#malefic magic

[lailoken]

This may be an unpopular opinion, but if you use malefic magic all the time willy-nilly, then either you don't really believe in the consequences of your magic, or you are an agressively unbalanced person.

While I'm far from the sort of practitioner who clutches my pearls at the thought of "dark" magic, I also think there is very much a particular time and place for it. I view it pretty much the same way as I view mundane aggressive behavior; sometimes you need to be able to stand up for yourself or others, but that doesn't mean you should be violent whenever you feel like it, and especially not when it's just to get what you want. After all, would people think it's at all normal or admirable for someone to go on about how they like to hurt or coerce others in a non-magical capacity?

In short, I think people should be just as suspicious and wary of those who casually embrace maleficia like it's no big deal as they would be of those who insist that any sort of baleful magic is evil and will incur the wrath of "karma".

[temple-virgin]

"Addendum: The Baneful Gaze

During our elaborations, we have already mentioned the poisonous and piercing rays of Saturn, whose impact on the logocentric individual can cause great havoc. This is reflected in the fact that all over the world the Saturnine deity is considered one of the most harmful powers, his influence causing hardship, misfortune, illness, destruction, and death. Related to these ruinous qualities is a concept of magic taught within our current we call the Baneful Gaze. The Baneful Gaze is reflected in a weaker sense in the practice of casting the evil eye, a notion found in various cultures globally, which take effective measures to shield against its influences. Witches, sorcerers, people possessed by evil spirits or forces, but also certain types of spirits and daemonic entities are said to possess the power to cast wittingly or unwittingly the evil eye with devastating consequences for the victim. The power root for the evil eye is often thought to originate in the Saturnine deity. Experts on Tantra in the Sepulcher Society, for example, have reported to us that in many branches of Hinduism it is Śani, the Saturnian deity, who causes the most destructive of all evil eyes."

---David Beth for A. Moros' "The Cult of the Black Cube"

[mamaangiwine]

With the way evangelical and fundamentalist Tik-Tok throw around the word "demon" it's very obvious how they want you to feel when confronted with that word- Vulnerable. Helpless. Afraid.

Now I've already touched on the origin of the word "demon" on this blog but today, in terms of any and all malefic entities, I'd like to tell you something-

You are not helpless.

It's true. A malefic entity can be worrying, and bothersome, as well as inconvenient but one thing I've learned in my practice is this- malefic entities are like bears. To scare one off you simply have to convince it that you are the biggest, baddest mother fucker in the woods.

Sometimes you can do this on your own. You can throw down a circle. You can carry some iron, or silver. You can find a holy word that keeps the darkness at bay.

You can do it with help. You can call upon a god. You can summon an angel. You can even make arrangements with another demon.

If you want, you can even pray to the Saints. To the Mother Mary. To Jesus and, yes, even to God- though it certainly doesn't have to be their version.

Helpless?

Please. So many cultures haven't been practicing warding and banishment for centuries, from the mau olhado to Appalachian face jugs, just for some milk-toast, Christian influencer with a Stanley cup to tell their people they are messing with "forces beyond their understanding".

[wizzard890]

okay so picture this.

You're a man named Jim Steinman. You are one of the most prolific songwriters of the 80s. In your spirit, output and essence, you are eternally popping a wheelie on a motorcycle while a hot half-naked woman clings to you and bats wheel in the sky above.

You wrote a song in which Meatloaf plays a hideously disfigured hunk who steals a nubile lady back to his crumbling manor and introduces her to the pleasures of magic lesbian group sex.

You wrote a song in which Celine Dion sings as Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights, dancing with Cathy's corpse on a beach in the moonlight; a scene which you, Jim Steinman, believe should have been in the book. (The moors of Wuthering Heights are landlocked, but you, Jim Steinman, are too fucking real to care about that.)

You wrote the song for the opening scene of the movie Streets of Fire, in which evil leatherdaddy Willem Dafoe leads his malefic motorcycle crew into a concert to abduct Diane Lane while she's wearing a skintight satin jumpsuit.

You wrote a song in which Bonnie Tyler wanders a haunted boarding school as literal demon twinks gyrate at her out of the fog.

There is no peak of goth camp that you, Jim Steinman, have not summited, no horny energy you have not tapped. They say that Alexander the Great wept when he saw there were no more worlds to conquer. But you, Jim Steinman, are not Alexander the Great. You, Jim Steinman, are better. You, Jim Steinman, have vision.

You take your most successful song, the song everyone knows, the most big-haired, white dress, gothic arches, doves flying, possessed choir boys chanting, bombastic song you have, and think: what if this, but with vampires.

And so you change the lyrics to be about death and infinity and a powerful bloodsucking lord seducing a girl who is ALL ABOUT IT, and then toss off a whole musical for this song to be the centerpiece to, and the musical is bad but it's also a weird hit that's been staged in fourteen countries and revived seven times, because nothing has ever whipped as campily, as ridiculously, as perfectly as this:

It never takes off in America. A prophet is without honor in his own land. But that doesn't matter. How could it matter? You are perhaps the most creatively self-actualized man who has ever lived. Look at that vampire. He's coming in hot and a hundred Venetian nuns gave their lives to make his ludicrously capacious lace sleeves. Look at that girl. She was born in a fog machine. She wore her best red velvet cape. She's down bad. She's singing Total Eclipse of the Heart the whole time.

You are Jim Steinman, and you have reached apotheosis.

[harmoonix]

🪄Hocus Pocus🧹

🎃 Halloween - Astro Observations 🎃

~In life there are bitches, there are snitches,

but there is nothing as good as WITCHES~

🎃 Libra Moon/Venus/Mercury have a soft love language. They often like to share the same love language as other people

☠️ Scorpio Rising in your solar return chart can indicate a year where you will experience rebirth/death themes in your life, something is leaving, and something new is coming

👻 Placements in the 9th house deserve the 'witch' title since it is the house of magic and occult, moon/pluto, or venus in the 9th house can give witch vibes

🖤 10th or 6th hosue ruler in the 9th hosue can make a job out of magic/spirituality even occult, tarot readers, astrologers and spiritual gurus can share these placements

💚 Earth Moons and Rising fit the 'green witch' archetype, healing witch, herbal witch, using plants and nature in your power

❤️ To fire risings, how they look plays a big role in their personality and the way they show themselves to the world. Fire Risings always love to present themselves

💜 For Air Risings and Mercury, their personality can be enchanting, air rules over communication and expression. They're the ones with a cool personality

💯 Pluto aspecting Sun or Ascendant can give you the aura or vibe of a villain. Even if that's not what you are, people can perceive it that way

🧹 I love it when people associate Capricorn with endings because that's what Saturn is all about. Where you have Capricorn in your chart is something you need to end

🪄 Sometimes, the 4th house ruler in the 9th house or 8th house can indicate that family members were also practicing witchcraft but also losing family members (if it is connected with the 8th house)

🐈‍⬛ Pluto Dominants have the luck of a black cat, always perceived the wrong way, always in the negative yet powerful energy

🕸 I observed Scorpio Moons really love to keep it all for themselves, which is so common among the Scorpio Placements, so secretive

🫶🏼 Mercury in the 12th house can be a very spooky placement manifesting as hearing, seeing, or sensing entities/ghosts, etc. It's a haunted house placement

🤎 Mercury in the 8th house or Mercury in Scorpio can be recognized by their deep/ gloomy voices, can posses a raspy voice

🌓 Those born on the last quarter of the moon (moon phase) nay have the tendency to cling up the past, especially when they're afraid to change for the better

🫦 Sun in the 10th house natives make sure to always be seen in a good light, and thats how they gain attention. Those people who never do wrong, to an extent they don't want ppl to see that

👻 Sun in the 3rd, 5th, or 11th house natives love to do crafts or creative things such as DIY because they always find something creative to do

🩶 Mercury aspecting Venus natives can be into finding other people's voice attractive/sensual/magnetic

💀 Pluto x Mercury aspects possess a very dark and deep humor. Making jokes not everyone gets/ understands

👹 Aries Placements, but especially Risings and Mars love to play the dominant card even though deep down they like when they're more soft with others

👾 Juno in the 5th spouse can share the same talents as you, sharing similar childhoods, similar view of a relationship

🩵 Sagittarius Juno all the way up standing there beside Aquarius Juno for having different relationships rather than a traditional one (my fav Juno placements)

🤬 Malefics in the 3rd house like Saturn, Pluto, or Mars can influence the native to be more harsh in their talk, communication, and self - expression

🎃 Moon in the 1st house can make your face, especially the cheeks, more prominent and overall a very shiny skin

🐈‍⬛ Pluto in your 11th house can give a dark energy in the way ppl see you. You can affect them deeply, they will not get you out of their heads

🩶 Saturn in the 7th house [If it's retrogade] can indicate more lessons in the area of relationships, spouse, the downfall of a slow relationship (you can't stop the tears from falling down..lol)

🪄 Saturn aspecting the Venus natives sometimes expects the worst in a relationship/situationship to happen. Overthinking if they're good enough

💙 Water Risings and Moons, telling their feelings early in a relationship matters a lot. They want their partners to feel the same things as them

🌙 You can find a comfort place in people who have their 4th house sign in the same sign as your 1st house

🎃 If both partners share the same Chiron Sign, they'll share the same wounds, pain, and suffering, but at the same time, they will heal the same wound

💢 Natives who will have their 9th house sign in the same sign as your Sun will want to teach you. They will want to share the same values with you

╰╮🎃╭╯🪄╰╮🎃╭╯

Halloween in my opinion will always have its magic, It doesn't matter how you celebrate, whether with horror movies, sweets or decorations, it's important to keep it in the heart.

