#was blessed with the power of foresight

[astra-ravana]

Witch's Marks

Throughout history, certain bodily features, marks, and signs have been associated with witchcraft. Some were used as evidence in witch trials, while others are esoteric indicators of magickal potential. This guide explores birthmarks, scars, deformities, palmistry signs, and other physical features believed to mark someone as a witch.

The Devil’s Mark (Historical Accusations)

During European and Colonial American witch trials, interrogators searched for "witch marks"—signs that a person had made a pact with the Devil. These included:

• Birthmarks, moles, or skin discolorations – Believed to be "kissed" or marked by spirits.

• Unusual scars – Especially if they did not bleed or were insensitive to pain.

• Extra nipples or "witch's teat" – Supposedly used to nurse familiars or demons.

• Cold or unbleeding spots – Accused witches were pricked with needles; if they didn’t bleed, it was considered proof of guilt.

• Webbed fingers or extra digits – Rare genetic traits mistaken for supernatural origins.

Many of these were simply natural bodily variations but were feared in times of witch hunts and superstition.

Birthmarks & Deformities (Signs of Magical Power)

In folklore, specific birthmarks were considered signs of innate witchery or past-life connections to magick:

• Crescent Moon Birthmark – A birthmark in the shape of a moon was thought to indicate a connection to lunar magick and intuition.

• Pentagram or Star-shaped Marks – Rare but sometimes reported, believed to signify natural protection and spiritual insight.

• Heart-shaped Birthmarks – Associated with love magick and emotional sensitivity.

• Red or Wine-Colored Marks (Port-Wine Stains) – In some cultures, these were seen as marks of a fire-witch or one chosen by spirits.

• Marks on the Hands or Feet – A birthmark on the palm was believed to give heightened intuition.

• Eye Discoloration (Heterochromia or Unusual Eyes) – Seen as a sign of second sight or fae lineage.

Palmistry Indicators of a Witch

Palmistry holds many signs that indicate a natural witch, healer, or mystic. The most significant ones include:

• The Mystic Cross or Secret Cross(X Between Heart & Head Lines) – A powerful mark of psychic ability and magickal talent.

• Psychic Crosses - Potent psychic ability, blessed by the planets at birth.

• The Healer’s Mark (Multiple Vertical Lines on the Mercury Mount) – Found on those gifted in energy work, spellcraft, and healing.

• The Conjure Mark - A star mark under the ring finger that indicates special talents in magick and spiritual favor.

• The Mystic M - 'M' shaped lines that indicate heightened intuition and mystical abilities.

• The Ring of Solomon (A Semi-circle Under the Index Finger) – Indicates a deep understanding of occult wisdom and esoteric arts.

• The Deep Cross - An inverted cross that symbolizes cleverness, trickiness, luck, and a connection to the crossroads.

• The Psychic Triangle - Indicator of strong psychic abilities.

• The Fate Line Merging with the Life Line – Shows a destiny closely tied to magick and spirituality.

• Astral Travel Lines - Indicator of ability to transcend time and space.

• The Debtor's Mark - Indicates a generational curse, appears as an 'X' on the thumb.

• A Star on the Mount of Moon (Near the Base of the Palm) – Indicates prophetic dreams, intuition, and a connection to spirits.

• Curved or Clawed Index Finger – Called the "witch’s finger", symbolizing strong will and magickal power.

• Unusual Fingernail Shapes – Some traditions claim long, almond-shaped, or black-ridged nails indicate magickal energy.

Facial & Eye Features of a Witch

Certain facial traits were thought to reveal innate magickal abilities:

• Different Colored Eyes (Heterochromia) – Considered a sign of foresight or fae ancestry.

• Deep-Set or Piercing Eyes – Often linked to hypnotic power and psychic perception.

• Naturally Arched or "Fox-Like" Eyebrows – Some folklore says this reveals a cunning or spellcasting nature.

• A Widow’s Peak Hairline – In some cultures, a widow’s peak was seen as a sign of powerful intuition.

Other Supernatural Bodily Features

• Toes of Equal Length (Greek Foot) – Thought to be a mark of spiritual leaders, witches, or powerful souls.

• Long or Slender Fingers – Associated with energy manipulation and spellcasting.

• Naturally Cold Hands – In some traditions, this was seen as a sign of spirit sensitivity.

• Naturally White or Silver Hair (Young Age) – Seen as a sign of wisdom beyond one's years and magical lineage.

• Unusual Hair Growth Patterns – Some cultures believed a single streak of white hair indicated past-life magic use.

• Unusually Pale or Unnaturally Dark Skin (Relative to Ancestry) – In folklore, extreme contrast in skin tone was thought to mark those "touched" by magic.

Scars & Witch Marks from Rituals

Some witches intentionally mark themselves with scars, tattoos, or ritual wounds as signs of initiation, devotion, or power. These include:

• Self-Carved Sigils or Runes – Done in blood magic or personal empowerment rituals.

• Burn Marks (Fire Walkers or Flame-Proof Witches) – Some traditions claim that a witch initiated into fire magic might have a burn-resistant patch of skin.

• Scars from Spiritual Battles or Shamanic Trials – Found in spirit workers and energy healers, especially in Indigenous traditions.

While historical witch marks were often used to persecute and harm innocent people, many esoteric traditions still recognize certain physical signs as indicators of magical gifts. Whether birthmarks, palmistry signs, or deliberate markings, these features connect people to the ancient mystical heritage of witchcraft.

Do you have any of these witch marks? Many believe that discovering such features can be a sign of magical potential, past-life witchcraft, or a deep connection to the unseen world.

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Yandere Dorm leaders(plus jamil) with a fem hunter of Artemis reader, basically reader had however many years ago prior to ending up in twisted wonderland had sworn herself to Artemis and became a hunter of Artemis, Reader is good at hunting, archery, fighting etc, she's also immortal and can only die in battle and oh yeah Reader had sworn to never make romantic relations with men as Artemis is goddess of virginity and had sworn off men herself and has all her hunters do the same since 'men are just distractions'.

If you're not currently taking requests you can just ignore this

Artemis Hunter Fem Reader | Yandere Twisted Wonderland

In Greek mythology the goddess Artemis stood for the pure maiden, the respectful hunt with archery, and childbirth. Back in your world, you are the closest thing to a child for the goddess. A nymph devotee blessed with her power and foresight. Where you are now is considered the belly of the beast surrounded by men who want nothing more than to have you. So the battle for your chastity and independence vs their determination and power begins:

Idia Shroud

“Ah!”

“This is not a time to be crying Idia, you’re the one who challenged me!”

“To a battle match IN GAME! I can’t compete with you on a physical level!”

“Too bad!”

It’s truly a match of brawns and brains according to Idia

Him with his constantly evolving technology to chase away contenders 

And you with your physical aptitude to avoid and cleverness falter any obstacle he throws in your way

He falls in love through his screen

Witnessing your sweetness through Ortho 

And your heroics through cameras he’s placed around

Is it so bad he wants to drag the hero to the underworld

He can’t decide if he wants to drag you to depravity or to fuel your image of a hero

So he settles to one day trap you

Maybe then he’ll decide

Jamil Viper

“I’ve been warned about snakes such as you!”

“And what was said?”

“That you’re not nearly as much fun to hunt!”

He often finds himself feeling the need to antagonize you

To engage in a ‘hunt’ with you

It’s not a physical one 

More so mental

It’s an unspoken game between you two 

And he’s not willing to back down

But neither are you

He absolutely adores playing basketball with you

Seeing the sweet create a shiny sheen over your body

It makes him excited 

You’ll weirdly feel sympathy for him

Something about being bound against his will 

Cruelly reminds of the poor animals poached 

He comes to realize this 

And he plans to use this to win

Rook Hunt

“You’re skill is far better than mine.”

“Don’t fret I’ve been blessed by Artemis. I may not have magic but I do have my bow.”

“That you do...”

“So…would you like a head start?”

Of course there's only two things can happen when two hunters meet

hunt the same prey

Or Hunt one another

Since Artemis prides herself on hunting within reason and not persecuting the weak

You decide to do the latter 

After all from the beginning he’s decided to hunt for the one thing Artemis absolutely asks that you protect

So it’s only natural that there will be sparks whenever you to decide to release your arrows

While in archery you might outclass him 

it’s easy to forget

He’s familiar with the terrain, with the presence of magic

He’s got just enough to properly consider a threat 

But he’s so determined and so sneaky its a wonder if you’ll realize it in time 

He hopes not 

But at the same time he knows the hunt is about to conclude when the doe knows to run

So on second thought he hopes you do

[apollonia4]

Power analysys + headcanons

Side characters! ♡

Barbatos:

• It is canon that his power has to do something with time.

• I don't know if it's exactly time manipulation though cause (pls correct me if I'm wrong) we don't see him stopping or slowing down time in the game.

But I headcanon that yes, he can manipulate time but only in a certain range. Like whenever he uses it, it's not gonna be the whole devildom. No. That'd be unconventional. I'm thinking he can specfically target his power at someone, causing them to potentially turn into a child or something.

• Another ability of his is definitely foresight. He can choose to look as far as he wants into the future whenever he wishes.

• Interdimensional travel for sure (canon), so traveling to other dimensions -timelines. It's a bit tricky with that cause whenever he used this power ingame he used that in his room. I'm thinking maybe there's a limited ammount of passageways he can create? Every power must have a limit after all.

• BARBATOS IS TOUGH, TIME POWERS SHI IS NOT FOR THE WEAK💔

Diavolo:

•Many people do forget this but I believe in the OG game, it's stated that he IS more powerfull than Barbatos(Something along the lines of "the most powerfull demon in the devildom").

•Soooo with all we got from the game, I headcanon the power of spontaneous creation.

•It is mentioned he once created a whole island solely for chilling. And the thing with Lilith?? How did he do that??

• So yeah I'm thinking he can create OR change reality as he pleases(kinda like the Scarlet Witch if that helps ya).

• But of course such powerfull ability has a limit and it's side effects. I'll probably do a separate post about those.

Solomon:

• Canonically the most powerfull sorcerer in human history (not for long thoughh :3)

• VERY skilled in summoning let it be the demons he has pacts with or any other thing/creature really.

• Can also teleport quickly and effectively.

• He has pacts with OVER 72 demons so I'm thinking he can use their powers as his own even if they're far away.

• Let's be fair that man is over a 1000 years old, almost no demon has anything on him now.

Simeon:

• Really had to think on this one cause we don't see him use his powers in game.

• I say light manipulation.

• So basically, similiar to Lucifer he can create his own light or manipulate the existing one.

• I also headcanon that he has the ability to overcome and exorcise evil spirits (those originated from the Devildom that is).

• Also the angel's blessing ofc.

Luke:

• He is still young so I headcanon that his powers haven't showed yet.

• But when they will I think it's gonna be more like a defensive power, it would reflect of his personality.

• Some neat healing and regenerative powers, also creating shields AND the angel's blessing.

Raphael:

•Thee scariest angel of them all, I'll give him full marks for that.

