#Trees and Domain and Sites

[techdirectarchive]

How to Create a Child and Tree Domain

A child domain is a subdomain of the parent domain. In the active directory hierarchical structure, the function of the child domain is the segmentation of the active directory into smaller parts or segments. For Example, we may have the headquarters of a company serving as the parent domain controller while different branch offices serve as children’s domain to the parent domain. In this…

[ms-demeanor]

I'm not the most security savvy but two-factor authentication makes me deeply suspicious. Is it actually more secure or is it just annoying? Especially the ones that send a code to your phone that pops up in your notifications.

It is genuinely, massively, TREMENDOUSLY more secure to use 2FA/MFA than to not use it.

One of our clients is currently under attack by a group that appears to be using credential stuffing; they are making educated guesses about the accounts they're trying to lot into based on common factors showing up in the credentials in years of pastes and breaches and leaks. Like, let's say it's a professional arborist's guild and their domain is arborist.tree and they've had three hundred members who have had their credentials compromised in the last ten years and the people looking at all the passwords associated with arborist.tree noticed that the words "arboreal" and "conifer" and "leaf" and "branch" show up over and over and over again in the passwords for the members of the professional arborist's guild.

So they can make an educated guess for how to log in to accounts belonging to the tree-loving tree lover's club, combine that with the list of legitimate emails, and go to town.

And they are in fact going to town. We're getting between 1000 and 4000 login attempts per hour. It's been happening for a couple weeks.

And every single one of those attempts is failing - in spite of some pretty poor password practices that believe me, I have been doing some talking about - as a result of having MFA enforced for the entire group. They all use an app that is synced to their individual accounts with a mobile device, except that sometimes you have trouble getting a code when you're up in a tree so some of them have physical MFA tokens.

People try to sign into my tumblr sometimes. To those people I say: lol, good luck, I couldn't guess my own password with a gun to my head. But if I *did* have some password that was, like "tiny-bastard-is#1" they would also need access to my email address because I've got MFA set up on tumblr. And to THAT I say: lol, good luck, it's complex passwords and MFA all the way down.

Of the types of MFA that most people will run across, the most secure to least secure hierarchy goes physical token>app based one-time-passwords>tie between email and SMS. Email and SMS are less preferred because email is relatively easy to capture and open in transit and cellphone SIMs can be cloned to capture your text messages. But if you are using email or SMS for your authentication you are still miles and miles and miles ahead of people who are not using any kind of authentication.

MFA is, in fact, so effective that I only advise people to turn it on if they are 100% sure that they will be able to access the account if they lose access to the device that had the authenticator on it. You usually can do this by saving a collection of recovery codes someplace safe (I recommend doing this in the secure notes section of your password manager on the entry for the site in question - if this is not a feature that your password manager has, I recommend that you get a better password manager, and the password manager I recommend is bitwarden).

A couple weeks ago I needed to get into a work account that I had created in 2019. In 2022, my boss had completely taken me off of managing that service and had his own account, so I deleted it from my authenticator. Then in 2024 my boss sold the business but didn't provide MFA for a ton of the accounts we've got. I was able to get back into my account because five years earlier I had taken a photo of the ten security codes from the company and saved them in a folder on my desktop called "work recovery codes." If you are going to use MFA, it is VITALLY IMPORTANT that you save recovery codes for the accounts you're authenticating someplace that you'll be able to find them, because MFA is so secure that the biggest problem with it is locking people out of their accounts.

In any kind of business context, I think MFA should be mandatory. No question.

For personal accounts, I think you should be pointed and cautious where you apply it, and always leave yourself another way in. There are SO MANY stories about people having their phones wiped or stolen or destroyed and losing MFA with the device because they didn't have a backup of the app or hadn't properly transferred it to a new device.

But it's also important to note that MFA is not a "fix all security forever" thing - I've talked about session hijacking here and the way you most often see MFA defeated is by tricking someone into logging in to a portal that gives them access to your cookies. This is usually done by phishing and sending someone a link to a fake portal.

That is YET ANOTHER reason that you should be using a good password manager that allows you to set the base domain for the password you're using so that you can be sure you're not logging in to a faked portal. If your password manager doesn't have that feature (setting the domain where you can log in to the base domain) then I recommend that you get a better password manager (get bitwarden.)

In 2020 my terrible boss wanted me to write him a book about tech that he could have run off at a vanity press and could give to prospect customers as a business card. That was a terrible idea, but I worked on the book anyway and started writing it as a book about security for nontechnical people. I started out with a very simple statement:

If every one of our customers did what we recommend in the first four chapters of this book (make good backups, use a password manager and complex unique passwords, enable MFA, and learn how to avoid phishing), we would go out of business, because supporting problems that come from those four things is about 90-95% of our work.

So yes, absolutely, please use MFA. BUT! Save your recovery codes.

[starw0man]

Hades: Greek god of the Underworld and god of the dead

Hades is the Greek God of the Underworld and King of the Underworld. He is the ruler of the dead and his domain is the Underworld. His name is sometimes thought to be “the Unseen One.” Hades is not the God of death and He doesn’t bring about death (the Greek god of death is Thanatos). He just rules the Underworld and is a stern ruler who oversees the trial and punishment of wicked souls. He presided over funeral rites and defended the right of the dead to due burial.

Hades is also the god of hidden wealth of the earth. He rules over the wealth from the soil and the mined wealth of gold, silver, and other metals. His Roman counterpart, Pluto, is the god of wealth because diamonds and jewels come from the underground.

The ancient people did not worship Hades and they actually feared Him and were even afraid to say his name. There is evidence of offerings being left in at one of Hades’ sacred sites in Ellis, where a priest left offerings in a temple once a year. It’s highly debated among scholars and archaeologists whether Hades was venerated or celebrated at the Eleusinian mysteries, which were performed for Hades’ wife, Persephone and her mother, Demeter.

Hades wanted a bride and asked Zeus to grant him one of his daughters. Zeus offered Persephone, the daughter of Demeter. But since he knew they would oppose to a marriage, he assented to the abduction of Persephone. There are others who believe that Persephone chose to go with Hades and followed him into the world to discover a new place and escape from her overprotective mother. It’s up to the practitioner what myth they prefer or believe in. Once Demeter found that Persephone was gone, she was furious and refused to care for the crops which caused a great winter to befall the earth. Zeus decided to get Persephone from the Underworld and reunite her with her mother, but they found out that Persephone ate 6 seeds, which meant she had to stay in the Underworld for 6 months of the year and the other 6 months, she’ll be with Demeter.

