”

“Yeah, we don’t FIX things. We aren’t meant to do that!” Set joined in. Satan flared again, silencing them.

“I don’t care to hear about it! You’re going to fix this whether you like it or not. No funny business, no tricks.I expect you to resolve this within the next decade or else you’re all going to be. Terminated.” The word hung like a chill over the group. Termination was a heavy threat. It rarely happened but when it did… When it did it was devastating. One time an entire pantheon had been terminated. Their followers left abandoned, their essence obliterated from existence, their stories lost to time. Eris swallowed tightly.

“... Okay. It’s a deal. We’ll… fix it.” Eris’ voice was weak and willowy, barely there. Whori and Set cast her side glances in worry. They’d never heard the brash and screechy goddess speak so softly. Satan huffed and blinked, all his eyes closing briefly before opening back up again and staring the group down. Set murmured his compliance with the terms of conditions and Whori nodded, arms kept stiff at his sides.

“You are all dismissed… And remember. You have ten years. Ten years, and if it’s not fixed by then…”

“Understood.” Eris hissed, her hands curling into tight fists. And with a clap of energy that can only be caused by a massive shift in reality and matter, Satan disappeared. Likely to go to the optometrist. Eris turned to the others now, mouth set in a hard thin line. Set scratched at his ears nervously and huffed.

“We’ve got a big job in front of us, boys… We better get started.”  

[moonlitwitch]

I got several annoying things  need to do today so starting out with a silly fun tag seems nice. I was tagged by @adrielswitchyways thank you <3

1. Are you a religious witch? Which religion? I’m casually religious I suppose. I favor the Norse pantheon, specifically Freyja.

2. What is your preferred herbs? hmm I like rose petals and clove and rosemary. 

3. What is your preferred gem? Quartz. any kind.

4. Do you do divination? Which kind? Tarot mostly. I like black mirror scrying too, but I need to make myself a good one. OH and my letter tiles. 

5. Favorite Tarot card? the lovers. typical of me :P  

6. To Curse or not to Curse? for me personally, curse. I’m good at it and if I wanna do it, it means there’s a good reason.

7. Do you have a familiar? nope. 

8. Favorite candle color? I probably use pink most often, followed by green and black. my favorite candles are the pretty ones with herbs and glitter in them lol

9. Favorite rune? dunno! I never practiced enough with them. 

10. Do you celebrate the solstices, full moons, etc? Not really. I know I notice every time there’s a full moon, I like to kinda take the moonlight in a little and let it kinda cleanse me, but I don’t do that as much lately. Other then that, I usually celebrate October 31st and Yule... any other celebrations are just whenever.

11. Do you wear a pentacle? sometimes! 

12. Do you have a broom? Nope, never had a need for one. If I was ever to get one or make one it would be for decoration :P

13. Do you have a pendulum? Yeah, a pretty quatrz one. 

14. Do you have an athame? nope, but I’d never say no to a cool knife.

15. How often do you meditate? I need to start doing it daily.

16. Do you do yoga? Another thing I need to do more often. Mostly for my mental health, it’s not a spiritual thing for me. 

17. Whats your favorite herbal tea? any fruity teas are good.

18. Do you support manipulation magic? sure. 

19. How many altars do you have? Just a small one on my bookshelf, because there’s not much room for a normal one, especially not a working altar like I’d like. But oh well, that’s something for when we move I suppose. 

20. Do you do magic outside often? Not really. When I’m out and about in nature, it’s mostly to enjoy myself and recharge and whatnot. I’m more of an urban witch anyway.

21. Can you read palms, or tea leaves? nope.

22. Would you ever open your own metaphysics shop? ehhhh I don’t know xD it seems like a lot of work.

23. Is your third eye open? I don’t know what it means to have an open third eye, so I have no idea. 

24. Do you like Astrology? Whats your sign? I like astrology! my sign is Taurus. 

25. Favorite flower? Or Tree? I love all kinda of flowers. Peonies and roses are kinda up there!

26. Do you have an animal guide? hmmmm. not that I can remember. To be fair, I’m spiritually blocked lately and I forget things. 

27. Whats your favorite kind of magic? Sympathetic magic, I think! and I looove making spell jars.

28. What time do you feel most like a witch? When I’m walking powerfully and with purpose down the streets of a city. Sounds kinda simple but it’s a specific and magic feeling. 

29. Are you out of the broom closet? Pretty much. 

30. Are you a hereditary witch? Or self discovered? No one’s really hereditary though. You can’t be like “Oh I’m 25 percent witch on my mom’s side” cause like, witchcraft is something you choose.

31. Are you in a coven? Or solitary? I am in an online coven (I created it actually), and I’m so happy I am, too. One of the coolest things that’s happened to me <3

32. Do you want to be in a coven? How big? I like smaller covens. BTW no one HAS to be in a coven. Solitary is fine too. My coven is more like a supportive study group. 

33. When did you become a witch? it’s been a decade now. 

34. Do you make your own spells? Yep, and if I do use someone else’s spell, I’ll usually make it my own in some way.

35. Do you make your own sigils? Yeah I love sigils. I make a lot of them.

36. Why did you choose this path? At risk of sounding like a Bad Slytherin, I like the feeling of power. Not so much over others, but for myself.

37. Whats your favorite element? earth. and water. 

38. Do you do any misc. magic? uhhh I don’t know what would fall under misc magic. I do some spirit work, does that count? I have a spirit buddy, Grinner, although I’ve been neglecting him like I’ve neglected everyone in my life lately. 

39. Magic or things you will never do? There’s not much I wouldn’t do. I stay away from appropriation and killing animals... but anything else is okay.

40. Strangest way a spell backfired? An old boyfriend (my first boyfriend actually, my first love) broke my heart pretty bad. He was stupid then, a kid like kids are. But I was livid, and I cursed him, and although I know he got some of it, I got a lot too. I got flu-sick for like a month before I nullified the curse. OH and there was a stupid stupid stupid love spell I did on a different guy... he turned all creepy stalker-ish. I should have known better. But I do now. I don’t regret what I did. 

[madfishmonger]

So a thing happened and it’s been on my mind and I need to say my piece, even if it’s never seen I’ll feel better.

I used to be a part of a D&D campaign that had our own homebrew world, in which I spent a lot of time writing lore for the pantheon, the cities, kingdoms, and people. I wrote city and town descriptions with shops and NPCs, all sorts of things. I had spent hours helping to contribute to a vast and complex campaign setting. Some I created entirely, some were built upon stories built as a group, or modified from canon lore to fit our world. For a wide variety of reasons I ended up leaving the group, but I left behind the work so the people currently playing could continue enjoy it.It wasn’t easy to leave behind all that built up lore, but knowing other people might still get some use out of it made me okay with it. 

I discovered that some of the players in this campaign not only used the lore, they wholesale cut and pasted the writing in to a separate campaign setting. They didn’t even change the city names. I am, to be honest, livid. This was lore I wrote for them, that we had created as a group, and I am repaid for all my effort by having it blatantly plagiarized? I understand that this is not important, published, or canon writing, but the point is they stole my work. Whether I am currently active in that campaign or not,  there is no excuse for this. It’s rude, it’s inconsiderate, and it’s fucking lazy. 

So two words for those of you that plagiarized my writing: fuck you