I hope you had an amazing October month from the first to the last day!! 🎃🎃🪄

By: @harmoonix 🎃🪄 October 2024!!!

[ventique18]

Meleanor is trying to fry Lilia with lightning WHILE he's holding Egglleus omg. SEBEK'S CRYING FOR DEAR TAMAGO-SAMA! AND!

Yuu-chan finally speaks omg! "S--Stop!""At this rate, the egg--!" They're all so concerned for the egg even when they know it'll hatch anyway. So precious!

"Kheeheehee... What will you do, Lilia? Will you perish here with the egg?"

She's threatening to make fried egg out of her own son if Lilia REFUSES to run away omfg. She's so unhinged oh my lord!

Then when she strikes again. Silver blocks the blow for Lilia. Lilia was shocked and Meleanor gets angry, and when questioned, Silver says:

"You two care deeply for each other, so why do you fight?! Please, please stop. I beg of you!"

Baul follows suit and begs Meleanor to stop, too. Lilia begs her not to go to battle.

Lilia: "If we lose both you and Levan... I wouldn't know what to do."

Meleanor: "I will say it again. I will not lose. No matter how many of them gather, no matter how many times they gather, I will burn them to the ground. Again and again."

Meleanor: "However. On the occasion that I fail to return, then you still have that child. You shall make it hatch."

Lilia: "Impossible! A dragon needs its parents' magic and affection... It needs true love to hatch! I cannot give parental love. Even loving anyone... I can never make this egg hatch!"

Meleanor: "You love me, no? Or were you lying when you told me you would marry me when we were young?"

Lilia: "Ha?! That was... That was over 200 years ago, when we were brats! Why are you bringing that up now..."

Meleanor: "And you love Levan as well. You, my right-hand general, spent more time with him than I was married to my husband and left-hand general (Levan). You will surely treasure the child born of our blood. Wouldn't you agree, Lilia?"

Lilia: "What foolishness! Ha?!"

Lilia still struggles to object, but Meleanor starts enveloping herself in walls of thorns.

"One day, to the fae who dwell on this Kingdom of Thorns, Malleus will become the auspicious star that shines and burns brightly... And to the humans, a malefic star that they shall fear.

"Malleus... My beloved child. I leave him to you, Lilia."

"This is my night's blessing."

[kiddotarot]

MOON IN HOUSE AND EFFECTS PART =2

As explained in the preceding issue, the Sun is regarded as the generator of power that gives spirit and life to all planets, the Moon is considered to be the conductor of power lent by Sun and rules over the lives of the beings on this earth. Sun represents individuality, whereas Moon shows one’s personality

MOON IN 6 HOUSE

This house is affected by the Mercury and Ketu. The Moon in this house will be affected by the planets placed in the 2nd, 8th, 12th and 4th houses. The native will receive education with obstacles and will have to struggle a lot for reaping the benefits of his educational achievements. If the Moon is placed in the 6th, 2nd, 4th, 8th and 12th houses it is auspicious. The native would enliven a dying person by putting a few drops of water in his mouth. But if the Moon is malefic in the 6th house and Mercury is placed in the 2nd or 12th house, the native will have suicidal tendencies. Similarly, if the Moon is malefic and the Sun is placed in the 12th house, then the native or his wife or both will have severe eye defects and troubles.

Moon in 7th house

The 7th house belongs to Venus and Mercury. When the Moon is placed here, the results of this house will be affected by the Venus, Mercury and Moon. Venus and Mercury combined together give the effects of the Sun. The 1st house aspects the 7th house. Consequently the rays of the Sun from the 1st house would be enlightening the Moon if placed in the 7th, which means that the things and the relatives represented by the Moon will provide highly beneficial and good results. Educational achievements will prove fruitful for earning money or wealth. He may or may not have properties but will certainly have cash money in hand always. He will have good potential for being a poet or astrologer, or else he will be characterless and will have great love for mysticism and spiritualism. The 7th Moon also denotes conflict between the native’s wife and mother, adverse effects in milk trade. Disobedience towards mother will cause overall tensions and troubles.

Moon in 8th House

This house belongs to Mars and Saturn. The Moon here affects the education of the native ad- versely, but if education goes well the native’s mother’s life will be shortened and very often such a native loses both -education and the mother. However, the evil effects of the Moon in the 7th house will be mitigated if Jupiter and Saturn be placed in the 2nd house. The 7th Moon often deprives the native of his parental properties. If there is a well or pond adjacent to the parental property of the native, he will receive adverse results of the Moon all through his life.

Moon in 9th House

The 9th house belongs to Jupiter, who is a great friend of the Moon. Hence the native will imbibe the traits and features of both these planets - good conduct, soft heartedness, religious bent of mind and love for virtuous acts and pilgrimage. He will live upto 75 years. A friendly planet in the 5th house will augment comforts and pleasures from the son and develops intense interest in religious deeds. A friendly planet in the 3rd house ensures great increase in money and wealth.

Moon in 10th House

The 10th house is in every manner ruled by Saturn. This house is aspected by the 4th house, which is similarly ruled by Moon. Hence the Moon in the 10th house ensures a long life of about 90 years for the native. Moon and Saturn are inimical, therefore, medicines in liquid form will always prove harmful to him. The milk will act as poison if taken during night. If he is a medical practitioner, dry medicines administered by him to the patient will have a magical effect for cure. If a surgeon, he will earn great wealth and fame for surgery. If the 2nd and 4th houses are empty money and wealth will rain on him. If Saturn is placed in the 1st house, the native’s life will be destroyed by the opposite sex, especially a widow.

Moon in 11th house

This house is strongly influenced by Jupiter and Saturn. Every planet placed in this house will destroy its inimical planets and the things associated with them. In this way the Moon here will destroy its enemy Ketu’s things, i.e., the sons of the native. Here the Moon will have to face the combined power of its enemies Saturn and Ketu, which will weaken the Moon. Now if Ketu is placed in the 4th house, the life of the native’s mother will be endangered. The business associated with Mercury will also prove harmful. Starting house construction or purchase of a house on Satur- days will strengthen the Saturn (the Moon’s enemy) which will prove disastrous for the native. Kanyadan after the midnight and participating in any marriage ceremony on Fridays will damage the fortunes of the native.

Moon in 12th house

This house belongs to Moon’s friend Jupiter. Here the Moon will have good effects on Mars and the things associated with Mars, but it will harm its enemies Mercury and Ketu and the things associ- ated with them. Hence the business and things associated with the house in which Mars is placed will provide highly beneficial effects. Similarly, the business and things associated with the houses where Mercury and Ketu are placed will be strongly damaged. The Moon in the 12th houses causes a general fear in the native’s mind about numerous unforeseen troubles and dangers and thus de- stroys his sleep and peace of mind. Ketu in the 4th house will become weak and affect the native’s son and mother very adversely.

hope you enjoy

[thecoiledserpent]

venus, or shukra, being the teacher of the demons is much more an ignored fact than it should be. in the charts of tantriks / people who practice black magic to hurt others, venus is in low dignity with rahu. in the charts of known terrorists, dictators, murderers, serial killers etc venus is almost always in extremely weak dignity or extremely strong while being a malefic.

and i don't mean the 'venus in virgo' kind of weak; i mean the venus which comes into contact with the tamasic planets like mars and saturn, or with the demonly rahu and ketu and is also weak in the shadbala and digabala, or is a malefic and is very strong in the shadbala. edit: since i saw this getting popular, i'd like to emphasize that a malefic venus + strong shadbala + weak digbala + conjunct rahu is the worst case scenario, don't demonize yourself or anything 💀

the entire romanticization of this planet is really testament to the way this planet's maya / illusion works. in reality, having an extremely weak venus or very strong malefic venus is a huge red flag; -100/10, always avoid such people. while they appear charming on the surface, they have great potential for destruction and are very sadistic people.

to me, venus is the planet to look out for when you are psychoanalysing somebody. often times, it reveals insights into the person's psychology and actions that even the moon or ascendant can't.