Most notable epithets associated with Hades:

Hades has many epithets associated with them and these are the most popular or common ones:

☆ Hades Chthonius - Hades of the Underworld

☆ Hades Pasiánax - Hades, the Universal King

☆ Hades Adesius - Hades of the Grave

☆ Hades Orkos/Orcus - Hades of Oaths, Hades, the Avenger of the Perjured

☆ Hades Moiragetes - Hades, Guide of the Fates

☆ Hades Ploutos - Hades of Wealth

☆ Hades Hagesilaos - Hades, Leader of the People

☆ Hades Aidis - Hades, the Unseen

☆ Hades Zefs Khthonios - Hades, Zeus of the Underworld

☆ Hades Polydemenos - Hades, He Who Welcomes All

☆ Niger Deus - Hades, the Black God || Hades of the Infernal Regions

☆ Hades Larthy Tytiral (Etrurian) - Hades, Sovereign of Tartarus

☆ Hades Khamaizilos Dios - Hades of the Earth

☆ Hades Eubuleus - Hades of Good Counsel || Hades, the Consoler

Symbols and signs associated with Hades:

☀︎ Pomegranate: His sacred fruit

☀︎ Orchard: an orchard of pomegranate trees grew beside the Underworld palace of the King of the Dead. They were the source of the fruit that trapped Persephone in the Underworld

☀︎ Helm of Darkness: Hades’s helmet made the person wearing the helm invisible

☀︎ Scepter: a symbol of Hades that he’s often depicted having

☀︎ Bident: A two-pronged weapon associate with Hades

☀︎ Cerberus: Hades’s three-headed dog who is also the guardian of the Underworld

☀︎ Screech owl: Hades’s sacred animal

☀︎ Cypress: symbol of Hades

☀︎ Narcissus: symbol of Hades

☀︎ White poplar: symbol of Hades no

☀︎ Mint: symbol of Hades

☀︎ Asphodel flowers: symbol of Hades

☀︎ Serpents: symbol of Hades

☀︎ Cornucopia: symbol of Hades

☀︎ Black horses: the horses that pull Hades’s chariot

☀︎ Black rams: known as Hades’s favorite sacrifice

☀︎ Cattle: King Hades had a herd of immortal sable-black cattle that roamed the asphodel fields and were cared for by the herdsman Menoites

☀︎ Volcanic areas: Hades was associated with areas with steam vents and sulfurous vapors

☀︎ Keys: the gates of Hades were securely locked to prevent the escape of souls and Hades, or his doorman, Aiakos, kept the golden keys

☀︎ The number 13

☀︎ The colors black, dark grey, light gray, dark purple, silver, and dark blue

Offerings to give to Hades:

★ Any stones (preferably jagged or black/dark) or metals

★ Fruits like pomegranates and apples

★ Asphodel

★ Herbs like mint, rosemary, and thyme

★ Coins

★ Crystals like hematite, jet, black obsidian, black tourmaline, and onyx

★ Black coffee or tea

★ Ethically sourced animal bones

★ Bones and skulls

★ Black and/or silver candles

★ Alcohol (red wine, bourbon, or strong whiskey are some of the best)

★ Cypress leaves or bark

★ Photos of Cerebus or depictions/art of him

Devotional activities to do for Hades:

✮ Visit your local graveyard and maybe help to clean it up

✮ Learn about funerary rites across different cultures and backgrounds

✮ Learn about how gravestones are made

✮ Clean graves (properly and with permission)

✮ Leave flowers or coins on old graves

✮ Assist bereaved people (with food, money, and company)

✮ Do ancestor work

✮ Visit and tour caves

✮ Do shadow work

✮ Do spirit work or work with the dead/do mediumship

✮ Learn about death magic

✮ Do money or abundance workings or spells

✮ Make chocolate cake or brownies for him

✮ Honor his wife (Persephone) and his children

✮ Volunteer at a retirement home

✮ Wear black, purple, and silver

✮ Spend time with pets (especially with dogs)

✮ Pour liquid offerings onto the ground

✮ Donate to those who can’t afford to hold a funeral

✮ Donate to suicide prevention organizations

✮ Donate dog food, toys, or blankets to animal shelters

✮ Keep a budget and save money/spend it wisely

Teachings:

Being able to withstand any obstacles you face and being resilient, perseverance, the strength to stand alone, being able to cope with being ostracized or misunderstood, accepting that life and nature has its cycles, being able to accept change, being able to maintain balance and be disciplined, leading with example and being a fair and honorable leader, the importance of duty and responsibility, how to maintain abundance and stability, to better understand death and the afterlife

For the full post about Hades and for more Hellenic polytheism content, check out my Patreon @starw0man4

[senyuuno]

REPLENISHMENT

Scene: When the Genshin men were either low on energy and drained and seeks for a breather

Note: Short Scenes; Fluff with just a tiny…little bit of suggestive content.

Alhaitham

He sighs in frustration as he takes a look on the piled up scrolls and documents on his table—the next batch of his unending paperworks.

Alhaitham brought his hand on his temple, gently drawing circles as he massaged it. It is during that time that a knock made him sigh again.

“Come in,” he only urged as he expected another batch of documents.

When he saw it was you, Alhaitham’s furrowed brows only relaxed and gave you a tired smile—“Y/N…”

You went into his front as he swivels his chair to your direction as he still remained seated. His gaze on you were soft as he sighs again.

“What’re you doing here?”Alhaitham asked, a small smile displayed on his face.

“To get the documents…but…” You turned around to see the unfinished batch of documents as well as the properly stacked scrolls which are done, before turning back to him.

“…tough works, huh?” You added.

Alhaitham stood up and pulled you by the hips as he hugs you—“Just a bit. Only for a bit, Y/N.” His hands rested there as his chin rested on the top of your head.

You chuckled as you pat his back—“Mhm. Am I some kind of an energy refiller?”

“I’m on a tight rope right now,” Alhaitham mumbles as he pulls you again; his hands drawing small circles on your lower waist.

“Yeah?” You chuckled

“Yes. If I could, I could do you right here and now—“You cut him off by lightly smacking his back.

“—but…but…I’ll be fine with this kind of refill as for the moment.”

Kaeya

Kaeya was walking along with Jean and Lisa as they discuss on the matters regarding the sited domain near the Cliff. As he only came back after his clearing with the hillchurls and the Cryo Regisvine, as well as the case on Stormterror, tiredness is evident on his face.

“So what I’m saying is, shall we ask the traveler to help again?” Jean asked. Lisa ponder for it in the moment as he nodded.

“How about you, Kaeya?” “Kaeya? “Kaeya?!”

It was only then that Kaeya was brought back to reality. As he realized it, they were walking back to the office.

