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baldursgate3tempobsessed · 1 year ago

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hello! i’m not sure if ur taking requests but maybe an astarion x bard! tav who is neutral good? ik in game he hates it when we’re nice, so i’m wondering how you think he’d handle a tav who is not only kind but also not really interested in sex

Oooh, I like this! Time to bring out the bitchy cat energy. Because he is a bitch. Lot of Act 1 in game references here btw. Sfw, but y'know, Astarion sad boy backstory is always looming. Also conveniently ignoring the canon fact that Astarion doesn't know how to swim because I can~~~

Astarion supposed he could have come across a worse rag-tag crew of undesirables to associate with. It was made clear, disturbingly quickly, that he wouldn't have made it out here on his own. Not with the goblins and cultists lurking around every corner. And a damn vampire hunter for gods' sake.

Astarion could have done much worse than this merry-band of weirdos. Like laying dead in a ditch for instance. That said, it didn't change the fact that he was quickly growing tired of their leader's antics.

You were just so annoying. So selfless, in one of the stupidest ways he had ever seen. For one thing, why one earth would you ever trust a gith or Shar priestess? Or a vampire spawn for that matter. How no one had stabbed you in the back yet was beyond him, considering how you gave them every opportunity to do so.

Not that Astarion would, or at least not yet. But he could. Easily, considering all the misguided trust you had put in him.

But despite your flaws, he had to admit that you were capable, that much was clear. You were strong, quick, witty, and not above deception to keep the peace. He.... liked that about you, in a way. The extent to how far you would go to save others. It was courageous, as well as incredibly stupid, but he could respect it.

Slightly.

it helped that you were a cute little thing, even with the aggravating sunshine personality. Cute enough for Astarion to start thinking of... certain options. You would be easy to manipulate, he was sure of that. Enough so where his life could become one of your top priorities. You already seemed to like him, without him turning on the charm. It would be so easy to get you wrapped around his finger, with nothing but a few shiny words and some pleasant bed-warming. Nothing that he hadn't done before. And if anything, your absurd levels of kindness could.... make everything a little more pleasant than what he was used to. Gods willing.

And tonight seemed as good a time as any, considering everyone was still on a high from being the tiefling's heroes. You were excitedly talking at him, adorable in a frankly infuriating way. Or maybe the wine was working on him more than he had anticipated, he wasn't quite sure. But... your smile seemed extra enchanting tonight.

Enough so for him to get to the point after you asked how he was feeling, "I'm just looking for a little more excitement. A little more fun."

You cocked your head at him, innocently confused as he continued, "You know, we could always make our own entertainment darling. Get a little closer, so to speak."

"Sure!" You said, jumping on the opportunity faster than even Astarion had expected, "Can we do it now?"

Astarion blinked, pleased if not a bit surprised. He's not wholly against giving the camp a show, though the children still lurking about definitely put a damper on things. But maybe if you went far enough away...

"And can I choose what we do?" You asked, a wide smile on your face.

Astarion laughed, delighted at just how easy this was going to be, "Depends on how adventurous you're planning on being."

He hadn't expected you to grab his hand, easily intertwining your fingers with a smile, "I can show you."

Astarion hadn't been prepared for the quick escalation of events, but he was happy to abide by it. He nodded his head, giving your hand a small squeeze before saying, "Then lead the way."

And lead the way you did, right to the Waypoint of the swamp. Not exactly the most romantic place to be having sex, but Astarion had done worse. That was until you conjured the dancing lights, the dreary darkness suddenly transforming what should have been a putrid bog into a dreamy landscape, filled with flowers and freshwater.

Astarion looked to you, eyes wide, "How...?"

"We purified it!" You announced with a massive grin, "We did it this morning, before the party. Halsin and the other druids came down, I amped up their magic with a fantastic song, and bam! No more stench of the hag. Isn't it pretty?"

That... sounded exactly like something you would do, sweet thing that you were. Astarion nodded as he looked around, a little touched that you brought him here at all.

But as nice as the gesture was, he wasn't here for strictly fun. He had a plan, one that you were doing a wonderful job of putting into motion. Considering how you were in the middle of pulling your shirt over your head.

You looked at him expectantly, laughing a little when he rushed to join you. But before he could get his underclothes off, you were stepping away from him and... jumping into the water?

Astarion stared as you sputtered up to the surface, wiping your face with a loud laugh, "My gods, it's cold!"

"What on earth are you doing?" He called out to you, cautiously walking towards the water, "Are you trying to freeze to death?"

"Oh, hush!" You said, waving your hand in the air with a splash, "If we can kill an entire goblin camp than we can handle some cold water. Now get in already!"

Had he mentioned that you were aggravating yet?

But he hadn't made it this far to back out now. Besides, this was far from being on the list of the worst seduction tactics that he had to endure. Though it may have been the oddest one. Astarion couldn't remember a single time that jumping into a purified water pool led to lovemaking. But there was a first for everything. Though it didn't help that the water was indeed freezing.

"For fuck's sake," Astarion cursed when he came up for air, "This is your definition of fun?"

You giggled as you swam towards him, stopping to wrap your arms around his neck with a smile. Another unexpected move from you, a factor that he hadn't expected, but found oddly endearing.

You were playing with a lock of his wet hair, twisting it between your fingers as he wrapped his arms around you, "Well the fun part hasn't started yet."

Astarion laughed softly, his eyes zeroing in on your lips, "Is it about to start now?"

"I think it is," You whispered back, "You ready for it?"

"More than you know," Astarion murmured, leaning in to finally connect your mouth.

But before he could press his lips against yours you were dodging him, giggling as you whispered in his ear, "Good. Let's race."

And then you were pulling away from him entirely, diving under the water just to show back up a few feet away, a manic grin on your face, "Whoever gets to the opposite bank first wins!"

And then you were off, swimming away. You little cheater. Astarion didn't even think as he want after you, a childish competitiveness taking over. You still won, of course you did with that large of a head start, but he managed to beat you on the second and third try.

By his fourth win you were officially pouting, which only devolved into a splashing fight from there. One that he gracefully let you win.

It was all so stupid. Completely juvenile and beneath him. But then why was he having so much fun?

Eventually, you both got out of the water, opting to sit on the bank as you talked. Just... talking. Nothing more, and about the silliest things:

"If Halsin can turn into a bear, do you think I could learn how to grow an extra finger or two? It would make the lute playing so much easier."

"If you don't mind looking like a freak than sure. Are you thinking of literally growing them or having them attached?"

"If, and just hypothetically, Lae'zel and Shadowheart fought to the death, who would win?"

"Darling in all honesty, I think it would just devolve into lesbian sex."

"If you could go anywhere in the world, right now, where would it be?"

"...I think it would be here."

It was a startlingly fun conversation, one that had Astarion being sincere in ways that made him uncomfortable. But that didn't stop him from participating. The two of you talked about anything and everything until the sky started to lighten, both of you leaning into each other as you watched the sunrise.

That was something Astarion would never tire of, how beautiful the light and sky looked at the start of the day. Part of him still couldn't believe that he was able to see it at all, after two centuries of darkness. But now here he was, sitting on a peaceful riverbank after talking the night away, almost like... like he was a person. A real person who mattered. With someone who somehow thought the same.

You sighed, your head resting on Astarion's shoulder as you watched the pink sky, "We should head back soon. Before anyone starts to worry."

Astarion nodded, his heart clenching the slightest bit when you pulled away to stand. He... didn't want this to end. Not yet. Not when he-actually now that he thought about it, he hadn't done anything in the past eight hours that he had planned. The two of you hadn't even kissed, despite the fact that you had spent the vast majority of the night wet and in your undergarments.

How in the hells did that happen?

Astarion was still trying to figure that out as you tossed his shirt and pants his way. He stood, hastily putting it on while he struggled to figure out what to say next. He was completely off his usual script, at a complete loss as you re-opened the magical waypoint.

You turned back to look at him, that same sweet smile on your face that you had been wearing the whole night, "You ready to go?"

Astarion wasn't the type to stutter, but that's where he found himself when he blurted out, "I- wait- I mean, is that it?"

You cocked your head at him with a tiny frown, one that Astarion wanted off of your face immediately, "Did you not have fun?"

"I didn't say that, but it wasn't exactly the fun that I was referring to," Astarion said as he closed the distance between you, regaining a fraction of his usual forced confidence. Why were you so good at making him feel off-kilter?

He took your hand in his, reverting back to the seduction tactics he knew as he used his other hand to tilt your chin up, "I was thinking something a little more... intimate."

"I know what you meant," You said with a little laugh, giving his hand a small squeeze, "But my way seemed just as enjoyable, don't you think?"

"Darling, that's not exactly the point I was trying to make."

"Oh, I'm aware, but it was mine," You said easily, standing on your tip toes to kiss him on the cheek, "Thank you Astarion. It was fun, and I hope we can spend more time together like that in the future."

And just like that you were pulling away again, letting go off his hand to step into the portal, the feeling of your lips against his skin still lingering as you disappeared. Despite himself, Astarion brought his fingers up to where you kissed him, standing there like an imbecile as new feelings started to course through him. Emotions that he had no names for.

Maybe... this was going to be a lot harder than he thought it would.

#astarion #astarion x reader #astarion x tav #baldur's gate 3 #asks #you'll pry my long posts out of my cold dead hands #cutsey #pre-relationship basically #our boy is trying lol #silly things

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teriri-sayes · 6 months ago

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Reactions to Crazier Bastard's Chapter 300 + Author's Note

Brief summary: Game tries to eliminate Cale. Tutorial boss saves Cale. System AI makes a deal with Cale.

==========

Cale entering the game world was confusing to his ancient powers who were unfamiliar with it. Cale and DA then discuss the possibility that the saint and GoC were related to the game world. But Cale made a mistake here. He should have kept his conversation with DA to himself and not spoken it aloud. 😂

Cale: I think there's a high possibility that they (GoC) are at the center of it. Game: Would you like to use the nickname "I think there's a high possibility that they are at the center of it"? Cale: Damn it. Game: Would you like to use the nickname "Damn it"? #%f@%fd Cale: Huh? Game: $#&*#%System^%error^%^#occurs$%$^ Cale: ???

The game then classified Cale as an unauthorized user and proceeded to eliminate him. Cale thought he was just going to be kicked out, but his meeting with an NPC made him realize that something dangerous might happen if he did not escape here.

The NPC was a demon dressed in aristocratic attire and described as a masculine, "decadent", and handsome man. In Korea, having a "decadent appearance" could mean several things:

Black theme - black hair, black clothes, dark atmosphere

Mature look - sensual or captivating eyes

Gloomy air or drowsy look - dark circles on eyes, uses goth or emo makeup

Some are described to be yandere or have mental health problems

This new NPC fit the black theme definition because he was the Count of Darkness, Lupe II. Cale thought Lupe II had come to attack him, so he tried to defend himself. But Cale and the APs were shocked when he couldn't use any of his powers!

