faithisthekey-23 · 1 year ago
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Hi dear brothers and sisters, today I represent you my poem about the Holy Spirit. I wrote it yesterday (on 17th May 2023). Have a good time while reading. God bless you :)
Holy Spirit my Best Friend
God Almighty's Holy Spirit is with you
He is here to guide you and can help you to go to Heaven
Where God is waiting for you right with Jesus Christ
Who sits on His throne filled with love waiting for His return
When this time comes, He will return to bring His children home
The same children of His who were faithful
And even in the midst on hardship and persecution did stand firm
Waiting for what is yet to come — in Heaven huge rejoice
A huge rejoice that will make you give you strength, love and peace
For that is all you need — your King of Peace
Who is in Heaven right with Jesus Christ your Savior and God your Heavenly Father
Who reigns now and whose Kingdom lasts forever
Whose power has no limits for He is Almighty
His awesomeness in power wonders people
For no one can understand how He does His miracles
It seems to be something that is mind-blowing
For He can do everything that seems to be impossible
Well, that's our Father Who deserves all the glory
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bunnynoldo · 23 days ago
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Halbrand/Sauron: the Fisher King symbology and meaning in the show
I was wondering why Halbrand's 'King of the Southlands' emblem is a kingfisher of all things. I've looked for some symbolism or meaning but nothing seemed to fit the narrative.
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But when Celebrimbor mentioned the kingfishers just before his death, I knew that it must have a meaning, it must be important.
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And then I had an epiphany, the meaning is not a kingfisher, it is the Fisher King! This meaning fits Sauron's narrative in the series perfectly.
The Fisher King is an immortal king in Arthurian legend. He is charged with keeping the Holy Grail.
Sauron is a Maia, a powerful spirit tasked with implementing Eru Iluvatar's will and protecting the world.
However, The Fisher King was wounded, and incapable of performing his tasks himself. Often the wound has been a punishment for a crime that the Fisher King has committed, and it would not heal in time.
The King Fisher's wound is Morgoth's corruption. Because of his terrible life choices, Sauron has been corrupted by Morgoth, and is incapable of fulfilling his sacred purpose as a Maia: creating order and peace in Middle-earth. In the show, this is represented by his inability to create the rings and take the leadership role.
His is impotence affected the fertility of his land, reducing it to a barren wasteland.
Forodwaith, and later Mordor, are wastelands - both are affected by Morgoth, the source of Sauron's wound/curse/corruption
All he could do is fish in the river near his castle and wait for the “chosen one” who would be able to heal him. His strength evaporated with his inactivity and his kingdom fell into waste. The only activity that seemed to give him pleasure was fishing in the lakes close to his castle.
After regaining his human form, Sauron wanders the Middle-earth aimlessly and ends up on a raft. He seemed content with staying in Numenor and working as a smith. The "chosen one" is Galadriel of course.
In the Arthurian legend, the Fisher King appears to the youth, Parsival, first in the form of a fisherman in a boat, then of a mortally wounded king who cannot find redemption for his sufferings.
The imagery is all here - Galadriel first sees Sauron on a raft.
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And if you think that it is too subtle, behold the wounded king of the Southlands laying under the kingfisher sigil, watched over by a noble knight on a quest to find him:
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In the legend, the noble knight manages to heal the Fisher King in exchange for the Holy Grail.
Galadriel unknowingly offers Sauron forgiveness and redemption through fighting at her side. But we know the outcome of this story - Sauron is not healed.
This could mean that it's a reverse Fisher King story - Galadriel, the noble knight, helps Sauron to take back his power as Morgoth's successor.
But that does not fit with dying words of Celbrimbor. He says that it's a pity how Sauron has silenced the kingfishers - therefore I think that Halbrand, the king of the Southlands with a kingfisher sigil, represents a repentant Sauron who wants to redeem himself.
When Celebrimbor says that Sauron has silenced the kingfishers, it symbolises the fact that Sauron has destroyed his chance at redemption with his actions.
And Sauron knows this at some level, even if he's still deceiving himself that he's committing all the atrocities for a higher good. That's why Celebrimbor's words of him never being able to reach the Undying Lands cut him so deep that he looses control.
And how could have Galadriel healed the Fisher King's wound? That's just my speculation, but returning to Arthurian legends, a knight on a quest for the Holy Grail has to ask the right question. And the right question in this case would be asking Sauron why didn't he come to repent to Valinor?
The only way to heal Sauron from Morgoth's corruption would be to persuade him to return to Valinor, because Sauron is a demigod corrupted by a god, and no one in the Middle-earth can heal him.
And we see this in the show - Sauron tries to repent and fails:
"...and he fell back into evil, for the bonds that Morgoth had laid upon him were very strong"
I'm wondering if we will get the exact moment when Sauron has embraced Morgoth again in the flashbacks in future seasons.
If the showrunners would like to make it very literal, he might have returned to Morgoth's service after Mount Doom's eruption - which could have been a magical event (the eruption was a part of Morgoth's plan in case of defeat). It would tie in nicely with Halbrand's actual would representing Morgoth's corruption.
Or coming back to Morgoth could have been a more gradual process starting with Galadriel's rejection.
(I was also speculating about Morgoth's role in the show here if you would like to read more about it)
(And here's something on ambiguity of Sauron's motives in the show)
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cursecuelebre · 1 month ago
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Ancestral Veneration and Why it’s Important
This is going to be a post about a topic that people seem to forget or deem unimportant even fearful about with either good reasons or just never thought about it. I just wanted to mention YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WORK WITH ANCESTORS IN YOUR PRACTICE this blog is mostly for those who are interested in it and not sure what ancestral veneration is.
I’m a pagan and a witch that practices Ancestral veneration in my practice, not around it but it’s definitely a big part of why I practice certain paths. I’ll go in beginner tips, what to expect and the myths, the offerings and the recommendations. But let me go a bit into the importance of Ancestral Veneration and worship in human history since it’s still prevalent today.
Historical importance of Ancestral Worship
Ancestral worship and veneration has been at least one of the oldest religions that humans have ever believed in. Archaeological evidence shows the early humans taking care of their dead and burying them for respect and dignity maybe even courtesy to the deceased. It became sacred to them, imagine back then without fully understanding about the world someone that you spoke and saw now gone, it’s a profound moment one’s life that they must believe that their spirit lives on and they themselves wanted a peaceful resting place. It’s a cycle, many cultures and religions believe that life is a cycle, death is never the “end” rather an end of a journey to a new part of one’s life.
To this day people honor their deceased loved ones, visiting their graves, offering them gifts at their resting places, speaking to them, having their picture on a table surrounded by their favorite flowers, etc. Honoring the dead and respecting the dead is a very revered part of human life and something that we all would like to expect when we’re gone from our living family. Spirits also related or not, the dead as well should be treated with outmost respect and dignity like our ancestors did.
Some cultures like the Romans believed that if the spirits especially ancestral spirits (Lares) weren’t appeased they become angry if worshipped improperly or their will have not be been fulfilled. In Ancient Greek tradition they would place a coin in the mouth for the deceased to make sure their spirits would go into the afterlife safely and less traumatic. Each culture and society had a different way of how the ancestors would live in the afterlife.
Even in the Christian Bible shows the significance of ancestors, there is a reason why genealogies are included in the Bible. How Jewish people revere Abraham as their founding father since he is the first Hebrew patriarch which is very important to them and their religion. How even Jesus is related to David on both sides. Even immediate family is important like Jesus’s mother Holy Mary. In Norse Paganism it’s said that the kings were descend from gods like the Swedish Royal family related to Freyr. In Shintoism it is said that the First Emperor of Japan is related to the Sun Goddess Amaterasu. Japan and other many East Asian countries have a strong relationship and traditions regrading Ancestors.
Why Ancestral Veneration?
Ancestral Veneration is generally taken outside of paganism and witchcraft a very sacred thing for families, they can heal, they can come together, grieve together, reminisce together especially if they knew that person in life. But also asking the deceased loved ones for guidance and protection, to help their family in life whom they love the most. Plus this can help especially if you are into past life regression, we reincarnated with our ancestors many times and they have been able to see us in their time and now. It can be really insightful to understand of who we were in those lives.
Whatever legacy they left behind that you admired from them is continued for generations to come as well as heirlooms, a mother passing down her sentimental items to daughters or their children alike it’s a remembrance of what they were known by as well.
“Cows die, family die, you will die the same way . I know only one thing that never dies: the reputation of the one who’s died.” Havamal, Stanza 77.
If you’re going into paganism or witchcraft or both that are related to your ancestry. Your ancestors are the best teachers and mentors especially if they also have been in these specific practices and traditions. If you want to learn Seidr for instance a magical practice rooted within Scandinavian traditions and you have said Scandinavian roots you can contact a ancestor that practiced it in life and willing to help and teach you. What’s unfortunate about ancestral veneration looking down upon for many centuries making people turn away and against the practice is that it’s said that spirits can become lost if they aren’t being honored or remembered that makes them fade and lost.
Five Myths about Ancestral Veneration and what to expect. This is not going to be sugarcoated, I’m being honest and this what I’ve experienced in my own practice and how many others have experienced as well. I would add on if I forgot anything but these are most common misconceptions I have heard. The red are the myths if you are wondering.
Myth #1: All ancestors on the other side have my best interest and support all what I’m doing This is a common misbelief, now there is ancestors that will support you no matter what and your actions. But if you’re a pagan and a witch there is going to be Christian ancestors who won’t support you at all. Their human spirits with still human functions and beliefs. Not to say you can’t communicate but set your intentions and boundaries before meeting them, some will tolerate and some will make their opinions and beliefs known possibly even try to convince you. I know it sounds like fear mongering but it’s to what you would expect. This doesn’t mean you cannot make contact or venerate them because of it. It’s a choice that is a two way street, even spirits in the other side have freewill just like we do.