“Ah, can you repeat that? It seems that I’m a bit airy today, huh?” Kaeya asked as he smiled.

“You…ugh, alright. So about the incident near the--….”As Jean started explaining again, he catches a glance of you walking on the library. Immediately, she cuts off Jean and said—“Heh~Is that so? But don’t you think that it would be better to talk about it at a later time? Tomorrow at lunch, yeah?”

Jean was supposed to answer back when Kaeya added something again—“Right? Well then, I have another task to do, so please excuse my absence. See you~” Kaeya took fast steps as he leaves the two on the hallways.

It was only a minute when he spotted you near a bookshelf. A smile displays on his face as he approached your back and snakes his arms on your waist, his head rested on your shoulder after he kisses it.

You flinched at first and ready to throw a hand; when you realized it was Kaeya you sighed in relief.

“I thought you were busy?” You ask and looks over your shoulder to see his face bit, only to be greeted by the top of his head.

“I am…I just slipped away,” he said as he pulls you closer. Your back touches his front body as he breathes in your scent.

“Kaeya…we’re at the library,” you reminded him when his hands started going up, his head still rested on your shoulder.

“It’s fine. No one can see.” He said as he started relaxing on your warmth.

“No.” You commented as you flip a page on the book you were holding.

“Then…may we move to a more private place?”

Ayato

Upon finishing his last meeting, Ayato took large steps as he strides on the garden where he had last seen you.

As he spotted you talking with Ayaka under the tree, he halted his steps as he wonders if he could excuse you. But it was one of those rare moments that he had seen Ayaka fulfilled as she enjoyed her time with you. But…he needs you.

Ayato can only watch you from afar as his mind debates on what to do next.

“Y/N…” he whispers.

His hands flinched as he really wanted to take your hand and excuse you. But then, he only stood there, watching over you and Ayaka as she hears your gentle laughs and small chuckles. He smiles too. Should he just go back and work? But he doesn’t have energy to do it though. If he takes a nap at home, would it be fine? He…he needs you though.

As he continued to ponder, you were infront of him. He only noticed it when you waved your hands to his face—“Ayataoooo~ Teyvat to Ayato~”

“Y/N?” “Heh~ what are you doing here? Done with the meeting? You should’ve joined us with Ayaka a little while ago,” you said. Ayaka? Ayato peek on to where the both of you were at a while ago and had seen that Ayaka wasn’t there anymore.

“Where is…Ayaka?” “Ah, she said she had somewhere to attend to.”

“Is that so?” He mumbles.

You smiled at him, opening your arms wide as if urging him to hug you. He chuckled as he finds it endearing as he went into your hug. His face buried on the crook of your neck while his hands wrapped around your waist.

“This is…nice,” he said as his voice almost purring.

“Thank you for your hard works,” you told him as your hands caress his back. He immediately relaxes at the touch.

“If this is what I always get after each works, the hard works are all worth-it,” Ayato said as he slightly leans away and kisses you on the temple.

“Thank you, Y/N.”

[phlurrii]

Really hoping I am posting this at the right spot…

Hey there, loving your work, you got me to jump into the theory wagon out of sheer suspense. Here is my try at seeing what will stick to this massive theoryboard of mysteries~

Missingo went from a creature stuck to Meau's shadow to having a body/vessel powerfull enough to kill Palkia.

Which braught me to what vessel could be powerful enough to do so? Meau's first cub died somehow (stillborn? Necktube fatality?) Meau designed Bucket after the Necktube drama to remove the necktube. But a cub that predates or happened to die during that drama should still have the old blueprints of being bigger and having a necktube. Traits Noe physically holds. Noe being a prototype non-ancient mew baby could explain why he and Meau could exist at the same time.

But that leaves an additional questionmark on why their lifeforce are linked.

Which is where I bumped into theory two (the most probable one I think) in which Meau was so done with living that she tried to birth an ancient mew. But if the birth went wrong and the ancient cub died there could have been a glitch. The world must have one ancient mew. If Meau passed her lifeforce to the cub yet the cub still died both should technically be dead. But that goes against the laws of the world. There needed to be something to fix/ballance that glitch. Missingo could be the way the world tried to fix that mess. Missingo might have inhabited the dead cub and taken on a weird alive status of not quite living. And whatever ballance his manifestation created could have allowed Meau to wake up (a lot more weakened than an ancient mew should be but alive nonetheless)

Both are merged to the same lifeforce and function or count as a placeholder for one ancient mew.

Meau + Noe = one ancient mew. Cause of problem? = Lifeforce transference issue.

Why would the world chose Noe over deca? Probably becouse Noe was already present. Being at the right time at the right place. Or technically wrong time since he was way too early…

Basically the ingredients of stopping the whole world from imploding where already in the bowl so the world just mashed them all together into a weird yet functioning chimerical mush. What a way to recycle your resources.

Deca born all late because he became extra. When could this have happened? Why was it the domain of space that had to die? When and why did Noe and Giratina go rebel? My brain does not compute numbers very well. Not touching anything timerelated with a ten foot pole.

Anyways congratulations Phlurri, you got me to use the comment function on this site for the first time. Got me typing out a whole tower of text from the get go, have a good day~

First, let me say I am HONOURED to be the cause for your first even commenting, as a lurker myself I feel that XD

Second, 100% correct place, I LOVE these asks, but they definitely make me go dormant for a day or two in order to proceed and write my response carefully ehe

Anywho, ONTO THE THEORY!!!

To start off, Meau’s first cub did not die, Bucket is Meau’s first mew child. Bucket is currently comatose in a bubble in the Tree of Life. So I know that throws a wrench in the theory, but dw you have a lot of foundational things correct; just the bridging between points isn’t X3

As for the necktube stuff, Meau did create bucket without many of her own traits/characteristics due to her own experiences. She wanted to remove those issues from afflicting her child!

However, Meau specifically avoided EVER having a child until she felt she was mentally capable of raising one. Hence why she never had one in the nearly 4.5 billion years she’s been alive. Adopting? Sure, but raising a functionally immortal mew? Definitely not ready…. Given she was struggling a lot mentally with… things. So bringing a child into that mix was something she actively refused to do until those issues were no longer severely afflicting her. So she never attempted to have a cub, let alone an ancient cub, to remove herself from the picture.

But, I am genuinely impressed beacuse again, your foundations for things… are mostly correct, which makes me very excited to know someone can go through the comic and asks and get EXACTLY that,,, the foundations correct,,, meaning the rules and whatnot I attempted to put in place has indeed made it though in time for the Noe arc >W<

Noe indeed did not have a vessel and COULD not have one until a certain criteria was meant. Meau did assist in that criteria being meant, however his appearance was early and not how it was suppose to occur. It was a glitch, just like Noe is himself. The way he obtained a vessel… you’re awfully close, but it does not involve dead children I want to be clear!! Regardless, it’s scary and exciting at the same time at how close you are, I think one person (you know who you are.) may figure it out with the publication of this, but until then… I cannot comment further.