Why? Because Cale was inside a game and was in the process of creating a new account. He still did not have a level or any skills. So he couldn't use any of his "outside" powers inside the game.

Fortunately, Count Lupe II was not an enemy. In fact, he was urgently trying to save Cale from the game which wanted to eliminate Cale. But something seemed to be hindering him from approaching Cale, so Cale had to run just to grab Lupe's hand. 🤣🤣🤣

Game: *tries to eliminate Cale* Cale: Ah, seriously! *runs to reach the demon's hand* Cale: (If I want to survive and not get destroyed, I have to catch that demon's hand!) DA: *scared* Hey, hey! Catch it! Cale, catch it! Shield AP: You should have exercised. Narrator: Cale somehow ran. Yes, his Kim Rok Soo self that contained all of his long years of life experience did. And he believed in the physical talent of Cale Henituse contained within him, in the power hidden within his muscles. Cale: *finally grabs the demon's hand*

Glutton priestess, what? 🤣🤣🤣 Why did you have to bring up Cale's lack of physical exercise? 😂😂😂 And the narration wasn't helping. 🤣🤣🤣 DA though. I noticed this in the past chapters... but wasn't he actually a coward who liked to bluff? DA was always portrayed as someone who loved to dominate people, but in the recent chapters (their encounter with the gods, and now this game), DA kept getting scared easily. 😂 A coward who liked to bluff? Wasn't that CJG? So was DA really CJG? 🤔

Back to the topic, the game's elimination mode was turning everything around them red and having alarms sounding off all the time. The red sky split, and a red hand with vein-like red tubes filled with black liquid descended, trying to grab Cale.

But Lupe II managed to escape with Cale from the red hand, teleporting to his dungeon, Hell of Darkness. It turned out that Lupe II was the tutorial NPC final boss. Befitting his Count of Darkness title, his room was full of dark/black furniture fit for a noble. And despite his dark theme, he was an emotional man who easily cried.

More surprises appeared. Lupe II was an NPC who was aware that he was an NPC and in a game. He knew about the hunters and the world outside the game. It all started when the game's System AI, the one in charge of managing NPCs and giving quests, began acting strange. This led to Lupe II becoming self-aware and gaining outside knowledge. And Lupe II was frustrated because no one knew about the System AI acting strange, even the game developers.

Lupe II was hostile to the hunters, so he almost cried in relief when Cale said he "hunted" hunters. And as if the System AI was watching them, a system window appeared in front of Cale, giving him 2 quests.

[Quest 1. Find the hero with Count Lupe and stop the terrifying @#%&^* god who is trying to destroy this world!] [Quest 2. Please find my 'oppa' with Count Lupe]

In the end, Cale figured out that there were two AI involved here. One was the AI that Ahn Roh Man (ARM) considered as his "hyung", the AI his parents secretly hid in the game and mentioned in previous chapters. The other was the System AI mentioned today, who called ARM's hyung as her oppa because she was an AI created after the first one.

Ooooh... Since Alberu was the "hero", then the System AI was making Cale the "hero's companion" together with Count Lupe. Would Cale meet Alberu soon in the game world? But what happened to her oppa? Did something happen to ARM's hyung?

Cale told the System AI that he would tell her information about her oppa. In exchange, he wanted her to create a user account for him without the knowledge of the hunters. Of course, this wouldn't be TCF if there wasn't comedy... 😂

System AI said she couldn't do that, but because there was a huge update patch coming soon to the game, she sneaked in Cale by making him a half-demon and giving him the account of a... Tutorial Hidden Final Boss NPC. 🤣🤣🤣

Meanwhile, Cale's second group arrived at Exion's place. It had been 6 hours since Cale fainted, according to Raon's timer. Ron was gently smiling while cleaning Cale's bloodstained clothes, and Eruhaben was staring at Cale as if he was a cute grandchild.

Ending Remarks

Why does this chapter feel like an info dump? But I never expected Cale to become an NPC, a hidden final boss at that. 😂 I'm excited to see Alberu's reaction when he meets NPC boss Cale. 🤣🤣🤣

Oh yeah, the author posted an Author's Note, celebrating the 300th chapter of Part 2:

Author's Note Greetings, this is Yoo Ryeo Han who doesn't know when Part 2 will end. To celebrate the 300th chapter of Part 2, I bring you this author's note. It seems like only yesterday that I left a note for chapter 200, but it's already chapter 300... Every time I leave a note like this, it feels new and I am grateful. Maybe I'll give my greetings at chapter 400 soon, right? Hahaha! Thank you always for being with us. I will continue to work hard to write this series so that it can be a small joy in everyday life. Thank you. -Yoo Ryeo Han

#tcf spoilers #trash of the count's family #tcf author's notes

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honestlyboringperson · 3 months ago

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The mean gay and the even meaner bisexuals. And Pearl. (Persona 5 AU)

Also I just realized that Scott’s yellow eye is in the wrong socket. Eh, too late.

Southlanders

Team B.E.S.T.

Fairy Fort

Magic Mountain + Cub

More Information Below!

Scott - “Prism” - The Star Arcana - Dionysus/Sigyn

Sarcastic yet intensely devoted and loyal, Scott is known for his business “Chromia”. He sells dyed goods along with one of a kind clothing, along with the actual dyes themselves. He’s relatively well known throughout town due to his social media presence, and helps the Phantom Thieves with a calling card utilizing social media. Pearl and Scott are notable for their distaste of each other, which differs from their closeness a few years back. According to him, Scott only really joined the Phantom Thieves for his own amusement rather than agreeing with their goals.

Dionysus is Scott’s persona. Dionysus is the god of wine, revelry, orchards, and madness. I mean, Scott did join the phantom thieves for his amusement, so his persona is one of festivities. Another aspect of Dionysus is his Orphic version known as “Zagreus”. If you played Hades, you probably have an idea of who he is. He is the son of Hades and Persephone, and is the god of rebirth. The “rebirth” aspect of Zagreus can refer to the amount of times Scott barely escaped death from SEVERAL people.

Anyways, Scott’s Ultimate Persona is Sigyn, the norse goddess of mercy and compassion, and wife of the trickster god Loki. When Loki was caught and punished after he killed Baldr, he was sentenced to be tied under a venomous snake and have it’s venom fall into his eyes, Sigyn shirked his punishment by placing a bowl or basin above him to catch the venom before it falls into his eyes. However, some venom does get in his eyes when Sigyn goes to empty the bowl and Loki’s pained squirming causes earthquakes.

Pearl - “Carmine” - The Moon Arcana - Little Red/Diana

Pearl is a journalist, who often pulls all-nighters and stake-outs to get her scoops. Although chill and laidback during the night, during the day is a ball of feral neuroticism from the lack of sleep. She often finds herself in odd situations to find her scoops, usually seeking out seedy parts or town to report on the criminal activities. This also led her to meet a strange man covered in sunflowers saying she resembles his god in his religion and some oddball bar performer claiming she pushed him out of some godly realm. She is also one of the Pupil’s victims with false memories implanted in her. In this case, she believes Grian is her younger brother. She owns a little dog named “Tilly”.

Her Persona is Little Red, as in Little Red Riding Hood. More specifically, the version she and the huntsman along with her grandmother feed the wolves rocks after the huntsman cuts them out.It then dies either by drowning in a well where the rocks weigh it down or where the weight is just too much for it to handle and it dies. I mainly chose this for the ✨aesthetics✨, with a red cloak and giant terrifying wolf. I suppose it could represent the two sides of Pearl; the chill and laidback Pearl during the night and the feral (albeit kind of sad) and sleep deprived Pearl during the day.

Anyways, her Ultimate Persona is Diana, the Roman goddess of nature, hunters, wildlife, and the moon. She’s often equated with Artemis, but also has an association with Hecate, god of witchcraft due to both of them having crossroads under their dominion. Pearl could theoretically have any of these goddesses, due to their themes aligning with Pearl during Double Life where she goes kind of stir crazy and lonely. Heck, Hecate is even accompanied by a procession of dogs.

Cleo - “Ghoul” - The High Priestess Arcana - Bloody Mary/Durga

A sculptor known for her ornate, detailed, and beautifully haunting sculptures. She was one of the first people that managed to befriend Etho, most likely due to her similarly intimidating aura. She is roommates with Joe Hills, a strange man who often speaks through a puppet on his hand. She had to become more intimidating due to people with less than favourable intentions often flock to prodigy artists. However, if you have her back, she’ll have yours and will always make sure she fulfills a promise or repays a favour.

Her persona in the metaverse is Bloody Mary. She’s most known for her urban legend, where you can summon her via going into a dark room (usually a bathroom) with only a candle and reciting her name three times. Although there are several different origins she may have had, this version is specifically Mary Worth. She was a woman who lived in the woods who was accused of witchcraft. She was burning on the stake when she cursed the village, resulting in the vengeful ghost we know today.

Durga is the Hindu goddess of protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. She has the ability to unleash divine wrath on those who oppress and is often depicted riding a lion or tiger wielding multiple weapons and fighting demons. Cleo is both someone able to intimidate those into avoiding her and protecting her allies, represented by the combination of the aspects Durga represents. Also the motherhood aspect is calling back to when she was part of the c(l)ockers as the “mom”.

Gem - “Satyr” - The Strength Arcana - Atalanta/Freyja

Gem, although she may not look or act like it, is a former mercenary. She is retired, but not after making herself known through her feats of strength and her near inhuman fighting abilities. As of today however, she spends her days working as a lyricist and LARPing with her friends, as well as regularly bugging Etho. She can crush apples with her bare hands and is both well liked and feared by the rest of the phantom thieves.

Her initial persona is Atalanta, a famed hunter from Greek mythology. She was raised by bears and is the slayer of the Calydoanian Boar after Artemis wasn’t honoured with a sacrifice. She was also possibly a member of the Argonauts, where she fought along side them at the battle of Clolchis. She was a rare example of a female Greek hero in the frat house of the rest of the Greek heroes.

Her Ultimate Persona is Freyja, the Norse god of love, beauty, fertility, war, and gold. She and Odin equally spilt the soldiers who died in war into two halls, one belonging to Freyja. She wears a necklace called “Brísingamen”, obtained through trickery but was broken when she got so wrathful, the hall shook. Thor utilized said necklace to disguise as her to steal back his hammer Mjolnir.

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cult-of-a-buttercup · 10 months ago

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GUYS THEY’RE FINALY READY

Headcanons for each Bishop + a brief introduction to each of the mini bosses and witnesses!