Myth #2: All Ancestors are well in spirit No, not exactly, when humans on earth do horrible things or experience horrible things it will take affect in the spirit world no matter what. Keep in mind time works very differently in the other world that it will take centuries for those who are healing to fully recover and those to actually realize their problems, messed up life on earth if they choose to recognize it. Again as I said just humans in the physical world human spirits also have free will and choices.
Myth #3: Only Human spirits are ancestors Nope commonly yes when we think of Ancestors we think of human beings that lived either with us or before us. But this isn’t the case, pets for instance that became our beloved family members and part of our inner circle are our ancestors. My cat that recently passed I had him since I was nine years old, I always thought and treated him like family because of that he merged into my family circle. Also animals can symbols of family, like a bear, an owl, an elephant, etc. that they can be represented as your ancestors as a whole.
Myth #4 : Ancestors are limited to just blood family Also a misconception, close friends and even adopted family members are considered to be close family. Some people won’t have blood relatives in life and find their found family which is just as valid and meaningful like a blood family is. This also goes to if you’re a person that likes to write you might venerate your favorite author, if you like to draw or paint you can venerate an artist that you admired a lot. Your family might have patron saints, deities, or local heroes and spirits that have been part of your family for generations. That’s why it’s nice to know where your family originated from what country, village, city, etc.
Myth #5: No Ancestors of mine did anything wrong Everyone’s ancestors did something horribly wrong in their lifetime, some were messed up people. But there are good ones that aren’t like that anymore, if you want to venerate them that’s up to you and your practice. I personally don’t do it because especially if they did something wrong and have no remorse for it I ain’t venerating none of them.
There is no reason to be afraid.
I know I seemed to be fear mongering in the previous part that’s because I don’t want to sugarcoated of which is most likely to be expected.
The Bottom line when contacting (if you want to have contact with them) and venerating your ancestors is that their no different from a human person in this physical realm. They will have personalities, likes, dislikes, opinions, beliefs like any other human being BUT from my experience a lot of my ancestors are very wise, humorous, kind, and non-judgmental. My advice if you really want to contact someone who is going to be supportive and helpful in your paganism and witchcraft, ask specifically for that person I usually ask for ancient ancestors pre Christian wise but there many folk witches and pagan ancestors that are more modern and recent that can most definitely help you! Speak to them like any other human interaction would be as if you’re talking to a living friend, family member or complete stranger you’re meeting for the first time.
How to Communicate with your ancestors
I have mention “contacting” your ancestors you can speak with them it’s not impossible.
1. Meditation and dream work: Most common and effective way to really get them to communicate you and send signs is through dreams. Meditation for a clear and close connection with them.
2. Tarot: Very common and just as effective, my most recommended first step when communicating with your ancestors. Using a tarot deck can help with putting your foot through the door. There is a great book which will recommend at the of the blog that does ancestral and tarot together.
3. Pendulum and a spirit board: This is more in depth but it has been very effective for me and many others to really connect and communicate with my ancestors. It’s good to state your intentions and boundaries before doing any of said above, but this is where you really need to set it. Before starting grab the pendulum over the board don’t let it swing and say, “I ask of the good and supporting ancestors that have me in good intent and support of my path and practice, I would like to meet you”. Of course you get specific like “I would like to meet an ancient Roman ancestor” that’s just an example of how it would go safely and respectfully.
4. Just talking to them. Yep sounds easy enough, you would just get something that represents ancestors or even a specific ancestor. For instance your grandmother’s rosary and just talk to them or pray to them. It’s a very simple and comforting way to bond with your family.
Offerings
This is going to be a “it depends on the ancestors” but there has been a universal notion of what ancestors do really like. From items, food, drink, etc.
Rosaries for catholic ancestors or the cross for Christian ancestors generally speaking
Pagan symbols for your pagan ancestors
Statues of ancestral gods or saints or other important entities
Sweets: Cookies and cakes are very popular
Alcohol: my Germanic ancestors love it when I offer beer, mead, ale. But also wine and other alcoholic beverages for others.
Regular libations like water, coffee, tea. juice, etc. good substitute if you cannot use alcohol.
Their meals from their home country, my Italian ancestors, recent and ancient love it when I make them pasta.
Incense some cultures call it the food for spirits
Heirlooms
Family photographs
Candles
Coins
Book of the dead, if you meet an ancestor you can record them down into a book that is solely for your family and to be passed down on and on. It’s a memorial service to them that someone knows their name and who they were.
Specific traditions that your ancestors came from for instance libations of wine for your Greek ancestors.
Good ancestral veneration books that personally helped me a lot and I know a lot of others to get started.
Ancestral Tarot by Nancy Hendrickson she helps how to contact and connect with your ancestors and ancestry using tarot
Ancestral Grimoire by Nancy Hendrickson like Ancestral Tarot she goes how to connect with your ancestors but this time how to really work with them. One of the exercises is to work with an ancestor for a month and a different for the next one.
Honoring your Ancestors by Mallorie Vaudoise she gives good information on different ways to connect with your ancestors, the different types of ancestors, she does have a Southern European and Catholic folk magic take to it which is fine but it’s not the sole focus of it but she does put good information in the book to help someone get started. 
Badass Ancestors by Patti Wigington also good beginners guide to ancestral veneration and how to connect through meditations and develop relationships with them even how to deal with problematic ancestors. She goes into how to research your genealogy and useful tips!
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arcielee · 1 year ago
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Only if for a night.
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Summary: You find comfort in your husband's brother. Paring: Aegon Targaryen x Female!Reader Word Count: 3750 Warnings: Just some smut. Smidgen of Targcest in the beginning, voyeurism, marital cheating, oral (f receiving, m implied), fingering, p in v, breeding kink if you squint. Author's Note: This was a request from my darling anon! This idea literally had me obsessed until I completed it, so please don't think this is the bar for my response time. 😂 Also, a big thank you to my kindred spirits who answered my v. important questions about Aegon's booty! (You know who you are and Ily 💜) Banners & dividers by @cafekitsune Update: This story has a pick your own ending. And you told me I should concentrate. [Aegon x you] But you came over me like some holy rite. [Aemond x you] Tags (Tumblr kindred spirits): @aaaaaamond @annikin-im-panicin @watercolorskyy @schniiipsel @aemondx @fan-goddess @babygirlyofthevale @httpsdoll @theromanticegoist @assortedseaglass @amiraisgoingthruit @theoneeyedprince @babyblue711 @itbmojojoejo @lovelykhaleesiii @darylandbethfanforever9
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You felt numb from the sight: seeing your husband on his knees and feasting between the plush thighs of the queen.
It formed a knot that choked you, but it did not stem from a lover’s jealousy–as you knew that you did not love Aemond and he, certainly, did not love you. You always knew your marriage was one of honor and duty, to solidify victory, a peace offering postwar.
You came from a house that was reputable and wealthy, bringing a sizable force to ensure that King Aegon II would remain on the Iron Throne. Your father boasted of marrying his only daughter into the Targaryen dynasty and you felt fortunate to be given a handsome husband, despite his scarred socket. 
Prince Aemond already had a fierce reputation that preceded before you met; your ladies-in-waiting tittered over his disfigurement, his sense of bloodlust, and their hushed whispers of kinslayer that haunted him still despite that the kingly decree his actions were that of a true dragon. He was a renowned veteran of the war that was won, that instilled his brother as king without question, and in return he remained prominent on the council, serving still as the Protector of the Realm. 
You were shy, intimidated even, when you first saw the severity that lined his features, the unabashed gaze with his sapphire stone that replaced the eye lost, but you decided he was handsome in a way that was uniquely his own. You also  found Aemond was respectful and kind, that he was intelligent, he was considerate, and you sighed your relief, knowing all too often how ladies would be knitted to cruel lords. 
For your bedding ceremony, the only glimpse of the dragon that thrummed beneath was how Aemond barked to dismiss the maesters, the Lord Hand, allowing you both privacy to complete the act. He seemed well aware of the discomfort a maiden could feel and treated you with the utmost courtesy, mindful of your sighs, your soft sounds to completion.
He was dutiful and he was diligent. It was not love at first sight, not like the stories told; there was no fluttering of butterfly wings throughout nor did your heart skip a beat at the sight of him, but you enjoyed his company, his consistency, and his consideration. 
In all, it was a formidable match and you were certain the marriage would be a success. 
Especially once you produced a silver haired royal babe. 
Which is why you were freshly bathed and dressed in silk, just the quiet echoes of your slippered footfalls against the cobblestone that led towards your lord husband’s quarters. You thought yourself fortunate no white cloak was perched outside his door, and you pressed close to listen before you carefully turned the gilded handle of the door. 
The room was cast in the amber glow from the hearth and tapers lit, and it was the lewd sounds that first caught your attention. You were rooted in the doorcase, your eyelashes fluttered at the view in front of you. 
Aemond was bare from the waist up, the peaks of the silver scars peering through his silver hair, and he was kneeled before the velvet settee at the end of his bed. You watched the muscled definition of his backside, the golden glow of the fireplace highlighting his bareness, as well as the elegant arc of a calf that was draped casually over his shoulder. 
Your eyes followed the milky curve of this limb to look over his shoulder and see the flushed features of Helaena. She was seated on the settee, her laces loosened which allowed the natural spill of her chest, with the peak of her areolas and the rose hues that stained the skin showing. Her skirts were rutted around her hips, the fabric spilling around, and her eyelashes fluttered with a silver glimmer, her head rolling back with a wave of her silver tresses. A smile curled on her kiss-swollen lips and there was a shudder of her pleasure that rippled viscerally over, her fingers curling against his scalp with the breathless whisper. 
