#i really don't which deities would side with them if anyone tbh?? all i know is sla holes up in her mountains with her dwarven children

[tvrningout-a]

steeples my fingers. what if lif, miss favored daughter of the mother goddess sunna, was the one who waged war. what if lif became so enraged and resentful of the mortals who did not respect the land and creatures within it despite her efforts. she created elves, nymphs, dragons, and likely others to help foster love for the wilds she had so carefully nurtured, but rather than listen, the mortals squabbled. they killed as they pleased. they destroyed lands to hurt each other. they forced her children back to the forests or into hiding, and lif grew bitter -- even more so as her brother sjor was banished to the sea for his own anger towards the mortals who caused famine among his children of the sea.

so much death and suffering, yet sunna did nothing. lif would not be like her mother. she would act.

i haven't decided on all of the deities who side with each goddess, but i do think it's interesting to have the two creation goddesses fight each other! tbh, only lif could really be counted as sunna's equal ( or at least close to it ); i think the major difference between them is that sunna believed in limiting interactions between deities and mortals to avoid disaster, whereas lif believed deities should play a somewhat active role in the mortals' lives. she wanted to act as an actual parent, in a way. she wanted to protect her children and fight their battles, but sunna believed that would only make matters worse down the line.

she was kinda right. involving themselves and involving mortals in their affairs only led to more bloodshed and destruction. lif's actions and the resulting war are why none of the gods reside in the mortal realm ( except for sjor, but no one knows about him save for the merfolk ) and why the gods do not often grant miracles or meddle as they used to. in order for their children to flourish, they let go and allow them their independence.

there's!! a lot for me to think about now that i have a more solid idea of what " the great war " was really about and who started it!! i'm so excited y'all :' ))

[minquiec]

🎶 itsssss beeennnn 🎶 a hotttt minuuutteeee 🎶 sincccee iveeee went insane on here so let's just get into it yeah

Yall already know what it is

jia + the archer x not strong enough

When the trend first like got popular I was like eeehhhh that's not rlly jia

Haha lol

the archer:

'screaming who could ever leave me darling, but who could stay'

the spiderman curse

Or smth idk HAUSHA the canon events and everyone dyinnnggg

And also her own personal life like her parents didn't even stay soooo

Who would (COUGHCOUGHXOUGHOBJEHUHC)

And while jia isn't like uhhh how do I put it

She's not insecure yet she's also deeply insecure at a more ??? deeper level??? Idk how to say it

Like it's more like "I hate the way I have become because of things I cannot control and the way it makes me FFFFUUCCKING LONELLLYYYY"

but in a sadder way HAHSJS idk she copes by ignoring her problems (js like me fr)

So while at the same time she's like yeah I'm just a person I'm good with it 👍 she's also like what, could anyone possibly see in me to stay (side affects of distant parents!!!! Side note: THISNISNT TRAUMA DUMPING IM FINE)

'cause they see right through me'

They as in all the people she's known and don't know

That doesn't make sense gimme a

Like they as in the people of her city, people within the hq probably, people shes acquainted with, friends with, etc etc etc

They as in all people other jia herself sees right through her and fail to see just *her* per se

And it's probably her own fault tbh I mean she kinda like

Masks it so who's damn fault is that girl 🤷🤷 DAMN

But despite them never truly seeing the her that's incredibly lonely, she'd much rather prefer to keep it that way which then rolls onto the topiccc offffff

'can you see right through me'

okay this is kind of personal interpretation and changing the lyrical meaning to fit her lore BUT IDDDCCCCC IM RUNNING THIS SHOOOWWW LET ME BEEEEE

Y'all already know who this is directed at hirjejkejejkejekejejejjejejejks

hob

HEHIIEHHRBBBBDBBBB

Anyways

Like the last one I said she'd much prefer to keep her self under wraps and ignore the problem

But obviously since I'm FUCKING delusional and SOOOO fucking CRIMGEE ofc he's an exception HHHHHRHBBBHHHHHHHHHHHHHHRB&-!-!