[tigertale]

A/N: Fantasy AU ahead, like, those fantastic middle aged themed worlds with magic, bards n' all? Anyway, I'm such a messy writer I'm sorry

A/N2: I wrote this before chapter 7 and finished the smut recently, although the end is messy :(

• F!Reader; Malleus

•〔　！ 〕 Smut; Virgin Malleus/Reader; Creampie; Grammatical errors; Not proofread

•6.8k words

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Lilia's words only made the man by his side groan. They were both beings of the night. Period. No need to explain just how uncomfortable he was. No matter how mesmerizing the colorful flowers aligned by each windowsill looked, nor how the sun brightened the streets and further empathized each of the bystanders' smiles, he couldn't stand them. They were everything that he wasn't, the exact opposite of what he had known and experienced his entire life, of what he needed the most; a new beginning, joyful laughters and an undying happiness paired with the feeling of fullness.

"The longer I stay here, the more repulsive they become." The soldier sighed at his words and disapprovingly shook his head from side to side, although it looked more like he was annoyed by the prince than anything else. But the dragon couldn't see it as he tried to avoid the petals flying around while spitting the one that had already gotten into his mouth. He wasn't one to curse, but the heavy sweet smell of the pollen filled street tickling his nose threatened him to do so.

"Malleus, we came here to observe the tradition of humans. Having a new outlook on life can only benefit you." The fae said as he stopped next to a merchant who handed two ice-cream cones after he had given them 2 silver coins. The dragon was soon to become the next king of Briar Valley and all Faes as whole. But with the secluded life he had had to live through, Lilia could only wonder if so few experiences in life could properly let him have a peaceful reign. "You need to see more whilst you're still young." He then handed one of the ice-cream cones to the prince who reluctantly took it.

"I do not see how prying into the mortals' life and customs will help my impending rule." This once again made his caretaker sigh as he shook his head from side to side. This would prove to be more difficult than what he expected if he didn't soon find anything that could possibly catch the attention of the boy. A surprised huff was taken out of him as he was suddenly stopped by a kid who collided with him.

The man merely smiled as he pushed all of his hair, some locks dyed in a blood red, onto one of his shoulders and knelt down. He reminded him of the young child he had taken under his care not long ago — he had actually taken him when he was a newborn, and he was already around six, which wasn't exactly a "long time ago", and with a deep chuckle, he took the child from under his armpits and set him on his feet before dusting him off. While the kid was still confused, he continued to make sure that he wasn't hurt by the fall, his father like instincts pushing him to do so —although he didn't mind as he still kept a smile up as to not scare the child. "Where were you running at so fast? It's dangerous to run around in a crowd." The kid nodded but was clearly excited and impatient as he was fidgeting more than one his age was supposed to.

"It'll start soon!" He rocked on the back of his feet as he was trying not to peek above the man's shoulders to see if the oh so expected event of the year had started. "The Battle of the Spring Queen!"

Lilia perked up at that. He let the kid go without further questions, only giving a playful "be careful" and his ice cream in exchange of the promise that he shouldn't run in the streets anymore or at least be more attentive, before getting up and dusting his clothes off.

"I thought humans were pacifists as of today. Why would Queens fight?" The fae laughed at that under the annoyed gaze of his younger fellow. Oh, he sure had missed a lot, hidden in this castle of his! Maybe that he should ask Maleficia for permission to take Malleus out more often. He eventually calmed down as he removed the tears threatening to fall from the sudden laughter that took over him.

"Of course it's no battle per say." He hummed as Malleus was patiently waiting for the rest of the answer while passing his tongue over the cool dessert. It wasn't often that he received ice cream, and one from Lilia was cherished even more, so he tried not to eat it in one go out of excitement. "Each year for spring, they hold a dance contest of sorts, where the winner becomes the Spring Queen for a year."

"Just dancing?" Humans were fighting by dancing now? They were more peculiar than he had given them credit for.

"Of course I said dancing, but it's not something that simple." When they arrived at the town center, Lilia easily pushed through the crowd with his small size to reach the front as the prince struggled to follow him. At Lilia's request, he had hidden his horns to avoid a mayhem among these mortals, but right now he wished he hadn't because the annoyed looks he received were slowly boiling his blood with how much they annoyed him. "I've heard that it can take years to perfect it. And— Ah! Just on time!"

The dragon fae eventually arrived beside his caretaker and looked unimpressed at the rows of women standing in the middle of the town center. They had all formed many circles, the smallest inside and the others extending to be bigger the farther it was from the center, around a maypole and all had a ribbon in their hand. The white dresses they all wore nearly made him cringe, it was all too bright and the sun rays bouncing back on them and into his eyes tenfold this sentiment. Even the crown of flower resting on their head and the embroidered fabric attached to it and hiding their face from the onlookers was almost too much. Should he just go back? But then Lilia would be disappointed in him and he feared the distress it would bring him more than anything.

A voice loudly announced from within the public the start of the competition and the musicians started playing a folk tune right after, hurdy-gurdy, tabors and flutes becoming one. Lilia pushed the tip of his elbow against Malleus' arm to catch his attention at the same time. "That's what we came to see." The women all lifted their hands up, wrists decorated with a mix of flowers that the dragon had a hard time trying to recognise, before slowly turning on themselves with the soft and sluggish tempo of the melody. "This is one of the few traditions humans inherited from us."

Slowly picking up speed, they followed suit. They each took a step to the side as they continued to turn on themselves. Each row was rotating to different sides which created an eye-catching show as the fabrics all flew around the more the rhythm grew to be frenetic.

The pace of the song eventually arrived to the point where it was hard catching up to it, and soon enough someone fell. She looked rather frail as her face was finally unveiled from when her flower crown had flown away. Stumbling, falling on one another they all smiled, their no longer hidden bright eyes only making the public even more excited. The orchestra suddenly stopped, and so did the women. But it picked up just as fast and they all spinned to the other side with linked arms. "Oh this is the moment. I forgot to ask, Malleus, do you want to join them?"

He looked at him incredulously as more women fell to the point that the remaining upright had to jump over the bodies to continue. But he didn't get to answer as he was pushed forward, more men following behind him. Lilia was surprised by the sudden rush and merely managed to take Malleus' ice cream as he was soon too far for him to hear him. He didn't expect something like this to happen, hopefully he'll manage his way out of this predicament he had accidentally found his way in. Or he could partake in it which would please him more than the other option.

The dragon looked back to his caretaker, but before he could react, someone had taken him by the crook of his arm and twirled with him closer to the center of the dance which only further widened the distance between them. He couldn't back out now, he was surrounded by the town folks, dizzy and the dance had also become more complex and he knew he would bump into someone if he decided to walk out of the dance.

One moment they were linked to one another, the next his partner had left him as a new one jumped into his arm now hopping and spinning with him. And just as fast, she left him and he was once again handed over to someone else.

He didn't like it, being passed around like, what he could compare as, a mere toy. Swirling on the same spot with little to no rest as he felt the ice cream he had eaten slowly climbing its way up his throat. He couldn't see it from how blurry and loud everything was, but there were only a few people left standing, enough duo that he could count them with only a hand. He was strong on his feet, due to his fae nature, unlike all the others who would fall from the sheer speed their new partners came at them with. He was the center of the attention, everyone watching carefully how this stranger had imposed himself as the one anchor needed for the winner.

He broke out of his haze for a mere second as he had finally locked eyes with Lilia who still had his dessert in hand. But he could only make out a few words from his stretched lips "It feels like we'll have a surprise this year. Aren't you lucky fufufu~" before his new partner brought him back to the current situation at hand. Much to his surprise, unlike all the others that had a deathly and uncaring grip on his shoulder and arm, she turned out to be more conscious about his uneasiness.