“Aemond.”
The humiliation was hot in your veins and burned your cheeks; you willed yourself to move, but your eyes were rapt to attention, watching the frantic rise and fall of Helaena’s chest, her nipples pebbled, and the spilled moans from her mouth.
"Aemond, Aemond, Aemond…"
You left as quietly as you entered; your steps were soft, quick to take you back, with one hand lifting the silk of your chemise and the other wiping the tears that began to spill. 
We were not in love, you remind yourself, but it still pinched a nerve within your chest. He was still your husband and you were duty bound to bore him a child, a son if the Lord Hand could choose. The act itself was not unpleasant, but Aemond had never…
Your thoughts were interrupted with a singsong call of your name; you were quick to wipe your face before turning to see the king.
“Your grace,” you offered him a feeble curtsy and even weaker smile. 
Aegon moved with a grace, a sway to his steps; his brow furrowed above his wide, lilac eyes, and there was a genuineness to his question. “Sweet sister, it is late, what has you out of bed?” 
Before you had been sent to King’s Landing, your mother warned you of his behaviors; you were also told the tale of how the newly anointed Lord Commander and your lord husband had to drag Aegon from the streets of Flea Bottom and place him on the Iron Throne. 
But this notoriety of his youth seemed to dissipate with the placement of the Conqueror’s crown he now wore proudly on his silver waves. It seemed to kindle the royal ichor in his veins, and he moved with an elegance as he pressed closer, peering at you with his continued concern.  
“I… I was feeling unwell and thought that I would go for a walk,” you chose your words carefully, trying to mask the threat of emotion that brimmed beneath. 
His brow quirked. “Alone?”
You swallowed. In this moment, you wished to slip away, to return to your rooms and drown in your sorrow, your failures as a wife in light of learning your new husband’s infidelities, your self-loathing for craving the passion Aemond displayed, wishing it to be shown towards you instead…
The silence hung thick, too long for his liking, and Aegon reached to take your hand, placing it into the crook of his arm. “It is late,” he repeated. “If you are unwell, allow me to escort you back to your quarters.” 
You fell in step, peering at him. Aegon was handsome, as your supposed all Targaryen men seemed to be; your eyes admired his silver tresses that curled at his shoulders, that showed golden with the lights that lined the corridor, casting a gold ring that reflected in the lilac of his eyes that flitted over you; his lips were rosy, an upwards curl when he noticed your stare. “You seem so solemn tonight,” he tried again. 
The proximity allowed you to smell the long day on him, mixing with the scents of lavender and tea tree oils, a regal musk that called to you to nestle your head against his chest and cry. “It is only that I am feeling unwell,” is what you said instead. 
His eyes were wide and watchful, but he did not argue and instead allowed the silence to envelope as he walked with you. Before you could wish him goodnight, he pushed into your room, ordering your handmaidens to fetch something to eat, as well as red wine to help settle your stomach. 
They jumped with his command, quick to listen, and soon enough you were sitting on the terrace that overlooked the coast of Blackwater Bay, holding a goblet that brimmed with a Dornish wine that stained your lips with each polite sip. Aegon sat across from you, a boyish grin as he dismissed your handmaidens for the night, before reaching to break the bread for you both. 
The silence followed from the corridor, settling over in a way that was not at all uncomfortable; you peered again at Aegon, a choked cry in your throat as you watched him take care to slice the cheeses and the olives for the bread, before offering it to you. 
It was a simple, sweet gesture and you chewed, forcing down the bite with the wine. Whereas conversation had to be dragged from your husband, you found his brother’s tongue would not idle; perhaps it loosened from the wine, but it was not a mindless filler in a way that words are used as though silence were a threat, but you found Aegon to be cheerful, witty, as he shared stories from his youth. 
Aegon glowned from his narration, from the silver light that poured over; the night sky was empty with the clouds rolling over the black water, the air cool and salty. Your cheeks were rosy from your drink and your laughter, and when your cup emptied, he was quick to refill it. 
He pressed for your turn and you shared about your life before coming to King’s Landing. Aegon was an attentive listener, with sighs punctuating; you looked to see that his cheeks were pink from the wine and the wind, a curl returning to his lips. “My brother is fortunate to have such a pretty and witty wife.” 
Those words were the unknown catalyst broken; you did not sob your sorrow but instead there were large tears that rolled down your cheeks. You did not realize you were shaking until you felt his fingers, his touch warm, soft, wrapping gently around your wrist. You allowed him to pull you from your seat, towards him–now standing–and enveloping you into his arms for a moment before he sat back down, pulling you onto his lap. 
Your mannerly upbringing roared in your ears, this was wrong, this was improper, to be pulled into an unchaperoned embrace of your husband’s brother–the fucking king of the Seven Realms. But instead you curled against his chest, that regal musk soothing, his warmth pleasant against the nip of the air. You indulged in his comfort–his palm rubbing slow circles along your spine, his other arm across your lap, his hand gripping into your thigh. 
His touch grounded you, allowing you to compose yourself and share with him what you had found in Aemond’s quarters, making sure to elicit a detail that Aegon freely supplied.
“He was with Helaena, right?”
You looked at him. “You knew?” Your voice cracked, incredulous. 
Aegon only hummed, continuing his soothing ministrations, his hand rubbing your backside. “I thought you did as well,” he admitted. “Our status within the Seven Realms… requires certain duties to be fulfilled. We are honorbound to these obligations, to ensure peace amongst the kingdoms. But it is just a role to be played for the public.” 
You knew this in part already; you were always aware of the duty of your marriage, the child that you were expected to bring into the world. But still, the truth spoken brought a new wave of tears that he consoled. Your body burned with his touch, his finger curling and his thumb pressing into your chin to bring your watery eyes to his own. “Is it that you love him?” He asked with a curiosity that could not be helped, in light of your reaction. 
You did not, and would never, certainly not after this night. The tears that spilled came from something deeper, something that licked your belly when your eyes lingered in Aemond’s room, and your voice quavered, hiccupping to explain this. 
Aegon had an almost kingly glow in the moonlight, with its silver light reflecting in the stubble that spread across his square jaw, framing the mischievous grin that curled on his wine stained lips. “Is your husband,” he speaks of him like he is apart from Aemond, not knitted within the same womb, with the same dragon’s blood thrumming in his veins, “not fulfilling his marital duties?” 
You stammered with your response. This was not what you meant, as Aemond was courteous to his completion, but it was never like what you spied tonight. You flushed remembering the shades of pink that plumed against Helaena’s porcelain skin, how her back arched with her cries, his name a fervent prayer spilling from kiss-swollen lips… 
"Aemond, Aemond, Aemond…"
Aegon’s timbre brings you back out to the terrace, with his continued soft circles on the outside of your thigh. “You would know if he had,” he spoke so casually, almost flippant with the subject. 
How would you know? And you regret your question, your naivety apparent with your words. 
The same mischievous smirk returned to his lips, and as the moonglow spilled over him something glimmered, something knowing from how his brow quirked with your question. Aegon tilted his head up slightly, his lips now close to the soft divot beneath your ear, grazing your skin with his whisper, “I could show you.” 
Your lips part in shock, your eyes wide to look him over and see the flush of color that stained his cheeks, the wine that stained his lips. 
And you dared to kiss him. 
Your lips are shy to touch, almost chaste with your action, but Aegon responds, quick, his fingers curling at the base of your neck and his other coming around your waist. His lips are full, soft, warm with the hint of the sweet wine to taste when his tongue runs your bottom lip, eliciting a moan from you. He deepened the kiss, his tongue clever, careful, as he drew the very breath from your lungs. 
The spill of silk showed your shoulder and you gasped softly when he broke away, his mouth ravenous to capture the skin now exposed, with a wake of love bites from his open mouth kisses, and a warmth began to bloom within you. You touched his chest with a gentle push to stand and he lets go, his lilac eyes wide and wanting; your hands trembled slightly as you reached to pull him to stand, boldly leading him within your chambers. 
Aegon stopped you in the archway, and you turned to see the smile on his lips as he pressed against you, his thigh spreading your legs and his hands trailing your curves, settling and gripping onto your hip bones. His mouth captured yours once again, and your arms wrapped around his neck to bring him closer. 
You almost whined when he stopped the kiss, his eyes glassy and their color swallowed by pools of black. “My brother is an idiot,” is all he said. 
Before you could breathe a response, he pulled you into the room and back against his mouth, moving with the flutter of kisses along your jawline, nipping into the curve of your neck. His palms are still on the small of your waist, with guiding steps back towards the bed.
Clothes are removed with a passion, leaving a trail behind. “Lay back,” he coaxed, his hands warm against your bareness, careful to press until you laid against the mattress. Aegon followed after, climbing on top of you to meet with another kiss, with his sweet murmur, “Let me show you.”  
It is a tickling sensation, the mixture of his stubble with the softness of his lips against the curve of your neck, trailing to your chest. Gooseflesh rippled over, your nipples peaking from the warmth of his touch; his palm cups one breast while his hot mouth latches to the other, teeth and tongue teasing. 
You squirmed beneath him; his chuckle was low and warm against the valley between your breasts, from shifting his focus from one to the other. “So impatient,” and his hot kiss sends shivers down your spine, with an intensity that you know will mark you. 
You shivered again with that thought.
This reaction encouraged a tensity shown to your nipples, his tongue swirled and another crest of pleasure rippled over, your hand moving to cover your mouth to muffle. Again, his fingers curled around your wrist, pulling your arm down to your side and pushing up to find your lips. “None of the that,” and his lips curled into an almost wicked smile, “your king wishes to hear you.” 