And because he's the only one who's ever really gotten underneath that layer

She was

Sooooioioioooooo

Fucking confused by it

And because she's never addressed her issues properly, she's not used to this and so this line would almost be like

She's BEGGING him to just pllleaaase be like the rest

Please just see through her because this kind of thing has never happened before and she's SCCCCARREEDD to care too much and what if he leaves too and what if it's all for naught and what if what if what i

Girl we get it

But anyways the last line was

'I see right through me'

Would obviously be referring to her own denial to see herself by ignoring 🧚🧚 herrr fuckingnnnn problemmmsss and feeelinngggsss 🎶🎶 cause hey. Why be sad when u can be glad and very very silly

Anyways the next part

'always an angel never a god'

BITCH

I feel so strongly abt this line rn

Obviously I'm on,

Jjk tok and so I kind of got the train of thought from there but

Always an angel never a god cause she can save as many lives as she tries but she can never save all the lives she cares about

Always an angel never a god cause despite being blessed with a power that gives her the parallel of an angel she can never save her world that will inevitably be destroyed by its own deity that granted her that power (since ig angels work under god/gods and so she'd be that angel working under the deity which would be the god and do you get what I mean)

ALWAYS AN ANGEL NEVER A GOD CAUSE WHILE SHE WANTS TO DO SO MUCH GOOD, YET SHES NEVER A GOD BECAHSE SHE DOESMT HAVE THE BENEVOLENCE OF A GOD CAUSE SHE STILL CARRIES THAT SELFISHNESS OF NEVER WANTING TO BE SPIDERGIRL AND HAVING THAG RESPONSIBILITYAJNNNNWNNENEJDD AUAUAYAUUUUUAHGGEEEUUEUEUEUUEUEUE BREAKS DOWN AND STARTS DISNETNTEGRSTING

yeah okay that's all and this is all just personal interpretation btw so it might not match up to its original meaning but HEY

im gonna go draw them hugging now or smth idk bye bye

[the-videodame]

so for yvette, what does she do after the absolute crisis and what's the situation with gale?

ooOOHH this is a good question cause it can have multiple answers LMAO

---

Let's assume this is the branch of her possible endings where she's w/ Gale only, rather than other AUs where Zevlor is included (or where she joins Raphael)

[[spoilers for Gale's possible endings, just for anyone who is reading and doesn't want to be spoiled LMAO]]

Ending 1: Adventurer [the most likely canon ending]

This one is pretty self explanatory, but her and Gale continue to adventure together around Toril. I honestly don't see Yv'ette settling down just yet, as she's still in her prime and is itching to be productive and active. Not to mention she still has that pesky curse on her that she needs to break - and what better person to help her out than the child of magic himself, Gale Dekarios?

The two likely join back up with her pirate crew (perhaps with a few friends from their quests?) and set sail! After a few more years adventuring, partying, and hopefully fixing her curse, then the two likely settle down in Waterdeep and maybe have a kid, and Gale of course becomes a professor at Blackstaff, with the occasional guest visit from Yv'ette and their kid.

I'm debating on if I want them to get married before or after her curse is broken, cause honestly the idea of Hyde - her grandfather and her mothers patron devil, the one who placed the curse on her in the first place - crashing the wedding and stating how he's offended that he, her grandfather, was not invited? Oohohohoggoh I'm such a sucker for "other worldly villain crashes a gathering of sorts to remind the protags of their impending demise" UGH

Ending 2: Straight to Waterdeep

Basically the two decide not to adventure and instead settle down right away in Gale's tower (after Yv'ette informs her crew that shes safe, but won't be returning ofc). While Gale takes on his role as professor, Yv'ette likely has to find a hobby, or attempt to get back into the theatre career.

