#the great askbox cleaning of 2024

[extravagantliar]

❝ there you are. everyone’s been looking for you. ❞

At the end of any good story is a party.

At least one, sometimes there are two, sometimes three.

This must be number four, if not that.

Not that he doesn't like a good party. @martyrmarked

The last good party was when Bull was last here; now, he was cast wide world doing something else, helping someone while he was shoved in a suit, shaking hands of all things.

In a suit of all things.

He sneaks out at some point, undoing the buttons with one hand and a drink in the other as he snakes through the Hall and makes his way from merchants and the like. It takes a skilled moment, but he makes it out into the garden, out under the cold, clear sky. The threads of that sky have been sewn clean; it no longer glows low out here, and the snow is falling with the sky itself. No, it's even more peaceful, if just not cold.

He had once asked Solas, in all of his infinite wisdom, why the ancient elves that imbued this place with ancient magic to keep it standing and protected, why didn't they imbue heating with it.

Solas didn't find that one very funny.

Alas, the cold is welcome, as the Great Hall is filled with dignitaries, people he must be polite for; manners matter in these moments, as his days are numbered - she is still Inquisitor, and he is now Viscount. He settles on a bench, nestled somewhere the friends are resting. The glass is cool against his hand, and so is the breeze against his face. It's nice, a needed change of pace - as the gossip of the night had all been sought out and died into idle chatter. Ice shifts in his glass, but instead, it is a voice that draws his eyes up, that clear bell.

"There you are. Everyone’s been looking for you."

"Everyone? Do you mean Josie and Charter? I thought they'd like a breather from me? Count What's His Face has been trying to talk to me all night, and I've been avoiding him."

"Count Kwilin." She reminds.

"Yeah, him." He pauses, and sighs, "Is this what it's going to be? Parties like this forever?"

"No, Josie said this is the last one." She pauses, "And then some event in Orlais."

"Nope."

"Oh, you have to go!" She teases, joining him on the bench, then snatches the glass from his hands. She tips it back, it's mostly watered down, mostly. "This is stolen." Correct, sorry Solas, you leave you lose.

"State something less obvious; why do I have to go?" He will go; he just wants to know why.

"So you can glower at those diplomats again." Ah, her suitors.

"Ah yes, the fools who want to try and marry you."

"Hey!"

"I am also one of those fools." He states, stealing his glass back. The ice sloshes; it's mostly ice at this point. That. she shrugs at

"So I don't really have to go; you just want to see my reaction." He posits, shifting before standing up. She shrugs again. "How many did they shove at you the moment I was out of sight?"

"Two, one is some son of a high-ranking noble."

"Fancy, we could add it to your impressive list." He teases, but she doesn't laugh. "Hey, you get to reject all of them, Josie even said so." She had been a fierce ally, an advocate as she turned the other way to his and her behaviour time and time again ( they never got caught, never started an event, and he only yelled at someone once so far ).

He offers his hand, "Let's go." She looks up at him. She takes his hand, but he knows it's half in confusion. He never says anything right the first time, constantly stumbling over getting the timing right. "Let me be your impossibly handsome dwarf and glower at anyone with a proposal for you."

She laughs at him, pulling herself up and next to him. He doesn't do the buttons back up on his suit and he realises her laces are the same gold as his necklace, his earings, and the stupid cufflinks he was forced to wear. "They're bigger fools than me."

"Why's that?" The shift in their surroundings is stark; the dim cool of the world brightens, and the warmth of a fireplace and people radiates across the keep.

There are words that come to mind, that he's driven and determined, and that he's braved worse before and come out on top. Rather, he hands off his empty glass, hands over an additional coin, grabs an additional drink, and she nettles him until an answer comes, "Fine. Fine, settle down, that's unbecoming of a lady." He states, chest out. "They're in a lose-lose situation." He takes a drink.

"What does that mean?"

