#time to write an adventure story about a witch that is aided by a group of adventurers and there's only one guy

[dragonclaw29]

Top Ten Manga

It’s been a minute since I last uploaded a top ten of any kind, Grad school will do that to you. However, now with my studies almost over I thought I would revisit my top ten manga and see what new titles have amazed me! 

-Note I am not including Webcomics so if you want Manhwa and the like let me know and I will make a separate list. 

10. Sakamoto Days

Starting off with a bang we have Sakamoto Days. In a world of assassins even a mild mannered fat store clerk could be a tough challenge. That is definitely true for Sakamoto the former top assassin in Japan. Watch as Sakamoto is targeted by Esper's, Triad members, and old friends as he battles to protect his home and his daughter. It’s a fantastic read and great for the action lover and comedian a like. 

9. Claymore 

Claymore tells the tale of an elite class of women tasked to fight off monsters who plague the land. Clair the last member of this group must protect the peace, her new friend Rakka, and her self. However, dark secrets lurk in this world and the shadowy organization that dispatches the Claymores may not be as kind as they appear. 

8. A Story about a Droid 

I debated about including this because it is such a short read. But it is also a very good and cute read. This story is about a droid who finds a baby and decides to take care of him. In order to care for the child the droid puts on a human disguise. The story follows the droid and her child as she raises him in a post apocalyptic world. 

7. Berserk

RIP Muria I will always be heartbroken that you passed before finishing this wonder of a story. This manga has always been one of my favorites and for good reason. The art is fantastic, the story is gripping, and the characters are dynamic. However, this manga is shocking, cruel, and depressing- not for the faint of heart. 

6. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki Kun

Monthly Girls Nozaki is the tale of a girl in love. Chiyo has been in love with Nozaki for a while and she finally decides that she has had enough. Working up the courage she confesses to him, only for him to give her an autograph. Turns out her class mate is world famous in the realm of shoujo manga and has never been in love. Chiyo’s confession goes right over his head leaving her dumbfounded but not hopeless. This manga is a great romantic comedy including some of my favorite characters in fiction. Definitely worth a read if you want to laugh a night away. 

5. Dungeon Meshi

Have you ever been playing DnD and been like “hmmm I wonder what a Mimic tastes like?” If so I have the manga for you! Dungeon Meshi or delicious in dungeon follows a group of adventures as they venture into a dungeon to save the main character Laos’s sister. However, with no supplies they are forced to eat their way through to survive, much to the disdain of the party except for Laos he loves it. 

4. Sousou No Frienen

We all know elves live a long time but sometimes it doesn’t hit an elf until they have seen their old comrades fade away. Frenen is old even and has wandered the world in search of rare magic, and I mean rare not necessarily useful. Only after being recruited to aid the hero’s party and defeating the demon king does she come to realize that human relationships are complex and that time is fleeting. This is a great fantasy manga with great magic and quirky characters as I write this I am rereading the manga for the fourth time. 

3. Yotsubato!

Man aren’t five year old's hectic little animals?! Yotsuba is a young girl in a new neighborhood who isn’t afraid to wander off, get into trouble, or of anything except for maybe scary statues. This manga follows her life with her dad living every day to the fullest. If you are feeling down this is a great pick me up. I reread during finals and it really helped. 

2. Tongari Boss/ Witch Hat Alter

Witches are born with the ability to use magic and normal people aren’t. At least that’s what they say but what happens when a young girl gets a glimpse at the secret of magic. What if the reason magic is solely for witches because of the great danger magic can place not only yourself but the world in. Witch hat alter is one of the best fantasy manga out there right now and I want the next chapter to come out already!!!

1. Chainsaw Man

I remember the conversation that led me to read chainsaw man years ago. It went something like 

“Hey dude you should totally read this manga it’s badass!”

“Really? What’s it about?”

Insert a few seconds of silence 

“Well.. It’s about a dude who turns into a chainsaw and kills devils” 

“That’s insane” 

“Trust me it’s sooo good you have to try it! It has a section where he rides a shark into battle while on fire!” 

And with that fateful line I decided to give it a read. All I can say is thank you for telling me to read it because I love this manga. It is so funny, and crazy, and sad, and mind bending, and so many other things. I never thought a story about a dude who literally has a chainsaw growing out of his face would make me cry but life works in funny ways. 

Well that’s my list. I hope you find some of these recommendations helpful. If you have any questions, or want more let me know!! Have a great Summer!

[whowaswillow]

Backstory

After the passing of the late Ophelia Tempest Minyu (a previous character of mine). Tinbal  the Harengon uncovered an unfinished work. (Tinbal was the NPC lackey of our previous campaign)

The work he found was The Epic of Tinbal the author  was listed as Tempest .The story detailed the adventures of a group of mercenaries led by a simple Harengon. Who knows how he was able to control gravity, use a crossbow, and build magic constructs but he was a real Jack of all trades. His lackeys were lackluster to say the least. 

A man who never took off his armor who was convinced he could see the future.

A goblin whose only character trait was their big... wrench. 

An elf who refused to get a dirty. 

A fairy who spent all his time watching other people fight  but never engaging. 

And a bard who did nothing but write instead of play music.

What was the author thinking this cast of characters makes no sense at all!

But Tinbal never spoke of them in detail. Except for Ophelia. Though her name was spread through the kingdom of Anywhere as a hero, those who met her in the swamp had a different recollection. The cruelest king they ever had. Her infamy long out lived her. Even just uttering her name was like a curse to the older population. There was never another true king after her. Tinbal still called himself her royal advisor but the  toad kingdom respected him as their king in secret. 

Eventually Tasha and Lord Vandrin came back to the swamp. While trade routes were set and Vandrin was given power over the swamp he only requested that they respected Ophelia’s original decree to learn common, learn to farm, and embrace the arts.  Tasha aided in cleaning up the mess her sister made by blessing the once cursed breeding pools. 

As years passed Tinbal was just as famous as Agdon longscarf. He had all the power he could have wanted . Tinbal even invited other harengon to live in the swamp and soon it was a thriving society once again. He got married and had a couple of kids just as the remaining bullywugs did. 

One day one of Tinbal’s daughters fell in love with one of the sons of the Royal Tailor.  They took to the breeding pools on their wedding night as is tradition. They did not think it would actually result in a child. But Tasha’s magic was potent. 

Soon there was a child both Harengon and Bullywug. With tall ears, buck teeth, and a small rotund form Willowdart of Festerblight was born. The Epic was passed down through Tinbal’s lineage. So she received the unfinished book. 

She, like those before her, tried to push her grandfather, Tinbal to find out more about his younger days. But it was to no avail. At this point he was senile and claimed “the story lied” “that he never fought” “there were robots” “there were gods playing with mortals” “ Ophelia was human not a witch!” And snails oh , how he feared the snails. Any questions asked would lead him into a spiral of tears and rage. 

Willowdart was different though from those before her. She was the first of her lineage to be able read common with full comprehension and appreciation for the arts. It was obvious to her that the bard was none other than Ophelia the Duke of ich… King Ophelia the Terrible…the hero of the fairies. Not only that but the scaredy cat fairy is Lord Vandrin! There was more to this unfinished epic than Tinbal would admit. He would speak one truth to Willowdart: the author is no longer in the faewilds nor are they fae. 

Willowdart made the decision to visit the mortal realm. To seek out this Tempest. The author must surely have more information. It was a stretch to say the least. Though she was curious about the mystery surrounding her grandfather she also just wanted to go on an adventure just as he had.  Even if she doesn’t  find the author in the great big mortal world she will be satisfied returning with more stories. 

———————

When Willowdart came to the mortal realm she knew she needed to blend in. She kept her ears flat and under a hood and hoped no one would notice she has five webbed fingers on each hand instead of 3. Or her more prominent buck teeth that she kept hidden under a scarf. Many mistook her for a full blood bullywug or a fat grung. So she kept  it that way. 

When she asked locals about where she could find Tempest many told her to wait on the beach and a tempest would show up eventually. Little did she realize they meant a great storm. 

That’s exactly what Willowdart found her self trapped in . A great swirling vortex was headed her way. Fog creeped in around her. Within the fog the great old one spoke to her and promised her knowledge of all things . 

—— 

That was 8 months ago. WillowDart now lives as a nomad in the local swamp. It’s about time for her to get up and move again. After all the immortal snail is chasing her. 

[trashcan-in-space]

ay what’s up there’s enough novels and stories with male leads let’s start a decade of the opposite extreme with all books featuring solely women or people that don’t fit in the gender binary with only like one or two men in the book to be able to claim that they are technically represented :)

[autumnslance]

I've been hunting around for the answer to this question, and got pointed to you by a couple of friends, so I hope this doesn't sound too weird, but I've been trying to figure out how Y'shtola shows affection (particularly for the WoL) as truthfully up until ShB, I... uh... thought she didn't like the WoL at all or as a coworker at best? So, I'm trying to figure out what cues I've missed, and playing through again hasn't helped much... again, sry to bother!

Y'shtola's tough to read, so I totally get where you're coming from.

And as I got rather long (No surprise! It's me!), below a cut it all goes.

I have to note that many in fandom see the adult Scions and twins in earlier parts of the game as not caring about the Warrior of Light due to the initial surface level interactions and hard to read behaviors that were 1) hastily written (I feel ARR texts needed another few editing passes and VA takes they had no time for) and 2) are meant to be open to interpretation.

If one is reading the canon text with an open mind to seeing how characters grow and change (not to mention the shift in writing style as a new lead took over from Stormblood on) it’s harder to say after ShB and EW especially that the Scions don’t care, when community and love (in any and all forms) is a major point of this story of hope and how the day is saved multiple times due these friendships.

Not to mention how often through ARR, HW, and StB the adult Scions are often sidelined or sent off on other missions by the narrative to deny the WoL their aid while also explaining why they can’t help in combat situations against non-primals before we had the Duty Support system. Y’shtola vanishes post-Titan until after Garuda, after the Banquet is gone for much of HW MSQ until late 3.0, is nearly killed by Zenos in early 4.0 so out of action, and then is among the first Scions to fall to the Exarch's Call and is the last of the core group we pick up at 5.0’s midpoint.

Despite how often she and some of the others are gone, or the unevenness of some of the writing over time, I wouldn’t say she or any of the Scions dislike the WoL ever, nor actually do treat WoL as a servant or as a weapon of destruction; in fact, that attitude is specifically given to Alphinaud, and to some degree Alisaie, as part of their coming of age stories in ARR/Coils and HW as they transition from spoiled noble brats to conscientious young adventurers.

Also, clicking on everyone before, after, and in between quest steps comes in handy; it’s a habit to get into early in this game and especially in replays, as a LOT of characterization, background, and lore moments come from those optional dialogues that are easy to miss. There are a lot of great moments with all the doomed Scions in the Waking Sands, for instance, that are easily skipped if you ignore the common room and just rush in and out of the Solar for missions. It adds to play time, but it can be highly worth it to get extra on each character (in ShB it’s necessary with Emet-Selch and all the lore he offers).

But to get at Y’shtola and how she shows affection for everyone—not just WoL but in general—we’re actually going to have to start with our grouchy cave witch: Master Matoya.

Y’shtola’s amazing magical talent was realized early, and as such she was given directly to Matoya to raise as an apprentice when Y’shtola was only seven years old. In 6.1 quests, when accompanied by Y’shtola around Sharlayan, she specifically notes neither she nor Thancred ever attended the Studium as youths, as they were under the care of masters of their respective fields. Matoya is also credited, according to Alisaie on her first meeting the elderly archon, that Matoya is the one who’s said to have “tamed” Y’shtola.

So let’s look at Matoya. If you visit her cave after 6.0 to find Y’shtola hanging around, Matoya says:

“Like old Louisoix, you lot set out to save the world. Like him, you believed your cause with all your heart. And like him, you succeeded. The spineless wretches of the Forum could stand to take a cue from your example. Now, as Shtola would tell you, I tend to be sparing with my praise. But for what you’ve accomplished, you have my respect and admiration.”

And in all of our interactions with Matoya, that “sparing praise” is true; she’s caustic and grumpy and acts as if she is imposed upon every time we visit. However, if she really didn’t want anyone in her cave, well, we couldn’t get there. She’d change the magic lock. Throw us out. Overwhelm us with brooms and poroggos.

Instead she lets Alphinaud come and go freely to study throughout Heavensward’s patches as he seeks a way to help Estinien, keeping an eye on him, but letting him figure things out on his own as she lets him have run of her library and resources. She aids during the Alexander questline (though is never seen). Time and again, through MSQ and sidequests, Matoya is there for sharp, clearcut, logical advice and magical knowledge and resources. Even in Stormblood’s Namazu Tribe quests, you at one point take your fishy buddy to Matoya for information. Her response to the WoL is one of my favorites:

“Had anyone else shown up on my doorstep with a Namazu in tow, I would’ve had my poroggos deal with them. I’m still not quite sure what you’re about, but if it gets you to stop fighting every other god or dragon for a spell, it can’t be all that bad.”

Coming from Matoya, that is close to a declaration of care for the WoL’s well-being as we’re likely ever going to get.

Especially when you consider the sidequest available from one of her poroggos. It starts as an aether current quest inside the cave, but the chain continues until we discover a hidden broom under a ruined bridge, a broom in which Matoya has locked away all of her most precious memories and feelings for Y’shtola. Matoya tasks the poroggo that when she inevitably dies, his final act of service shall be to lay her body to rest alongside her hidden broom.

This is the woman who raised Y’shtola from the age of seven.

I said a lot already in my Ultima Thule post about the similarities and differences in Matoya and Y’shtola; where one is a misanthropic hermit, the other goes out into the world to help people and protect the star from dangers, even as she seeks knowledge of life’s mysteries. It’s a rather important difference, though the influence of Matoya’s caustic upbringing is writ in Y’shtola’s every ilm.

The first meeting in the Limsa Lominsa introductions, Y’shtola is labeled as “Cultured Conjurer.” In her early interactions with the WoL, and other NPCs such as the young pirate who gets in trouble, she acts as one would expect an adventuring healer to; friendly concern and relief when one is uninjured, making sure folks know Sevrin and the WoL are OK. She is certainly interested in WoL’s abilities, both combat and aetheric, but even in these early interactions she’s outwardly pleasant. If anything, she’s less brusque and sharp-tongued with strangers and new acquaintances.

Some of her easy irritation is seen in the infamous Feast preparations on the way to Titan; Y’shtola is irate at what the Company is putting the WoL through to test them and all the fetch quests they impose. She praises WoL for their patience and stoicism and humoring the Company, realizing only a bit later the WoL isn’t familiar enough with these heroes to understand why they did all this.

But Y’shtola is not effusive in her praise and compliments; though freer with them than her Master, she is still reserved and understated. Her wit is very dry commentary. She is not afraid to be stern when needed, but that would again be due to the influence of her upbringing; it’s easier to be forthright and caustic than it is to shower affection. But Y’shtola obviously tries to do the latter more often than her teacher.

The most effusive praise I can think of is in Heavensward, as the Excelsior prepares to leave for Azys Lla, when she says the WoL is “the beacon of hope towards which all men drawn” after all the WoL has accomplished so far in Ishgard and Dravania (and even in that verbal spar with Estinien, she tries to warn him of the Eye, and as you escape the Flagship upon Midgardsormr, Y’shtola is the one to ask “Where is Estinien?”).

This usually reserved praise remains true through much of the MSQ; again, she seems to allow her snarkier side and dry wit to come out around the Scions, because among her closest comrades, she is understood to be straightforward but still caring. She challenges people to do and be better (such as her argument with Merlwyb that Yugiri spies on in the ARR patches), and she challenges her Scion family most of all. In ShB there are her snappy comments at Thancred about his ward, but after, in speaking to her she is certain of his heart and willpower; the man she knows is a good one, who needs to confront his feelings and is refusing to while also not talking to his friends about his struggles. Y’shtola was trying to help in her own way—effectiveness and timing aside—and it is reminiscent of how her own Master would have done it; the comparisons to Matoya are strengthened not just by Y’shtola borrowing the name under the Floodlight.

EDIT: Speaking of Rak’tika, some other friends noted: If Y'shtola didn't already care, her first meeting with WoL in Rak'tika wouldn't have been so horrified when she was told it was WoL and not a sin eater she was seeing. She's notably upset, and then works to solve the issue, demanding answers of Urianger (who stonewalls), and then does in fact tell WoL her concerns, once Plot has been dealt with; people forget that scene as it’s not in the Unending Journey.

It does take Y’shtola time to show her vulnerabilities to the WoL, to entrust them with some secrets or take them into confidence. But that all comes rather late, for her to loosen up, to joke more, to be openly vulnerable, after everything the Scions have been through together.

It also does not help that Y’shtola’s more reserved interactions can be read as bids for reciprocation; if one were to meet her at the same level of energy, friendly coworkers it is. If one shows more friendly interest, her own level of interaction would also change—but that works in games with interactive dialogue paths that an on-rails MMO like FFXIV can’t provide as easily as a single player like Mass Effect or Dragon Age, where interactions with party members change their reception of the PC character, even to the point of OCNPC romance.

It all depends on how one reads it and feels about these characters. What clicks and what doesn’t. And for many, Y’shtola is harder to click with than others due to her reservation and sharp wit.

So if in ARR, HW, and StB she reads as a cordial coworker, that’s a valid reading; she’s as polite and friendly and concerned as one would expect a healer to be. She’s also dry, prone to understatement, and not afraid to be sharp-tongued when called for. She praises, but reservedly, as that’s her upbringing.

She doesn’t have Thancred’s snarky charm, or G’raha’s enthusiasm, nor the interplay of Papalymo and Yda. Each of the Scions are given very broad personality archetypes meant to be interpreted openly. One can even read Thancred as not caring about WoL as more than a coworker at first despite his effusive praise and honeyed words, as so much of it is a front he puts up, and his actual affection for WoL as a friend also arguably shows later (or, if going back to “bids for interaction”, it’s easier to exchange favorable energy with Thancred, but I don’t think that he’s actually much more open and able to reciprocate than Y’shtola, given his emotional stunting under the charm that takes him until ShB to work out, hence my own wolnpc ship with him taking so much time to sort).

I did present this question to my FC for some input, as Y’shtola IS a tough cookie to crack, and unlike some Ancient scientists I could name, I am willing to ask for outside ideas and perspectives to help me examine my own as I draft. One thing noted by certain multi-cultural friends is the cultural context one can read Y’shtola in; in an American context, she does seem very reserved and professional early on; polite, but very much how one would see a friendly coworker. In a British context, one friend considers her rather “chummy” in her pleasant politeness and dry, understated humor when interacting with her throughout MSQ.

For those of us who read the Scions as Found Family, we see Y’shtola as the poised older sister of the group, the supposedly responsible adult in the room who is really just as prone to shenanigans as the rest, in the right circumstance. 

And there are many who make the Mom jokes about her; some because they find her desirable and she is actually among the older Scions (despite her claims), but also because she does, as a healer first, have that Mom Friend demeanor, though it is more evident in ShB when she can joke back at the WoL’s silly responses to her concerns.

Anyway. Y’shtola isn’t a social showoff; with magic, sure, but in personal interaction, she holds quite a bit of herself back for awhile, and her ingrained responses due to her upbringing are to be reserved with affection and praise, while quick with wit and straightforward in her speech, not pulling punches. She will be cordial with acquaintances and new people, and shows the concern for others one expects of a healer, but she’s not going to gush the way others might.

This is a lot of words. I like Y’shtola, and get her lowkey approach and humor, so always considered her friendly, but was glad to see her caring clarified in ShB and EW, alongside the other Scions. But if her and other Scion friendships with WoL don’t quite gel for others until arriving on the First, that’s perfectly understandable.

[j-mysticalien]

🔫 the oc content, hand it over /lh

you don’t have to if u don’t want to lol I just saw you said something about ocs and 👀 I am interested

FIRST OF ALL 🥺🥺🥺

SECOND OF ALL OKAY OKAY HERE TAKE IT 

(I ended up dumping a lot ... I saw the opportunity and ran with it I didn’t mean to oops)

These guys have been in my head for y e a r s and even though I'll abandon them for months at a time, there are plot points I've forgotten, it’s very very unfinished, and clearly influenced by my freshman year interests, they're some of my favorites to imagine and write like every time I do a picrew chain or something I make them too for myself okay okay-

So. Exposition. For ages the demons and dark things have slipped between the veil and into the world. As evil rises, so do those who stand against it. In some parts of the world The Order was established not to eradicate or wage war against the demons, just to keep everything in their proper dimensions and destroy those who refuse. Members of the Order work in groups with assigned roles, often passed down generations. 1: trained in the physical aspects of fighting creatures, they have the unique and mysterious ability to survive in the other dimension-at least better than the average mortal. 2, “Alchemist”: Usually a witch, human descendant of a magical being, or a particularly skilled mortal even. they provide the magical aid since the other cannot perform magic themselves. (Though Witches tend to form their own communities or work with the demon realm which historically has caused tensions) While fewer and well hidden, this secret society guards the mortal realm to this day... 

There’s a small, quiet town in the northeast. Nothing much happens- the power may go out or the weather may turn within seconds and figures may appear and shift into the shadows but it all turns out fine eventually. Nothing to worry about. But those who know a  little too much know where to go when things need to be taken care off. Bloom’s Florist and Garden Shop, a sweet little store in the middle of town staffed by the owner’s two teenaged kids. They’ve got a lovely selection of flowers and herbs. If you hear noises from their basement, best to ignore it. If you see the kids sprinting down the street, best to stay out of their way. If they tell you to avoid the woods one night, you listen...

OCS MY BELOVED HERE THEY ARE

 Dante Achilles Sindweller. He is type 1.  He’s tall, thin but muscular, almost dangerously pale. His hair is blue, eyes blue though they sometimes look red. Riddles with piercings and pale scars. Cocky bastard but well deserved. Friendly and deadly all at once. He’s good at what he does and is always up for a challenge. Low key high key losing his sense of humanity. You see actually being in the demon dimension is draining because of the pure chaos of it but returning to reality is rough too. Because of the hunter’s ability (I’m pretty sure they have this ability bc the og demon hunters secretly fucked a bunch of demons so Hunters have demon blood and cannot “die” in the hell dimension but idfk at this point) they can adapt to the word with a combination of demonic attributes and idealized forms that disappear when he gets back. So um the mental toll is very much a thing that he hides very well...at least at first. He doesn’t actually have to travel too often thought, just during emergencies and later he genuinely visits some chill demon friends there.