• We know he summons spears but in my opinion he has the ability to summon any angelic weapon. Those will do enchanced damage, will be easier to handle and probably will have some side effects.

• Man's basically a walking armory, due to that his fighting skills are perfected. He's basically a master with any weapon.

•In addition he is stronger and more agile than most of the angels.

Mephistopheles:

• His power is actually REALLY cool guys.

• It's canon that if he makes a deal with someone, he can poses any power he so wishes (Mammon would lowkey love that power)

• But I'm thinking the only problem is that there isn't always someone to assist him so it would seem he's defenseless.

• Not at all, Mephistopheles carries a sword at his side if I'm correct and I headcanon that it's some kind of a legendary ancient weapon to slay demons.

He IS skilled with it and also trained in martial arts so beware.

• So his second power is: rich/hj

• He is also pretty witty when it comes to his opponents, often tricking them into strucking a deal with him.

Thirteen:

• She is a reaper and those have the power to collect souls that separated from the human body.

• But reapers have rules so I don't think she CAN use this ability whenever she wishes.

•Buuuut just because she is not allowed to doesn't mean she won't do it. That's Thirteen after all, I'm sure she's taken out a few annoying brats before. It takes so little to blow out a candle.

•She also has a high skill of wielding the scythe she was given when she started her "job" as a reaper, after all reapers are not the only ones collecting soulsss.

• That weapon is mighty and works for all types of beings, no matter good or bad because reapers are neutral.

[ruinofchimera]

Regulus Black.

The boy who cracked Voldemort’s secret, turned against the Dark Lord, and gave his life to strike a decisive blow for the greater good. Sounds impressive, right?

But don’t let the fanon fever dream—or the Chalamet cheekbones—fool you.

1. The Fanboy Who Bought His Own Propaganda

How did Regulus get into this mess in the first place? He wasn’t dragged kicking and screaming into Voldemort’s inner circle. He wanted it. This was the boy who looked at Voldemort’s genocidal cult and thought, “Yes, this is my moment.” Voldemort wasn’t just a leader to Regulus—he was an idol, a pure-blood messiah, promising everything Regulus had been raised to worship.

His parents weren’t even Death Eaters themselves. Walburga and Orion preferred to clink their glasses from the sidelines, content to watch the chaos from their pure-blood balcony seats.

But Regulus? He wanted center stage. For him, the Death Eaters weren’t a prison—they were a playground. He signed up for the dark glamour, the exclusivity, and the chance to be on the frontlines of Voldemort’s “vision.” Regulus wasn’t coerced or manipulated—he was all in, fully convinced he was playing for the winning team.

Until, of course, Voldemort stopped being the star of Regulus’s dark power fantasy. And when reality set in, Regulus had a change of heart. But did he admit, “I was wrong”? Did he stand up and fight for the people he’d helped oppress? No. He folded.

2. The Master Plan That Wasn’t

Regulus was practically spoon-fed the truth about the Horcruxes. Voldemort’s most guarded secret was gift-wrapped and dumped at his feet, courtesy of a tortured house-elf.

And this wasn’t just any secret. This was the kind of revelation that could’ve turned the entire war around. But instead of responding with precision, foresight, or even basic competence, Regulus managed to botch it at every possible step.

Step 1: He stole the locket.

Stealing the locket sounds like a bold move, right? On paper, it’s the kind of Gryffindor-level defiance fandom loves to romanticize. But in reality, it was a tactical nightmare.

Regulus didn’t just take the locket from a location Voldemort’s obnoxious ego would’ve eventually exposed. No, he took it and hid it in Grimmauld Place.

Instead of leaving it in the cave, where someone might’ve uncovered it, Regulus thought, “You know what? Let me stash this in my creepy ancestral house, where only my guilt-ridden, traumatized house-elf knows it exists.” Revolutionary thinking, truly. Because when dismantling a Dark Lord’s immortality, the best plan is obviously to make the Horcrux even more inaccessible, right?

The only reason the locket ever surfaced was because Harry inherited Grimmauld Place. If not for that stroke of luck, the locket would’ve sat there, untouched and invincible, for decades. Maybe centuries.

Or worse—as we saw happen in canon—it could’ve been stolen, passed from hand to hand like a cursed trinket, and lost forever. Voldemort would’ve cackled his way to world domination while the wizarding community fought a battle they couldn’t ever win.

Step 2: He didn’t destroy it.

Destroying a Horcrux isn’t easy—I’ll give Regulus that. But did he even try? Or did he just hand the locket to Kreacher with the world’s vaguest instructions, essentially saying, “Figure it out, sweetie,” before marching off to die dramatically?

Kreacher, bless his loyal, trauma-ridden heart, spent decades torturing himself trying to destroy an indestructible object with no tools, no guidance, and no real chance of success. He tried everything he could think of, punishing himself endlessly for failing a task that was never within his power to complete.

Regulus doomed him. Instead of empowering Kreacher to carry out his wishes, Regulus turned his act of “redemption” into a lifelong burden for someone who had no choice but to carry it.

Step 3: He told no one.

Now here’s where Regulus truly shines in sabotage disguised as sacrifice. Whether it was arrogance, misplaced pride, or a refusal to meaningfully contribute to Voldemort’s downfall, he ensured that the secret he uncovered—the one that could have turned the war on its head—was buried right alongside him.

Perhaps the poor boy couldn’t stomach the idea of contacting Dumbledore or joining the resistance. Maybe the thought of lowering himself to grovel before the Order, confessing his sins, and actually helping was too much for his delicate pure-blood ego.

But what, then, compelled him to entomb such precious knowledge alongside his corpse? Would it have killed him—again—to ensure Kreacher delivered the locket and its significance to someone who could actually do something about it?

Instead, Regulus left behind nothing but a moody breakup note to Voldemort that helped absolutely no one.

“I hope you will be mortal once more.” Oh yes, that glorified Dear John letter. Maybe he thought his scathing parting words would haunt Voldemort forever. Perhaps Tom was meant to reread it late at night, questioning his life choices.

3. What Could Have Been

Regulus had options. So many options. The fact that he chose the least effective course of action is almost impressive in its sheer incompetence.

He could’ve swallowed his pride and gone to Dumbledore. Say what you will about the man, but Dumbledore was Voldemort’s greatest fear for a reason. Armed with Regulus’s intel, Dumbledore could’ve started breaking apart the Horcrux network years earlier, crippling Voldemort before Harry was even born.

He could’ve warned the Order. Regulus could’ve shared this revelation with his brother. He could’ve even scrawled a quick, anonymous note: “Voldemort made Horcruxes. Here’s one.” That alone could’ve shifted the entire war.

He could’ve destroyed the locket himself. With access to cursed objects, forbidden magic, and centuries of pure-blood knowledge, Regulus had the resources to figure it out.

If Regulus had simply done nothing—if he had left the Horcrux untouched in Voldemort’s lair, waiting for someone more competent to find it—it still would’ve been a better choice than what he did. At least then, it wouldn’t have been stashed in a location even less traceable than Voldemort’s own cursed lake.

4. The Fallout of Failure

Regulus didn’t just fail—he left behind a colossal mess for others to clean up.

Kreacher suffered for decades. The loyal house-elf blamed himself for a failure that was never his fault. Regulus didn’t just abandon the locket—he abandoned Kreacher to a lifetime of guilt and self-inflicted punishment.

The Order fought blind. Deprived of any knowledge about Voldemort’s Horcruxes, the Order spent years floundering in the dark, waging desperate battles against Death Eaters while the true key to victory—Voldemort’s immortality—remained untouched.

The Trio cleaned up his mess. Harry, Ron, and Hermione spent months hunting down a Horcrux that could’ve been destroyed decades earlier. Their entire mission to find and destroy Voldemort’s Horcruxes was prolonged and made infinitely harder.

5. Fandom’s Saint of Aesthetic Suffering

In the end, Regulus was just a boy who stumbled onto a world-shattering discovery, fumbled it completely, and left behind a legacy so utterly useless that it took sheer dumb luck to untangle long after his dramatic exit. Regulus’s actions didn’t just delay Voldemort’s defeat—they actively sabotaged the resistance.

But none of this matters. Fandom doesn’t love Regulus for his actions—it loves him for his aesthetic.

A brooding boy with tragic eyes, a flair for melodrama, and three vague lines of backstory ripe for fans to twist into epic sagas of angst and redemption—and to demand the rest of us bow down in worship of their self-styled martyr.

[windvexer]

pick a blessing 🌼 pick a protector spirit (0)

How to play:

Decide if you want only the blessing, only the protector spirit, or both.

Choose an emoji sequence based on the vibes.

Discover your blessing and your protector.

Do you want the help of an animal guardian spirit? Try using this technique to call protective energies into your space. For a more relaxing meditation that can include your blessing and your protector, try this type of shielding instead.

Option 1: 🍡🌄🍅

Option 2: 🌊📝💙

Option 3: 🍖🎟👑

The following blessings and protectors aren't traditional magical correspondences :) This post is not a valid reference for your grimoire

Option 1:

🍡🌄🍅

Blessing: Willow

Willows are trees of immense magical power, deeply associated with the moon. They're able to protect against all evil and can guard boundaries and gateways, keeping out whatever isn't allowed across the threshold.

Your Willow blessing is to overcome obstacles, so you may pass freely while others are stopped from crossing you.

Protector: Goat

Goat is a sure-footed ally who is able to leap between points of tiniest stability with ease. She never looses his footing, but her headbutt makes her more than capable of toppling people much bigger than she is.

Goat will stand with you and help you find your sure footing today. Ask her to knock over people who are threatening your stability and safe spaces.

Option 2:

🌊📝💙

Blessing: Pansy

The beautiful Pansy brings the power of thoughtfulness and foresight into your life. He brings the blessing of being able to think clearly, especially about how what you say or do will be taken by others.

Your Pansy blessing is to be shrouded by a veil of flowers that block you from distraction and part a curtain to clarify important thoughts.

Protector: Dragonfly

Dragonfly seems to be suspended weightless upon the air, able to move with breathless dexterity and grace. As a protector, they bring the power of balance to your life - not exerting too much in any one area, and protecting you from being forced into over-exertion.

Dragonfly will hover over your shoulder and show you how to move with balance, while cleaving the power of those who would try to make you stumble.

Option 3:

🍖🎟👑

Blessing: Thistle

Unbeknownst to many, the Thistle is a plant of magical potency. It can be used to great effect to break hexes, the evil-eye, or malicious intent. It also protects against these things before they happen, making it a powerful ally of the home.

Thistle's blessing is to break any ill-intent from others that may be plaguing you, so that you don't carry the burdensome energies others have thrown upon you.

Protector: Hawk

An apex predator that soars through the skies, Hawk is able to see the tiniest movement on the ground far below and swoop in to catch her dinner. As a protector, Hawk has incredible vision and can see the tiniest little problem from a mile away, swooping in to catch it.

Hawk will fly with you and catch small problems as they arise, turning them around to your benefit.

[mithosis]

"Do you know what lies on the path before you? I do."