I haven't thought too much on this one, likely because it's def not in Yv'ette's nature to just sit around the house all day as a housewife LMAO - but also because there's still the issue of her curse, which is a very very pressing matter to her. Maybe she spends that free time researching and planning on how to break it. Maybe she and Gale eventually do retrieve the Crown of Karsus from the river and attempt to use it to free her / kill Hyde? Maybe Yv'ette and her brother Vekyll team up to fight him? Maybe Eilistrae finally hears her pleas and helps her out? Who knows! (not me)

Ending 3: Divinity

So I learned that Ascending with Gale is actually a possibility and not just a "fix it" fanon ending like I thought it was, so OF COURSE I can't resist thinking up an ending where she gets to be divine with Gale.

I think the act of Ascending itself would likely sever the curse she has - either that or the magic both she and Gale will have will be enough to cure it. Thus, I like to think the marks from her curse become either a faded scar-like color, OR they turn silver-ish purple to reflect her storm sorcery heritage (which is why i hope people dont think im copying god Gale's design with his lightning markings being literally on the same side of his face LMAO...)

As for what she'd represent or what her title would be, that's the biggest issue because there's ALWAYS something in lore that already has a deity for it, and theres no like... easy cheat sheet with all the gods and what their titles are and I really don't wanna scour the wiki of EVERY god so heres the big things she'd likely represent:

Storms (specifically lightning)

Sea

Theatre

Burdens

Jealousy/Envy (though this i lean more into if she sides w/ Raphael)

Those who are ostracized (tbh I think it would be pretty sick if tieflings had a "good" deity to worship specifically for themselves)

Acceptance

Persistence / Determination / Victory

I really really wanna associate her with storms cause I can already picture her design having her hair morph or move into something more cloud-like, or becoming iridescent GUH

---

theres also the "gale ascends w/o her" or "gale chooses mystra over her" angst type endings but yknow 😇

[screeching-0wl]

Sorry to bother! Just that I was going through your account when I realized you mentioned Pendulums and tarot cards(I dont remember correctly 😅) as ways to communicate with Apollo, Ares, Aphrodites so on and so on. I wanted to ask, How exactly do you use tarot cards to communicate and how do you make a Pendulum?

Also, If it's not to much trouble. When you communicate just by speaking, How would you know what the others awnser is?

Once agian, Sorry to bother! Please and thanks! :D

-The anon that's Dedicated to Ares! :)

Hi there! 👋 It's alright, anon! I assure you, you're not bothering me.

Tarot

When it comes to divination, I mostly use tarot to communicate with deities. Sometimes it's because I have some questions for them specifically or need some guidance and other times I feel this random 'urge' to reach for the tarot deck and see if anyone has anything to say. The latter can just come to me out of nowhere, like a sudden feeling. Then, I just ask if anyone has any messages and if so could they identify themself by giving me a card to represent them as a deity (anything related to their domain, attributes, myths, etc. There are examples of major arcana cards that could be associated with certain deities in the cheat sheets I make but minor arcana could be used just the same).

Overall, I use tarot for communication however I might need to in the given moment. So, I make my own tarot spreads to fit the situation, but for a regular message I may just go with a basic spread like:

identity (e.g. 5 of Wands = Ares or The Sun = Apollo etc.)

message (what they want to say)

the reason behind the message (why they're telling me that)

what to take away (what should I do with it)

(But that's just one of many possibilities!)

Once I've come up with the card spread, I do something calming and grounding (e.g. take a few deep breaths) to help me focus. I clense the deck, call onto the deity, and then I shuffle the deck, ask the questions and pull the cards. I may also use another tool (e.g. a pendulum) to confirm some messages if needed.

If it's not one of those random readings I also light the candle I keep for the deity prior to doing a tarot reading with their assistance and I might also burn some incense for them or maybe even give some other offering.

It's not always all aesthetic and formal for me personally. I like to have a more relaxed approach tbh! Sometimes I put some music on to help me focus and/or relax a bit, grab something to drink, light the candles and sit down to do some divination. And the "calling on the deity" part could look something like: "Hey! Good evening, Ares! Got a moment? Cause I have a quick question." But that may depends on the nature of the relationship I have with the deity as well.