Cordelia Emerys Bloom, “Cordie”. 5′2″, dark brown skin, black hair she keeps in two short braids, round rimmed glasses. She’s the alchemist. a few of her far off ancestors were fae. Her own magical battery is low so she’s become skilled in working with. potions and magical plants. She’s the most serious member. of the trio. She knows the job, she has a rhythm, she doesn’t like change. This group had three braincells and 90% of the time she has all of them. She likes her plants, her books, and Dante. She’s a little high strung and stubborn but she’s clever, intelligent, and really warm person once you get past her shields. She grew up way too fast and with all her adult figures gone, Dante slowly slipping (though she denies it to the point where Alice bright it up and they didn’t talk for a week), and this irritation turned fear that Alice’s presence is temporary leaves her with some issues but it’s okay im determined to let her be happy, she just has to let herself accept happiness.

Alice Barnet. A witch. Thick, bright red  hair, hazel/ blue eyes. Absolutely stunning. and a fashion icon. She moved to attend to uppity private school right outside of town. She stumbled upon the shop and immediately sensed the great power hidden in there. So she just walked in- because of the dimensional portal not because the girl at the register she saw through the window was so pretty what are you talking about it was witch instinct only- and announced herself and offered her services. She’s a flirt, though a sincere one. She projects a confident, fun vibes even if she doesn't actually feel it. Fake it until you make it I guess. Coffee addict will memorize your birth chart, Starbucks order, and all the little behavioral things. Most of my early drabbles with her involve her sitting on Cordie’s desk sipping her iced coffee while Cordie is like “how tf did you get in here” “good question. Better one: they didn’t have the black tea you like is green okay?” She actually is part of an informal coven but that’s a whole side story with its own cast of characters I haven’t touched in ages

Dynamics dynamics so Cordie and Dante are siblings in all but blood, they’ve been together for almost their entire lives. (Cordie’s parents are almost always away-either on Order business or just vibing idk they’re cool though. Dante’s parents are dead but only Dante himself seems to know that-Something about demon blood and dimension hopping doesn’t let their kind live long) They’re really close. If they met at this point in life they probably would never have been friends and Cordie probably would despise him but as they are they love each other and *know* each other. Technically Dante is older but Cordie is the eldest sister of the relationship.

The two of them have opposite reactions when Alice enters their life. (This entrance is one of the few *full* scenes I actually wrote down) Dante is allured-not by her but by the potential adventure she represents. She states her case and he’s like oh this’ll be interesting. They become best friends almost instantly. Their sass, confidence, and more adventurous sides click harmoniously- much of the time to Cordie’s dismay. To Cordelia, Alice is something unknown, something potentially dangerous. She makes her assumptions (prissy, incompetent, entitled, inexperienced) and tolerated her. Alice has had a crush on her since day 1. She was determined to prove herself to the group and really she’d just like to get her trust and friendship at some point, gushy feelings be damned. They fall in love slowly, they learn to trust and be weak and learn to know each other and be themselves Alice is genuinely interested in all the stuff Cordie knows about the magical world and Cordie gets to try to be a person outside of that world. The recent stuff I’ve actually written down involves a lot of sleepy conversations and whispered confessions and soft touched and hhh

Some of the non-human characters

“Lady”: the ghost that haunts the basement/ Order base. She can’t really speak and isn't always visible, never fully. They don’t know who she was or why she’s there. She helps out when she can though. Might help Dante in the very end. 

All of the actual demons are off ideas. Like each deadly sin has it’s own demon (they didn’t realize some humans had grouped them together for some time but they think it’s funny, sometimes they hang out just because of that) The gang doesn't directly meet a lot of them but 

Curiosity aka “Apple” aka “Heather” aka “Bee”aka...:The spark that fuels innovation ne the spiral of a downfall. frequently visits human world, team switches between stopping them from blowing up a building to playing Mario kart together. Like he definitely causes trouble and should not keep escaping through the portal but like...he’s fun to got to the mall with. Funky Lil dude who’s there for a good time and some chaos. Changes aliases all the time.

Nostalgia aka “Honey-Lavender”: the kind that leaves the ghost of a smile on your face, the kind that drowns you in the past, the kind that makes you want to go back, or forget. mostly stays in hell. One of the demons Dante visits and is acquainted with. They lay and talk. She can be a downer but he doesn’t mind, he appreciates the company and some days she keeps him tethered to his life and sanity (on the bad says she has the opposite effect, she can’t help it)

OKAY AHAHA THATS ENOUGH OUT OF ME THERE THEY ARE THANKS

[yeonchi]

Kisekae Insights #19: Madoka Magica Part 2 (Yuki Magica)

(Art by アスカール)

In the last instalment, I talked about Takumi Kamijō and Madoka Magica’s involvement in my project, but I stopped after Gokaiger because things are about to get complicated; there is another story thread that I need to cover before we can continue.

In this instalment, I’ll be talking about another magical boy who became a GARO-esque Kamen Rider. He and his powers have their own backstories which would normally be impossible in the eyes of other Madoka fans (if Takumi’s story wasn’t crazy enough). Basically, I’m the Australian Shinichiro Shirakura and I’m breaking all the rules. Wait, was I supposed to save that joke for the Decade instalments? Oh well, anyway…

One man’s trash, another man’s treasure

In the sixth block of the 50th Anniversary Series, I made an adaptation of The Name of the Doctor but with Hiroki instead of the Doctor. When Hiroki’s timeline gets invaded by a vexatious villain (not the Great Intelligence), he makes a contract with Kyubey to save his past, present and future. He meets Goddess Madoka and becomes a magical boy similar to that of Madoka’s magical girl form. Calling himself the Loveshy Boy, Hiroki enters his own timeline and sends out splinters of himself across his timeline to repair the damage. Zhuge Shu and Nodoka Manabe were among those echoes, along with five individuals whose syllables of their names spelled the syllables of “Nodoka Manabe” and “Madoka Kaname”.

The only other time Hiroki used his magical boy form was in the ninth block when he fought Girl Power and his other enemies in Koshi Castle. He is shot and sent flying in a desperate attempt to save Akari and that is the last we see of Hiroki’s magical boy form – though Walpurgisnacht would influence his next (female) incarnation, he would no longer be a magical boy by the time he moved into his final incarnation.

But by some miracle, Hiroki’s magical boy powers would show up again in 2018, albeit utilised by someone else. How did that happen and why? You’ll find out very soon…

Yuki Yamaki: Secret Inside

Yuki’s timeline is a bit complicated to pinpoint, but it doesn’t matter since this project runs on wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff.

A note before I go on – Yuki’s name would usually be written as Yūki given his Japanese name and my usual habit of denoting long vowels with macrons as per Hepburn romanisation, however I only found his Japanese name recently in an old document I wrote ten years ago, with that same document denoting Takumi’s surname as “Kamijou”. Then again, I didn’t know much about the rules surrounding romanisation back then, so I’ll continue to write Yuki’s name as I have and not bother changing it for the sake of consistency.

Naisho no Tsubomi (Secret Tsubomi) is a manga series that covers topics centred around female puberty and sex education, with a different girl (named Tsubomi) featured in each volume. The first volume was adapted into a three-episode OVA in 2008 and was released in North America by Sentai Filmworks in 2018. Spoilers if you haven’t seen it (but given the premise of Kisekae Insights, you shouldn’t be surprised by now), but based from what I’ve read about in reviews and my own observations, it seems that the character of Saya Endō is likely to be the spirit of a dead girl who reincarnates as Tsubomi’s little sister, or Tsubomi’s little sister who died and came back into the past as a spirit or something. But that doesn’t really matter because this is Doctor Who, what did you expect?

Yuki was born in 2008, the same year as Tsubomi’s little sister, Saya, in a universe where the Third Doctor is the Prime Minister of Australia. In 2018, they joined their universe’s Torchwood at the age of ten and a year later, they were sent on a mission back to the year 2008 to investigate anomalies involving Tsubomi and Yuki’s cousin, Shisei Nagato (長遠志成). During that time, Yuki, Saya, Tsubomi and her friends came to the Doctor’s universe three times over five years from their POV (in our POV, they came once each before, during and after the Salacian Time War). It turned out that Yuki and Shisei are Parker and Hiroki’s counterparts in that universe and that Shisei was taking the place of Futoshi Kuki, who was exterminated by the Daleks. They were unable to find any conclusive evidence regarding the anomalies when they were called back to their time (2023) to fight the Beta Uprising.

Torchwood then sent Yuki and Saya on their second mission in the past, which was to kill Elliot Rodger on his Day of Retribution, 23 May 2014, and prevent the Beta Uprising. Their comrade, Alex Schmidt (played by Alex Williamson) was with them, but he disappeared by the time Yuki and Saya returned to their time. The two had fallen in love during their time together and by 2028, they decided to get married. However, when they were having yum cha with their friends, Alex came in with a group of Chads and revealed his betrayal to everyone; he went back to 2014 and helped Elliot Rodger with his Day of Retribution before spurring Chads and Stacies around the world to fight the incels (nerds basically). He killed Yuki in 2018 because somehow, he was the anomaly surrounding Tsubomi and Shisei that was motivating the incels to continue fighting – Tsubomi and Shisei were never the problem at all.

The 2028 Yuki was killed along with his fiancée and their friends and was taken back to 2018, where he was “fixed up” and prepared to be married to Hideko Kimihara (NOTE: The Kikuchi Clan were not involved in this incident). Kyubey arrives and offers to turn Yuki’s pain into power; Yuki accepts and makes a wish for someone to come and get him out of his mess. It is then that Hiroki, Kayley, Firerose, Narutaki and the Salacian Riders (including a future Yuki and Marcela) were brought to this universe through a dimensional hole. At the same time, Marcela (see #13) arrived to protect Yuki. It is then that Yuki transforms into his magical boy form, which is exactly the same as Hiroki’s Madoka-esque magical boy form (due to interdimensional genetic multiplicity, as Takumi would later speculate), by swinging his Soul Gem necklace in the air similar to how Barago transforms into Dark Knight Kiba in GARO.

(Hiroki and Yuki’s magical boy forms are based on that of Madoka’s magical girl form, albeit genderbent. Art by 黒野ユウ and Makarii)

Hiroki and the Riders from his world help the past Yuki and Marcela out by attempting to hide with one version of them (past or present) for two weeks, but they are captured after four days. While the Stacies brainwash Marcela, Yuki and Hideko are hooked up to the Progenitor, combining their DNA and making super-soldiers from them. Yuki begins to fall into despair, but despite Hiroki telling him not to give up, he transforms into his witch form, Legendorgarc, which is similar to Kamen Rider Arc’s Legend Arc form, freeing himself in the process.

After a few moments however, Yuki manages to change his despair into hope, allowing him to cast away his witch form and combine it with his magical boy powers into a stronger power. Yuki’s rose bow transforms into the bladed Barayumi Rose Bow (バラユミ), which he swings around him to transform into Kamen Rider Magica, similar to how Aguri Kusugami transforms into Sky Bow Knight Gai in GARO: Yami o Terasu Mono. Two of his signature finishers are the Rensha Ranbu/Rapid-Fire Attack (連射乱舞) and the Naginata Ranbu – Gōka Midaresaki/Naginata Attack – Luxurious Bloom (���ギナタ乱舞・豪華乱れさき). Magica’s Rider design takes inspiration from GARO and Kamen Rider Hibiki, particularly the latter as Magica was originally planned to take its place in Decade before being reinstated.

(Kamen Rider Magica logo concept. Art by aqmr)

Hiroki as Decade kills Alex and destroys the universe to get back with to his own universe with his friends and the Salacian Riders, taking the past Yuki and Marcela with them as well. The two, having lost their memories of what happened due to their timelines not being in sync, were left in the past and the only thing that they remembered was that they were enemies; Yuki blamed Marcela for killing his lover and destroying his world, while Marcela blamed Yuki for killing her family.

Decade Episode 7 happened and during the final battle, Decade’s use of the Magica Final Form Ride card allowed Magica to unlock his final form, Loveshy Form, upgrading his weapon into the Ultimate Barayumi Rose Bow in the process. Subsequent transformations only require Magica to squat down and draw a circle on the ground around him similar to how Takeru Jakuzure transforms into Flame Sword Knight Zen. In this form, Magica can split his Ultimate Barayumi in half and use it as a nunchaku or a pair of swords. One of this form’s finishers involves shooting an energy beam from his bow, with the first such usage being aided by Decade using the Magica Final Attack Ride card, breaking Marcela’s brainwashing in the progress.

Following that adventure, Yuki and Marcela reconcile and agree to help each other find the truth about their pasts. By the time they encounter their past selves again in their home universe, they have become a couple. Later, they would thank Hiroki and Narutaki for bringing them together, saying that without their help, they would have kept wandering the land fighting each other without realising their true feelings.

Soulbound and Magia Record

A few days after the last instalment was published, it was announced that there would be a new Madoka Magica film produced as a sequel to The Rebellion Story. This, along with the Magia Record game and anime, means that I can’t have a definitive happy ending for Takumi when my project ends this year, though I might be able to do something for Kamen Rider Zi-O.

Soulbound Series 3 is where Takumi and Yuki’s plot threads converge, with the Madoka Magica tribute being shared with the tribute for Sea Princesses (see Dark Sea Princess in #13).

Following the events of Gokaiger and Decade, Yuki and Marcela begin living in seclusion from humanity, working to protect it from various threats as the “rejected beings of their universe”. Meanwhile, with the rise of magical girls in nearby Kamihama, Takumi started becoming territorial and competitive towards other magical girls, including his own comrades. Despite his efforts to save magical girls from becoming witches, Takumi became frustrated that no matter what he tried to do, the universe seemed to rewrite everything and ruin the work he put in. Unbeknownst to Takumi, the Incubation Cleanser was sabotaged, leading to the continued appearances of witches and other evils; said device was taken out of the equation when the Doppel system came into effect. Takumi’s rivalry with Homura still continued, though they began siding with each other so they could fight warriors (including Kamen Riders and magical girls) for their own enjoyment. Takumi and Homura even attacked Yuki and Marcela, only to be saved by Mami and Hitomi.

At the start of the two-parter, the Barrier Base and SEPTAN crews arrive in Kamihama, where Kyōko and Sayaka, alongside Takumi’s twin sister, Kumiko Hayashi, ask them for their help in saving Takumi. When the Salacian Riders appear along the coast in response to a protest against the human exploitation of marine life, the Barrier Base crew and Torchwood Pleiades fight them. After a while, Takumi and Homura arrive and single-handedly defeat everyone, inviting them to bring more warriors to fight them next time.

Following the battle, the Salacian Riders agree to work with the Barrier Base crew, the SEPTAN crew and Torchwood Pleiades to defeat Takumi and Homura. After Torchwood Pleiades gathered up all the magical girls they could find (technically all the playable Magia Record girls released on the Japanese server up to the end of the Rumors in Disguise event in October 2019, not including Tart Magica or crossover characters), they all confront Takumi and Homura outside of the city. During the battle, a number of magical girls use the power of their Doppels and so do Takumi and Yuki; Takumi’s Doppel resembles Walpurgisnacht to differentiate it from Sayaka’s, namely Oktavia von Seckendorff (but also because he was somehow able to command Walpurgisnacht’s power), while Yuki can only use his Doppel, Legendorgarc, for a maximum of 99.9 seconds (like the Makai Knights in GARO) because he only became a witch for a very short time and as such, is unaccustomed to its power.

The negative emotions and minus energy gathering above them from the constant fighting manifests into the Despair Monster, Kanaderos, a sight observed by Kyubey as he thanks everyone for providing the universe with more energy. Hikaru Tomokaze transforms into Ultraman X while Yuki and Marcela transform into Gaia and Agul to fight Kanaderos. After Exceed X uses the Exceed X Slash to purge the despair from Kanaderos, he joins Gaia and Agul as they fire the Xlugger Shot, Photon Edge and Photon Crusher, but the monster is still standing because of the sheer amount of despair still powering it. Gaia powers up into Supreme Version while Hikaru switches into Ginga. The three Ultras finally defeat Kanaderos for good with the Sparion Beam, Photon Stream and Agul Stream.

After the battle, Kumiko convinces Takumi and Homura to stop fighting and work together to investigate what is going on in Kamihama. Following the two-parter, Takumi would appear again at the end of Arcs 11 and 12, while Yuki and Marcela would only return at the end of Arc 12 alongside the Salacian Riders.

Takumi gained further development in Soulbound Series 4 when he was featured in a two-parter at the end of Arc 13, which was just recently broadcast at the time of publishing this instalment. Due to an increase in dimensional fluctuations through the Cardiff Rift over the past 18 months (since the end of Series 3), Kamihama and Torchwood Pleiades disappeared from this universe and so did Takumi, however he resurfaced recently with his comrades nowhere to be found; he had been cut off from his friends and the magical girl circle. Whether Kyubey and the Incubators had anything to do with it is unknown, though even if they did, the most they would have done is indirectly manipulate events to achieve this goal.

Upon receiving a message from Torchwood in Cardiff notifying them of Takumi resurfacing, the Barrier Base crew head to Mitakihara to meet with Hiroki, Akari, the Doctor and Captain Jack Harkness. After encountering Yuki and Marcela nearby as well, the group heads to Porthcawl (one of the entrances to Kamihama) upon hearing that police have spotted Takumi there. When they get there however, Takumi had killed the police officers cornering him and it is then that Yuki realises that something is wrong. Takumi asks where his lover, his friends and his comrades are before taking his cutlass and transforming into his magical boy form similar to how the Golden Knight Garo transforms.

In the ensuing fight, Takumi summons another cutlass and uses it with his other cutlass to transform into Kamen Rider Serranon similar to how Rei Suzumura transforms into Silver Fanged Knight Zero. Serranon was created as a secondary Rider for Magica in response to Geiz Majesty (I had to create a Rider whose name rhymed with Zeronos so that I wouldn’t need to change the transformation tune because this wasn’t like Decade where I could just do whatever and get away with it). At the moment, I don’t have any plans for Serranon’s final form and it’s likely that he won’t be getting one. Takumi’s cutlasses transform into a set of twin swords called the Yanagiba Sōken (柳葉双剣) that can combine into the Yanagiba Ryūtō (柳葉流刀). His finishers are the Sōken Ranbu/Twin Sword Attack (双剣乱舞) and the Ryūtō Ranbu – Mugen Shinken Nuketsuki/Cutlass Attack – Blade of Infinity (流刀乱舞・無限真剣抜けつき), the latter being similar to the signature attack of Zodomas/Skatana from Gokaiger/Super Megaforce.

While the others fight the familiars that Takumi summoned, Yuki and Takumi fight in their Rider forms, resulting in the former being defeated. Takumi is later spotted at the Roald Dahl Plass, right above the Hub, with the intent of opening the Rift to find a way back to Kamihama. Though the Doctor, Jack, Hiroki and Akari try to stop him, he is only stopped when another villain, Doctor Wells Moreau, shoots him out of nowhere. Moreau later approaches Takumi and offers him a way to get back to Kamihama. Takumi is given a gun which he uses to transform into Galactron MK2 and attack Cardiff, but is defeated by Ultraman Ginga.

After the battle, Hiroki and the others convince Takumi to use his powers for good and so, he takes up Captain Jack’s offer to join Torchwood for the time being until his friends return. While the magical girls will be featured in Soulbound Series 4, they will have to part ways with Takumi again at the end of the series because of Magia Record and the fourth Madoka Magica film.

So this is it for the involvement of Puella Magi Madoka Magica in my personal project. I’d like to remind everyone not to worry if you’re confused at anything you’ve seen so far in Kisekae Insights; chances are that I will address it eventually.

[thywitchescrow]

Wicca traditions

Okay so here's for any beginner witches(witch is actually a gender nuetral term, plus, be careful, if you say warlock{Hollywood said it meant male witch but it dont} it means traitor in some witches beliefs. so please be careful with that. Anyways. while regular people celebrate halloween,christmas,thanksgiving.etc We have our own holidays with our own traditions. Take it as, Samhain(October 31-November 1) is our halloween. Its our day of the dead, where we celebrate our ancestors and show love and prosperity to the witches who were hanged so long ago. Such as the seemingly most famous ones, the Salem witch trials. Now, after COVID, for Samhain next year, I myself plan to go to Salem and check out the town, considering I hear their some witch ghost activities. but I will be putting a protection spell on my room incase a witch has y’know, bad intentions. Anyways,again, some of the traditions we do on this holiday is (also none of these include any human or animal sacrifices because I dont do that type of magic):

Samhain Nature Walk: Take a meditative walk in a natural area near your home. Observe and contemplate the colors, aromas, sounds, and other sensations of the season. Experience yourself as part of the Circle of Life and reflect on death and rebirth as being an important part of Nature. If the location you visit permits, gather some natural objects and upon your return use them to adorn your home.

Seasonal Imagery: Decorate your home with Samhain seasonal symbols and the colors of orange and black. Place an Autumnal wreath on your front door. Create displays with pumpkins, cornstalks, gourds, acorns, and apples. Set candles in cauldrons.

Ancestors Alter(my personal fave thing to do): Gather photographs, heirlooms, and other mementos of deceased family, friends, and companion creatures. Arrange them on a table, dresser, or other surface, along with several votive candles. Kindle the candles in their memory as you call out their names and express well wishes. Thank them for being part of your life. Sit quietly and pay attention to what you experience. Note any messages you receive in your journal. This Ancestors Altar can be created just for Samhain or kept year round.

Feast of the Dead:  Prepare a Samhain dinner. Include a place setting at your table or at a nearby altar for the Dead. Add an offering of a bit of each beverage being consumed to the cup at that place setting, and to the plate, add a bit of each food served. Invite your ancestors and other deceased loved ones to come and dine with you. To have this as a Samhain Dumb Supper experience, dine in silence. After the feast, place the contents of the plate and cup for the Dead outdoors in a natural location as an offering for the Dead.

Ancestors Stories: Learn about family history. Contact one or more older relatives and ask them to share memories of family members now dead. Record them in some way and later write accounts of what they share. Give thanks. Share what you learned and have written with another family member or friend. Add names of those you learned about and wish to honor to your Ancestors Altar.