Meet Stig, my little blind norn seer with his flock of bird friends :) A Herald with a twist. Eventually a Wayfinder, separate from the Commander!

Sooooo I've already had this character for a while, (both in gw2 and out). I have a sylvari version of him — and he will still be existing and thriving as a separate character! However, I wanted to bring the original version of him to life as well. He always had Nordic themes, so making this version of him a norn was an obvious choice

Anyway, there is lore and a funny sketch under the cut for those who'd want to look at them!! (a huge chunk of text again, yeah, I'm sorry. It's featuring @lady-quen's Numen, though!! *wink wink*)

Maybe the weakest, skinniest little norn with nothing much behind his name, Stig was somewhat of an outcast from the moment he was born. Blind since birth, he was "blessed" by an elusive Cuckoo Spirit to help him on his life's journey, yet unable to shapeshift into their form or communicate with them, no matter how hard he tried. He was considered unworthy of norns' boastful lifestyle by some, and pitied for his misfortunes by others, although nobody could ever compare to how he looked upon himself for the happenstance of his birth. Was he "defective" in some way, not worth the effort to lift him up and let him live a life, try to reach for something more?

Still staying loyal to Cuckoo even without their support, Stig turned to Raven after being noticed by him for the cleverness with which the little norn tried to overcome the burdens of his own existence — there, at a young age, was discovered his gift of foresight, an explanation to all the weird sensory visions he would receive; some of them even looked as if he could actually see. Different kinds, both cryptic and mundane. Finally, something he could do and help others with, right? It was probably nice for a time, until enough commotions or unfortunate events were caused, maybe even blamed on him for doing his job wrong, causing Stig to be ever more cautious with sharing what he had gleaned.

Two ravens he rescued were his main company, aside from occasionally the kid of the famous Eir Stegalkin and his little brother with a strange affinity for ice magic. One day, however, the scenery changed into a strange landscape, an echo of the real world, as Stig stumbled through a wayward portal into the Mists. He had to survive there for a time all alone, not even his feathery friends to accompany him, communing with Spirits — then anyone, who'd listen — and desperately trying to get back home. A subtle whisper in his head grew louder the more time he spent essentially meditating, a voice of a person, until it formed and presented itself as none other than Asgeir Dragonrender. With his, rather frustrated at first, help, the little norn managed to get back to the world of the living, though not before getting injured on the way home — a weird, potent surge of lightning struck him. He awoke back home already tended to.

Other norn don't believe him at first when he claims Asgeir was the one to help and guide him — it takes a bit of convincing, talking with the legendary hero's echo and showing Stig's newfound strengths. He can channel the power of the Mists through their connection now, something only havrouns of the Spirits of the Wild can typically do. This earns him the respect of his peers — after all, he is aided by Dragonrender himself. People around him wonder: this must mean he could be the one to crack the Tooth, the Norn of Prophecy, right? Someone Stig never even dared to believe he could be.

However, it was never meant to be. After all the extra training and tireless nights of adapting the chosen combat style to his needs, the one to challange the Tooth wasn't him — instead, it was the hot-headed son of Eir, his friend Braham, who's been adventuring with the famous Pact Commander away from Hoelbrak. One arrow was fired — and as the icy exterior of the trophy crumbled, so did Stig's hopes of proving himself worthy to these people. He became an outcast again. At least his birds and Asgeir were still with him. It didn't matter that Braham supposedly failed his mission to kill the Ice Dragon afterwards: the damage was already done.

Then everything started to go downhill once Kralkatorrik was slain. Unexplainable mysteries, strange fog, disappearances. His friend becoming more and more distant and physically cold until one day he was gone as well. One of the only people who showed Stig what kindness looked like, aside from his mother. It was distressing, scary, none of his visions showing him the way — so he had to find his own, once again. This was the decision that led him to join the Commander and Braham in their venture to the Far Shiverpeaks, and discover the true nature of the little elementalist he called a friend — a scion and champion of Jormag, Numen, who's been the mysterious Cuckoo "Spirit" this whole time.

The team has to confront this dragon on the surface of a cold, frozen Lake Doric — and Asgeir recognizes it. Every norn knows the story of the legendary slayer of Frostfang — Dragonrender killed Jormag's greatest champion in one blow with the help of the Spirits. It was a clear victory, the thing falling off a cliff from the sheer force of the blow, mortally wounded. So how could the very same creature stand before him once again?

The question was answered when the dragon showed the large scar on their neck; they didn't quite remember the fight, but the old wound spoke for itself. A surprise for everyone involved — the greatest kill of Asgeir turned out to be a failure. Remains of the beast were confused with those of Claws of Jormag. And maybe a fact worst of all for the echo of a fallen hero — the frigid monster he was sure he had slain turned out to be one of the very Spirits that helped guide his people to the new home.

(Cue the funny sketch I promised)

Even after that, the team managed to save Numen and end the terror of both Dragons of Fire and Ice.

Eventually, Stig would become Numen's Champion, wanting to be there for them like the dragon was for him. Maybe he had finally found a place he was meant to be in, beside this creature of ice — lonely, yet so full of love for the world. Asgeir wasn't too amused, but what is one more voice in Stig's head, right?

This would mean he'd continue to help the Commander further down the line, and maybe even meet the elusive wizards in their glittering towers — who might have a hand in him meeting Asgeir in the first place.

Woah, if you got to this part, thank you for reading!! I love you <3

[the-mortuary-witch]

APOLLO

WHO IS HE?

Apollo is the god of the sun, prophecy, oracles, light, music, the arts, song, poetry, healing, medicine, plague, disease, protection of the youth, knowledge, and herds. He is the son of the god Zeus and the goddess Leto, and the twin brother of the goddess Artemis. Apollo is depicted as a handsome and radiant god who is skilled in many areas, including music, archery, and medicine. He was also known for his intelligence and foresight, and was often consulted for advice and prophecies. Apollo was often depicted holding a lyre, the instrument that he played and used to soothe the worries of mortals.

BASIC INFO: 

Appearance: Apollo is usually depicted as a handsome young man with golden hair and a radiant complexion. He often wears a laurel wreath, which is a symbol of victory and excellence, on his head. He is also often depicted holding a bow, a lyre, or both, and wearing a flowing robe that is sometimes adorned with intricate patterns. Apollo is often portrayed as a youthful and attractive god, with a strong build and a confident, almost arrogant demeanor.

Personality: he is known for being a warm and affectionate deity who is fond of his devotees and enjoys their company. He is often depicted as being charismatic and charming, and is known for his quick wit and intelligence. He is also known for his appreciation of art and culture, and is often depicted engaged in music, poetry, and other artistic pursuits. With his devotees, Apollo is often portrayed as being generous and responsive to their prayers and supplications, and is often called upon for favors and blessings related to health, creativity, and success.

Symbols: lyre, laurel wreath, silver bow and arrows, tripod, the Sun, and Sunday

God of: the sun, prophecy, oracles, light, music, the arts, song, poetry, healing, medicine, plague, disease, protection of the youth, knowledge, and herds

Culture: Greek

Plants: sunflowers, laurel, larkspur, cypress, apple trees, palm trees, and hyacinthus

Crystals: sunstone, citrine, yellow sapphires, carnelian, heliodor, golden healer, peridot, anorthoclase, anglesite, swiss blue topaz, calcite, star sapphire, aurichalcite, cherry opal, white topaz, brewsterite, silver topaz, bristol diamond, ceylon sapphire, pecos diamond, blue amber, blue kunzite, bony amber, inderite, binghamite, Arkansas diamond, ajoite, baltic amber, trolleite, cacoxenite, mystic topaz, diamond, ulexite, corundum, milky quartz, boulder opal, goldstone, Ethiopian opal, black obsidian, and topaz

Animals: swan, hawk, raven, serpent, wolf, dolphin, griffin, and mouse

Incense: orange, lemon, clove, myrrh, frankincense, cypress, vanilla, and cinnamon

Practices: music magick, healing, art magick, protection, divination, and medicine magick

Colours: gold, yellow, orange, silver, blue, and white

Number: 7

Zodiacs: Leo, Gemini, and Capricorn

Tarot: The Sun, The Chariot, Strength, and Temperance

Planets: Sun and Mercury 

Days: Sunday, Apollonos, Hyakinthia, Apellai, Thargelia, Boedromia, Noumenia, Pythian Games, Pyanopsia, Karneia, Litha, and Yule

Parents: Zeus and Leto

Siblings: Artemis (twin) and many paternal half-siblings 

Partners: Cyrene, Rhetia, Daphne, Coronis, Hyacinth, Terpsichore, Rhoeo, Parthenope, Psamathe, Areia, Hecuba, and Melia

Children: Asclepius, Aristaeus, The Korybantes, Hymen, Anius, Cycnus, Linus of Thrace, Lycomedes, Melite, Miletus, Oaxes, Oncius, Orpheus, Troilus, Phemonoe, Philammon, Tenerus, Trophonius, and various others

MISC:

Sun: Apollo is associated with the sun because he was the god of the sun and the personification of the sun's light and warmth. The sun was seen as a powerful force that brought life and growth to the earth, and Apollo was believed to control the movements of the sun across the sky and regulate its heat and light. As the god of the sun, Apollo was also associated with purity, truth, and the passage of time, and his presence was often invoked in rituals and ceremonies related to the sun and the changing of the seasons.

Music: he was believed to be the inventor of the lyre and to have a deep understanding of music theory and composition. Apollo was often depicted playing the lyre, and his music was said to have the power to soothe the emotions and inspire the soul. Apollo was also the patron of musicians and singers, and was often called upon during musical competitions and festivals to judge contests and offer inspiration.

Poetry: his name is said to be derived from the Greek word "apo," which means "away" or "back," and the word "poiein," which means "to make" or "to create." As the patron of poetry and the arts, Apollo was said to have invented the art of writing and the alphabet, and he was often depicted holding a golden lyre, which he used to play music that inspired poets and bards.

Snakes: Apollo is associated with snakes because he was said to have control over snakes and could charm them with his music. One of the most famous myths involving Apollo and snakes is the story of the Python, a massive serpent that lived on Mount Parnassus and terrorized the people of the region. Apollo was said to have slain the Python and made the snake sacred to himself. 

Bow and arrows: as the god of archery, Apollo was said to have unparalleled skill with the bow and could hit targets at great distances with accuracy and precision. Apollo's skill with the bow was legendary, and he is often depicted as using his bow to hunt, protect, and defend. The bow and arrow were also symbols of power and authority, and Apollo was often depicted holding them in statues and frescoes.

Laurel wreath: the laurel wreath is also associated with Apollo's role as the god of poetry and the patron of the arts, as the laurel plant was believed to have healing properties that could cure madness and inspire creativity. The Laurel wreath worn by Apollo is a symbol of his victory over the Python and his mastery of the arts.

Ravens: they are often associated with Apollo because they are believed to be his sacred birds. The raven is a bird that is closely associated with prophecy and foresight, and Apollo was often depicted accompanied by a group of ravens that are said to have provided him with information and wisdom. One of the most famous stories involving Apollo and ravens is the myth of the Oracle at Delphi, where the god Apollo would receive prophecies from the priestess, and the ravens were believed to be his messengers.