"Well, you're larger than life to them." Again, she was a symbol - cast gold and made to wear a crown. "You're not a person. Therefore, I don't have to worry. I know you - what do I have to worry about, some pretty Orleisan boy?"

She snorts, stealing his glass, again.

It's fine.

They've come out on the other side.

[hyakinthou-naos]

Hekate’s Deipnon

February 2024

Khaire Temple Guests, thank you for visiting us today!

Tonight is Hekate's Deipnon, and in honor of this we wanted to share some information about this Holy Day. Additionally, a post explaining how to submit and leave digital and e-offerings can be found here.

What is Hekate's Deipnon?

"... at its most basic, [Hekate's Deipnon is] a religious offering meal given to the Titan Hekate and the restless dead once a lunar month. Ancient Athenians held that once a lunar month, Hekate led the spirits... from the underworld up from Hades. It is also the last day of the month according to the lunisolar based Attic calendar used in ancient Athens. Where the time of the dark moon was seen as the in-between liminal time between months." - Wikipedia

Hekate's Deipnon takes place the day before Noumenia, on the night of what is referred to modern astrology as the 'New Moon'.

This Holy Day is regarded as a time for purification and cleaning before the start of the new lunar month, as well as a time to honor the dead and the underworld. Purification of the self and the home, as well as settling personal affairs from the previous month are all traditional; and considered to be auspicious activities to partake in on this night.

Why Hekate?

"Hekate (Hecate) was the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy." - Theoi.com

Depending on your sources, Hekate's name may come from the Greek hekatos meaning "worker from afar" - or it may come from the Greek ekate phosphoros meaning "bringer/giver of light”. In either case, Hekate is closely aligned with the veil between the overworld and the underworld - and is an incredibly liminal goddess. Her domains include magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy (source: Theoi.com).

With all of this in mind, it becomes clear as to why Hekate would be associated with the night before Noumenia, when the veil is thin and darkness is abound.

How to Celebrate Hekate's Deipnon?

As mentioned before, Hekate's Deipnon is a time for purification, cleansing, and honoring in the dead. If you are physically able, Hekate's Deipnon is a great time to cleanse either your home - or your ritual spaces. This is also a great time to, if you are physically able, take care of your body (i.e., showering, having a wash day for your hair, trimming finger and toe nails, etc.).

Outside of cleansing, it is traditional to place an offering of food on your altar/shrine during the day. Then, at night, you should place this food outside at a three way crossroad. This could be a literal crossroad on a path or road, or a liminal crossroad where water, air, and earth meet. Two examples of the later are 1: A rock or raised earth in a river or stream or 2: A bridge that crosses over some kind of body of water.

Traditional food offerings include:

Eggs (Raw or Hard Boiled)

Leeks / Onions

Garlic (Whole, Cloves, or Powder)

Incense

(source: hellion.org)

Some practitioners will alternatively or additionally set aside a plate during their evening meal with a portion of the food served. These offerings should also be placed at a crossroads.

Lastly, it is important to make sure that any promises, promised offerings, or oaths that you have made during the prior month are fulfilled before dawn. This will allow you to enter Noumenia with a clean slate.

We hope you have found this post informative and helpful, please feel free to direct any questions or inquiries to our AskBox and we will endeavor to answer all queries in a timely manner.

Eirene, peace and farewell.

[adahlena]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who liked or reblogged something from you! get to know your mutuals and followers ♡♡♡

!!! i found this stuck at the bottom of my ask box while doing some cleaning, but the end of 2024 feels like a great time to do this again!

• the environment (just obtained my final certificate, eager to work ☺️)

• my beautiful stunning car. driving is such a pleasure

• morally and ethically required to list the arcane s2 soundtrack

• my family, which consists of my partner and all my friends, they really got me through 2024

• participating in all my silly lil hobbies, like all the new games i played this year, the new books i read, and all the sciences ive been studying for funsies 😌

thanks @miraakswhore for the ask, sorry for not seeing it sooner!!