#I love her taking that to heart and praying and connecting with the goddess of joy 🥺

[quasieli]

Don't mind me, I'm just being emo thinking about Sparks taking Steris's advice to have faith and follows it up by taking a level in Paladin 🥺🥺🥺

[princessbellecerise]

Rotten Soil, Rotten Fruit

Summary ✩ You are Alicent Hightower’s pride and joy. Sweet and innocent, you’re the apple of the Queen’s eye more than her own children are. But how will she react when you slip into the hands of her enemies?

Warnings ✩ Mentions of pregnancy, birth, reader is a very distant relative of Alicent, mentions of religion and sa (but it doesn’t happen), Alicent being bastardphobic

You were not from her womb, but the Queen loved you like a daughter anyways.

You were good, sweet and kind with a gentle heart. Mayhaps the fact that you did not come from her body was the reason you possessed such traits, for you seemed to be everything her children were not, even though she often prayed for them to be.

Maybe it was the fact that you came from her mother’s side, a distant relative but blood no matter how thin it might’ve been. The one that survived the fire wiping out your family, though you had been too young to remember such a thing.

You were a connection and a reminder to a side that Alicent hadn’t known for years. A connection to Lady Alicent—now lost to her—who was sweet and pure once, and now everyday you reminded her of what she had been. You were everything that Alicent wanted and more, and yet, you did not belong to her.

Not forever, anyways.

You were at the age where it was considered necessary for a young lady to wed, but Alicent would be lying if she said that she was ready to give you away. She already had to suffer once in marrying her other sweet daughter to Aegon, and now that the time had come both Viserys and Otto were pushing to do the same for you.

“It is time the girl begins a life of her own, Alicent,” Viserys had said. “She cannot stay under you forever.”

“She must wed now, or risk remaining a spinster. Helaena was wed at three and ten, Y/N is five years past that. It is time, Alicent.” Her father had reminded her. And then he added, “Though I am sure if it were up to you, daughter, keeping Y/N a spinster would most please you.”

And it would’ve. Alicent wasn’t ready to say goodbye. Not again. To watch another person she loved be ripped away and forced to endure a fate like her. It almost as painful watching it happen than it was to experience it herself. Painful to see her girls become nothing more than a womb to spill retched seed into.

Please, not her. Not yet is what she prayed to the Mother every night.

Prayed that you’d be spared if not now, then at least a little longer. Alicent needed time to cope. She needed time to grieve your absence from her as well, but the goddess did not listen.

In fact, it seemed that the Mother loved you more than Alicent herself did, because she was intent on taking you away. Intent on seeing Alicent suffer, as if she hadn’t enough already.

She would’ve forgive the Mother for all of her pain and suffering had it been anyone but him. Had it been anyone except Jacaerys Velaryon that ended up leading you to the fate of motherhood, then Alicent would have rejoiced, truly. Because it would’ve meant that the gods may have been cruel, but at least they didn’t outright hate Alicent.

Be as it may though, all of her fears came to fruitation in the early days of 132 AC.

The Prince Jacaerys and his mother had flown to court on account of defending his younger brother’s claim to Driftmark, a usurpation that Alicent herself had put into motion.

She’d heard the complaints of Vaemond Velaryon and she along with her father agreed that Driftmark needed to go towards someone of his blood. Someone with true Velaryon roots, and not that brood of bastards Rhaenyra had cooked up.

The Princess had decorated them like cakes, putting on the ultimate farce as they pranced around in Velaryon clothes and colors.

Alicnet herself hadn’t been there to greet them upon their arrival to the Red Keep, her own pettiness forbidding her to step foot into that courtyard. But from what she had heard from you, someone she had sent in her place, Rhaenyra had truly outdone herself.

“They all arrived on their dragons and in such nice fashion, too! The patterns on Princess Rhaenyra’s dresses were just beautiful, your grace. And oh, the dragons! They were magnificent, e-especially Prince Jacaerys’ mount,” You had gushed.

Alicent should’ve known then that was something was wrong. The way you looked, the way you smiled when you mentioned Rhaenyra’s spawn didn’t sit right with her even then. She thought it odd how much you stuttered when speaking of Jacaerys but Alicent had just chalked it up to your girlish excitement for new visitors.

Oh how she wished that she hadn’t.

How she wished that she hadn’t been so blind, blinder than her dear husband and son not to notice what was going on in front of her.

Alicent hadn’t even noticed until all of it smacked her in the face. She hadn’t noticed all of the stares, all of the lingering touches and the things that were being done in the shadows.

She was still recovering from the loss and the humiliation of losing Vaemond and Driftmark, all because her husband had decided to crawl out of bed and put himself through immerse pain just to defend Lucerys’ claim.

Alicent had been so distracted by the failure of her plan that she didn’t even know you were seeing the Prince Jacaerys, sneaking behind her back and meeting up with him in secret.

Had she been in her usual state of mind, she would’ve heard the whispers from the maids. Heard about how he’d walk with you in the gardens, show you obvious favor by gifting you flowers and jewels. Alicent had noticed those, but she had assumed that they were from other suitors, not Rhaenyra’s bastard Prince.

You never said otherwise either, and you had many suitors vying for you hand—and for the favor of the Queen. It could’ve come from any one of them but never once did you mention it was him until it was too late. Until one day, you had no choice.

It had been only two moons since the petition when the maids came running to her and told Alicent that you hadn’t bled. Of course, still nursing the fall out from Rhaenyra, Alicent was taken off guard by this new information. This new revelation that included you possibly being in a scandal. After all, everyone knew that missing one’s moon blood was a clear sign of pregnancy, but Alicent hadn’t wanted to believe that at first.

“What are you saying?” She had asked slowly, as though she were a fool that needed it spelled out. “Speak it, and say it plainly Talia. Now.”

Briefly, Alicent was reminded of the time Viserys had uttered the same words, demanding that her Lord father explain what he meant by Rhaenyra being in a pleasure house. Alicent hadn’t understood his willful ignorance then. After all, it did not take a scholar to figure out what her father was trying to say. But now, as she stared at the nervous maid in front of her, she understood Viserys more than she ever had.

What was Talia trying to say, exactly?

“Your Grace, Lady Y/N has not received her moon blood for two months now,” She explained after taking a deep breath. “And furthermore, she has shown signs of…sickness in the mornings. Sore breasts, and her clothes do not not fit her anymore either. Some say…well they say that Lady Y/N has been seen visiting a man late at night. They say…they say that she has been having an affair with the Prince Jacaerys.”

Alicent blinked, and suddenly the Queen found herself standing in your room, staring at the evidence of what Talia had said, or rather, the lack of.

True to her word, there was no blood on your sheets even though the usual date of when you bled had long passed. The sheets were as white as snow, and Alicent could tell by the way they were crumpled they hadn’t been changed, either.

Rage, white hot and blinding, creeped it way into her bones.

“What has happened? Were you raped?” Was Alicent’s immediate thought. She was furious, thinking that he must have taken you in a way that you did not want to warrant something like this.

Alicent would never, ever believe that you would willingly lie with that bastard, so that must’ve been the only explanation. Her sweet girl…Talia had been wrong. It wasn’t an affair at all.

“No! No! I wanted to, I swear it, your grace!”

Alicent didn’t believe you. Even as you blubbered and tried to explain the details of what transpired to this, she didn’t believe that something like this could happen without you being forced. Ignoring your protests that you absolutely weren’t, she felt the heat of a thousand suns coat her voice as she exclaimed, “That bastard! I will have him exiled for this!”

Never before had she spoken a threat with such hatred. Never before had the Queen dared to say such treasons out loud. In all her years, Alicent had never spoken of the Velaryon boy’s parentage in anything but riddles. And even then, it was hushed whispers and jests coated in honey that left her mouth.

Never before had the plain accusation left her lips, wording clear as daylight as she seethed. “I will…I have him hanged! I will feed his body to the dogs myself for what he has done!”

For once, Alicent wanted revenge. She would punish that bastard to the most extreme that she could; make him pay for what he had done to you. Her heart ached as she stared at you.

How could she have been so stupid? How could you have been harmed in a such a way and how had she not even noticed? This was her fault, Alicent thought with horror. With a heavy feeling growing in her chest, she realized that she was too caught up in her own feelings, too caught up in politicking to take care of her domestic affairs.

And now because of her ignorance, because of her greed she had been punished. You had been raped, defiled and disgraced by a monster.

And where was she when you needed her? Where was she when you were taken no doubt against your will, probably terrified as the bastard spawn nipped at your tender flesh.

Alicent felt so sick she could hardly breathe. Had her senses not already been dialed to eleven, she would have missed the way you began to cry harder, shaking your head as you protested,

“Please, your Grace, don’t! You…you can’t! Jacaerys loves me, and he would never. You can’t send him away! You can’t hurt him!” The sound of your wailing was almost enough to make Alicent begin to crumple. In fact, she felt her knees shake as she covered her mouth, pity flooding her veins as she shook her head.

“He told you that? He told you that he loved you after dishonoring you?” She asked in disbelief. Just when she thought that it couldn’t get any worse, her poor girl now defended her defiler and had been told lies about how he truly felt. Words meant to keep you quiet, she had no doubt. Telling you that he loved you so that you wouldn’t see his acts for what they really were.

“Y/N, any man who does such a thing could never love you. To take a maiden by force, and to disgrace you by impregnating you with a bastard is not love. Look at me!”

Alicent wasn’t expecting to see the way you immediately changed. Instead of crying, you became panicked as you shook your head.

“No, no, my babe isn’t a bastard,” You insisted tearfully. “We are married your grace, I swear it upon the Gods themselves! In the Sept of Seven Prince Jacaerys married me and Princess Rhaenyra was our witness. You have to believe me, Queen Alicent! We did everything the right way! He never forced me and he loves me, I swear it!”

Now it felt someone had slapped Alicent across the face. She stared, dumbfounded as you revealed this information and it was like the entire world stopped spinning.

The Queen regent trembled as her knees gave out. She had to take a seat on the edge of your bed to stop herself from collapsing as she became hysterical.

“She knew? Rhaenyra knew about this?” Was all that she could manage to get out. Of course. Of course she should’ve known that Rhaenyra was behind something like this. And not only that, she had sanctioned it, a feat that made Alicent want to throw up.

The entire time that she had hosted Rhaenyra in her home, the entire time that she played nice and allowed her bastards to eat her food, sleep in her beds, Rhaenyra had thrown her hospitality in her face and allowed her son to defile the one good thing Alicent had left.

You, so sweet and kind, who probably did not even understand the things he had done to you, had been ruined. Right under her nose, her only salvation in this world had been stolen away and breeded like some common whore. Married with no ceremony which Alicent wanted to attend. That she had dreamed of having for you ever since you had ended up in her care.

And worse that than, you now carried a child. The trueborn heir to Jacaerys Velaryon. An heir to the Iron Throne.

“You…”

Alicent would’ve rather it had been a bastard. Gods, she could have handled a bastard. She could’ve gotten rid of it, or given it away to save you some shame. But this…harming your trueborn child would be an act of treason.

For all of Alicent misdoings, this was the one where truly, Viserys would have her hanged if she harmed the babe in your belly. There would be no mercy for her. Not this time. And for first time time since she had become Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, Alicent felt really and truly helpless.

All the power in the world couldn’t help her overcome this. It couldn’t save you from being taken from her in quite literally the worst way imaginable. She knew that one day it would happen, but this…for it happen to like this…For you to be stolen by Rhaenyra of all people…

“Oh, my sweet girl.”

She collapsed as you sank to her feet sobbing, allowing you to rest your head on her lap as you cried. Alicent shakily brought a hand up to stroke your head, trying to soothe you even though she herself felt numb.

She couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that Rhaenyra had betrayed her, once again lying straight to her face. But this time her step daughter had done something that could never be undone. Sanctioned a marriage between you and her bastard, witnessed it before all of the Gods and defiled you and the holy temple with such an act.

The sept, the very place where Alicent used to spend time with you, used to take you to pray when all her other children had no taste for it, was tainted by her sins.

We are Targaryen’s, we do not worship the Gods of Westeros Viserys had once told her.

But you did. She did. And it made sense. It made sense why the two of you were the only decent people left in this dishonorable world, and it was because you worshiped the only Gods that taught true honor and decency.

Yes, yes, Alicent had thought for so long that that was the reason her other children were so wicked, as was their father, their sister, and their nephews. They did not answer to the same Gods as you did, did not have the same respect for honor and sacrifice as you both did.

And because of that, because of her unwavering faith, it that meant that as much as she wanted to, as much as she wished that this was all a fairytale and she’d be able to annul this farce of a marriage and free you from the bloody shackles that still had her chained, Alicent couldn’t.

You were now bound to House Targaryen as she was, first by oath and now by order of blood and seed. Just like she was, you were forever a prisoner of this miserable keep, never to leave those who were served but never served themselves.

She wanted to talk to the idiot Septon who had done this. Who had officiated this…this vile farce. When Alicent found out who it was, she’d have their head for it.