It didn't stop her from forcing him into the dance, continuing to twirl with him, but when her veil lifted with the wind sweeping it away from her face, he could make out an apologetic smile. "Sorry for forcing you into this." She said more to herself than for him, knowing that he wouldn't have heard it as her voice was drowned out by the music, but he did, thanks to his keen ears. The music came to a sudden stop right after. And she used this chance to come closer to him, pushing her chest against his as she tiptoed so her lips could reach him right under the shell of his ear. The closeness didn't faze him enough not to notice that there were only two pairs left. His and another couple staring daggers at him. "This one will be the last part, please keep up with me a little longer."

And seemingly entranced by whatever power she had bewitched him with, he listened, immediately following her when the music started again. As if his body had learnt the dance, more than likely against his will, he easily matched her movements. Unlike before when he was just being pushed around, he was now the one gripping her hand hard enough not to hurt her but to make sure she didn't fall or lose balance, and he made sure to turn at the same time with her.

She was concentrated, not noticing the sudden change of demeanor of her partner, as she looked at her feet to make sure that she got it right. If she was to fall now, it would be all over. She had worked hard to come this far and she wouldn't let victory slip through her fingers so easily. And at long last, the same booming voice that announced the beginning of the contest ringed far above the music. This time, marking the end of it.

The two standing slowly came to a stop, regaining both of their senses as they mindlessly looked at their feet. It was… the end. It came faster than what they had expected. Or was it because they had lost themselves in the heat of the competition? When they remembered the situation they were in they looked around for the duo they were competing against. And here they were, bickering on the ground, too caught up in their anger and accusations to get back on their feet.

Malleus turned back to his own partner when he heard her laughing. She took the flower crown and removed it from her head, shaking her head to put her hair back in place, before looking up at him. Oh. She was…

He couldn't even finish his thoughts that someone came and took her hand, throwing it up as they announced her as the new queen. Clapping and shouting became louder the closer the public approached him and the woman was still gripping his hand, but it only brought back the previous headache racking the back of his head.

Thankfully for him, he was whisked away by the very person who put him in this predicament in the first place. He didn't even bother to hide his pout as Lilia wore a bright smile, taking him farther away from the public's eyes. "Did you enjoy it?" And Malleus could barely believe his words. If he had enjoyed it? Did he look like he had enjoyed it at all?

Once they were far enough, he had begrudgingly walked to a driveway where he could hide as he was vexed by Lilia's question. "I want to go back." And Lilia sighed at the tone his prince had taken. He had hoped for him to become a little more aware about his duties as a prince, but it seemed like it didn't work his way this time. Thus, while a hand was pushed against his hips, he snapped his fingers, bringing them both to the inn they were staying at.

"Malleus." The soldier started as he circled the bed to sit on the cushions decorating the windowsill. Although he wanted to sit on it, he ended up slumping onto them with yet another aggravated sigh. "You didn't learn anything from it, did you?"

As an answer, and seemingly vexed, said Malleus crossed his arms, still standing before the door as his own way to protest his displeasure with the entire situation. "I don't believe that there was something to understand from such an unpleasant event." The entire thing was reckless, ungrateful, and overall displeasing to him. The noise, the heat, the light, he would have never imagined someone liking such things if he hadn't witnessed it first hand.

"These people are under the care of faes. All of the previous rulers cared way beyond Briar Valley's borders." He moved his fingers, summoning a kettle brimming with hot water and the teacup by the bedside. With another fickle, the hot water was poured inside the cup where a dry teabag was patiently waiting to be of use again. "And as the heir, it is your duty to understand what will fall under your charges. Their customs are different yet similar to ours, neglecting that can quite easily create a rift that will bring to a new war." He took a sip of his cup once it was ready, a small grimace appearing on his face at the bitter taste. He immediately brought a few more suspicious ingredients that he put into his cup.

"You have much more to learn about this world, and I hope that you will learn something before we leave."

At that, he disappeared, the slowly dying greenish sparks the only proof that he was here just a moment ago. And Malleus was confused to say the least. He understood his words, yet, he found them hard to decipher. He surely had learnt everything at the castle with the most proficient teachers of this age, he couldn't think of anything left to explore. What a mystery, he would have to work on it fast if he wanted to talk to Lilia again. His caretaker had always been one to teach through actions rather than words, and when Malleus was at fault and too stubborn to open himself, he had found out that leaving him to think about what he did wrong would work the best. Although what truly scared Malleus wasn't the scolding but the fact that Lilia just refused to talk to him as he was one of the very rare people he could feel at ease with.

And the only person he could turn to as of now was the mysterious Queen of the Spring.

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦

She was still by the town center thankfully. Although this time she was draped in a modest but fitting white dress, the only decoration were flowers that seemed to have been haphazardly thrown on her by who he could only suppose were the many men praising her beauty by her sides. Surely when he thought about meeting her again, he expected her to be praised as a Queen, but the crowd of men surrounding her, craving for her attention as marriage proposals were thrown here and there for her to take, was definitely not what he had in mind. And by the look on her face, a tight smile as she uneasily looked around for an escape, she wasn't enjoying the situation as much as him.

But by some miracle, as he was thinking that he should maybe go back to the inn as she was not in the position to help him, she locked eyes with him. Her pupils dilated and stars dancing in her eyes as she recognised him in an instant. She stood up, walking down and forcing her way through the people still waiting to have a good look at her, a few apologies thrown at those who she feared she could have hurt, and excitedly marched towards him.

"I– I've been looking everywhere for you!" She started right off the bat, her cheeks definitely hotter than they should be as she tried not to stare at him too much. Even if it wasn't her fault, he was pretty handsome to look at after all, especially compared to the folks here.

He hummed, not fazed one bit by the shy look she wore. "Is that so?" He merely said, not knowing how to react to the information she gave him. It was unexpected indeed, for her to look for him despite how irrelevant their meeting had been. (But could he really think that when he was the one that came to see her, thinking of her as his only anchor in this unfamiliar place?)

She buried her head in between her shoulders, fingers playing with each other as an attempt to calm the awkwardness she felt from his answer. "Of course, you're the reason I've won after all." And when he repeated her sentence with a curious but surprised tone, she could only try and add more context to what she had said. "You saw the one we were against at the end right? They're two nobles and like, their families have always worked with one another so they could win the title of the Spring Queen each year. And I kind of found it unfair so I tried to go up against them, and like, if it wasn't for you, and you're really strong by the way, I would have never won because most people here are too scared to go against them you know? And I am too, it's even surprising that I'm still standing here right now because I expected them to just come and snatch my head off for my impertinence or whatever excuse they'd created but no! So like…"

If she was hot before, well her embarrassment had now reached a whole other level where she had became a furnace. Of all times she could have let her stupid habit of ranting take over, it had to be with the pretty man whom she had danced with. "I'm uuh… I'm sorry for rambling…" She had always been scolded by her family for it, even the kids that would hang around her had innocently commented negatively about it. And she was trying really hard to get rid of this habit, she could even swear on her pride if needed!

"It's okay, although I don't think that talking about such things out in the open is good for you." Ah he was right! What if those nobles were actually looking to take their revenge on her? But there was no place where she would be free of danger. These guys were everywhere and—

"Then you wouldn't mind coming to my house, right?" A humm left his mouth as an approval, more fascinated by the fact that she was continuously embarrassing herself yet was self-conscious about her own attitude.

She moved to the side, a meek "this way" leaving her lips as she led the way to her small abode. And her house, farther away from the town where everyone had gathered, was… Would comparing it to a pet home be offensive? Because compared to the castle back home, this was akin to comparing an ant to a dog. And when she opened the door, he was somehow even more surprised. The house seemed to have only two rooms. The kitchen, dining room and bedroom all welcomed him at once which made him assume that the door at the back led to what must be the smallest bathroom he could ever imagine.

Still, what truly was unexpected was how cozy it seemed. Unlike the walls made out of cobblestones back in the Fort he lived at, which only made the atmosphere colder than it was already, the various plants and colors around was a sheer contrast to what he was used to. And it bothered him.

As he sat down on the drawn out and only chair in the house, he mused at the different shades coloring the walls. "What are those?" She came next to him as he pointed at the paintings above her bed. She smiled softly at the question.

"Before I left, my family gifted me those." The colors were clashing and unsightly. And despite the fact that it was made by someone close to her, he couldn't find it in himself to somehow change his views. They were still childlike and clumsy at best. So he merely hummed, not caring about voicing his… not distaste, but he definitely didn't have the best opinion on those. "Anyways, do you want some tea?"