Satisfied with the crimson that flooded your cheeks, Aegon moved towards your core with sporadic kisses trailing, a warm tickle of his exhale as he nestled between your thighs. 
Your heart fluttered with the intimate kiss he placed, something that sparked a warmth that began to spread out towards the apex of your thighs and beyond. Your hips buck slightly from the sensation and you can feel him grin against your cunt. 
“So eager,” he breathed, a warm thrill against your slick slit, his tongue flitting with a precision that had you panting. “Yes, just like that,” he praised, his fingers now pressing within your velvet walls and stretching as one curled within, then another. 
His mouth, his touch was practiced, pulling something to blossom within the pit of your stomach, a fluttering sensation that built with the tandem of his fingers and his tongue.
You gasped, peering to see the top of his head, the spill of his silver waves as he moved, ravenous, determined. You writhed, a pitiful mewling sound, and his one hand moved to curl underneath your thigh, holding you in place with his continued sinful motion, your arousal spilling onto the bedsheets. 
It was too much, and you whimpered, “A-Aegon,” as your hands balled to grip the linen. 
“Just like that,” he purred against, his rhythm building still, a pressure threatening to burst within you. “Come for me, sweet girl.” 
It engulfs you as though you had been dropped into Blackwater Bay, a rush that spilled with the come hither curl of his fingers, pressing his lips against the sensitive bundle of nerves above. You see the stars when your eyes flutter closed, the spill of tears that pearled in the corners of your eyes, your chest heaving to catch your breath and your thighs trembling. 
His praise was low, husky. “You are so beautiful like this.”
You slowly propped yourself onto your elbows, flushed, and reached towards him, but he stopped your hand. “Next time,” Aegon promised with a cheeky grin. 
You are flushed from his actions, from his words, your heart rate picking up again as Aegon climbed on top of you, nestling into the cradle of your hips. His expression was smug, his lips and chin slick, and you kissed him, hungry for him, curious of your own taste; you enjoyed the salty sweetness from the Dornish wine that mixed. His hand dipped between, lining himself with your entrance, and you sighed into his mouth. 
Aegon has girth, a thickness to him that stretches your walls. You gasp, then another whine that spilled as he pushed to sheath fully within you; Aegon swallowed your cries with his kisses, his hips still to allow you to adjust to his size, checking before he began his slow rut against your hips.  
You pant against his chest, your fingers digging into the twin divots on his lower back as he filled you with each thrust, a bruising pace that began to spark in front of your eyes. You cling to him with a desperation, still sensitive from your first release and flustered from the touch of his bare skin against your own.  
There is the sudden emptiness when he pulled away, positioning himself on his knees, his palms wrapping around your ankles and pulling to place your feet against his chest; your hips cant up, allowing him to be swallowed by your warmth again, a guttural groan that reverberates through when you clenched.
This new angle sparked another cry, lights dancing across your eyes with his pace; he was grinning down at you, pausing to turn his head with a quick kiss to the arc of your foot, and you giggled. 
His large hands moved to press onto the mattress, caging you, and he rolled his hips against your own; the wet squelch with your soft cry as he bruised within. You mewled his name when his pace quickened, pistoning his hips against. 
There was the returned flutter of pleasure and Aegon lifted one hand. “Open,” and you obey, your tongue touching the pad of his thumb, swirling to coat it with your saliva. When he pulled back, a bit of spittle broke off onto your chin, and his hand dipped to press against the bloom above, his touch soft, searching. 
Yours cries are unbridled at the touch of your pearl, and his satisfaction was apparent on his flushed features, his hips finding a new pace with his new ministrations. Your muscles tightened in response, your back arching against, and it comes, a tidal wave, an intensity that shudders throughout, rattling your bones beneath. 
Aegon continued through your peak, his thrusts growing sloppy to chase after his own release before melting against you, with a low groan into the junction of your neck that rumbled pleasantly through you. 
You both lay there in an intimate tangle of bare limbs until your breathing evened. Aegon rolled onto his side and reached to touch your hip, his lilac eyes roaming over you, admiring you. “Beautiful,” he declared, then leaned closer for a gentle kiss. 
You giggled again, pulling away to clean up. Aegon allowed it, but was adamant that you remained bare, pulling you back to bed after and curling up against, his face nuzzling into your neck; your skin rose in response. 
“For duty, for honor,” he murmured, moving to pull you until your head rested on his chest; his soothing scent and musk of sex now clung to the linen. “A silver haired child all the same,” and he kissed your hairline with his confession. “The twins, Maegor, I am not even certain they are mine or not, but I love them nonetheless.” 
“The blood of the dragon,” you whispered, tilting your head back and allowing him to kiss you once again. 
You felt a new satisfaction, a new understanding of your role within the Targaryen dynasty. The thought warmed you, I love them nonetheless, as you nestled against his chest, allowing the rise and fall to lull you to sleep. 
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arcie's masterlist
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prolifeproliberty · 11 months ago
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”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.“
‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭14‬ ‭KJV‬‬
”Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.“
‭‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭25‬-‭30‬ ‭KJV‬‬
”For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.“
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭KJV‬‬
”Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them. Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.“
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭44‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭KJV‬‬
”Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.“
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭KJV‬‬
”In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.“
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭KJV‬‬
”And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.“
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭KJV‬‬
”He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God. And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing; saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.“
‭‭Luke‬ ‭9‬:‭20‬-‭22‬ ‭KJV‬‬
”Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.“
‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭31‬-‭33‬ ‭KJV‬‬
”Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.“
‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭3‬-‭11‬ ‭KJV‬‬
The doctrine of the Trinity is in the Bible. Jesus’ divinity is in the Bible. Jesus’ atonement for sins on the cross is in the Bible. If you believe the Bible but think you can “follow Jesus” while rejecting what He says about Himself, you are not actually following Jesus.
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried; and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and he shall come again, with glory, to judge both the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the Prophets. And I believe one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church; I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
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childofchrist1983 · 5 months ago
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Time to be boldly honest. I hate June. I hate what it represents. And I feel so sorry for the people who celebrate it so joyfully.
It is a sin to be gay/bi. And just like it's a sin to be anything other than straight, for God made us to be straight and male and female only and that love and sex and marriage to be between a male and female only, it's also a sin to be trans. You're basically playing God and turning yourself into something other than what God created you to be before you were even conceived. And don't forget who used the original "they/them" first: Demons via deception and possession. For THEY are legion. And no, you can't be a "Gay Christian" either.
Being homosexual and transsexual and any other false gender/orientation out there is not just a sin and deception of Satan, but an abomination in the eyes of God, our Heavenly Father and Almighty Creator. And only Jesus can save our souls and free us of our sins and the eternal damnation sin brings. We must continually put our faith and trust in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ and lean on Him and His Holy Word and Spirit daily. For He is the ONLY way to eternal salvation and Heaven. The Way, The Truth, and The Life. PERIOD! Don't believe me? Read the Holy Bible. Listen to testimonies of people who have come to Jesus Christ and have gotten saved. There is no sin Jesus cannot free us from.
Don't fall for the lies and deceptions of Satan and this fallen world. Put your trust in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ and experience true salvation and peace and freedom in Him and His Holy Spirit. Outside of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, there is no sin He cannot cleanse and save us from. We are His creation. He loves us so much and wants to see us come to Him and be saved, so that we may enter our true home that is our true home that is His Kingdom of Heaven. And much like God, I want this for this world as well. Like Him, I hate the sin, but not the sinner.
It's time to turn back to God. And it's time to take back the rainbow for what it truly represents: God's promise! Never pride. June and every day before and after that is for Jesus! And He did not die for our sins and rise again in vain. Repent and seek Him and His Truth and eternal and everlasting love and grace. Our souls and eternity depend on it - On HIM! I've lost friends and loved ones for speaking this Biblical truth. But as a born-again Christian, as an adopted child of God, a sinner saved by His grace, I refuse to hold back any longer. I have enough past trauma and things, with so-called friends and family refusing to listen and trying to silence me for over half my life now, not just for this, but anytime I try to be open with people. Anyone who knows me, knows I used to be VERY open when it came to my feelings and the things happening in my life. But being hated for Christ's sake, and even just being abused and abandoned by others in general, it just shows me who my true friends are.
I tire of living in survival mode. God is the only one I and any of us can trust wholeheartedly. God is the only one who will never abandon us, no matter what we are going through. And I'd rather lose a few friends for standing up for Christ than to see any soul damned to Hell. After all, Jesus Christ was hated long before any of us were. Especially when it came to speaking His Truth. Jesus is God. Jesus is our LORD and Savior. Jesus is King of kings. And He must be our EVERYTHING! I love you and I will be praying for your lost souls and this fallen world, as I do everyday. God bless you
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themodernwitchsguide · 5 months ago
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orphic hymns to Prosperine and Pluto
i should mention that i did NOT write these!! they are from like the 1st century AD lol
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PROSPERINE:
Daughter of Jove, almighty and divine, come, blessed queen, and to these rites incline:
Only-begotten, Pluto's honored wife, O' venerable Goddess, source of life:
'Tis thine in earth's profundities to dwell, fast by the wide and dismal gates of hell:
Jove's holy offspring, of a beauteous mien, fatal, with lovely locks, infernal queen:
Source of the Furies, whose blest frame proceeds from Jove's ineffable and secret seeds:
Mother of Bacchus, Sonorous, divine, and many-formed, the parent of the vine:
The dancing Hours attend thee, essence bright, all-ruling virgin, bearing heavenly light:
Illustrious, horned, of a bounteous mind, alone desired by those of mortal kind.