Also, depending on which deity I'm communicating with the overall vibe of the reading may vary, if that makes sense? 😅 I perform these readings like I would any other, so highly intuitively but also relying on the meaning of the cards and the imagery. What I mean is that for example, Ares usually goes straight to the point, Apollo's messages are often very elaborate and sometimes he likes to use some metaphors with me to get the point across while Hermes might joke around a bit before getting down to business. One time when I was doing a tarot reading with Hermes and I was trying to identify him I already pulled one card and said something like "Oh, I have a feeling it could be Hermes?". I kept going and asked for confirmation if it was really Hermes. Two cards feel out and the message I got was something along the lines of "no, ur mum" (yeah idk 😭). It was in fact not my mum but Hermes, just for the record. Yeah... 💀 (fyi things like that don't happen that often, though)

So, it can look quite different. That's just what it may look like for me based on my personal experiences and UPGs, so keep that in mind.

On a side note, here's a link to a lovely prayer to Apollo asking for aid with divination. I like to use it sometimes before doing divination.

Pendulum

Basically, a pendulum is some weighted object attached to anything 'stringlike'. There are some pretty cristal pendulums online but it's not necessary to buy one. It's relatively simple to make it yourself. Any necklace could be used as a pendulum! I literally use a necklace I bought in Hard Rock Cafe years ago.

Here's a pretty good post explaining how to make and start using a pendulum: LINK

Speaking

I often just speak to the deities. I don't always expect answers and I don't always need them. It could be a simple "good morning" or "goodnight", a greeting a "thank you" or "I appreciate you being a part of my life" type of thing. I tell them about how my day went or about my plans. It's quite trivial, simple and it's not formal in my case. I may light their candle and offer something and then just talk to them about anything. I just enjoy doing it and I feel like it helps me bond with them in some way.

It's possible to receive some form of an 'answer' or 'sign' even if it's something so trivial and it sometimes happens to me, e.g. their candle flickers unusually, something odd happens or maybe it could even be some random intuitive feeling. But, yeah, I don't usually expect much of an answer.

There's another way I communicate with them by 'speaking' although this is based on signs. If I have some question I may ask them to send me some very specific and rare things (animal, object, plant etc.), something I seldom see.

Here's a post where I explain this method more: LINK

Hope this helps! Have a lovely day! 💜

[bright-witch]

for that oc meme, i don't have anything written up for my inq, so maybe how either of them feels about mana or beren if you remember what i wrote? :O

Thank you so much for sending this !! 💗💗💗🌈💐 There are so many things I’ve wanted to send to you and say to you (my buddy, you are amazing!! I hope you are feeling well!), and I have so many things I’ve been thinking about drawing for you, sdgjsldjgksdjg. I am so sorry this response is massive! I just really love your ocs, especially Mana and Beren, I thought a lot about this c:

Alæru would be fascinated by Mana, and likely deeply enjoy exploring their kingdom *-* Alæru is aware of many gods/immortals, she would probably immediately respect Mana on a similar level to her homeworld’s dieties. This would make Alæru act formal and a bit over-polite while interacting with Mana, at least for a while. Heheh. If Mana were nice to her, she would probably be a bit star-struck and obvious about it. Alæru would also ask as many questions as possible, perhaps… too many. She would be all too happy listening to Mana’s stories for days ( and Alæru is definitely a food snob, so the fine dining would be a major motivation… she loves free food, but is picky about it. She’s awful ;-; ). Alæru is an excellent listener because she is usually truly interested in other people’s thoughts. Sometimes she will laugh or ask short questions, but that is mainly to let the other person know she is genuinely engaged. If Alæru notices it bothers someone, she’ll stop interrupting quickly. 