But for now, all she could do was take your crying figure into her arms, stroking the cheeks that were drowned with tears. Come morning, she would make sure that they were gone but for now, she let them flow, watching as they ruined her green dress.

“Does he know?” She managed to ask quietly, waiting until you were at least done sobbing to question if Jacaerys, the father of your babe, was even informed. “Does he know what your sins have resulted in? That he has saddled you with a child?”

Alicent wasn’t even when shocked when you nodded your head.

“Yes. He and Princess Rhaenyra both know,” You hiccuped. Once again, the Queen saw red.

Of course. She’d wager that everyone knew expect for her. Every one of them…they had played Alicent for a fool. Pulled the ultimate stunt and now they were no doubt laughing behind her back. That was probably exactly what Rhaenyra wanted. At the moment, the Princess was probably laughing at Alicent, smug that she had once again managed to blindside her.

“Always the fool, aren’t you?” She imagined Rhaenyra saying. And she was right.

“My last living flower. My last sweet tasting fruit. You are now rotted as well,” Alicent grieved. You did not quite understand what she meant, but Alicent did. She understood that she was indeed a fool.

She was a fool to think that anything good could ever grow from her womb, and she was even more foolish to think that you, who was planted in the soil and grown by her love would be any different.

No matter what she did, the outcome was the same. One way or another, her flowers wilted, her sweet fruits decayed. From her womb or from her love, nothing good ever came of a child from Alicent Hightower, and this was only further proof.

Alicent wasn’t sure if she was more angry at Jacaerys or at herself. She wasn’t sure if the guilt she felt was for not protecting you, or because one way or another she knew that this was her fault.

Even if she hadn’t sent you that day out of her own pettiness and all but planted the seeds for this to happen, then it would still be fate that you would end up corrupted.

Alicent had been plagued with the curse of her children turning out that way since Aegon was born. She had passed it from child to child, all the way down to her youngest Daeron and she was a fool to think you, who she loved as her own, could escape it.

For a while, she had truly believed that you had. From the moment you were brought to her, barely a babe of two, and up until now, Alicent thought you escaped the curse.

After all, you were good and you were kind and she had raised you, so that had to mean something, right?

But now Alicent realized that all good things came to an end. Just because it hadn’t happened didn’t mean that it wouldn’t. The Gods had time above all else. They would see to it that every prophecy would become fulfilled; no matter how long it took. And now, everything Alicent had ever feared came to light in that moment.

You were indeed still rotten fruit because you were grown from her rotten soil. How could she expect you to be any different, how could she be so foolish?

She should’ve expected this. She should’ve known since that first conversation that it would happen.

But she had turned an eye and let her hopes blind her. And because of that, you now paid the price of being loved by her.

You too, were now corrupted.

—

Your pregnancy was a miserable thing. You were constantly sick from the day that you told Alicent, always hunched over one bucket or another and miserablly hot.

Alicent remembered that feeling. Remembered how she never felt comfortable, how she always felt like she was burning alive as the fires of her dragon babes licked at her womb. She knew it was the same for you, and she pitied you above all else.

The blood of the dragon ran hot, and it wasn’t easy carrying it. Often times, Alicent would find you indoors, being fanned by the largest that they had or on the days where your body temperature climbed really high, soaking in a bath with cold ice and water.

It was heartbreaking, really, to see how you almost identically suffered as she did, but unlike her you didn’t seem to mind. You were always so happy, so optimistic even when your husband’s devil spawn was burning you alive.

You were never without a smile as you flaunted about the Red Keep, giggling happily with the other young ladies. There was always a hand on the swollen bump that had grown larger than you, another reminder to Alicent that it shouldn’t be there.

It was far too soon for a girl your age to be carrying but of course, no one cared. They were all too occupied and fascinated with the future heir and Queen of Westeros to notice how this pregnancy was slowly killing you—even your so called husband.

He never missed a chance to show how much he loved you and adored the babe growing your swollen belly. But Alicent figured that if it were true, he would’ve slipped you moon tea and saved you from this miserable fate.

Be as it may though, Jacaerys always seemed just as excited as you were, never too far away from his lady wife and his heir. He lingered like a shadow that was meant to consume you, casting you in a shade of darkness that took away from your light.

It always made Alicent sick to see the way he pretended to care about you, as if anyone could ever love you better than she had tried.

Yes, yes, Alicent firmly believed that she was the only one who truly had your best interests at heart, the only one who was there for you, and not the babe. She was the only one that believed that Y/N mattered more, which why when the day came and the spawn in your stomach decided to finally claw its way out of you, Alicent insisted on being in the room.

Nevermind that it was improper for the Queen to do such a thing, or that Rhaenyra was also there.

Alicent would suffer the whispers and the presence of her step daughter if it meant that she could be there, that she could hold your hand as you screamed and cried and labored for a babe that should never have been conceived.

She was there for you as your body stretched, making sure that you were well looked after and comfortable. More than once, she had wiped the sweat from your brow with her own handkerchief, had placed your hair in braids so you wouldn’t tear it out from the pain you were suffering. It hurt Alicent, it really did, as you cried and held onto her like her little girl.

“It’s too much. I can’t…I can’t…” Is what you constantly told the Maesters, and despite their encouragement, only Alicent knew that it was the truth.

Your body was not yet equipped to handle such things, too young and too weak to be bringing a babe into this world. Try as she might have, even Rhaenyra, your good mother as Alicent saltily recalled, could do nothing to soothe your pains. She held your hand and whispered stories of how she’d gone through something similar with Jacaerys, but it didn’t seem to help.

“The pain was the worst thing I’ve ever been through, but I did make it though. As will you sweetling. I promise,” Rhaenyra cooed and Alicent hated her presence even more when she found that she herself could not speak.

She could not offer you the same condolences or reassurance as Rhaenyra did, because with Aegon everything went quickly and without a fuss. Her other children were the same so Alicent herself had nothing to offer you beyond sweet empty words.

She hated Rhaenyra even more for being able to relate to you in such in a way, as it wasn’t her place. I am her mother, Alicent mentally snapped at her. You cannot take that from me as well.

When all was said in done though, she found herself putting away these jealous thoughts when it was time for you to push. Somehow, you had gathered the last of your strength and was able to sit up, squeezing both Rhaenyra and Alicent as the baby crowned.

“My sweet girl. My brave girl. You are doing so well, only a few more,” Alicent encouraged you, and the Queen fully believed that it was her words, not Rhaenyra’s, that gave you the courage finally squeeze the babe out.

“There! It’s a boy, Princess!”

Eveyone in the birthing room laughed and sighed of relief as the babe slipped out. Round faced and squalling, even Alicent was slightly overjoyed when she saw him; a beautiful babe with white hair and all of your features.

Alicent couldn’t even see the babes’ eyes yet, and everything was too fast, too emotional to check. But one thing that she knew for sure was that it was your babe, not his, and that made Alicent’s heart grow fonder than it ever had since she found out that you were with child.

Laughing slightly, the Queen stroked your hair as you sobbed and reached for you babe, getting the pleasure to witness the unbreakable bond of mother and child for the first time.

The two of you, so young and innocent, pressed against one another, bare skin to bare skin as you smiled down at your baby. The squeaking little thing immediately came to hush as his mother’s eyes laid upon him, innocent little creatures observing each other while Rhaenyra stood.

“I will go and bring Jacaerys,” The Princess said, unable to stop smiling as she glanced at her new heir.

Surely, the Princess was more than pleased with herself that the babe had inherited her coloring, but Alicent tried not to think about that. Whatever Rhaenyra felt, whatever the realm saw when they looked at this baby, only Alicent knew that he was yours through and through.

There was no amount of white hair or violet eyes that could take away from the fact that he was yours first. He was your blood, your pain.

As she finally realized this, Alicent decided that she could love this babe after all. He would be hers to spoil, her to protect as much as you used to be but he would not suffer the same fate as you had.

After all, your womb was not hers. It wasn’t stained with the sins of greed and hatred, and your children wouldn’t be born or grown from such things.

Alicent had made a mistake thinking that she would distance herself from the babe, afraid of bringing the same curse upon him by loving him and unwilling to accept anything that resembled that bastard.

But now that she saw how much he looked like you, how much he was you, she saw the truth.

Maybe her womb was rotten. Maybe it was too late for her. But the womb that this babe had come out was not cursed, and a flicker of hope rose in Alicent as she realized there was still a chance for him, and her.

Yes, yes. Perhaps the Gods had not been so cruel after all. Perhaps this too was a test, the final one for Alicent to prove that fate wasn’t inevitable. To prove that her destiny wasn’t to corrupt all innocent creatures in her care, and that she too could help nurture something into being great.

With you, with Healena, with Aemond, Aegon and Daeron she had failed; but not again. Alicent wouldn’t allow this babe to end up like all her children had. She would love him, she would protect him, and in time Alicent Hightower would prove that her love was not rotten.

She would prove that it did not poison everything she touched, but rather, it could be a beacon that one day guided this babe into being someone great.

If she failed, well then maybe her destiny was to never learn from her mistakes.

But as she looked at you, her sweet girl nursing her sweet little babe, Alicent became filled with hope.

She felt the strength that had left her years ago replenish itself. Her head cleared, her mind sharper than it had ever been. With everything in her, she was ready to fight again. To bare her teeth and claw her way to a new destiny.

Because now, she had another innocent to protect. This time for herself. Alicent had gotten it wrong not once, but five times, but this time around would be her redemption. This time around, it would be different. She would be different, and Alicent swore that upon the old Gods and the new.

[vivalarevolution]

𝓒𝓵𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝓣𝓸 𝓜𝓮

Neteyam x Omaticaya Reader

Request: „Could you please do a Neteyam x f! Omaticaya reader where Neteyam just loves the readers boobs. It doesn’t even have to be smut just like how he like to lay on them and hold them and stuff‟

A/N: Request made by anon. I hope you all gonna like it and enjoy reading it. It's short so I apologize in advance. Also remember that english is not my first language, mistakes may occur. It's smut so minors don't interact. *Characters are aged up

Golden son.

It was something that was permanently tattooed on his skin, and it hurt every day. Neteyam was getting tired, not only physically but also mentally, and his eyes more and more reflected what he felt deep inside.

For the moment, all he wanted was peace, he needed peace so desperately. But his irises, nevertheless, searched for the one particular person he needed more than peace.

Her.

She was far. Too far for his liking, but when he saw her all his thoughts fled. She was standing in the water, naked.

Her hair was loose, cascading down her back like a waterfall. Her eyes were closed and her face was a reflection of carefreeness. Her hands slid over her body, leaving a wet trail behind them. Neteyam couldn't take his eyes off her, especially as she arched her spine, exposing her ample breasts.

She looked like a goddess ,when her body was a temple and her firm bosom an altar that invited him to pray.

-My Nete - she said, oh so sweet, looking at him through half-closed eyelids.

-Y/n - he whispered, looking into her eyes, which hid all her emotions towards him.

The girl stretched out her hand towards him, wanting him to come to her, which he did without thinking twice, taking off previously unnecessary clothes to join her.

Her hand was pleasantly warm and inviting, the same as the rest of her body which he slid into once he was close enough. Snuggling into her, resting his head on her shoulder, close to her heart.

-You look so tired, my Nete - she confessed concerned, rubbing her face against his cheek in an act of comfort - You need to rest - she added, taking his face in her hands, connecting their foreheads.

-I only need you - he replied, after a moment kissing gently her soft lips.

Y/n sighed at the pleasant feeling of her mate's lips against her body. Tilting her head up, she exposed her bare chest, allowing the boy to continue his journey through her neck, shoulders, and the valley between her breasts. His kisses were wet and hot, leaving a burning sensation on her skin.

It seemed that Neteyam was in a trance with how eagerly he clung to her bosom, sucking, kissing and biting it, kneading soft flesh with his hands, feeling them spill out from under his fingers.

-My Nate - she whimpered, threading her fingers through his braids.

Without answering, he slid his hands down her thighs, grabbing them and lifting her body up. Her legs immediately wrapped around his waist and her jaw rested on top of his head.

The na'vi's mouth never left her chest, which was covered with traces of his abuse. Bites, wet prints from his lips, and purple-red marks reflected against her blue skin.

Neteyam placed her body on a nearby stone. His hands slid over her body, leaving behind an electrifying sensation that turned into shivers. Y/n watched his actions from under half-closed eyelids. Her tail moved lazily, sometimes entwining around her lover's leg as he made love to her ample breasts as if he was obsessed.

As if she'd said it aloud, his yellow irises shifted to hers, and his mouth finally moved away from her nipples.

-I'm sorry - he said, seeing his doings on her chest - I shouldn't...

-Don't apologize, my Nete - she interrupted him, stroking his cheekbone with her knuckles - If it makes you relax and rest...don't stop - she confessed seductively.