The way he obtained a vessel and comes into the world connects into how and why him and Meau share their life force. Though I will say, Missingno. cause the split, not Meau.

Also for the rest of time stuff you are too scared to touch, don’t worry, I spent 3 weeks figuring out how all it would work and then another 2 making. Digestible and simplifying XD

It will make sense, I have made SURE of it. As well as it will be satisfying most importantly. Very excited to be looser lipped about this all with how close it is ehe,,

Anywho, ty for your tower of words I quite enjoyed them and well DONE on the foundations, again that’s huge. Your skeleton is very close, the connecting tissues though would be hard to guess for anyone X3

[legendofmorons]

Don't think about Myrah coming home from the war of eras except no time has passed and every injury she got was healed by Hylia as apology so she dosen’t even have scars. All she has is a picture and the songs and skills.

No one really even remembers the stories of her brothers. The heroes she fought along are lost to time.

Cw: angst and grief

Every scar she got there is gone. Completely. She dosen’t have any of them. They were healed as an apology.

She's home which is great because she has really really missed Arie, Callie and Astra. She missed Wren and Tyreene. She missed Impa, Robbie, and Purah.

But... no time passed? No one knows she was gone.

She has a picture and that's the only physical proof she has.

She has nightmares of the calamity AND the war

Myrah spends countless bad nights up begging the goddesses and Fierce deity to just give her a way to see her boys back. She doesn't have to stay just lert her see them. She just wants to know they're okay

Myrah who teaches her family the songs she learned. She teaches Arie every shanty Sailor loved. She teaches Callie the song of healing and sun. She teaches Tyrene and Wren all the ballads.

She wants so badly to have the scars she lost, to know it was real.

Myrah who is a traveler still, even if she refuses to go to the domain she travels to see her family. She travels to Luerlin to visit Arie and she teaches them things Sailor taught her.

She goes to Gerudo town and she searches for any trace of Mask because that boy is a menace who broke in. She looks for fabric like Captain's scarf there too.

Myrah becomes the traveling story teller. She won't go east of Hateno Unless she is visiting Robbie. But she stops at stables all over the west half of Hyrule.

She writes stories down in books for the Stables to keep.

She tells all the stories of the people she lost. She tells the folk tales she knows.

Myrah is not the hero, but she travels more than most people for the first twenty years and after that she's well known.

She learns more about the heroes of old from her gran than history books.

She takes to the korok forest and it's there that she meets the Great Deku tree. She ends up talking with him.

The Deku tree remembered her brothers. It tells her where Time fell, shrouded within the korok forest. His resting place is guarded by the tree that raised him.

So, Myrah goes to the resting site of her brother, his bones latices for plants. She sobs and then prays. She prays both to Hylia and Din to let her brother rest in peace.

She leaves one of her arm bands with him, setting it on the hilt of the Biggorn sword.

She comes back sometimes to visit the deku tree because he understands her a lot better than the people around her. His memories merged after the timeliness did. He remembers things he shouldn't.

Myrah finds sailor's tunic fraying but preserved in stasis enchanted glass in Luerlin in the ruins of a cave. So she takes it home to repair it before she returns it to Luerlin because he loves the sea.

Myrah finds mentions of Ganon raising a blond son burried deep in the desert ruins after winds destroyed everything. There is very little to prove this is about Warriors but the old tablet is all she has. So she accepts it.

Sometimes, when the Deku tree is particularly nostalgic, Myrah will hum the songs Mask taught her.

She spends a hundred years half thinking the war a cruel dream and half trying to make sure everyone she lost through her whole life is remembered as more than a Figure.

When she gets a scar in the same place as one she Should Have from the war, it soothes something. It's the wrong shape, but it's in a place where she should have a scar anyway.

She knows Mask fears being forgotten or reset so she makes sure she remembers.

[resident-idiot-simp]

Wendigo drabble

Non Feeding Your God AU Wendigo drabble please enjoy (Inspired by @cthulhusstepmom and this post

Roach had grown up deep in the Appalachian mountains with stories of horrors hidden in the trees. He had heard his name called by his mother's voice even when he knew she was at the house. He was part native had grown up with the stories from the local people.

He respected the mountains and the things within them immensely. When he went out and joined the military he brought the stories along with him wishing to pass on the tales as the others had to him.

Over the years he had traveled around the world seeing many sites meeting lots of people. He was superstitious everyone know sometimes they made fun of him for it other times they asked him for advice. He's inclined to believe that he was more aware of the things in the wild then most. When he was recruited into the 141 The only thing that was different was him.

It was a situation that he did not wish to recall and especially didn't like to talk about. He had almost died in fact it was the mission that got him the moniker Roach. For all accounts he should have died and no one knew how he didn't. But Roach knew he had turned into one of the things he's so respected in the trees. He turned into one of the things that would whisper your name to call you in to eat you If you didn't know better.

He told no one his parents didn't need to know what he had become he felt guilt about it but he couldn't change it now. So he would hide it.

The 141 treated him like family ignoring his oddities and quirks. They ignored how he would almost constantly be eating while putting on no weight. They ignored his affinity for dark and the wilderness. They ignored his aversion to fire assuming it was because of something that had happened to him in the past… They weren't completely wrong.

They ignored everything and for that he was thankful he didn't know if he could explain it to them. He doesn't know if you could take their rejection.

He continue telling stories now sprinkling in his own tendencies. Nothing changed but

everything had. When the 141 were sent on a mission like any other he was surprised it just how quickly it had backfired. Betrayal and treachery to a degree he had not yet experienced.

He was worried for them his family. They were his and he couldn't let harm come to what was his his instincts wouldn't allow it and neither would he. When Graves had turned and shot Soap he couldn't stop himself.

Before he could blink he was lunging snapping snarling. He wanted to drag him into the trees string him up and eat him alive. The bullets did nothing as they sunk and his flesh. They wouldn't kill him nothing could nothing but fire, but fire was something Graves didn't have.

He took the attention away from the others allowing Ghost to get the upper hand. And for Alejandro to find his way out of their hold. He joined the fray soon after not wanting to be left out of the fun as his instinct screamed to hunt them hunt the ones that had tried to hurt what was his.

It was laughably easy as the shadows fell leaving just Graves still breathing looking scared.