Cemetery Visit (this is kinda hard cause most of my dead family is in Kentucky and im in Indiana LoL): Visit and tend the gravesite of a loved one at a cemetery. Call to mind memories and consider ways the loved one continues to live on within you. Place an offering there such as fresh flowers, dried herbs, or a libation of water.

Reflections: Reflect on you and your life over the past year. Review journals, planners, photographs, blogs, and other notations you have created during the past year. Consider how you have grown, accomplishments, challenges, adventures, travels, and learnings. Meditate. Journal about your year in review, your meditation, and your reflections.

Renovate: Select an area of your home or life as a focus. Examine it. Re-organize it. Release what is no longer needed. Create a better pattern. Celebrate renewal and transformation.

Bonfire Magic: Kindle a bonfire outdoors when possible or kindle flames in a fireplace or a small cauldron. Write down an outmoded habit that you wish to end and cast it into the Samhain flames as you imagine release. Imagine yourself adopting a new, healthier way of being as you move around the fire clockwise.

Divinatory Guidance: Using Tarot, Runes, Scrying, or some other method of divination, seek and reflect on guidance for the year to come. Write a summary of your process and messages. Select something appropriate to act upon and do it.

Divine Invocations: Honor and call upon the Divine in one or more Sacred Forms associated with Samhain, such as the Crone Goddess and Horned God of Nature. Invite Them to aid you in your remembrance of the Dead and in your understanding of the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. If you have lost loved ones in the past year, ask these Divine Ones to comfort and support you.

Transforming Expressions(this one should be done more often tbh): If you encounter distortions, misinformation, and/or false, negative stereotypes about Paganism and Samhain in the media, contact the source, express your concerns, and share accurate information. Help eradicate derogatory stereotyping with courteous, concise, and intelligent communications.

Community connections: Connect with others. Join in a group ritual in your area. Organize a Samhain potluck in your home. Research old and contemporary Samhain customs in books, periodicals, on-line, and through communications with others. Exchange ideas, information, and celebration experiences. Regardless of whether you practice solo or with others, as part of your festivities, reflect for a time on being part of the vast network of those celebrating Samhain around the world.

I’ll make a part two for the other holidays coming up soon!

[cloudwriteblr]

~ * ~ * ~ jess’ wip masterlist ~ * ~ * ~ 

This is just a masterpost for all my wips and it’ll be under the cut just not to annoy people/flood their dash. Also everything is subject to change because i’m impulsive and love making my life more difficult.

Let me know if you want tagged to anything

[Duology] [Writing] [Spy/Thriller/Action] [Worldwide, mainly European Countries] [MC: Andy]

World peace is precariously balanced on a knife’s edge. One wrong move could have disastrous consequences. An untold number of deaths would closely follow. Those who know about the delicate world state notice a highly distressing trend: a series of deaths and kidnappings of important people and those closest around them.

The group, The Collective, are carrying out these missions and they were highly trained and unrecognisable. These missions wouldn’t be linked together if it wasn’t for their signature, a black business card left in the bloodbath.  

A team is quickly put together with one goal; find and eliminate The Collective, no matter the cost. By whatever means necessary. The only problem. The one chosen to lead. They were no better than them. A burnt spy, an ex-assassin and an ex member of The Collective, they alone were said to be responsible for a high number of violent killings.  

But in order to keep the delicate peace, sometimes pardoning the enemy of thy enemy is a necessary evil…

                              Bloodshed, chaos and death await.

[Standalone] [Writing] [Mystery/New Adult] [Beckton Bay] [MC: Callie]

Calista ‘Callie’ Fletcher was forced to return home to the small sleepy town of Beckton Bay, she didn’t know what to expect. Reconnect with the few remaining friends from school, get her old job back at one of the only restaurant bars in the town, maybe have a string of not serious flings with the non-locals who passed through the Bay. That was the height of it. Her plans derailed the moment, he walked through the door. He wasn’t meant to be there. They both left Beckton Bay at the same time, together, they never meant to return. It was only fitting that they returned mere weeks after each other. But the same force that dragged Callie back, also dragged him back. It was up to them to figure out what mysterious force was at play here in Beckton Bay and why it was killing so many people from the class of 2013. 

[Standalone] [Outlining] [Supernatural/Detective] [Belfast, Northern Ireland] [MC: Charlie] 

Tragedy followed Charlotte MacGuire around, it had been her constant shadow and companion since the night of her parent’s murder when she was a young teenager. The only reason Charlie managed to survive was because she wasn’t there. The police, who eventually began her colleagues,  told her the murder was a result of a home invasion gone wrong, but Charlie knew better, it wasn’t the truth. The MacGuire family was targeted for the simple reason of them being werewolves.

The perpetrator or perpetrators were never caught.

Fourteen years later, she was targeted for the same reason, she barely survived the attack and had been forced to take four months off the job. Her attack was the first in a series of attacks against the small supernatural community that called Belfast their home. It was up to Charlie to stop these attacks once and for all. 

[Series] [Writing, slowly] [New Adult, Romance] [Sunrise Cove] [MC: Victoria]

When Victoria Walker was given the opportunity to help the up and coming legal aid centre that her law firm financially backed. She jumps at the chance as this opportunity shouldn’t happen to her, especially not after having a stress educed breakdown in front of one of the firm’s highest paying clients.

Most would have seen this as a punishment, watching over and help mentor a bunch of arrogant and rude recent law school grads who think they knew everything about law. But not Victoria, she saw it as anything but a punishment. She wanted to give back to the small town that helped raise her.

The Walkers sisters were only meant to move to this quiet seaside town for nine months – a year at most. But everything changes when Victoria meets Casey Markov, the closed off but kind hearted man who managed one of the local restaurants.

[Duology] [Outlining] [Supernatural/War] [London, England] [MC: Ripley]

Ripley Balfour was a survivor through and through. The night her family was murdered, she survived that. Ripley didn’t want the life she’d been forced to live. 

She was one of the few witches who managed to live on the fringes of society. She managed to survive because avoided the rest of the supernatural community. She was lucky to live like this as she was never registered, despite the law. Her existence was illegal. 

The constant whispers of a brewing supernatural revolt started to look like a possibility. They were looking for a leader and that was Ripley, all she had to do was survive once more.

[Standalone] [Outlining] [New Adult] [Dublin, Ireland] [MC: Bethany]

After a failed long term relationship, Bethany Morgan returned back to Dublin. It wasn’t a place she considered home anymore, she left the Irish capital six years ago for University in London. Her parent’s house didn’t feel like home anymore, all Bethany ever wanted was to feel at home again. Reuniting with childhood friends didn’t helped much. Starting new hobbies distracted her. But nothing helped. 

Bethany Morgan was so lost.

[Standalone] [Re-Outlining] [Supernatural/War] [90′s, Northern Ireland] [MC: Mattie]

As the events of 90′s rage on in Northern Ireland, another underground war wages on between the covert supernatural population. The allegiances of mainstream Northern Ireland didn’t necessarily translate here. No trusts anyone, not even their neighbours. Everyone was more than willing to sell you out at a moments notice.

[Series] [Re-Outlining] [Supernatural/War] [MC: Alex]

Following the death of Maria Rundolfa just over six months ago, Scarlett, Maria’s youngest daughter, assumed that she’d take over what had remained of the former legendary Pack and try to restore them to their former glory. But when Alex, who vanished over ten years ago without so much as a goodbye, stumbles in through the door all bloodied and stinking of booze, while yelling intelligible notions about the prophecy. Scarlett is forced to step aside as the prophecy states that it’s the oldest living daughter who will be their saviour. Alex finally understands that for as long as she’s still breathing, she has to do anything in her power to save her secret. 

A secret that she’d give up everything to protect, even her humanity.

[Standalone] [Vague idea with vague characters] [New Adult/Adventure] [London, England] [MC: Odie]

To call the Rowley family rich was a drastic understatement. They came from century’s old money, they would never have to worry about anything. Just an occasional investment was more than enough to keep them afloat for at least the next few decades.

Odette, better known as Odie to her fellow socialite friends, never had to work for anything. Whatever she wanted she was handed on a silver platter.  That was the Rowley way. The latest trends? Odie set them. Expensive and all in exclusive holidays in the top hotels, she took them many times a year.

So when a series of death threats were made against Odie, everyone took them incredibly seriously. Arthur, the head of the Rowley family, even hired her a private bodyguard to watch and protect Odie at every turn. This wasn’t something Odie wanted at all, someone judging her for the life she didn’t ask to be born into. That was until Odie met her bodyguard and she took her breath away.

[Short Story] [Drafting] [Horror] [Third Person] [Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland]

If you enter these woods after dark, don’t expect to come back at all. Alive or dead. If you do find yourself trying to spend the night, for the love of God, just stay inside your tent. No matter what. Just ignore the sounds of the woods. Just stay inside. Ignore everything. The screams of your friends who thought they would be brave and venture off.

Despite the constant warnings that surrounded the woods, people, mainly teenagers who wished to prove how brave they were, still ventured into them. Trying to stay the night. But these warnings were there for a reason. Anything can happen, but what happened to the waves of campers was never known. The prevailing thought was that these woods were the hunting grounds of a local killer. Some thought it was the disgruntled ageing farmer. An uncommon theory was that the woods held some sort of supernatural power. Maybe even a portal to Hell. No one knew the truth.

After dark there were no survivors.

[trolldomblog]

Wheel of the Year

Samhain

Winter Nights (Asatru)

The Winter Nights are the traditional festival honoring the Disir or family spirits.  It is a time to remember your family, the dead, and your ancestors.  (For more information on the Disir see the chapter. Elves and other Spirits..)

A Freyablot may be performed at this time as Freya is known as the Vanadis (i.e.  the Dis of the Vanir) or the Great Dis, and she seems to be the Goddess of the Disir themselves.  This is probably connected to Freya’s position as recipient of half the battle slain.  One might also simply want to honor the Disir as a whole, or attempt to summon and pour offering to your own family’s Dis.  A sumbel which toasts one’s ancestors and passed on friends would also be in order. If a feast is held, it should be quiet and respectful of the character of the season.  Another idea is a silent. mum feast, a custom which is

found the world over.

The various Halloween customs such as dressing in costume or celebrating this time as a time where the worlds of the living and the dead connect are more Celtic in origin than Nordic and probably should not be part of an Asatru celebration.

Samhain

Originating in ancient Europe as a Celtic Fire festival, Samhain is now celebrated worldwide. The timing of contemporary Samhain celebrations varies according to spiritual tradition and geography. Many of us celebrate Samhain over the course of several days and nights, and these extended observances usually include a series of solo rites as well as ceremonies, feasts, and gatherings with family, friends, and spiritual community. In the northern hemisphere, many Pagans celebrate Samhain from sundown on October 31 through November 1. Others hold Samhain celebrations on the nearest weekend or on the Full or New Moon closest to this time. Some Pagans observe Samhain a bit later, or near November 6, to coincide more closely with the astronomical midpoint between Fall Equinox and Winter Solstice. Most Pagans in the southern hemisphere time their Samhain observances to coincide with the middle of their Autumn in late April and early May, rather than at the traditional European time of the holiday.

Samhain also has been known by other names. Some Celtic Wiccans and Druids call it Calan Gaeaf, Calan Gwaf, Kala-Goanv, or Nos Galan Gaeof. In Welsh, it is Nos Cyn Calan Gaual. It also is known as Oie Houney. A medieval book of tales, the Yellow Book of Lecan, reports that common folk called it the "Feast of Mongfind," the legendary Witch-Queen who married a King of Tara in old Ireland. In the ancient Coligny Calendar, an engraved bronze dating from the first century C.E.and dug up in 1897 in France, Samhain is called Trinouxtion Samonii, or "Three Nights of the End of Summer." Variant spellings of Samhain include Samain, Samuin, and Samhuinn.

With the growth and spread of Christianity as the dominant religion throughout Europe, Samhain time took on Christian names and guises. All Saints' Day or All Hallows on November 1 commemorated Christian saints and martyrs. All Souls' Day on November 2 was a remembrance for all souls of the dead. With the coming of Christian Spaniards to Mexico, the indigenous customs of honoring the dead at this time of year mixed with Roman Catholicism and gave birth to the Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos, in early November. Samhain shares the ancient spiritual practice of remembering and paying respects to the Dead with these related religious holidays of Christianity.

Halloween, short for All Hallow's Eve, is celebrated on and around October 31. Although occurring at the same time of year and having roots in end-of-harvest celebrations of the ancient past, Halloween and Samhain are not the same, but two separate holidays that differ considerably in focus and practice. In contemporary America and elsewhere, Halloween is a secular folk holiday. Like its cousin, Thanksgiving, it is widely and publicly celebrated in homes, schools, and communities, large and small, by people of many paths, ethnic heritages, and worldviews. Furthermore, Halloween has evolved to be both a family-oriented children's holiday as well as an occasion for those of all ages to creatively express themselves and engage in play in the realm of make-believe and fantasy through costumes, trick-or-treating, storytelling, play-acting, pranks, cathartic scary place visits, and parties.

In contrast, Samhain and its related Christian holiday counterparts continue to be religious in focus and spiritually observed by adherents. Although observances may include merry making, the honoring of the Dead that is central to Samhain is a serious religious practice rather than a light-hearted make-believe re-enactment. Today's Pagan Samhain rites, while somber, are benevolent, and, although centered on death, do not involve human or animal sacrifices. Most Samhain rituals are held in private rather than in public.

Samhain's long association with death and the Dead reflects Nature's rhythms. In many places, Samhain coincides with the end of the growing season. Vegetation dies back with killing frosts, and therefore, literally, death is in the air. This contributes to the ancient notion that at Samhain, the veil is thin between the world of the living and the realm of the Dead and this facilitates contact and communication. For those who have lost loved ones in the past year, Samhain rituals can be an opportunity to bring closure to grieving and to further adjust to their being in the Otherworld by spiritually communing with them.

There are many ways to celebrate Samhain. More info here and below:

Samhain Nature Walk. Take a meditative walk in a natural area near your home. Observe and contemplate the colors, aromas, sounds, and other sensations of the season. Experience yourself as part of the Circle of Life and reflect on death and rebirth as being an important part of Nature. If the location you visit permits, gather some natural objects and upon your return use them to adorn your home.

Seasonal Imagery. Decorate your home with Samhain seasonal symbols and the colors of orange and black. Place an Autumnal wreath on your front door. Create displays with pumpkins, cornstalks, gourds, acorns, and apples. Set candles in cauldrons.

Ancestors Altar. Gather photographs, heirlooms, and other mementos of deceased family, friends, and companion creatures. Arrange them on a table, dresser, or other surface, along with several votive candles. Kindle the candles in their memory as you call out their names and express well wishes. Thank them for being part of your life. Sit quietly and pay attention to what you experience. Note any messages you receive in your journal. This Ancestors Altar can be created just for Samhain or kept year-round.

Feast of the Dead. Prepare a Samhain dinner. Include a place setting at your table or at a nearby altar for the Dead. Add an offering of a bit of each beverage being consumed to the cup at that place setting, and to the plate, add a bit of each food served. Invite your ancestors and other deceased loved ones to come and dine with you. To have this as a Samhain Dumb Supper experience, dine in silence. After the feast, place the contents of the plate and cup for the Dead outdoors in a natural location as an offering for the Dead.

Ancestor Stories. Learn about family history. Contact one or more older relatives and ask them to share memories of family members now dead. Record them in some way and later write accounts of what they share. Give thanks. Share what you learned and have written with another family member or friend. Add names of those you learned about and wish to honor to your Ancestors Altar.

Cemetery Visit. Visit and tend the gravesite of a loved one at a cemetery. Call to mind memories and consider ways the loved one continues to live on within you. Place an offering there such as fresh flowers, dried herbs, or a libation of water.

Reflections. Reflect on you and your life over the past year. Review journals, planners, photographs, blogs, and other notations you have created during the past year. Consider how you have grown, accomplishments, challenges, adventures, travels, and learnings. Meditate. Journal about your year in review, your meditation, and your reflections.

Renovate. Select an area of your home or life as a focus. Examine it. Re-organize it. Release what is no longer needed. Create a better pattern. Celebrate renewal and transformation.

Bonfire Magic. Kindle a bonfire outdoors when possible or kindle flames in a fireplace or a small cauldron. Write down an outmoded habit that you wish to end and cast it into the Samhain flames as you imagine release. Imagine yourself adopting a new, healthier way of being as you move around the fire clockwise.

Divinatory Guidance. Using Tarot, Runes, Scrying, or some other method of divination, seek and reflect on guidance for the year to come. Write a summary of your process and messages. Select something appropriate to act upon and do it.

Divine Invocations. Honor and call upon the Divine in one or more Sacred Forms associated with Samhain, such as the Crone Goddess and Horned God of Nature. Invite Them to aid you in your remembrance of the Dead and in your understanding of the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. If you have lost loved ones in the past year, ask these Divine Ones to comfort and support you.

Transforming Expressions. If you encounter distortions, misinformation, and/or false, negative stereotypes about Paganism and Samhain in the media, contact the source, express your concerns, and share accurate information. Help eradicate derogatory stereotyping with courteous, concise, and intelligent communications.

Community Connections. Connect with others. Join in a group ritual in your area. Organize a Samhain potluck in your home. Research old and contemporary Samhain customs in books, periodicals, on-line, and through communications with others. Exchange ideas, information, and celebration experiences. Regardless of whether you practice solo or with others, as part of your festivities, reflect for a time on being part of the vast network of those celebrating Samhain around the world.

The fields are bare, the leaves have fallen from the trees, and the skies are going gray and cold. It is the time of year when the earth has died and gone dormant. Every year on October 31 (or May 1, if you're in the Southern Hemisphere) the Sabbat we call Samhain presents us with the opportunity to once more celebrate the cycle of death and rebirth. For many Pagan traditions, Samhain is a time to reconnect with our ancestors, and honor those who have died. This is the time when the veil between our world and the spirit realm is thin, so it's the perfect time of year to make contact with the dead.

Rituals and Ceremonies

Depending on your individual spiritual path, there are many different ways you can celebrate Samhain, but typically the focus is on either honoring our ancestors, or the cycle of death and rebirth. This is the time of year when the gardens and fields are brown and dead. The nights are getting longer, there's a chill in the air, and winter is looming. We may choose to honor our arncestors, celebrating those who have died, and even try to communicate with them. Here are a few rituals you may want to think about trying for Samhain–and remember, any of them can be adapted for either a solitary practitioner or a small group, with just a little planning ahead.

Start off by decorating your altar with symbols of the Samhain season, representing symbols of death, the harvest season, and tools of divination. You may also want to incorporate some Samhain prayers into your rituals or perform a quiet Samhain Ancestor Meditation.

Plan your ritual festivities with ceremonies that celebrate the Harvest's End or honor the ancestors of your family and community. You can also perform a God and Goddess Ritual for Samhain or do a ritual that marks the Cycle of Life and Death.

If you have young Pagans in your family, there are different ways you can celebrate Samhain with kids, including planning a family Samhain Cemetery Visit.

Finally, if you're involved in your community, consider a ritual to Honor the Forgotten Dead.

Samhain Magic, Divination and Spirit Work

For many Pagans, Samhain is a time to do magic that focuses on the spirit world. Learn how to properly conduct a seance, how to do some Samhain divination workings, and the way to figure out what a spirit guide is really up to!

If you're thinking about holding a seance or a dumb supper, you'll want to be sure to read about the different types of spirit guides and how to find yours. If you find yourself wondering about whether that spirit guide is something else entirely, you'll need to know how to get rid of unwanted entities.

Pagans have a view of death and the afterlife that is a little different than our non-Pagan friends. In fact, divination with the spirit world is a popular magical activity around Samhain. You might want to try using a scrying mirror or even a Ouija board.

Last but not least, familiarize yourself with some of the Sacred Plants of the Samhain Sabbat.

Traditions and Trends

Interested in learning about some of the traditions behind the celebrations of the late harvest? Find out why Samhain is important, learn why black cats are considered unlucky, how trick-or-treating became so popular and more!

Samhain has a rich history, going back a long time. This is the season of Cailleach Bheur, the Hag in Scottish folklore, and a time when the many gods and goddesses of death and the underworld are recognized. However, keep in mind that Samhain is the name of the holiday, and not a Celtic death god.

Learn about Bat Magic and Legends, as well as some of the spooky traditions surrounding Black Cats, Jack o'Lanterns, and the practice of trick-or-treating. In many cultures, spider magic becomes prevalent around Samhain, and you may notice a lot of owl activity outside.

Because this is a time when many of us honor our dead, it's a good time to think about how we take care of those who have crossed over, and how many Pagan societies have venerated their ancestors.

Brush up on your Samhain Superstitions, and read some spooky poems... just in case things go bump in the night! In fact, if you like vampire stories, while they're not part of Paganism or Wicca, they definitely seem to be popular at this time of year.

Crafts and Creations

As Samhain approaches, decorate your home (and keep your kids entertained) with a number of easy craft projects. Start celebrating a bit early with these fun and simple ideas that honor the final harvest, and the cycle of life and death.

Bring the season into your home with these 5 Easy Samhain Decorations, or create some Magical Samhain Goodie Bags for Pagan Kids in your life.

Feasting and Food

No Pagan celebration is really complete without a meal to go along with it. At Samhain, celebrate with foods that celebrate the final harvest, and the death of the fields by making Soul Cakes, soups, Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake, baked apples, and even ghost poop for dessert

Yule

Winter Solstice has been celebrated in cultures the world over for thousands of years. This start of the solar year is a celebration of Light and the rebirth of the Sun. In old Europe, it was known as Yule, from the Norse, Jul, meaning wheel.

Today, many people in Western-based cultures refer to this holiday as "Christmas." Yet a look into its origins of Christmas reveals its Pagan roots. Emperor Aurelian established December 25 as the birthday of the "Invincible Sun" in the third century as part of the Roman Winter Solstice celebrations. Shortly thereafter, in 273, the Christian church selected this day to represent the birthday of Jesus, and by 336, this Roman solar feast day was Christianized. January 6, celebrated as Epiphany in Christendom and linked with the visit of the Magi, was originally an Egyptian date for the Winter Solstice.

