#the scope of the heart

[sans-guy]

[genderqueerpond]

because I remembered another weird thing I do and also that someone once described it as "the most transmasc thing ever" so let's get to the bottom of if that statement is true or not

[n0t-aj4x]

I love this little guy fellas. I really love his silly little addict ass. I love him so much I might aswell kill him.

Anyhow I couldn’t decide on which gradient looked best. Hope you guys like it, enjoy <3

Bonus zoom in <3

[secriden]

There's something so tragically poetic and yet justly deserved about the way Kant has to get Bison wasted and drugged and emotionally manipulate him using Kant's friend and his own baby brother in all his attempts to get behind the wall Bison has between them...

...while Style gets to enjoy Fadel intentionally and purposefully drinking himself careless and honest and open, and watch as Fadel himself dismantles as much of that very same wall in his desire to let Style in.

Because Style, at least, knew very little up until the point of becoming boyfriends with Fadel, so he has the confidence of succeeding on the effectiveness of his own genuine courtship (as insane as it was), while the very insight that gives Kant an edge in all his dealings with Bison also ensures that he never had the assurance of safety (particularly with Bison's more volatile and primal instincts vs Fadel's preference towards reason and logic) that gave Style the ability to chip at Fadel's walls to begin with.

[serotonin-dose]

Dive into the Heart

Denji | Asa | Aki

[fadelbison]

second time today that reading @bentnotbroken1fanfiction ’s takes has crystallized something for me and it’s the part where you say ‘Fadel plays right into it. Matches his freak without even trying’ and by golly you are so right.

You see Fadel try to initiate something, with an unmistakable and borderline aggressive approach, twice and fail. Then he finds out that Style liked chasing him and immediately the dynamic changes so that he takes the more submissive role in the roleplay and waits spread out until style comes to him in their final scene.

Fadel and Style are just so into each other and the little ways they’re shifting to make space for each other is subtle but actually makes such a big impact to how you end the episode feeling about them.

[hussyknee]

Tw: dog mauling an intellectually disabled Palestinian, murder, death.

.

.

Posting this while hyperventilating because you need to start treating any and all Zionists like the Nazis they are. Idk what else you need to understand that every single person defending decades of this is a fucking Nazi. I can't transcribe the screenshot. Logging off and going to spend the rest of the day curled around my intellectually disabled baby brother. I don't give a single fuck if you're triggered in your safe little house, scared of a future that can't come close to a fraction of what you've inflicted on the rest of the world. REBLOG THIS.

Remember that this is being done with the full auspices, funding, protection and endorsement of the Biden Administration. This is happening directly because of Biden as much as his rabid Hitler dog. Your so-called salvation against fascism. The blood will stain the hands of another two hundred years of your descendants and damn them all to the deepest reaches of hell, the way your parents and grandparents have done to you.

[gummi-ships]

Kingdom Hearts 3 - Monstropolis

[shirozora-draws]

This entire chapter was so hard to write AND draw... until you grasp that one thought and pull hard on it. Envisioning Nevarro like you're a gunslinger, an outlaw, wandering into a town clinging to the frontier really helped me crawl past artist's block.

My second thought after "guess I know what scene to conceptualize" was "Kendrick Lamar in the 'Humble' mv" and when when I dove into Shotdeck's archives for "beam of light", the very first image was from Kendrick Lamar's Humble mv. Are you shitting me.

I think I could've done more to emphasize how alone Din is in this chapter, but I may have played it too safe with the setting and that put limits on my ideas of what feelings I wanted to capture. Still think I nailed it, though.

I'm so excited for the next chapter, though. I sat on how I want to write and draw it for almost as long as I sat on how I wanted to write and draw chapter 7, so hopefully I'll have a much better time with that one.

[maliro-t]

replaying dav act 1 and the way i instantly prefer the minrathous route is wild sorry antiva 💀💀💀

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

Never Grow Up is a sad song and I will fight anyone who says otherwise.