Boy watched as she lay down herself comfortably, placing her hands above her head, exposing her marked breasts even more. Legs pulling him closer to her womanhood, rubbing on him gently.

Without thinking, Neteyam grabbed the girl around the spine, lifting her up to pull out her kuru, after a while connecting it with his. A breath of respite fell from both of their mouths, and an erotic feeling ran from the tops of their heads to their toes.

Her eyes watched his actions, the way his hands massaged her breasts, the way his lips alternately sucked and licked her nipples, and the way his body pressed against hers.

Sully seemed to be in his own little paradise, unconsciously moving his hips, his member gliding over the wet folds of his mate, who began to moan softly and purr alternately. His hand involuntarily directed the head of his manhood to her entry, and the desire spread instantly in the lovers' bodies.

Y/n pushed out her loins, taking him in deeper, giving in to the wonderful feeling of filling. The contrast between the sensual movements of his tongue against her chest and the rough movements of his member was addictive and surprisingly euphoric. Young woman writhed beneath him, not hiding how much pleasure flew through her body, moaning and whining shamelessly into his ear.

-So good, so perfect, my muse, my beloved, my goddess - he whispered into her skin, kissing her bare collarbones, neck and jaw, stopping on her soft lips - I need to feel you, I need to feel you cumming - he murmured between passionate kisses, hitting inside her so much deeper and so much harder.

-My Nete - she whimpered, connecting their foreheads together, but not parting their lips - I love you so much.

-I love you too - he replied instantly, growling softly as the walls around him tightened and heat flooded his manhood, soaking him even more.

-Ahh! - the girl moaned, sinking heavily onto the stone below her, feeling the heat flooding her body again and again, finally flowing over her labia, dripping slowly between her asscheeks.

Neteyam stared at the sight before him.

Y/n lay helpless, breathing deeply. Her limp hands lay by her head, while her hair was disheveled in a halo shape, and from the neck down her skin was marked with various love marks.

To him, she looked like a representation of a living deity, so beautiful and immaculate.

Clinging to her breasts, he snuggled into them, addicted to the feeling of their softness and firmness. However, when the distinct sound of her heart beating against her ribs reached his ears, a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips and his eyes closed.

She could have been the temple where his prayers were answered, but right now she was something much more important to him. 

She was a safe haven, his home.

[bacchant-of-dionysus]

Sorry for the extended hiatus! I am back and ready to share more of my study and worship practices. I also have an email address now, where you can contact me with any in depth questions you might have, or if you want any kind of help or guidance - bacchantofdionysus@gmail.com

With that said, who here worships who, and how did you find this path? I’ll go first:

I am somewhat unique in that I only worship one god in the entire Greek pantheon despite believing in the existence of all of them. For this reason I call myself a Hellenic pagan as opposed to a Hellenic polytheist.

I found this path after years of attempting to find solace in the gods. I tried the abrahamic god of Christianity first. I then leant toward the Greek gods, especially Apollo, but was put off after reading a rant by a Greek person about the disrespect and fetishisation foreigners bring to the practice. I decided to heed his advice and worship the gods of my own lineage. This is when I began to pray to the Irish goddess of death and prophecy - The Morrigan. She was far too dark and gritty of a goddess for me at this time. I was in need of nurturing and love, and she was, and is always, in need of soldiers. I am no warrior or soldier. I am tender hearted and thin skinned.

But most of all I was severely sexually repressed due to my undiagnosed gender dysphoria. The Morrigan is a goddess of dark sexuality, and not a deity someone as inexperienced as myself should have attempted to build a connection with. Worship is one thing, but the two way communication I sought in the gods was not able to be fulfilled by her. It was, but just the once. I made a promise to her to stop harming myself and I felt her put armour on my body. I failed to keep my promise. She didn’t take revenge on me for breaking my promise, but I never felt her presence again. I was not ready for her, and she knew it. I felt a sense of pity from her almost. Despite this, her ravens continued to watch over me for quite some time. Even my mother noted there were ravens everywhere when I was around in those days. I was stupid and inexperienced and suffering, and though she knew I wasn’t ready to be her devotee, she never harmed me. For that I am eternally grateful, as her wrath is often deadly.

I sat with the emptiness I felt in myself for quite some time. I remembered back to my early interest in the Greek pantheon, and how I had always felt drawn to Dionysus. Despite my lack of Hellenic heritage, he was a perfect fit for me - this god of queerness, sexual liberation, freedom and insanity was exactly who I needed for guidance in growing up. My first sexual experience was with Dionysus. I don’t really tell people this, because it sounds insane, blasphemous and self centred, but I know what I felt and it isn’t something I can really explain. Through Dionysus I have become so much more comfortable in my body, my sexuality and myself. I went from someone whose own mother referred to them as ‘prudish’ to a confident young man who was happy to flaunt his femininity and sexuality and speak up about his needs.

I have neglected my worship of Dionysus for quite some time. I have been really struggling and busy looking after my burnt out partner along with trying to take care of myself. But Dionysus has quietly been there for me in ways that aren’t always apparent. I feel his love for me. He wears many faces - a father figure, a brother, a best friend, a lover, a mentor, a king, a god. He has been all these things to me throughout my time with him.

So, my friends and followers of the ancient gods - how did you find your faith? And more importantly, how did you keep it?

[sombersummerskies]