Alæru would be happy to give any information or story of her own “worthy” of being told… but she would totally be shy/anxious about what to share?? Her mother is a star-creating goddess & life deity; her world is usually what Alæru enjoys discussing. Alæru only lived in the Garden Realm for a short time, but it was everything she admires in a place. Very colorful, everything glows, and has a fantastic aesthetic, but 99% natural - only a few open-air structures, with plenty of sunlight let in, water and plants throughout, exist on the entire small planet. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Alæru’s memories/stories are intense in a bad way. She doesn’t want to traumatize anyone else with them, though they are extremely interesting and hold valuable bits of information about what can happen to gods/the universe when corruption occurs. Alæru’s father is an immortal demon-like entity who ate the soul of a corrupt god (so he became a corrupt god too. dumbass) - that side of the family is something she is deeply ashamed of. Alæru is secretly perpetually worried she will become corrupt too, and doesn’t really understand why she isn’t already. Alæru would be a bit nervous around Mana/their power, and wonder what they could glean about her past, just by being near them. Alæru is not afraid to share her stories, but she is afraid of the reaction? Alæru definitely prefers to hear about other’s stories, adventures, and culture, and keep the focus on them.

Alæru certainly wouldn’t blame Mana for wanting to go “out on business” to enjoy more adventures, heheh. She would likely do the same thing if she ever had that level of consistent responsibility. She would totally love how honest Mana is about their feelings towards people (Alæru is the same way, blunt but certainly never rude unless the person is a huge prick!! and deserves it!! ) Alæru would deeply admire Mana for caring about the wellfare of their people and wish more leaders could be like them. It would also inspire Alæru to want to be more like Mana in that particular aspect, if not others. Alæru would probably end up shadowing them whenever allowed, or visit Mana’s kingdom whenever possible. (Alæru gets very attached to parental or teacher-like figures when they are kind and compassionate. She has not encountered many good people with power like Mana.) A beautiful utopia with happy people and delicious food would be a welcome relief from many of Alæru’s journeys, which involve strenuous space travel to corrupt planets. YIKES. She would have a difficult time leaving! (Mana, you’re gonna have to kick her out, sorry.)

Llyr, who would only be in Mana’s kingdom if Alæru was there as well (Llyr only travels because of Alæru. He’s terrified she’s going to get herself killed), would be respectful but wary of Mana. Llyr is a true demigod but doesn’t trust any of the gods (his mother is a water demon of sorts, but not a true demon like Alæru’s lineage. his father-figure is the water deity, who is genderfluid/a shapeshifter). Likely, he would lump Mana in the same category as his own homeworld’s deities, and want to find Mana’s flaws in order to feel safer. Llyr is a little bit of a dumbass sometimes, even though he’s educated and his heart is generally in the right place. 

I’m not sure if Llyr would be able to let his guard down in Mana’s kingdom, but with how lovely it sounds, he actually might?? The high-quality food is definitely the best way to win him over, especially if you don’t make him eat a vegetarian/vegan meal.  Llyr would probably be very intimidated by Mana and be a little jealous of how amazing and near-perfect they are, tbh. Heheh. He would also be jealous because Alæru would be in awe of Mana, and give them an immense amount of starry-eyed attention. However, if Mana was kind to Alæru, that would totally earn points with Llyr and confuse him, because he would like Mana more inherently for respecting Alæru?? Yeahhhh~ Llyr loves attention and would be more than happy to share his personal adventures with Mana. He knows a lot of water magic and spells completely unique to the lineage of the water deity, and is aware of secrets the moon tells within the tides during various phases / cycles.

For Beren!! Alæru would be unbearably curious about Beren’s real name, ohmygod. She might make up different names for Beren every time she met her, just to see if Beren would blurt out her real name out of frustration (DEMONS, UHG. Alæru is a little shit sometimes.) Alæru would totally enjoy how and why Beren chose that particular name though, and like Beren more for it?? If that makes sense?? Heheh. Alæru enjoys good stories, even if they are lies, and if Beren attempted to manipulate Alæru, it probably wouldn’t bother her that much. Alæru has respect for clever survival tactics and people who think on their feet. Alæru would enjoy studying Beren’s way of going about things, and probably end up playing conversational games with her. It would be hilarious to watch Beren and Alæru sit in the same room together for an extended period of time?? Alæru is extremely honest and rarely lies, but she would likely wear a more world-appropriate form so she didn’t stand out (I mean – glowing, colorful, horns, teeth, wings poppin’ out sometimes, a tail, changing forms whenever she’s in a new environment… yeah… she can look really alien to people!!) Alæru would wonder how long it took Beren to catch her in one of her real forms (I’m guessing, probably not long.) 