Wish I'd never grown up I wish I'd never grown up

Oh, I don't wanna grow up Wish I'd never grown up Could still be little Oh, I don't wanna grow up Wish I'd never grown up It could still be simple

How is that not the saddest thing ever. I get Robin is thematically the same, but it feels less sad because yes, he will grow up and he will have to face the realities of the world, but if his childhood was good he will have developed the resiliency needed to face the world as he gets older (you'll learn to bounce back like your trampoline). Whereas Never Grow Up is the kid who wanted to grow up, did grow up, and realized being an adult isn't fun, kind of sucks, and they just want to go back to being a child.

I am right there with you on Never Grow Up being a sad song. It gave me pause a few years ago when it was all over Instagram reels for families/kids cause I was like... Um... it's not a "aw we want them to stay little because they're so cute!!! 🥰" story, it's a "I'm so traumatized hurt by what I've been through that I wish I could go back in time to before it happened."

I don't want to pit Robin and Never Grow Up against each other because I love them both for different reasons, but I think the poignancy in them kind of stems from a similar well but goes in different directions. In both, the narrator's own pain comes through the world she's building for the child. But the difference is, I think, that in Robin, she's singing to the child and is vowing to try to help this child stay as innocent as long as possible. She's pouring all this love and loss and wisdom into a child she loves and who is loved by everyone in their life.

Whereas in Never Grow Up, she may be singing to a child, but it's clear she's singing to herself. It's the "I just realized everything I've ever had is one day going to be gone" of it all, which is why all the memories she lists are so heartbreaking. It's someone on the cusp of adulthood who's like, confronting the fragility of life. It's incredibly heavy for what on the surface sounds like a lullaby.

Or, to put it bluntly: Wish I'd never grown up -> Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first.

[receding-tides]

Agent 3, a little on the broke side, decides to sign up for the local shifty job everyone calls 'Salmon Run'. Fighting an army of ferocious fish isn't above her skill level, but the true difficulty lies with her teammates - as one of them seems to have recognised her as the New Squidbeak Splatoon's most fearsome agent.

Here's my piece for @heroshotzine !! :] Leftover sales are open until December 8th!

The fic can be read here with the pretty layout from the zine itself, or alternatively it's posted on Toyhouse and AO3 !

[twcfaces]

"If I ever get better - which I'm not betting on - I'm going to sue the fucking ass off every single administrator Arkham has ever had. If you don't think I'm keeping a tally of human rights violations daily, towards everyone? You got me fucked up."

[luxurysystems]

Irwin,

I’m probably the last person you want to hear from. You’re also probably wondering how I got your email address—blame Ken. I know how you are so I’ll get straight to the point. I’ve come across a lucrative deal that I just can’t ignore, and I need you. I need you for one last job.

Even though we’ve ignored each other for— God knows how long— I just had to reach out because you’re the only one I trust. Should you choose to accept this job, I’ll split everything down the middle and I swear this’ll be the last time that you’ll have to protect me.

-Ted

P.s. If all goes well, I’d love nothing more than to catch up. I’ve missed you. There is so much that I need to tell you.

<-previous

[transmechanicus]

I know that logically everything that happens beyond my knowledge is a result of entirely mundane forces, but also I've got terminal pattern recognition and number association autism. So when two huge Admech reveals come on the day of and right after a really shit personal holiday, the Powerwolf album is releasing on another Day That Will Be Hard, and consistently throughout my undergrad warhammer reveal shows, codex releases, and band album drops would be like The Day after a major exam or challenge, it is really hard not to start considering that a subtly divine level of correlation.

[kateis-cakeis]

Thinking about the structure of the Old Religion.

From what we know there's the Nine which refers to the High Priestesses of the Triple Goddess - powerful sorcerers who obtained immortality (unless killed by some form of magic), and performed important rituals of the Old Religion.