Good

"W-what are you!?" Graves demanded. Roach just laughed his voice raspy from disuse. "Don't you know I recognize the accent. Don't you know the stories of the things in the trees? Of the monsters that will call your name in a voice of someone you love? The things that will drag you into their domain and eat you alive?"

Graves eyes went wide as Roach slowly removed his neck gator and goggles revealing his pale sunken complexion.

"Don't you recognize old monsters when you see them. Monsters that have hunted on the land You call home since the first people arrived from the ice age?"

Graves faught helplessly under the creature.

"I'm something that's hungry Graves and you dare touch what's mine."

Graves scream was cut off as Roach tore out his jugular.

He was so hungry…

When he came back to himself half of Graves was gone and he realized what took him out of the trance was his name being called. "Roach." Ghost was calling him. One of his oldest friends a man who had been through more with him than any other.

He turned dreading what he would see he couldn't take the disgust It might finally kill him. But Ghost didn't look disgusted unnerved sure, but not disgusted. Not fearful. It was all he could hope for.

"What's going on bug?" Ghost asked tensely and Roach moved off Graves despite how much his instincts screamed that he needed to feed that he would never be full.

"I-I fuck. Yo-you weren't supposed to find out no one was supposed to find out…. They'll kill me and they'll be better off for it." The last part was whispered in fear as reality crashed in.

"It doesn't matter what's going on. We can talk about it later but for now we need to get out of here." Ghost ordered and as much as Roach was something else he was still a soldier and his lieutenants orders would always be first priority unless he was lost to his mind.

So he grabbed Graves corpse unable to part with the only fresh source of food he had had in…days.. and followed behind Ghost as a apprehensive Alejandro let them to the safe house.

Later they would learn the truth of what he was and they wouldn't care. Later he would be allowed to be more of himself with them. Later Laswell would bring him food of people they wanted gone.

But that was later.

Now he walked.

(I posted this on Ao3)

[venesins]

Lonesome West: Nightmare’s Abilities

Answering @elliebell77’s question about how Nightmare influences the wild-life!

Nightmare is a sort of sentient life-force (similar to Nim) and his power/control over animals and such is less a mind-control ability and more instinctual. You know how in Avatar when all the animals come to protect the tree? It’s similar to that. He’s connected to the wild and all that’s in it, so by extension he shares a bond with all the animals in his domain. This also includes plant-life, though he hasn’t quite learned how to harbor that ability- Yet.

He also shares a closer bond with Nim when compared to Dream, he still occasionally visits her resting site.

[followingtheladyofthesacredflame]

Hi I’m a new follower of Brigid, what things are sacred to her - animals, crystals, plants ect

Wikipedia came up with the birch tree being sacred to her but other sources have the oak

If you also have any books/info sources where I can learn more about her I’d love to hear your reccomendations

Hello, welcome to the hearth! So, what I know about Brigid, I've learned from books, blogs, videos, and historical sources. I'll list some of those first so you can do some deep diving yourself:

Brigid: History, Mystery, and Magick of the Celtic Goddess by Courtney Weber (available through Hoopla via the public library system if you're in the US, available through her Etsy shop as well) - this was written by a self-appointed priestess of Brigid practicing in Ireland and the US.

The House Witch by Arin Hiscock-Murphy and The Kitchen Witch by Skye Alexander (both also available through Hoopla I believe and most places books are sold) both have brief bios of Brigid and some tips for working with her as a hearth goddess - take these with a slight grain of salt as they have some Wiccan influence.

Lots of books of Irish folklore include some stories of the Tuatha de Danann, which are the gods of Ireland. There's also some great stories in Scottish and Welsh folklore that you can look into - try The Mabinogion for more information about her Welsh pantheon.

Brigid's Wiki has some great sources at the bottom to jump to.

A profile of the Lady from Druidry.org - take this with a mild grain of salt.

History Cooperative's entry on Brigid - this focuses a lot on her Spring goddess aspect.

Encyclopedia Britannica's entry about Brigid (using the Scottish spelling, Brigit) has some solid base info.

A quick and easy video overview

A look at the Welsh pantheon of which Brigid (in Cymru, Braid) is a part

I don't have a specific source for this, but you might also look into St. Brigid of Kildare, an Irish saint who led a convent centered on a site holy to the goddess Brigid and is popularly interpreted as either a priestess of Brigid who carried her practice in secret through the conversion of Ireland or a version of the goddess herself accepted as a folk saint by practitioners who "converted" to save themselves from Christian "missionaries."

Obviously this isn't everything I've read/looked at, but it's a pretty good starter set of information if you're just starting working with her and not sure what aspects of Brigid you'd like to work with. So now, I'll share what I interpret as her symbols and associations, then what working with her looks like for me. Your experience will probably be different, and that's good! Deity relationships are personal and up to what you need them to be. Hope this helps!

My interpretation of Brigid's symbology:

Basic domain/"Goddess of":

Fire, inspiration, creative works (poetry especially)

Healing, wells, flowing/healing water

The forge, handicrafts (weaving, knitting, crochet, etc.)

Springtime, fertility, rebirth

Associated holidays:

Imbolc (February 1-2)

Associated colors:

Yellow

Orange

Gold

White

Associated animals:

Cows

Sheep

Domesticated animals/livestock generally

Associated herbs/gems:

Marigolds

Sunflowers

Oaks/acorns

Citrine

Red Jasper

Associated food/drinks:

Bread

Wheat

Water

Mead

Milk

Honey

Spiced things - apple cider, cinnamon rolls, etc.

What working with Brigid looks like for me:

Brigid is a motherly figure to work with, but in a more "tough love" sense than some other mother figures. She's willing to work with you and help you grow, but boy will she tell you when you fuck up! I've found working with her to be comforting and encouraging; she makes me feel confident in myself and my abilities and she pushes me to be a better witch, a better mother, and a better person generally.

You don't have to worship Brigid as the only deity in your work, either. In my practice, I've found she gets along well with the Virgin Mary and is cordial with Lady Minerva. She also seems to get on well with Jesus and the Abrahamic God, though she doesn't really get involved with those outside her pantheon.

I've found that the best ways of communicating with Brigid are through tarot, ogham, and astragalomancy (dice). She likes offerings of things you've made - bread you baked, spice mixes you put together, things you've crocheted or knitted or woven or sewn. She also loves tea - making a cup and sharing it with her is a great way to venerate her! I feel her presence as a warmth, like a fire in my chest and a warm blanket over my shoulders. She likes working with me in kitchen witchery and workings related to creativity, inspiration, luck, and healing. I keep space for her in my main altar and my kitchen altar, though I think if she had to choose, she'd prefer to be venerated in a kitchen altar.