Alæru might frustrate Beren because things rarely surprise her. Alæru lived with demons and corrupt gods, it’s difficult to scare her or catch her off guard (unless you have a spider!) I think she would be a good friend for Beren, even though it would be frustrating at first/perhaps not possible because Beren is so guarded? Alæru loves thinking critically and attempts to tame her chaotic nature at all times, and tries to direct her energy towards productive things (whether it be purifying corrupt matter, or growing plants~ She often fights life and death battles for her friends, and will fight for people she barely knows. She will die for animals and plants, and even though she is critical of humanoids, she will die for most of them too, heheh. Definitely a huge martyr complex). She might eventually become like a big sister to Beren, and try to help her find purpose once she is done mentoring Wolf, if Beren ever eventually let someone else in emotionally other than Bakal. Alæru would definitely admire Beren’s fighting skills and ability to fillet a bitch.

Llyr wouldn’t even know what the hell to do with Beren. He would be calm around her, but very snarky if he ever managed to catch her in a lie or attempted manipulative tactic. Llyr would notice some similar qualities between Beren and his twin Nyx, who he eventually learns cannot be trusted. Llyr would most likely quietly observe Beren and spend most of that time trying to figure her out. He would also be very extra protective of Alæru around Beren out of instinct. Because Llyr is a shapeshifter, he could easily blend into whatever world Beren exists within, without limit. He would be perpetually worried about Beren figuring out his, or even worse Alæru’s, true forms. He doesn’t trust how people from other planets will react to aliens/monsters :(

Send me an OC and I will tell you how my OC feels about them.

[sylvaetria]

1 Of 2: I don't think the creator of that post said that men couldn't practice magic, just that they couldn't be witches. I don't know if there are any practices available only to witches, but I'm guessing that a wizard, warlock, druid, or whatever can worship the same deities or cast the same spells as a witch. It's important to some people that the title witch be reserved females because it's a historically female term, and I'm not saying that's right or wrong.

2 Of 2: I know you’ve done research and there are claims of historically male witches but I’m honestly a bit dubious of the numbers you’ve provided, and no matter what way you paint it, women were the majority killed in the Salem Witch Trials, the majority who are prosecuted to this day. Shouldn’t there be some female exclusive magic space? There are a number of gender neutral terms for magic users, or male terms, but witch is already associated with females and the only term that has traction. 

And I’m not trying to be bitchy or condescending I’m just confused and I want to understand both sides of the issue.

I got off my phone and on to a computer to answer this question. Doesn’t seem like you want both side of the issue, honestly - I have given mine, quite clearly, and you seem to have picked yours, also quite clearly.

Witch is a gender neutral term. The term witch isn’t “historically” female - it’s only been a term used to describe magic users as mostly women in modern times (1600s; that’s only 400 years). “Witch” has always been a gender neutral term - only in recent times has it been used more exclusively for women, but that was not ever its only usage. Man, even in Wicca, they call men who practice “witches.” 

Druids are not the same as witches; druidry is closed prior to initiation - people shouldn’t be using that title unless they are a druid or studying to be an actual druid - so that term should not be grouped in with the others.

You know, other people made the gender neutral terms, because shit like this made them scared and uncomfortable to use the term “witch.” They were frightened people would come out of the woodwork and tear them apart because “oh you’re not a woman, you can’t use that word!” Think about that.