O, vernal queen, whom grassy plains delight, sweet to the smell, and pleasing to the sight:
Whose holy form in budding fruits we view, Earth's vigorous offspring of a various hue:
Espoused in Autumn: life and death alone to wretched mortals from thy power is known:
For thine the task according to thy will, life to produce, and all that lives to kill.
Hear, blessed Goddess, send a rich increase of various fruits from earth, with lovely Peace;
Send Health with gentle hand, and crown my life with blest abundance, free from noisy strife;
Last in extreme old age the prey of Death, dismiss we willing to the realms beneath,
To thy fair palace, and the blissful plains where happy spirits dwell, and Pluto reigns.
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PLUTO:
Pluto, magnanimous, whose realms profound are fix'd beneath the firm and solid ground,
In the Tartarian plains remote from fight, and wrapped forever in the depths of night;
Terrestrial Jove, thy sacred ear incline, and, pleased, accept thy mystic's hymn divine.
Earth's keys to thee, illustrious king belong, its secret gates unlocking, deep and strong.
'Tis thine, abundant annual fruits to bear, for needy mortals are thy constant care.
To thee, great king, Avernus is assigned, the seat of Gods, and basis of mankind.
Thy throne is fixed in Hades' dismal plains, distant, unknown to rest, where darkness reigns;
Where, destitute of breath, pale specters dwell, in endless, dire, inexorable hell;
And in dread Acheron, whose depths obscure, earth's stable roots eternally secure.
O' mighty dæmon, whose decision dread, the future fate determines of the dead,
With captive Proserpine, through grassy plains, drawn in a four-yoked car with loosened reins,
Rapt over the deep, impelled by love, you flew 'till Eleusina's city rose to view;
There, in a wondorous cave obscure and deep, the sacred maid secure from search you keep,
The cave of Atthis, whose wide gates display an entrance to the kingdoms void of day.
Of unapparent works, thou art alone the dispensator, visible and known.
O' power all-ruling, holy, honored light, thee sacred poets and their hymns delight:
Propitious to thy mystic's works incline, rejoicing come, for holy rites are thine.
Dividers by @vibeswithrenai
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katy-l1988 · 9 months ago
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Chapter 1: The Holly Trinity
Hazbin Hotel Fanfic
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In the dawn of the cosmos, the firmament shimmered with the light of divine beings who dwelled in the heavens, their boredom with the monotony of their existence triggering the creation and expansion of the universe as we now know it. Among the heights stood three angels, Sera, Carmilla, and Lucifer, christened by their father as the "Holy Trinity." The three played vital roles, ensuring the proper functioning of both heaven and the universe they were forging.
Sera, with her celestial majesty, was God's first attempt at creating woman. Tall, slender, with eyes capable of reflecting the vastness of the universe, she was a work of art in herself. However, despite her impeccable appearance, she wasn't quite what God was looking for. Sera lacked the capacity to understand and share joys and sorrows, empathy, to be a companion in all aspects of existence. Sera was too distant, too perfect, to fulfill God's purpose. With great sadness, but also with much love, the Father of All decided to appoint her as his delegate, giving her a different purpose than she was originally intended for. She would make his wishes come true, also reducing the workload on her shoulders.
On the fifth day of creation, after bringing life to the creatures of the animal kingdom in the morning, God retired to his workshop with a handful of swan feathers, the eyes of a lynx, and the heart of a lioness. With infinite patience and meticulous dedication, he began assembling these elements one by one, shaping them with his divine power to form a new creation: Carmilla. This angel emerged as a unique and exceptional creation in her own essence. Although she shared certain traits with Sera, she possessed a great capacity to love, and to hate at the same time. That's why he bestowed upon her the gift of creating life.
"Where art I?" she asked fearfully.
"This is my workshop, and thou art my creation," God replied, helping her to her delicate feet. "Thou canst call me Father."
"Father?" The angel observed her wings flutter, analyzed her silver hair, and saw her fingers move in front of her eyes. "What am I exactly?"
"Thou art an angel, my dear. Thou art my vineyard, my garden, my Carmilla." He then helped her walk, fascinated by her elegance. "Come, I want to introduce thee to someone."
God, captivated by what he had created and not wanting to part from her, placed Carmilla alongside Sera to be her support. However, mere hours later, the difference between Sera's serenity and Carmilla's burning passion triggered a latent conflict between them. One, believing herself superior just for being older, wanted to impose her will, while the second was unwilling to obey without a true reason. God chose not to punish them and took another route, deciding to give birth to a new angel, one whose beauty and power would rival even the heavens themselves: Lucifer. He was a free-spirited and dreamy spirit, destined to maintain peace among his sisters, though not among the other angels. While there were those who admired him fervently, like Araziel, there were others who despised him, such as Michael.
God, calm to see that the most important work was done, delegated to Sera and the elders of heaven the task of finishing his great project. With the very dust of the earth, the Elders of Heaven created Adam and Lilith, based on the sketches provided by the King. These new beings, meticulously crafted with love, were presented as the supreme culmination of creation. Adam, molded in the image and likeness of the gods, was imbued with wisdom and strength, while Lilith, equally magnificent, possessed beauty and unparalleled skill. All felt they had fulfilled the expectations of their Lord, but it wasn't long before Lilith decided not to submit to Adam and escaped from Eden. With indomitable determination, she defied the expectations imposed upon her and sought the freedom she fervently desired. Her act of rebellion shook the foundations of paradise and unleashed a conflict that would resonate throughout heaven and earth.
"Dad's design failed," Sera said as the three siblings gathered in the great hall weeks after the event. "She was supposed to stay with Adam. I don't understand."
"Adam is an idiot, who would want to be with him?" Carmilla opined honestly. "He hath no right to rule over her, no one should."
"I agree, Sera," Lucifer intervened with a understanding smile. "After all, love and free will are the foundations of our existence here in heaven."
"But not on earth, brother. Humans are too simple to know what to do with it, and that's why we've set rules," Sera said, looking at herself in the mirror, determined to do what she considered to be God's word. "Lucifer, go for Lilith and bring her back to Eden. She must fulfill her role as the mother of humanity."
"Sera, art thou sure that's the right thing to do?" Lucifer questioned with a doubtful expression on his face as he received the order from his older sister.
"'Tis necessary, or else Dad's dream will be shattered," Sera replied firmly, her voice resonating in the celestial hall.
It was at that precise moment when Lucifer descended into the underworld, finding in Lilith an echo of the passion and rebellion that he so admired in Carmilla. Fascinated by Lilith's freedom and determination, Lucifer was carried away by his feelings, becoming irretrievably attached to that woman of indomitable spirit. Sera, perceiving this as an act of impersonal irreverence, decided to take drastic measures. She took the sketch discarded by her father and created Eve, a figure that reflected her own serenity and obedience. Eve was the embodiment of everything Sera considered right and virtuous, destined to be the perfect counterpart to Lilith. She never imagined it would backfire.
United in their desire to share this emotion, Lucifer and Lilith sought to offer the fruit of knowledge to Adam's new wife, Eve, without understanding the consequences of their actions. In their attempt to open her eyes to the world beyond blind submission, they allowed evil to spread its roots on earth. Sera watched with consternation as events unfolded, as did the other celestial beings, and sent a group of angels to assess the damage. However, the rift proved to be too extensive, and there was no way to close it.
Faced with such a threat, Sera held a trial, which reached the consensus to eradicate those who caused so much chaos. Carmilla, overcome with anguish and desperation, stood in Miguel's way, seeking to stop the bloodshed among their own.
"Move, Carmilla," ordered Miguel.
"I won't. My father wouldn't want this."
"He doesn't deserve his mercy. He destroyed your father's work, our work!"
"Miguel, please. There must be another way to solve this, he's my brother." She thought for a moment, seeing the pain in Carmilla's eyes.
"Just because thou ask, I'll propose changing the punishment to something less severe." Carmilla sighed with relief. "But I warn thee, whatever the new order is, thou'll be responsible for carrying it out."
Miguel stepped back, leaving Carmilla with a lump in her throat. Lucifer, unaware of the crime he was accused of, continued with his life as if nothing had happened, but he felt the gaze of reproach from the other angels. He knew he had made a mistake, but he didn't know how to fix it.
Lucifer walked through the bustling streets of the celestial city, ignoring the murmurs and accusing glances that surrounded him. He knew everyone was aware of what he had done, and the weight of guilt and remorse accompanied him with every step. Finally, he arrived at the home he shared with his sisters, a refuge amidst the turmoil of heaven. Without a word, he made his way to his chamber and lay down on his bed, letting the silence envelop his troubled soul. Tears threatened to surface, but Lucifer forced himself to hold them back. He knew he had made irreparable mistakes, and now he had to face the consequences of his actions. In the stillness of his chamber, he was alone with his thoughts, grappling with his internal conflicts as he plunged into a sea of regret and anguish.
"Wait, Lilith," he thought then, a spark of concern crossing his tormented mind. He knew that whatever punishment he received, she would suffer it too. He couldn't allow his beloved to be harmed, no matter the cost. Quickly, Lucifer stood up, unwilling to waste another second, and sought out his closest friends, Araziel and Zestial, knowing he needed their support. Together, they gathered in the privacy of their home, ready to assess their options and chart a course of action.
Araziel, known for his rebellious spirit and his love for chaos, proposed the idea of recruiting disgruntled angels dissatisfied with the rigid celestial order, those who yearned for change and were willing to follow Lucifer in his quest for justice and freedom. Zestial, with his unwavering loyalty and serene wisdom, vehemently nodded in agreement, backing Araziel's proposal. Together, the three began to devise a plan to recruit followers, preparing to face whatever would come their way.