[esoteric-chaos]

Working with Technology Deities

{My post is Cross Posted from The Cobalt Athenaeum aka my original post}

This is all largely UPG and SPG based.

Technology deities are a type of egregore, you can call them a pop culture deity if that feels better. They are the embodiment of the tech domain itself. A primordial being, at least in the way I work with them. They have no faces, names or gender to me. They just are their domain and energy itself. Incredibly powerful in their own right. They can be found the same way a pop culture deity can be, you can see more in our Sister Server Westruun (the blue one) aka The Cobalt Athenaeum.

How Do I Work With a Tech Deity?

You can work with them like any other deity, the largest difference is incorporating them into your tech magic. Are you a streamer? A YouTuber? Or even a blogger? Perhaps work with the Algorithm god. They rule over (in my personal experience) the Algorithm, wisdom, confidence, perception, and change. They can help you boost your numbers, your presence, boost confidence and much more. Incorporating them into your life would surely aid you in your goals.

Make a space for them, build a relationship, make offerings and petition them. You will not regret it.

Tech Deity Examples and Correspondences

I’ve worked with a deity of a social media site and the deities listed below. I will not be posting everything and everyone's correspondences I have worked with, I believe it is important to base your own correspondences and this will be a sample but you can get a general idea from here. These are all my correspondences from working with them. You can use the same ones listed or feel out your own when you meet them.

Algorithm Deity God Of: The Algorithm, wisdom, perception, change, confidence Plants & Trees: Basil, Clary Sage, Maples Elements: Air Celestial Body/Planet: Mercury Scents and Incense: Clary Sage, Ginger, Peppermint Stones & Gems: Tigers eye, Lapis Lazuli Tarot card: The Fool Colours: Light blue, grey, red Candle Colour: Bold Red Offerings: Coffee, caffeinated teas, water, sugar (quick rush), carbs (energy), omega 3s (brain food) Things to use to work with them: analytical data, statistical data, copy of information for social platform, goals. How you can work with them: To grow your social media presence, and data studies, to learn how to be less resistant to change as well as to be, look and appear more confident.

Cloud Deity God Of: All known, unknown and held information on the internet, knowledge, memory, balance (both destructive and non-destructive knowledge) Plants & Trees: Rosemary, Thyme, Cacti, Cedar, Ferns Elements: Water Celestial Body/Planet: Saturn Scents and Incense: Rosemary, Jasmine, cedarwood Stones & Gems: Turquoise, Red Jasper, Sapphires Tarot card: Magician Colours: purple and pink Candle Colour: Purple Offerings: Herbal teas, water, omega 3s (brain power), savoury, spicy Things to use to work with them: Memory stick, notes, notebook, photos, computer, phone, books, camera How you can work with them: Memory recall, sourcing information, retaining information, studying, school, balance in your life

Web Deity God Of: The internet, duality (positive and negative), change, expression Plants & Trees: Fungai, Palm Trees, marigolds Elements: Fire Celestial Body/Planet: Sun Scents and Incense: Orange, Rosemary, Cinnamon Stones & Gems: Amber, Obsidian, fluorite Tarot card: The World Colours: Yellow, Orange, Green Candle Colour: Orange Offerings: Alcohol, water, sweet, spicy, carbs, any junk food Things to use to work with them: Electronics that can access web pages How you can work with them: Finding duality in the world, working with them via searches and teachings, how to stop resisting change, self-expression

Conductor Deity God Of: Electricity, power, energy, action, travel, courage & fear Plants & Trees: Oak Trees, sugarcane, lemon trees, Lemon balm Elements: Electricity Celestial Body/Planet: Venus Scents and Incense: Orange, lemon, Ginger Stones & Gems: Quartz, Citrine, sunstone Tarot card: Swords Colours: Yellow, white, gold Candle Colour: Yellow or Gold Offerings: Coffee, alcohol, water, soups, fruits and veggies, carbs, protein Things to use to work with them: Battery, anything electronic, metals How you can work with them: Powering wards, spellwork and yourself. Action-based plans and spellwork, exercise and general movement, travel, working on self-courage and fears.

This is a highly controversial topic and quite frankly I will not have any arguing on this post. If you simply do not believe in this? Move on. If it's not harming anything or anyone why do you care? The answer is you don't. I will block you from my page if I see anything. General discussion is fine, but being nasty? No.

Would you be interested in the rest of my posts? Check out the Masterpost.

Blessings,

Juniper

[beauvandalen]

Indie authors asking people to stop stealing their books should not be ‘controversial’. You are NOT entitled to stealing our books. If you want to read our books, if they add value to your life and entertain you, please read them officially. We cannot live off ‘exposure’. As a reader YOU are responsible for the future of art and literature—if you want creators to continue making the works you enjoy consuming, read books ethically. Using pirate sites, regardless of which author you pirate from, is not ‘nuanced’: it is a known fact these platforms steal then make pr ofit off the back of struggling indie authors like me with every read they receive from YOU: either you support websites that actively exp loit us or you don’t. There are countless legal and ethical alternatives to pirating that allow you to read literature for free such as: 📚 Libraries & library apps (ebooks & audiobooks available too!) 📚 Free web-serial platforms (Wattpad, Tapas, Royal Road, etc. I even have a book i write for free on there too called WHERE THE TALLEST TREE GROWS so you really do not need to pirate my work to read my writing.) 📚Free online lit' magazines (Strange Horizons, Uncanny Magazine, etc) 📚 itchio community co pies 📚Author ARCs or review co pies (where the author or publisher gives you a book for an honest review) 📚 Public domain books are free. These are just some of many examples that let you read literature for free—you CAN read ethically, it is possible to read stories for free without stealing them!!! And if our books do not add value to your life, if you feel they are worthless, then do not read them - but stop justifying stealing from indie authors or defending websites that actively harm our livelihoods. Authors are working people just like you, we work hard and long hours, we spend countless nights working overtime so that the book is as good as it can be for you once it comes out, what you are demanding from us is unpa id la bor & hopefully I do not need to explain why unpa id la bor is bad! Thank you to every reader who chooses to read books ethically, it is thanks to your support and ethics that indie authors can still be here today.

[samuraiko]

The full CR art intro/outro list

So I'd posted this on Reddit a while back, but figured I may as well share it here, too. Just in case you were wondering exactly WHAT all those scenes in the intro/outro depict!

Okay, art in order (using Episode 92 as the reference) -- this took MUCH longer than anticipated because I had to double-check the wiki for a lot of it!