A Champion's Love: Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Farewell

Word Count: 4408

CW: None

Want all the chapters? -> Masterlist

~~~ <> ~~~

The newspaper crumples in your grasp at such speed that it makes the soldiers in front of you flinch with surprise. You blink your eyes as you feel your heart begin to race in your chest. It all makes sense. The whispering, the gossip, the sinking feeling you’d been having since you awoke.

One of the soldiers attempts to speak up, “umm… captain-”

“Take the day off,” you quickly interrupt him, voice tense as you fold the newspaper once more.

The trainees all seem confused. “What do you mean?” another asks.

“Take the day off,” you repeat, stressing each syllable as the words come out of your mouth like a hiss, “sleep, go fishing, take a hike- I don’t care! If anyone asks for me, tell them I left on a trip.”

Before any of them can ask you further questions you climb up the ladder and stomp your way over to the laboratory. No one attempts to bother you, a very clear aura of negative energy emanating from you as you march through the fortress. Once inside you grab a bag and begin to pack the necessities for a day of travel.

On the paper is spare parchment and ink. In quick, messy handwriting you leave a note for the princess to explain your sudden absence. Various ink blotches stain the page from how your hands shake as you scrawl across the paper.

Digging through your belongings you grab the final few things you need before you storm out the door, slinging the travel pack over your shoulder. At the mini-stable Persephone seems to notice your anger as she nervously slides her hooves on the ground as you strap the saddle onto her. As you secure all of the buckles you can hear faint whispering from the nearby shop.

“... can you believe it? That Zora prince is engaged!” “Yeah, and _____ looks pissed about it, do you think she knew?” “Serves her right, it says here in the newspaper that the engagement was arranged years ago. The knight’s been flirting with a taken man.” “What, no way! How scandalous!”

You turn your head and glare daggers at the gossipers, who turn out to be a Hylian man and woman. The pair seem visibly embarrassed when they realize you’ve overheard them but neither dare to attempt to apologize to you. They simply turn their heads the other way and lower their voices. You fight the tears that threaten to well in your eyes as you grab your horse’s reins and guide her out of the fortress.

Persephone gallops at breakneck speeds as you push her to her limits, faster than you’ve ever made her in the past. With one hand you cling to her saddle and with the other, you wipe away the tears that won’t stop spilling down your face. Your steed dashes across the many bridges that connect the roads between Central Hyrule and the Lanaryu Region.

This couldn’t be happening. You couldn’t bring yourself to believe it. All of this time waiting, pining, aching, hoping, wishing, praying- all for him to be taken from you in the end. Was it some kind of joke you weren’t in on? A prank everyone was playing on you? Were the goddesses laughing at you from up above, treating you like a pawn in the game they played with the universe?

Would you show up in Zora’s Domain and be the laughingstock of the region? Being belittled for ever believing you had a chance to be with their prince? Or would no one even acknowledge your presence, treating you as if you were empty air?

You flick the reins once more and gasp as Persephone rears back, standing on her hind legs with a loud whinny and knocking you right off the saddle. You fall onto the ground with a grunt, the wind knocked clean out of your lungs. You’d pushed the steed too hard, watching through bleary eyes as she trots away and angrily stomps on the dirt.

As you attempt to sit up you choke, throat tight from the crying as you try to gulp down fresh breaths of air. You claw at the ground as you crawl toward your horse before slowly wobbling your way back onto your feet. You lean against her side, still panting as you try to steady your heart once more.

“Sorry… I’m sorry,” you apologize to her, “I shouldn’t… have you made you go that fast. I just… I need to get to the domain…”

Persephone turns her head. She seems to examine you before lifting her snout and huffing, blowing air onto your tear-stained cheeks. Apology accepted, you supposed. She allows you back onto the saddle and you resume the journey, albeit at a slightly slower pace.

The morning sun was still rising in the East. The skies were clear, the roads were peaceful, and families of birds flew up in the sky. By all accounts, it should have been a beautiful day. But you felt anything but.

You only had a short while to prepare mentally prepare yourself for your arrival in Zora’s Domain.

…

Your nerves feel as if they’re on fire as you slowly walk down the Great Zora Bridge. At the entrance to the domain, Gaddison stands watch performing her duties as a guard. She gives you a smile and a wave of greeting, and you force yourself to smile in return. You nervously adjust the strap of the bag on your shoulder.

As you walk through the plaza many of the Zora offer you greetings. You can’t shake the guilt you feel as you fake your happiness and wave to all of them. It’s an especially hurtful pang in your heart when some of the children run up, thrilled to see you, asking about where you’d been all of this time. It takes you a moment to shake off Tumbo, who seemed to want to cling to your leg as he excitedly spoke about his day-to-day activities.

Once you manage to escape the crowd you make your way up the stairs and wince when you see some of the elders standing near the goddess statue. You brace yourself for the encounter as you walk up to them.

“You dare show your face around here, Hylian?” one elder, with a sawfish snout, sneers at you, “have you not heard the news? What more could you need from us?”

Though your body shakes with upset you attempt to steady your voice as you reply, “I’m not here to cause any trouble. I have something to return to Prince Sidon. I do not want to risk embarrassing him in front of his citizens, so please, could you find him and ask him to meet me in the highlands?”

The councilmen look at one another with odd expressions you can’t quite read. Another turns back to you and retorts, “how do we know you mean him no harm?”

You want to scream. You want to yell and throw them to the ground and rant and cry and vent your frustrations about everything you’ve had to endure for years. But you don’t. You know better. This is a fight you’re losing, and there’s nothing that you can do to change the tides of battle.

Your hands shake as you clench your fists and narrow your eyes. Though you continue to speak as calmly as you can muster, there’s a subtly contained rage behind your words, “I am not foolish enough to even attempt such a thing. All I’ll do is return the item and say my goodbyes. And then I will leave.”

The elders turn to one another once more and have a hushed, whispered conversation. After what feels like an eternity the one who resembles a sawfish finally addresses you once more. “Very well,” he says, an annoyingly chipper tone in his voice, “we will send a guard to relay this information to him. You may go.”

There’s confidence in his words as he dismisses you. It annoys you to the point of wanting to punch him in the jaw- but, once again, you force yourself to remain level-headed. “Please. And do actually inform him this time. I do not want to be forced to wait again.”

The elder rolls his eyes as if you’re inconveniencing him, “of course, yes yes, now go, little Hylian.”

Your anger is barely concealed as you walk away from the palace, swiftly exiting the domain by using the western bridge. Once away from the other Zora, you drop the act, a scowl on your features as you approach the rock. Stubbornly, and out of spite, you hike up the stone walls by hand, fingers digging in the rock as you hoist yourself up higher and higher.

Within the hour you find yourself at the top of the domain’s northern waterfall. You look up at the sun and judge that it must be the afternoon by now. Your stomach feels tight, but you’re too preoccupied to figure out if it’s from anxiety or from hunger- after all, you had skipped breakfast in your haste to make it to Zora’s Domain.

You peer down over the edge of the cliffs, the waterfall stretching before you for what feels like a mile. The palace of the domain seems so smooch smaller from this perspective, at this vantage point you stand taller than even the tip of its beautifully sculpted tail. There’s a deep sadness in your heart as you gaze down on it. A small part of you wonders if this is the last time you would ever see it.

When your balance begins to wobble you quickly step away from the cliffside. You’re not particularly in the mood for a fall, even if there’s water that will catch you. With a sigh you walk away, opting to sit at the edge of Toto Lake instead. You set your bag beside you and look at the water, your eyes idly following the fish that swim just beneath the surface.

You try not to track how much time passes. If you do you fear you may falter and back away rather than speak with the prince one more time. Instead, you try to calm your nerves, though it’s easier said than done. You nervously tap your foot and you have to force yourself to unclench your hands as your nails have begun to painfully dig into your palms.

It’s only when you hear footsteps in the grass that your entire body freezes.

Ever so slowly you peer over your shoulder. Your heart skips when you lock eyes with none other than Sidon himself. His yellow eyes stare back at you, his face carrying an expression of concern.

There’s a tiny voice in the back of your head that’s screaming for you to run away. Every muscle in your body feels tense, like an animal of prey that is ready to dart away at any moment. You silence the voice. You’re better than this. You are the Hero of Hyrule, and you’ll be damned if you ever run from battle- even one such as this.

You rise to your feet and turn to face him. You noticed a few changes since you had last seen him. A few new scars littered his body, presumably from battle. White gloves decorated his arms and his sash had been traded for new adornments which sat on his neck and chest. Your heart begins to race and you force yourself to look away, already finding yourself distracted by his presence alone.

He utters your name and you physically flinch, eyes shut tight. You couldn’t bear to hear him say it. Not like this. Not after all this time.

“You know,” you mutter, staring at the grass, “a warning would have been nice.”

Though you’re unable to see his face you can tell that your tone of voice catches him off guard.

“Pardon?” he asks.

At this you finally jolt, staring him dead in the eyes. You reach over and grasp your travel pack, ripping it open and digging out this morning’s edition of the Lucky Clover Gazette. You toss the stack of papers toward him, watching as they land at his feet. You watch as his eyes skim over the front page.

“This is how I had to find out?” you say, anger rising in your throat, “you couldn’t even say it to my face? Do you think that’s fair to me?”

He staggers back, flicking his gaze between the newspaper and you. “I had meant to tell you myself-” he replies, “I only just agreed to the engagement. I was not made aware that this would be published-”

“Then assume that one of your councilmen spread the word about it,” you retort, crossing your arms, “did you even think about how this would affect me?”

“Of course I did,” he says, voice barely louder than a whisper, “it’s all I could bear to think of. I tried everything that I could.”

The look he gives you tugs at your heart. You know that he’s not who your anger should be directed at. You know he doesn’t deserve your vitriol. And yet you can’t stop. It’s as if a dam has burst within you, and all of the sadness and pain you’ve had to endure has been warped into vile, vicious venom to be spat out.

“Do you know what’s being said about me? While you’re getting engaged I get to be the center of common gossip- my own soldiers are whispering about me, mocking me. People are talking about me as if I’m some kind of floozy, that I’ve been flirting with a taken man, talking about me like I’m some kind of home wrecker!” you shout, gaze fierce as you stare back at the prince.

Sidon takes a few steps closer to you, “I did not mean for this- I spoke with the council so many times, I begged for them to find some other way to maintain the alliance-”

You roll your eyes at the mention of the elders, “the council is lucky that I give a damn about their reputations- about your reputation. I have half the mind to march down there and tell them exactly what I think-”

“Please,” he interrupts you with a somewhat exasperated look, “there’s no need for that. We cannot be unreasonable-”

You laugh. It’s a sharp, tired cackle. “Unreasonable? Unreasonable!” you repeat, narrowing your eyes at him, “the love of my life is being stolen from me by the archaic practice of arranged marriages, and you want to say that I am the one being unreasonable?”

“I did not mean it that way,” he sighs, raising his hands defensively.

“Then please, Prince Sidon,” you respond, saying his name with such formality it’s uncomfortable, “elaborate. Because I have been kept in the dark for years now. I don’t get to speak with you in what feels like an eternity and then next thing I know you’re engaged!”

“And I did not want it to go this way!” he retorts, finally raising his voice in turn, “this is the last thing I wanted! I did not want to lose someone I loved so dearly again! I have worked tirelessly to earn the favor of the council and change their minds- but they have been rigid. My hand was forced.”

You cross your arms and cast your gaze aside. The fiery anger inside of you was slowly dissipating into a faint, ebbing sadness. “... did they force you into this? Into the engagement? Or did you choose it in the end?” you ask, voice softened.

There’s a hesitation before he answers, “... I chose this. It was not easy. But I did.”

Your voice finally cracks, “why make me wait? I’ve felt so alone during all this time- I spent so many nights in tears. Was there a point to any of it?”

You blink and as you look up you realize that the prince is standing in front of you. You force yourself to meet his gaze and you feel your heart break when you see the sorrow in his eyes and tears that threaten to fall. You couldn’t bring yourself to be mad at him.

This isn’t fair to either of you.

There was a question that had been lingering in your mind. It had embedded itself in your darkest thoughts ever since Sidon had returned from his diplomatic mission. You had been too scared to ask. But, this may have been your last chance. You suck in a shallow breath before you speak.

“Do you love her?”

The question visibly takes him aback. He reaches out, placing his hands on either side of your face. You feel yourself quiver beneath his touch.

He shakes his head, “no, she’s a friend, and nothing more. It’s nothing in comparison to my feelings for you.”

“... I think that makes this hurt even more,” you mumble, heart pounding loud enough to hear it in your own ears, “... why did this have to happen? Why us?”

Sidon sighs, his hands collecting the tears that slid down your cheeks, “we are bound by birth to your duties. Yours is to Hyrule and Princess Zelda. Mine is… to the Zora people and our domain.”

You knew that this was the answer. And you couldn't stand it. You loathed that this was the truth. Was this simply your fate? Destined to bear the sword, protect the princess, be a hero to the people- but never to live your own life or make your own choices.

With a sniffle, you step back, though it pains you to move away from the prince. You grab your bag once more which seems to confuse him. Though it stings your heart, you know you have to do this.

You lift up the Zora armor and hold it out to him. You hear his gasp.

“Please,” you whisper with a choked sob, “take it, please. I can’t keep this. It hurts to even look at.”

“Dearest-” he starts as he grasps the armor, though you quickly shake your head.

“Sidon, don’t-” you wince, “I can’t- not anymore- it hurts. This hurts.”

You try to turn and walk away though he quickly grabs your arm to stop you. “Sidon,” you repeat his name pleadingly, “we can’t do this-”

Yet, just as you turn your head- he kisses you.

You can’t bring yourself to pull away. You lean against him with a whimper, your legs shaking as he wraps his arms around you in support. It’s passionate, filled with longing. Your fingers trace along the cold metal of his silver adornment. His hands grip onto you as he cradles you against him.

You murmur his name, just barely pulling away, “Sidon we can’t- you’re engaged now.”

This finally makes him still. He loosens his hold, though noticeably he hesitates before doing so.

“What if someone sees us?” you ask as you slowly back away, “what would they think?”

His eyes are desperate as they look at you. He whispers your name as if it's a prayer and you want nothing more than to run back into his arms. But you don’t let yourself.

“I… I have to go,” you mutter, chest tight with pain.

“Please,” he begs, “just once more, please-”

You shake your head, “we have our duties, Sidon. Return to yours.”

It hurts. You don’t want to push him away. You know deep down you want nothing more than to selfishly keep him all to yourself- but you know the harm that would cause.

The prince lifts the Zora armor in his hands, fingers carefully tracing over the detailing and scales. He looks up at you and though it's cowardly you can’t bear to look back. You can’t bear to see the grief-stricken expression.

You attempt to clear your hoarse throat before speaking on final utterance to him.

“Goodbye, Sidon.”

And as you grab your bag and turn around, he responds.

“Farewell, my love.”

…

When you returned to Lookout Landing you didn’t even attempt to enter the fortress. You couldn’t face anyone, not with how you felt. You’d simply deposited Persephone at the mini-stable and snuck around. Now you found yourself in the ruins of Hyrule Castle Town, north of the landing. Luckily for you all of the construction workers had already left for the night.

An inky sky full of stars hung over you and yet you couldn’t bring yourself to admire its beauty. Crickets chirped as you listened to the trickling water of the nearby moat. You sat on the edge of an old building’s crumbling foundation. Your hands fidgeted with a scrap piece of bandage as you stared daggers into the ground.

“I thought I might find you here.”

You nearly jump at the sound of the voice. When you peer over your shoulder, you are met with a gentle gaze and green eyes. The princess smiled pitifully at you.

“I heard of what happened,” she continues, gravel crunching under her boots as she walks beside you, “would you like to be alone, or…”

It begins as a small sniffle. Then a quiet whimper as the tears well in your eyes. And before you know it you’re sobbing in Zelda’s arms. She holds you gently as you cry out, an absolute mess as you cling to her. The princess does not speak, allowing you to let it all out, comfortingly running her hand up and down your back.

“It hurts. Why does it hurt like this,” you sob, fingers gripping onto her coat, “my heart- I can’t take it- I don’t want this-”

Was this the price you had to pay for performing your role? You didn’t choose this, it was forced upon you. Were you really forsaking the goddesses, your duty, your birthright, just by falling in love?

Once your well of tears has dried out Zelda continues to silently take care of you. She wipes dirt and dust off of you and plucks grass and leaves that had stuck to your clothing after a day of travel. With a handkerchief, she gently cleans your face.

“I am so sorry that I cannot do more to help,” she says, “I fear that all I can offer you is distractions as your heart heals itself.”

“It’s not like it’s your fault,” you mutter.

“Even still,” she replies, brushing your hair back, “now then, how does this sound? You can rest in the laboratory tonight, and I will bring you supper from the shelter. I was thinking that tomorrow we could begin our investigation beneath the castle, but, I completely understand if you need time to rest instead.”

You shake your head, “no, no, I don’t want to sit around idly. I need to make myself useful.”

“You don’t need to make yourself anything,” she retorts, “you’re fine as you are. But if you’d like to venture out tomorrow, I’m ready as well.”

Side by side the pair of you return to Lookout Landing. Immediately you hide away in the lab, not in the mood to deal with any of your soldiers. The last thing you need now is to overhear more gossip or chatter. When Zelda returns to you it’s with a plate of rice and meat stew.

As you eat you listen to Zelda and Purah talk, discussing the new camera feature on the Purah Pad. Though the scientist had not mentioned it to you, she was likely acutely aware of what had happened with Sidon as well. You were grateful she didn’t bring it up, instead choosing to excitedly talk your ear off about new runes research.

You were glad the two women could lift your spirits.

When it is finally time for bed you wrap yourself in blankets, curling up into a small cocoon on the mattress. You’d exhausted yourself, too tired to cry again, instead, you stared at the wall until your eyelids grew heavy. It was difficult forcing yourself not to think of the prince as you finally dozed off.

In the morning you took your time to prepare for the journey ahead. After thoroughly scrubbing yourself clean you dress in your Champion’s tunic. You double-checked and then triple-checked the travel packs for yourself and Zelda, ensuring you had rations, healing elixirs, water canteens, a change of clothing, and flint to create fires, among other supplies.

You wore a steely expression as you walked through the fortress and it seemed no one wanted to risk upsetting you. With the princess, you went over your plan and preparations once more as you ate breakfast. Your soldiers seemed apologetic for what had happened the day before but you waved them off, and instructed them to return to their rounds instead.

Just as you and the princess prepared to walk out of the landing’s northern gate, you’re interrupted. A blond Hylian runs up, and it seems he has been running for some time as he needs to catch his breath once he stops in front of you.

“Link?” you ask, somewhat concerned.

His blue eyes frantically flicker between you and Zelda, although you notice his eyes very obviously linger on the princess. His mouth opens, then closes, then opens again, as if he debates speaking. Instead, he opts to shut it once more and quickly signs with his hands: you - are - leaving?

Zelda nods, “yes, we're investigating the castle. I’m sure you’ve heard, but people have randomly been falling ill when they approach.”

Link wears an expression of concern as he continues: please - stay - safe.

The princess smiles, a light blush dusting her cheeks, “we will, don’t worry Link. I’ll see you soon.”

The blond hesitates before bowing his head. Then he faces you and gives you a salute.

As he walks away there’s a gnarled, twisted, anxious feeling in the pit of your stomach. You turn and look up at the castle in the distance, something nervous clawing at the back of your mind. Your grip on your bag tightens and you adjust the Master Sword’s scabbard.

“Are you ready?” Zelda asks, giving you a small grin.

A voice in your head tells you to say no. To stop. To turn around. Something seems wrong. But this is your duty, it is your job to protect the people of Hyrule. Whatever lies beneath the castle can’t be any worse than what you’ve dealt with in the past.

Right?

“I’m ready. Let’s go.”

~~~ <> ~~~

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter (will be the 1st chapter of the sequel)

[miniaturemoonheart]

I am a huge advocate for Self Care and Self Love. Two things that are an absolute must.

List of simple daily rituals I love ❤️

If you are anything like me, when we embark on a spiritual path, sometimes the path gets twisted and we feel we lose our connection to the Divine. This is totally normal and shouldn’t get you down! Sometimes we are too busy with the mundane to cater to our spirituality. But there are ways to include simple daily pagan rituals into your routine without a fuss.

Here are some of my favorite morning, noon or night simple daily rituals you may enjoy as well.

1. Light a candle

Many of us pyromaniacs already love burning candles in our homes, so why not make it a part of your daily pagan rituals? Light a candle and say a quick prayer of gratitude to your god or goddess or ancestors. Then go about your day.