She moved to the counter by the sink, pulling out a small wooden box from the mess decorating what would be considered the kitchen. "Actually I would much rather go for coffee." She stopped dead in her tracks. Coffee? People like her couldn't afford such things. She truly wondered who that man was.

Still, she slowly turned to him, an apologetic look on her face as an awkward smile hung on her lips. "I'm sorry I don't have coffee." She watched as he pondered a bit, fingers resting against his chin with closed eyes, before he looked back at her and told her tea was fine. She let out a quiet relieved sigh as she went back to the herbs sitting in the box before her, taking the most expensive flavour to give him before moving to heat some water on the stove.

His eyes were fixated on the intricate design decorating her back, the shape of a flower drawn with all the threads interwoven through one another and letting him see a star that seemed to be a birthmark in the middle of her spine. And his gaze slowly moved lower and lower, the need to be satiated growing the more he looked at the small parcel of skin showing between the bottom of her rather short dress and her white thigh high stockings. Why did he suddenly feel his body yearning for her? He didn't know and didn't want to. He was tempted, entranced, to move closer and pass a hand under the skirt of her dress. He wasn't used to seeing such loose and short clothing, having been mostly in company of nobles, they were posh and well-dressed with layer and layers of fabric hiding their skin. Even the soldier or the few villagers he had seen across Briar Valley were covered from head to toe with little to no skin showing. Maybe that was why he was hypnotized by her, wondering for the very first time what was hiding under someone's clothes as his draconic instincts were teasing him into taking actions.

Malleus somehow managed to keep calm as she approached after a while, a cup of tea and some low-cost biscuits to eat with the soft drink. "Here, I don't know what you like so I made some Earl Grey tea." He smiled kindly, or at least tried to as only a small almost unseen smile appeared, before switching his attention back to the drink sitting before him to take his mind off the impulsions of his dragon side. Partaking into the carnal desire and losing the purity that was only meant to be given to his future wife? He knew better than that. And while he was debating with himself, she quickly ran to the counter in the kitchen and back to him. "Ah wait!" She bent forward, her short dress hiking up and flashing him a good amount of the small panties she wore, a cube of sugar hanging in between her fingers as she plopped it in the drink so soften it up.

Fuck, he actually didn't know better than that, because right before he could properly think, his hand had moved to cup one of her buttcheeks. She froze, and so did he, as an awkward silence stretched between them, one that seemingly wasn't registered by him as his fingers flexed around her flesh, earning a small and surprised squeak out of her. She turned back to look at him, the top of her body allowing her to turn enough for him to see her flushed cheeks as she peeked over her shoulder. "I-Is there a problem?" And she cringed at the question she asked. But he didn't care, nor did he answer back as he got up, towering her while his hands slid along her body, assessing each curve and bumps under his long fingers, before stopping under her breast.

She was pinned on the table, unable to get back up as the man was pressing his chest to her back, his hot breath tickling her neck as she felt the tip of his fingers tentatively pressing the fat of her chest. She didn't know how to react, should she push him back? She should, as she had yet to marry and had to keep herself away from any sexual activities that could "taint" her according to the religious man who had blessed her and the many other women of the village. She hadn't respected that rule as she had… already explored her own body a few times already. But partaking into something greater than merely playing with herself? While the fear of being accused of hysteria taunted her, she was still heavily tempted by this stranger's, more than vulgar, invitation.

And against her better judgment, she softly placed her hand atop his, slowly guiding it as her breath hitched when she felt his cold skin touching hers above the low-cut of her dress to the top of her larynx. His eyes dilated, pressing his hand around her throat at the same time, trying to assess all the small reactions she would have which further drove this unknown feeling devouring him to a new point. He wasn't one to fight back his urge, far from it, he was more often than not indulging it which would always make Lilia shake his head out of disappointment. So without much thinking, he wrapped an arm around her waist, the other hand moving her head to the side for him to graze her skin with his pointy teeth, as he quickly brought her to the bed by the corner of the room. He fell on it ungraciously, her body now trapped in-between the bed and the erection he was rutting against her backside in near oblivion, each of his grunts feeling like honey soothing her mind.

His fingers started exploring her, tormenting and harassing every bit of skin showing, even tearing new holes in the pristine white dress she wore to access more of her. She felt herself drifting away when two of his sharp nails eventually found themselves back to one of her breasts, pinching it as he continued to press the hard-on still confined in his pants along her clothed slit. And as if to make things worse, he had finally started to nibble on the junction between her neck and shoulder, the lewd sound of his lips and tongue playing with her skin driving her further down this hole he had opened. What if she was fucked silly after all? She wouldn't mind if it was this handsome stranger whose lust was oozing and overwhelming her senses. But it seemed that after a short while he grew bored, instead moving away from her, just enough for him to turn her around so she could face him, settling by leaning above her as his hands rested above her ass.

She was now laying on her back, his body still towering her as he decided to press a delicate kiss on her lips, quite unexpected especially when one would consider how rough and impatient he had been until now, as if he had finally taken over the instincts that were pleading for him to drill into her hole and make her his for the night. And she reciprocated, moving her hands behind his head to grasp a handful of his hair and bring him closer. She wanted to feel him more closely, to have him imprint his lips on hers so that she could never forget him, who would surely defile her in a few moments. And hopefully, what a childish wish it was, he would understand her feelings and return the affection back. She didn't know who he was, not even his name which she had forgotten to ask, but she knew that this wise man eating her lips would be better than any of the men who were crying out to tie the knot with her. Because unlike them, he had proven how capable he could take care of her, how he was an immovable pillar when needed. And she only needed this. No fancy gifts from someone who she knew would cheat behind her back.

Whoever this man was, she craved him. He could do anything to her, she knew not why and didn't want to, and she would be on cloud nine as long as he would give her the slightest bit of attention.

But he didn't understand those hidden messages she tried to pass over to him through their languid kiss. Because when he felt her gripping the dark locks sitting around the base of his horns, he quickly lost himself back into those dangerous impulses of his. The dragon in him needed to put an heir or two inside her warm and welcoming womb before the feeling disappeared.

He broke the kiss, listening to the delightful panting leaving her mouth as his mouth traveled farther down along her collarbone. At the same time, his hands had moved from the small of her back to her legs parted on each of his sides, passing them under her bunched up dress and stopping once a finger had passed under the band of her underwear. And his hard-on, more prominent than ever, was once again grinding against her clothed slit, snatching loud whines out of her. Her breath momentarily hitched when she felt a hand leave her thigh, only to feel it scrambling with the belt stopping him from clearing his most urgent need. The occasional and unexpected knocking of a finger or two against her clit made her mewl, and urged him to move even more messily as it only annoyed him how much he was struggling with the leather tied around his waist.

At long last, he freed himself from the clothing confining him away from her. He hissed at the cold air that contrasted with the heat of his length which prompted her to look downward. But he immediately pressed his lips against hers, once again, which stopped her from seeing it, tongue entering her mouth and creating a mess of drool pooling on both of their chins, a strong hand moving to the back of her neck as he removed her undergarments. He did ponder a few seconds, should he let the stockings hugging her tights on? But he quickly shook this thought away, a deep groan rumbling all the way down from his throat as he ripped the fragile layer of clothing off her legs, leaving only a few stray of white fabric to cover her skin.

Her breath hitched when she felt him, surprised by the sheer size of his warm hard-on resting right in-between her legs. She was supposed to…? Not that she was a prude or anything, but she truly stopped a second to think if she was really ready to take something like this inside her. It was only normal for him to have a size proportional to his height but it definitely looked bigger than what she had heard from the women gossiping early in the morning at the corner of the marketplace. He didn't wait and immediately went to slowly rub his length along her still clothed cunt, earning small gasps and whines from her as she pitifully tried to hide them behind her hand. But he didn't care about them, not when he could feel the warmth she was producing, so heavy and impossibly addicting, which shrouded his mind more than it actually was.

He went back to what he was doing a moment ago, this time passing a finger on the underside of her panties as he pulled it to the side to allow the tip of his cock to press against between her walls, grinding and spreading out her cum along his length. Right when he stopped at her entrance, ready to plunge in, she weakly grasped each side of his face with moist hands which caught his attention. Breath heavy, eyes teary, and cheeks burning, she still took the time to ask one simple question that she had been dying to ask since she met him… "Y-Your name… What's your name?"

"Malleus."

And he slid inside her before she could say anything, pace hard and fast from the get go as he couldn't get a grasp of the insatiable need to fuck her. A loud gasp resonated in the room at the first thrust before a string of whines followed, she could hardly keep up with him, hanging on for dear life by wrapping her arms around his shoulders as her fingers drew deep lacerations on his back. She didn't know what motivated him to be so harsh against her poor body, handling it so carelessly that she feared that she'd break, and they were only beginning.