Shamura:

Before their injuries, Shamura was known for being patient and powerful amongst other beings. Yet, they weren’t unapproachable: they loved answering any questions their followers and siblings could have, both to spread their wisdom and to show their own greatness. They were very caring as a sibling, usually scheduling visits to each bishop in the little free time they had. Though, they would come off as arrogant or patronizing, treating those around them as…well, stupid.

After Narinder’s betrayal, they isolated themselves completely. They often ignore their followers, and those who are too persistent are given a warning or simply become food for the more beast-like spiders in Silk Cradle. They suffer from depressive episodes and lash out at random followers for minor mistakes, earning a reputation of a merciless ruler after the imprisonment of the One who Waits. Despite this, everyone still respects them greatly- or pity them. The true reason why they’re constantly upset is because of their own loneliness. Even if they gathered all three of their younger siblings, it would simply not be the same. Narinder was the one they loved most, after all.

Shamura prefers robes and dresses before pants: fitting their stinger inside a pair is terribly awkward if not impossible.

Their favorite colors are gold and black: elegant and simple.

Sometimes they train with their soldiers to test their strength- more often than not they get carried away and exhaust them.

They spend most of their free time in their library, reading and writing documents of the Old Faith if their injuries allow them to.

Their injuries make them have terrible migraines and headaches: thanks to the crown, most of their memories are intact.

It made their powers of reading the future work less and be less precise as well.

Their favorite way of executing heretics is decapitation. They like to do it themselves, but they have too many things to attend to.

Focalor (they/them): Picked for their nimble feet amongst the caverns.

Originally a village hunter before being picked as a high priest.

They are rather quiet, and prefer to spend time with younger spiders or on their own. Shamura appreciates it and often comes to them when they need information on the wildlife. They were noticed when Shamura visited a hunting village and they had managed to bring the most amount of prey.

Vephar (she/it): Picked for her ability to identify poisons

Originally a healer before being picked as a high priestess.

She is a bit more chatty than her companions, and likes to catch up with fellow followers. She tends to Shamura’s wounds when they allow her to, changing their bandages and cleaning away the ichor. It was noticed when one of Shamura’s healers was bitten by a poisonous creature and was the first to recognize the symptoms.

Mauras (he/them): Picked for his prowess in fight pits

Originally a warrior of Shamura’s army before being picked as a high priest.

He’s rather rude and enjoys poking fun at his companions almost as much as he enjoys training and sharpening both his own and Shamura’s weapons. While doing this, the two of them sometimes talk about battle techniques and about the cult’s army. Shamura noticed him when holding an annual fight pit, with about ten warriors fighting each other, where he emerged victorious.

Allocer (she/he/them/it): Shamura’s Witness.

Originally a silk farmer before being assigned as a Witness.

Allocer witnessed Shamura’s transformation into a divine god. She was granted a life of service to them as a personal request.

Allocer is more reserved and wise, much like the god he serves. If they aren’t right by Shamura, she might be tending to the needs of their followers. Since their injuries, it tries to keep everything in order for them. Shamura noticed her when they were first traveling the land as a young god and caught their attention when showing a good amount of knowledge of the caves and villages.

Kallamar:

Before his injuries, Kallamar was known for treating himself like the king of kings. Living lavishly and vainly, the squid only accepted the best of the best and adorned himself with the finest of jewels: his high priests and witness were gifted what he wouldn’t take. As for his followers, they were also treated highly, often having quite luxurious amenities when compared to the rest of the Old Faith.

After Narinder’s betrayal, he became a paranoiac. He only trusts his high priests, and often thinks his followers are plotting against him when he can’t make out what they’re saying, and if a follower can’t answer the questions he makes (or he simply dislikes the answer), they will be used as a testing subject for new sicknesses and parasites. Deeply insecure because of his now ruined looks, he gloats and decorates himself more than ever, often taking everything rather than just the best. Because of this the amount of luxury his followers recieved has decreased, but not enough to be dethroned as the “better cult.” He has cut off most ties with his siblings, fearing they could be plotting something against him next.

Kallamar keeps anything that is remotely shiny- even unworthy gifts from followers. His collection is locked behind his treasury, and only his witness is allowed in there.

Favorite colors are cian, gold and black: they combine with him!

Spends a lot of time in healing bays, playing hard to get with followers who need healing. After a couple of praises and gifts he becomes more than willing to help.

His injuries don’t let him hear very clearly what others are saying, and sometimes make him have auditory hallucinations. His crown manages to soothe this, partially.

Though he uses experimentation as a way of punishment and execution, his official favorite way is drowning and/or suffocation (underwater and on land, depending of the species)

Saleos (he/him): Picked for his quickness in battle

Originally a farmer before being picked as a high priest.

He’s rather stubborn and straightforward with the people around him. Can be usually found patrolling the edges of the cult or checking prisoners are in the pillaries. Kallamar often asks him to bring followers to question, and first caught his attention when he caught a thief stealing from his crops.

Haborym (he/them): Picked for his magic abilities

Originally a potion maker before being picked as a high priest.

Rather quiet and a bookworm, Haborym can be found making new spells or training younger soldiers when he isn’t stuck in a book. The new spells are perfected for Kallamar to use, both in fights and experiments. He first caught the bishop’s attention when brewing a potion to make all of his army more resistant to magic.

Baalzebub (it/them): Picked for his remarkable aim

Originally a soldier before he was picked as a high priest.

A serious and hard working priest. It’s usually practicing its spells or patrolling with Saleos when Kallamar isn’t asking them to bring followers and to kill those who refuse to answer to him, right there and then. They caught his attention in a shooting practice.

Astaroth (he/it): Kallamar’s Witness

Originally a sailor before being assigned as a Witness.

Astaroth witnessed Kallamar’s transformation into a divine god. He was assigned a dutiful life of service by Shamura.

Astaroth is rather adventurous and vain, though its wishes for new things have begun to fade as they take the lead on ruling Kallamar’s army. Since his injuries, he keeps them updated on what’s happening among followers to help with his paranoia. Kallamar noticed him at first in his first sermon and as a merchant.

Narinder:

Before his imprisonment, Narinder ruled his small portion of lands under the rules of the Old Faith boringly. His hunger for more showed in every aspect of his ruling, often wishing for things he could not do without having to extend his grasp upon life, death and land, therefore breaking the rules. His lands were significantly smaller to the ones of his siblings, for Shamura feared he’d become too greedy if they showed him he could have more- this had the opposite effect, of course. When Narinder started his own faith, which never got an official name during its short duration, he was able to rule as he truly wished: his most loyal followers were promised immortality, and those who didn’t wish to die yet were able to give offerings in exchange for a longer life for themselves or their families. His lands were going to expand over oceans and over mountains, over the stars if he could reach them. Of course, all of this was cut short when Narinder was imprisoned and turned into his prophesied form: The One who Waits.

He kept part of his promises as best he could: all of his followers were granted a place in the heavens, as a way to thank them for sticking through despite being clearly at a loss. Those who converted back to the Old Faith after his imprisonment were severely punished for their betrayal and sent to purgatory. Narinder at first tried to see the positive side: he wouldn’t have to give another sermon in his life and he could do as he pleased as long as his chains didn’t pull too hard on his poor fur. This mentality worked for about a century before his hunger for more- this time revenge- kicked in again. Slowly, he lost himself in that, forgetting many things as he awaited a single lamb…

Despite his cold nature, he really enjoyed sunbathing.

His favorite colors were white, black and red. Then just black and red, after being imprisoned in the very white afterlife for many centuries.

Used to spend most of his time in cemeteries, overseeing spirits who weren’t ready to move on or who just didn’t know they died yet.

The shackles he was forced to wear have spikes inside, to not only keep him restrained but also punish him.

He never had a favorite way of execution: whatever killed the heretic quicker so he could do as he pleased in purgatory worked.

Yiaster (she/her): Picked for her keen eyes

Originally a librarian before she was picked as a high priestess.

A simple minded and honest priestess. She was able to read people very well, often being more logical than her fellow followers. She was usually reading through scrolls to help Narinder with his workload, and even helped him make important decisions. Some notes she had made along some old scrolls were what allowed her to be noticed by Narinder in the first place.

She was actually the first to see something was wrong when Narinder’s siblings came to imprison him, and was killed while trying to protect him. Now, she has a place in the heavens next to his other priests and priestesses.

Orbatia (he/him): Picked for his passionate heart

Originally a preacher of Shamura before he was assigned a new position upon Narinder’s cult.

A compromised and emotional ever since he was a young follower, Orbatia was assigned a new place as a priest by Shamura when they noticed Narinder could use a hand in taking care of his cult. His ability to preach sermons among his fellow followers was remarkable, and Shamura hoped that this would also inspire their younger brother to see the beauty of the Old Faith and its rules. It didn’t quite do the trick.

Orbatia was never fully committed to Narinder, as a result he dismissed Yaiste’s warnings about his siblings when Narinder was about to be killed and fled when faced with a fight. He converted back to the Old Faith upon Narinder’s imprisonment, and his soul remains somewhere in purgatory.

Repiuc (she/him): Picked for her wisdom in death

Originally a mortician before being picked as a high priest.

A morbid and mischievous priestess, Repiuc sorted corpses among the cult and documented the particular reasons for their demise. He was able to tell quite well, and had the most workload when Narinder was busy doing something else. He caught Narinder's attention when the bishop noticed part of his job was already done with some corpses- with the same skill he had, too.

At the time of Narinder’s imprisonment, she was killed while working with a stab to her chest- with his last breath he yelled and made everyone notice the reality of the situation. She, like Narinder’s other followers, rests in heaven.

Aixiloas (they/it): Narinder’s Witness

Originally a follower of Shamura before being assigned as a Witness.

Aixiloas witnessed Narinder’s transformation into a divine god. They requested to be assigned as his witness and were granted a life of service.

They were quite easy-going, checking on the different smaller needs of Narinder’s followers so they could relax around the land. They were first noticed slacking off during a sermon from Shamura- though the spider was offended, Narinder found it somewhat funny.

The day of Narinder’s imprisonment, they fought fiercely against three of the other witnesses, and almost came victorious if the bishops hadn’t intervened. They hold a special place in heaven, and used to check on Narinder while in the afterlife before he became obsessed with revenge.

Heket:

Before her injuries, Heket ruled over Anura with an iron fist, for feast had to be earned through hard work. She didn’t like luxuries such as fine clothes and jewelry, and would give hers to Kallamar to wear her usual robes- which were covered in mud from crusading and tending to incredible amounts of crops. She liked doing things herself, often believing that if someone else did it for her it wouldn’t be right. Her followers were the most hard-working and the best cooks among the Old Faith- Heket was proud of this and often boasted about it.