It is unknown if there was a High Priest equivalent, but Gaius in S1Ep13 does tell Merlin that "the High Priests have the power to mirror life and death". This suggests that perhaps there were High Priests of the Triple Goddess, and that they also had a Nine.

There's the Bendrui, women who failed to become part of the Nine. Just like those who eventually became High Priestesses of the Triple Goddess, they were chosen at birth for the priesthood - taken from their families and raised as initiates of the Old Religion. Despite their failure, Bendrui are practiced in potent magic, and appear to have above average gifts.

There's the Bloodguard, warrior priests who swore to protect the High Priestesses. They, like the High Priestesses, were the only people to ever set eyes upon the staff carved from the Rowan tree that grows at the very heart of the Isle of the Blessed.

It could be suggested that like the Bendrui, the Bloodguard could have been failed High Priests, but there is no evidence (other than the existence of the Bendrui, and the mention of High Priests) to truly suggest this.

It is also unknown if the Bloodguard served the Triple Goddess. It is possible that the priests served various different gods of the Old Religion, but due to their relation to the Nine specifically, it is likely these warrior priests served the Triple Goddess.

There's the Catha, which contains priests. (Alator is referred to being "of the Catha, warrior and priest", he also says "I'm a Catha priest").

It is unknown if they served the Triple Goddess, or a different god of the Old Religion (and we know they are priests of the Old Religion because Morgana says, "He's a Catha...priest of the Old Religion.").

They have their own language, however, suggesting that they are a unique culture, and perhaps even an ethnic group. (This is further supported by Alator saying Catha are trained from birth to master all physical pain, it is also said that they guard their ancient knowledge - which leans towards them being a people rather than just initiates of the Old Religion)

There's the Disir, the highest court of the Old Religion, made up of three women chosen at birth to be trained as seers and soothsayers. They are the mouthpiece of the Triple Goddess, and interpret her word. As Gaius says, "When they sat in judgement, their word was final". They pass on the runemark, which is both judgement and fate - it contains a person's guilt, as well as the path the gods have chosen for them.

There's the Druids, a peaceful people who worship the Old Religion and often possess magic. It's a part of their beliefs to help people in need of care, and therefore, those who weren't born a Druid can find a home amongst them (Morgana is one such example).

Moreover, the Druids look for children with the gift of telepathy to serve as apprentices (perhaps to keep them safe? perhaps to encourage their magic in childhood?). The Druids also have a tattoo of a triskelion somewhere on their body, perhaps as a part of a ritual (to indicate someone has become a Druid?).

While the Druids have an intimate knowledge of prophecy and destiny, especially regarding Emrys and the Once and Future King, they do not appear to be priests or priestesses in any form. Just like the Catha, they have their own language (called the Druid tongue and Druidic Runes by Gaius), therefore, it is possible that they too are a unique culture and/or an ethnic group.

There's the Isle of the Blessed, a sacred location of the Old Religion, said to be the centre of it, and the focus of its power - it is also where the power of the ancients can still be felt after the Great Purge. Artifacts such as the Rowan staff, the Cup of Life, and the Horn of Cathbhadh were kept there under the care of the High Priestesses. Furthermore, Morgana's healing bracelet was forged on Isle - suggesting that its power allowed for the creation of powerful artifacts (this is further supported by the Rowan staff which was carved from the tree that grows there).

In a deleted scene for S4Ep1, Morgause says when she was first brought to the Isle, the hallways were teeming with women - High Priestesses. Although it is said often within the fandom, canon never establishes if the initiates were trained on the Isle. This deleted scene, however, heavily suggests it.

There's the Caerlanrigh, a sacred spring within the Grove of Brineved. There, the Disir reside within a cave, where the spring feeds into an ancient pool - in which the Disir divine from. The old ways are at their strongest there, and it's at the very centre of their powers (whether Gaius meant the old ways or the Disir here is unclear).