There are zero practices available only to witches (if you’re referring to “witches” as still women-exclusive then yeah, definitely no practices closed to anyone due to gender either) - witchcraft is an open practice that anyone can delve into, use as they like, and take away however they want. So, yes, literally anyone can cast spells like a witch, but they can also cast spells as a witch - using that term as their classifier, if they so wish. Because witchcraft is not closed in any aspect to anyone, neither is the label. No one can dictate who can use the term “witch.”

I don’t honestly know why you’re bringing up Salem tbh. Yes, perhaps the majority of the people accused during Salem were female, but that still doesn’t give women the right to place ownership over the term “witch.” It seems like you’re trying to imply something about the fact that women were the ones who “mostly” died for it, so they should have a right to it exclusively? Correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s what I’m getting, and oh man does that not feel right to me.

Witchcraft was never a woman-exclusive space, period, and I don’t think it ever will be, and I think it’s great that anyone can come in and be accepted for who they are and practice magic like a boss however they want. If you want there to be spaces exclusive for women, make one, but it’s not the fault of the practice for not being that way naturally; there actually is a woman-specific space in Wicca, Dianic Wicca. However, exclusive spaces and stuff shouldn’t be something that is thrown over the entirety of the community regardless of how anyone else feels about it.

The term “witch” was never exclusively for women, as I’ve stated like a half a dozen times now - it is associated with almost exclusively women because that’s how it’s been used in modern times, but it has been used for men in the past too. It is gender neutral. If you thought it was a term for women-only, I’m sorry, but it never was; we’re not actually taking anything away from anyone, it was free to use from the get-go. You’re free to make your own spaces, but don’t try to take or claim something that wasn’t actually your “property” to begin with, please, and leave the rest of us struggling to fill it in. Just because we may not have “died” for it, doesn’t mean we have less of a right to it. 

(Okay, calm, calm down Richtor, civility.)

You’re also ignoring the fact that there are people who use the term “witch” who don’t fall under the category of either men or women. You declaring it a female-only term or space is not only excluding men. You’re excluding me too, you’re excluding many other people who don’t identify as either, which is why I am standing so hard for this point.

Witchcraft is an open practice. Anyone can use the term witch, and anyone can practice witchcraft. I stand by my point, and the history of the word witch. If you don’t like it, well, I’m sorry, I’m not stopping. I’m standing up for me, for all the male witches, for all the trans witches and the non-binary witches, and the genderfluid witches, like me. We have just as much right to that term as anyone else, because hey! It was never exclusively for women, and witchcraft is a very open practice that anyone can take and use as they like. So I’ll be damned if I stop calling myself a witch, and I will not stand by as other people are bullied for using that term because of their fucking gender.

(Sorry, civility lost, let’s see if I can calm down again.)

This is a passionate issue for me, as I’m sure you can see. Trying to collect myself, I’ve made a few changes to what I wrote, but I’m not changing how I think, or some of my phrasing choices. This is important to a lot of us - having an inclusive space and term would be awesome for our community, in my opinion. A lot of people get into witchcraft because they have not many other places to go, to turn to, to draw strength from. Some people draw their self empowerment and confidence from calling themselves a witch - yes, exactly that term witch, not any other term. It gives them the strength to keep fighting and being active in their own lives, to not take life’s shit lying down. We use the word as armor, sword, and shield. It means the world to some of us, because of how it can be seen, regardless of gender. 

It’s a shame you can’t see past the gender part, really. There are some lovely witches out there, men and people who aren’t either, or who are both, and we just want a place to belong and feel welcomed. Trying to exclude us from a term no one actually had any rights to… It doesn’t feel nice. Which is why I will forever stand by my followers and friends, those who identify as ways other than how the term witch has been used, and still call themselves that with pride. (I still stand by those that use other terms for whatever reason, I stand by all magic users, but I hope you can see my point on this one.) I will keep fighting for the word that has no rightful owner, and for the people who want to call themselves it, regardless of its stereotype. 

If that is something you can’t accept, well, what you do next is on you. Because I know where I stand on this, and I’m not going anywhere.