Most of the customs, lore, symbols, and rituals associated with "Christmas" actually are linked to Winter Solstice celebrations of ancient Pagan cultures. While Christian mythology is interwoven with contemporary observances of this holiday time, its Pagan nature is still strong and apparent. Pagans today can readily re-Paganize Christmastime and the secular New Year by giving a Pagan spiritual focus to existing holiday customs and by creating new traditions that draw on ancient ways. Here are some ways to do this:

Celebrate Yule with a series of rituals, feasts, and other activities. In most ancient cultures, the celebration lasted more than a day. The ancient Roman Saturnalia festival sometimes went on for a week. Have Winter Solstice Eve and Day be the central focus for your household, and conceptualize other holiday festivities, including New Year's office parties and Christmas visits with Christian relatives, as part of your Solstice celebration. By adopting this perspective, Pagan parents can help their children develop an understanding of the multicultural and interfaith aspects of this holiday time and view "Christmas" as just another form of Solstice. Have gift exchanges and feasts over the course of several days and nights as was done of old. Party hearty on New Year's Eve not just to welcome in the new calendar year, but also to welcome the new solar year.

Adorn the home with sacred herbs and colors. Decorate your home in Druidic holiday colors red, green, and white. Place holly, ivy, evergreen boughs, and pinecones around your home, especially in areas where socializing takes place. Hang a sprig of mistletoe above a major threshold and leave it there until next Yule as a charm for good luck throughout the year. Have family/household members join together to make or purchase an evergreen wreath. Include holiday herbs in it and then place it on your front door to symbolize the continuity of life and the wheel of the year. If you choose to have a living or a harvested evergreen tree as part of your holiday decorations, call it a Solstice tree and decorate it with Pagan symbols.

Convey love to family, friends, and associates. At the heart of Saturnalia was the custom of family and friends feasting together and exchanging presents. Continue this custom by visiting, entertaining, giving gifts, and sending greetings by mail and/or phone. Consider those who are and/or have been important in your life and share appreciation.

Reclaim Santa Claus as a Pagan Godform. Today's Santa is a folk figure with multicultural roots. He embodies characteristics of Saturn (Roman agricultural god), Cronos (Greek god, also known as Father Time), the Holly King (Celtic god of the dying year), Father Ice/Grandfather Frost (Russian winter god), Thor (Norse sky god who rides the sky in a chariot drawn by goats), Odin/Wotan (Scandinavian/Teutonic All-Father who rides the sky on an eight-legged horse), Frey (Norse fertility god), and the Tomte (a Norse Land Spirit known for giving gifts to children at this time of year). Santa's reindeer can be viewed as forms of Herne, the Celtic Horned God. Decorate your home with Santa images that reflect His Pagan heritage.

Honor the Goddess as Great Mother. Place Pagan Mother Goddess images around your home. You may also want to include one with a Sun child, such as Isis with Horus. Pagan Goddess forms traditionally linked with this time of year include Tonantzin (Native Mexican corn mother), Holda (Teutonic earth goddess of good fortune), Bona Dea (Roman women's goddess of abundance and prophecy), Ops (Roman goddess of plenty), Au Set/Isis (Egyptian/multicultural All Goddess whose worship continued in Christian times under the name Mary), Lucina/St. Lucy (Roman/Swedish goddess/saint of light), and Befana (Italian Witch who gives gifts to children at this season).

Honor the new solar year with light. Do a Solstice Eve ritual in which you meditate in darkness and then welcome the birth of the sun by lighting candles and singing chants and Pagan carols. If you have an indoor fireplace or an outdoor fire circle, burn an oak log as a Yule log and save a bit to start next year's fire. Decorate the inside and/or outside of your home with electric colored lights. Because of the popularity of five pointed stars as holiday symbols, this is a good time to display a pentagram of blue or white lights.

Contribute to the manifestation of more wellness on Planet Earth. Donate food and clothing to poor in your area. Volunteer time at a social service agency. Put up bird feeders and keep them filled throughout the winter to supplement the diets of wild birds. Donate funds and items to non-profit groups, such as Pagan/Wiccan churches and environmental organizations. Meditate for world peace. Work magic for a healthier planet. Make a pledge to do some form of good works in the new solar year.

Yule (Asatru)

Yule is the most important holiday of the year.  Everyone is familiar with the shortness of the deep winter days, but in the Scandinavian countries this is of even greater importance.  At the Yuletide there is almost no sunlight at all, and the climate would have people bound in their homes waiting for the return of Spring.

Yule is a long festival, traditionally held to be 12 days or more. After Yule the days began to get longer, and the festival represented the breaking of the heart of winter and the beginning of the new year. Yule was the holiday of either Thor or Frey, although there is no reason not to honor both Gods in modern practice.  Frey is the God of fertility and farming and was honored at Yule in the hopes that his time would soon return.  Thor was the sworn enemy of the Frost Giants and Jotunn who ruled the winter months, and as such was honored as the God whose actions fought off these creatures and brought back the

spring. Sunna, the Goddess of the Sun, should also be honored at Yule, although she is held at more important during the summer months when she is at her strongest.

The most important symbols of Yule are still with us today.  Most of the supposedly secular customs of Christmas are actually Pagan in origin.  Evergreen trees and holly which remained green throughout the long nights and cold were a promise that spring would once again return to the land.  These symbols may also have been a connection to the nature spirits who have sway over the return of the warm days. The modern conception of Santa Claus as an elf, for whom offerings of milk and cookies are left, is probably a modern continuation of leaving offerings for the Alvar and other nature spirits.  The idea of

children staying up all night in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Santa Claus may be a remnant of people staying awake to mark the long night and remind the sun to return. (In the latter case it’s

considered an adequate substitution to leave a candle going all night to light the way for the returning sun.)

Yule is a week’s long festival, not just a single holiday.  The Yule season begins on the solstice, which is the Mother Night of Yule, and ends with Twelfth Night on January sixth.  As a point of interest, January seventh is St.  Distaff’s day, which Nigel Pennic has suggested may have been a day sacred to Frigg, whose symbol is the distaff.

While one might expect a rather dour theme to a holiday held in the darkness and cold, Yule is a time of feasting and gladness.

In various places different Gods were held to be the most important at Yule.  Thor was honored because it is, he who fights and kills the Jotunn, who surely are the ones responsible for the loss of warmth in the world.  Yule was when Thor broke the back of winter and allowed the warmth to slowly return to the world.  Frey was also honored because it was, he who married Gerd and warmed her heart, returning fertility to the world.

There are simply so many different Yule customs, both ancient and modern, that one has almost limitless possibilities even when staying within Scandinavian and Germanic customs.  In modern practice one might honor Sunna on the Mother Night, then hold a blot a few days later to Thor, a feast for New Year’s day which is shared with the house and land spirits, and then finish on Twelfth Night with a ritual to Frey, whose time is then officially beginning.

13 Ways to Celebrate Yuletide

100 6806Create a Pagan Winter Solstice framework for the entire holidays season - understand that Christmas Eve and Christmas, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day have their origins in Winter Solstice celebrations of a variety of Pagan cultures through the ages.

Decorate your home with sacred plants connected with Winter Solstice: evergreen wreaths & boughs, mistletoe, holly, and ivy. Learn about the Pagan symbolism of each.

Harvest a Yule tree in a sacred way from a tree farm that practices sustainable agriculture, if you can, or intuitively select a tree, cut or symbolic, from a shop in your area. Set up the Yule tree in your home and decorate it with lights, sun symbols, and other images. Reflect on blessings of joy, renewal, and well-wishes as you decorate the tree.

Kindle lights to represent the Sun. Decorate with electric lights and candles. On one of the nights of Solstice, turn off all lights, experience the longest night, reflect on renewal and peace, and turn the lights back on to symbolize the birth of the New Solar Year.

Recognize Santa as a multi-cultural, multi-religious character - learn about the Pagan roots of Santa and other Winter Solstice sacred gift bringers, including the Goddess Holda.

Learn about holidays foods, symbols, customs, and/or lore from an ancestral ethnicity and incorporate something you have learned into your celebration of Yuletide.

Listen to Pagan Yuletide music. Create a Yuletide chant, poem, or song.

Burn a Yule Log in a hearth, in a bonfire, or by burning candles on, in, or near a log of Oak on an altar. Learn about Yule Log traditions and create your own.

Meditate on the rising and/or setting of the Solstice Sun. Note its position on the horizon at this time of year and observe its change in position on the horizon as the days start lengthening again.

Join with others in celebrating Pagan Yuletide. Attend a ritual, be part of a festival, join an on-line discussion, host a party, listen to a Yuletide show on internet radio (I will be doing 3 podcasts this Yule!)

Contribute to a charity of your choice. Spread the joy of Yuletide.

Learn about sacred sites aligned with the Winter Solstice. Envision your own celebrations of Winter Solstice being part of a vast network of Solstice celebrations happening around the planet (Winter in the Northern hemisphere & Summer in the South). Watch live video of Winter Solstice at New Grange or other sacred site with coverage.

Focus on world peace and planetary well-being in your rituals, meditations, prayers, and other workings. Peace-making was part of Winter Solstice among many peoples in the past. Keep this tradition alive in the present and future.

For people of nearly any religious background, the time of the winter solstice is a time when we gather with family and loved ones. For Pagans and Wiccans, it's often celebrated as Yule, but there are literally dozens of ways you can enjoy the season.

Rituals and Ceremonies

Depending on your particular tradition, there are many different ways you can celebrate the Solstice season. The Yule season is full of magic, much of it focusing on rebirth and renewal, as the sun makes its way back to the earth. Focus on this time of new beginnings with your magical workings!

There are so many great ways you can decorate your home for the Yule season. Adapt store-bought Christmas decorations, or make your own Pagan-themed home decor for the season.

Decorate a Yule Log

Yule Ornaments

Yule Smudge Sticks

Winter Nights Incense

Yule Herbal Sachet

Make Your Own Yule Greeting Cards

Hang the decorations on the Holiday Tree

Feasting and Food

Most Pagans will have a potluck at the drop of a pointy hat, so Yule is as good a time as any to plan a big feast. Spread the table out with your favorite holiday dishes, lots and lots of candles, and some of these delicious seasonal recipes.

Meal Blessings

Make a Pot of Wassail

Yule Plum Pudding

Crafting Yule Traditions with Väntljusstaken

(Light-Anticipation-Candlesticks)

Approaching the Winter Solstice/Yule time generally brings modern-day Heathens a variety of minor (in the scheme of the world-events) conundrum of choices. Most have a background in Christianity which is often considered baggage to be eschewed, something to consider as part of who we are, or somewhere in between.

The relationship with that monotheistic religion prior to moving into Heathenry (or other non-Christian practice) can be considered bitter and harmful, or positive in many ways but just not the path for that individual.

Probably one of the most uniformly celebrated holiday around the world is that of “Christmas”. Since the beginning of the Christian advancement and conversion practices, the movement has absorbed local pagan traditions, renamed them with Christian terms, incorporated them into the religious liturgy, and created new traditions to coincide with their new faith. As societies and cultures changed with integration and interaction with others, practices adapted to stimulus of new and different ideas. Over the centuries of practice, and as people were born into the faith, the origins of these practices were forgotten and often lost to the mists of Niflheim.

Thankfully due to archaeology, writings, and the continuance of traditions from generation to generation, we can begin today to recall some of those origins and attempt to reconstruct what our ancestors may have practiced. Given that this includes a lot of geography, a vast amount of time, and really having only the most minuscule clues resulting in a lot of guessing, surmising, and connecting dots that may not belong together, volumes of books are written about the “pagan” origins of Christmas.

About this time among Heathen groups, particularly on social media, discussions arise about how people celebrate during the Yule season and how they do it in a Heathen way. The results vary from people taking examples from certain practices (as noted above) and using them as their foundation for a Heathen Yule tradition to those who unravel the traditions from their heritage and Christianity to find the the pieces with which they can form new or revised Heathen traditions to connect with the Gods, Ancestors, and Nature Vaettir (spirits).

One of those re-purposed traditions is that of the Väntljusstaken (Sunwait Candles) being re-envisioned from the Advent Candles. I discovered this in 2017 from the post of a friend and found a page on Facebook to inspire the growth of this delightful tradition for the entire family.

It takes the premise of lighting a candle for a specific number of days or weeks prior to Christmas eve (usually twelve days) and changes some of the parameters (which are also flexible depending on the individual). The Väntljusstaken/Sunwait Candles practice came from Swedish traditions and adapted for a meaningful experience.

The lighting of the candles begins six weeks prior to the winter solstice on Thursdays. Thursdays were selected because of a Swedish tradition known as Thorshelg.

“The reason for the Thursdays is that, Thursdays have a traditional significance in Scandinavian folk lore. Thursdays have been the day for trolldom (folk magic) and communicating with the gods and nature spirits long into Christian times,” explained one of the Väntljusstaken Facebook page organizers. “There are accounts as late as the 19th century where the Torshelg (Thor’s hallow) was celebrated by inviting Thor and Frigga to the house on Thursday night.”

She continued to expain that other cultures have a specific holy day and but as there isn’t a one day specific to all of Heathendom universally, it makes sense for people to select what works best for them in this “tradition in development.” Some may choose to do the activity on the six Thursdays prior to the Winter Solstice (21 December), some may choose to do it on the day that the solstice falls upon for six weeks prior – with the final candle on 21 December, some may choose to begin six days prior with the final day on the solstice, and some may choose another day that is special to them. “I think everyone should feel free to do as they feel most comfortable. We are creating this together,” she said.

The procedure of the event is to light one candle each week until the solstice, recite a poem, stanza, or meditation, and contemplate on the season. For the Väntljusstaken activity, the first six letters of the Futhark (F U TH A R K) were chosen as a sort of runic “guide.” In preparation of the activity, one can select the six candles, carve or draw a stave on each candle (or as part of a decorated base or candle holder), anoint each candle, or address the energy of the runes with the candle. This would be a great activity for families to include their children in a creative activity that can also include storytelling, learning about runes, and strengthening those family ties at this special time of year.

On the chosen night, light the candle while reciting the Väntljusversen poem (available in Swedish, Dutch, French, and German on the page) or one of your choosing that is meaningful to you/your family. The rest of the ceremony is up to you to create to suit your desires for the winter, Yule, the coming year, etc. One thing that this author does is to contemplate on the energy of the rune of the week. How does that energy/power influence and interact with my life? How can I harness or observe those influences and recognize them?

At the end of the time, extinguish the flame. At the next week, relight the candle prior to starting with the next until all candles are lit at the end of the process. Some choose to allow all of the candles to burn down on the final night, sending the energy and intents of the working into the universe. (A note of caution: do not leave burning candles unattended, accessible to children and pets, or around flammable decorations or items.)

Väntljusversen poem

Fehu – In the first of sunwait we light

The candle of Fehu so bright

Until the return of the queen of skies

May her beauty and splendor in it rise

Uruz – In the second of sunwait we light

The candle of Uruz so bright

With all that has passed and ahead of us lies

May the passing of time in it rise

Thurisaz– In the third of sunwait we light

The candle of Thurisaz so bright

When the force of winter upon us lies

May the return of spring in it rise

Ansuz – In the fourth of sunwait we light

The candle of Ansuz so bright

In worship of gods old and wise

May the powers of Regin in it rise

Raido – In the fifth of sunwait we light

The candle of Raidō so bright

In yearning for that which never dies

May our longing for new life in it rise

Kenaz – In the sixth of sunwait we light

The candle of Kenaz so bright

A light in darkness again shall arise

May the hope of yule in it rise

Imbolc

Imbolc, also known as Candlemas and Groundhog's Day, occurs at the beginning of February. It marks the middle of Winter and holds the promise of Spring. The Goddess manifests as the Maiden and Brigid. The Groundhog is a manifestation of the God. Colors are White, and sometimes Red. It is a festival of spiritual purification and dedication.

Thoroughly clean your altar and/or temple room. Do a self-purification rite with Elemental tools -- cleanse your body with salt (Earth), your thoughts with incense (Air), your will with a candle flame (Fire), your emotions with water (Water), and your spiritual body with a healing crystal (Spirit). Bless candles that you will be using for rituals throughout the year. Invoke Brigid for creative inspiration. Take a Nature walk and look for the first signs of Spring. Reflect upon/reaffirm spiritual vows and commitments you have made.

Festival Dates:

January 31, February 1, February 2, February 6, February 7.

Multicultural Parallels:

Ground Hog's Day (USA); Aztec New Year; Chinese New Year; Roman Lupercalia; Valentine's Day (USA); Armenian Candlemas.

Flames: Sacred Fire

torchlit processions circling fields to purify & invigorate for the coming growing season (old Pagan)

lighting & blessing of candles (11th century, Christian)

sacred fire of Brigid (Celtic Pagan)

torchlit procession to honor Juno Februata/Regina (Pagan Rome; Christianized, 7th century)

Brigid: Celtic Goddess

Triple Aspects:

Goddess of Inspiration - poets, poetry, creativity, prophecy, arts

Goddess of Smith craft - blacksmiths, goldsmiths, household crafts

Goddess of Healing - healers, medicine, spiritual healing, fertility (crops, land, cattle)

Symbols:

Fire - flames, candle crown, hearth

Water - cauldron, springs, wells

Grain - Brigid wheels, corn/oat sheaf Goddess effigy, Brigid's Bed

Creatures - white cow with red ears, wolf, snake, swan and vulture

Talismans - Shining Mirror to Otherworld, Spinning Wheel and Holy Grail

Name variations:

Brighid; Bride (Scotland), Brid, Brigit, Bridget, Briganta (England), Brigan, Brigindo (Gaul), Berecyntia, Brigandu (France)

Name means Bright One, High One, Bright Arrow, Power.

Christianized forms: St. Brigit (Irish), St. Ffraid (Welsh), St. Bridget (Swedish), Queen of Heaven, Prophetess of Christ, Mary.

Pictish Pagan Roots

Bruide, the Pictish royal throne name, is said to derived from the Pagan Goddess Brigid. The Bruide name was given to each Pagan Pictish king who was viewed as the male manifestation of the spirit of the Goddess. The most sacred place of the Picts was Abernethy in Fife. It was dedicated to Brigid, in Pagan times, and to St. Brigid, in Christian times. Columban monks tended a Celtic abbey there and hereditary abbots were of the Earl of Fife branch of the Clan MacDuff, which survived to the present day as Clan Wemyss (Weems).

Irish Transitions and Traditions

When Ireland was Christianized, veneration of the Pagan Goddess Brigid was transformed into that of St. Brigit, said to be the human daughter of a Druid. St. Brigit became a saint after her "death" and was supposedly converted and baptized by St. Patrick. Pagan lore was incorporated into the Christian traditions and legends associated with Her as a saint. For example, as St. Brigit, She had the power to appoint bishops and they had to be goldsmiths. She was associated with miracles and fertility. Into the 18th century a women's only shrine was kept to her in Kildare (meaning Church of the Oak) in Ireland. There, nineteen nuns tended Her continually burning sacred flame. An ancient song was sung to Her: "Brigid, excellent woman, sudden flame, may the bright fiery sun take us to the lasting kingdom." Brigid/St. Brigit was said to be the inventor of whistling and of keening.

Customs

Blessing rushes/straw and making Brigid wheels

Putting out food and drink for Brigid on Her eve (such as buttered bread, milk, grains, seeds)

Chair by hearth decorated by women; young woman carries in first flowers & greens, candle.

Opening the door and welcoming Her into the home. "Bride! Come in, they bed is made! Preserve the House for the Triple Goddess!" Scottish Gaelic Invocation: "May Brigit give blessing to the house that is here; Brigit, the fair and tender, Her hue like the cotton-grass, Rich-tressed maiden of ringlets of gold."

Brigid's Bed (Scotland): Putting grain effigy and a phallic wand in a basket next to the hearth/candles at night and chanting three times: "Brigid is Come! Brigid is Welcome!"

Purification

removing Yuletide greens from home & burning them (Celtic)

cleaning up fields and home (old Roman, Februa "to cleanse" month)

Mary purification festival (Christian, Western church)

burning old Brigid's wheels and making new ones (some parts of Ireland)

placing Brigid's wheel above/on door to bless home (Celtic, Wiccan)

Signs of Spring: Ground Hog's Day

seeds as a symbol of new life to come

first greens and flowers as offerings

weather - bright or grey

hibernating animals - groundhog, bear, badger

If Candlemas day be sunny and bright, Winter again will show its might.

If Candlemas day be cloudy and grey, Winter soon will pass away. (Fox version)

If Candlemas day be fair and bright, Winter will have another flight.

If Candlemas day be shower and rain, Winter is gone and will not come again. (Traditional)

Spiritual Awakening: Spirit Within

initiations - self, group (Dianic & Faery Wiccan); Christ child in temple (Christian, Eastern church)

dedication - shrines, temples (contemporary Pagan)

self-blessing and spiritual dedication

inner journey for Divine inspiration

affirming the artist/innovator within; energizing creative work.

19 Ways to Celebrate

Sacred Flames of Brigid Light, Making Magic on Brigid’s Night!

Alter: Create a Brigid Altar with candles and one or more depictions and symbols of Brigid

Cross: Create a Brigid’s Cross. Place it above or near the front door to bless your home.

Learn: read about Brigid Lore, Symbols, Powers, and Aspects.

Create: call on Brigid as Goddess of Inspiration as you journal, sing, dance, write a poem, tell a story and/or engage in other creative endeavors.

Fire: connect with Brigid as Goddess of Sun and Fire as you light a candle in a cauldron, kindle a fire in a hearth, or build and ignite a bonfire & gaze in the flames.

Land: call on Brigid as Goddess of the Land as you do ritual outside & attune to Spirit of Place.

Chant: sing Brigid’s name, chant Brigid chants.

Heal: call on Brigid as the Goddess of Healing in a ritual for healing self, others, and the planet

Mantle: place a strip of white linen or cotton cloth outside and call on Brigid to bless it. Bring it inside the following morning.

Feast: hold an Imbolc dinner to honor Brigid.

Water: place water in a cauldron, call on Brigid as Goddess of the Sacred Waters to bless it.  Scry in it. Anoint yourself and others for renewal.

Oak: call on Brigid of the Sacred Oaks as you meditate with an Oak tree or on Oak tree imagery and connect with strength, power, and endurance.

Journey: call on Brigid as Goddess of the Sacred Swan and have Her guide you in this form on a trance journey.

WELL: Visit a Brigid holy well in person or imagination. Place ribbons and strips of cloths there as healing prayer offerings.

Fertility: Craft a Brigid’s Bed or other charm for fertility and gift it to someone in need.

Stories: Hold a Storytelling Circle in person or online and share stories about Brigid and Brigid experiences.