Several days of hard work and dedication passed, during which they managed to gain the support of a third of heaven, angels who shared their discontent with the established order and longed for radical change. However, someone crucial was still missing, someone whose endorsement was vital for the success of their cause. Lucifer fervently desired to have Carmilla by his side in this struggle, for despite everything, she had always been there for him. He knew the power of his sister and her influence over other angels; she was a commander, second only to Michael.
One afternoon, he approached Carmilla, hoping to convince her to join them in their crusade. However, upon presenting his proposal, he realized that things wouldn't be as easy as he had hoped. Carmilla, far from showing enthusiasm or support, looked at him with a mixture of sadness and determination in her eyes.
"Lucifer, I cannot do it," Carmilla whispered, her voice trembling, feeling the overwhelming weight of responsibility upon her. "If thou risest against heaven, I shall be obliged to face thee. I do not want that, brother, please, do not force me down that path."
"I thought no one gives thee orders. Why dost thou obey now?" Lucifer inquired.
"Because thou art not giving me choices," she replied, tears welling up, on the verge of collapse. "They shall send thee to hell, Lucifer. Thee, and Lilith, and if thou startest this senseless war, also thy friends."
"Then so be it, but I shall not be subdued without a fight."
The battle erupted in heaven once the rebellion began, with the sound of wings unfurling and the clash of swords resonating in the air. Lucifer led, alongside hundreds of angels who had joined his cause, defying the tyranny of Sera and the elders of heaven. On the other hand, Michael, the mightiest of the archangels, rose as the principal defender of the celestial order, supported by legions of faithful angels who fought ferociously, including Carmilla.
The confrontation between Lucifer and Michael was epic, a clash of titans that shook the universe. Both warriors faced each other with fierce determination, each blow and parry resonating with the intensity of a thousand thunders. Despite Lucifer's courage and skill, he was finally overcome by Michael's imposing strength and ability. In the midst of the chaos, Michael lunged at the dreamer with the intention of ending him once and for all, ignoring direct orders. Carmilla, witnessing this, stepped between the two with speed, and the clash of her lance against Michael's body was terrifying. The weapon pierced Michael's chest, and a gut-wrenching scream echoed in the heavens as he fell to the ground, fatally wounded. Quickly, Lucifer seized the lance, feeling the weight of responsibility and anger burning within him.
With a quick and decisive movement, Lucifer turned to Carmilla and said:
"Now 'tis my turn to protect thee." All witnesses blamed Lucifer for that crime.
"Forgive me for not being able to do more."
With Michael's death, Carmilla assumed the role of Commander-in-Chief of the army, and as her first task, she had to finish what Michael started. Out of pity, she sent all the rebels to hell, bidding farewell to her brother with a cold look, unable to show any other emotion. She knew that this was the only way to keep him safe; as long as she was in command of the army, no one would harm him.
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talonabraxas · 7 months ago
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Orphic Hymn to Jupiter: Empower Your Jovial Prayers & Magic
Jupiter, known in traditional astrology as the Greater Benefic, would be an excellent place for many people to start building relationships with planetary spirits or beginning a devotional practice. The Renaissance magician-physician Marsilio Ficino advised as a general rule for people “to increase the influence of the Sun, of Jupiter, or of Venus.” Invocations, prayers, and offerings to a planetary spirit can help you attune to and come into rhythm with that planet. There are many ways to pray to or invoke a planetary spirit, including simply speaking from the heart, but a natural place to start is one of the most common and accessible prayers to Jupiter: The Orphic Hymn to Jupiter.
The Orphic Hymn to Jupiter
The Orphic Hymns are a collection of Hellenistic religious poems that were involved in the practices of Orphism, a mystery religion centered around the mythical figure Orpheus. The infamous magician Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa wrote that “nothing is more effective in natural magic” than the hymns of Orpheus.
The Orphic Hymn to Jupiter exemplifies one approach to planetary prayer, which is to regale the spirit with praise, listing many noble qualities and superlatives associated with that spirit. The traditional Orphic Hymn to Jupiter (Jove) reads as follows:
O Jove much-honored, Jove supremely great, to thee our holy rites we consecrate, Our prayers and expiations, king divine, for all things round thy head exalted shine. The earth is thine, and mountains swelling high, the sea profound, and all within the sky. Saturnian king, descending from above, magnanimous, commanding, sceptered Jove; All-parent, principle and end of all, whose power almighty, shakes this earthly ball; Even Nature trembles at thy mighty nod, loud-sounding, armed with lightning, thundering God. Source of abundance, purifying king, O various-formed from whom all natures spring; Propitious hear my prayer, give blameless health, with peace divine, and necessary wealth.
Throne of Jupiter by Talon Abraxas
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tobiasdrake · 2 months ago
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Great, now I have my old unwritten and extremely derivative novels on the brain and the construction outside is making work on Digimon impossible so I'm just going to ramble about things I came up with when I was about 10-15 years old and never wrote here.
So, the basic idea I had was that this wouldn't be the story of any one particular character but rather the story of a world. Like Marvel, one of my many many inspirations, I wanted it to feel like a sandbox that countless interesting lives could exist within.
The basic idea of the world was this. Eons ago, there was a great red dragon and a great white dragon. I don't know why I picked those colors. The two dragons fought each other for control over the Earth. Whichever dragon won, the races they governed would supremely rule the entire world.
The red dragon won and banished the white dragon and its chosen races from the Earth, condemning them to live in a dying world with scarce resources.
This was supposed to be a perspective thing. The people who know the ancient lore would describe it as the red dragon saving us from wicked creatures, but in the world of the "demons" as we call them, they describe it as a great evil that was done to them by a cruel usurper. Neither dragon is actually good; This was just politics. Two feudal kings wanting to claim each other's land, with a winning and losing side writing their own histories.
The red dragon, upon banishing the white dragon and the demons from the Earth, fell into a great slumber in its domain outside of reality. The humans built a great temple there accessible from a thousand secret doors in a thousand places across the planet. There a secret society worships the red dragon to this day and keeps the red dragon's idea of peace by hunting and slaying demons who cross the barrier into our world.
I originally conceived of the "Hunters" running around using swords and axes but later redesigned them to be a modernized military force with tactical gear and guns. This is because I realized it'd be silly for a secret society of monster fighters to not update their arsenals as weapons technology evolved.
There are also vampires, who are basically the middle ground between human and demon. Too human to fit in among demons and too demon to be accepted by the "Hunters".
My vampire rules were that vampires are super strong and fast, they regenerate from injuries, they never age, and also they each have special powers. They drink blood because of a biological need; They'll waste away without it. Any kind of water burns them, the sun takes away their powers but doesn't directly harm them, and being impaled through the heart paralyzes but doesn't kill them. They can be killed by decapitation, fire, or by being completely submerged in water.
There were also four eight Elemental spirits because I wanted there to be more than four so I made up four extra elements. The eight "Guardians" are the protectors of the Dragon Temple and have a sacred duty, but it's been eons since they were called to that duty and they've all just sort of flitted off.
Each of the Guardians has a Final Fantasy crystal embedded in their heart, basically parasitizing the human it's implanted in and merging their identity with the persistent ongoing identity of the Guardian. You take in the crystal of "Blaze", the Fire Guardian, and basically merge with the Blaze lineage, acquiring eons of memories and knowledge from everyone who's ever been Blaze before.
The idea was that the eight Guardians would rarely show up together in a story but any one of them might crop up somewhere. The Lightning Guardian is a mercenary who does paid jobs for demons. The Water Guardian is literally the Lady in the Lake and safeguards the holy sword Excalibur, forged from a fang of the red dragon. The Fire Crystal gets experimented on by Not Umbrella Corporation "Biodyne". Etc. etc.
To open the door to the inner sanctum of the temple where the red dragon sleeps, the eight of them must come together and combine their powers. But there hasn't been a reason to do that in over a thousand years and they aren't just gonna hang around the temple forever. They have lives to lead.
Over on the other side of the barrier, there are many races under the white dragon who are colloquially called "demons" by humans. They have their own societies in a decaying and dying world, though much of their culture is simply built around survival.
Over time, the barrier between worlds grew weaker, and the demons have started to cross over more and more. Though many are refugees just looking for a better world to live in or to escape political persecution, whether the Hunters distinguish between them and genuinely dangerous demons is a crapshoot, often up to the individual.
The demons are governed by meritocratic aristocracies united under the guidance of a Lord. The aristocracies have wealth and privileges above the common serfs, but also a culture that allows leaders to be directly challenged by their underlings. If one of your workers can prove that they can do your job better than you can then they can lay legal claim to your throne.
On paper, anyway. But they're also a rigid society whose current leadership polices their followers through dogma. The Demon Lord throne is presently occupied by a medieval human warrior king banished from his lands by Plot whose policies discourage his followers from independent thought.
Under the present Demon Lord's dominion, groupthink is rigidly enforced, and individuals who speak against the common good - as he defines it - receive Outcast brands over their left eye to identify them as having lost all citizenship rights and protections.
This is pretty much a complete violation of the spirit of the meritocratic culture that he usurped. A fact that has not been lost on recurring character and Token Friendly Demon Leminice (pronounced Leh-minn-iss), who was the prince of a noble house until he was branded Outcast for educating himself on forbidden ideologies.
Leminice and his human bestie, a Hunter named Electra, were basically going to be set up to be the Agent Coulson of the series. They would appear in supporting roles for many of the stories, not as the main characters but as part of the overarching mythos being built from one seemingly unrelated story to the next.