But these actions didn't spurt out of nowhere. He had been hungry, unknowingly keeping it in the needs to mate as he had never been confronted to it directly, his caretaker having deemed that he had no need to indulge them so young —the Draconia family surprisingly didn't indulge much into sexual activities unless when they were with their significant other, which lead them to believe he didn't have to learn about his impulses. Yet this woman he had found himself dancing with, acting so gently with him, unlike those who would do so out of fear or excessive admiration, had managed to grab his attention. And the dress they had given her to go with her new title as the Spring Queen, how small it was, hugging her body in a way that made him imagine just how she would look without it, how could it not fill him with inappropriate thoughts? How could it not tease the dragon inside him?

His fangs, elongated the more the seconds passed, the more his cock thrusted back inside her as he felt her walls closing around him, the more he heard her small pleas, pressed against the skin of her neck tentatively as his mind was clear enough that he knew that he at least shouldn't mark her. It didn't stop him from teasing her, loving the way she would tense up whenever she felt his teeth pressing a little too hard on her skin.

With each thrusts, she felt herself breaking, her body reacting not only to the length racking her insides up, she could feel the telltale signs how her orgasm building up although she knew that it had yet to properly overcome her mind, but also the strangely long teeth against her neck and the sharp end of his nails playing with the tips of her breasts, the pain only further inviting her down the sin she was partaking in. Her voice rung inside the small house through the form of short and high pitched whines that aroused him the more he heard them.

With one unexpected motion, he turned her body over pressing her upper body down with one hand, fingers tightly clasped around her neck and playing with her breath. Her breath staggered, definitely taken aback by the sudden change of position, and she almost gagged when he went back inside her, fucking seemingly harder than before. Her senses tingled, blurring out any clear perception of what was happening and emphasizing the heat pooling between her leg with each of his thrusts.

She was on cloud nine, feeling her legs trembling as she neared her end, and his pace stuttered when he felt her walls clenching around his cock almost viciously, prompting him closer to his own release despite the frustration within his body having yet to disappear. He went to a sudden stop, her confusion only lasting a mere second as his cum filled her up right after with his groans resonating around her. She whined back, his lips instinctively pressing against her neck to sooth her, having a hard time keeping up with the amount of cum overflowing inside her and dripping out on her thighs in the appearances of pearly white drops.

Eventually, she huffed tiredly, her mind finally starting to clear, and soon she would realise that he had came inside her. Possibly impregnating her with the sheer amount he had pounded inside her. But before she could think about it, he carefully took her hips with his hands, moving her to a new angle as he draw his cock back, leaving the rest of his semence to finally flow out. He pressed the tip of his dick between her folds once again, this time a small smirk on his face as he looked at her fucked out face.

"Darling. I'm not finished."

Her eyes widened, but she couldn't say anything that he was already back inside her. She didn't know how someone could have such stamina, and she wondered for a moment if he was human —which he wasn't but any hints he had given that he was fae had been drowned out by her pleasure. Yet, her mind quickly felt like mud, preparing herself for a long night.

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦

Lilia stared incredulously at the way Malleus was fiddling with his breakfast the next morning, his mood visibly brighter than before. It was… troubling to say the least. The boy was easy to read, hiding his emotions has seemingly always been a problem for him who was easily swayed, and after he had so coldly scolded him, he didn't expect to see him in a good mood. So when the boy turned towards him with a contemplative look; "Those children of man sure hold many qualities." he was surprised to say the least.

What happened for him to change his mind so fast? He could only wonder.

[seafoamreadings]

week of august 4th, 2024

these are written predominantly for the *rising* signs but they are also intuitively "channeled" enough that they should work for any dominant energy you have! (try your sun if you don't know rising, or more advanced readers can try moon, anywhere you have a stellium, etc and see what works best for you!)

aries: while the week's transits are quite earthy at this time, the background is still by and large fire and air. venus into virgo can also be a great time for you to spice up a diet, gym routine, or any form of routine you want to elevate from boring to sacred ritual.

taurus: virgo is where the action is. that's your 5th house of fun! on the one hand, mercury goes retrograde in there this week but on the other hand, your ruler venus graces that region of the sky with her own special sparkly aura. you're just going to have to accept that going with the flow involves getting splashed a little bit. plan accordingly and insist on a good time.

gemini: this week is very "you can do this the easy way or the hard way" vibes. unfortunately it's not always obvious which way is easy. mercury retrograde really muddles things up for you but on the bright side, venus is near by to hopefully soften the blow.

cancerians: if you have a partner, bring them out to some local fun this week and if you don't, hanging around nearby places, no matter how boring your locale may have previously seemed to you, presents good odds for a fun meet-cute scenario or just a really good time.

leo: the new moon in your sign is like a personal new moon in so many ways because the sun is so powerful in your sign. don't let anyone convince you the moon is your enemy or that you should be uncomfortable with lunar themes. use this very magical period to set intentions and level yourself way way up.

virgo: some may try to tell you to dread the ingress of venus into your sign due to her classically debilitated state there. no, she's not at her most comfortable, but that doesn't mean she is suddenly a malefic or that there's anything wrong with you. embrace the beauty of service and the love that is wrapped up in little details.

libra: the week is not comfortable for you per se, but the background astrology is broadly supportive anyway. sometimes support comes in the form of tough love, brutal honesty, or a wrong turn that turns out to be a weird shortcut.

scorpio: friendship weirdness ensues. or if it doesn't naturally occur, you might have to be the catalyst. but stagnation socially is not meant for you at this time. even a little too much comfort isn't always a good thing.

sagittarius: the upcoming week or two or so may be hectic for you. it's not so bad, as you can keep up with any changes of pace. but if you had made plans, don't expect to be sticking to them very much.

capricorn: if you didn't already have plans or projects in the works, it's not a great time to enact them. however, with all that out of the way, things otherwise unfold very nicely for you, especially when it comes to long distance travel or business affairs, and academic endeavors.

aquarius: any esoteric or occult - in any sense - pursuits are at the forefront this week but they are really meant to be kept to yourself, these are not public affairs. lending and borrowing are also to be strongly discouraged at this time.

pisces: mercury retrograde in virgo along with venus's ingress into virgo means for you, the service axis is lit up and so is the self-others axis. don't lose track of your own identity; some people will take advantage of your unconditional love and kindness. even without realizing they are doing so. give love to yourself as well. don't try to pour from an empty cup.

[breelandwalker]

(Spawned by this post and done separately bc I didn't want to derail.)

Folk magic traditions and folk medicine, historically speaking, tend to rely heavily on regionally-available resources. Whatever was growing in their particular biome was what got used. So we see many many plants with overlapping usages or correspondence. And it may SEEM repetitive in an age where we can source pretty much whatever we want or need from the internet or from local stores that import herbs and spices.

White sage and palo santo are excellent examples, but we can also look at things that are closer to home. Consider, for instance, the humble peppercorn.

Native to the India, black pepper is one of the oldest known spices in the world, with usage records going back over 5000 years, and is a staple ingredient in most household spice cabinets. Even the blandest, most white-bread kitchens will at least have salt and pepper on hand, and pepper has a plethora of magical uses from protection to cleansing to fertility to warding off bad luck and malefic magic.

AND YET. Black pepper used to be the most expensive spice in the western world. Literally worth its' weight in gold in the ancient, classical, and medieval periods. It was used by physicians to treat a variety of digestive complaints and was believed to reverse the effects of certain poisons. It was so valuable, people used to pay their rent with it, much in the way that Roman soldiers once received salt as part of their wages. It wasn't until the Renaissance that black pepper started to be affordable for an average household as trade expanded and other substances like coffee, cocoa, and saffron gained in popularity.

So we might easily reach for a courtesy pepper packet for a quick banishing or protection ritual today, but that's not something the average medieval English peasant looking to ward off bad luck or keep evil spirits out of their house would have access to. But what they DID have was rowan trees. And we see many references in the folk magic of the British Isles to rowan boughs or rowan berries being using for protection, fertility, cleansing, and the warding-off of misfortune and magical harm.

So instead of going right for the white sage or palo santo, why not try smoke-cleansing with rosemary and bay leaf? They have the same magical properties and are much more affordable and readily available, plus that added bonus of, yanno, avoiding culturally appropriative or overharvested plants.

Anyway, point is, widespread availability is all well and good, but you'd be surprised just how much you can find in your own backyard and how useful it can be in your craft.