Welcome: Open the front door to your home as you call to Brigid and welcome Her to be with you.

Blessings: Wish others Bright Brigid Blessings by voice and by written words!

Ostara

Spring Equinox, also known as Ostara, occurs in the middle of March. It marks the beginning of Spring and the time when days and nights are of equal length. The Goddess manifests as Ostara or Eostre with her basket of eggs. She is accompanied by the Hare or Rabbit, a manifestation of the God. Green has been sacred to this Sabbat since ancient times, because it represents the greening of the land with vegetation. This is a festival of new growth.

Prepare egg dishes and share them with friends. Organize egg games, such as egg hunts. Decorate your home with spring flowers and sprouting greens. Wear green clothing as an affirmation of new growth within yourself and Nature. Bless any seeds you plan to plant in your garden. Begin a new project. Make a growth charm out of a hard-boiled egg -- decorate it with symbols, write on it the quality you would like to manifest more fully within yourself, energize it, and then eat it.

Summer Finding (Asatru)

Summer Finding is also known to many groups as Ostara, the holiday sacred to the Goddess for whom the modern Easter is named.  She is a fertility Goddess and her symbols are the hare and the egg.  She was an important Goddess of spring to the ancient Saxons, but we know little else of her other than this.  Some have suggested that Ostara is merely an alternate name for Frigg or Freya, but neither of these Goddesses seem to have quite the same fertility function as Ostara does.  Frigg seems too high class to be associated with such an earthy festival and Freya’s form of fertility is more based on eroticism than

reproduction.

The obvious folk tradition at this time of year involves eggs.  These were colored as they are today, but then they were buried, or more appropriately, planted in the earth.  Some have suggested that the act was purely magical, the fertility of the eggs would then be transferred from the animal realm to the plant realm and would increase the prosperity of the harvest.  It’s also possible that they were left as an offering to the alvar and the spirits of the plants.

In any case a blot should be prepared to the Goddess of Spring, however one wishes to honor her, and also to the spirits of the land.

Spring Rituals

Signs of Spring - take a Nature walk with your attention focused on changes in the land, climate, creatures, plants. Reflect on yourself renewing as other parts of Nature you encounter are doing this.

Spring Cleaning - in & around home. Sweeping, scrubbing, smudging, burning, re-organizing, more.

Airing out the Home - opening windows and letting new air flow through and circulate.

Spring Home Blessings - consecrate with Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Spirit; bless threshold.

Home Altar Renewal - take off all objects, clean altar and area around it, assess what to keep & what to change, re-set, add Spring decorations.

Spring Decorations - place Spring symbols such as wreath and/or budding branches on or near front door, place symbolic and/or actual flowers, other symbols around home.

Egg Traditions - coloring, exchanges, hunts, games, decorations, foods, divinations

New Growth Choices Egg Rolling Divination - decorate a hardboiled egg with symbols of possible actions to bring about new growth; with intention, roll the egg to discover which to work with first.

Spring Tonic - infuse herbs in hot water to create a tea, drink it with intention of rejuvenation; use newly sprouted greens when available.

New Garb - purchase and/or create something new to wear - clothing, hat, shoes, necklace, or other item; wearing it as symbolic of new life spring forth.

Seeds Blessings - selecting seeds to be planted, blessing seeds, starting seeds.

Garden Blessings - clearing away debris, burying egg or other charm for abundance, envisioning abundant growth of plants in the garden.

Spring Meditations - working with one or more Spring images: Ostara, Green Gods/Goddesses, Flora, Maia, Demeter & Kore, Dionysus, Jack-in-Green, Balance of Day & Night, Flowers, Eggs, Baskets, Maypole, Greening/budding branches, Butterflies, Sunshine, others.

Festival Rites - Spring Equinox, Earth Day, Beltane; bonfires, greeting dawn, dance, processions, song.

Beltane

Beltane Lore & Rites

known as May Eve, May Day, and Walpurgis Night, happens at the beginning of May. It celebrates the height of Spring and the flowering of life. The Goddess manifests as the May Queen and Flora. The God emerges as the May King and Jack in the Green. The danced Maypole represents Their unity, with the pole itself being the God and the ribbons that encompass it, the Goddess. Colors are the Rainbow spectrum. Beltane is a festival of flowers, fertility, sensuality, and delight.

Beltane Customs

Prepare a May basket by filling it with flowers and goodwill and then give it to someone in need of healing and caring, such as a shut-in or elderly friend. Form a wreath of freshly picked flowers, wear it in your hair, and feel yourself radiating joy and beauty. Dress in bright colors. Dance the Maypole and feel yourself balancing the Divine Female and Male within. On May Eve, bless your garden in the old way by making love with your lover in it. Make a wish as you jump a bonfire or candle flame for good luck. Welcome in the May at dawn with singing and dancing.

Going A-Maying & Bringing in the May -- Merry-making and Nature communion. * Midpoint between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. * In Pagan Rome, Floralia, from April 27-May 3 was the festival of the Flower Goddess Flora and the flowering of Springtime. On May 1, offerings were made to Bona Dea (as Mother Earth), the Lares (household guardian spirits), and Maia (Goddess of Increase) from whom May gets its name. * Roman Catholic traditions of crowning statues of Mary with flowers on May 1 have Roman Pagan roots. * Marks the second half of the Celtic Year; one of the four Celtic Fire Festivals. Complement to Samhain, it is a time of divination and communion with Fairy Folk/Nature Spirits. * Pastoral tradition of turning sheep, cows, other livestock out to pasture. * In Pagan Scandinavia, mock battles between Winter and Summer were enacted at this time. * Building on older tradition of this time being a holiday for the masses, in the twentieth century, May Day has been a workers' holiday in many places. * Some say that Mother's Day, in the USA, Mexico, and elsewhere has Pagan roots. Forms include pole, tree, bush, cross; communal or household; permanent or annual. * In Germany, Fir tree was cut on May Eve by young unmarried men, branches removed, decorated, put up in village square, & guarded all night until dance occurred on May Day. * In England, permanent Maypoles were erected on village greens * In some villages, there also were smaller Maypoles in the yards of households. * Maypole ribbon dances, with two circles interweaving; around decorated bush/tree, clockwise circle dances.

Flowers & Greenwood

Gathering and exchange of Flowers and Greens on May Eve, pre-dawn May Day, Beltane. * Decorating homes, barns, and other buildings with Green budding branches, including Hawthorn. * Making and wearing of garland wreaths of Flowers and/or Greens. * May Baskets were given or placed secretly on doorsteps to friends, shut-ins, lovers, others. * May Bowl was punch (wine or non-alcoholic) made of Sweet Woodruff blossoms. Traditionally, sacred woods kindled by spark from flint or by friction -- in Irish Gaelic, the Beltane Fire has been called teine eigin (fire from rubbing sticks). * Jump over the Beltane Fire, move through it, or dance clockwise around it. * Livestock was driven through it or between two fires for purification and fertility blessings. * In ancient times Druid priests kindled it at sacred places; later times, Christian priests kindled it in fields near the church after performing a Christian church service. * Rowan twigs were carried around the fire three times, then hung over hearths to bless homes. * In the past, Beltane community fire purification customs included symbolic sacrifice of effigy knobs on the Beltane Cake (of barley) to the fire, or, in medieval times, mock sacrifice of Beltane Carline (Hag) who received blackened piece of Beltane Cake; Maypoles in Spain were each topped with a male effigy which was later burned. Contemporary Pagans burn sacred wood and dried herbs as offerings in their Beltane fires.

May Waters

Rolling in May Eve dew or washing face in pre-dawn May Day dew for health, luck, beauty. * Getting head and hair wet in Beltane rain to bless the head. * Blessing springs, ponds, other sacred waters with flowers, garlands, ribbons, other offerings. * Collecting sacred waters and scrying in sacred springs, wells, ponds, other waters.

Sacred Union & Fertility

Union with the Land focus, often with actual mating outside on the Land to bless fields, herds, home. * May Queen (May Bride) as personification of the Earth Goddess and Goddesses of Fertility. * May King (May Groom) as personification of Vegetation God, Jack-in-Green -- often covered in green leaves. * At Circle Sanctuary, in addition to May Queen & May King, is May Spirit Couple, an already bonded pair. * Symbolic Union of Goddess and God in election/selection, crowning, processional, Maypole dance, feast. * Morris Dancers and pageants (with Hag & Jack-in-Green) to awaken the fertility in the Land.

Litha

Summer Solstice

Summer Solstice, sometimes known as Midsummer, Litha, or St. John's Day, occurs in the middle of June. It is a celebration of the longest day of the year and the beginning of Summer. It has been a grand tribal gathering time since ancient times. The Goddess manifests as Mother Earth and the God as the Sun King. Colors are Yellow, Green, and Blue. It is a festival of community sharing and planetary service.

Celebrate Solstice time with other Pagans -- take part in the Pagan Spirit Gathering or some other Pagan festival happening during June. Keep a Sacred Fire burning throughout the gathering. Stay up all night on Solstice Eve and welcome the rising Sun at dawn. Make a pledge to Mother Earth of something that you will do to improve the environment and then begin carrying it out. Have a magical gift exchange with friends. Burn your Yule wreath in a Summer Solstice bonfire. Exchange songs, chants, and stories with others in person or through the mail. Do ecstatic dancing to drums around a blazing bonfire.

Midsummer Day (Asatru)

The summer solstice was second only to Yule in importance to the ancient Northmen.  Some groups mark this day as sacred to Balder, but we disagree with this.  While Balder can be seen as a dying and

resurrected Sun God, in the mythology we are most familiar with, he does not return to life until Ragnarök and it seems like. bad karma. to symbolically kill the sun when you know he doesn.t come back until the end of the world.  Instead, we mark this day as sacred to the Goddess Sunna, who is literally the sun.

One idea for midsummer is to remain awake all night and mark the shortest night of the year, then at sunrise to perform a. Greeting of Sunna. and a blot to her.

Another midsummer custom is the rolling of a flaming wagon wheel down a hill to mark the turning of the wheel of the year.  If fire would otherwise be a hazard, one could parade a wheel covered with candles for similar effect.  It is also a time for general merriment and in the Scandinavian countries many of what we know as the traditional May Day rituals such as May Poles and Morris Dances were instead

celebrated at Midsummer.

Solstice Fires of the Pagan Spirit Gathering

DSC 3266Sacred Fires and Sacred Flames have been an integral part of the Pagan Spirit Gathering since it began in 1980.  The Pagan Spirit Gathering, also known as PSG, is one of America’s oldest and largest celebrations of Summer Solstice and Nature Spirituality.  The Fires of PSG symbolize Sun, Summer, Community, Culture, and Celebration.  They are sources of illumination and inspiration that are an integral part of celebrating Summer Solstice and creating Community.

A variety of traditions involving sacred work with Fire have developed over the years at PSG.  Some of these traditions are forms of ancient Pagan practices, while others are more recent in origin.

Community Sacred Fire

A Community Summer Solstice Fire has been part of each PSG since it began in 1980.  Called the Sacred Fire, it represents the Spirit of the PSG Community and its celebration of the Sun at Summer Solstice time.  As was done by Celtic, Germanic, Scandinavian, Baltic, Roman, Greek, and other old European Pagan peoples, we use Oak wood as a fuel for our Sacred Fire.  Before the Sacred Fire is lit, we add ashes and charred wood from the previous year’s Community Sacred Fire.  This kindling a new fire from remnants of a previous one is an ancient Pagan practice representing continuity with the past in the on-going spiral journey of life.  

In creating each year’s Sacred Fire, we also include dried stalks of Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), a ritual herb long associated with Summer Solstice celebrations.  The Mugwort we use is from the Mugwort Circle, a tall hedge and ritual circle around our Maypole at Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve in Wisconsin.  We harvest the Mugwort in a special ceremony at Lughnassad time during our Green Spirit Festival in early August.

On the evening of the opening day of the Pagan Spirit Gathering, we light the PSG Community’s Sacred Fire during our Opening Ritual.  The Fire is located in the center of our main Community ritual circle area.

Each year, one of the elders in our Community serves as the PSG Firekeeper.  The Firekeeper, assisted by a small crew of other Community members, ritually kindles the Fire as the rest of the Community chants and our Community drummers make rhythms.  After the Sacred Fire ignites and grows in intensity, my husband, Dennis, and I walk clockwise around the Fire and carry a large wreath of evergreen boughs used to celebrate Yule six months before at our Winter Solstice celebrations in Wisconsin. We cast this wreath into the Fire to signify the turning of the Wheel of the Year.  As the wreath blazes and burns, gathering participants cheer and welcome in the Summer.

Then, PSG coordinators of various aspects of gathering Community life come into the center of the ritual circle and encircle the Sacred Fire.  As they cast in handfuls of dried sacred herbs, they speak blessings upon the gathering and the Community.

Throughout the entire week of the gathering and through all types of weather conditions, the PSG Firekeeper and crew, assisted by other Community members, continue to watch over the Sacred Fire to make sure that it continues to burn day and night.  In instances of heavy rains, the Firekeeper and crew usually place a portable free-standing canopy over the Fire or use other methods to protect the Fire and keep it burning.

A variety of individual, small group, and large community rituals, meetings, workshops, meditations, and other activities take place around the Community Sacred Fire during the gathering.  Community members often feed the Fire dried flowers, sweet smelling herbs, paper talismans, and other spiritual offerings.  No trash is burned in the Sacred Fire.  The Sacred Fire is respected as a spiritual presence embodying the Community Spirit as well as a sacred area.

Each day’s morning meeting is held in the ritual circle around the Sacred Fire.  Community members gather to share news, announcements, discussion, music, drumming, and meditation.  

Some PSG Community members do personal healing work at the Sacred Fire at times other than large Community events there.  Some scry into the Fire and do other types of Fire divination for personal spiritual guidance.  Some Community members keep vigil at the Sacred Fire throughout the night and then ritually greet the rising Solstice-time Sun at dawn.

In late morning of the final day of our week-long gathering, the Community Sacred Fire is thanked, honored, bid farewell, and then extinguished as part of the Closing Ritual. Following this ritual, after the remains of the Sacred Fire have cooled, the PSG Firekeeper collects some ashes and chunks of charred wood for use in starting next year’s Sacred Fire.

Other PSG Community members have the option of taking bits of the Sacred Fire’s remains home with them to bless their home fires and remind them of their connection with the Pagan Spirit Gathering Community and the larger global Pagan culture of which we all are part.

Another ancient Solstice Fire practice which has been part of each PSG over the years is that of celebratory dancing and drumming around blazing bonfires.  In addition to happening as part of rituals around the Community Sacred Fire in the main ritual circle, this also occurs at other places within the gathering site.

The Community Bonfire Circle space has been developed in a wooded area of the gathering site as a place dedicated to drumming and dancing.  The Bonfire is initially kindled from the Community Sacred Fire following the conclusion of the Opening Ritual in the main ritual circle. One of the major PSG rituals, the Tribal Dance and Drum Ritual is held there on the second night of the gathering.  

During the daytime, a variety of drumming workshops are held at the Bonfire Circle.  Each evening, ecstatic dancing and drumming happens throughout the night.  Drummers and dancers interact with each other and the Bonfire in the center of the circle. Various drummers and dancers take turns establishing rhythms, which vary in pace, style, and intensity.

In addition to rhythm making with drums, often there are the additional sounds of tambourines, rattles, zills, flutes, bells, and other instruments.  Sometimes there also is chant-singing.  A variety of dancing styles may occur during an evening, such as trance dancing, ribbon dancing, and circle dancing.  As with the Community Sacred Fire, herbs, wood, and other spiritual materials may be added to the Bonfire as part of dancing and drumming experiences.

Next to the Bonfire Circle is the Fire-Spinning Area.  Fire-Spinning instruction and performances take place there.  By special arrangement, some Fire-Spinning also is incorporated in large Community rituals and other events.

Sweat lodge Fire

Another special area of deep spiritual practice is the Sweat lodge.  This sacred place is an area where sacred sweat traditions of the Americas and, occasionally, old Europe are practiced.

The Sweat lodge has its own Sacred Fire.  This Fire is used to warm the stones that provide the transforming sacred heat during Sweat lodge rites.  The PSG Community Sweat lodge coordinator, trained in traditional ways by a Native American elder, watches over the PSG Sweat lodge area and activities, to make certain that spiritual and safety protocols are abided by.  The Sweat lodge Coordinator also interfaces with the elders and teachers of different sacred sweat traditions who conduct Sweat lodge rites.    

Prior to each Sweat lodge rite, the ritual leader and participants gather around the Sweat lodge Fire and prepare for the ceremony.  During each ceremony, the Sweat lodge Firekeeper tends the Fire, serves as a guardian of the area, and attends to the needs of participants.  Following a ceremony, participants often spend additional time around the Fire as they reflect on and integrate their experiences of healing and transformation.

Other Sacred Fires

Other ritual fires sometimes are kindled in workshop areas and gathering centers as part of various small and large rituals, such as child blessings, handfastings, coming of age ceremonies, other life passages rites, guided journeys, and consecration rites. Also, each year, at least one potter facilitates a clay sculpture workshop in which participants create sacred images, ritual bowls, pentacles, and other altar pieces.  After the clay pieces have dried, they are pit fired in a ceremonial Fire created for that purpose.

The campfire in Amethyst Circle, the alcohol-free camping area for Pagans in recovery, serves as a focal point for meetings and socials as well as ceremonies there.  There are social campfires in other encampments such as the Rainbow Center and Camp, for GLBTQ Pagans, and the Guardians Camp which coordinates First Aid and Safety.

Candlelight Procession

One of the oldest and most spectacular of the Solstice Fire traditions at each year’s PSG is the candlelight procession to the Opening Ritual.  As twilight approaches, PSG community members dress for ritual and each lights a candle in a lantern or jar to carry with them.  With these lights, they join the community procession as it weaves its way through camp toward the main ritual circle.  Like a great ribbon of flickering flames, the procession spirals around and around within the great circle.

Hundreds of lights gleam and glimmer in the darkness.  Our lights represent both our individuality as well as our unity.  Our procession with these sacred flames spiritually connects us with each other, with the Spirit of the PSG Community through its history, and with the many others who have used sacred processions with flames through the ages as part of their religious and cultural practices.

A long-time favorite PSG Solstice Fires tradition occurs at the end of the opening ritual, when each participant simultaneously lights a sparkler from her or his candle flame. Participants then wave their glowing sparkler wands overhead as they make wishes and blessings for the gathering.

Another way we celebrate Summer Solstice at each year’s Pagan Spirit Gathering is with a Candlelight Labyrinth Ritual.  One thousand votive candles, each set-in sand in translucent cups, are arranged in an ancient labyrinth pattern within the main ritual circle.  

Known as the Seven Circuit Labyrinth, the pattern we use is more than 5000 years old and dates back to Pagan Crete.  At twilight, the Candle Labyrinth Ritual facilitators and helpers light each of the candles and do a special blessing of the Labyrinth.

Over the course of the night, from dusk to dawn, hundreds of PSG community members silently and meditatively enter and walk the Candlelight Labyrinth as a ritual of spiritual transformation.  After walking the Labyrinth to its center, which is next to the Sacred Fire, most pause and meditate for a time before walking the Labyrinth back to its gateway. Experiences with the Labyrinth vary. For some, it is calming, while for others it is energizing.  For most, it is a renewal ritual that deepens spiritual understanding.

Torchlights & Campfires

As twilight approaches each day of PSG, flames are kindled to illuminate roadways, centers, and campsites throughout the gathering site.  The PSG Community Torch lighting coordinator and crew make their way along main roads and side paths and light the many tiki torches that they have filled with kerosene, citronella oil, or other fuels earlier in the day.  They also light torches at the community altar, stage, and centers.

Throughout the years, there has been a growing number of tiki torches appearing at individual campsites as well, and these are lit by campsite members as part of their welcoming the night ritual process.

In addition, or as alternatives, to tiki torches, some individuals and groups kindle votive candles, oil lamps, and candle lanterns to illuminate their campsites, and in recent years, some solar-powered torches also have been used by some participants. Many Community members have sacred flames on campsite altars and shrines.  Merchants who keep evening hours often light their booths as well as their campsites with flamelights.  Most campsites with Fire rings also have campfires.  In addition to their use for cooking food and warming beverages, these campsite fires serve as focal points for small group evening activities, including discussions, storytelling, singing, and merry making. Some of these campfires also are used for household or small group private rituals.

The widespread use of many types of Fire, including torches, lamps, candles, and campfires throughout the gathering site each evening creates an enchanting ambiance which is timeless, bringing forth ancestral memories of living in community during times when live flames were the customary means of nighttime illumination. The flickering of flames and the various Sacred Fires in rituals, in community areas, along paths, and throughout the gathering tribal village is a visible reminder of our connection with each other, with ancient ways, and the Summer Solstice.

Lughnassad

These are the dog days of summer, the gardens are full of goodies, the fields are full of grain, and the harvest is approaching. Take a moment to relax in the heat and reflect on the upcoming abundance of the fall months. At Lammas, sometimes called Lughnasadh, it's time to begin reaping what we have sown throughout the past few months and recognize that the bright summer days will soon come to an end.

Rituals and Ceremonies

Depending on your individual spiritual path, there are many different ways you can celebrate Lammas, but typically the focus is on either the early harvest aspect or the celebration of the Celtic god Lugh. It's the season when the first grains are ready to be harvested and threshed, when the apples and grapes are ripe for the plucking, and we're grateful for the food we have on our tables.

Here are a few rituals you may want to think about trying -- and remember, any of them can be adapted for either a solitary practitioner or a small group, with just a little planning ahead.

Lammas Harvest Ritual: This ritual celebrates the beginning of the harvest season and the cycle of rebirth and can be done by a solitary practitioner or adapted for a group or coven setting.

Honor Lugh of the Many Skills: Take the opportunity this day to celebrate your own skills and abilities, and make an offering to Lugh to honor him, the god of craftsmanship.

Lammas Prayers: Use these simple seasonal prayers to celebrate Lammas, the early grain harvest.

Decorating Your Altar: Set up your altar for Lammas/Lughnasadh, using colors and symbols of the season.

Lammas Magic

Lammas is a time of excitement and magic. The natural world is thriving around us, and yet the knowledge that everything will soon die looms in the background. This is a good time to work some magic around the hearth and home.

Ash Tree Magic and Folklore: Because of its close association not only with the Divine but with knowledge, Ash can be worked with for any number of spells, rituals, and other workings.