FACTS ABOUT APOLLO:

His oracles were often consulted for guidance in various matters. He was in general seen as the god who affords help and wards off evil. 

Medicine and healing are associated with Apollo, whether through the god himself or mediated through his son Asclepius. Apollo delivered people from epidemics, yet he is also a god who could bring ill health and deadly plague with his arrows. 

Apollo presides over all music, songs, dance, and poetry. He is the inventor of string-music and the frequent companion of the Muses, functioning as their chorus leader in celebrations. 

He  is an important pastoral deity, and he was the patron of herdsmen and shepherds. Protection of herds, flocks and crops from diseases, pests and predators were his primary rustic duties. On the other hand, Apollo also encouraged the founding of new towns and the establishment of civil constitutions, is associated with dominion over colonists, and was the giver of laws. 

HOW TO INVOKE APOLLO:

If you can afford it, get a statue of Apollo. If you can't, print out a picture, get whatever picture frame you can afford, and put the picture in the frame.

Next, on a bright sunny day, find a place (preferably outside) where you will be surrounded by sunlight and undisturbed. Try to pick a time of day when the sun is directly above you. Bring some water with you. If you cast circles, cast a circle, and feel free to enhance this ritual in any way that makes sense to you. Hold your figure of Apollo up into the sunlight, and chant. What you chant should be relatively short and easy to say. It helps if it contains a rhyme or rhythm to it, but neither is required. It should be in your native language and should say something like, "Apollo, mighty Sun God, fill this vessel with your presence". (Come up with your own words.) Chant them over and over. When your arms get tired, you can lower them, just keep the image in the sunlight and keep your hands on the image.

While you are chanting, make eye contact with the image. You should eventually start to feel that the image is looking back at you. He is. Keep chanting the same words, but let them strengthen the sense of presence and awareness you feel in the image. Chant as long as you can. Make the god's presence in your image as strong as possible. It's okay to take a drink--your throat will need it--but when drinking keep the chant going mentally until you're done drinking.

When you're done, take the image home and put it on an altar. At least once a day, place some food and drink on the altar for the god. "As above, so below" means (in part) that all items on this earth have an equivalent in the energy/spirit world, and you are giving this food energy to Apollo to enjoy and strengthen his presence. Do not eat/drink the offerings, throw them away or leave them outside for wildlife. From time to time, also burn incense or do other things that strike you as probably pleasing to the god.

Once you have an altar set up with Apollo, pray to him daily. Make eye contact; part of Apollo's presence resides in your statue/picture. Be open and receptive to impressions, feelings and urges in reply. Always express gratitude whenever you are done interacting with Apollo.

When you feel you have established a strong bond with Apollo, pray mentally to him, and then pause, waiting for a reply. Keep your head quiet but don't impose quiet in your mind, let it be like clay ready for Apollo's touch. If you keep making progress you will eventually feel thoughts form in your head that you didn't put there. That's Apollo, talking back to you.

PRAYER FOR APOLLO:

Apollo, shining son of great Zeus and blessed Leto, twin to Artemis,

Bright-faced god, ever present, ever distant,

We greet you with reverence and awe. 

Clear-eyes Apollo, far-seeing one, sharp-sighted archer, always true of aim, true of vision, true of perception,

Constant guide of poets and musicians, of those who seek beauty, of its creation,

You grant to us the tools of artistry—words drawn from the heart, laid with care, tales told with skill and vigour, prayer and song to honour the gods, melody and harmony,

All the joy and sorrow of our lives transformed. 

Apollo, fire and form of inspiration, I honour you. 

SIGNS THAT APOLLO IS CALLING YOU:

Feeling a strong connection to sunsets and sunrises. 

A connection to music on a deeper level than you ever have before, and randomly hearing or writing songs that include his sacred symbols in some way, can also be a sign that he is close by. 

Idly doodling or drawing his sacred signs and symbols, or suddenly feeling more creative, artistic, and confident than ever before, you can assume that Apollo might be trying to influence you at least a little bit. 

Seeing his sacred animals in unusual places or in synchronistic ways can be a sign that Apollo is near or is trying to get your attention. His sacred animals include but are not limited to ravens, crows, hawks, swans, cicadas, mice, and snakes. 

Sudden interest in divination, such as oracle, tarot, scrying, or charm casting can be a sign that Apollo is wanting to connect with you. 

Wanting to suddenly learn poetry. 

OFFERINGS:

Sun water. 

Music (all kinds).

Foods and drinks: wine diluted with pure water, milk, herbal teas, honey and honey cakes, orange or lemon pastries, lamb or goat meat, fruits (mainly citrus fruit), cheeses, wheat, breads, chocolates with orange or lemon flavours, bay leaves, sunflower seeds, and almonds. 

Olive oil. 

Golden objects such as gold bowls, gold wine cups, flakes of gold, etc.

Bows and arrows, toys, or art. 

Images or art of the sun. 

All musical instruments, especially stringed instruments. 

Wolf and/or dolphin imagery. 

Any images of birds, especially crows and swans. 

Yellow, gold, and white candles. 

Incense such as frankincense or myrrh. 

Laurel wreaths, tree branches or leaves. 

Gems such as amber, sunstone, and yellow sapphires. 

Aloe vera. 

Bandaids. 

Poetry you’ve written. 

Music you’ve written. 

Art you’ve drawn. 

Flowers such as lily of the valley, anise, and sunflowers. 

Photos you’ve taken. 

Concert tickets. 

Golden jewelry or jewelry of the sun or arrows. 

LGBTQ+ flags. 

Divination items (tarot cards, pendulums, etc).

Art, toys, or photos of swans, hawks, ravens, serpents, wolves, dolphins, griffins, and mice.

Sunscreen. 

All bird feathers, especially swan and raven feathers. 

DEVOTIONAL ACTS:

Support up-and-coming/indie artists and musicians. 

Sing to Him. 

Play musical instruments for Him. 

Hold dance parties. 

Try and wake up early and watch the sun rise. 

Make a playlist for Him and listen to it daily. 

Read poetry to Him

Take care of your mental health and remember to take your medicine, if you have any. 

Try different types of divination. 

Go for a walk and feel the warmth from the sun. 

Let more sunlight into your home/room. 

Learn a musical instrument or how to sing. 

Sunbathe. 

Learn simple medical care, like CPR. 

Dance (all kinds).

Learn about His history, His mother’s history, and His sister’s history. 

Try archery. 

Learn about His lovers. 

Attend pride. 

Support LGBTQ+ rights. 

Wear yellow or orange clothing. 

Honour Leto and Artemis. 

Pray to Him and speak to Him often, things to consider praying for are guidance, healing/good health, inspiration, a prophecy or truth. 

Exercising. 

Get vaccinated. 

[coredrill]

CLOSE ENOUGH

bravern merchandise i would spend one million dollars on if it were real:

1. bravern plushie

2. ripped pilot suit isami figure. with a stupid fucking moe face and all

[audreyscribes]

Ω PJO MISCELLANEOUS DEMIGOD HEADCANONS: 🔥 PROMETHEUS: TITAN GOD OF FORETHOUGHT AND CRAFTY COUNSEL, CREATOR OF HUMANITY, BRINGER OF FIRE 🔥

A/N: SURPRISE! Guess no one expected this huh?! Since Prometheus is not a virgin god and literally created humans and from the PJO books, I remembered him saying he loves humans, I thought there's no way that this Titan has not at least once fell in love with a human and had a child in turn. So why not throw a curve ball for a final bang! So here we go!! Hope you enjoy the last demigod h/cs of {Wave 2.0}!!!

MISCELLANEOUS DEMIGOD H/CS MASTERLIST LINK: [TUMBLR] || [AO3]

Prometheus claims he’s always been an ally of humanity so I’d imagine he has a few times mingled with mortals and produces a demigod every so often (that ranges every hundred years to maybe a century). So you are probably one of the few that exist, if not the only one in your time.

You arrived at Camp Halfblood much like the others and acted pretty much like a regular unclaimed demigod. If you came before the age of 13, there were many theories of who your godly parent was. The only indication who it might be was Apollo, given your regular visions but what confused the children of Apollo was that your vision shifted time to time. Your visions revealed many results but they weren’t clear either. If you are at least the age of 13 when you arrived, you weren’t immediately or quickly claimed, leaving other to still speculate. It is much the same speculation from before but things start to shift as you saw your claim again and again; possibilities of how it could happen and what came after it.

Your claiming arrived when you decided to go with the best vision you think of, and gathered the counsel of the cabin leaders and Chiron and Mr. D, with Hestia in the corner for some reason. You revealed your vision, describing it in detail then everyone gasped as they looked above your head. You already knew how it was going to go yet you still looked up. It feels like a bit out of an out of body experience when your vision is happening in real life. Mr. D choked on his diet coke at the sight as he cursed not having an alcoholic drink right now and while most of the campers were confused, the head of the Athena cabin enlightened you all. Then you all learned you were a titan demigod of Prometheus.

Blessed Hestia. You were (forcibly) summoned to Mt. Olympus on the pretence that you had to pay for Prometheus’ crimes on his behalf; you had a mini vision of facing the same punishment as your godly father. The crackling of the Hearth made you turn and you whispered Sanctuary, remembering something and you saw Hestia smile.

That’s when Hestia stood up, holding Pandora’s Pithos, and basically said because Prometheus was responsible for stealing fire for mankind, which in turn fell under her domain of the Hearth, it would be best if you served under Hestia and to tend and protect the hearth of Olympus and Camp Halfblood, while also protecting the Pithos that contained Elpis (Hope); seeing as Prometheus was the one who gave Percy Jackson the Pithos as a way they were giving up to the Titan Army. Zeus made his own unsaid narrative that Hestia said and decided that it was a fitting “punishment”.

While you weren’t happy about the situation, you knew you got the best result in the situation; your forethought visions flashing in your head like bad anxiety thoughts. In privacy, around the hearth at Camp with Hestia, she told you the truth; how before mankind knew fire, Prometheus took the coals of the fire from her Heath that she tended to on Olympus. She didn’t elaborate but you pieced it together that Hestia might have allowed Prometheus to take the coal and giving mankind fire. If that was true, then she was repaying Prometheus a favour…and in turn you.

You have the power of forethought which is different from having the power of prophecy and foresight. Unlike the children of Apollo and those who can see the future, you can see possibilities of the future and in turn are more frequent and are more vague in nature, rather than a singular truer future.

While you may have inherited the gift of forethought from Prometheus (and perhaps general clairvoyance), you also inherited his aversion and fear of large predatory birds; particularly Eagles and Vultures because of the whole getting his liver getting picked out and eaten every day. Its bad enough that when you just see the symbol of an eagle/vulture, you just nope out of there or feel the area of your liver is located pulsing and twisting in pain.