2. Offerings for the Gods

Everyone thinks offerings are complicated…here’s a little secret �� they’re not! Offerings can be anything you feel your god or goddess would enjoy: food, beverage, water, incense, herbal blends, art, and poetry. Some gods enjoy a nice black cup of coffee in the morning. Some enjoy a portion of your dinner at night. Some prefer the scent of patchouli incense. Incorporate offerings into your daily routine and watch the blessings roll in!

3. Offerings for the Ancestors

Same as above – make offerings to your ancestors one of your daily pagan rituals. Did your granny like to steal sweet n’ lows? Add a couple to your ancestor altar for her. Did your Uncle enjoy bonfires? Light a candle for him in the evening.

4. Rise to Greet the Sun

If you’re an early riser, this should be a simple one – rising to greet the sun. Sit outside with your coffee and watch the sun rise. Bask in the glory of the star that gives life to this planet.

5. Runic Stadhas or Yoga

Edred Thorsson talks about runic stadhas in his book Elder Futhark. These are similar to yoga positions. So whether you enjoy yoga or feel a connection to the runes, try physical positions like the runic stadhas or yoga on a daily basis. Even if you only do one or two in the morning to get your day started or in the evening to relax and connect.

6. Go for a Walk

Simply going for a walk outside is enough to relax you and re-connect with Mother Earth. Don’t have a lot of time to fit in a walk? Instead of sitting at your desk for lunch break, take your lunch outside and go for a walk afterward. Even if it’s only a ten minute walk.

7. Dream Journalling

Keep a journal at your bedside. Before you even set foot on the floor in the morning, write down your dreams in a dream journal. This is a simple, yet effective way to tune into your higher self and gods – through dreams. The more you journal your dreams, the more dreams you will recall.

8. Meditate

You don’t have to meditate for an hour or even a half an hour. Pop in a set of earbuds and listen to a ten minute relaxing guided meditation for free on YouTube.

9. Nature Signs and Omens

Throughout your day, pay attention to any nature signs or omens. This could be anything – a praying mantis on the windshielf, a blue jay that seems to repetitively visit you, a cloud in the shape of a heart, a snail that’s entered the house, etc. The gods and ancestors often use nature to communicate with us. This is one of the most enriching daily pagan rituals in my practice.

10. Light an incense

Just as you light a candle for your gods or simply to re-connect, light incense on a daily basis. Something about the scent of incense in the air puts me into an otherworldly state of mind. It is relaxing and grounding, too.

11. Read a Spiritual Book

Take fifteen minutes out of your day to read a spiritual book. Whatever topic you’re studying in the realm of paganism, set aside a little time daily to read and absorb what you are reading. Knowledge is power, after all.

12. Love Your Pets

Whether you have a dog, horse, or a hamster, set aside some time every day to love on your pets. This doesn’t seem like a pagan ritual, but anything done with intention and in a routine can be a ritual. And what’s more pagan than loving on animals?

13. Light a Red Candle in the Kitchen

Keep a red candle in your kitchen. Light it in honor of the ancestors who came before you, who cooked hearthside to feed and nourish their families just as you do today!

14. Smudge Yourself

One of those self-love daily pagan rituals is smudging yourself. You don’t have to do this daily, but I promise if you do take up the practice, you won’t regret it. Smudging removes the negative debris stuck in your aura, helps to relax you, and to ground you after a long day of work.

15. Love Your Family

One of the most pagan things to do is to honor and love your family. Think back hundreds of years ago – what did your ancestors value back then? Life, love, and family. They focused on survival and did what they had to do to feed and care for their families. And it’s a good thing too, because you’re here because of them! Honor your ancestors by loving your family every day. Spend quality time with your family as a daily pagan ritual. Othala.

16. Write in Journal / BOS

Keep a record of your spiritual journey, traditions, and thoughts by writing them down in a spiritual journal or Book of Shadows. Take five minutes a day to write something down – even if its just your emotions or your thoughts in that moment.

17. Wear a Stone

Choose a stone to wear on a daily basis. This is a simple, small daily pagan ritual to do in the morning. If you can’t wear it, then put it in your pocket. Choose a stone for protection, grounding, energy, etc.

18. Pray to the Gods

Take time in the morning while you’re getting ready for the day or take time just before falling asleep to say a simple prayer to the gods. Prayers of gratitude are best. The more grateful we are for the gods’ presence in our lives, the more blessings roll in.

19. Visit the Garden

Whether you keep an elaborate garden or just have a few plants and trees in your yard, take some time in the early morning or the evening to pay the garden a visit. You never know what wisdom the plants, trees, and wildlife have to share with you. I find garden visits comforting, peaceful, and enlightening.

20. Exercise

How is exercise a daily pagan ritual? In this modern day and age, everyone is so busy and sedentary. We don’t have the time to work out. But here’s the thing – we were gifted with these bodies by the gods/universe/ancestors and so we should be grateful for them and care for them just as we care for our spirits. Even if you just go for a run in the morning, do something to get your heart pumping every day. Make the gods proud.

21. Brew a Cup of Tea

Make brewing tea a daily ritual. Enjoy choosing your own loose leaf herbs, hearing the tea kettle whistle on the stove, and then pouring the hot water over the herbs. Sit down, be quiet, and sip your tea while waiting for the Divine to speak to you.

22. Smudge Your House

Along the same lines of smudging yourself, smudge your house to rid it of any negative vibes or spirits. A quick smudging does the trick, even if its only ten minutes.

23. Rune of the day

Something I enjoy doing in the morning, draw one rune or one tarot/oracle card for the day. It might give you a sneak peek of what’s to come or just provide some sage advice. Either way – drawing one rune or card of the day is one of the easiest and enlightening daily pagan rituals.

24. Use Herbs in Cooking

Have a garden with herbs or vegetables? Use them in your cooking on a daily basis. If you don’t have a garden, choose spices from your kitchen cabinet for specific purposes. For example – cinnamon for money. Sugar to sweeten up situations and people. Rosemary for love. Etc.

25. Pray to the Ancestors

Just as you pray to the gods, pray to your ancestors as well. They enjoy hearing from you too.

26. Freshen Up Your Altar

Clean up your altar on a daily basis. This means dump those ashes off your incense burner. Dust off any dirt or debris. Refresh your offerings. Etc. Make your altar a place worthy of the gods and ancestors.

27. Gaze at the Moon

On nights when the clouds are clear, go outside and gaze at the moon. Feel the lunar rays on your skin.

28. Plan the Next Sabbat

Take time to plan the next sabbat. Write down ideas on traditions, rituals, food, etc. This is a fun daily pagan ritual to do with the whole family (if they are pagan, as well).

29. Call a Pagan Friend

On days you feel you need an extra boost of comfort or confidence, call a pagan friend. There’s nothing like talking to someone of like-mind and kindred spirit.

30. Ground and Center

With how crazy life can get, making grounding and centering a part of your daily pagan rituals can really do wonders for your health and wellbeing. Even if you touch a tree before going inside or walk around outside with barefeet, both of these rituals help.

31. Plan the Next Esbat

Just as planning the next Sabbat can be fun, so can planning your next Esbat. Plan an aura-cleansing bath on the New Moon – what herbs will you use? Will you use sea salt or epsom salt? Plan to do a releasing ritual on the next Waning Moon. What will you do next full moon? Write down your thoughts and ideas.

32. Research Your God/Goddess

In addition to reading a spiritual book once a day, spend a few minutes doing further research on your god or goddess. This can be online or in books. Read your god or goddess’ mythology, folklore, and history. This gives honor to your god or goddess and enriches your relationship with them.

[scullys-girl]

salvation

s/s | mature | 1320 words | ao3

She was a deity descended from Dion’s breast; a great beauty her father feared would wage war amongst the gods. You could not spell her name without Aphrodite; a woman crafted by the milky glow of Venus. She was a sculptor’s most cherished construct, made of dove feathers and pomegranate seeds.

A celestial muse born earth side.

She makes my naked flesh arise with gooseflesh, her lips grazing mine so delicately and intimately. She smells of gardenia and the musky sweat of woman, the aromas marrying together to introduce my aroused nerve endings to electrified shockwaves.

Her lips part like the Red Sea, bringing safe passage to my tongue. Her’s tastes like cocoa and plum, rich with Merlot, and if I hadn’t been plagued with desire so hauntingly perpetual, I would have noticed how breathy my voice sang to her; how quickly I was melting into her touch as her teeth graze my tongue, and her palms warm my face.

“I love you,” she vows as she leaves my lips to speak it for the very first time. “I love you so much, Stella.”

Opening my eyes to find hers so deeply azure, I find myself incapable of speech, her words swelling within the four chambers of my heart. It’s spell-bounding – the way she makes me feel found. Two Luna’s without a pack; the black widow and the viper. She makes me believe we can exist together, and I know she is right in every sense as she lies back and takes me with her.

Her fiery breath of red hair flames across the soft cotton beneath her skull. She is holding her breath, letting me take the lead as I unite the rosy tips of our breasts, and press myself into her; into the downy floral of her bedspread. She wraps her legs around my waist like the noose I’ve been praying for – an instrument of my undoing – and I hold up my weight with a quivering left forearm and the tight indentation of knees into the mattress; though I never separate the connection of our breasts.

She is warm and soft; damp with sweat and a need I can see within her gaze, as I haven’t yet touched the slick velvet between her thighs. Closing her eyelids, she speaks to me in a way only I know how to translate – her breathy inhales the braille I use to read her. But when I hold out on her, wanting her to beg for me, it’s as if she reads me even better, and gives me what I haven’t yet asked her for.

“Please, Stella.”

I close my eyes, too, as she gifts me this phrase, and then one other. Oh, how her words consume me.

“I need you,” Dana utters gently, but so fervently.

I need you.

But, I think, as I reopen my eyes to watch her. I need you even more.

I love you, too.

The first touch always feels like coming home.

And in her, I have finally found that.

She is hot and wet at her center – the ripest peach in Southern Carolina heat – and mewls a soft ballad across my lips. She kisses me tenderly, showing me how deeply she cares for me; for what we’re creating between us. Together, we make love in the shadows between street lights and bulbs of fluorescents, my fingers gliding up to massage the swell of her watermelon pink clitoris.

“Stella,” she whispers, arching into my touch while she threads my hair through her fingers, holding me close. Lips to lips and heaving breasts, I begin to move with her.

I drown myself in her, giving my fingertips no breath of air. She’s silky and slick, tight and plush. A garden of curved flesh and winding rivers. She is magic all around me.

Pulsing my hips slowly, I rest the back of my wrist against my mons, making love to her as if we are Adam and Eve; though I know she wants it like this. With me. A woman. I will be the Eve to her Aphrodite any day; will feast upon the apple of Eden with every chance given: the fruit between her thighs that is my salvation.

With her, it is never damnation or exile, and she has proven it to me every day of our relationship from the very beginning to this very moment. She is my goddess in a sea of despair, and if I don’t get to taste the pink lady of her offering, I shall no longer be allowed to call myself her Eve; though it is Lilith that is my kindred.

Tearing apart our lips, I shush her with my own as I kiss down the column of her throat. Taking my time to love her in this way, I lick around each pearl of her breast and suckle them gently, making her moan and writhe beneath me. Delicate love bites are left ‘round her navel as I descend further; my fingers’ gentle curve presses against the spot I know she loves, and I'm impatient to inhale her addicting scent; to taste her on my sophisticated pallet.

I smooth my tongue around the jut of her hip bone, telling her, “so good for me,” as she moans and pulls her thighs closer to her chest. Oh, how I know how much she loves that.

I smirk as she shivers, and a wave of fresh arousal seeps from her, my nose buried now in her wispy red curls. So close to where I want to be, I breathe in through my nose, my eyes fluttering closed as I finally savor her.

She tastes earthy, bitter, and sweet – so Dana Scully in essence, I can no longer remember the taste of another, though I never want to again. She is tart, and she is beautiful; she is a delightful cacophony of yes’s and don’t stop’s.

She is utterly breathtaking as she cries my name and ascends to the heavens.

I feel her come against my lips, the rippling tides of her sex milking my fingers; the fall, the fall, the fall of mankind. She utters my name with reverence, spilling her God’s name as if she’s confessing her sins to me. And I take her slowly back down to earth when I feel she’s ready, slipping out of her with the tenderness she always claims me with. She kisses me and kisses me, pulling me back down to her body and rolling us so that we are face to face.

“Stella,” she says next, trying with little triumph to catch her shaken breath. She places a reverential palm atop my beating heart, then appoints a chaste kiss to my rib cage – once bruised and broken, but now healed over. “I…”

But her words are lost to the budding tears in her eyes. They spill over and onto the crisp pillows; over the bridge of her perfectly pointed nose.

“I know,” I say to her, holding her close as she brings me to climactic oblivion, her fingers showing me what she is too emotional to voice in the moment. It sends sparks through every muscle that inhabits me, and I know without a doubt she is the only one for me.