There's the Cauldron of Arianrhod, a sacred site of the Old Religion. The lake contains the power of the White Goddess, who can be summoned to heal those affected by the Teine Diaga ritual. However, if such a person is tricked into entering the cauldron, their soul would be lost forever.

There's the Crystal Cave, said to be the birthplace of magic. It is filled to the brim with scrying crystals that show the past, present, and future. Taliesin used the cave as the source of his prophecies for the kings of old. And as much as the crystals can be controlled, they can force visions upon powerful sorcerers too.

The cave can also hold spirits within it, seen with both Balinor and Taliesin.

While this may have been the case for Merlin alone, the cave can restore a person's magic.

There are celebrations important to the Old Religion too, such as:

Samhain, a time of year where the people feel closest to the spirits of their ancestors, in which they celebrate their passing.

During Samhain it was traditional for the High Priestesses to gather on the Isle of the Blessed and perform a blood sacrifice to release the Dorocha. This was done on the stroke of midnight, when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest.

Since the Dorocha do not roam free in the world throughout the series, it is suggested that a second blood sacrifice was done by the High Priestesses - perhaps before the night was through - to close the veil once more.

In Camelot, a feast is held as part of the celebrations. (This suggests that while the Old Religion and its practices were abandoned during and after the Purge, the heart of the religion and its holidays were never replaced).

Beltane, a time of year where the High Priestesses would gather at the Great Stones of Nemeton and summon the spirits of their ancestors with the Horn of Cathbhadh. It opens the door to the Spirit World and allows the person who blew the horn to see and speak with their ancestor of choice.

In Camelot a feast is held as part of the celebrations (which much like Samhain seems indicate that the Old Religion has been around for so long that it cannot be removed from society entirely - that the people clung onto some traditions, including the royal family).

There's the Gods of the Old Religion, the Triple Goddess, the White Goddess, and Nemaine. It could be implied that the White Goddess, and the Earth Mother Nemaine are part of the Triple Goddess, but it is just as likely for them to be separate gods.

If so, the Triple Goddess is heavily associated with the Nine, destiny and fate, and the immortality of certain sorcerers. Perhaps she is also associated with the balance of the world, due to the power over life and death being tied to the High Priestesses and supposed High Priests.

The White Goddess, however, appears to be associated with one's soul and healing. It was only her power that could heal and retain Gwen's soul after Teine Diaga ritual.

The Earth Mother Nemaine is related to Gean Canach, as it is said her tears forged the creature. The book Gaius reads from has more information, and from what can be deciphered, it says that Nemaine first wept at the slaughter of war, resulting in the Gean Canach crawling out of the Earth's belly (there is more written on the page, but it is impossible to tell what it says). This suggests that Nemaine lives within the Earth's core, and that she is indeed associated with nature and living beings as her name implies.

Furthermore, since she wept at the slaughter of war, she is perhaps the god of life itself, but not of the entire cycle. And due to the Gean Canach's abilities, to devour and drain a sorcerer of their magic, it is likely that this war's slaughter was brought about by magic.

It is possible that The Earth Mother Nemaine could be related to the Pool of Nemhain. Despite having different spellings in the show (the subtitles), they have extremely similar pronunciations (even if it is a bit different). Perhaps they are unrelated, but if they are one and the same, it could be suggested that the Earth Mother is connected to death as well as life, due to the pool being the last of the Five Gateways to the Spirit World. (This contradicts what is analysed in the above paragraph, but this post is meant to speculate multiple possibilities.)

Honourable mentions:

It could be suggested that the Quest Ritual was once part of the Old Religion. It includes the heir to the throne of Camelot transcending their body in order to receive a vision of a quest. This quest is meant to prove their worth to the people, and their worthiness of the throne. The heir prepares themself by cleansing their body and dressing in white robes. They spend an entire night kneeling on the floor, barefoot, with their eyes closed.