You would think being a titan demigod would deter people away; especially when it’s a Titan that’s been in direct league with Kronos. Well, it did at first but when they saw you working with Hestia at the Hearths, news of your forethought abilities led to you being accosted. It might have started when you talked with a daughter of Aphrodite who was loudly lamenting about her love troubles between two boys she liked when she burnt an offering to Aphrodite, and you absentmindedly responded that was one was a jerk, or was it when you listened to the rumblings of Athena kid  who burnt an offering to Athena, who was listing off possibilities and you gave your own two cents, but now people are coming to you at the hearths for advice and your two cents on the manner. That’s when you learned that you did in fact, inherit Prometheus' Crafty Counsel.

If you think you’re outcasted by being a titan demigod, you’re not alone. The children of Hecate start to come around to you and provide comradery as they explain that technically, Hecate is also a titan god as she was born during the times of the Titans, and was the only one among the Titans to retain her titan status under the Rule of Zeus and was honoured by all the immortal gods. So by technicality, they are also titan demigods as well.

When Prometheus came to talk to Percy Jackson during the war, he was about 7ft tall in his ‘mortal’ size, so there’s a chance that you may have inherited that height.

Being a child of Prometheus and sort of worshipper to Hestia, by choice and not, you eventually learn all the tea. Over actual pots of tea. People start to complain or gossip over the pyre, when they’re sacrificing bits of offerings to the gods, when they borrow your ear and two cents for a bit, and so forth. It feels akin to people chatting around the kitchen stove, and you’re the one that just gives a quip or two as you help serve some snacks and food. You asked Hestia once if this happens before you came in and you saw the twinkling spark in her eye as she gave a polite, sneaking smile.

Speaking of which, you eventually learn you have a connection with fire, ranging from resistance to fire to actually wielding it. You have no idea if it’s between being a child of Prometheus and with a connection to Hestia, but you’re not in a hurry to find out why in case this would only draw the eyes of the gods onto you; specifically Zeus. 

Your nerves were on fire, the flames being as powerful as the first fire for humanity; the importance and weight of its flames that was carried into Prometheus’ hands, its heat spreading into his titan veins and now passed down into you when sparked and kindled. It was going out of control, its flames threatening to escape from your nerves and spread to your entire body and consuming you entirely. 

The godly presence and wrath of Zeus consumed you, bearing down on you, his eyes piercing down at you as if you’re Prometheus himself and simply an innocent child who carried the sins of their father instead. You could feel the stormy rage the King of the Gods swirling around you, crackling and choking you in his storm, ready to pass judgement on you in the slowest way possible. 

You could see it all. All of the possibilities that Zeus and other gods’ punishments onto you, simply for being Prometheus’ demigod child, all of them were flashing in your mind. You weren’t sure if you were simply seeing them out of anxiety or was it your inherited gift of forethought from your forefather. 

Then a gentle hand stoked and tamed the flames, slowly controlling the flames from a crackling bonfire to a gentle warm, fire. You felt the calming hand pressured against your back, slowly patting your back and patting in a gentle rhythm. You let out a gasp of air, your breathing becoming less laboured and more tempered, your heart no longer beating in anxiety. 

The adrenaline was calming down and you stared at the flames of Hestia’s hearth, the goddess of said hearth had poured you a nice warm drink and pressed it into your hands. Her hands coaxing your death gripped fingers from your palms to wrap around the cup, holding your hands to it to provide warmth from the cup to warm your cold anxious palms and her warm hands warming the outside of your hands. 

The smell of the drink comforted you as you heard the occasional crackle of the fire. Then you remembered you narrowly avoided many of the harsh punishments by the grace of Hestia. There was some bitterness that you were still punished in the end and there was some logic in Hestia’s words, but at the same time, you loathed and understood it. 

“I know it’s not fair to you child” spoke Hestia and you snapped your head up at her as she smiled at the Hearth. “My brother, as wise as he may be, is still the god of storms and his temper lashes out like lightning to a lightning pole.”

“But why me? I didn’t have to do anything with the war, heck I was still an infant!” you protested. 

“You did not but Prometheus was and because gods cannot punish another god unless directly faced, so the gods can only rely and punish mortals instead.” 

You were about to retort but then you saw Hestia give a silent gesture, her eyes knowing yet warning. You shut your mouth as you sighed, drumming your fingers against your cup. 

“Then can I ask something else?” 

“What is it?”

“Is it really because Prometheus stole the coals from your Hearth that you and Zeus, I guess, that you suggested this…arrangement?” you asked, “To begin with, how could Prometheus even steal the coals from your watch?”

Hestia smiled and as she raised her head from bowing over the Hearth, you saw her change from child to an adult, and through the flames, you knew the truth. Hestia allowed Prometheus to take the coal from the Hearth that provided fire to humanity. Her domain expanded in turn because she allowed Prometheus to give mankind fire. 

If this was true, protecting you like this was a thank you to Prometheus in a way.

You stared at her wide-eyed and made an “oh” as Hestia hummed, before handing you a freshly baked roll. You took it and took a nibble letting the sweet honey coat your tongue and when you remembered about the cup in your hand, you realized it was still warm to the touch.

[kopfkino-o]

it's been a minute since i did some theory rambling and i've got a long train ride ahead of me so let's get at it! this is more of a general elain post but there is some pro elriel thinking sprinkled in. thanks for reading!!

was Elain blessed by the Mother so she might cure the corrupted Cauldron? are there two primordial forces warring within it? does Elain have the power of Life? bear with me while i ramble about all this.

warning: the following thoughts probably aren't cohesive lol.

okay but does anyone else think that there's a small part of the Mother, the original creator, left within the Cauldron and that's what recognized and loved Elain? Like a part of me thinks that some aspect of the Mother remains locked away or maybe weakened by what the Asteri did to the Cauldron that recognized the inherent goodness in Elain and that's why she was "blessed."

What if the last lingering ember of the Mother's will recognized Elain's gentle heart, her brave soul, and gifted her with the power to break the corruption and restore the order of things?

"Her gaze shifted to the carved wooden rose she’d placed upon the mantel, half-hidden in the shadows beside a figurine of a supple-bodied female, her upraised arms clasping a full moon between them. Some sort of primal goddess—perhaps even the Mother herself. Nesta hadn’t let herself dwell on why she’d felt the need to set the rose there." - ACOSF, as told from Nesta's point of view.

SARAH, GIRL I SEE YOU!!!

We know that Elain is associated with roses from the description of her drawer, her love of gardening, from Feyre telling us that Elain would trim the roses without gloves and get thorns in her hands, amongst other associations. Nesta placing a symbol associated with Elain next to this primordial goddess figurine, PERHAPS EVEN THE MOTHER HERSELF, feels just so...prophetic. It's like Nesta is almost passing the mantle of being the storyteller or the FMC on to Elain. And maybe even hinting at what's to come.

BLESSID. BELOVED. BENEVOLENT.

Okay. So back to the Cauldron, the Mother, all that. We know Nesta took something from the Cauldron (but this is a post for another day) and that Elain was given something. We know that Elain is a seer, blessed with the gift of foresight and clairvoyance, though we don't exactly know what the innerworkings of this sort of magic are.

But what if Sight wasn't the only gift Elain was given?

My theory is that Elain was given the gift of Life by the remaining aspect of the Mother to counter/compliment the power of Death Nesta stole from the corrupted aspect of the Cauldron--or the power of the Asteri, which I think might also be the power of Deanna from the Throne of Glass World (but again, that's a post for another day). And I can't help but think that, for the gentler grower of things, this theorized "Life magic" would manifest in the form of earth/soil/plant manipulation. We saw this in HOFAS with the official introduction of earth based magic and it has me thinking!!

And with that thinking, I'm wondering if the lingering essence of the Mother might have blessed Elain with these powers in the hopes that she would be able to master them, in the same way the Nesta mastered the power she claimed, and help finally banish the corruption from the force of the Cauldron. I've got a little headcanon that all three sisters will have some role in this but it needs to stew a bit more lol. And what if Elain's bond has some roll in all of this?

A THREAD TIDED TO A RIB

I don't want to speak for everyone, but to me there's something off about Lucien and Elain's bond. He is able to live far away from her with seemingly no issue. She shrinks into herself when he's around. Lucien just seems...sad whenever the bond is mentioned. Could this be the result of the same awkward/push-pull tension that we saw between Nessian and Feysand? Maybe.

But what if it's because SJM Is using them to show us what a "Cauldron-given bond" looks like? Rhys theorizes about the bonds in ACOWAR and brings up a very interesting comment:

"There is choice. And sometimes, yes—the bond picks poorly. Sometimes, the bond is nothing more than some … preordained guesswork at who will provide the strongest offspring. At its basest level, it’s perhaps only that. Some natural function, not an indication of true, paired souls.” A smile at me—at the rareness, perhaps, of what we had. “Even so,” Rhys went on, “there will always be a … tug. For the females, it is usually easier to ignore, but the males … It can drive them mad. It is their burden to fight through, but some believe they are entitled to the female. Even after the bond is rejected, they see her as belonging to them. Sometimes they return to challenge the male she chooses for herself. Sometimes it ends in death. It is savage, and it is ugly, and it mercifully does not happen often, but … Many mated pairs will try to make it work, believing the Cauldron selected them for a reason. Only years later will they realize that perhaps the pairing was not ideal in spirit.”

IM SORRY BUT IS THAT NOT SARAH SCREAMING AT US?

Sometimes the bond picks poorly! She gives us TWO examples of this with Rhys's and Tam's parents. Two bonds that I think were CAULDRON GIVEN bonds. Then, as a foil to this, she gives us Nessian and Feysand. Vivienne and Kallias. Three bonds gifted by the Mother--the primordial being, the gentle creator of things. Could this be Silba from the TOG world? Kythona from Crescent City? Is she Wyrd? And could the Mother have given both Elain and Lucien other bonds--blessed bonds--that are currently being surpressed by the corrupted bonds bestowed on them by the Cauldron?

Personally (and especially after HOFAS) I think the Cauldron's corruption needs to be addressed. And I think Elain is the one to do it. Her entire character is steeped in themes of choice, fate vs freewill, destiny vs self-actualization, and gods, the set up for an AMAZING story is right there.

TO CLOSE THIS MADNESS OUT

I can't say what SJM will do in the end. But I can theorize based on the last few books and the foreshadowing she's lain. And for me, I see the angsty, unprecedented chosen love story she's building between Elain and Azriel with a rejected mating bond incorporated into the heart of their love story. Could she change the direction of her books and abandon this? Absolutely. But I think the story would be so much worse for it. The crumbs for something amazing are there. The crumbs for something that has the potential to be genre-defying is there. And based on what Sarah commented to the Times, I can't help but she's knows this and can't help but write it.

ok bye thanks for reading!! i'd love to talk more about this to anyone else who is down to yap! dms are always open.

[amythestalithia]

Roman heroes

1. Numa Pompilius

Parentage: Mortal son of a Sabine priestess and Jupiter.

Role: Second king of Rome, known for religious reforms and laws.

Specialty: Diplomacy, divine rites, and sacred law.

Legacy: Credited with creating Rome's priesthoods under Fides’ guidance; prayed to Fides Fonsia at a private well.