When the pleasure eventually ebbs away like the ocean’s waves, I kiss her fingers, tasting myself on the tips of them. “I love you too, Dana,” I profess – such rarity on my tongue, but for her, I want to change that. I want to change everything; to be whatever she needs me to be.

She smiles into our last shared kiss of the night, and I refuse to let her go until morning, for she is the moon to my stars; my guiding light in the shadows that now mask my face in semi-darkness. She is my home, my salvation.

My beautiful, enigmatic… mine…

My love.

My Dana Katherine Scully.

[sayonaramidnight]

From the OC Questions on the Seven Forms of Love;

Philia 3, Storge 2, Agape 5 and Pragma 2 for Helvi, please!

And Eros 3, Ludus 5 and Philautia 1 for Arianna, please!

Ahahaha, so many interesting questions that totally didn't make me tear up or cackle! Thank you, dear <3

Seven Forms of Love questions!

What qualities does your OC most value in a friend? Loyalty? Shared sense of humour? Or something else?

Loyalty, definitely! A big heart and similar sensitivity to the surrounding world are also pretty important. A lot of Helvi's friends seem... very different from each other - she was drawn to them for different reasons and met them in, well, different circumstances, but they're all loyal and in the end, they choose kindness.

Does your OC have children? If so then how fiercely do they love them? If they have more than one then do they love them all equally? If they do not have children then is this part of their future plans?

Helvi is quite good and very affectionate with kids, and wouldn't mind adopting some, because there are way too many children who are all alone and need love. What's stopping her is the fear of being forced to choose between taking care of them and adventuring. She takes after her own parents a lot and... her dad chose to settle down and stay in one place raising her, while her mum gave in to wanderlust, only coming back once in a while. Until she stopped coming back. And Helvi is afraid she might not come back one day and her kids will never know what happened to her. She has her fears when it comes to the future and tries her best to face and fight them, but time will tell.

Does your OC find it easy to empathise with their enemies? Or do they see it as important to dehumanise them in order to combat them with sufficient determination?

Helvi tries her best to seek connection and mutual understanding, if there's even a bit of possibility the enemies might be willing to do the same. If not, she still avoids killing as much as possible and prays for the dead.

Unless they've gone too far on their path to evil and she's gone too far on her path to vengeance.

What is the biggest challenge that your OC has had to overcome in a long-term relationship or friendship? What helped them get through this?

Honestly, starting her current relationship was quite a challenge for her. I can't tell how many times she's asked Rhun "are you sure?" and how many times he had to ask her the same question, just so she could confirm her choice over and over again and hear him do the same. For a long time she was simply happy with his presence in her life and just thanked the goddess for his existence. She thought that would be enough and didn't want to put a wanderer like him in any chains. Besides, her grief over Haurchefant left her with the mindset that went like 'I enter a relationship -> bad things happen' and it took some coaxing to overcome it.

tl; dr - her own mind was the biggest issue.

How do they feel about public displays of romantic affection? Does it make them uncomfortable? How do they feel if a romantic partner kisses them in public?

Arianna usually shows restraint when it comes to PDA, unless she's either among friends (she can even *GASP* hold hands with her boyfriend!) or trolled into it (there might be some kissing!). Both her friends and boyfriend strongly believe trolling her is good and right and fun, so...

What seduction techniques are most likely to be effective when it comes to your OC? Are there some things guaranteed to get them going? Or are they immune to such things?

I'd say challenging her ways and inspiring her to think outside the box, and it's shown to be equally effective at getting her heart in both romantic and non-romantic way. Bad jokes seem to be quite helpful as well. She's not a romantic type by any means and frankly, neither is Nero, so conventional seduction techniques don't do much there XD

Does your OC have a healthy sense of their own worth and value? Or do they see themselves as failing to live up to their original potential? Perhaps they are convinced of their own sinful or inadequate nature?

By Endwalker, I can say yes, she does. She knows her strong and weak points and can live with them unashamedly, she's where she wants to be with her life and she has learnt she can stay true to herself and be respected and loved, and love back. It's been quite a journey for her, but it's shaped her into who she is now.

[ballparkscubicle]

“I used to be disturbed by the fact a dead child couldn't stir even an ounce of despair in my heart. No sympathy for the mother, screaming in agony as her husband held the tiny limp body. Only… annoyance at the noise,” Rowan mused. “I don't think I could muster more than a sigh for my own child’s pain. However, I have gotten good at pretending. Sometimes, it's almost like I do care. Though it's more the need to control and own than actual love…”

“You're pathetic.” The man that Rowan had captured glared at him. Spitting at the god’s feet. It didn't bother him. Nothing really could. “You're a pathetic beast! A false god!” Rowan just chuckled at him.

“You probably think me heartless, no?” The king turned to the man chained to the wall. “That is simply my nature as a god.” Rowan smiled, crouching in front of the man. “Your precious Silver Angel is the same. She has no sympathy for humans or any other race. She only sees you as pitiful animals that need protection.”

“Y-you bastard! The Silver Angel is nothing like you! Her heart is noble and pure!” The man, a leader of an underground rebellion against Rowan's regency, screamed as he struggled against his chains. “In the name of the ever merciful Silver Angel, I pray! I beseech thee that you will hold my heart to thy bosom! That you may bless my martyrdom with eternal bliss! That you-” Rowan ended the man's prayers with a quick swipe of his sword. This man was willing to die for a goddess who couldn't care about him.

“Oh, pitiful man, she can't hear your prayers.” Rowan sighed. He looked at the man's head as it rolled. “Seems I used too much force…” The king picked up the head by its hair and inspected it. He didn't feel anything.

“My lord, what would you like to do with the body?” Adina asked as she walked into the cell. “It's tainted meat. I wouldn't recommend eating it. Though, I doubt you planned on it.” The paladin was right. Rowan had no interest in eating the man's corpse. “As fresh as it may be, the man's meat will be tough, no doubt. However, you're not thinking about that, are you?” Adina asked as she leaned against the doorframe.

“Very perceptive,” The god murmured. Adonis was once more in the forefront of his mind. “You're capable of love, aren't you, beast?” Rowan asked as he turned to Adina. She nodded. “I'm supposed to be a higher being, yet I do not form connections. I was truly stripped of my humanity.” He flung the man's head into the wall, feeling slightly satisfied by the sound of the skull breaking. He didn't miss how Adina tensed. It was pertinent that one never became too comfortable with Rowan. He was still very much a heartless creature with unfathomable abilities. "I'll be taking my leave."

[rosen-dovecote]

Note To Self: Things That Stand Out For Me For A Personal Water Practice

⇶ "Dress all in white and decorate your altar with white and gold" → My Mother's Wedding "Lingerie", which I already use for ritual bathing.

⇶ "You will need a gold cup or bowl that can hold drinkable water" → This Amazon Bowl

{To Start} "Hold the water in both hands and breathe over it, mingling your breath with its surface. Pause for a few breaths, then swirl your index finger around in the water three times in a sunwise direction. Anoint your heart center, lips, and Third Eye with the water as you begin to breathe slowly and enter into a light meditative state

{To End} "Using the same finger, swirl the water in a counter-sunwise direction and anoint your Third Eye, your lips, and your heart center. Thank the water for the connection you have experienced".

⇶ "Stir the water nine times sunwise, then anoint your brow, eyes, lips, hands, and feet with the water. Take the bowl in both hands and raise it over your head. As you begin to pour the water over your head [...]"

⇶ "Anointing your Third Eye with the water, and perhaps your palms and heart center as well".

"Using sacred water, begin to bless the body as you pray or chant. Anoint the brow and say: May your visions be blessed and true. Anoint the eyelids and say: May your sight be blessed with beauty and love. Anoint the lips and say: May your words be blessed and true. Anoint the heart center and say: May your heart be blessed and rest in divine love. Anoint the palms and say: May all that you touch be blessed and sacred. Anoint the feet and say: May everywhere you travel be the right and true path. Anoint the crown and say: May all that is from here below be blessed and full of grace, love, and abundance; With the power of these sacred waters, this is my will; so will it be!"

⇶ {Earlier} "She rides the hedge, listening to her guides, goddesses, and spirits".

⇶ {Later} "Mist is the product of air and water that usually (but not always) appears in the liminal hours of dusk and dawn [...] It can also act as the hedge — the place between this world and the Otherworld".

⇶ Two Waters: White Spring, Black Well

⇶ {Exercise: Defining Your Priestess Path} Subtle but incredibly interesting correlations between Water Priestess practice suggestions of baths and healing rituals using natural waters → Natural Waters as Mikvehs → Mormon Baptisms for Healing + Washing and Anointing as Blessing.

⇶ The subtle but incredibly interesting correlations with The Nine Maidens and the retinue of Spirits who tend the Wellspring in the Garden.

⇶ Repetition of the number Nine → Jewish Gematria: 9 (tet / ט) - The design of Tet is like a pot: A vessel with an inverted rim- representing the carrying of hidden inner beneficence (especially as it relates to the 9 months of pregnancy); the most complete multiplicity, including division between the natural and supernatural. Also represents Truth- specifically the idea that what is definitively true must be true in all parts and spaces.

[nityarawal]

8/13/23

Morning Songs

"Rocket"

AKA

#HoldTheRockets 

Elon-X

I Know You Want Us

To Call You

Elon - "X"

The Civil Activist

King  

Elon- X

#HoldYourRockets

Tho

Elon-X

We Watched You

Everyday On

Rewind TV

For 6 Months

Last Year

Elon X

Like A King on @Youtube

Elon X

With All Your Muses

A Harem 

Of Wannabe Cyber Truck Owners

With Tmobile

Fractured

Reception

Praying For You 

And Starlink

Access

Safety

Honesty

Connection

Hanging On Every 

Honeyed South African Word

Physicists Logic Soothing Us

Into An Alpha State

Awaiting Starlink

Still

Elon - X

What's Become Of YOU

Elon - X

Malcolm - X

We Gave You "X"

When We Gonna Get "O"

A Natural Born Baby

"X" Is The Missing Link

The Natural Hormone

Elon2 Squared =

X

"Grimez" 2

The Natural Hormone

In You And Me

Her

70's Kids

80's Kids

90's Kids

Au LA Natural 

X Is The Missing Link

Do Your Equations

Mathematicians

Physicists

And Find The Hormones

Chromosomes

In You And Me

Missing Gene's

X

X Is The Missing Link

For Our Attys

That Had No Time

To F***

Or Love

Only Gays

Could Have Raped Us

Into Sodomy Attempts

Like This

Trans Defense Team

Schmitz Bush Eunuchs

Nitya X

Britney X

Malcolm X

Mom X

Ghandi X

Buddha X

X Is The Missing Link

Don't Want To Cry

For Our Babies

Only 10% Memory

Of Childhood Left

Alienation Disease

Spread With Gays Gags

Of Courts

From England 

To Hawaii

X Is The Missing Link

Iran Needs Her

X Back

Mithraism

Not 7 Billion Please

A US Insult

To Arab Slave Owners

Tehrangeles

Sufis

Needs Her Royals

Back

Reza Shah

Kvon Moezzi June

Everything

Best Mammas 

In The World

Robbed Of Ancestry

For Museums

Not The Dump

World Wide Web Of AI

Stolen

Not Just Princesses

Nobles Who Love

Even More

Mitra And Varuna

Vedic Mythology

"Friend"

Maui Shook

The Ama

Toxins

From Her Frontal

Coretex

Third Eye

No More Jealousy

To Attack Goddesses

She's As Sick Of The Drugs

As #FreeBritney 

And Me

Did Mamma Maui Lose Her Fertility

When Fire

Bore Her Heart

Did Mamma Maui Lose

Her Breasts

When Firemen

Finally

Had Access

To Oprah's Road

Did Mother Maui

Iao Valley Mahune

Leprechauns

Put Out The Flames

Waterfalls

When Hawaii Military

Failed

Only Found 17 Bodies

In The Ocean

300 Still Missing

1000

Lost

Too Lazy To Disclose Facts

And Obituaries

Rainforest Walls

Saved Us

While Troops Called It A Day

How Many Baby Boomers

Died In Maui Fires

How Many Homeless

Cried

Drowned

Will Journalists Break Codes 

Gags

Pleas

And Tell Us The Truth

Who What Where When Why

5 W's

Or Do We Need To Hire

Guardian 

Expose To Reveal 

For Updated Google

Fire Maps

Is Down

From University Of Hawaiʻi 

How Many Gays

Too Polite To Say

Go Away

In The Winds

Stop Stealing

Our Native

Indigenous Babies

In Hawaii

California

Mexico

And Iran

Maui Moms

Was Mother Maui Too Polite

Too Nice

Aids 

And Cancer

Covid 2 Wasn't Enough

In San Francisco

Moles Push

Government Suicides

Off Bridge

Robin William's Pleas

For Men That Don't Grow Up

Nano - Nano

Confirmed Bachelors

Mind Those Bugs

In Your Ass

Morgellons

Mind Those Bugs

Hairballs

Of Courts Spreading 

British

Alienation Disease 

#PrinceOfPegging 

Crimes

Teach Your Invitro

Gay Attys

Trans Officers

How To Be A Maid

Before They Break

The Law

Airbrushed "Pretty Pretty Girls,"

At Height Of Ignorance

Drugged Stupid 

To Half A Life

For Prostitution 

Kali Yuga

Teach Your Judges

(Or Recall Them)

How To Clean Their

Courts

Before They Take 

Bribes

With Domestic Terrorists 

For 600k A Year

As Criminals

In Organised Crimes

Killing Wives

At Large

For Glutinous Fetishes

Humanoid Moms

Won't Sustain

This

Nor Mother Maui

Laws

Teach Your Officers

How To Clean 

Disinfect

The Courts

Before They Steal

Another AI Barbie

For Practicing

Medicine Bribed Covid2

Germ Warfare

With "X"

Peace

Mahalo,

Nitya Nella Davigo Azam Moezzi Huntley Rawal 

[thesunw1tch]

July 2nd: Signs from Hekate?