Storm over Kreviris on Ruidus (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

Ludinus activating the Malleus Key at the Tishtan Excavation Site in Marquet (Wesley Griffith aka Justwesley)

Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein, with (presumably) Matt in the center leading the charge, staring out over the Barbed Fields in Xhorhas (Adrian Ibarra Lugo aka Ailustrar)

Tiered fields in a mountain valley (Cyarna Trim aka Cyarna)

The Turst Fields northesast of Westruun in Tal'Dorei (Caio Santos aka Black Salandar)

The Ashari settlement of Terrah (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

Planerider Ryn lounging in her hideout in the Plane of Fire (Nikki Dawes aka nikkidawesdraws)

New class character art from either Tal'Dorei Reborn or Explorer's Guide to Wildemount book (Linda Lithen aka LindaLithen)

The holy warriors known as Judicators in Vasselheim in Issylra (Jessica Nguyen aka Jessketchin)

A view of Syngorn at night (while still on Tal'Dorei, presumably) (Bryan Syme aka SymeBryan)

Team Wildemount leading the Guardian Spirit up and out of Uthodurn in Wildemount (Clary Daly aka EldritchBlep)

The holy city of Vasselheim in Issylra (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

The Feywild (Caio Santos aka BlackSalander)

Ichabarr, headless stallion lord of the Herd of the Damned of the Parchwood Timberlands of Tal'Dorei (John Anthony Di Giovanni aka ja_dig)

The Barbed Fields of Xhorhas, with Rosohna visible in the distance (Clary Daly aka EldritchBlep)

Depiction of the creation of Ruidus being ripped from Exandria (Wesley Griffith aka justwesley)

A mortal first discovering the continent of Gwessar (Adrian Ibarra Lugo aka Ailustrar)

Catha and Ruidus in the night sky (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

Imogen and Fearne sundering the shadow version of the Sun Tree while rescuing Laudna (Jessica Nguyen aka Jessketchin)

Chained flying cities (Cyarna Trim aka Cyarna)

The Westruun Observatory (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

The Oderan Wilds of Marquet (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

The Battle of the Umbra Hills between Zan Tal'Dorei and King Trist Drassig (Jeleynai aka Jeleynai)

Zephrah (Caio Santos aka BlackSalander)

Exandria surrounded by the various gods/energies of the planes (Cyarna Trim aka Cyarna)

Exandria with Catha and Ruidus amidst the cosmos (Cyarna Trim aka Cyarna)

Emon in Tal'Dorei (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

Yios, the City of Flowing Light, in Marquet (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

Eiselcross in the far reaches of Wildemount (Jonah Baumann aka GalacticJonah)

Camellia the blighted druid marked by a spectre from the Tal'Dorei Reborn sourcebook (Adrian Ibarra Lugo aka Ailustrar)

The spires of Jrusar in Marquet (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

Whitestone Castle in Tal'Dorei (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

Shaun Gilmore and his husband Darius at Gilmore's Glorious Goods (presumably Emon branch!) (Isabel Gibney aka greyopals)

Nana Morri (aka Morrigan the Fatesticher), Fearne's 'grandmother' (Adrian Ibarra Lugo)

The Foramere Basin of central Tal'Dorei (John Anthony Di Giovanni aka ja_dig)

Ioun sealing away Tharizdun, the Chained Oblivion (Wesley Griffith aka justwesley)

The entrance to the Emerald Citadel in Syngorn (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

Melora the Wildmother and Erathis the Law-Giver, each overseeing her domain (Zuzanna Wuzyk, aka Zuzartii)

Stairs leading nowhere in a forest (Caio Santos aka BlackSalander)

The Rifenmist Jungle on Tal'Dorei (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

Thordak the Cinder King in the Plane of Fire (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

Catha and Ruidus, with Ruidus' barrier shown around it (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

Zan Tal'Dorei, first Sovereign of Tal'Dorei (Nikki Dawes aka nikkidawesdraws)

Lorkathar defending Flamereach Outpost outside Emon (Bryan Syme aka SymeBryan)

Sorrowlord Zathuda astride Gloamglut doing aerial battle with a transformed Nana Morri in the Feywild (Sam Rusk aka samurai_rusk)

Vox Machina being badasses (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

Ligament Manor, the Feywild demesne of Nana Morri (Adrian Ibarra Lugo aka Ailustrar)

Gloomstalkers flying over Ghor Dranas in Xhorhas (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

The harbor of Nicodranas with the Wildmother's lighthouse atop the cliff (Caio Santos aka BlackSalander)

Vox Machina camping under the stars (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

Marquesian oasis village (Ameera Sheikh aka Mikandii)

The Traveller's Gate (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

The Matron of Ravens (Jessica Nguyen aka Jessketchin)

The dwarven/elven subterranean city of Uthodurn in Wildemount (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

A mage opening a portal to the Iron City (Linda Lithen aka LindaLithen)

Repeat of storm over Kreviris

Jrusar marketplace at night (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

Ruin within the Rifenmist Jungle of Tal'Dorei (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

One of Zephrah's skyriders patrolling the canyons (Claudia Ianniciello aka claudia_ianniciello_artworks)

The small fishing town of Byroden (Caio Santos aka BlackSalander)

The Sun Tree of Whitestone in Tal'Dorei (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

Captain Xandis aboard the Silver Sun skyship (Nikki Dawes aka nikkidawesdraws)

The creation of the dragon race during the first age of Exandria (Ameera Sheikh aka mikandii)

Marketplace being destroyed from the Tal'Dorei sourcebook (Andrey Vasilchenko aka drawborn)

The cursed blade Graz'tchar in the Grey Valley of Tal'Dorei (Cyarna Trim aka Cyarna)

The Observer, patron deity of Niirdal-Poc (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

Keyleth and her mother Vilya looking out over Zephrah (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

An adranach rebuilding Emon under the command of the League of Miracles (Wesley Griffith aka justwesley)

The elven city-state of Lyrengorn in the Cliffkeep Mountains of Tal'Dorei (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

Ank'harel in Maruqet (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

Repeat of Ludinus at the Malleus Key

Repeat of Matt, Vox Machina, and the Mighty Nein

Repeat of tiered fields

Repeat of Turst Fields

Repeat of Terrah

Repeat of Planerider Ryn

Repeat of spellcasters

Repeat of the Judicators

Repeat of Syngorn at night

Repeat of Team Wildemount leading the Spirit

Repeat of Issylra

Repeat of Feywild weirdness

Repeat of the Herd of the Damned

Repeat of the Barbed Fields

Repeat of the creation of Ruidus

Repeat of mortal discovering Gwessar

Repeat of Catha and Ruidus over mountains

Repeat of Imogen and Fearne with the Shadow Sun Tree

Repeat of Ank'harel

[ask-experiment-1006-theprototype]