2. Lucretia

Parentage: Daughter of Justitia.

Role: Symbol of Roman virtue and resistance.

Specialty: Tactical intelligence, inspiring civic rebellion.

Legacy: Her death triggered the fall of the monarchy; honored as an honorary daughter of Mater Heroum.

3. Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus

Parentage: Son of a minor river god and Roman woman.

Role: Farmer turned dictator.

Specialty: Combat leadership, unshakeable loyalty.

Legacy: Known for surrendering power after victory; exemplar of Nerio Fides.

4. Horatius Cocles

Parentage: Son of a war nymph and a Roman blacksmith.

Role: Defender of the Pons Sublicius.

Specialty: Single combat, shield defense.

Legacy: Called "Eye of Mater Heroum"; wore her pendant into battle.

5. Claudia Quinta

Parentage: Daughter of Neptune.

Role: Accompanied the goddess Cybele’s image to Rome.

Specialty: Naval omens, ship blessing.

Legacy: Known for pulling Cybele’s ship alone; said to speak with Fides in the waves.

6. Marcus Fabius Vibulanus

Parentage: Mortal; accepted into the legion after surviving a curse with loyalty intact.

Role: Hero of the war with Veii.

Specialty: Espionage and endurance.

Legacy: Carried messages through enemy lines; invoked Polemia Fides for tactics.

7. Servius Tullius

Parentage: Son of a slave and a hearth spirit.

Role: Sixth king of Rome.

Specialty: Urban planning and census design.

Legacy: Built shrines to Fides in new districts; called her “Mother of Order.”

8. Marcus Furius Camillus

Known for: Defeated the Gauls, rebuilt Rome

Divine Parent: Bellona, goddess of war-defense and homeland

Why Fides fostered him: He showed unshakable loyalty to Rome and deep strategic insight. A favorite of Mater Heroum, trained to command and rebuild.

9. Gaius Mucius Scaevola

Known for: Burning his own hand to prove Roman resolve

Divine Parent: Vulcan, god of fire and fortitude

Why Fides fostered him: She admired his discipline and devotion. Fides gave him her sword and taught him self-mastery in battle and pain.

10. Decius Mus

Known for: Sacrificing himself in battle for victory

Divine Parent: Mars, god of noble war

Why Fides fostered him: Mars asked her to train his son in true Roman heroism. She gave him the rite of Devotio and stood beside him when he charged into death.

11.Cornelia Graccha (reimagined as demigod)

Known for: Mother of the Gracchi reformers, Roman virtue

Divine Parent: Concordia, goddess of civic harmony

Why Fides fostered her: Cornelia was raised in the Legion's oratory halls, mastering diplomacy and public loyalty. She fostered young recruits in later years.

12. Aulus Manlius Torquatus

Known for: Ruthless but loyal general

Divine Parent: Somnus, god of strategic foresight (Roman equivalent of Hypnos, reinterpreted)

Why Fides fostered him: Sleep granted him vision, but Fides gave him judgment. Known for victory through calm and calculation.

13. Livia Astera (original character)

Known for: Naval strategist under Caesar

Divine Parent: Neptune

Why Fides fostered her: Her father taught her the sea, Fides taught her loyalty and defense. She became admiral of the Thirteenth’s navy wing.

14. Junius Balbus

Known for: Invented safe war roads and covert escape routes

Divine Parent: Mercury, god of paths and logistics

Why Fides fostered him: A clever strategist and the Legion’s supply master. Fides called him “the knife that cuts escape from failure.”

15. Tullia Fortis (original character)

Known For: First woman to lead a Roman engineering corps; rebuilt the walls of Capua in three days during a siege.

Divine Parent: Vulcan, god of crafting, siege tools, and flame.

Why Fides fostered her: Her strategic brilliance in fortifications and loyalty to her engineers made her a living embodiment of Polemia Fides. She carried a hammer enchanted to sound alarms when betrayal was near.

16. Publius Aelius Vatia

Known For: Interrogator of traitors, known for mercy to the repentant and ferocity to the false.

Divine Parent: Veritas, goddess of truth.

Why Fides fostered him: As Nerio-Fides, she trained him to judge the oaths of Rome’s citizens and enemies alike. Wore an iron ring that glowed red when lies were spoken in court.

17. Faustina Nautica

Known For: Roman naval commander who never lost a ship or a soldier to mutiny.

Divine Parent: Salacia, queen of the deep sea.

Why Fides fostered her: Fides Classisia chose her to protect merchant ships and defend coasts. Faustina prayed with salt and silver at every port.

18. Gaius Lartius Quietus

Known For: Peaceful conqueror who negotiated the surrender of twelve cities without bloodshed.

Divine Parent: Concordia, goddess of civic harmony.

Why Fides fostered him: Concordia sent him to Fides after a prophetic dream. His sword remained sheathed throughout most of his life, yet he expanded Rome’s influence with diplomacy and planning.

19. Valeria Ardentis

Known For: Her flaming spear, which could pierce any wall if wielded in defense of Rome.

Divine Parent: Mars

Why Fides fostered her: A half-sister of Bellona, Valeria was forged in battle, but tempered by Fides’ compassion. She learned discipline and loyalty to purpose, not bloodlust.

20. Tiberius Petreius

Known For: Hero of the frozen north, who crossed an iced river with no bridge, carrying the legion’s standard alone.

Divine Parent: Juturna, goddess of springs and rivers.

Why Fides fostered him: She saw his potential as a guardian of life-giving waters. He could find freshwater in the harshest terrain and prayed over every well the Legion used.

21. Agrippina Cordia

Known For: Created a secret network of physicians and herbalists who healed both allies and civilians in wartime.

Divine Parent: Apollo

Why Fides fostered her: Fides respected her loyalty to life and order in times of chaos. Agrippina’s network evolved into a sacred order that survived centuries after the Legion faded.

22. Lucius Junius Umbra

Known For: Master of night raids and ambush strategy, never lost a man in a night operation.

Divine Parent: Somnus (Roman god of quiet and dreams)

Why Fides fostered him: Umbra was taught restraint, discipline, and the strategic silence of waiting. His sword was called Silens and rang like a bell only when drawn in unjust war.

23. Manlia Caecilia

Known For: Renounced her patrician house and led an uprising of abandoned commoners into a defense force that saved Rome from a civil coup.

Divine Parent: Pietas, goddess of dutiful devotion.

Why Fides fostered her: She was called “the first shield of the people.” Fides personally blessed her with a sword that glowed blue when used in defense of others.

24. Sabinus Rufus

Known For: Builder of the Whispering Statues—public listening posts that spread news without scrolls or messengers.

Divine Parent: Mercury, god of communication and travelers.

Why Fides fostered him: Though not a warrior, he was vital to the Legion’s survival. His loyalty to civic truth made him the Herald of Fides.

[theamityelf]

ignore this if you’ve already said something like this, but do you have any headcannons on Danganronpa characters with Percy Jackson godly parents.

Oooh, so like the inverse of my PJO Danganronpa AU! I haven't done that yet. I'm torn between just giving a straightforward, in-a-vacuum answer for this, and fully migrating the characters into the Percy Jackson universe and letting that inform my answer. I'm doing the latter now, but you can send another ask if you want "in a vacuum". Also, I might have a different answer if I think about it longer.

THH

Makoto- I think I want him to be a mortal, for this. I think I want it to be a Rachel situation, where he accidentally ends up involved in a quest with some of the demigods, and then he gains godly powers of some kind as a reward or consequence of helping them. I see him interning for a god, after everything is over. Maybe he's an operator for Iris. Very humble beginnings, is what I'm saying. It's wild that he keeps having a pivotal role in saving the world, and showing up in prophecies, and being approached by the gods themselves. He's not innately powerful; they just think he's neat. If I had to give him a godly parent, though, it'd probably be Hestia. Even as a mortal, I might say he has the blessing of Hestia...which is a thing I just made up, btw. If Hestia has any equivalent for Artemis's Hunters, he's one. Just a person who hangs out with Hestia and doing hero stuff with the blessings of Hestia. Instead of Artemis's values of wilderness, archery, etc., he champions Hestia's values of home, hearth, family, and safety. I feel like he's been offered immortality but turned it down. (Side option: he's a satyr. Not what I'm going with, but it's an option.)

Sayaka- My first thought is Apollo, for the arts and music, but I'm also feeling her as an Aphrodite kid who can charmspeak. Yeah, I think Aphrodite for her. Her skills as a singer and dancer are her own.

Leon- Oh gosh. Gotta be Apollo, I guess. Baseball = archery. He does both. And he thinks he can tap into his dad's musical gifts without any respect for them, which is why he fails.

Mukuro- Ares. And she has the same mortal mother as Junko. (An argument could be made for Athena, but I'm going with Ares.)

Junko- I like Dionysus's association with madness and frivolity, for her, and I do want to go with a god or goddess who very much isn't about what Junko is about, just to keep from letting her unique vibe be lost to some hand-wave about godly inheritance. I don't want to go with one of the scary-sounding ones. (Plus, if this were taking place in Camp Half-Blood, which I doubt it actually is, being the daughter of the camp director would allow her to avoid scrutiny in a lot of ways.) That's my in-a-vacuum answer. But...I think the not-in-a-vacuum answer has to be Apollo. First of all, he's Apollo in both Greek and Roman form; she has access to both "camps" in a way many don't. Second of all, I like the idea that she has a twisted version of Apollo's gifts. The gift of prophecy is the tedium of foresight. The gift of sunrise is the curse of waking– the inevitable end of comfort. The gift of art is a deadly creativity. No one thinks to pay that much attention to another Apollo kid; Apollo has lots of kids! But she's secretly very dangerous.

Chihiro- Ooh! Ooh! Hecate. Besides being the goddess of magic, she's also the goddess of crossroads, which fits Chihiro's personality and talent. (Like, imagine a computer program as a set of crossroads. Each branch of an if statement, etc.) Also, it would be cool if Chihiro can do magic.

Mondo- That has to be Hermes, right? He looks like an Ares kid, but travel and outcasts are way more in Hermes' domain. Mondo would love to have winged shoes.

Taka- For some reason I'm really getting Demeter vibes. If pressed to defend it, I can imagine someone wondering how someone so "uptight" could have a nature goddess as a mom, since nature is so chaotic, and Taka responding that animals are chaotic, but argiculture and crops are very orderly and precise. There is a right and wrong time to sow anything, a right and wrong time to reap anything. Oh, I think I'm getting Demeter from his "staple food source" line. That's it.

Hifumi- Another Apollo.

Celeste- So many ways to go about this. First of all, do I want one she would be proud of and lean into, or one she would be embarrassed by and overcompensate for? Right away, I'm feeling Dionysus for her. I even said in one of my "Kamukura Wrangler AU" posts that her eyes are wine-colored, and her self-indulgence just seems so great for Dionysus. But Nike would also be a cool one, both for her Ultimate and for how much she would hate being associated with the sports shoe brand. I can imagine a gag where Celeste proudly says "I am a daughter of Nike," and Aoi cheerfully replies, "Oooh, I love Nike's!" Celeste would be so annoyed. I genuinely can't choose; they're both so great.