Due to how Arthur reacts in the morning when Uther pulls him out of it, and how sacred the entire process appears to be, it is as if the heir is actually gifted with a vision of a quest. This is supported by his reaction, as he looks dazed when relays what he has seen. Therefore, it seems as if the ritual includes some form of magic due to the preparation, and if so, then it's likely it was a practice of the Old Religion (specifically for the heirs of Camelot? Due to Camelot's association with the very heart of magic?)

It has been around for hundreds of years, so it is not outside the realm of possibility that the Quest Ritual is so old that the general consensus has forgotten its ties to the Old Religion, or much like Samhain and Beltane, it is perhaps so baked into society that it couldn't be abandoned.

--

In S1Ep13, Merlin says that the "Old Religion died out centuries ago". Even in Series 1 this is far from true, but later seasons make this remark seem entirely ignorant. If anything, this sentiment comes from a post-Purge society, where the structures of the Old Religion no longer exist. Perhaps it is even propaganda that Uther pushed forward as people became more fearful over the years, turning away from the old ways despite once practicing such beliefs (and for the people of Camelot, still practicing some of those beliefs).

It is possible this was a retcon but if so then it's directly retconned in S1Ep13 when it's revealed that Nimueh is a High Priestess.

Anyhow, in response to Merlin's ignorance, Kilgharrah says, "The Old Religion is the magic of the Earth itself. It is the essence which binds all things together. It will last long beyond the time of men".

This shows that the Old Religion doesn't just refer to the religion and the gods, but rather it is the very magic that makes up the fabric of the world, and as Balinor says in S2Ep13 it's either a part of you or it isn't. This suggests that it is indeed not just a religion, but the very world, the Earth, magic.

He also goes on to say that Merlin must "find those who still serve it", which shows that Uther very much didn't succeed in eradicating the structure of the Old Religion entirely, at least at that point in the show. And perhaps that anyone could serve it, even after the very structure collapsed.

All this is to say that the Old Religion is extremely pagan. The structure itself is vague perhaps because Old Religion is personal, it is vague. The differences between the High Priestesses, the Catha, and the Druids make this clear. Following the Old Religion's beliefs, traditions, and holidays is personal and spiritual because it varies, because there is no wrong way. Because there are no set rules or a real structure at all. The High Priestesses had power, yes, but this seems to come directly from the Triple Goddess herself, rather than a societal standing.

Nimueh was at court, and she was Uther's friend, but she was also very quickly thrown from the court after Ygraine died. And yes, the High Priestesses went to war with the Ancient Kings, but that appears to be a difference in factions, rather than let's say the Christian church and its power over the centuries.

Therefore, I propose that the Old Religion as a religion was loose in its structure, that it never died out like Merlin said (which does seem to be a post-Purge sentiment), but instead simply changed and evolved, and continued to exist even after the Purge, with its holidays in Camelot, and with the Druids and their practices/beliefs.

-----

Overall, the information we have on the structure of the Old Religion is vague and patchy. This was perhaps intentional so the writers could work around existing canon to introduce new concepts without being constricted by their past worldbuilding. But that's getting into the Intentional Fallacy, so I'll leave that there.

It appears that the High Priestesses had the most power in society, due to their past wars with the Ancient Kings, and their sheer power and knowledge. Not to mention their artifacts and control over creatures like the Fomorroh.

But there are different beliefs and structures to the Old Religion, like with the Catha and the Druids, suggesting that there are multiple ways to worship and follow the Old Religion.

The many sacred sites show that there are different powers and sources to the Old Religion that have different purposes. Like how the path to the Cauldron of Arianrhod was lined with banners for pilgrims, not to necessarily summon the White Goddess, but to visit the site. Or how the Isle of the Blessed is a powerful religious site, while the Crystal Cave is a fairly legendary and unknown place that few ever get to see.

In conclusion, the Old Religion is vast and has many facets to it. There is some structure, but it doesn't seem entirely necessary in order to follow the Old Religion. And in reality, it is inherent to the Earth, it is magic itself.