Bread Magic: Let’s look at some of the magical folklore surrounding bread in different cultures and societies.

The Magic of Corn: Corn has been planted, tended, harvested and consumed for millennia, and so it’s no wonder that there are myths about the magical properties of this grain.

Protection Magic: In many magical traditions, workings can be done to ensure protection of home, property, and people. There are a number of simple ways you can do protection workings.

Sunflower Magic: Let’s look at some of the superstitions and customs about sunflowers from various cultures and societies.

Honey Magic and Folklore: Honey has a number of magical properties - let's explore some of the ways you can use it!

Lammas Customs and Traditions

The early harvest and the threshing of grain has been celebrated for thousands of years. Here are just a few of the customs and legends surrounding the Lammas season.

Lammas (Lughnasadh) History: This holiday can be celebrated either as a way to honor the god Lugh, or as a celebration of the harvest.

Legends and Lore of Lammas (Lughnasadh): Here are a few of the stories about this magical harvest celebration from around the world.

Lugh, Master of Skills: Lugh is the Celtic craftsman god associated with this time of year.

Deities of the Fields: In addition to Lugh, there are many other deities connected to the early grain harvest.

The Legend of John Barleycorn: In English folklore, John Barleycorn is a character who represents the crop of barley harvested each autumn.

The Vulcanalia, August 23: Because Vulcan was associated with the destructive powers of fire, his celebration fell each year during the heat of the summer months.

Crafts and Creations

As summer winds to a close and autumn approaches, make crafts and decorations for your home that celebrate the outdoors and the gifts of nature. Before you get started, though, read up on these Five Quick Decorating Ideas for Lammas!

Feasting and Food

Nothing says "Pagan celebration" like a potluck! Lammas, or Lughnasadh, is the time of year when the gardens are in full bloom. From root vegetables to fresh herbs, so much of what you need is right there in your own back yard or at the local farmer's market. Let's take advantage of the gifts of the garden, and cook up a feast to celebrate the first harvest at Lammas

Mabon

It is the time of the autumn equinox, and the harvest is winding down. The fields are nearly empty because the crops have been plucked and stored for the coming winter. Mabon is the mid-harvest festival, and it is when we take a few moments to honor the changing seasons and celebrate the second harvest. On or around September 21 (or March 21, if you're in the Southern Hemisphere), for many Pagan and Wiccan traditions it is a time of giving thanks for the things we have, whether it is abundant crops or other blessings. It's a time of plenty, of gratitude, and of sharing our abundance with those less fortunate.

Winter Finding (Asatru)

I have not come across a great deal of traditional lore about the Autumn Equinox which we know as Winter Finding.  It seems to have been overshadowed to some extent by the Winter Nights which we celebrate at the equinox rather than at the more traditional time of mid-November. If one wishes not to do this, the Winter Finding would be a festival of harvest. One should hold a Blot to whichever Gods of fertility seem most appropriate and then hold a large feast, concentrating on vegetables that are currently in season.

Rituals and Ceremonies

Depending on your individual spiritual path, there are many different ways you can celebrate Mabon, but typically the focus is on either the second harvest aspect or the balance between light and dark. This, after all, is the time when there is an equal amount of day and night. While we celebrate the gifts of the earth, we also accept that the soil is dying. We have food to eat, but the crops are brown and going dormant. Warmth is behind us, cold lies ahead. Here are a few rituals you may want to think about trying. Remember, any of them can be adapted for either a solitary practitioner or a small group, with just a little planning ahead.

Setting Up Your Mabon Altar: Celebrate the Mabon Sabbat by decorating your altar with the colors and symbols of the late harvest season.

Create a Mabon Food Altar: Mabon is a celebration of the second harvest season. It's a time when we're gathering the bounty of the fields, the orchards, and the gardens, and bringing it in for storage.

Ten Ways to Celebrate the Autumn Equinox: This is a time of balance and reflection, following the theme of equal hours light and dark. Here are some ways you and your family can celebrate this day of bounty and abundance.

Honor the Dark Mother at Mabon: This ritual welcomes the archetype of the Dark Mother and celebrates that aspect of the Goddess which we may not always find comforting or appealing, but which we must always be willing to acknowledge.

Mabon Apple Harvest Rite: This apple ritual will allow you time to thank the gods for their bounty and blessings, and to enjoy the magic of the earth before the winds of winter blow through.

Hearth & Home Protection Ritual: This ritual is a simple one designed to place a barrier of harmony and security around your property.

Hold a Gratitude Ritual: You might want to consider doing a short gratitude ritual as a way of expressing thankfulness at Mabon.

Autumn Full Moon -- Group Ceremony: This rite is written for a group of four people or more to celebrate the full moon phases of the fall.

Mabon Balance Meditation: If you're feeling a bit spiritually lopsided, with this simple meditation you can restore a little balance into your life.

Traditions and Trends

Interested in learning about some of the traditions behind the celebrations of September? Find out why Mabon is important, learn the legend of Persephone and Demeter, and explore the magic of apples and more! Also, don't forget to read up on ideas for celebrating with your family, how Mabon is celebrated around the world and the reason why you'll see so many Pagans at your favorite Renaissance Festival.

Mabon History: The idea of a harvest festival is nothing new. Let's look at some of the histories behind the seasonal celebrations.

Origins of the Word "Mabon": There is a lot of spirited conversation in the Pagan community as to where the word "Mabon" originates. While some of us would like to think that it's an old and ancient name for the celebration, there's no evidence to indicate that it's anything other than modern.

Celebrating Mabon with Kids: If you’ve got kids at home, try celebrating Mabon with some of these family-friendly and kid-appropriate ideas.

Mabon Celebrations Around the World: Let's look at some of the ways that this second harvest holiday has been honored around the world for centuries.

Pagans and Renaissance Festivals: While the Renaissance Festival, whichever one you may be attending, isn’t inherently Pagan itself, it’s definitely a Pagan-magnet. Why is this?

Michaelmas: Although it's not a Pagan holiday in the true sense, Michaelmas celebrations often included older aspects of Pagan harvest customs, such as the weaving of corn dolls from the last sheaves of grain.

The Gods of the Vine: Mabon is a popular time to celebrate winemaking and deities connected to the growth of the vine.

Gods and Goddesses of the Hunt: In some of today’s Pagan belief systems, hunting is considered off-limits, but for many others, deities of the hunt are still honored by modern Pagans.

Symbolism of the Stag: In some Pagan traditions, the deer is highly symbolic, and takes on many aspects of the God during the harvest season.

Acorns and the Mighty Oak: In many cultures, the oak is sacred, and is often connected to legends of deities who interact with mortals.

Pomona, Goddess of Apples: Pomona was a Roman goddess who was the keeper of orchards and fruit trees.

Scarecrows: Although they haven't always looked the way they do now, scarecrows have been around a long time and have been used in a number of different cultures.

Mabon Magic

Mabon is a time rich in magic, all connected to the changing seasons of the earth. Why not take advantage of nature's bounty, and work a little magic of your own? Use apples and grapevines to bring magic into your life at this time of year.

Mabon Prayers: Try one of these simple, practical Mabon prayers to mark the autumn equinox in your celebrations.

Apple Magic: Because of its associations with the harvest, the apple is perfect for Mabon magic.

Grapevine Magic: Here are some simple ways you can incorporate the bounty of the grapevine into your fall harvest celebrations.

The Magic of the Kitchen Witch: There's a growing movement within modern Paganism known as kitchen witchery. The kitchen is, after all, the heart and hearth of many modern households.

Raise Energy with a Drum Circle: Drum circles are a lot of fun, and if you've ever attended a public Pagan or Wiccan event, chances are good that somewhere, someone is drumming. Here's how to host one!

Crafts and Creations

As the autumnal equinox approaches, decorate your home (and keep your kids entertained) with a number of easy craft projects. Start celebrating a bit early with these fun and simple ideas. Bring the season indoors with harvest potpourri and magical pokeberry ink or celebrate the season of abundance with prosperity candles and cleansing wash!

Mabon Feasting and Food

No Pagan celebration is really complete without a meal to go along with it. For Mabon, celebrate with foods that honor the hearth and harvest—breads and grains, autumn veggies like squash and onions, fruits, and wine. It's a great time of year to take advantage of the bounty of the season

Ten Ways to Celebrate Mabon

Mabon is the time of the autumn equinox, and the harvest is winding down. The fields are nearly bare, because the crops have been stored for the coming winter. Mabon is a time when we take a few moments to honor the changing seasons and celebrate the second harvest. On or around September 21 (or June 21 in the Southern Hemisphere), for many people who follow Pagan and Wiccan traditions, it is a time of giving thanks for the things we have, whether it is abundant crops or other blessings. It is also a time of balance and reflection, following the theme of equal hours light and dark. Here are some ways you and your family can celebrate this day of bounty and abundance.

Find Some Balance

Mabon is a time of balance, when there are equal hours of darkness and light, and that can affect people in different ways. For some, it's a season to honor the darker aspects of the goddess, calling upon that which is devoid of light. For others, it's a time of thankfulness, of gratitude for the abundance we have at the season of harvest. Because this is, for many people, a time of high energy, there is sometimes a feeling of restlessness in the air, a sense that something is just a bit "off." If you're feeling a bit spiritually lopsided, with this simple meditation you can restore a little balance into your life. You can also try a ritual to bring balance and harmony to your home.

Hold a Food Drive

Many Pagans and Wiccans count Mabon as a time of thanks and blessings and because of that, it seems like a good time to give to those less fortunate than ourselves. If you find yourself blessed with abundance at Mabon, why not give to those who aren't? Invite friends over for a feast, but ask each of them to bring a canned food, dry goods, or other non-perishable items? Donate the collected bounty to a local food bank or homeless shelter.

Pick Some Apples

Apples are the perfect symbol of the Mabon season. Long connected to wisdom and magic, there are so many wonderful things you can do with an apple. Find an orchard near you and spend a day with your family. As you pick the apples, give thanks to Pomona, goddess of fruit trees. Be sure to only pick what you're going to use. If you can, gather plenty to take home and preserve for the coming winter months.

Count Your Blessings

Mabon is a time of giving thanks, but sometimes we take our fortune for granted. Sit down and make a gratitude list. Write down things that you are thankful for. An attitude of gratefulness helps bring more abundance our way. What are things you're glad you have in your life? Maybe it's the small things, like "I'm happy that I have my cat Peaches" or "I'm glad my car is running." Maybe it's something bigger, like "I'm thankful I have a warm home and food to eat" or "I'm thankful people love me even when I'm cranky." Keep your list some place you can see it and add to it when the mood strikes you.

Honor the Darkness

Without darkness, there is no light. Without night, there can be no day. Despite a basic human need to overlook the dark, there are many positive aspects to embracing the dark side, if it's just for a short time. After all, it was Demeter's love for her daughter Persephone that led her to wander the world, mourning for six months at a time, bringing us the death of the soil each fall. In some paths, Mabon is the time of year that celebrates the Crone aspect of a triune goddess. Celebrate a ritual that honors that aspect of the Goddess which we may not always find comforting or appealing, but which we must always be willing to acknowledge. Call upon the gods and goddesses of the dark night and ask for their blessings this time of year.

Get Back to Nature

Fall is here, and that means the weather is bearable once more. The nights are becoming crisp and cool, and there's a chill in the air. Take your family on a nature walk and enjoy the changing sights and sounds of the outdoors. Listen for geese honking in the sky above you, check the trees for changing in the colors of the leaves, and watch the ground for dropped items like acorns, nuts, and seed pods. If you live in an area that doesn't have any restrictions on removing natural items from park property, take a small bag with you and fill it up with the things you discover along the way. Bring your goodies home for your family's altar. If you are prohibited from removing natural items, fill your bag with trash and clean up the outdoors!

Tell Timeless Stories

In many cultures, fall was a time of celebration and gathering. It was the season in which friends and relatives would come from far and near to get together before the cold winter kept them apart for months at a time. Part of this custom was storytelling. Learn the harvest tales of your ancestors or of the people indigenous to the area in which you live. A common theme in these stories is the cycle of death and rebirth, as seen in the planting season. Learn about the stories of Osiris, Mithras, Dionysius, Odin and other deities who have died and then been restored to life.

Raise Some Energy

It's not uncommon for Pagans and Wiccans to make remarks regarding the "energy" of an experience or event. If you're having friends or family over to celebrate Mabon with you, you can raise group energy by working together. A great way to do this is with a drum or music circle. Invite everyone to bring drums, rattles, bells, or other instruments. Those who don't have an instrument can clap their hands. Begin in a slow, regular rhythm, gradually increasing the tempo until it reaches a rapid pace. End the drumming at a pre-arranged signal, and you'll be able to feel that energy wash over the group in waves. Another way of raising group energy is chanting, or with dance. With enough people, you can hold a Spiral Dance.

Celebrate Hearth & Home

As autumn rolls in, we know we'll be spending more time indoors in just a few months. Take some time to do a fall version of spring cleaning. Physically clean your home from top to bottom, and then do a ritual smudging. Use sage or sweetgrass, or asperge with consecrated water as you go through your home and bless each room. Decorate your home with symbols of the harvest season and set up a family Mabon altar. Put sickles, scythes and bales of hay around the yard. Collect colorful autumn leaves, gourds and fallen twigs and place them in decorative baskets in your house. If you have any repairs that need to be done, do them now so you don't have to worry about them over the winter. Throw out or give away anything that's no longer of use.

Welcome the Gods of the Vine

Grapes are everywhere, so it's no surprise that the Mabon season is a popular time to celebrate winemaking, and deities connected to the growth of the vine. Whether you see him as Bacchus, Dionysus, the Green Man, or some other vegetative god, the god of the vine is a key archetype in harvest celebrations. Take a tour of a local winery and see what it is they do this time of year. Better yet, try your hand at making your own wine! If you're not into wine, that's okay; you can still enjoy the bounty of grapes and use their leaves and vines for recipes and craft projects. However, you celebrate these deities of vine and vegetation, you may want to leave a small offering of thanks as you reap the benefits of the grape harvest.

[chocolate-sideburns-of-love]

I think I have the plot for Frozen 2 figured out.

Not that I've been reading a ton of spoilers or anything. Whenever I say something like "I have (show title) figured out!”, what I actually mean to say is that I’ve got the plot figured out as far as what I’D logically write if I were in the actual writers’ shoes. The chances of me being right are usually low (though I do often think my ideas are better tbh). I doubt my thoughts about it are all that original, but they do make some sense.

In the first film, we got very little backstory or information on Elsa’s powers, her parents, or Prince Hans. It’s mostly told from Anna’s limited POV. I loved that movie, but I’m getting a sense that Frozen II is told from Elsa’s POV and she’s a much more intense and serious person with a lot more knowledge than Anna, which explains the extreme tonal change in the Frozen II trailer.

An analysis of the trailer indicates that there are probably several other people with similar powers to Elsa’s. I’m guessing it’s three people, and they have the power to control wind, fire, and uhhh...something else. Maybe the last one can manipulate dirt (okay let’s just call that earthbending, why the hell not) or make plants grow and move. Who knows. The teaser shows autumn leaves in the wind with a title of ice letters turning to stone (a bit similar to Anna turning to ice in the first film). The girls are both shown in rocky locations. We see a ring of pink-tinged fire surrounding Elsa and Olaf at one point. So whatever is going on, these definitely appear to be seasonal and/or elemental powers. 

The other individuals might be chiefs/leaders/kings like Elsa, or they might not. My personal guess is that Elsa and Anna’s parents were on a trip to see one of these people for Elsa’s sake when their ship went down. Perhaps it was the wind witch (okay, airbender) which would explain why the main characters are in a new autumnal location with leaves strewn everywhere, and why the wind power is shown being used there by...somebody. 

Since Elsa is shown trying to walk on the sea to get somewhere there’s a possibility that the King and Queen of Arendelle could still be alive, which is why the girls are on this adventure in the first place. Could Elsa be trying to get to the sunken ship to find something important? Could one of the elemental witches/wizards/whatevers have caused the storm and intentionally sunk their ship? Did they really survive or is there just a hope that they did? Did one or both of them have elemental powers? We’ll find out, surely.

The trailer shows the wind power lifting what looks like a boy who might be from the Southern Isles (his clothes appear to match Hans’ style at least a little bit) while a Sami girl looks on. They both look to be around maybe 12. I’m guessing Kristoff might have something to do with the girl or her village, and we’ll learn more about his backstory and birth parents. I couldn’t really say one way or another if the girl or boy have any powers.

So far I’m just giving you a bunch of guesses, but my main theory actually has to do with Hans, his family, and the elemental “benders”. We know that there are 13 princes in the Southern Isles (which I just think of as Denmark in my headcanon). We know that Hans came to Arendelle with the intention of becoming king by marrying Elsa, but had to settle for Anna when he couldn’t get access to Elsa. I initially assumed this was some mission of personal ambition and one-upmanship for Hans. He seemed to want to show up his brothers by getting his own throne, which would have likely been his revenge for them teasing him about being so far away in line from becoming king at home. 

Buuuut now I have another idea. What if the current ruler of the Southern Isles (either Hans’ older brother or another relative like his father, mother, or uncle) knew about the individuals with elemental powers and why they have them?

Human Greed Vs. Mother Earth is a major theme in fiction, so perhaps long ago the (Disney fairy tale versions of the) Scandinavian kingdoms were in danger of being invaded by some powerful group of asshole-ish, warmongering people or creatures. Then let’s say that Odin and the Norse gods (or someone like that) gave the leaders of the Scandinavian tribes these elemental powers to help them defend their people. They defeat the evil, boom, everything’s cool, and life returns to normal for the most part, except the powers stay in the family lines. 

Hans’ family is in power in the Southern Isles. There are a LOT of princes, which seems like a very aggressive, competitive, toxic masculine environment to grow up in. I doubt Hans is the only rotten apple in this bunch. In fact, the whole family is pretty likely rotten. 

The current ruler of the Southern Isles knows about the elemental powers, and in fact might have one (please not the firebending though, goddammit, because that’s such a fanon thing). He or she sends off three (or four) of the princes to marry, capture or destroy the people who have these powers. With any of these outcomes, it means that the Southern Isles gains control of the whole region. 

Hans was given Arendelle because it should have been the easiest job. All he had to do was charm and marry the queen. If he had to kill her and usurp power there, the Southern Isles’ forces could have come to his aid. He managed to completely fuck up, however. 

A few years later, Anna and Elsa find out that their parents were on a mission to get Elsa help with controlling her powers. They suspect that there’s a lot more to the story and investigate, and wind up in the airbender’s kingdom with these kids. They find that Hans’ brothers are in control of this kingdom as well as the (possible) earthbender’s region. They have to stop them before they use the other three powers to overthrow Elsa and Arendelle and basically make the Southern Isles the most dangerous force on Earth. 

Hans might get redemption or he might not. Maybe Anna will just have to kick his ass some more. In any case I doubt that romance will be part of the resolution because Frozen isn’t about “true love wins all”, it’s about the bond between family, especially siblings. I have a hard time seeing Elsa being paired up with anybody, tbh. I think she’s popular because of her independence and her devotion to her sister, and Disney will likely stick with that. If I’m being honest, I’d like Anna and Kristoff to have relationship issues because of the differences in their lifestyles and personalities, and it would kind of be interesting and cool to see them break up but stay friends. ‘Cause that’s kinda what real life is like, and Disney seems to be more about keeping shit real these days.

Anyway that’s how I’D write it.

[fyrapartnersearch]

Adventures in Blood

Hi there! I’m Nivii back again after experiencing some medical issues!

I’m hoping to find someone who will be patient with me, for I’m pretty rusty. Rusty, but super excited.

If you’d rather view this in Google Docs, [here is a link]!

Please, only serious inquiries!

So, a little bit about me. I’m 21+, Eastern Timezone. Looking to RP via e-mail/Google Docs or Discord (if persuaded).

I write third person, past tense. Multi-para, novella responses. I love quality AND quantity. I’m really looking for someone who wants to be as involved in the story as I do. I truly enjoy powerfully written roleplays, and love all aspects - world building, character development, detailed descriptions, etc. Side characters are definitely something that will come up given the breadth of what we’ll write over time! 

I’m hoping that I can find someone who likes to get invested in their roleplays. I mean, we’re writing an awesome story together! Want to share songs, moodboards, any sort of things that make you inspired for more things in the story? I love it. I’m attached to my OC (a twenty-eight year old vampire, who is a bartender for Le Chat Noir), and I’m sure I’ll get attached to yours. I want to gush over it all with you. 

With that, here is what I’m looking for: 

✰ Someone 21+ like me

✰ Mature themes, dealing with violence, gore, etc. are very welcome and encouraged. I love angst, drama, grit - slay me, let’s go.

✰ Someone who writes multi-para (MIN 3+) to novella. Literate/prose. 

✰ Long-term.

✰ A patient partner. Given health issues currently, I may not be able to respond every day, but will at least get back to you once a week. I will let you know if something comes up and I am unable to.

✰ A male main against my female main.

✰ Definitely into romance as a part of the story.

✰ Smut is not off the table, but I am not well-versed in doing it. Happy to give it a go though! Also, fade to black is not at all a problem. Sexual tension is thoroughly enjoyed.

✰ Someone who enjoys talking OOC and discussing characters and plot!

What I am not looking for:

✖️ Short replies, one liners. Script.

✖️ Short-term

✖️ Doubling

✖️ Godmodding. When in doubt, just ask!

✖️ Rude or manipulative partners. Nasty attitudes simply aren’t tolerated.

As for what I’m looking to roleplay, I’d really love a human, or something close (witch, prophet, necromancer), against my vampire OC. Humans are fickle, breakable, but yearn to continue despite all hardship. I love to explore the contrast of the inhuman against the very, very human. 

Some other things I love: Forbidden romance; lovers, broken apart for whatever reason, but find each other again (would love to explore this with my OC now that she is a vampire); old flames; fake dating turns real feelings; complicated relationships

The world is malleable, and I’m super open to ideas. I am only looking to roleplay Modern/Urban Fantasy, Dystopian, or Apocalyptic/Post Apocalyptic-esque eras. 