After Narinder’s betrayal, her grip on her followers only tightened. Those who didn’t do things right at the first try were executed on the spot. Those who dared say something about how she did things were simply eaten. If you’re in her way, she’ll simply walk over you and possibly kill you anyways. She became rather cruel, often laughing at the faces of those she killed unnecessarily before continuing to go about her day, enraged. Her anger and resentment shows through her actions and way of being, and she refuses to admit it since it’d mean admitting she’s weak from still holding a grudge towards her heretical brother. She tries to spend time with Leshy, but he doesn’t seem interested in seeing her.

When she’s alone or bored, she catches flies with her tongue. Sometimes followers get in the way of a fly, but she doesn’t seem to care much about eating them along with the insect.

If you ask her, she won’t say she has a favorite color- but she likes warm tones and gold to match with her clothes and land.

Due to her injuries, she can’t croak anymore. Before that, she’d croak when she was caught off guard or when being really happy. She found it embarrassing.

Her injuries also affected her speech, which is why she uses her crown to communicate without using her voice.

Her favorite way of executing heretics is making them starve- either tied to a tree or hanging from the branches. Of course, that is if she isn’t hungry.

Gusion (he/him): Picked for his knowledge in herbs

Originally a cook before being picked as a high priest.

A rather reserved and anxious priest, Gusion tends to the kitchens of Heket’s army. Heket trusts him enough to let him oversee her cooking to strengthen all of her followers, and sometimes even listens to his advice when making new recipes. He first caught her attention when he perfectly sorted about ten different types of mushrooms after a missionary.

Eligos (she/them): Picked for their unique abilities

Originally a follower before being picked as a high priestess.

A proud and easygoing being, Eligos was born with a set of wings. They allowed her to do a lot of things quicker and better than other followers, from collecting harvests to fighting. As such, Heket sends them to oversee the cult. She first caught the bishop's attention when effortlessly dodging her tongue.

Zepar (she/her): Picked for her knowledge in battle

Originally a soldier of Shamura’s land before being picked as a high priestess.

A stern and non-talkative ex-soldier, Zepar was raised in Silk Cradle before being transported to Anura as a request from both Shamura and Heket. She is the head of Anura’s army, and first caught Heket’s attention when the bishop was visiting Silk Cradle during a sparring practice.

Bathin (she/it): Heket’s Witness

Originally a farmer before being assigned as a Witness.

Bathin witnessed Heket’s transformation into a divine goddess. She was assigned a life of service by Narinder.

Being a common farmer, she had always worshiped Heket after it noticed the young bishop’s powers amongst its land’s harvest- when she was picked as a witness, she was more than glad to oblige. She oversees the cult’s farmers, and is also in charge of handling information given to her by the priest and priestesses.

Leshy:

Before his injuries, Leshy ruled over Darkwood with the help of Narinder and Heket. Being the bishop of chaos, his lands were overall messy, filled with both heretics and eager followers alike. His ruling was lacking in rules, but had plenty of rewards for those who followed his doctrines thoroughly- and those who followed his doctrines were usually the ones who executed others who refused to listen, along with heretics. Due to this, a lot of the time he found himself closer to his followers when compared to any of his siblings- which was frowned upon in the Old Faith.

After Narinder’s betrayal, Leshy’s ruling became even more chaotic. Without the help of Narinder, and not wanting to receive help from Heket because of how angry she always is, he was basically left alone to do whatever he wanted as long as it didn’t break the Old Faith’s doctrines. His cult lacks many things, such as an army, different temples to worship him, or a central village around his temple- but it is also the cult with the most followers, being lousy in rules and having plenty of space for anyone willing to settle down between many chaotic cultists. The closeness between him and his more chaotic followers remains, even stronger since some of them wish to bring revenge to their beloved bishop.

More often than not, he’s underground digging tunnels around the land. It allows him to somewhat check what his followers are up to, and sometimes even listen to gossip.

His favorite colors are brown and green. They remind him of his lands and of himself.

Due to his injuries, he can’t see without his crown. This, however, sharpened his hearing quite a lot.

His favorite way of executing is letting whoever he’s going to kill run through the forests of his lands while chasing them- whether he or his followers get them is part of the fun.

Amdusias (he/him): Picked for his eagerness when serving

Originally a follower before being picked as a high priest.

Being a novice addition to Leshy’s priests and priestesses, he is open to learn from the other priests and priestesses while trying his best. He first caught the bishop’s attention when he noticed how often Amdusias was tending to things of the temple, which led to Leshy giving him a place as a priest.

Valefar (she/it): Picked for her insight of the cult’s needs

Originally a follower before being picked as a high priestess.

Hard working and organized, Valefar had always kept a close eye on who her fellow followers killed, where they planted their crops and, sometimes, when they worshiped Leshy. Due to this, once she caught Leshy’s attention with her knowledge of his own lands, he trusted her with the management of the cult.

Barbatos (they/them): Picked for their brutality in battle

Originally an executor before being picked as a high priest.

A boisterous and crude creature, Barbatos enjoys punishing heretics and bringing down villages- they do so with incredible expertise and skill, leaving almost no one alive when they set their eyes on a particular place. Leshy sees in them a fire for Chaos that can’t be dissipated, and first noticed them when executing lambs.

Agares (she/them/it): Leshy’s Witness

Originally a follower of Heket before being assigned as a Witness.

Agares witnessed Leshy’s transformation into a divine god- She pleaded to Heket to become his witness, and she allowed it.

Being a follower in charge of serving Heket while she traveled between lands, when they first saw the chaos of Leshy’s lands they were incredibly drawn closer when comparing it to Anura’s strict doctrines. Now she makes sure Leshy doesn’t get too bored, mainly by bringing heretics for him to kill.

—————

AND THEY’RE FINALLY DOOOONEE I HOPE ALL OF YOU LIKE IT AND PLEASE FEEL FREE TO TELL ME ABOUT ANY THOUGHTS OR QUESTIONS YOU HAVE!!! ❤️

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shooting-love-arrows · 11 months ago

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What’s Yandere Barbarians kinks? (I assume one of them is breeding? 🥰)

Also I assume that the men of his clan are raised a certain way to follow in their fathers’ foot steps, but what of the women born into his clan? What’s their role? (I think you said that they were “traditionalists”?) And how would courtship work for them since they aren’t abducted or anything?

*I just wanna be a house wifey/mother to my lovely barbarian man 🙈

Dear Anon,

What of the women born into his clan? What’s their role? The barbarian woman:

Stay in the village most of the time. They aren't trained enough to go on the raids or fight bigger armies. But that doesn't mean they're harmless. They are trained in basic combat and to wield a white weapon so that they can protect themselves in case of an intruder or attack.

They hold the power in the village/camp/location they are currently residing. They are the one to decide if the place is good enough to camp, make sure there's enough supplies (food/medicine/sacrificial artifact/etc). If there's not enough, they turn to males who are responsible for bringing the females necessary supplies.

They are considered gifts from the beings above. Since the birth of females is rather low among the barbarians, when one is born, it's a moment a family should fervently pray for giving them such a blessing. After all, it is the woman who is a gifter and nourishes life. So with that in mind, they are also considered a link between the mortal world and eternal one. They are the priestesses.

They're the one to lead sacred ceremonies, give blessings, organize the funeral, pray and give sacrifices to gods. If one doesn't have the necessary blessing from a head female of their family (which is usually the oldest), then there is little to no chance you can do in some matters. You can always try persuading the head female but you never know how it can end up, since they can end up cursing you.

How would courtship work for them since they aren’t abducted or anything? Barbarian courting traditions when it comes to their own people still includes kidnapping. Since I mentioned earlier, there is significantly less females in the barbarian population. This means there is high competition among male members of the population. So in the end this part of the courting is still a bloody mess. At first, the male is supposed to woo the female with a show of power/wealth/ability to provide and protect her. Those are the generall first stages of courtship. Kidnapping comes as the last step. It is the ultimate test of his ambition and abilities. The difficulty lies in the fact that he has to kidnap the bride from her household/family. Remember, all of them can harm him and they will protect their daughter with all they have since they are probably made aware that there’s a bachelor interested in her in the first place. If he succeeds, then he's supposed to bring her to his tent/house, where the members of the bride's family have a last chance to take her back by attempting to buy her out of captivity. If the family fails, the woman and man are considered engaged and are supposed to be blessed by the head females of each of their households. From this day onward, the future bride is to live in her future husband's household.

What’s Yandere Barbarians kinks? Yandere! Barbarian (some of the) kinks would include:

Breeding. It's only normal to desire an offspring(s). And since Yandere! Barbarian lets his primal instincts take control in most situations, I think he'll like to have one too.

Blindfolding their partner. You don't need to see him during your passionate and rough love making. You only need to feel him and bask in the pleasure he gives you. He just loves how confused and helpless you look. Sprawled on the bed, swallowed by thick furs and left at his mercy, not even knowing what’s to come next.

Role play (prey [the reader] and a hunter [Yandere! Barbarian])/chasing. He loves a good dose of adrenaline. The feeling of his heart speeding up to the point it’s ready to burst out of his chest, the thin layer of sweat on his skin and the wind blowing his hair and filling his lungs with fresh air. It’s what gets him going. So with that in mind, he’ll let you run away from him, only to chase you down and in the end catch you. Once he does, there’s no escape. He will hold you tightly, hugging your body to his like he’s trying to be one with you. He'll most likely take on the spot he has caught you.

I hope that answers some the questions. I am sure you'll be a perfect wife for him :)

@shooting-love-arrows

#s.l.arrows answers <3

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stayevildarling · 6 months ago

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gosh ur writing is truly amazing 🥹 I'm obsessed! I'm wondering if I could possibly request a Zelda Spellman, Cordelia Goode and reader fic with some angst? I'm currently obsessed with these characters rn and you honestly write them both so well🙃 if not tho that's fine <3

Cordelia Goode x Zelda Spellman x Reader - I'll crawl home to them

A/N: I am obsessed with this request!! Thank you 🫶🏻 I have missed writing for Zelda and after rewatching the whole show I just kept thinking about this idea, Cordelia makes it even better. I hope you enjoy and this is what you wanted <3 For any witch experts on here, please ignore some of the witchcraft and rituals, I wrote it to fit the storyline and it's not too accurate to both Delia and Zelda's powers. Also, I wish I could have carried this on for a lifetime but it was long already.

warnings: mention of death, mention of witch hunters, mention of violence, mention of guns, mention of blood, mention of smoking, angst, fluff at the end

word count: 5k

taglist:

@lunaticwhittaker, @billiebeanhoward, @lanawinters-ily, @kenzbro, @minaslittleone, @httpfiftyshadesofgay, @whitelotus00, @ninaahs, @vintagepaulson, @isle-of-earle, @paulsonsratched, @stepintomyworld, @grilledcheeseandguavajelly, @lucyintheskywithxanax, @fanfics4world, @mymiraclewitch, @hazard-to-myself, @awritersometime, @ohrwurm26, @wastdstime

Sitting at the breakfast table in the academy's dining hall, Cordelia stretches her arms, feeling the satisfying pop of her joints. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingles with the scent of warm pastries, that the supreme had prepared hours ago. Zelda sits across from her, with grace buttering a slice of toast, her usual newspaper beside her. Both women look relaxed, yet tired, the week's demands having taken their toll on the headmistress and high priestess.