So, today is Aphrodisia!! Aphrodisia is an ancient celebration to honor Aphrodite, and even though I don't directly worship her I've decided that I'm still going to honor our Lady of Love and Beauty. Fun fact, Aphrodite was actually the first goddess I worshipped early on in my journey, and she was so so sweet.

I remember I once prayed to her moments before leaving for a date, even left an offering asking for it to go well, but for some reason it just felt off. I didn't know it at the time, but she had been trying to warn me! Me and that partner broke up about 3ish months later from a whole snowball style shit storm; and that forementioned date? It sucked.

A n y w ay, I drank some strawberry cheesecake tea in her honor out of a heart shaped cup and made her a tiny holiday altar, complete with burning rose petals.

In other news of daily practice, I also bought Apollo and Hekate some new crystals! Apollon got a chunk of raw citrine (I've been meaning to get some for him for FOREVER), and Hekate got a chunk of Selenite. Both gods received a piece of celestine as well, simply because they are higher beings.

This morning, I did a tarot reading with Apollo and pulled the Queen of Cups. I didn't have time to mediate on it before work, but I have a strong feeling that it was probably about shadow work, self-love, and the new move I've got coming up in a few weeks. It may also be about Hekate, but I'm unsure. After this posts I'll probably meditate on it and do some Pendulum work, especially since I bought one today that connects to both gods: Clear quartz on a silver chain with a silver snake wrapping around it!

Also, something happened that may be a sign from her? I did an entire ritual and offering last night to Hekate, calling out to her with several different epithets while banging on the ground, and asked for her to make herself known to me if she accepted. One of the first customers of the day wore a black shirt with a gaint triple goddess symbol on the back. Later, some children came up to me with dog plushies (not a big deal, just cute kids but you never know). Finally, after buying her selentite and that pendulum, I decided to swing by the bookstore before going home. Not really paying attention, just looking for chalices, I stumble across an incense holder thats in the shape of the triple goddess! These feel like they could be inconsequential, but who knows!

Anyway, that's all from me! Be safe, and have fun, Witches! Take some time to honor Aphrodite and your deities, get out in the sun, do your thing :)

EDIT: The Attic Calendar I use may have been wrong, and Aphrodisia is on July 13th but that hardly matters! I enjoyed celebrating her, can't wait to do it again on the 13th!

[067supremacy]

Just a bad dream

Requested: hiya! X I really enjoy your writing please could you write Sae byeok helping you after a nightmare?

Thank you for the request! I hope you enjoy :’)

Trigger warnings: mentions of a nightmare.

Word counter: 1100

The moonlight splashed down its watery white-silver glow onto the city, bathing the tall buildings surrounding yours and Sae-byeok's apartment complex, illuminating them.

You were currently fast asleep, curled up on Sae-byeok's side of the bed. Her scent was plastered all over her pillow, giving you some sense of safety.

Sae-byeok had just got back from seeing her brother at the orphanage when she finally decided to head back home to you; she quietly crept into the apartment, careful not to make a significant amount of noise at your expense.

This had been the usual for quite some time now. Sae-byeok would work tirelessly in an effort to fund a future for her brother and reunite the family once again. Unfortunately, this made her late back home plenty of times.

She flicked through the envelopes you had placed on the kitchen countertop. Seeing nothing but bills to her name, Kang Sae-byeok silently made her way to the bedroom, praying you would still be asleep.

The sight that beheld sae-byeok will forever be one of her favourites. Curled up in her space, a thin blanket loosely covers half your body, and she couldn't help but notice you were wearing her beloved t-shirt.

Your heart thumped in accordance with slow, shallow breaths. Serenity was plastered across your face as you slept. At peace, your consciousness swirled in the land of dreams, oblivious to the physical world. This was your purist form, and sae-byeok loved it.

Sae-byeok tip-toed to the window frame placed just in front of the bed, taking a seat on the open window frame. She silently cursed you, as she had warned you several times to leave the window shut, especially during the night-time.

The sound of droplets pattering against the metal steps of the fire escape brought her attention to the outside world. She loved the rain. Everything about the rain: the whispering hum as sheets of precipitation plummeted to the water-forsaken ground, the unexpected flashes of lightning, or the claps of roaring thunder. She loved it all.

The gentle breeze that rolled through the window brought her back to the sleeping goddess before her. (you, yes you!!!) The calm demeanour your sleeping form held before was gone, however.

Your face scrunched up in pain or horror, you twitched slightly, beads of sweat formed on your forehead, and the mumbles coming from your lips were getting louder.

She knew this was a nightmare, and as quickly as she shot towards the bed, you awoke with a tear-stained face. It was half a second before you were enveloped in the warm embrace you longed for.

She wasted no time, whispering the sweetest of words in your ear, lightly squeezing you in her protective bubble. Sae-byeok was a real sucker when it came to you, and seeing your panicked state literally broke her heart.

"Hey, I'm here now, baby. You're OK. It was just a bad dream." All the while, tucking strands of hair behind your ear and doing her best to dry your tears.

"I-I t-thought I lost you," you manage to choke out between relentless sobs. Sae-byeok was sure her heart audibly cracked at the admission.

The soft circles she was rubbing on your back were slowly but surely bringing you to a more relaxed state. Your uncontrollable sobs were now just slight whimpers.

You felt her soft lips connect with your temple as she continued her softly spoken, sweet crusade. An enormous roar of thunder rolled through the open window, leaving you to jump at the sudden slam. Sae-byeok just wrapped you up in her arms even tighter.

The warmth you received at this moment was biblical. You could stay in this exact moment forever. "Y/N, do you want to talk about it?" unable to speak, you simply shook your head no.

She switched her position so that she faced you head-on, hands on either side of your cheeks while staring into your eyes. She leaned in slightly, giving you a chance to pull away if necessary. When you made no move to exit this situation, she rested her forehead against yours for a brief second before leaning in.

She kissed you, and it felt like the world fell away. It was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words would never be. Her hand rested below your ear, Sae-byeok's thumb caressing your tear-stained cheek as your breaths mingled. She ran her fingers down your spine, pulling you closer until there was no space left between the two of you, and she could feel the beating of your heart against her chest.

This was the peace you hoped and dreamed for. To everyone else, Sae-byeok was hard-headed; very much a dominant figure in any room she stepped in, her attitude towards others could be off-putting. But for you? She was the complete opposite—a real sweetheart in every sense of the word. Not a day has gone by where she hasn't called you during her trips away to make sure you were okay. She liked to leave a little good morning message for you on the bedside table, detailing everything she adored about you.

As your lips parted, Sae-byeok took the opportunity to give you the one line that brought the butterflies in your stomach fluttering to life "I love you Y/N,"

You practically crumbled at her words. Only she had this effect on you; she knew all too well what those words did to you. The shade of red that hit your face was like the heat of hell itself. Your cheeks blushed furiously as you buried your face into the crook of her neck.

"I love you too, Sae-byeok." You mumbled out the best you could as you inhaled her intoxicating scent.

"How about I get into something more comfortable, and then I cuddle you until you fall asleep? How does that sound to you?" she spoke softly, barely above a whisper. A wide smile stretches across your face at the mention of cuddles with your beautiful girlfriend.

"That sounds perfect."

She does as she suggested, changing into something more suitable for cuddling with the love of her life. She closes the window and hops into her spot next to you. Letting you splay yourself out on top of her, she once again wraps you up in her addictive embrace.

A sigh of contentment is released from your body as you relax entirely in her arms; your bodies fuse together in a lazy state. Just before you drift off into a deep slumber, you hear her say.

"What have I told you about leaving that window open,"

//

Kang Sae-byeok masterlist

[crazyblondelife]

Lionsgate Portal

Tomorrow is August 8, 2022 - 8-8-22 which is the Lions Gate Portal! What does that mean exactly?

August 8 is a big and important day in numerology and astrology. Each year between July 28 and August 12, the Lion's Gate portal opens as the Earth, the star Sirius and the Sun move into complete alignment with the pyramids of Giza (Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid and the tomb of Fourth Dynasty pharaoh Khufu.). They appear as two suns in the sky. This alignment activates a gateway between the physical and spiritual worlds. On August 8, this powerful Stargate reaches its peak position and Orion’s Belt moves into direct alignment with the Pyramids of Giza opening the cosmic 8:8 Lions Gate Portal. This vortex allows supercharged light codes to flood our planet and is an opportunity to create powerful manifestations.

On the special activation date of August 8 (8:8), the moon phase will be Waxing Gibbous in the sign of Sagittarius. As the Sun enters it’s home in Leo and Sirius aligns with the Earth and Orion's Belt, they create an intense energy which alters our perspective on ourselves and the world, offering people born under all zodiac signs an opportunity to manifest powerful positive change.

Leo is all about our hearts and the passions within. During Lion's Gate Portal, we feel a rise in awareness (I have definitely felt this since the end of July but didn’t know what was going on).

This rise in awareness may manifest as anxiety, overthinking and restlessness, but once the portal closes, it will bring us to a powerful place of newfound purpose.

The number 8 in Astrology is know as the number of powerhouse and acts as a bridge between spiritual and material realms. It is also the number of power and wealth. During the Lion's Gate portal, Sirius separates enough from the sun to come into view.  Sirius is the brightest star in our night sky, and some ancient (and even current) mystics believed it infuses the earth with extra energy and light.

The ancient Egyptians worshipped Sirius as the goddess Sopdet, celebrating Sirius' return in the morning sky as the start of the farming season and the beginning of a new year. Some healers and teachers believe the energy coming from Sirius contains special elevating or activating energy that can help the Earth and her people evolve, - Source - mbgmindfulness.com

In Numerology, 8 is a significant number representing strength, harmony and Infinity…the double energy of 8:8 is a powerhouse. It acts as a bridge between spiritual and material realms and is also the number of power and wealth. The double number 8 is connected with achievement, goals, signified by the interlocking circles of "8," or the infinity symbol.

Based on the significance of this portal, here are things you can expect…

Unexpected endings and new beginnings.

Feeling awakened, energized and in alignment

You may see number sequences 11:11, 333, 444, 888

You may receive prophetic messages through dreams

You may be able to instantly manifest and alter your reality

You may feel dega vu, synchronicities and receive spiritual downloads

You may have unexpected transitions and feel extremely positive transformations

Here are a few things you can do to take advantage of the 8:8 Lions Gate Portal and intensify the natural energy of the day!

Focus on Love - the Lion's Gate can connect you to the portal in your own heart so do things that bring you joy to open and expand your heart.

Start manifesting - this is an opportunity to call in the things you want. Focus on the larger context of your life and what you ultimately want to create instead of focusing on short term goals.

Tap into your spiritual side…pray, meditate, chant, do breath work, dance and spend time in nature to amplify the energy of the day!

Practice gratitude for anything and everything!

All of these things are important to incorporate into your everyday life, but on August 8, you may find that these spiritual practices amplify your desires!

[thequeenofthewinter]

TES Summerfest: Day 5

Divine Language

@tes-summer-fest

I've really been having fun stretching my writing muscles with these prompts. If you're interested in the one I wrote yesterday.

Link to AO3

While in the midst of a chaotic and bloody Civil War, it might be said that for Skyrim, the outcome looks uncertain, even bleak. In times like these, the humble people of the province turn ever more fervently to their Gods for guidance and deliverance. Out of all of the Nine Divines sacred to the Nordic pantheon, it could be said that none is closer to the heart, for better or worse, than Talos. He is, after all, the main cause of the conflict which rages across the land, dividing brother and sister and turning friend into foe. However, there are many citizens who have taken to praying to Kynareth, to create lasting peace. Those who have taken up worshipping Arkay, to spare them from the pain of losses; or Stendarr, to bring swift mercy upon their shores. And of course, there is always Akatosh, to grant them all more time.

Religion and war seem to go hand-in-hand. Where there is desperation, there is always prayer.