Here are some ideas!:

1. The world is blended - the supernatural and human world are ever weaving now that peace between the two has been established. With it has come new things. New pleasures, new addictions, new technology, new mysteries. Maybe your character meets mine at the bar she works at, which is a popular place for nighttime experiences involving spirits of both kind. Maybe your character works at the vampire feeder diner, where humans are the servers and the vampires are dining - but it’s a quality, almost coffee shop type experience. Casual talk, a lovely menu, high prices. But my character has to eat somehow, and eating from a donor blood bag gets boring. There’s a looot of world building we can play with here, and it’s absolutely something I’d love to explore.

The Underground is a simple term addressing the whole of the supernatural world. The Veil, where the supernatural and humans quietly intermingle; exchanging information, prophecies, secrets, but keep their worlds primarily separated for fear of outright war. My character aids in keeping the Veil secure, as a part of another group of vampires given the task to keep things in balance. Young vampire going on a killing streak? Werewolf can’t control his temper? A necromancer wreaking havoc in a small down by using any dead body at their disposal? Well, my character and those she’s affiliated with clean it up. Make it squeaky and keep the news…normal. Keep everything stable. 

2. Throughout town, there have been subtle instances of horror, mainly involving sacrifice of some sort. Cryptic messages and symbols has caught the attention of the local police department, putting those of the supernatural on edge. My character, working with a group of older vampires that are trying to keep things normal and quiet, investigates the supposed cult happenings. Your character could maybe be newly apart of the cult and is present when my vamp comes knocking doors down. Or maybe they’re up on the sacrificing table! Either way, somehow your character ends up in protective custody by mine, for actual protection or some interrogation…

3. My character is running a usual ‘errand’ - checking on a lead for something that’s causing issues with the Underground. Some human becoming a little too casual, mentioning things they shouldn’t to the masses on a public forum. However, my character’s intel is wrong and, well, they end up storming into the life of your character. But this little slip up is also dangerous - he could talk about his experience. My character doesn’t always like the route of death to keep someone quiet, so keeping an eye on him proves a little more rational. And things progress from there.

Don’t hesitate to ask questions or come to me with your ideas! I’ve left things pretty open so we can talk about it :)  I’m sure I’ve forgotten something on here, too, so if you need clarification, absolutely.

Interested? Please contact me at: ohnonivii@gmail.com OR Nivii#8648 (Discord) and let me know a few things:

🌸 Your name/what you prefer to be called

🌸 A little bit about you

🌸 Something more than just “hey, saw your ad, wanna rp?”. This makes me not want to reply. Tell me your interests, any ideas you might have, character ideas and insights, etc.

🌸 Any questions you might have for me, if any!

[mordacitatis]

Princess Raisa and the Mysterious Knight

I said that if @hyper-elastagirl posted her art then I would post some of my writing. Go check out her pretties!

Story under the cut

Once upon a time, there was a tsar who had a daughter named Raisa, for she was as beautiful as a rose. She had hair a black as night, eyes bluer than the sky at noon, and cheeks as rosy as…well, a rose. By the time she was seven, the courtiers would stop to stare as she skipped down the halls. For her safety, the tsar asked that the princess wear a veil when she was in the presence of others. The mystery added to her allure and made her all the more beautiful.

When she came of age, the tsar was overwhelmed with princes and commoners alike arriving to ask for her hand. Princess Raisa sat with her court in the throne room as the tsar received all of the visitors. As the days went on and the men continued to file through with their offers, the princess became increasingly distressed. Each new suitor gave higher, more unachievable outlandish claims to their strength and worth. Some offered gold, some offered their sword and knowledge of war; however, Raisa could see the clean perfection of their armor and knew that these soft men had never seen the horrors of battle. How could this result in a good marriage? Riches and boasts would mean nothing when the days got cold and the wolves began to knock at their door.

On the third day, the evil tsar from the kingdom to the West, who had been scheming to take the crown for himself, burst into the throne room. He blasted the doors almost off with the strength of his malicious magic. He knew that he could offer the highest dowry. He had been planning his coup for years and knew that this would be his best chance. The good tsar would choose the richest man to care for his daughter.

Our tsar was a good ruler, but he always believed the best of everyone. He never saw the duplicitous nature of the sorcerer and never heeded his advisors’ warnings. The princess was not so naïve. Though she could not prove it, she knew that the sorcerer was the cause of her mother’s death. Only one with powerful magics could create the illness that befell her mother. Before the tsar could accept the evil sorcerer’s offer, Princess Raisa made an impossible request. Only the suitor who could bring her those things that her heart most desires within one year would she marry. To give all a fair chance, she would not make a decision until the day that the year expired. The announcement was spread throughout the kingdoms and every man of age and ability left their homes to try and find the things that would win them the beautiful princess.

Now the princess had a lady in waiting who was her bosom friend and confidant since birth. Her name was Borislava and Princess Raisa loved her most of all. Borislava was one of the few people who was still able to see the princess unveiled. As children growing up together, they would run and dance through the wild chamomile flowers growing in the gardens. They were of the same age and each new experience to be had, they had together. She had been in the throne room supporting the princess through the entire ordeal and knew how worried that the princess was about the sorcerer. Because of his power, Princess Raisa worried that he would find some unnatural way to discover what she truly wanted.

Borislava found the princess pacing her bedchamber, pulling at her hair in her anxiety. The lady sat her princess down and started to comb her hair. This calmed her significantly.

“Your Highness, what is it that you most desire?” Borislava asked.

“Oh, I don’t know!” She wailed. “That’s why I asked, because it is such an ineffable thing. How could the sorcerer discover it?”

Borislava grabbed the princesses hand and squeezed it in support. “I’m sure that even his evil power cannot find that which is out of your reach.”

A day after the princess’s decree, suitors began to pour back into the capitol city to present their gifts. Due to the rather large influx and need to continue to carry out matters of state, only one man was allowed to bring a gift to the princess each day. On the seventh day, the evil sorcerer brought a cloak made from the pelt of a unicorn. Princess Raisa was horrified at the cruelty of such an action and stormed out of the throne room with the gift in her arms and tears in her eyes. Though unicorn poaching wasn’t unheard of in these parts, she had always felt that magical creatures who did no harm should be left well enough alone. As she stalked towards her room, tears soaking into her veil, she heard a voice call out.

“Princess, wait! Please.” A clank of metal sounded as if someone were running after her in a suit of armor. Princess Raisa spun on her heel, ready to slice the knight to ribbons with her sharp tongue. Instead, she paused. The knight was kneeling, helmet on, head bowed, with a slightly crumpled bouquet in an outstretched gauntlet.

“Your Highness, I am so terribly sorry,” said a gruff voice from the helmet.

“Are you?” She asked. “Have you done something even more horrible than killing an innocent?”

“No, Your Highness,” the knight replied gravely. “I am sorry that I did not arrive in time to present my gift first.”

Spurred by her insatiable curiosity, the princess couldn’t help but ask: “what have you brought?”

“May I stand?” The knight asked, standing without waiting for her answer. The knight extended the flowers once again to the princess. It was at this moment that she realized, as crumpled as they were, the bouquet was of her favorite flowers. Not the roses of which she took her name, but the wild chamomile flowers that grew like weeds across the kingdom.

“I—,” she paused. “These are my favorite flowers. Thank you.”

The knight merely bowed, passed the flowers to the maid who came to accept them, and walked back down the hall. The princess couldn’t help but feel as if she recognized the voice coming from the helmet, but she could not place it. Besides, she had never seen a knight in a suit of armor so tarnished and dented.

A fortnight passed with little excitement, just a steady stream of suitors with their solicitations. The mysterious knight did not appear again. It was on this day that Princess Raisa was given the gravest of news. Her dearest friend, Borislava, was needed in the country to care for her ailing aunt. The princess offered to send as many healers and aides that the castle could spare, but her lady in waiting was adamant. Her stubbornness had always been a mirror to the princess’s own and Raisa finally relented.

During the first few months, Borislava wrote to her princess daily with stories of the people that she was meeting in this new estate and the adventures that she was having. Borislava was always imaginative and her letters were often full of magical creatures. She spoke of a knight who searched out Baba Yaga to discover what the most beautiful princess in the world truly desired. Baba Yaga told the knight that she did not know, but that her sister Baba Yaga might, and why don’t you take this princess Dymkovo toy with you. The toy had golden hair like the wheat under a bright blue sky. The knight continued onward to the next Baba Yaga’s house. It spun for hours on its chicken legs, but the knight just waited patiently. Eventually Baba Yaga’s house became so tired and dizzy that it fell onto its foundation.  The knight asked the witch whether she knew the heart’s desire of the princess more beautiful than a rose. She did not know, but her sister might, and why don’t you take this golden matryoshka doll with you.

Slowly the letters dwindled to weekly, then monthly, then nothing. Time dragged for Princess Raisa as she longed for the smallest hint of what her friend was doing. While she would like nothing more than to travel herself to the country to see her, she was prisoner to her duties in the castle. The mysterious knight made a few official visits, bringing her the chocolates that she loved from several kingdoms away and various other things. She could never get the knight to tell her how he knew the things she loved so well. The evil sorcerer continued to bring gifts that were more magical and horrifying than the last, and Raisa soon grew endlessly tired of the procession of men. As the yearlong deadline creeped ever closer, Princess Raisa became pallid and weak.

The princess cried and lamented daily in her bedchamber. She so dearly missed her friend and had never felt so alone. The mysterious knight’s last visit had been months ago and the sorcerer’s visits were becoming more frequent and pressing. He brought her priceless books and artifacts, hoping to sway her as all knew her love of reading. He brought her technologies that served to help her people, hoping to sway her as all knew her love of her people. Her father the tsar couldn’t understand why she didn’t just accept the sorcerer’s offer, having only a mind for the riches that she would be showered in. When Princess Raisa tried to explain, the tsar just shook his head and muttered about the fainthearted nature of women.

A year to the day of her decree, the princess was so weak that she had to be carried to the throne room to announce her decision. She saw that she had no choice but to accept the sorcerer’s offer. While she did no love him, she knew that his coffers would be necessary to improve the tsardom and help her people. She knew she would die of grief from missing Borislava regardless, and at least in her acceptance she would make her father happy one last time. She would milk the sorcerer for as much as she could before her illness took her. The richest most noble suitors filled the throne room, with the commoners crowding outside the door trying to hear if one of them were to be chosen. The sorcerer stood at the front of the group with a smug smile.

The crowd had quieted when Princess Raisa had been carried to her throne; they had not realized how ill she had become. They could see that she did not even have the strength to stand. A murmur slipped through the crowd. The princess didn’t even have the energy to care. She sat with dead eyes staring into the crowd.

A manservant walked up to one of the guards at the foot of the dais. A brisk conversation followed and the guard let him through to the princess. He carried a platter with a letter a top it. Princess Raisa didn’t notice his approach. He reached her side and offered her the letter, finally breaking out of her reverie. The princess froze. All in the crowd would have said that the princess was already frozen unmoving, but the sudden shock of true immobility caught the eye of all of the gossipmongers. Princess Raisa reached her shaking hand towards the letter. What she had noticed that none else could see was the sweeping chicken scratch of her bosom friend’s handwriting. She slowly opened the letter, scared to know what it might possess. In the most illegible handwriting, she read:

“And then the knight traveled far and wide looking for the third sister. She was terribly difficult to find. Many times, the brave knight was lost and destitute. But the knight had a quest to fulfill. Finally, months of searching, the knight had finally found her. The same question was posed: do you know what the most radiant princess with eyes bluer than the sky over a field of grain, do you know what she most desires? Baba Yaga smiled at our knight, but said go home, and take this golden drop spindle, you may find a use for it. With that, Baba Yaga galloped away in her mortar, driven by the pestle, her broom sweeping her trail away. The knight was far from home and unsure if the princess had already made the decree of who she would marry. But the knight had hope.”

It ended abruptly, and she had a sudden burst of energy as she searched everywhere for some continuation of the story that she had dropped. The crowd became silent again and parted as if by magic. Princess Raisa looked up instinctively to see what the matter was. Standing in the doorway to the throne room was the mysterious knight. The princess fell to her knees shocked and the knight ran to her.

“Roza, sweet Roza,” the knight murmured.

“Is it you? Could it really be you?” the princess whispered.

The knight pulled out a princess Dymkovo toy with golden hair, a golden matryoshka doll, and a golden drop spindle; an armored hand sat them gently down into Princess Raisa’s lap.

The tsar overcame his shock at the sudden revival of his daughter and this mysterious suitor. He demanded that the knight remove his helmet, or the guards would remove it for him. The knight stood up, bowed graciously, removed the armored helmet, and shook out her long golden hair. Standing on the dais in a suit of armor was Borislava, the thing that Princess Raisa most desired in all the world. The tsar was taken aback, but a deal is a deal is a deal. Besides, seeing his daughter with a smile on her face and color in her cheeks again was all that he needed.

Princess Raisa and her knight Borislava were married the next day, and the evil sorcerer was so enraged that he turned into a million butterflies and flew away. To this day, butterflies are considered to be an omen of love so powerful as to break evil into harmless pieces. Upon a search for an heir, it was discovered that Borislava’s mother was, in fact, the sorcerer’s kind younger sister. Borislava was the last of her line and was given the sorcerer’s lands as was dictated by custom. Tsarinas Raisa and Borislava lived happily ever after, ruling their lands with kindness and love. Together.

[meonlyred]

how is my girl lark doing anyway.... last i heard she ded but then not ded???? update pls

So!! I can finally share everything publicly- a few of the people I play D&D are mutuals here on tumblr so I had to keep tight lipped about it- Our DM asked us when we made our characters to have a secret our characters were keeping from the rest of the group. Only the player and our DM would know our secret and she has plans to weave everyone’s secrets into a personal quest. I was lucky (or unlucky depending on how you look at it) to be the first up. Some of these things I knew, some things I didn’t. I knew as much as my character Lark. What she didn’t know, I didn’t know.

I have posted before part of the secret that had been revealed to the rest of the party thanks to our rogue, Diago’s, insanely high perception roll to spot the man hired to follow Lark. Fucking rogues, man…

Lark found out that her father Bran was a son of a family of farmers and when he was discovered to have an aptitude for the arcane was sent to Silverymoon academy to become a wizard. There he spent some time in the Spell Guard before becoming fascinated in the Cold Wood. He moved there to study the wood. There he meet a Uthgardt woman, Eiriol, who had exiled herself from her tribe.

Eiriol was formally part of the Black Raven tribe, whom had killed her mother because of her magic. Eiriol was traded to a man in the Snow Cat tribe but when her own magic began to manifest she fled to live alone in the Cold Wood.

Bran and Eiriol eventually fell in love and had Lark. Two years later Eiriol became pregnant again but there were complications with the pregnancy. The son who would have been named Sparrow died in childbirth and Eiriol was unable to recover. She later died but not before using her magic to make herself part of the woods to protect her family.

When Lark’s lover Aiden was killed by highwaymen, Eiriol’s magic fueled Lark’s wild magic and grief to rip apart all but one of the highwaymen who had attacked them. The one who escaped lied to Aiden’s father, Ethan, that a wild witch in the woods murdered his son. Ethan sent his men to bring in Lark but only found Bran, who would not give up his daughter’s location. They tortured and killed him. Upon his death and not being able to sense Lark in the woods anymore, Eiriol spirit was sent into a mad rampage of anger. The trees and plants started killing anyone who dared enter the Cold Woods.

In the group of the highwaymen that killed Aiden, there were a set of brothers Eduard and Kenton, sons of a man who was second in command of a group called the Teeth of Asmodeus. Angry at Lark for the death of one of his sons he went to Gludio and offered his servers to Ethan. Which in actuality was giving him poison that made him feeble both in body and mind. He turned the town of Gludio into a bandit haven, tormenting the villagers, and crushing any rebelling that tried to usurp him.

Seeking to end the manhunt for Lark and to also investigate the rumors they were hearing about the woods. Our group of the Never Winter Adventures (NWA- omg my friends are jackasses) went to Gludio to see if they could help. By making friends with many of the villagers they were able to incite another rebellion and use it as a distraction to get close to Basilisk. Through the use of Alter Self they were able to trick and kidnap Eduard taking him to an abandon mansion where they interrogated him. Lark used Detect Thoughts to find out there was a hidden entrance into the Lord’s estate. Unfortunately while interrogating him, she witnessed Aiden’s death again, this time through Eduard’s eyes. After they were done questioning him, Lark ordered him to be locked in a trunk and hidden somewhere while they dealt with his father.

As they group entered the Lord’s estate through a secret entrance, Gwyn flew off chasing after a strange Owl. (Which turns out to be party to a villain from our previous campaign. Specifically the guy who killed our Paladin.)

During the battle Basilisk ordered his right and left hand men to focus on and kill Lark. Which they were successful. Seeing his friend cut down by these men, Diago when berserk on them. Giving one a Glasgow smile and cutting the head off the other. As Basilisk lay dying and telling the group their victory means nothing, Diago stab him through the heart before he could say more.

The group used a potion they had been give to cure Ethan of the spell he was under and Corrin revealed to him that Lark was here but had died trying to save him and his town. He still express a desire to put her on trial for the death of his son and demanded proof that she was innocent. To which Corrin threaten his life if he tried to harm Lark, if she was able to be resurrected.

The group took Lark to the temple where they asked the priest there to try and bring Lark back to life. The ritual was successful and Lark was brought back to life. Gwyn returned squawking and acting fanatic. Then in a flash of light turned into a man. What Lark knew the rest of the group did not was that Gwyn was not her familiar but actually her father’s. When he was being tortured by Ethan’s men, he put a piece of his soul into Gwyn and sent him to aid and watch over Lark. Bran was able to say, “Lark, we need to talk about your mother!” and immediately pasted out.

By the next morning Bran had recovered and told Lark about his past, about her mother, and the brother she would have had. All of which she did not know until then. Bran explained that while he was alive again now, he only had a short time. Time that he wished to use to go into the woods and calm the spirit of Eiriol. 

The group managed to get to the heart of the forest where Eiriol and Sparrow were buried. There Eiriol had possessed a giant tree. So lost in her rage she attacked them and summon Ice Mephits. The group held off the Mephits as Lark and Bran tried to reach Eiriol’s spirit. 

Finally Eiriol calmed down and she physically manifest before them. The family had a short reunion. Bran gave Lark a wooden craving of a lark and a sparrow and also two raven feathers, a black and white pair. He then requested that she return to their old home in the woods to gather his remains, to buried him next to Eiriol and Sparrow and then to burn the house down. 

After a tearful goodbye Eiriol and Bran released their spirits, turning into a white raven (Bran) and a black raven (Eiriol). The spirit ravens joined a spirit sparrow before flying off into the woods. 

Lark did as her father requested and also made a stop at Aiden’s grave in the woods. She told him of her adventures since he had died and the people she had met. Then left to confront Aiden’s father, Ethan. 

Retrieving Eduard from the trunk they had put him in, they dragged him before Ethan. Using Zone of Truth Eduard confessed to what had happened four years ago. That he not Lark had killed Aiden. Lark confirmed telling Ethan that she loved his son. Ethan was reasonable and understood why Lark had ran. He announced that he would step down as lord of Gludio and would return to Silverymoon to live with his sister. He then declared that Lark could decided Eduard’s fate.

When interrogating him, they found that Eduard was deathly afraid of his mother, whom the group had meet earlier and who had asked them to kill Basilisk. Knowing that he was more afraid of her than he was of death, Lark decided to bring him to his mother. 

Lark requested from Ethan a few minutes to be alone in Aiden’s old room. There she found stories of heroes he had written as well as drawings. Some of them with her has the subject. She took the writing and the art and left. 

Goodbyes were said to the friends they had made in Gludio and the group with Eduard as a prisoner went back to Silverymoon too hand him over to his mother.

[all-things-witchcraft]

💀 Samhain 🎃

As October begins to reach it’s end and treats, as well as tricks, are getting prepared to be served to little ones, we approach the Witches favorite time of year: 

Samhain!

This will be a post for Samhain. I’ll be making these for each Sabbath! If I leave out information or you’d like to know more, please feel free to add onto this or ask me questions.

What exactly is Samhain anyway?

🎃 Meaning “Summer’s End” and pronounced saah-win or saa-ween, Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest and the start of the coldest half of the year. For many practitioners, myself included, Samhain also is the beginning of the spiritual new year.

🎃 Samhain also has been known by other names. Some Celtic Wiccans and Druids call it Calan Gaeaf, Calan Gwaf, Kala-Goanv, or Nos Galan Gaeof. In Welsh, it is Nos Cyn Calan Gaual. It also is known as Oie Houney. Variant spellings of Samhain include Samain, Samuin, and Samhuinn.

🎃 Samhain shares the ancient spiritual practice of remembering and paying respects to the Dead

🎃 Halloween, short for All Hallow’s Eve, is celebrated on and around October 31. Although occurring at the same time of year and having roots in end-of-harvest celebrations of the ancient past, Halloween and Samhain are not the same, but two separate holidays that differ considerably in focus and practice. In contemporary America and elsewhere, Halloween is a secular folk holiday. Like its cousin, Thanksgiving, it is widely and publicly celebrated in homes, schools, and communities, large and small, by people of many paths, ethnic heritages, and worldviews. Furthermore, Halloween has evolved to be both a family-oriented children’s holiday as well as an occasion for those of all ages to creatively express themselves and engage in play in the realm of make-believe and fantasy through costumes, trick-or-treating, storytelling, play-acting, pranks, cathartic scary place visits, and parties.

In contrast, Samhain and its related Christian holiday counterparts continue to be religious in focus and spiritually observed by adherents. Although observances may include merry-making, the honoring of the Dead that is central to Samhain is a serious religious practice rather than a light-hearted make-believe re-enactment. Today’s Pagan Samhain rites, while somber, are benevolent, and, although centered on death, do not involve human or animal sacrifices. Most Samhain rituals are held in private rather than in public.

🎃 Samhain’s long association with death and the Dead reflects Nature’s rhythms. In many places, Samhain coincides with the end of the growing season. Vegetation dies back with killing frosts, and therefore, literally, death is in the air. This contributes to the ancient notion that at Samhain, the veil is thin between the world of the living and the realm of the Dead and this facilitates contact and communication. 

🎃 For those who have lost loved ones in the past year, Samhain rituals can be an opportunity to bring closure to grieving and to further adjust to their being in the Otherworld by spiritually communing with them.

Some ways you can celebrate Samhain:

🍂Samhain Nature Walk - Take a meditative walk in a natural area near your home. Observe and contemplate the colors, aromas, sounds, and other sensations of the season. Experience yourself as part of the Circle of Life and reflect on death and rebirth as being an important part of Nature. If the location you visit permits, gather some natural objects and upon your return use them to adorn your home.