As you walk into the room, balancing a tray with breakfast items, you set it down with a soft thud, both of your girlfriends greeting you with content smiles. The three of you had barely seen each other all week, each wrapped up in the responsibilities of running their respective academies. Cordelia lived in New Orleans, running Miss Robichaux's Academy as headmistress plus supreme, Zelda living in Greendale, both teaching and leading the Academy of unseen arts for witches and warlocks. You had originally spent a majority of your time in Greendale, growing up there, before eventually wanting to see more of the world and finding a certain blonde far away.

Fate had bounded you together again, as both Cordelia and Zelda had known each other from countless council meetings in the past and when the three of you reconnected and realised that you all not only knew each other but had a certain attraction towards each other, one thing eventually led to another. You hated the idea of being far from either of your lovers but as the three of you mastered the ability of teleporting, Zelda additionally knowing how to astral project, it made the whole thing a lot easier. The three of you practically lived at Miss Robichaux's now, despite Zelda still calling Greendale her home and making an appearance at her home at least twice a day. This week she had only been in Greendale, as there had been some troubles with newer witches and warlocks at the academy. You had always been stuck in between, wanting nothing more than to help your girlfriends out with the burden that their responsibilities brought. And so you mostly split yourself, teaching and helping Delia in the mornings and working besides Zelda in the afternoon, before eventually collapsing into a bed with either of them, whether that was Greendale or New Orleans.

This is partially the reason why you enjoyed weekends so much as you knew you could always spent it with both of your girlfriends as they made those their priority, knowing if they didn't, this relationship wasn't going to work out. The three of you dig into breakfast, enjoying the rare moment of silence and the comfortable embrace of sitting beside each other. For a while, you simply savour each other's company, the peacefulness of the morning making the moment even more precious.

,,So, what do you both have planned for today?'' you ask, breaking the silence eventually. Cordelia sighs, setting her coffee cup down. ,,Unfortunately, I have an urgent meeting with the council. They've been quite insistent on discussing the new security measures, since.. you know'' she says, Zelda rolling her eyes slightly at her statement. Of course you knew what the supreme was talking about, several academy's and covens having been attacked lately and you knew this was far more important.

As you glance at Zelda, hoping she would at least be free, she shows the same guilty glance as she lights a cigarette. ,,And I'm afraid, I have to join Cordelia'' she huffs, knowing security measures are important but equally she wanted nothing more than to at least have a break this weekend. You nod thoughtfully, forcing a gentle smile and pretending this didn't hurt but at the same time who are you to whine about something as important as this. ,,I'm sorry sweetheart'' Cordelia coos, brushing her hand against your cheek with a guilty expression.

,,It's okay Delia'' you reassure but both witches are able to see right through you, not just due to their magic and abilities but also having been by your side for a very long time and knowing whenever you are playing it cool in front of them. ,,How about dinner tonight? just the three of us?'' your redhead girlfriends suggest and you beam a little upon hearing her offer. ,,Would you both be done by then?'' you ask a little hesitantly, knowing that those kind of meetings can take hours sometimes. ,,We'll make sure we are dear'' Zelda encourages and you trust her every word. ,,I'll take care of it'' you announce happily before Cordelia's brown eyes meet yours.

,,You don't have to sweetheart'' she tries with a head tilt but you are quite adamant, always happy to make your lovers happy. ,,What do you have in mind my love?'' Zelda asks affectionately as she abandons her cigarette in a nearby ashtray. ,,I'll see what I can find, leave it to me'' you announce happily before they nod contently. And so, with a plan in place, the three of you finish breakfast, enjoying the fleeting moment of togetherness before the days responsibilities pull you in different directions. You are the first one to leave, wanting to give both witches some space to prepare for their meeting and wanting to make sure you could make this dinner special. They both part you with loving glances, thank yous and kisses goodbye.

,,I need to stop by home first, Hilda has some kind of emergency apparently'' Zelda announces to her blonde girlfriend with a hint of annoyance in her voice. ,,Oh, is everything alright?'' Cordelia asks, concern laced in her voice, ,,Don't worry, probably a baking disaster of some sorts'' the witch snorts and the blonde can't help but smirk at her girlfriends antics. ,,See you there'' she smiles before they kiss goodbye. While Zelda teleports back towards greendale, you make your way towards the markets, Cordelia getting ready for her meeting and glancing over the documents they had sent beforehand one more time.

As you make it to the markets, you instantly feel at home, as Cordelia would take you here often on weekend mornings, picking up either flowers, ingredients or fresh produce with you. She had always made it a habit but since knowing you she enjoyed going with you even more, even before the two of you had become so close, although as you think about it a little further, you believe one of the reasons you had fallen for the supreme was how she took you around the markets with the brightest smile, holding onto your hand and guiding you from stall to stall with such excitement that it made your heart quickly beat faster for her. You had thought about the kind of meal to make on your way there already and eventually settled on both Zelda and Cordelia's favourite. As you walk through the markets, greeted by some familiar faces as they recognised you by now, you purchase several different ingredients.

Meanwhile, Zelda had made it to her home in Greendale, brushing past Ambrose who had greeted her with a quick ,,Hello Auntie'' before rushing into his room with several books and snacks as if he was planning something. And if Zelda wasn't so busy, she would have investigated what he was up to but she couldn't make the time to care. ,,What is it Hilda? I'm incredibly busy with this council business'' she huffs as she walks into the kitchen, feeling both annoyed and a little on edge what her sister wanted. The blonde stands by the kitchen island, some fresh cupcakes in front of her, as well as a fresh pot of coffee and tea. Zelda approaches with a raised eyebrow before glancing at her sister. ,,So?'' she asks with a raised eyebrow before the blonde looks away, trying to remain serious. ,,Well you have been so busy at the academy and you know.. with your girls'' she begins, giggling excitedly at the later part. ,,And I just really wanted to catch up'' she speaks, forcing a bright smile in the hopes that Zelda wouldn't be too upset and end up killing her for this.

,,Catch up?'' Zelda scoffs almost sarcastically as she couldn't believe her sister made her come all the way here for that. ,,Oh please Zelds, I made your favourite'' she tries with a beaming smile and the redhead simply rolls her eyes before taking a seat, lighting a cigarette and letting Hilda pour her a cup of coffee and slowly sliding a plate with a cupcake in front of her. ,,So how have you been Zelds? the girls?'' she asks excitedly and despite her cold demeanour, the redhead appreciated the gesture nevertheless, after the last year having grown closer to her sister than ever before and even if she wouldn't admit it to anyone or herself she had missed her, especially being so busy lately.

While the two sisters catch up, Cordelia had made her way to the council meeting, making it there way too early but wanting to catch up with some of the people from the academy's that had been attacked and hoping to offer her support if they needed anything at all. As the weather had taken a turn for the worse, you decided that you wouldn't be able to find the last few ingredients at the markets, trying another store but after this also being unsuccessful, you decide to abandon the things you had purchased already at the academy, before heading to Greendale, hoping you could either find some other seasonal things there or possibly being able to ask Hilda for some assistance what to do about this meal, because you knew by now if anyone could cook or bake then it was her. With practiced ease, you teleport into Greendale, stopping by the Main Street first before heading into a shop.

,,You're late'' Cordelia states with a chuckle as Zelda finally joins her for the council meeting, the redhead instantly rolling her eyes. ,,Everything okay with Hilda?'' the supreme asks, always having been fond of her girlfriends sister and especially her kindness and humour. ,,Yeah, believe it or not she wanted to catch up'' the redhead huffs before Cordelia tilts her head a little. ,,That's very sweet'' she coos, quickly stealing a kiss before the two of them make their way into the main room, joining both the council and the other headmistresses and witches and warlocks in charge from academy's around the country. Thunder begins rumbling outside, illuminating the room with bright flashes, matching the seriousness of the subject, as well as a certain witches mood.

Time seems to pass by as slow as possible, Zelda fidgeting with her rings as she was growing impatient, wanting nothing more for this to be over and to smoke, while Cordelia listened intently, knowing the importance of this, despite finding her girlfriends antics quite adorable. ,,You know'' Cordelia begins whispering ,,You can pretend to go to the bathroom and steal away for a smoke'' she chuckles and Zelda smirks, finding more and more reasons why she loved Cordelia. In a swift motion, she stands up, straightening her skirt before excusing herself to the bathroom, the supreme trying hard to suppress a smile as Zelda walks away, swaying her hips more than necessary on the way out, causing for the blondes cheeks to be coated in a slight red shade. For a moment, Cordelia reaches for her phone, checking for any notifications but there aren't any and it leaves a slight bitter taste in her mouth as you hadn't checked in with her yet and it had been hours of them being here.

As Zelda returns a few moments later, having tried to cover up the smell of smoke with some perfume, Cordelia again leans in close before whispering ,,Have you heard from Y/N?'' and the redhead simply shakes her head, however noticing the concern laced in her girlfriends features. ,,I'm sure she's fine, probably getting lost shopping at the markets or blasting music while preparing dinner'' and the supreme chuckles, able to imagine both scenarios so well and so she sighs a little before focusing on the meeting again as both her attention and input was undeniably needed, considering she was the supreme after all.

It's not until hours later when the same concern seems to reappear on the supreme's features and mind as they had both finished the council meeting and neither had a message. Cordelia's concerned brown eyes meet Zelda's green ones and despite the redhead knowing her girlfriend was prone to overreact and worry too much, she also found it a little strange, despite her not one to admit such a thing. ,,I'll call her'' the supreme announces, clutching the phone to her ear in anticipation. ,,Straight to voicemail'' she announces before her eyebrows furrow in confusion. ,,I'm sure she'll be home'' Zelda tries encouraging the supreme before Zelda reaches for Cordelia's shaky hands before the two of them teleport back into the academy in New Orleans.

As soon as they step inside, they find both darkness and silence, the academy both dead quiet and no one inside. All of the witches had left for the weekend and so it was no surprise, however you not being there concerned them. ,,Maybe she went to Greendale?'' Cordelia suggests and despite that outcome not making any sense, Zelda agrees, sure this was just some mixup. ,,Let me go and check, you stay here incase she comes back but I'll let you know'' Zelda reassures, holding onto the blondes hands before pressing a kiss to her forehead in order to ground the supreme a little. With a comforting smile, the redhead disappears in front of the supreme's eyes, quite literally blasting into dinner at her home in Greendale.