Sakura- I'm not feeling Ares at all. I can see Athena, but...Sakura's strength isn't really for war. She works hard and strives for excellence, but she's a practitioner of martial arts for their own sake, not to exert them over people outside the constraints of sanctioned contest. I'm not feeling a war god for her. If I were going to put her anywhere, she'd be partway between the strategy/wisdom aspect of Athena (so, more Minerva) and the arts aspect of Apollo. I think what I'll say is that she's a daughter of Deimos, god of fear and dread, which manifests in the way others react to her. The effect wears off if someone takes the time to try to feel anything for her but fear, but a lot of people don't. She herself is very peaceable and kind, and she values her friendship with anyone who doesn't fear her.

Aoi- I think Nike makes maybe the most sense, but I'm going to give her Poseidon because I want to. Despite being able to breathe underwater, she usually holds her breath while swimming, because she likes to. She finds the challenge thrilling. If she's breathing underwater, it's usually for social reasons like talking to fish or sea nymphs. And having her intelligence underestimated is very Percy Jackson of her.

Byakuya- Oh, I'm torn. My first thought was Hades, specifically because he would be insufferable if he was a child of the Big Three (though Pluto would be more apt, because riches), but in keeping with his mortal family's whole deal, and my aim for the THH group to all be in the Greek pantheon, I think Athena is the fit for him. His father is still a Togami; Byakuya was given to his father by Athena, born from her head. That's part of his justification for his inflated sense of his own competency. Not only is he the Togami heir; he's also a son of Athena. Imagine canon Byakuya if his mother was also a goddess. He's going to be insufferable, and I'm fine with that.

Kyoko- She...So the thing is, she...She said she can hear the footsteps of the god of death, and...Once again, I'm tempted to say Hades, or perhaps Thanatos. I'll go a different way with it, though; I feel like making her dad a god feels too close to outsourcing her feelings of abandonment from Jin onto the inherent premise of the Percy Jackson universe, and I don't want to do that. Jin has to just be a mortal absentee father. (Although daughter-of-the-god-of-death Kyoko would be so, so cool in a vacuum. And her gloves could be partially because her touch can kill. AHHH!) I'm going to say Nyx. Goddess of night. Helpful for a detective (like, she can probably see in the dark and stuff), but not fully making her detective skills a direct byproduct of her godly parentage. Plus, Nyx is the mother of Thanatos, meaning her hearing the footsteps of the god of death can still be relevant. The real question is how Jin had a kid with night itself.

Toko- It's either gonna be Apollo or Aphrodite, and I'm going with Aphrodite. Toko would have a field day with "What? You've never seen such an ugly daughter of Aphrodite?!" But also exposure therapy for her deep resentment of attractive people. They're her siblings, and they care about her and defend her, even if she's kind of sour.

Hiro- Gotta be Apollo. He's great at random day-to-day prophecy.

SDR2

Hajime- I'm thinking he's also a mortal who something supernatural happened to. Maybe he was chosen as the Oracle of Delphi, or maybe he was abducted and given trace amounts of ambrosia until something weird happened to him (to create Izuru). Maybe both. Whatever the case, the answer is none, lol. I'm feeling "bored Oracle" for him.

Imposter- Um, Janus. God of beginnings, gates/doorways/transitions, time, duality, and endings. Initially, I said this because Janus is depicted with two faces and that seemed fitting for an imposter, but I think the focus on choices and transitions also suits someone whose sense of self is so fluid.

Teruteru- I think it's gotta be Bacchus for him.

Mahiru- I wish I could give her Iris, but I want this cast (except Hajime) to be Roman! So I'll say Minerva.

Peko- Bellona. Same/similar backstory with Fuyuhiko, though; she's just a demigod who got abandoned and left with a well-known family of demigods.

Hiyoko- I'm giving her Apollo for now, but I'm open to changing that.

Ibuki- Discordia, goddess of discord and troublemaking. (As you can see, I like giving the most dangerous people benign ones and vice versa.) Ibuki likes noise, she values her own uniqueness, and just generally I think this one works for her.

Mikan- Gotta be Apollo, for the healing. This means she and Hiyoko would be half-siblings, which certainly paints their relationship in an interesting way.

Nekomaru- You know what? I'll give him Jupiter. His eyebrows are lightning, and I never give him attention in my other AUs, so he can have Jupiter.

Gundham- I am feeling Diana for him. Yes, I know, but still. It's cool. The wilderness, the moon, it all just suits his vibe so well. The impact this would have on his backstory is manageable. Everything said to be the case about his mother can just be about a human step-mother.

Nagito- I kind of want to make him the Octavian equivalent. Like, a legacy of Apollo who serves as the Roman augur. Parallels with Hajime being the Oracle on the Greek side. He has a unique relationship with Fortuna that parallels Makoto's unique relationship with Hestia.

Chiaki- Going with Somnus, god of sleep. She has the ability to make others tired, but she chooses not to use it like that. Mostly, she exercises her power over herself so that she can power nap frequently and stay up all night playing video games.

Akane- I feel complicated feelings about saying this, but I really think Venus for her. The reason I feel complicated about it is that it feels too close to giving the people who mistreated her in her life a magical excuse, but I feel like even ignoring that whole aspect of her backstory, she doesn't read to me as a daughter of a war god or goddess; she reads as a passionately emotional person who is inured to hardship/loss and values strength as a result of the environment in which she was brought up.

Fuyuhiko- I'm going to say he's a distant legacy of Pluto and a direct son of Minerva. This would make him half-siblings with Mahiru.

Sonia- Daughter of Pluto. It would be cool if she could summon gems and precious metals. And she would also enjoy speaking with the dead.

Kazuichi- Gotta be Vulcan.

V3

Kaede- I almost didn't go with Apollo just because I said it so many times, but then I remembered that moment in Chapter 6 where the in-universe lore suddenly decided that Kaede had a twin, just to service a bait-and-switch about her being another Junko, and with that in mind, her also being a daughter of Apollo is just more of a connection to Junko.

Shuichi- I am feeling Nemesis for Shuichi. Goddess of retribution, evening the scales. It fits his kind of...simple? Way of viewing the world, where punitive justice isn't something that he enjoys, but rather something that he finds inevitable.

Rantaro- Hermes, certainly. The travel aspect, the social aspect.

Ryoma- He's a Nike, I think. He is burdened by victory and excellence.

Kirumi- If anyone gets Hera or Juno, it would be her. I think I will say Vesta, though. The Roman form of Hestia. She is less blessed by Vesta than burdened with the compulsion to satisfy everyone.

Angie- Ooooh, despite the obvious connections between Apollo and art, I'm feeling Morpheus for her: she knows everyone's dreams. Her art skills are just a separate thing where she practiced and got good at a genuine hobby of hers. Her demigod abilities are her insights into the minds, wants, and fears of others. Also, I'm going to say she has frequent waking dreams and waking nightmares, because it feels right for her whole vibe.

Tenko- I wanted to go Athena or Bellona, but I think I'm actually feeling Mars for her. She probably becomes a Huntress of Artemis, or works under Circe.

Korekiyo- I checked to make sure the Muses count as goddesses, and it seems they do. Therefore, I'm going with Clio, Muse of history.

Miu- Gotta go Hephaestus.

Gonta- I feel like it's got to be either Apollo or Athena for him. I'll say Athena, since his devotion to a particular study reads as an Athena kid trait to me.

Kokichi- There is a part of me that really wants to say Hermes. But I think I'll say Dionysus. Dionysus is the god of wine, parties, madness, chaos, and the theater. I think a lot of that energy is what Kokichi both thrives on and languishes in– especially theater.

Kaito- Is Astraios too obvious? He's getting Astraios. He feels drawn to the stars, and I don't think he loses anything if that feeling becomes supernatural.

Maki- Okay, she'll be a daughter of Thanatos. But she lies about it at first. And she can kill someone with a touch, but only if she chooses to, so touching her is an act of trust. (Cue sentimental moment where one of her friends, probably Kaito, touches her arm or something and she's surprised.)

Himiko- I kind of want to be subversive and not say Hecate, but I will actually give her Hecate. She would be really proud of it.

Kiibo- Well, he's a robot. Maybe an automaton made by a child of Hephaestus or Vulcan.

Tsumugi- She gets Janus, too.

[taikatalvi19]

all of the gods in god games gave odysseus their blessings in 'odysseus'. here's my reasoning.

apollo- 'if that's true, release him' (god games) as a blessing to go home and get back his throne by any means. and ody kills most suitors with a bow- apollo's weapon. (he's a dual typed god- healing and disease, music, dance, and fighting/archery) he's also a god of truth and likely gave odysseus that gift to see through the suitors' bs.

hephaestus- 'fine. release him.' (god games) 'trust is not given, it's forged.' he likely realised how loyal odysseus was to his family. forging is not just crafting arts, but interpersonal relationships- something hephaestus himself is wary of (given his abandonments). when odysseus sacrificed most of his crew he may not have *liked* it but understood ody's need to go home.

aphrodite- she may not have blessed him as the others did- 'let him feel the pain of his mother and rot.'- but implicitly let him go home and witness what happened, and take back his rightful throne and the kingdom he loves.

ares- in the myths he is about bloodshed and fury- and athena convinces him to set odysseus free with the promise of more. ares likely also sees how pissed odysseus is at the state of ithaca and his wife's current predicament. ares' blessing is righteous fury and the adrenaline to carry out what must be done.

hera- she's the goddess of marriage and family. it's when she hears odysseus has never cheated once through his journey- how loyal he is to penelope. she's also the queen of the gods and understands coming to power in tumultuous times- and standing with her partner through it all with love.

zeus- here's a long one. i think he gave it at the start in the horse and the infant. he gave odysseus the prophecy and foresight to see it through- and later in god games with 'thunder, bring her through the wringer/ show her i'm the judgement call/ the one who makes her kingdom fall'. this last part is passed to penelope- the way to bring the prophecy to completion. odysseus doesn't go after the suitors until he sees how bad it got in ithaca- because zeus caused it to be.

(zeus is also god of hospitality and the suitors long overstayed their "welcome"- a king would have kicked them out, but odysseus was long absent. after a certain point, houseguests become invaders.)

odysseus would NEVER have been able to kill the suitors at the end of the horse and the infant. it's only from poseidon and athena's teachings- and his experiences- three times "open arms" failed and 20 years of being away from home- that he fully embraces ruthlessness- kills the suitors before they can raise avengers- and while those experiences fundamentally change him, it does not change his and penelope's love.

after all, isn't love the driver of this whole journey?