🍂Seasonal Imagery - Decorate your home with Samhain seasonal symbols and the colors of orange and black. Place an Autumnal wreath on your front door. Create displays with pumpkins, cornstalks, gourds, acorns, and apples. Set candles in cauldrons.

🍂Ancestors Altar - Gather photographs, heirlooms, and other mementos of deceased family, friends, and companion creatures. Arrange them on a table, dresser, or other surface, along with several votive candles. Kindle the candles in their memory as you call out their names and express well wishes. Thank them for being part of your life. Sit quietly and pay attention to what you experience. Note any messages you receive in your journal. This Ancestors Altar can be created just for Samhain or kept year round.

🍂Feast of the Dead - Prepare a Samhain dinner. Include a place setting at your table or at a nearby altar for the Dead. Add an offering of a bit of each beverage being consumed to the cup at that place setting, and to the plate, add a bit of each food served. Invite your ancestors and other deceased loved ones to come and dine with you. To have this as a Samhain Dumb Supper experience, dine in silence. After the feast, place the contents of the plate and cup for the Dead outdoors in a natural location as an offering for the Dead.

🍂Ancestor Stories - Learn about family history. Contact one or more older relatives and ask them to share memories of family members now dead. Record them in some way and later write accounts of what they share. Give thanks. Share what you learned and have written with another family member or friend. Add names of those you learned about and wish to honor to your Ancestors Altar.

🍂Cemetery Visit - Visit and tend the gravesite of a loved one at a cemetery. Call to mind memories and consider ways the loved one continues to live on within you. Place an offering there such as fresh flowers, dried herbs, or a libation of water.

🍂Reflections - Reflect on you and your life over the past year. Review journals, planners, photographs, blogs, and other notations you have created during the past year. Consider how you have grown, accomplishments, challenges, adventures, travels, and learnings. Meditate. Journal about your year in review, your meditation, and your reflections.

🍂Renovate - Select an area of your home or life as a focus. Examine it. Re-organize it. Release what is no longer needed. Create a better pattern. Celebrate renewal and transformation.

🍂Bonfire Magic - Kindle a bonfire outdoors when possible or kindle flames in a fireplace or a small cauldron. Write down an outmoded habit that you wish to end and cast it into the Samhain flames as you imagine release. Imagine yourself adopting a new, healthier way of being as you move around the fire clockwise.

🍂Divinatory Guidance - Using Tarot, Runes, Scrying, or some other method of divination, seek and reflect on guidance for the year to come. Write a summary of your process and messages. Select something appropriate to act upon and do it.

🍂Divine Invocations - Honor and call upon the Divine in one or more Sacred Forms associated with Samhain, such as the Crone Goddess and Horned God of Nature. Invite Them to aid you in your remembrance of the Dead and in your understanding of the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. If you have lost loved ones in the past year, ask these Divine Ones to comfort and support you.

🍂Transforming Expressions - If you encounter distortions, misinformation, and/or false, negative stereotypes about Paganism and Samhain in the media, contact the source, express your concerns, and share accurate information. Help eradicate derogatory stereotyping with courteous, concise, and intelligent communications.

🍂Community Connections - Connect with others. Join in a group ritual in your area. Join a Discord server for Witches. Organize a Samhain potluck in your home. Research old and contemporary Samhain customs in books, periodicals, on-line, and through communications with others. Exchange ideas, information, and celebration experiences. Regardless of whether you practice solo or with others, as part of your festivities, reflect for a time on being part of the vast network of those celebrating Samhain around the world.

What are your plans for Samhain? Feel free to share them!

[tipsycad147]

CELEBRATING SAMHAIN

by Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

As October turns to November, thousands of Witches, Wiccans, Druids, and other Pagans in America, Canada, Europe, and elsewhere observe the sacred time of Samhain. Samhain is a festival of the Dead. Meaning “Summer’s End” and pronounced saah-win or saa-ween, Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest and the start of the coldest half of the year. For many practitioners, myself included, Samhain also is the beginning of the spiritual new year.

Originating in ancient Europe as a Celtic Fire festival, Samhain is now celebrated worldwide. The timing of contemporary Samhain celebrations varies according to spiritual tradition and geography. Many of us celebrate Samhain over the course of several days and nights, and these extended observances usually include a series of solo rites as well as ceremonies, feasts, and gatherings with family, friends, and spiritual community. In the northern hemisphere, many Pagans celebrate Samhain from sundown on October 31 through November 1. Others hold Samhain celebrations on the nearest weekend or on the Full or New Moon closest to this time. Some Pagans observe Samhain a bit later, or near November 6, to coincide more closely with the astronomical midpoint between Fall Equinox and Winter Solstice. Most Pagans in the southern hemisphere time their Samhain observances to coincide with the middle of their Autumn in late April and early May, rather than at the traditional European time of the holiday.

Samhain also has been known by other names. Some Celtic Wiccans and Druids call it Calan Gaeaf, Calan Gwaf, Kala-Goanv, or Nos Galan Gaeof. In Welsh, it is Nos Cyn Calan Gaual. It also is known as Oie Houney. A medieval book of tales, the Yellow Book of Lecan, reports that common folk called it the “Feast of Mongfind,” the legendary Witch-Queen who married a King of Tara in old Ireland. In the ancient Coligny Calendar, an engraved bronze dating from the first century C.E.and dug up in 1897 in France, Samhain is called Trinouxtion Samonii, or “Three Nights of the End of Summer.” Variant spellings of Samhain include Samain, Samuin, and Samhuinn.

With the growth and spread of Christianity as the dominant religion throughout Europe, Samhain time took on Christian names and guises. All Saints’ Day or All Hallows on November 1 commemorated Christian saints and martyrs. All Souls’ Day on November 2 was a remembrance for all souls of the dead. With the coming of Christian Spaniards to Mexico, the indigenous customs of honouring the dead at this time of year mixed with Roman Catholicism and gave birth to the Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos, in early November. Samhain shares the ancient spiritual practice of remembering and paying respects to the Dead with these related religious holidays of Christianity.

Halloween, short for All Hallow’s Eve, is celebrated on and around October 31. Although occurring at the same time of year and having roots in end-of-harvest celebrations of the ancient past, Halloween and Samhain are not the same, but two separate holidays that differ considerably in focus and practice. In contemporary America and elsewhere, Halloween is a secular folk holiday. Like its cousin, Thanksgiving, it is widely and publicly celebrated in homes, schools, and communities, large and small, by people of many paths, ethnic heritages, and worldviews. Furthermore, Halloween has evolved to be both a family-oriented children’s holiday as well as an occasion for those of all ages to creatively express themselves and engage in play in the realm of make-believe and fantasy through costumes, trick-or-treating, storytelling, play-acting, pranks, cathartic scary place visits, and parties.

In contrast, Samhain and its related Christian holiday counterparts continue to be religious in focus and spiritually observed by adherents. Although observances may include merry-making, the honouring of the Dead that is central to Samhain is a serious religious practice rather than a light-hearted make-believe re-enactment. Today’s Pagan Samhain rites, while somber, are benevolent, and, although centered on death, do not involve human or animal sacrifices. Most Samhain rituals are held in private rather than in public.

Samhain’s long association with death and the Dead reflects Nature’s rhythms. In many places, Samhain coincides with the end of the growing season. Vegetation dies back with killing frosts, and therefore, literally, death is in the air. This contributes to the ancient notion that at Samhain, the veil is thin between the world of the living and the realm of the Dead and this facilitates contact and communication. For those who have lost loved ones in the past year, Samhain rituals can be an opportunity to bring closure to grieving and to further adjust to their being in the Other world by spiritually communing with them.

There are many ways to celebrate Samhain. Here are a few:

Samhain Nature Walk. Take a meditative walk in a natural area near your home. Observe and contemplate the colours, aromas, sounds, and other sensations of the season. Experience yourself as part of the Circle of Life and reflect on death and rebirth as being an important part of Nature. If the location you visit permits, gather some natural objects and upon your return use them to adorn your home.

Seasonal Imagery. Decorate your home with Samhain seasonal symbols and the colours of orange and black. Place an Autumnal wreath on your front door. Create displays with pumpkins, cornstalks, gourds, acorns, and apples. Set candles in cauldrons.

Ancestors Altar. Gather photographs, heirlooms, and other mementos of deceased family, friends, and companion creatures. Arrange them on a table, dresser, or another surface, along with several votive candles. Kindle the candles in their memory as you call out their names and express good wishes. Thank them for being part of your life. Sit quietly and pay attention to what you experience. Note any messages you receive in your journal. This Ancestors Altar can be created just for Samhain or kept year round.

Feast of the Dead. Prepare a Samhain dinner. Include a place setting at your table or at a nearby altar for the Dead. Add an offering of a bit of each beverage being consumed to the cup at that place setting, and to the plate, add a bit of each food served. Invite your ancestors and other deceased loved ones to come and dine with you. To have this as a Samhain Dumb Supper experience, dine in silence. After the feast, place the contents of the plate and cup for the Dead outdoors in a natural location as an offering for the Dead.

Ancestor Stories. Learn about family history. Contact one or older relatives and ask them to share memories of family members now dead. Record them in some way and later write accounts of what they share. Give thanks. Share what you learned and have written with another family member or friend. Add names of those you learned about and wish to honour to your Ancestors Altar.

Cemetery Visit. Visit and tend the gravesite of a loved one at a cemetery. Call to mind memories and consider ways the loved one continues to live on within you. Place an offering there such as fresh flowers, dried herbs, or a libation of water.

Reflections. Reflect on you and your life over the past year. Review journals, planners, photographs, blogs, and other notations you have created during the past year. Consider how you have grown, accomplishments, challenges, adventures, travels, and learnings. Meditate. Journal of your year in review, your meditation, and your reflections.

Renovate. Select an area of your home or life as a focus. Examine it. Re-organise it. Release what is no longer needed. Create a better pattern. Celebrate renewal and transformation.

Bonfire Magic. Kindle a bonfire outdoors when possible or kindle flames in a fireplace or a small cauldron. Write down an outmoded habit that you wish to end and cast it into the Samhain flames as you imagine release. Imagine yourself adopting a new, healthier way of being as you move around the fire clockwise.

Divinatory Guidance. Using Tarot, Runes, Scrying, or some other method of divination, seek and reflect on guidance for the year to come. Write a summary of your process and messages. Select something appropriate to act upon and do it.

Divine Invocations. Honour and call upon the Divine in one or more Sacred Forms associated with Samhain, such as the Crone Goddess and Horned God of Nature. Invite Them to aid you in your remembrance of the Dead and in your understanding of the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. If you have lost loved ones in the past year, ask these Divine Ones to comfort and support you.

Transforming Expressions. If you encounter distortions, misinformation, and/or false, negative stereotypes about Paganism and Samhain in the media, contact the source, express your concerns, and share accurate information. Help eradicate derogatory stereotyping with courteous, concise, and intelligent communications.

Community Connections. Connect with others. Join in a group ritual in your area. Organise a Samhain potluck in your home. Research old and contemporary Samhain customs in books, periodicals, on-line, and through communications with others. Exchange ideas, information, and celebration experience. Regardless of whether you practice solo or with others, as part of your festivities, reflect for a time on being part of the vast network of those celebrating Samhain around the world.

https://goodwitcheshomestead.com/2016/10/31/celebrating-samhain/

[rileyjohngibbs]

I spent last weekend at Gen Con, by far my most concentrated days of gaming all year. Even though I forgot my Gen Con hat and neglected to pack any socks at all, it was still another successful convention adventure.

My Gen Con hat that didn’t make it to Gen Con 😩

Pathfinder 2nd Edition

This year’s focus was primarily on Pathfinder 2nd Edition, which was released the same weekend as Gen Con, and for which Paizo was running Pathfinder Society scenarios. Along with my friend Erika, with whom I’ve been going to Gen Con for the last three years, I made this my focus, attempting to get in as much time trying out this new system as I could.

We ended up getting to play through three scenarios: “Escaping the Grave” on Thursday afternoon; “The Mosquito Witch” on Saturday morning; and “Origins of the Open Road” on Sunday morning. The first two were scenarios for characters of level 1-4, and the latter was for level 5 characters, and for which everyone had to play with a pre-generated character (since no one could have gotten a character up to level 5 so quickly). I played, respectively, a fighter, a bard, and a wizard, so I feel like I got a decent sampling of the spread.

Session One: “Escaping the Grave”

The Thursday afternoon game definitely dragged a bit as we were all figuring out the rules, and there were almost definitely times that we got the rules “wrong,” particularly when there were changes to concepts that overlap with Pathfinder 1st Edition, like grappling. For the first half of the session, only one person at the table had the Core Rulebook. That person was a player, and I think the GM was using a separate booklet that was provided, I presume, to all of the volunteer GMs at the convention. I acquired a copy during a brief intermission mid-session at the “Grab and Go” table just outside the Sagamore Ballroom where all the Pathfinder games were happening.

Our group for our first Pathfinder session on Thursday afternoon

Incidentally, I got the deluxe version, which basically just has a fancy-looking cover. One of the other players asked me honestly (not rhetorically or with admonition) why I got that version. And I answered honestly: Just to show off. (I also like the cleaner design of the cover instead of the illustration on the regular version. I don’t really care about the faux leather or the bookmarking ribbon.)

Session Two: “The Mosquito Witch”

The Saturday morning game was actually the roughest one. Firstly, I had been up late the night before playing D&D with Erika and Ben, the latter of whom was play-testing an adventure he’s developing for a Kickstarter reward as part of his job at Skybound Games. Then I got up early (after ~4.5 hours of sleep, which I grant you some con-goers would consider luxurious) to get in my weekly long run (building up to my third try at the 70.3 triathlon in October) of 9.5 miles. After a quick breakfast of a bagel and some yogurt, we sat down to play, and within an hour I was crashing hard. It’s not often that I buy a Coke at 9 AM.

Our GM’s fiancée knit this mosquito witch doll visual aid

This adventure, “The Mosquito Witch,” was a horror-themed mystery adventure. It is supposed to be an open-ended exploration and investigation, but I often felt like we didn’t have any clear directions for where to go. We had an objective—get rid of the plague of mosquitos and see if the Mosquito Witch is real or just folklore—and that may have actually been the problem. If the intent of the scenario had just been to explore with no particular objective in mind, then it would perhaps have been less frustrating feeling like we didn’t have a strong lead; wandering with seemingly no progress being made would have helped us to embrace the eeriness of the scenario.

Ultimately we completed the objective and got rid of the mosquitos, but we didn’t know we had done so until the GM quickly wrapped up the adventure, being low on time, and explained to us that the creatures we had just killed had been responsible. The most exciting moment had been when Erika caused the runaway carriage to flip when they cast some color spray on two of the six horses. I guess we were supposed to pull the passengers out of the carriage, but I liked their solution more.

Session Three: “Origins of the Open Road”

Sunday morning’s adventure provided a glimpse of higher-level play. Usually, first level play feels very limiting. Your character dies easily and you don’t have many spells or options. That wasn’t really the case with Pathfinder 2E. My 5th-level wizard definitely had more spells prepared, and there may have been some class features I didn’t use to their potential, but I felt like I had just as much fun with the level 1 fighter as I did with the wizard.

Our “Origins of the Open Road” session

There was a fellow at the table with us who looked very familiar and who just would not stop talking, garnishing his comments with nervous laughter. He had no ill intentions, and certainly wasn’t mean, but it’s exhausting constantly acknowledging—with a response in kind, or with a polite smile or courteous laugh—another player’s commentary on everything that happens, especially when he’s turning and looking directly at me when he does it. I started to get the sense that he wasn’t the kind of guy who picked up easily on social cues, and realized that he wouldn’t press a point if I just didn’t respond. So I didn’t anymore, and mostly just acted like he wasn’t talking at all. The game experience improved for me accordingly.

I somewhat surreptitiously messaged Erika, asking them if they recognized this guy from somewhere. They told me that they think we played with him last year, and that he jabbered as consistently then too.

After-Hours TTRPGs

We had some after-hours gaming as well, including the previously mentioned session of D&D that Ben ran on Friday night. We also reconvened on Saturday night to play Shadow of the Demon Lord, picking up a couple other players, Dan and Alex, who also work at Skybound. I’ve known Dan for a few years now through Ben, but this was the first time I’d met Alex. GMing with strangers doesn’t make me nervous, nor does running a game I’m not familiar with too much, but the combination of the two left me worried. But of course, Ben and Dan are good people, and I can wager that anyone they freely associate with would be as well, which assuaged my anxiety.

Ben preparing to run our after-hours D&D game on Friday night

We played both nights at the open gaming tables in the J. W. Marriott hotel where Skybound folk were staying. They have one enormous ballroom for open gaming, and smaller rooms designated for RPGs, but no one’s keeping track.

I was glad to get to run Demon Lord because it’s a system I’m still getting comfortable with, and so there’s a fun learning curve to it, and because Erika had been looking forward to playing it again since we played a game last year, GMed real standup by a guy who had plenty of experience with it. They like how much less there is they they need to keep track of as a player, which is important when you’re new to a system and even to the genre of tabletop RPGs. It’s also nice even if you’ve been playing them for decades, because it allows you to focus on the story, if that’s the thing you’re into, which I am.

The rules system is so simple that, although I had some pregen characters that I had thrown together, I figured it actually wouldn’t be too difficult to make characters together at the table and still have time to run the adventure I had planned. So that’s exactly what we did, rolling dice for all of the fun backstory stuff that the rulebook has tables for. Dan’s dwarf, I recall, was randomly determined to have a “magnificent belly” and to be very well groomed, with an excellent beard. Alex’s character had died once and been brought back to life, so he started with a couple points of insanity. Ben likewise had one point of insanity to start because his changeling had only recently learned of his true nature, having spent over six decades—a randomly determined age—thinking he was just a normal human. Erika had mostly made their character already. I was a little disappointed to see they didn’t go with a clockwork as they had previously expressed interest in, but what mattered more was that I enjoyed watching them read excitedly through the PDF of the rulebook on their phone and writing down bits for their character.

They completed the adventure without too much difficulty, maybe even not enough difficulty, as I’m not well versed yet in gauging these things for Demon Lord. I’d give myself three stars of five if zero isn’t an option. Everyone seemed to have sufficient fun, and I appreciated that Alex downloaded the rulebook to his phone as well, and read up on the pantheon of Old Gods in order to better inform his choices for his cleric character. Erika also expressed again later that they were glad we got to play. And if those metrics weren’t enough, it should mark the session as a success that I find myself looking for time in my schedule at home to run more Demon Lord.

Purchases and Wanderings

Between all of these things, I didn’t do too much wandering of the exhibitors hall, and purchased few things. I met up with my friend Alex John (not to be confused with Skybound Alex), and he introduced me to a game he had bought that I liked enough to get myself, but as a gift for my sister, who I thought would enjoy it. Walking around with Alex, I also bought a Player Notebook from Monte Cook Games’ booth, which is conveniently divided into sections for three different characters. (I passed on the GM Notebook this time, but maybe I’ll come back to it.)

I bought a camera shortly before leaving for Gen Con, and tried it out by taking pictures of cosplayers, our Pathfinder sessions, and Cardhalla, the area where attendees build structures from donated gaming cards, which are destroyed on Saturday night by coins that are then donated to charity. I’m a little shy about stopping people for their picture, since it’s not always clear to me when people might just want to be left alone to wander the convention, or if they’re in a hurry to get somewhere.

I picked up the Pooky character for Red Dragon Inn, as well as their Gen Con themed set of Genevieve (the Gen Con mascot dragon) cards. This latter was not a deck, just a thin set of cards that I’m not even entirely sure yet how to use.

I only demoed a couple of new games, including Trial By Trolley, which the Skybound folks are publishing with Cyanide and Happiness, and which had its own booth. I was already a backer for the Kickstarter, and Ben had been telling me about the game and the Kickstarter campaign, so I knew what to expect already. Skybound Alex and Jon, another Skybound fellow I know well enough, ran the demo round that I played in. Since it’s a social game, their contributions to the round really made it, and showed how much fun it will be at parties.

I don’t usually like using computers or technology of any kind at the gaming table, but Arkenforge’s GM tools software impressed me enough—and it was cheap enough—that I decided after a demo and some exhaustive questioning about it to buy it. But I haven’t tried it out yet in a live fire session, so verdict is still out on that.

Unrelated to any gaming activities, I bought a book called Vote for Dog, a collection of animal comics (mostly dogs) that I knew Danielle would enjoy, along with an enamel pin and shirt to go with it that both declare, “Vote for Dog.”

Final Thoughts

When I go to Gen Con, I have to actively stop myself from worrying about what I’ve missed. I missed the destruction of Cardhalla, for example, because we were playing Shadow of the Demon Lord at the time. I wish I could have seen Cardhalla go down, but I just have to be okay with my decision to prioritize one thing over another. There’s no right or wrong way to do Gen Con as long as you’re doing the things you wanted to do, and I think I’ve managed that.

Cardhalla on Thursday

Cardhalla on Thursday

Cardhalla on Thursday

And Cardhalla on Saturday, hours before its destruction

And Cardhalla on Saturday, hours before its destruction

I did skip the Iron GM Championship this year. On balance and after a year of reflection, I mostly enjoyed the experience, but the opportunity cost was too high, taking up most of Saturday afternoon running a game for strangers in a competitive environment that isn’t my favorite. I instead spent my Saturday afternoon walking the floor, prepping for Demon Lord, and taking a hard nap to make up for the lost sleep. No regrets at all, and I hope that Iron GM went well for everyone that did it this year.

The current plan is to skip Gen Con next year in favor of Dragon Con down in Atlanta at the beginning of September, for which Erika is also planning to join me. I haven’t been to Dragon Con since 2015, when I went with my cousin Edd and stayed with my aunt Mimi and her family for a week or so. Dragon Con has a much broader focus, with a lot more cosplayers and much more of a party vibe. Last time I didn’t get to really get into the party atmosphere after hours, but maybe next year we’ll dive in and see what it’s all about. It’s not “the best four days in gaming,” but I’m sure we’ll still get some gaming in while we’re there.

Shoutout to this cupcake truck at Gen Con with a rainbow cupcake called the “Mike Pence”

Gen Con 2019 Roundup I spent last weekend at Gen Con, by far my most concentrated days of gaming all year.