,,Zelds? what are you doing here?'' Hilda asks with a hint of concern and surprise after having seen Zelda hours before to catch up. ,,I-'' she begins but before she can finish, the phone interrupts them, causing Hilda to hold up her finger ,,Just a sec''. The blonde hops towards the telephone before speaking ,,Spellman Sister's mortuary, how may I help?'' the blonde speaks with excitement, before her features turn incredibly serious. ,,Oh dear right'' she says, listening to the person on the other side of the phone speak further and share some more details. ,,And you are sure on the name?'' she asks before her features both tense and drop further. Zelda doesn't pay much attention to the call as she had gotten used to them by now, before lighting a cigarette, wondering whether you may have been here and she may have simply just missed you and you may already be with Cordelia by now.

However, with a soft whoosh Cordelia appears right beside the redhead, causing for her features to wash over with confusion. ,,Cordelia?'' the redhead speaks in confusion, abandoning the cigarette she was about to light. ,,I- something is wrong, I don't have a good feeling'' she explains, the concern written across her face. Zelda watches as Hilda returns, her expression unreadable as she locked both shocked and traumatised. ,,Hilda?'' the redhead asks in a serious tone, having seen that expression a few times before. The supreme's head snaps towards the blonde's, not having noticed her presence until now. ,,Um- they- are'' she begins, unable to finish her sentence. ,,They- bringing- a body'' she stutters, before Zelda rolls her eyes, having more important things to worry about as of right now. ,,Well yes Hilda, this is a mortuary after all'' she hisses, but Cordelia can already tell that something was wrong.

,,It's- oh god how am I going to say this-'' she begins, tears welling in her eyes. ,,Just spit it out'' Zelda hisses, not in the mood to deal with her sister antics. ,,It's Y/N'' she finally announces, before the room begins spinning for both the redhead and blonde, staring at Hilda in both disbelief and shock. ,,Oh don't be ridiculous, it can't be Y/N'' Zelda remarks, covering up her inner turmoil and disbelief of her sisters statement. ,,I-'' Hilda stutters, unsure what to say as the people on the phone seemed quite adamant. Cordelia remains frozen in her spot, her worst fear finally coming true and her not having any doubts about this as you had been nowhere to be found. ,,What did they say? how do they know its her? why would she be in Greendale?'' Zelda begins questioning her sister as she paces around the room, lighting a cigarette. ,,I don't know Zelds, I'm so sorry'' Hilda announces, taking a seat at the table as the shock had rippled through her bones.

,,How long until they get here?'' Cordelia finally speaks, meeting Hilda's eyes before the blonde looks down. ,,About twenty minutes'' Hilda announces, offering the supreme to sit but she declines, feeling like her world had stopped spinning when hearing her statement. Zelda remains pacing, with each minute passing, her impatience growing as she lights cigarette after cigarette, chain-smoking her concern away and still thinking this is some kind of mixup. The three of them are startled, as Ambrose steps into the room excitedly, dancing along to some music that none of them could hear. ,,What's for dinner auntie-'' he asks excitedly before laying eyes upon both his aunts and Cordelia and their expressions.

,,Woah what's wrong, who died'' he jokes, assuming this was just some catastrophe at an academy, not realising the extend of the situation yet. Cordelia's eyes swell with tears further as Zelda gives him a glare that could kill him if she tried hard enough. ,,Ambrose darling, they are bringing in a body'' Hilda announces gently, before his features grow serious. ,,It's Y/N'' she carries on before his face turns pale, finally understanding the extend of the situation. His face snaps towards the hallway as he hears a car approaching, quickly glancing at his aunties before assuring ,,I'll go check'' not wanting to put that burden on either of them. ,,Thank you'' Hilda speaks softly, before the real waiting game begins.

Ambrose tries his best to move the body downstairs as quickly and safely as possible. To his surprise, the three women walk down the staircase, joining him with faced filled with hope and anticipation. He is quick to open the body bag, taking a look at the persons features before his heart stops in his chest. ,,I'm so sorry'' he sighs, before their heads snap towards him. ,,No..No.. No'' Cordelia cries out, taking a step closer and seeing your lifeless and pale expression. ,,This can't be'' Zelda sighs in disbelief still, taking a step closer before taking a look at you. ,,That's not her.. that's not our darling girl'' she shakes her head in disbelief, despite the others knowing this was just the shock speaking. ,,I need to.. I need to see her wrist'' Cordelia speaks through tears, before Ambrose glances at Hilda in confusion, the blonde simply nodding through her own tears. ,,She has a little tattoo on her wrist'' the blonde chokes on a sob before Ambrose carefully inspects your wrist, finding the tattoo and sighing.

,,What happened we can fix this, Zelda right?'' Cordelia begs, the shock rippling through her body as she shakes uncontrollably. Now Cordelia was always strong, put together and able to stay calm in situations like these. However after losing most of the people closest to her in her life, watching one of her most promising witches die in her arms, her mother and true mother figure, she couldn't deal with this, not you, not her sweetheart. ,,Ambrose, how long has it been?'' Zelda asks, trying to keep her composure and ignoring your lifeless body besides them. ,,Auntie.. I can't tell like this, I'd need to..'' he begins but his auntie is having none of it. ,,I need to know now'' she speaks through gritted teeth, Hilda in the meantime holding onto Cordelia's sobbing shoulders.

,,Give me some time and I'll figure it out'' he explains, beginning to put on his gown and glasses before Hilda ushers them away and upstairs. ,,Let me make you some tea darling'' Hilda speaks softly, ushering both women to sit down. Zelda remains standing, pacing around the room before again lighting cigarette after cigarette while Cordelia is falling apart on the same chair Hilda had sat her in moments ago. ,,This can't be real, what was she even doing in Greendale for satans sake?'' Zelda hisses, her heels echoing against the floor. ,,I don't know darling but Ambrose will figure it all out'' Hilda tries, trying to remain strong for them, despite the thought of your death also killing her as she had always been fond of you and treating you like a daughter.

It takes around ten minutes before Ambrose rushes upstairs, holding onto the doorframe with a shocked expression, as they all rise to their feet. ,,It's um... it's witch hunters'' he speaks, finally catching his breath. ,,What?'' Cordelia asks in shock before he ushers them downstairs. ,,Remember the bodies you asked me to examine from those attacks?'' he speaks as he examines the bullet further. ,,It's exactly the same like the others'' he recalls. Cordelia's features turn even paler as the extent of the situation settles in. ,,I assume it's been an hour maybe two'' he explains before the supreme seems to snap back into reality. ,,Zelda we need to speak to the council at once, check on the academies'' she speaks and Zelda simply looks at her with a raised eyebrow, caring more about you than any of those things as of right now. ,,We can fix this still, if we try, she may have a chance'' the high priestess speaks, having done her fair share of resurrections herself.

,,Go, we have got this, right Ambrose?'' Hilda offers, before he nods confidently. Cordelia steps over your body before leaning in a little closer ,,You've got this darling, please come back to us'' she begs, a tear running down her features before she presses a kiss to your forehead. ,,I promise we have this'' Hilda encourages her sister, noticing her hesitation. ,,Bring her back to us.. please'' she begs while reaching for your hand and is met with two reassuring glances before the two witches disappear into the night. While they inform both the council and make sure their academies, witches and warlocks are safe, Hilda and Ambrose begin the ritual, gathering the necessary items before beginning the ritual, chanting some latin words and working hard on bringing you back home where you belong.

The last hours had been nothing but painful, after your arrival in Greendale, you had managed to actually gather the ingredients for dinner for your girlfriends. As you glanced at the time, you realised that you still had a while to return to the academy to cook and so you decided to check on Hilda as you hadn't seen her in a week as well as Ambrose. However, you hadn't noticed that someone had been following you, unaware that they had been following you for a while, in New Orleans already days ago and watching your every step, simply waiting for the opportunity to get you alone. Before you knew it and could reach the Spellman's home, they managed to find your trace, dragging you deeper into the woods, demanding answers from you about your girlfriends. They didn't care for you, nothing special, just a simple witch but they had figured your connection to both the supreme and another powerful witch and so they wanted their location, ideally the councils whereabouts to cause as much death as possible.

Much to their surprise, you had remained silent, despite the torture and abuse they had used on you in order to reach their agenda and get their answers. You would have never given anything up, as you would quite literally protect them both with your life, knowing their lives and positions meant so much more than your own. After they didn't get any answers out of you, they felt like they didn't need you anymore, knowing time was running out and so they gave you one last chance before they pulled the trigger, everything going black afterwards. And ever since you had found yourself in this strange darkness. Moments before your life was coming to an end, you had seen a little collection of your happiest memories, growing up in Greendale, meeting Zelda for the first time, teaching alongside Cordelia and spending hours in the greenhouse with her, your first kiss with both of them and your last. After that, everything had been quiet, peaceful and darker than any dream you had ever had.

Eventually, you find yourself in a dark forest and somehow you must have known that this wasn't real as it felt like any other one of your nightmares. Unaware, that you were quite literally fighting death, as Ambrose and Hilda tried their hardest on bringing you back. It was the biggest fight of your life, walking past all of the people you had lost in your life, the people that had guided you, the people that you had lost years ago as they begged you to join them, follow them further into the darkness. But the only thing on your mind was Cordelia, almost being able to feel the way she'd kiss you on the forehead, almost being able to feel the way Zelda would hold onto your hand.

It takes another couple of hours before Zelda and Cordelia return to you, having secured both academies and alerted the council so they could take care of this further as their main concern was you. As they find themselves in the basement again, they are surrounded by candles, Cordelia a little shocked as she knew about the different kind of magic Zelda practiced but never having seen a ritual quite like this and the darkness of the whole thing. ,,Any news?'' the supreme asks, anxiously as she finds Ambrose and Hilda sitting beside you. ,,No.. it's all up to her now, she needs to fight her way back to us'' he explains, before they nod with sad glances, Zelda's green ones meeting Cordelia's brown ones. They join them in the end, sitting beside you on the floor, praying in their own ways, Zelda praying to Hecate and Cordelia begging over and over again for someone to bring you back.

,,You can do this darling, you need to find your way back to us'' Cordelia whispers, tears pouring down her cheeks as it had been hours of them sitting there. And after hours of aimlessly walking through the forests of death, you finally manage to get towards the end, hearing their voices literally calling for you. However, the fight against life and death wasn't that easy, as you walked past what looked like your own grave, your name engraved on the gravestone and the thought of you being buried in this dark forest made you feel uneasy, wanting nothing more than to return home. And so with one last effort, you keep crawling towards them, at this point beaten and defeated by the looming shades of death. And then with one loud shriek you finally take a breath, your entire body on fire and hurting as the wound from the earlier bullet impact that Ambrose had successfully removed stings through your entire body.