In the Temple of Talos in Windhelm, Dahlia Wintersnow kneels on the frigid stone floor in front of the statue of the divine himself, her lips moving quicker than the wind in silent prayer. She has long since lost track of how much time she has been there, and she isn’t even sure if this is the right place for her; however, there are no other houses of worship within the city. Beggars cannot be choosers when it comes to place, and this is as good as any.

Laid out before her is her Amulet of Talos, and gripped tightly in her hands is an Amulet of Mara. It almost feels like blasphemy to her to be devoted in worship to other gods and to be inside the temple of one. Dahlia is desperate, and this is the only place where she feels she will be heard. Her father Akatosh made her brother Talos, just as he did her, Dragonborn; and perhaps, that connection will grant her some small favor. And if there is anyone on Nirn who would need or be deserving of it, it is she.

The precious, silent minutes, gifted to her by the hours of early dawn, tick quickly by, just like the shifting sands of Elsweyr. They are here one moment, and next they are gone.

Dahlia continues to mouth her prayers silently, not daring to move a single muscle for fear of upsetting her concentration and her connection with the Divines.

Brother Talos, hear my plea for strength. I would ask that you grant him strength to persevere because without him, I would have nothing left. He fights for justice for those who fearlessly prayed for your guidance and in defense of those who cannot lift their swords themselves. His cause is righteous and anger justified…

Father Akatosh, her thoughts trail off. What she should ask of him seems blatantly obvious, yet she feels she should say something more.

There are many here which are suffering and who pray dutifully to you all days for more time, but I ask that you hear me. Perhaps it is selfish and even conceited of me, but I do not care. Who would I be if not your child to ask for your guidance to help bring the people of my home and those I love most to safety? I believe you have put me here for a higher reason, and I want to fulfil that. I cannot do that without him by my side. You have asked much from me, and I have given it to you freely. This is the one thing I ask: Give me time, and do not make me do this alone.

What else could she ask of him except this? 

And finally, and perhaps least expectedly, 

Lady Mara, Goddess of Love, I beg of you not to take the warm light of your blessings from me. Treat me with compassion, for I have suffered so much, and I cannot bear do so anymore. Your benedictions have been the sweetest and most sacred of all. I hold and cherish none other closer to my heart, and I would sacrifice everything just to keep him.

The cycle repeats:

Talos,

Akatosh,

Mara,

Over and over again. 

So concentrated is Dahlia in her prayers that she does not hear the door to the Temple open nor the heavy, echoing bootsteps of a new visitor until they are upon her.

The newcomer takes a seat on the pew behind her, staring curiously at her position.

What could she be praying for, and why does she look so desperate as she does so? 

He stays there for several more moments, taking in her image until the first rays of sun filter through the windows high in the temple, bathing her in bright, blinding light. If he did not know any better, it would appear if she were divine herself. 

Soon, they both will move out and into the unknown; and as much as he wishes he had all the answers, he does not. That is what brought him to the house of worship this morning: to pray for strength, but not only for himself, for his soldiers, or for his people. He also wishes to pray for her. If anything should happen to her, well…he’d rather not think about it for very long. His nightmares have given him enough torture in that aspect.

After a few more minutes, he moves quietly, so as not to disturb her to kneel at her side. It is at this time that she is broken from her prayers, noticing him at long last.

When Dahlia looks to the man next to her, her hazel eyes alight with something that feels quite like nothing Ulfric has ever seen before. It is the most achingly beautiful mixture of devotion, love, and awe which he has ever seen. She is looking at him with quiet reverence as if he were a Divine, like Tiber Septim himself. It knocks the wind out of him, and he is left utterly speechless. 

His eyes roam her face taking in her features and burning them into his mind. No matter what happens, she will be the last thing he sees, the last thing he remembers, and he will take her image with him to Sovngarde with a smile on his face. 

“Are you ready to go?” She asks him quietly, her words echoing around him in the dim Temple. 

The question startles him from his reverie.

“As long as that means you will go with me, I am ready for anything, and I could do anything.” He whispers as he pulls her closer to him. “When I see you, it is as if my eyes are opened for the first time, and I can clearly see the rest of my life placed carefully before them. And I would do anything to reach that destination.”

“Ulfric…” She tries to interrupt him, his gentle words surprising to her. It is not normal for him to spill such honeyed words of adoration.

Instead, he only quiets her, placing feather-light kisses to her forehead and temple before finally finding her mouth. Her mouth opens softly for him, and they are unhurried in expressing their affection. Each gasp, sigh, and caress between them contains millions of tiny, fluttering, saccharine promises of the future. 

This is the most sacred prayer. It is the most divine language of all that are known, and the one which contains the highest power.

As Ulfric embraces her, Dahlia can almost believe that everything will be okay.

[miniaturemoonheart]

I am a huge advocate for Self Care and Self Love. Two things that are an absolute must.

List of simple daily rituals I love ❤️

If you are anything like me, when we embark on a spiritual path, sometimes the path gets twisted and we feel we lose our connection to the Divine. This is totally normal and shouldn’t get you down! Sometimes we are too busy with the mundane to cater to our spirituality. But there are ways to include simple daily pagan rituals into your routine without a fuss.

Here are some of my favorite morning, noon or night simple daily rituals you may enjoy as well.

1. Light a candle

Many of us pyromaniacs already love burning candles in our homes, so why not make it a part of your daily pagan rituals? Light a candle and say a quick prayer of gratitude to your god or goddess or ancestors. Then go about your day.

2. Offerings for the Gods

Everyone thinks offerings are complicated…here’s a little secret – they’re not! Offerings can be anything you feel your god or goddess would enjoy: food, beverage, water, incense, herbal blends, art, and poetry. Some gods enjoy a nice black cup of coffee in the morning. Some enjoy a portion of your dinner at night. Some prefer the scent of patchouli incense. Incorporate offerings into your daily routine and watch the blessings roll in!

3. Offerings for the Ancestors

Same as above – make offerings to your ancestors one of your daily pagan rituals. Did your granny like to steal sweet n’ lows? Add a couple to your ancestor altar for her. Did your Uncle enjoy bonfires? Light a candle for him in the evening.

4. Rise to Greet the Sun

If you’re an early riser, this should be a simple one – rising to greet the sun. Sit outside with your coffee and watch the sun rise. Bask in the glory of the star that gives life to this planet.

5. Runic Stadhas or Yoga

Edred Thorsson talks about runic stadhas in his book Elder Futhark. These are similar to yoga positions. So whether you enjoy yoga or feel a connection to the runes, try physical positions like the runic stadhas or yoga on a daily basis. Even if you only do one or two in the morning to get your day started or in the evening to relax and connect.

6. Go for a Walk

Simply going for a walk outside is enough to relax you and re-connect with Mother Earth. Don’t have a lot of time to fit in a walk? Instead of sitting at your desk for lunch break, take your lunch outside and go for a walk afterward. Even if it’s only a ten minute walk.

7. Dream Journalling

Keep a journal at your bedside. Before you even set foot on the floor in the morning, write down your dreams in a dream journal. This is a simple, yet effective way to tune into your higher self and gods – through dreams. The more you journal your dreams, the more dreams you will recall.

8. Meditate

You don’t have to meditate for an hour or even a half an hour. Pop in a set of earbuds and listen to a ten minute relaxing guided meditation for free on YouTube.

9. Nature Signs and Omens

Throughout your day, pay attention to any nature signs or omens. This could be anything – a praying mantis on the windshielf, a blue jay that seems to repetitively visit you, a cloud in the shape of a heart, a snail that’s entered the house, etc. The gods and ancestors often use nature to communicate with us. This is one of the most enriching daily pagan rituals in my practice.

10. Light an incense

Just as you light a candle for your gods or simply to re-connect, light incense on a daily basis. Something about the scent of incense in the air puts me into an otherworldly state of mind. It is relaxing and grounding, too.

11. Read a Spiritual Book

Take fifteen minutes out of your day to read a spiritual book. Whatever topic you’re studying in the realm of paganism, set aside a little time daily to read and absorb what you are reading. Knowledge is power, after all.

12. Love Your Pets

Whether you have a dog, horse, or a hamster, set aside some time every day to love on your pets. This doesn’t seem like a pagan ritual, but anything done with intention and in a routine can be a ritual. And what’s more pagan than loving on animals?

13. Light a Red Candle in the Kitchen

Keep a red candle in your kitchen. Light it in honor of the ancestors who came before you, who cooked hearthside to feed and nourish their families just as you do today!

14. Smudge Yourself

One of those self-love daily pagan rituals is smudging yourself. You don’t have to do this daily, but I promise if you do take up the practice, you won’t regret it. Smudging removes the negative debris stuck in your aura, helps to relax you, and to ground you after a long day of work.

15. Love Your Family

One of the most pagan things to do is to honor and love your family. Think back hundreds of years ago – what did your ancestors value back then? Life, love, and family. They focused on survival and did what they had to do to feed and care for their families. And it’s a good thing too, because you’re here because of them! Honor your ancestors by loving your family every day. Spend quality time with your family as a daily pagan ritual. Othala.

16. Write in Journal / BOS

Keep a record of your spiritual journey, traditions, and thoughts by writing them down in a spiritual journal or Book of Shadows. Take five minutes a day to write something down – even if its just your emotions or your thoughts in that moment.

17. Wear a Stone

Choose a stone to wear on a daily basis. This is a simple, small daily pagan ritual to do in the morning. If you can’t wear it, then put it in your pocket. Choose a stone for protection, grounding, energy, etc.

18. Pray to the Gods

Take time in the morning while you’re getting ready for the day or take time just before falling asleep to say a simple prayer to the gods. Prayers of gratitude are best. The more grateful we are for the gods’ presence in our lives, the more blessings roll in.

19. Visit the Garden

Whether you keep an elaborate garden or just have a few plants and trees in your yard, take some time in the early morning or the evening to pay the garden a visit. You never know what wisdom the plants, trees, and wildlife have to share with you. I find garden visits comforting, peaceful, and enlightening.

20. Exercise

How is exercise a daily pagan ritual? In this modern day and age, everyone is so busy and sedentary. We don’t have the time to work out. But here’s the thing – we were gifted with these bodies by the gods/universe/ancestors and so we should be grateful for them and care for them just as we care for our spirits. Even if you just go for a run in the morning, do something to get your heart pumping every day. Make the gods proud.

21. Brew a Cup of Tea

Make brewing tea a daily ritual. Enjoy choosing your own loose leaf herbs, hearing the tea kettle whistle on the stove, and then pouring the hot water over the herbs. Sit down, be quiet, and sip your tea while waiting for the Divine to speak to you.

22. Smudge Your House

Along the same lines of smudging yourself, smudge your house to rid it of any negative vibes or spirits. A quick smudging does the trick, even if its only ten minutes.

23. Rune of the day

Something I enjoy doing in the morning, draw one rune or one tarot/oracle card for the day. It might give you a sneak peek of what’s to come or just provide some sage advice. Either way – drawing one rune or card of the day is one of the easiest and enlightening daily pagan rituals.

24. Use Herbs in Cooking

Have a garden with herbs or vegetables? Use them in your cooking on a daily basis. If you don’t have a garden, choose spices from your kitchen cabinet for specific purposes. For example – cinnamon for money. Sugar to sweeten up situations and people. Rosemary for love. Etc.

25. Pray to the Ancestors

Just as you pray to the gods, pray to your ancestors as well. They enjoy hearing from you too.

26. Freshen Up Your Altar

Clean up your altar on a daily basis. This means dump those ashes off your incense burner. Dust off any dirt or debris. Refresh your offerings. Etc. Make your altar a place worthy of the gods and ancestors.

27. Gaze at the Moon

On nights when the clouds are clear, go outside and gaze at the moon. Feel the lunar rays on your skin.

28. Plan the Next Sabbat

Take time to plan the next sabbat. Write down ideas on traditions, rituals, food, etc. This is a fun daily pagan ritual to do with the whole family (if they are pagan, as well).

29. Call a Pagan Friend

On days you feel you need an extra boost of comfort or confidence, call a pagan friend. There’s nothing like talking to someone of like-mind and kindred spirit.

30. Ground and Center

With how crazy life can get, making grounding and centering a part of your daily pagan rituals can really do wonders for your health and wellbeing. Even if you touch a tree before going inside or walk around outside with barefeet, both of these rituals help.

31. Plan the Next Esbat

Just as planning the next Sabbat can be fun, so can planning your next Esbat. Plan an aura-cleansing bath on the New Moon – what herbs will you use? Will you use sea salt or epsom salt? Plan to do a releasing ritual on the next Waning Moon. What will you do next full moon? Write down your thoughts and ideas.

32. Research Your God/Goddess

In addition to reading a spiritual book once a day, spend a few minutes doing further research on your god or goddess. This can be online or in books. Read your god or goddess’ mythology, folklore, and history. This gives honor to your god or goddess and enriches your relationship with them.