There were a lot of complicated ideas swirling in my head for this universe and the many, many characters I created to live in it. But it was all hamstrung by the fact that I grew up on action cartoons and battle anime, and didn't know of any way to tell a story other than "And then they FIGHT."
So the actual story wound up full of stuff like "And then the Demon King personally comes to San Francisco to invade it, and the hero beats him in a swordfight and saves the world! And everyone immediately stops fighting when he dies because I guess he was a loadbearing boss."
I never could figure out how to make it work as a series of novels, especially since my brain is more configured to think in terms of TV and film than in text anyway so a lot of my ideas had specific camera angles and stuff that I couldn't figure out how to translate into words.
Multiple attempts to start were made, but they all inevitably petered out. I'm just not equipped to be a writer. So eventually it was all just left behind.
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angeltreasure · 5 months ago
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hi, my sister! If it’s not a bother, would you please pray for me? For months now, I’ve been repeating this spiritual battle where I just feel hopeless of my salvation and simply lost. I can’t ever seem to move on or find peace outside of the cycle I’ve trapped myself in. It’s damaging my relationship with the Lord, but I just feel so ashamed all the time. 😞
Hello there!,
Yes, I will add you to my prayers today. Do not despair, the spiritual battle is real but the war has already been won, look at the crucifix and you will find peace.
He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.
- 2 Chronicles 20:15
Pray this today my sibling in Christ:
Seal Prayer of Protection
I ask Jesus to seal me in His most Precious Blood against any and all incursions of the evil one, in particular against any clinging, familial, familiar or retaliating spirits, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, ✠ and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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avirael · 1 month ago
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FFxivWrite 2024
Day 25 - Perpetuity
Rael had seen many impressive and fantastical thing already in their short life, from the deepest corners of the Golmore Jungle and throughout all the lands they had traveled. But never had they seen something that was so terrifying and beautiful at the same time as one of the great wyrms.
On white feathery wings the dragon Hraesvelgr had descended from the sky and his presence alone radiated such an ancient powerful energy that it made Rael’s skin crawl in awe. They could hear him speak aloud, a deep voice in a strange tongue, that sounded foreign and familiar alike. But at the same time it felt like his words echoed in their mind and in their soul and Rael, as well as the others, seemed to understand Hraesvelgr perfectly well.
He didn’t seem aggressive but neither was he particularly friendly. Instead he bluntly told Ysaile what he thought about her fantasy of being Shiva reborn.
“The spirit thou hast summoned belongeth not to Shiva, 'tis but a shade conjured by thine own fancy. In an age long past, mine own kin were guilty of like folly. Beguiled by the dark ones' lies, they attempted to resurrect a king amongst wyrms, who thou hath slain — yet the divinity they called forth merely borrowed the semblance of my fallen brood-brother. Such gods are not summoned, but created. Phantoms spun from the threads of misplaced faith. The spirit you summoned was but thy dream of Shiva. Thy souls hath been corrupted by a deity of thine own making, child.”
Ysaile was visibly shocked by this revelation and the others seemed quite speecheless to. But as horrible as this news was, it had not been what they came here for. So before the dragon would see their conversation as over and rise back into the sky, Rael called out to him.
“Be that as it may, Lord Hraesvelgr, Ysayle's desire to heal the rift between man and dragon is real, and it has borne us this far. We would spare both our kind and yours the ravages of this senseless war! Please join your voice to ours in a call for peace and forgiveness!”
But Hraesvelgr only angrily turned his head towards Rael and made a deep growling sound.
“The tale of thy kind is one of avarice, treachery, and death ─ and thou wouldst speak to me of peace, dragonslayer? The blood of mine brothers and sisters is on thine hands. Old and new blood, thine souls reek of it. Hark thee, mortal, to the naked truth...then tell me thou deservest forgiveness!”
Then the great dragon revealed some truths to them against which the real nature of Shiva paled in comparison.
A thousand years ago, he claimed, the first King Thordan, craving the strength of the dragons eyes, had murdered Ratatoskr — one of the first brood and therefore sister to both Hraesvelgr and Nidhogg. They ate her eyes, to gain the dragons power, and so condemned their descendants to Nidhoggs vengeance and a never-ending war.
Rael could feel that every single of Hraesvelgr’s words was true, no matter how bitterly Estinien argued against it.
And while this truth did nothing to better the ongoing slaughter of innocents, the wrath of the dragons was undeniably justified.
In Rael’s opinion the fact that each of the murderer’s descendants, which likely was almost all of Ishgard, still carried a piece of Ratatoskr‘s essence in them, was pure irony.
All these highly faithful people, the kind as well as the arrogant ones, the so-called heretics and those holy men judging them, were in reality almost dragons themself — only a small drop of blood away from transforming into the very thing they had been taught to hate.
The dragons had been the first victims of this war, and they would never forgive and make peace. This became very clear as Hraesvelgr mourned his sister and explained to them the dragon’s nature of perception and memory.
“The betrayal that yet haunts mine every waking moment is no less than the truth to my kind. Fain would I strike the image from my mind, yet still the scene doth linger ─ of my brood-sister's tattered corpse, defiled by her Elezen allies. Thou thinkest in mortal terms. Our perception of time is too broad for thee to grasp. For a wyrm such as Nidhogg, however, that history is yet part of his present, as fresh as the blood that did gush from Ratatoskr's wounds. How could he not be driven mad?”
Rael realised that he was right and that Nidhogg would never be appeased by apologies or compensation. For as long as he felt the pain and rage over his sister’s death, which was forever, he would return again and again to let Ishgard feel his vengeance.
But if their mission of peace was destined to fail, what other option remained. Estinien would certainly suggest slaying Nidhogg, but neither did Rael wish death upon the dragon nor did they think his kin would not want to avenge him and wage war against Isgard even more furiously. They would have to slaughter each and every single one of Nidhogg‘s kin to end this conflict, a thought that made Rael nauseous.
While the Viera still tried to desperately find another solution, A‘viloh did something entirety unexpected. Unexpected and reckless.
In fear Rael held their breath as the small Miqo’te slowly stepped forward, closer and closer to the giant dragon. Soothingly A‘viloh raised his arms as Hraesvelgr turned his head towards him with a threatening growl, his sharp teeth bared.
But the Miqo’te didn’t flinch away.
Instead he looked at the dragon and rested a hand on one of his curved horns. Slowly his arms reached around it, as far as he could, in the closest thing to an embrace he could offer. Then he rested one side of his head against the dragons horn and closed his eyes.
„I am so sorry.“, he said, while everything else was deadly silent.
None of them had even thought of offering apologies or condolences to Hraesvelgr, guilty or not. His tale a cruel one, shocking even, but still so distant to them. Little could they understand his pain. Only A'viloh had found the compassion and bravery to at least try to comfort the giant dragon.
For a moment no one dared to speak or move. Then the great wyrm huffed deeply, which made the Miqo’te loosen their grip and look up, while his long red hair was whirled around by the dragons breath. Rael could already imagine Hraesvelgr razor-sharp claws and teeth tearing poor, silly A‘viloh to shreds.
Instead the great wyrm slowly raised his head again and spoke a little more calmly than before.
„Thine words are meant well, mortal, but they could never soothe my pain or my wrath. It is only by the calming embrace of Shiva‘s soul that mine own fury hath not consumed me. But let us speak no more of what is done. My faith in your kind is spent, and I would be alone.“
Then without another sound he unfurled his wings and rose to the sky. Stunned they watched him vanish between the clouds. Only then Rael dared to breathe again.
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barcingmatter · 2 years ago
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PRINCESS TUTU AU OF DANNY PHANTOM I am experiencing severe brain rot.
(btw I'm using "lady" and "king" gender neutrally. Ghost genders are fluid as hell, just like ectoplasm.)
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Among the living, the story of "The Lady Phantom and The Crown" is largely regarded as a classic fairytale, despite it not being as well known as certain stories like those by the brothers grimm or Aesop. Generally, the story goes as follows:
Long ago in the infinite realms, there was a crown with great power that chose a ruler for the realms that would lead it to prosperity. The crown was passed from king to king, guarded and guided by a spirit beyond ancient; The Lady Phantom. Some rumors and myths say they and the crown were both born from the same ectoplasm. Others say that they made the crown. As the Ancients began to rise, they claimed The Lady Phantom as one of their own, swearing to aide them in their eternal mission of the crown.
One day, a new king was chosen, Pariah The Dark. Chosen to lead his people through terrible conflict to a greater peace, he did well in the beginning, but conflict warped his purpose, and he became lost in his wrath.
The Ancients convened, and agreed to remove the crown from Pariah to find a more hopeful king. The Lady Phantom would be the one to retrieve their crown just as they had before, but Pariah had different plans.
In a fit of rage, he shattered the crown into many pieces, and scattered them across the infinite realms. In a burst of light, The Lady Phantom was gone, and The Ancients sealed away Pariah in his eternal prison of slumber.
The story ends with a promise that one day, The Lady Phantom would return to mend the broken crown and bring a new king to the infinite realms.
-
Danny fenton was struggling, majorly. Between his ballet practice, his homework, and making sure he and jazz actually had something to eat for dinner while his parents worked away in their lab, he was very much struggling.
Of course, his two best friends did their best to help out. Tucker helped with most of his homework, and Sam made sure he had some cash to spend on money (no matter how much he insisted he didn't really need it), and they both stayed with him when he did extra practice. It was nice, their little routine.
His parents wouldn't stop going on and on and ON about their ghost portal. It probably wouldn't work, their stuff has basically been entirely theoretical until now, but he just wanted it to be over so maybe they'd take a break and remember their kids.