,,Y/N'' Cordelia breathes out in relief as she begins sobbing uncontrollably. ,,Oh praise Satan'' Zelda breathes out in relief, wiping at her own tears. Ambrose raises an eyebrow at her statement, before Hilda pats his shoulder. ,,Well done darling'' she praises him as he sighs in relief that this ritual had actually worked. ,,Darling it's okay shh.. don't speak'' Cordelia coos as she watches you struggle against this pain. Zelda could only imagine what you must feel like as of right now, having seen this kind of awakening a few times. ,,You need to rest my darling girl'' she coos before the supreme softly strokes your cheeks, guiding you softly back to sleep as she knows you are safe as of right now.

Eventually, they managed to get you upstairs, into Zelda's bedroom, keeping you comfortable as they had washed and gotten you into some new and less bloody clothes. Cordelia watched in pain as Zelda carefully inspected and treated your injuries, some very visible ones as your body was coated in bruises and cuts from the attack. They both stay right by your side, Cordelia having used one of her spells to ease the pain. Zelda having some magic tea from Hilda right by your side for when you would wake up. The two witches had in the meantime settled on the bed beside you, wanting nothing more than to stay right here for you whenever you would wake next, despite knowing it could take hours, possible days for that to happen as your body needed the right amount of time to adjust and regain it's strength.

The next time you wake it's several hours later, the moon illuminating the dark bedroom. As you open your eyes, you realise the unfamiliar surroundings and panic for a moment until you realise it's your girlfriends bedroom. Inspecting your body and the lack of pain due to Cordelia's magic, you debate whether it had all been a dream for a moment. With shaky legs, you manage to rise to your tired feet, turning on the little lamp in the corner in order to see, before laying eyes upon Cordelia and Zelda, sitting against the head frame of the bed and resting on each other's shoulder, still in the clothes they had been wearing this morning. And then everything dawns on you, the attack, the forest and waking up on the floor besides your lovers. ,,Delia? Zelds?'' you whisper, as the shock of it all seems to drown you for a moment.

They both immediately wake with a sharp inhale of their breathing, before they rush to your side. ,,Sweetheart, what are you doing up?'' Cordelia speaks, her voice filled with concern. ,,I- I woke up'' you explain in confusion, your voice still hoarse from the events. ,,Sit down my love'' Zelda instructs and you oblige, feeling fatigue wash over you. Cordelia helps you to sit down on the bed, before Zelda passes you some water. ,,Drink up'' she instructs and you do as you are told again, the cold liquid feeling nice against your dry throat. As you pass her the glass again, you suddenly find Zelda crying, despite trying to hide her sniffles. ,,Why are you crying Zelds?'' you ask in confusion, your eyebrows knitting. ,,Darling, do you remember what happened?'' Cordelia asks gently, not wanting to overwhelm you with the truth.

,,I think I was dead?'' you question, meeting their gazes as their faces turn a little paler. ,,You're safe now darling, we brought you back'' the supreme coos, before taking you into her arms. ,,Who did this to you?'' Zelda hisses before taking a seat beside you and gently stroking your bruised and beaten cheeks. ,,Witch hunters I think'' you speak, trying to recollect what had happened. ,,I don't know who they are but they..'' you begin but quickly stop yourself, not wanting to concern your girlfriends further. ,,They what?'' Zelda asks with a hint of seriousness in her voice as anger overtakes her and she was for sure going to kill them once she found them. ,,It's okay, doesn't matter'' you quickly try to brush it off but Cordelia can tell there was more to this and she desperately needed to know in order to find them.

,,Come on darling, tell us'' the supreme encourages, gently moving your chin so you can face her. As your eyes lock with her brown pleading ones you begin speaking again ,,They wanted the councils location and both of yours'' you admit, almost whispering. Cordelia's eyes close, instantly understanding the extend of the situation and knowing that this happened because you'd rather protect them both. ,,And then what? they just shot you anyway?'' Zelda asks in confusion, not having the full picture yet. ,,No honey'' Cordelia tries but you simply glance into your lap before explaining. ,,I didn't tell them anything'' you mumble into yourself before Zelda's head snaps towards you. ,,And why ever not?'' she asks in confusion before you whisper ,,Because I would rather keep you both safe''.

The statement causes for silence to fill the room, Cordelia simply pulling you into her arms again, holding you close to her chest, knowing her sweetheart to be a fighter and she knew that you would rather keep them safe, given your history and what a fighter you truly are and how big your heart had always been. Zelda struggles to understand your statement, while she would have told the witch hunters to go to hell and not say anything either, she doesn't understand why you didn't. She'd rather have them find them and fight them herself, rather than seeing you in danger and this extend of pain. Slowly though, as gentle brown eyes meet hers, she begins relaxing a little, understanding how true and how big your love for them truly was in order to sacrifice yourself to keep the both of them safe.

,,You did a brave thing my love'' Zelda finally speaks, gently taking your hands into her own. ,,But do me favour?'' she asks, encouraging you to meet her eyes. ,,Please never do that again'' she tuts and you and Cordelia can't help but chuckle, feeling a little lighter being in their arms again and seeing your girlfriend back in her old antics and habits. ,,Promise'' you whisper before holding onto the redhead. ,,I'll never stop keeping you safe though'' you mumble before she raises an eyebrow. ,,Maybe we can work on other ways for that sweetie'' Cordelia tries before you smile at her with a nod. After being in their arms a little while longer you glance at the supreme once more before fiddling with your fingers as a nervous habit. ,,What's going to happen now?'' you ask anxiously and the blonde can quickly tell what you are referring to. ,,The academies are safe, the council is handling it and will find them, I promise'' she reassures.

,,So you'll both stay tonight?'' you ask and your girlfriends eyes lock as your question kind of kills them both. They realise then that they had been prioritising the academies too much in order for you to ask this kind of question after a day like this. Without speaking, they decide here and there to dedicate more time to you, more time with the three of you and to figure this out for you. ,,Of course we will stay, silly'' Zelda tuts, before lovingly stroking your cheek and pressing a soft kiss to your lips. ,,Bummer about that dinner'' you sigh after a while, causing your girlfriends to chuckle lowly. ,,Are you hungry darling?'' Cordelia asks softly and you shily nod, considering the time. ,,What do you want, anything for my darling girl'' Zelda speaks softly and you shily glance at her before requesting some grilled cheese. ,,On it'' she chuckles before pressing a kiss to your cheeks and leaving for a moment.

Cordelia simply pulls you into her arms, gently stroking over every cut as if you are the most fragile thing on the planet before gently stroking your stomach, careful of the scar that now formed where the bullet had hit you hours before. ,,Does it still hurt a lot angel?'' she asks carefully before you shake your head. ,,Your magic worked well'' you smile before she looks at you in confusion. ,,How did you know?'' she asks before you giggle. ,,Delia I died and then you brought me back, without your magic I'm sure it would hurt a hell of a lot more'' and Cordelia can't help but chuckle despite the seriousness of it all, simply glad to have you back in their arms and to have her same brave girl with the same antics and humour back. And despite knowing this would still be a lot of work tomorrow, both in finding the witch hunters and keeping everyone safe in the future but also working with you through what you had endured. But she feels confident as of right now, having you in their arms, as you quite literally crawled right back to them, never being able to simple leave them like this, even through death.

#sarah paulson #cordelia goode #ahs #american horror story #sarah paulson x reader #cordelia goode x reader #zelda spellman #zelda spellman x reader #miranda otto #miranda Otto x reader #chilling adventures of sabrina #Zelda Spellmann imagine #Cordelia Goode imagine

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acourtofthought · 2 months ago

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Prythians history as they knew it (Silene later confirms she twisted the actual history):

What actually happened:

It wasn't the Priestess that dipped Gwydion into the Cauldron but Fionn.

I wonder if Fionn could be connected to Lady of Autumns line:

And if Sarah will connect Lucien to the first High King of Prythian.

Fionn in mythology was the leader of a band of hunter - warriors and Sarah wrote Lucien as hunting / tracking a few times in the series:

"but it was luck that we caught your scent on the wind"

Lucien had tracked it down—and we’d lured it, carefully, over hours, back to that camp.

“I used to stay here while hunting. Before—I left,” he said.

“Where’s my dear friend Lucien?” “Hunting for our dinner.”

Someone who could also fight:

Like Rhys, he usually opted for words to win his battles, but I’d seen him and Tamlin in the practice ring. He knew how to handle a weapon. How to kill, if need be.

Fionn was also a Seer and poet, who was given a magic thumb that bestows him great wisdom.

For Lucien we have a magical eye that allows him to see things others cannot.

(side note, I like seeing the part about a poet and remembering the “Your eyes are like stars, and your hair like burnished gold” line 😂).

Fionn in mythology was also depicted as hunting with hounds, a storyline Sarah attached to the Autumn Court through Eris in Silver Flames.

I mentioned it in a few other posts but I also think Sarah may have further connected Lucien to the sword Gwydion through the tale of Blodeuwedd.

Llew in the tale is similar to Lucien as Llew had a wife created for him out of flowers, the most beautiful maiden ever seen (who went on to become the Welsh Goddess of Spring) which parallels Lucien's mating bond with Elain, her connection to flowers and her beauty (this is not to say Elain is more beautiful than other characters however her looks are a noted plot point and Lucien finds her to be the most beautiful female he'd ever seen). It was his uncle Gwydion who created Blodeuwedd so that Llew could become King.

Gwydion therefore was a King maker just as Gwydion in the ACOTAR series was a symbol of the first High King of Prythian, Fionn.

Fionn being a Seer in mythology would also tie in nicely with Elain by Lucien's side as High Queen. Not necessarily with them leading battles or ruling over the courts so much as them being the keepers of the peace across the various places in their world just as Fionn once kept the peace of their lands.

(also, that would mean Az would have to play nice with Lucien since his dagger likes to catch up with the Starsword. Fionn once had the sword and his friend Enalius the dagger, time for Az to put aside his issues 😂).