[lailoken]

Do you have any tips for baneful magic?

This question is pretty broad, and honestly, I don't work nearly as much baneful magic as many others do, but a piece of advice I received many years ago and have found quite helpful ever since is: when attempting to work malefic magic, you really have to mean it. This holds true to some degree with most other magic as well, but I find it to be especially true in the case of maleficia. When I do work a hex on someone, even if I'm doing it with the ultimate goal of protecting someone else, I focus on my feelings of outrage and disgust with the target, not my desire to help the victim. It can be energetic and intense, or cold and calculated, but that malice does a lot to feed and direct the work in question.

[sailormoonandme]

Mamoru is NOT useless in the Anime

Yes, yes, the memes are funny and all, but this is simply objectively not true and I'm rather exhausted of folks critiquing the character/the anime as though it were.

I will hopefully kill his BS once and for all.

"He just throws a rose and leaves!"

For those who have actually watched the anime (or even just the very first episode) to describe Tuxedo Mask as 'useless' is reductionist to the point of being outright disingenuous. In particular when this argument is made in such a way as to negatively compare him to his manga counterpart, who is put over as allegedly superior on this point.

The original 1992 Sailor Moon anime had 200 episodes, 3 TV specials*, 2 theatrical shorts and 3 films, with these latter theatrical releases being dubiously canonical to the anime. Mamoru appears in the overwhelming majority of those 208 entires, even accounting for the final 34 episodes where he was dead/functionally absent almost all of the time. Even if we seriously low balled things, the majority of those appearances feature him partaking in the following scenario.

Sailor Moon, often with her fellow Senshi, are fighting the monster of the day (maybe it's a higher ranking villain, or a general threat they are dealing with).

They get into a tight spot where either they or whoever/whatever they are trying to protect is in danger from whatever threat they are combatting.

Then, out of the blue, a rose slices through the air and imbeds itself into the scenery like a dart. Typically, this action saves the lives of Sailor Moon, her friends or whomever they might be protecting.

Tuxedo mask gives a speech and either leaves or else sticks around to see Sailor Moon perform her finishing move that effectively ends whatever threat she was dealing with, often with Tuxedo Mask being the one to prompt her into performing this finshing move.

For the sake of argument lets pretend that the above is literally the sum totality of what Mamoru does in regards to the superheroics of Sailor Moon. How could anyone describe the above as 'useless'?

If his interventions regularly save Sailor Moon's life then that is a zillion miles away from useless. For him to be useless, his actions need to be superfluous, pointless, contribute nothing. Even if he contributed a little bit he would by definition not be useless. And saving the protagonist's life is much more than 'a little bit'. If the protagonist dies then the story is over. Evil has won, the world is doomed.

And this isn't even considering all the ways Mamoru contributes OUTSIDE of the above scenario.

He has, whilst untransformed, stabbed a Lemures with a knife to save Sailor Moon.

He has willingly acted as a magical life support system for Chibi-Usa when her Pure Heart was stolen, an act that maybe anyone else could have performed but it is still a noble thing to do, in particular when it freed up the more powerful characters to go get her heart back.

He personally met up with the Outer Senshi to learn about them on behalf of the other girls, going alone which might have been dangerous, but the episode also gives the impression that he, as the oldest member of the team, was better positioned to get info from the older Outer Senshi who has a demeaning view of the younger Inner Senshi. In this same episode, he tried to convince the Outers to join forces with the Inners, acting as a diplomat.

He went 1-on-1 with Rubeus to defend an injured Sailor Moon who was herself acting as a human shield for Chibi-Usa

He has personally gone on a one man mission to infiltrate the Black Moon Clan's HQ to rescue Sailor Moon from being sexually assaulted by Prince Demande.

Mere episodes later he and Artemis went on a scouting mission to learn more about the Malefic Black Crystal

He formed a double team with Sailor Moon to tackle a tennis themed Youma, an encounter that involved more than a singular rose throw and a speech. One of the multiple times he got more directly involved in fighting the monster of the day

He literally carried Sailor Moon on his back to save her when they were both trapped in an elevator courtesy of Nephrite

He was prepared to willingly reveal his identity and hand both himself and his Rainbow Crystals over to Zoisite in order to save Sailor Moon and her friends

The love he shared with Usagi directly led to the manifestation of the Silver Crystal, to the salvation of Chibi-Usa when she'd been brainwashed into Black Lady & the creation of a new weapon and transformation brooch for Usagi in season 3

As Prince Endymion, he went against his own subjects and risked his life to infiltrate the Moon Palace and warn his beloved Serenity that his home planet was going to invade her home

He took not one, not two, but three impalements to protect Sailor Moon's life

More often than not he has acted as reliable emotional support for Usagi and Chibi-Usa, encouraging them, helping them with homework or just being there for them. i.e. he is an imperfect, but ultimately good husband and father. Which is particularly impressive considering he hadn't yet married his wife nor conceived his child.

There are those who might scoff at the latter. Is emotional support really useful? Well, putting aside how the Sailor Moon universe clearly demonstrates how magical power/energy is directly linked to emotions, this is categorically true in the real world as well. There are no end of testimonies from fire fighters, doctors, people who have serious illnesses, or soldiers that the emotional support of thier loved ones have kept them going and kept them alive. So, this is rather useful for our heroine Usagi who's job is that of a Sailor Soldier.

The Outer Senshi

Furthermore, there is an inherent hypocrisy in the 'Mamoru is useless' narrative because such criticisms are never levelled against other characters whose typical role in the narrative are similar to Mamoru's.

The most popular season of the original anime was season 3 (Sailor Moon S) and one of the biggest reasons for that show's popularity were the fan favourite Outer Senshi: Sailors Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Saturn. Let's exclude Saturn as she wasn't active as a Senshi for most of season 3. Uranus and Neptune's role in the first half of season 3 typically amounted to

Attacking the monster of the day, usually to the same end that Mamoru's rose throws did, i.e. a distraction or last minute save

Swiping the Pure Heart of that episode's victim

Checking it over before concluding it wasn't a Talisman

Leaving, or else at least standing by as Sailor Moon administered her finishing move on the monster of the day

Golly...that seems just as 'useless' as Mamoru now doesn't it? In fact, maybe more so considering they weren't even trying to help Sailor Moon in the first place. In fact, during their second appearance, they unintentionally saved the lives of a powerless Usagi, her friends and an innocent civilian to check a Pure Heart, then uncaringly left them all in danger.

You know who then saved them immediately after that? Mamoru!

Later when he too was overwhelmed by the monster he directly contributed to saving the day as his emotional bond with Usagi generated the Spiral Moon Heart Rod, upgrading Sailor Moon and giving her the power to save everyone.

During the third sub-arc of season 3 (where the recurring villain was Mimet of the Witches 5) Sailor Pluto joined the Outer Senshi's ranks and their role in the typical monster of the day plots became yet more minimal. More than once, the trio literally appeared but did nothing, something that had also happened at least once before Pluto joined the team. Examples include (but are not necessarily limited to) episodes 97 (The Labyrinth of Water – Ami Targeted), 116 (Sunny Skies After a Storm – A Friendship Dedicated to Hotaru) and 118 (Battle Inside the Demonic Space – The Sailor Guardians’ Gamble). In some of these instances the Outers deliberately choose to do nothing.

Barring 2 of the specials mentioned above (one of which was a clip show), the Outer Senshi were wholly absent in season 4/Sailor Moon SuperS. In one of those specials, upon learning that a new threat had arisen Uranus and Neptune...choose to continue their road trip and leave the fighting to Usagi and the others...How...useful???????

They, along with Pluto and Saturn get much more involved during the course of the final season/Sailor Stars. Even then, Saturn only appears in the first few episodes and the last few. Pluto only gets involved in the monster of the day schemes once or twice and Uranus and Neptune three or four times, if that. Whilst Mamoru is barely involved at all in this season, he at least has the excuse of being dead for most of it.

So, the fan favourite Outer Senshi got far LESS involved and were LESS useful than Mamoru typically was in the course of the whole show. In fact, even if we exclude the first two seasons where (exempting Pluto) the Outer Senshi hadn't appeared yet, Mamoru overwhelmingly contributed MORE than the Outer Senshi did.**

The Other Senshi

Much the same can be applied to the Sailor Starlights. The Starlights more often than not actually got MORE involved in fighting the monsters of the day during season 5 than the Outer Senshi did in season 3; or at least they were interested in defusing a direct and active threat to innocent lives. But even they literally showed up and did nothing on at least one occasion.