It didn't work, obviously. The portal didn't even get past the "powering on" stage. Whatever. Sam wanted to go look at it and get some cool pictures for her photography class, so he was gonna bring them to the lab while his parents were off sulking.
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HE DIDNT EXPECT IT TO ACTUALLY TURN ON.
Especially not with him IN it.
The pain was horrible, blindingly horrible, intense enough his brain was processing sensation seconds, minutes after they happened.
And then it was gone.
And he was floating in some starry abyss, with a shard of light dangling in front of him, singing so sweetly.
He reached for it.
'Hello'
He brushed a knuckle across the surface.
'Phantom'
It was cool to the touch, like metal.
'Lady Phantom'
It drew back.
'Our Lady Phantom'
It pierced into his chest.
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"-DANNY!"
He could feel the convulsions of being electrocuted finally ebb away, and his senses came back ringing and burning but all still (mostly) working.
Florescent lights glared above him, rigid cold tile below him, scalding hot hands pressed against his face, arms, neck, wrists, chest.
Another few minutes and he could finally press the air in his chest out and push himself onto hands and knees. He felt-
Holy hell he felt dizzy and raw and so so sick.
His vision stopped swimming after several more minutes.
"Why am I in a ballet costume?"
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Yeah these are just my at-the-walls ramblings. Princess tutu au! The idea is that, like how duck could transform into a storybook character with a piece of mythos heart and had to find all the other pieces, danny can transform into an ancient spirit with a piece of the crown and has to find all the other pieces.
Yes he is in a tutu, yes he does get called "The Lady Phantom" a lot. It's weird for him in the beginning but he gets a lot more used to it when he realizes how little care there is about gender norms in the ghost zone. Danny is still very much A Guy, just A Guy in a tutu.
Amity Park is much less "Oh yeah thats a guy" about Lady Phantom, unfortunately.
Anyways let guys wear tutus and dance the Lady parts in ballet I wanna see it.
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paraskevaaa · 3 months ago
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August 1, 2024: The stench of sin
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St. Gerasimos of the Jordan with his lion Jordanes.
The stench of sin. All humans sin and all humans have the stench of sin. Those who deal with dark entities have reported for hundreds of years the manifestation of horrid smells accompanying the enemy and his allies. It seems that the good are accompanied by good smells and the evil are accompanied by foul ones in the plane of the soul.
We know that sin, straying from God’s light, is equivalent to death. We were not created to experience physical death, we were created with free will and not blessed with the power to heal our bodies beyond natural laws. Free will and the enemy’s temptations of the flesh culminated in the first sin, and started Adam and Eve’s bodily clock of decay which all who are born of both male and female flesh inherit.
God loves and cares for all His creation. We could not wander the Garden with decaying bodies and naïve souls. We were sent to Earth to live as both body and soul, and are given the chance to die daily to the flesh, repent and rebuke sin and the passions, and live for God by serving his children in compassionate love and forgiveness.
Orthodox monastics are monks and nuns who seek refuge from the sickness of the world and the human condition to live for God entirely. It is written that
He who seeks to save his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
We will all lose our lives at the end of our time on Earth. The treasures you toil to build up here on Earth will become lost to you and to future generations in time. What about the soul? To comfort the soul with eternal life after death and reunion with the source of all universal power, monastics leave their entire Earthly lives to know, love, and serve God in this life. As a result of this, many monastics become extremely good and pure, and some become holy, of which God is the Most Holy. They become saints for having a heart so completely dedicated to God with no space at all for the passions.
These individuals, such as St. Gerasimos of the Jordan, became so free from Earthly sin that they began to lose the stench of their sins. A stench that we humans cannot sense, because with our bodies grounding our souls to the Earth, we cannot perceive things in our spirit. A stench, however, that animals can pick up on. With every sin we gain a blemish on our souls that takes it further away from its original state… a childlike state of innocence, blamelessness, love, and friendship.
Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
St. Gerasimos encountered a fierce lion in the desert and the lion, sensing he was not like other humans because of the scentlessness and cleanliness of his soul, did not attack Father Gerasimos and instead became obedient to him. Father Gerasimos and his monastery’s brothers named the lion Jordanes and they lived in peace, until Father Gerasimos fell asleep in the Lord and Jordanes followed him to his grave the minute he realized Gerasimos’ death.
As Orthodox Christians, we strive to die daily to the flesh and lead our lives both in Christlikeness and in the spirit of His perfect love. We serve the King of the Universe, and all human hearts already know His law, though they may be lost. We are called to love all people as they are all beloved by God and made in His own image, though God is not an old man with a beard in a flowy white robe. He is woven into the very fabric of the universe, He is the nighttime wind ripping through the leaves of an oak tree, He is the warm heart of a stranger caring for you for seemingly no reason.
If you know a very good and loving person who seems to attract and be loved by animals, you might very well know why. God bless and keep you and your loved ones❤️‍🔥 Glory be to Jesus Christ.
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magicoldcottage · 10 months ago
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Is your practice Anglo-Saxon?
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Have you heard of any of these terms ?
Maiden, Mother and crone
Triple Goddess
Three Mother Goddess
The Mothers
Mabon
Many of us have the triple goddess as cornerstone of our practice but do you know what you are actually worshiping?
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This is one of the earliest representations I have found of the mothers from Bath Spa in England, where pagan traditions from across Europe came together. Although not clear it is the standard three representations, Maiden, Mother and Crone.
The Mothers: The Benevolent Spirits of the Anglo-Saxon Peoples
The Anglo-Saxon peoples, inhabited England from the fifth to the eleventh centuries and had a rich and complex religious system. One of the most intriguing aspects of their beliefs was the concept of the Mothers, the benevolent spirits who protected and nurtured the land and its inhabitants.
The Mothers were female deities associated with fertility, abundance, and prosperity. They were often depicted as matronly women, sometimes holding children or fruits in their arms. They were worshipped in various ways, such as by offering them food, drink, or coins, or by carving their images on stones, altars, or buildings.
The Mothers were not a single entity, but rather a collective term for a variety of local or regional spirits who had different names and attributes. Some of the most well-known Mothers were the Matres, the Matronae, and the Modron.
The Matres and the Matronae were usually depicted in groups of three, representing the three aspects of the female life cycle: maiden, mother, and crone. They were especially popular among the continental Germanic tribes, who brought their practices to Britain during the Anglo-Saxon migrations. It's worth noting however that each tribe had slight different beliefs, stories and rituals.
The Modron was a Celtic goddess who was identified with the Welsh Rhiannon and the Irish Macha. She was the mother of Mabon, the divine son who was kidnapped and rescued by King Arthur and his knights. The same Welsh Mabon celebrated these days at the Autumn equinox.
The Mothers were not only revered by the common people, but also by the kings and nobles, who sought their favor and protection. Some of the most famous Anglo-Saxon kings, such as Alfred the Great and Athelstan, claimed to be descended from the Mothers, thus legitimizing their authority and prestige. The Mothers were also invoked in times of war, as they were believed to grant victory and peace to their devotees.
The Mothers were not completely replaced by Christianity, but rather adapted and assimilated into the new faith. Some of the Mothers were identified with Christian saints, such as Mary, the mother of Jesus, or Anne, the mother of Mary. Others were regarded as guardian angels or holy ancestors, who continued to watch over and bless their descendants. The Mothers were also incorporated into the folklore and customs of the Anglo-Saxon peoples, who celebrated their presence and power in festivals, songs, and stories.
The Mothers were an integral part of the Anglo-Saxon worldview, as they embodied the values and ideals of their culture. They were the sources of life, abundance, and joy, who cared for and sustained the land and its people. They were the symbols of the bond between the human and the divine, the natural and the supernatural, the past and the present. They were the Mothers, the benevolent spirits of the Anglo-Saxon peoples.
Yule Calibration
Did you know the Mothers had their own day of celebration as part of Yule (ġēola or ġēoli in Anglo-saxon). On the first day of Yule, The day before that Winter Solstice. people honoured the Mothers, the goddesses who watched over the family and the land. They offered them food and drink on Mother’s Night, and asked for their blessings for the coming year.
For more ideas click here for my Masterpost
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mybeautifulchristianjourney · 3 months ago
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Living His Word
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"Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!" — Deuteronomy 5:29
Although we cannot earn our salvation by obeying the commands of God, the commands still point the way to the life God has wanted us to live from the very beginning.
We become aware of God's commands in a number of ways. We become aware of them through our consciences (Romans 2:15), or through the commands contained in the Old Testament that still apply in New Testament times, or through the commands contained in the New Testament, or through the more personal commands God gives us through the inner guidance of the Holy Spirit.
However God's commands come to us, the words of our verse for today still apply. If we obey them, things will go well for us. That this should be the case is something less than surprising for the person who believes in God. After all, God is the designer and creator of heaven and earth. He knows how things should go because He determines how they should go. He knows that if we obey Him things will go well for us.
Further, if we obey God's commands, then things will go well for us because we will have avoided any need for God's discipline. The Bible tells us that God chastens and corrects those He loves (Proverbs 3:11-12). Instead of just ignoring our disobedience, God calls us back to His will and ways through discipline.
Satan, of course, tries to encourage our disobedience. The whole point of his evil, renegade regime is to try and undermine God's Kingdom by fostering disobedience to the commands of the King. He relishes the complications and drama that disobedience to God brings into our lives.
If things are not going well for us in a particular area of our lives, perhaps the first thing we should ask ourselves is whether we have gotten out of line with God's commands in that area. Sometimes the simplest explanation is the best explanation.
Today, let us ask God for the grace to obey His commands. Let us ask Him for help in returning to a state of peace and well-being from the chaos and drama that sin has introduced into our lives.
© 2016 by Bible League International
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