#elucien #pro elucien #elain archeron #lucien vanserra #pro lucien vanserra #pro elain archeron #elucien headcanon #acotar theory #sarah j mass

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ex--astris--scientia · 9 months ago

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C'Thia, Surakian Philosophy, and Vulcan Polytheism

While most would consider Surak to merely be a philosopher and reformer, thereby removing any hint of religion from the discussion and forming instead an idea of both Surak and his philosophy as being, at best, atheistic or agnostic, and at worst, being anti-theistic, I have to strongly disagree with this assessment. Especially when it's used as proof to claim that modern, post-Awakening Vulcans are also at best atheistic or agnostic, and at worst anti-theistic. I believe this comes about due to a commonly held misconception that religion in and of itself is anathema to science, to progress, to intelligence, and therefore, to logic itself. This is, of course, a blatantly false binary and we are shown over and over again in canon that while Vulcans place a great importance on science, education, intellect, and logic, they are also a very spiritual people. Most of the important locations on Vulcan that we see in canon tend to be temples, sacred mountains, or holy ruins. Leaders tend to be high priestesses. Meditation is almost universal for Vulcans, and while it can be argued that it is very much a mental discipline as well, meditation was birthed, and continues to find its roots, in spirituality, and at its heart, is a spiritual discipline. Meditation, after all, was not invented by scientists, but by monks.

In the episode of the Animated Series, "Yesteryear", Spock tells Sarek that he is merely passing through ShiKahr on his way to the family shrine to "honor our gods". This one line proves to me that, at least for Spock, there is no incongruence between his modern Surakian belief and practice of C'thia (commonly this is translated as just "logic" but a more accurate Vulcan translation is "reality-truth") with that of traditional Vulcan polytheistic religious practice. One can assume that this is not, however, unique only to Spock, seeing as shrines require some semi-regular maintenance and he very rarely visits his father's homestead so it is unlikely that Spock alone is the one who maintains them. Sarek also is unsurprised by Spock's actions, which suggests a kind of normalcy to it. One does not get the impression that Spock is doing something rebellious by performing religious rites to Deities.

Likewise, in the Voyager episode, "Hunters", Tuvok receives a letter from his wife. In it, she tells him that she and their children have asked the priests at the Temple of Amonak to say prayers for Tuvok's safe return from the Delta Quadrant. Prayer requires something to which a person prays to and the assumption here is, again, the existence of Vulcan Deities as well as devotional practices targeted toward them existing even until the time of Voyager. While one of the purposes of prayer has to do with the person praying, as in, a benefit to prayer is that it gives the praying person something to do when they may not be able to do much else about a situation, and therefore T'Pel and her and Tuvok's children may be using it as a kind of meditative practice meant to give their grief and worry about Tuvok's safety somewhere to go that may then help them control it, I believe even this would still imply belief in the existence of Deities. One could meditate without the use of prayer involved but that was not the course of action that T'Pel took. She specifically made a trek to a sacred temple with the intention of saying prayers for Tuvok and told him about it, again, just as with Spock and Sarek, showing that there is something normalized about the action. Belief in the Gods and religious practice utilizing them is, therefore, not something performed only in the dark or in secret.

So, Vulcan polytheistic spiritual practice has continued past the Awakening and into the Vulcan Reformation. Is it the same as what it looked like to pre-Reform Vulcans? What's different? I wish we got more glimpses of Vulcan religion beyond mostly backdrop (while we are explicitly shown rituals and ritual locations in episodes like "Amok Time", "the Gambit" and many places in Enterprise, and in movies like "the Motion Picture" and "Search for Spock", very rarely do we see explanations for what the Vulcan lay people and priest(ess)es are doing and why) but that simply means that I instead get to make things up. Which is my favorite thing to do. So while the entirety of this post is built on a core of canon and information from Memory Alpha and Beta, as well as the Vulcan Language Database, most of what follows is my own musings and thoughts.

Firstly, in my research I've established that there seems to be two major pantheons within Vulcan spirituality, the Ka-ta-pak, or Inner Chorus, and the grouping I've named Ek-tam'a-ta, which is where I've placed every other named Deity not belonging to the Inner Chorus. The Inner Chorus, being made up of Deities that seem much more akin to emotional archetypes, become a much more thorny topic to consider when it comes to reconciling the worship, or, at the very least, acknowledgement of these Beings with the rigorous control of emotions that is to be expected within the Surakian cult of C'thia. As such, they are what I plan to focus on here.

The Inner Chorus is made up of the following Deities: Tel-Alep and Alep-Tel, Kir-Alep and Alep-Kir, Valdena and Dena-Vel, Kal-ap-Ton and Tyr-al-Tep, and Ket-Cheleb. Other than the last Deity, each is a part of a pairing where one represents the lighter, more acceptable form of a suite of emotions, whereas the other is the darker, shadow side. It's a concept similar to reading Tarot cards, where a card's reversal typically points to the darker reading of the themes the card communicates when right side up. For example, Valdena is famously the love Goddess and rules over emotions such as joy, beauty, fullness, pleasure, etc, whereas Dena-Vel, her shadow twin, rules over the darker side of love, namely concepts like possessiveness, covetousness, envy, domination, etc. What I would posit as probably one of the fairly radical reforms within Surakian thought, is the idea that C'thia is meant to subjugate and control both sides of what the Inner Chorus represents, not just the shadow side.

Isn't it illogical, however, to worship archetypal manifestations of emotions that one is trying to suppress? This was the big question that came out of my exploration of Vulcan Deities and led me to conclude that there is a difference between how Vulcans interact with Ek-tam'a-ta Deities vs the Ka-ta-pak, wherein the former is treated much more like how one stereotypically interacts with Gods, ie with reverence, worship, offerings, prayers, etc, as well as an understanding of the Deities being Beings outside of the mind in their own rights, while the latter is much more localized and symbolic. The Ka-ta-pak are not so much outward Beings, as they are emotional symbols and touchstones, metaphors to be focused on in meditation rather than as Gods to be worshipped.

Even the name, the Inner Chorus, suggests this kind of community of emotional beings, of aspects of the interior Vulcan mind, and furthermore, points to a need for a harmony amongst them. It is my thought that the Ka-ta-pak are less like sentient beings with personhood and more like the Platonic ideal of the emotion they represent. They are the emotion in its most perfected form and by experiencing this, experiencing the presence of this being, this outward-focused inner spirit, in the relative safety of meditation, the average Vulcan is able to meet that emotion and learn how it manifests within their own body and mind. In this meeting, they are able to name the emotion, learn it, experience it, and understand how to master it so that when they experience it outside of meditation, they need not be conquered by it and brought into chaos but instead are able to hold to order and logic in the face of it.

In the Enterprise episode, "Fusion", we are shown that Vulcans don't typically dream and that meditation has usurped the role that dreaming would usually take in the Vulcan psyche. It follows, therefore, that they process the emotional stimuli of the day through meditation and that symbolism, which is an important language for the sub-conscious and the language that dreams are written in, would probably play a role in that. Thus, the use of the Inner Chorus as a symbol of focus, as the emotional tangle that one seeks, through meditation, to sort out and bring order to, makes sense. I believe that this constitutes some of the work of t'san s'at, or the intellectual deconstruction of emotions that Surak preached. T'san s'at is the study of one's own emotions, and the effects these emotions have over one's actions. The peace and tranquility that lies at the end of t'san s'at is the goal of every Surakian Vulcan, and is a lifelong aspiration. It is through working with the Ka-ta-pak with this goal in mind that brings these ideas together.

Another idea I found interesting about the Ka-ta-pak is that the names of the Deities match the names of the other planets within the Vulcan solar system (according to the Memory Beta article that I believe is based on a Trek inspired ttrpg). A solar system, with its constant routine of stable orbits and cycles, would be an obvious metaphor for the idea of Order. The Inner Chorus strikes me, then, as the microcosm within the Vulcan mind/spirit as connected with the macrocosm of the living universe around them. It is the connection between the Vulcan mental and katric interior space and the exterior physical space. Just as the solar system is in constant harmony, subjugated to the laws of gravity, order, and simply the natural mechanisms of the living universe, one's own interior system should likewise be ordered. That it is called an inner chorus is very telling to me, since when choruses are working correctly, they are making music in harmony, just as the broader cosmos makes the music of the spheres, which is the sound of mathematics purified. It is the goal of every Surakian Vulcan to harmonize their inner chorus (part of which involves meditating on the form of the Inner Chorus) with the music of the macrocosm. In this, I believe the mind, or the reasoning capacity, represents a kind of conductor, who directs the inner chorus of emotions to properly allow for the production of music. The music produced by this harmony is C'thia, which is the same substance that keeps the planets in their orbits and the universe ticking onward.

This post is getting a bit long but there's one last thing I want to talk about and that would be Surak himself. As mentioned earlier, there is a common misconception I've seen that, again, makes Surak some kind of radical atheist philosopher who, in stomping out the violence and ignorance that marked the culture of his planet, must also have gotten rid of its religion, not just superstition or conservativism but religion more generally. Again, this comes more from the mistaken belief that spirituality and science are necessarily at odds. But what we see of Surak doesn't actually support this erroneous belief. Instead, one of the things that Surak is famous for is his pilgrimage. A pilgrimage is a religious journey undertaken for religious purposes. Surak set out to visit many religious orders and temples, before traipsing into the wilderness in places like Vulcan's Forge and Mount Seleya, to learn from and connect with the various priest(ess)es, as well as to connect in solitude with his own mind. C'thia is always shown as a revelation. Surak perceives it for the first time and discerns its meaning while on pilgrimage, while in meditation, while studying spiritual truths. He discovers it, not in a laboratory, but in deep contemplation on a mountain peak. Thus, Surak strikes me as much more akin to a Hindu yogi or an enlightened New Age seeker than he does a Richard Dawkins type. He doesn't dismiss the spiritual lessons he learns from visiting the other religious orders but instead incorporates them into his new cult. I think it's this incorporation of c'thia with traditional polytheism within Surak's own spirituality that allows for modern Vulcans to do the same.

In conclusion, anyone who claims that the post-Reform Vulcans shown in canon are atheists have not been paying attention to the actual canon, first of all, and secondly, are doing nothing more than showing their bias toward the science vs religion binary. I think the Vulcans are a little too smart to fall for this dichotomy, and they are certainly aware of the need for a philosophy to be an open one, if it's to be sustainable at all. I think having access to the neverending mystery of space, peopled as it is with many different kinds of beings, has allowed the Vulcans to be open-minded toward religion and the existence of Gods and other numinous beings. After all, they fully accept the existence of katra and thus, souls, spirits, and the idea of beings existing without bodies. It is not an illogical leap to suppose that since animating spirits (ie souls that are housed by and animate a body) exist, other kinds might also, including Deities. And since Vulcans possess a psionic system, capable of the extrasensory perceptions involved in their version(s) of telepathy, they may be able to perceive these spirits telepathically, even when psi-null folks may not be able to.

So, I don't think Vulcan polytheism is relegated to some point in the planet's distant past but instead continues, alive and well, into the post-Awakening world.

#star trek #pop culture paganism #vulcan polytheism #vulcan religon #vulcan spirituality #vulcan culture #vulcan #vulcan mythology #surak #surakian philosophy #c'thia

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