Whilst the Starlights are nowhere close to the Outer Senshi's popularity, they are also never subjected to the 'they are useless' narrative Mamoru frequently is.

Nor in fact are the Inner Senshi of Sailors venus, Mars, Jupiter and Mercury. Now, whilst it's easy to argue due to their superior screentime, the fact that they often initiate combat with the monster of the day and are generally heavily involved in whatever crisis is happening, that they are obviously more useful than Mamoru is.

And you know what, even including the rare occasions they too show up and do nothing else (or do a last minute save like Mamoru is prone to do) this is perfectly true. It is also perfectly true however that the quartet have rarely ever defeated any monster of the day on their own. The overwhelming majority of the time the Inner Senshi act as a distraction to the Monster of the day or else sufficiently lower its HP so that Sailor Moon can actually beat the monster. That might be more useful than Mamoru's typical contributions, but, call me crazy, it seems like Sailor Moon is doing the lion's share of the work there. So, how 'useful' are the Inner Senshi really if we run by the 'Mamoru is useless' narrative?

If Mamoru is useless so are many if not all of the more popular heroic characters in the series.

But...how useless is Mamoru in the anime compared to the Manga?????????

*Well, one special with three segments, but go with me on this.

**They were mostly absent from season 4 whilst he appeared routinely in that season. Meanwhile, in the season he was mostly absent, they rarely helped out.

Obviously, there are real life writing reasons behind that difference, but my point is why is the fandom not treating the Outer Senshi as 'useless' too?

[sweetycupcakeslove]

Astrology Observation 4

Hi guys, Thank you so much for showing so much support for my observation until now and please keep on giving that support. 😍

👉 Note: This is just my observation and I'm not a professional astrologer 👈

ON WITH THE OBSERVATIONS!!!!

❤️‍🔥 Yk your 5th house + 7th house sign + 8th house sign tells you whom you're attracted to.

E.g. i) Leo + Libra + Scorpio then you're attracted to someone who is charismatic, good looking and mysterious or Popular, Gentle and possessive.

ii) Cancer + Virgo + Libra then someone who is Caring, hardworking and affectionate.

❤️‍🔥 Having malefic planets in the first house can grab more attention from others but also having some problems with own self.

i) Neptune: people find them magical, out of fantasy, dreamy, etc. The native don't have a clear idea about their dreams and goals in life.

ii) Saturn: people find them reliable and mature. But the natives are hard on themselves and will stick to their plan.

iii) Pluto: They're found mysterious by others that's what grabs others attention. But to keep on being the centre of attention they go through many transformations.

❤️‍🔥 I say Virgo mercury are a great communicator. These people know when to say something and what to say.

❤️‍🔥 Leo mercury's are actually great speaker because of their dramatic flair they can grab crowd's attention.

❤️‍🔥 What I've noticed is that Capricorn sun womens look like stoic but they're actually fun to be around.

❤️‍🔥 One more thing I've seen with Capricorn sun is that they're also financially in great condition.

❤️‍🔥 Your moon sign can also tell you where you want to work. Moon tells you about your comfort and a person will work in a company for 9 hours where they're comfortable.

E.g. Capricorn moon likes to be surrounded by mature or senior colleagues so they most likely will work in a CA company, a bank, etc. A Pisces moon will like to work in a place where they're surrounded by creative or artistic colleagues so they will like to work in the music industry, advertising agency, etc.

❤️‍🔥 What I've notice is that Aquarius placements like to be centre of attention but if someone else is stealing the attention they should be getting then will do something that they get others attention on them. I have a friend who has Aquarius stellium in her chart and she always likes to be in the middle seat in the friend circle and if she doesn't get she will still sit there. And also once a girl had not a good opinion about her she went for hours with her about reasons that she didn't like at first. My team lead also has these placements and once my colleague told him the other colleague was smarter than him because the team lead asked her who was smart. Till now that guy is making jokes on that guy who was called for being smart.

That's it for today 🥰💃

Adios Amigas!! Have lovely life ❤️

[learnastrowallura]

🧡The 9th House in Astrology🧡

The source if this information is The Astrology Podcast (Chris Brennan) on Youtube and from the book The Twelve Houses: Exploring the Houses of the Horoscope by Howard Sasportas and I will add a personal example as well

9th house: Religion, spirituality, the mystical, occult, esoteric matters, wisdom, direction of life, meaning, fulfillment, magic, astrology, divination, temples, pilgrimage, retreats, higher learning, university, philosophy, foreign topics, the unfamiliar, long term travel, quests, truth, seeking knowledge, God, cadent house

Our 9th house can tell us a lot about our view and relationship with religion and spirituality; whether we are more of the skeptical type (Saturn in 9th house), or maybe we find comfort in such matters and we tend to focus on the beauty of them (Venus in 9th house), how we determine our beliefs or our "truth", how we live our lives according to that truth, how we interact with/how comfortable we are dealing with foreign matters and people as well as languages, and also perhaps how we feel about moving away from home or committing to long journeys for the sake of the expansion of the mind or even discovering other cultures as well

I've seen people consider this house the most positive one out of the cadent houses and I agree with that as well <3

Personal example: Saturn in Cancer in 9th house

This is a tough one for me to delineate, to be honest but let us see how this goes

The obvious starting point is my view on religious matters and I am not religious at all despite having been raised in a religious country. Now what is interesting is that is I love astrology more than life I mean I LIVE for it at this point and I would consider myself pretty spiritual so we can say that if were seeing it in a black and white manner it would be contradictory but I think it makes sense for me; in the way that I am still skeptical in spiritual matters; I always keep an open mind but the "what if this is not factual?" Or "what if this is not the truth I am looking for?" type of questions are always in my mind however I do not like to lean into them so much

And the reason for that can be found in my chart as well since I have my Saturn squaring my Venus in Scorpio in the 12th house (placidus) or 1st house (whole sign) and if we were to be literal about it we can say that Saturn is restricting me from having that kind of harmonious feeling, I suppose because I'm always skeptic and for that reason I truly do not think I could ever feel good or comfortable being religious

My Saturn squares my moon in Aries in the 5th house (placidus)/6th house (whole sign) as well and with my Aries moon I like being impulsive emotional maybe break the rules a little bit yk and sometimes I do not feel so comfortable (moon) doing so because of my religious trauma and fearing God and being a sinner etc but thankfully I do ignore this most of the time

On a more positive note I do have Saturn trining my Sun in Sagittarius in the 1st house (placidus) or 2nd house (whole sign) and I will be honest having Saturn in my 9th house does help me take my learning journey seriously because I also have faith that it will lead me to achieve my dream of freedom whether it is time/location freedom (Sagittarius) or financial freedom (2nd house) as well so yeah

I should also mention that long term/distance travel scares me ahaha idk why but I mean I have Sagittarius sun/mercury/pluto placements so yk it is kind of mitigated by the fact that I am curious about life but yeah I should explore my fear more because it is interesting as well

Honestly my Saturn placement for me is an area of struggle for me especially since I have a night chart and so it is is my malefic plus Saturn really gives me that pressure of I have to work hard to become knowledgeable/wise and reliable too

But I have faith that it will get better with time since Saturn is the ruler of time as well

And when I turn 20 this November it will be my 9th house profection year so we will see how that goes and I will update you guys x

Thank you for reading <3

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[what-the-actual-wizardry]

Magical Tools

This post will discuss my approach to magical tools! Please note that my practice is minimalist/essentialist, and not everyone vibes equally with that, so don't use what you don't like! In my study and experience, I have found that most folks use a variation of some very similar tools. They have different names and specialized functions by practice, but I consider these to be their essential forms. Focus- The wand, staff, crystal point, and similar tools serve as the Focus. This is what the magician uses to effect change in the outside world, bringing their will into being. It is often wielded in the dominant hand, and I associate it with air, though fire is traditional. Scourge- The blade, broom, whip, or bell all serve as a Scourge- a magical weapon. Traditionally air, I see them as more fiery, they are used in banishing entities and baneful magic. Lots/Sortilege- The primary divination tool that the magician uses, having countless forms and variations. Water-associated, and used to generate advice from the gods/higher self/nature/etc. Amulet- Distinct from other talismans, the Amulet acts as a shield or barrier that keeps malefic magic away when the magician's guard is down. Earth-associated, and often worn around the neck or in the form of a garment. There are others, but that will be a different post. The essential tools are these four- to summon/cause, to banish/remove, to protect/prevent, and to predict/inform.