[leverage-ot3]

time for the obligatory post about what episodes I want to see in the upcoming leverage season(s)

(for reference, I made this similar post in 2020 after the reboot was announced. I'm pasting some from that post bc I still want them to happen lol)

new ideas:

I mentioned a date night episode in the last post (apollo really did bless me with foresight for the date night job on that one) but for considerment: ot3 date night. possibly their first date night after they all get together. breanna and sophie know it's happening (harry is, like, peripherally aware) and some crime hijinks are going down and the three of them are frantically trying to stop bad things from happening that are going to interfere with the date. I want to see them going through it behind the metaphorical curtain. I want to see breanna fighting for her life trying to out-hack the hacker that is going to ruin their ten-part itineraried date. harry has to get in a fistfight and eliot is so proud about it when he finds out after everything is over

tree law episode. harry has been frothing at the mouth about it since it was made. his life has been moving him towards this penultimate moment. breanna thinks it's HILARIOUS and cheers him on 100% of the way. she is VERY enthusiastic about this con

I'm not going to mention certain things because I've seen jrogers posting on bluesky social and I know he might be already writing some of those plots

con that the food trucks have plot-relevance. like, one of his food truck stations is being harassed /victimized by, like, a local gang or something that takes advantage of food truck/cart workers and the team steps in. the actual (veteran) food truck workers get involved in the con. leverage international might just have gained a few retainer members

quinn should come back for an episode. I know the actor is friends with ckane. they should make it happen because it would be iconic and I said so

on a similar note, ckane is friends with jensen ackles and. guys. wouldn't it- wouldn't it be extremely funny if a flame from eliot's past named sean sylvester who is a rugged drifter with a questionable past

episode where tara or maggie (or BOTH, can you imagine how powerful that would be???) come back and there is slight flirting with sophie possibly??? that or very obvious chemistry from a past tryst. sophie has slept with both of them, I know it in my heart of hearts. bonus points if tara and maggie fall in love (I think it would be funny. maggie's taste in men is canonically atrocious, I think she deserves someone like tara at this point)

I just want a lot of side characters to come back, okay? sue me I miss them

gonna put the rest under the cut since this post has become obscenely long

not episode-specific, but I want more mentions of the korean leverage team. and all the other teams too! we know that in canon there is the south korean one, the nigerian one, and one in london (I think that's it for mentions so far, but correct me if I'm wrong!)

episodes addressing issues with american imperialism and its effects on minorities and marginalized communities, specifically within this country (there aren't a lot of episodes where they are actively out of country)

dear fucking god take a more abolitionist stance on policing I'm begging. would it KILL you to not be weird about cops? pls just punch some more cops. take down white supremacist cops, I'm sure you can scrounge something up bffrrn

women's rights episodes. I know it's kind of recent, but episodes about accessibility of stuff like birth control, abortion access, etc. y'all are capable of making excellent episodes on that I know it

more climate crisis-related episodes. god knows you're feeling it in the deep south

taking down a corrupt megachurch pastor (although lbr, there is no ethical megachurch anything and you can fight me on this)

something to do with ace rights bc I think it would be really cool to see the team advocate for that stuff, especially since breanna is canon ace

helping a polycule that is being victimized by X organization/entity (maybe a housing association or medical or something???). breanna is bombastic side-eyeing the ot3 the entire time. it is making hardison sweat. sophie thinks it's hilarious

taking down 'writers' that use ai and self-publish AND/OR people that take original/fan works off of like ao3 and wattpad and publish them for personal profits without the author's consent. breanna would have a field day with this (god herself could try to convince me that girl does not read/write fanfic and I wouldn't believe it)

episode about underfunded public schools. we saw corrupt private schools in the fairy godparents job but I want an episode that would make abbot elementary writers proud

episode addressing native/indigenous. eliot is from oklahoma, I'm sure he is well aware of the health/job/economic/etc disparities on reservations. I will email jrogers about it myself if I have to- it anyone can get people going about native rights through a tv show it would be leverage.

I sent an ask to wil wheaton once asking if he was open to returning to leverage and I think he said he would be down for it. but chaos either has to be a reluctant ally to leverage international and is being handled by quinn as a hitter OR he is just. in jail. bc he sucks.

bpas and/or pfas episode. breanna has mentioned microplastics before but I want more

the team tears the shit out of conversion therapy camp owners and plants the seeds for legislation that will punish parents that try to send their kids to those hellscapes

while we're at it, I'd love to see an ep where they tackle the trans bathroom issue. god knows the news doesn't talk about it nearly enough

something to do with foster care. they end up starting some sort of foster care network that past clients/allies can take part in. maybe a mentorship program for kids that want to do what they do one day (they are very reluctant to encourage kids to participate in crime BUT if that is the avenue that they are going to inevitably go towards, they guide them in the right direction). nana makes an appearance (*insert 'everybody liked that' meme*)

prison industrial complex episode. I KNOW we had the jailhouse job BUT we really need this in our year of 2024

another episode on corrupt influencers. maybe influencer parents? dear god pls take them down a notch

ep where there is an underlying message that tells you how to avoid becoming victim to scams or something, or like is a tutorial for how to identify scams you might fall victim to (sorry, I just have to say this after two separate people tried to pig butcher me in less than two (2) weeks))

not to say I want them to do an ep calling out cop city, but it would feel really good to watch the leverage team rip that concept to SHREDS

the minimum wage job. need I say more? we deserve the catharsis

pls go after goodwill execs, esp the ones in the pnw that have their sector as for-profit and have become millionaires+ because of it while paying their staff (especially disabled staff) fucking pennies

while we're on the topic, pls call out salvation army (the corporation)

I can probably go on for like five hours so I'll stop here

ep that we get to see harry and his daughter bond :)

job where they get to lower the price of insulin (and other drugs)

actually, you know what? an episode where the crew annihilates big pharma and terrible insurance companies

I think that breanna should be able to go off about mass/over consumption as a treat. I 100% believe she has Thoughts about it. like, she will absolutely call out the corporations that are responsible for these trends, but also she should be allowed to mention our tendency for overconsumption as a society. obviously there are a few corporations that are doing most of the world's pollution/ecological damage, but we should be doing our part too and I KNOW it would be in-character for her to go off on it

I bet she has a LOT to say about influencers, tbh. obviously not all influencers are bad, but there are sooooo many problematic ones and problems within the influencer industry

sizing discrimination in the modeling/clothing industry. let eliot talk about how there are no perfect bodies. also while I'm on the subject, can we PLS have more body-diverse background actors on the show? I know this is nitpicky but I'd really love to see some more people that look like me, even if they are just in the background

a thinly veiled writers' rights episode (I'm looking at you media execs and the stupid amount of time it took for you to comply to the WGA demands)

something to do with media companies making entire movies/tv shows and then fucking cancelling them/not releasing them and using them as tax write-offs. every time it happens it baffles me. that is cartoonishly stupid villain shit. I can't imagine lovingly working on a project for a year plus and then the company just going, nah, we aren't going to release it because you suck and it's a good business move

ai art and ai in general. please. let it BURN

okay now I'm done

ideas from the previous post that I still want:

comicon job. I said it before and I will say it again- we deserve it!!! come on, it's the age of the geek after all!!! (in the last post I also said a ren faire ep, but I will let the card game job count for that)

summer camp ep? I saw a tumblr fic about it and I think it could be cute. it could kinda be like the fairy godparents job- eliot in charge of some type of sports (archery, fencing, etc), hardison would be in charge of arts and crafts (this boy might be a genius with tech and in general tbh, but the show did such a good job of showing that he’s also very talented with the arts- sculpting the statue for the miracle job, forging the old diary in the king george job, etc), parker would LOVE to be in charge of a high ropes course. breanna would totally be down for some sort of nerdy kid robotics or simple, traditional camp games (can't go wrong with the classics. everyone loves making bracelets!) I feel like it's too stereotypical to have sophie have kids put on a play but we all know that's exactly what she would do. idk for harry? I think he has the same traditional camp activities vibe as breanna. he's in it for the nostalgia. OR something to do with videogames

please, please, please, please, please make an episode where they take down a cult, im begging. that would be such a good episode. definitely a mindfuck episode like the experimental job (4x11). I’ve seen a few posts about a job dealing with a cult (here’s one) and I think it would be really interesting 

MORE STERLING being DONE with leverage shenanigans!!! give me feral!sterling like in the frame-up job (5x10)!!! give me sterling that protests every step of the way but conveniently looks away and “whoops, the team just disappeared, I have no idea how that happened!!! diddly dang darn it, they got away again!!! sorry guys!!!” bonus points if mcsweeten is there too and also participates in intervening hijinks

the team takes down a circus that is still using and abusing wild animals!!! because first I’d LOVE to see acrobat!parker swinging up in the air like a pro and being in her element, but also because those places are the fucking worst and need to Go Down. give me eliot having to pose as an animal trainer with deep sympathy for the animals being abused, quietly talking soothing words to them when he thinks no one is around (correction: hardison is, in fact, around, and filming his boyfriend’s softness to save for later). give me charismatic hardison playing the role of ringmaster, running and flaunting about and being passive-aggressive to the circus master. give me eliot freeing the animals from their chains when they are finally able to shut the place down and relocate the animals to sanctuaries (his hands shaking just a little as twists the key in the lock, because he too was once an abused, caged animal in his own right and he knows how liberating it is to finally be free). 

[thedemonofcat]

The Oracle of Dandelion foretold of an elven-blooded bard born under ill-fated stars, destined to inherit the gift of foresight. This bard, known as the "Oracle of Dandelion," would be both a blessing and a curse—his visions of the future so potent they could drive a person to madness. According to the prophecy, this oracle held the power to either unite or destroy entire nations.

Jaskier, burdened with this gift of foresight, became a powerful seer. But the constant flood of visions ravaged his mind and body, wearing him down. Geralt, despite his unwavering dedication, struggled to alleviate the bard's torment, which only worsened as Nilfgaard's influence spread. In recent years, Jaskier's visions had grown more frequent and intense, leaving him in an ever-deepening state of exhaustion.

Matters came to a head when one particularly traumatic vision left Jaskier bedridden and incapacitated at Kaer Morhen. As word of his condition spread through the fortress, debates ignited among its inhabitants. Some believed the only way to save him was to strip him of his seer powers, while others feared what might happen if they did.

[unknownhomosapien]

Godryn felt a strange tremble inside the amulet. Or it was his own hand? Could have sworn that there were voices, but it was hard to understand what they said.

He also remembered, that masked man gave him the same one in the dream few nights ago. It was a type of situation, when Godryn had no idea what to do.

His foresight powers got unusually stronger since arrival to Vvanderfell.

He got too much attention from the people, like they afraid of him.

Masked man actually helping him to understand, who is he really are.

And damn amulet, that was thrown away, because voices are too loud in his head. Because its new question with no answer.

Au, where everything was the same, except Voryn and Nerevar got different endings in the battle of Red Mountain. Godryn Ovathur, the incarnation of Voryn Dagoth, decided to start a new life in Morrowind, a motherland of his ancestors, but he did not expect WHO they were.

•Nerevar being sharmat, but he is not identify himself as god actually, more like being blessed to save people of Morrowind from traitors

•House Dagoth actually awake only because Dagoth' descendants. Its them being capable to spread coprus

•Nerevar "recruiting" only Dissident Priests and ashlanders. Instead of nightmares he shows what could be if Tribunal and Empire wasn't in rule. Yea, basically roasting them, lmao