Greetings loved ones

Let's take a journey

I know a place

Where the grass is really greener

Warm, wet n' wild

There must be something in the water

Sippin' gin and juice

Laying underneath the palm trees

(Undone)

The boys

Break their necks

Try'na to creep a little sneak peek

(At us)

You could travel the world

But nothing comes close

To the golden coast

Once you party with us

You'll be falling in love

Ooh oh ooh oh oh ooh

California girls

We're unforgettable

Daisy dukes

Bikinis on top

Sun-kissed skin

So hot

We'll melt your popsicle

Ooh oh ooh

Ooh oh ooh

California girls

We're undeniable

Fine, fresh, fierce

We got it on lock

West coast represent

Now put your hands up

Ooh oh ooh

Ooh oh ooh

Sex on the beach

We don't mind sand in our stilettos

We freak

In my jeep

Snoop doggy-dog on the stereo oh oh

You could travel the world

But nothing comes close

To the golden coast

Once you party with us

You'll be falling in love

Ooh oh ooh ooh oh ooh

California girls

We're unforgettable

Daisy dukes

Bikinis on top

Sun-kissed skin

So hot

We'll melt your popsicle

Ooh oh ooh

Ooh oh ooh

California girls

We're undeniable

Fine, fresh, fierce

We got it on lock

West coast represent

Now put your hands up

Ooh oh ooh

Ooh oh ooh

Toned, tan

Fit and ready

Turn it up 'cause its gettin' heavy

Wild, wild west coast

These are the girls I love the most

I mean the ones

I mean like she's the one

Kiss her, touch her

Squeeze her buns

The girl's a freak

She drive a jeep

And live on the beach

I'm okay

I won't play

I love the bay

Just like I love L.A.

Venice Beach

And Palm Springs

Summertime is everything

Home boys

Bangin' out

All that ass

Hanging out

Bikinis, zucchinis, martinis

No weenies

Just a king

And a queenie

Katy my lady

(Yeah)

And looky here baby

(Uh huh)

I'm all up on ya

'Cause you representing California (oh yeah)

California girls

We're unforgettable

Daisy dukes

Bikinis on top

Sun-kissed skin

So hot

We'll melt your popsicle

Ooh oh ooh

Ooh oh ooh

California girls

We're undeniable

Fine, fresh, fierce

We got it on lock

West coast represent (west coast, west coast)

Now put your hands up

Ooh oh ooh

Ooh oh ooh

California girls man

(California)

(California girls)

- @dinosaurthecaliforniagirlanon

He stares at them, a bit dumbfounded by the sudden display before him. Staring and blinking once as he simply watched before raising a metallic eye lid after the song finished.

"...Huh...never heard that particular song before. Nor did I expect you to come in here dancing and singing it...kind of awkward considering there was no music however. Er...at least you're in a good mood."

He shrugs a little, giving them a slight grin of amusement, not really certain how to react to someone popping in and singing a pop song in his domain. At least it was entertaining to see though.

(( Can't believe I just got the entirety of California girls as an ask. I love this site. ))

(( 7/17 ))

[letsreadlotsoffanfic]

Little Black Classics Box Set, pt 1

Not "fanfic", but… I came across the "Little Black Classics Box Set" published by Penguin Random House recently, and the list of books looked great! $140 for 80 books is also fantastic, even when they're mostly novellas. A lot of it looked like stuff I wanted to read.

It was also all mostly in the public domain, too. So I figured that I could just find most of it on gutenberg or another archive, legally and for free!

Below the cut is the list of books in the collection, as well as where to find them online:

A Cup of Sake Beneath the Cherry Trees by Kenko - Excerpt from "Tsurezuregusa" (Essays in Idleness). Original Japanese English translation (labelled "The Miscellany of a Japanese Priest: Being a Translation of Tsure-Zure Gusa")

A Hippo Banquet by Mary Kingsley - Excerpt from "Travels in West Africa"

A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift - Gutenberg

A Pair of Silk Stockings by Kate Chopin - Excerpt from "The Awakening"

A Simple Heart by Gustave Flaubert - Excerpt from "Trois Contes" (Three tales/three short works). Original French English Translation

A Slip Under the Microscope by H G Wells - Excerpt from "30 Strange Stories"

Anthem For Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen - Poem. Collection

Antigone by Sophocles - English collection of Sophocles plays. Gutenberg has a few other translations of this

Aphorisms on Love and Hate by Friedrich Nietzsche - Excerpt from "Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits". Original German English Translation

As Kingfishers Catch Fire by Gerard Manley Hopkins - Poem. Collection

Caligula by Suetonius - English translation Good site for original Latin and a French translation

Circe and the Cyclops by Homer - Excerpt from the Odyssey. English translation. Good site to read original Greek

Circles of Hell by Dante - Excerpt from the Divine Comedy. Original Italian. English translation

Come Close by Sappho - I could not track down all the translations, since some are more recently uncovered than public domain limits. Here are some. And here's a good site for the original Greek

Femme Fatale by Guy de Maupassant - Selected short stories. Original French English translation

Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti - Poem. Collection

Gooseberries by Anton Chekhov - Original Russian Collected English translation

How a Ghastly Story Was Brought to Light by a Common or Garden Butcher's Dog by Johann Peter Hebel - Original German

How Much Land Does A Man Need? By Leo Tolstoy - Short story. Original Russian English collection with other stories

How to Use Your Enemies by Baltasar Gracián - Excerpts from the Pocket Oracle. Original Spanish English translation

How We Weep and Laugh at the Same Thing by Michel de Montaigne - Excerpts from his essays. Original French is in 4 volumes on Gutenberg. Vol 1 Complete English translation

I Hate and I Love by Catullus - Poem in collection Original Latin

Il Duro by D. H. Lawrence - Excerpts from Twilight in Italy.

It Was Snowing Butterflies by Charles Darwin - Excerpts from The Voyage of the Beagle

Jason and Medea by Apollonius of Rhodes - Excerpts from the Argonautica. English translation Original Greek

Kasyan from the Beautiful Lands by Ivan Turgenev - Excerpt from A Sportsman's Sketches. Original Russian English translation

Leonardo da Vinci by Giorgio Vasari - Excerpt from volume 4 of Vasari's "Lives of the Most Eminent Painters Sculptors and Architects." Original Italian English translation

Lips too Chilled by Matsuo Basho - Selection of some of Basho's haikus. Original Japanese collection. I couldn't find any "complete collection" in English, but the external links on Basho's wikipedia page have a large number of them

Lord Arthur Savile's Crime by Oscar Wilde

Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield - Excerpt from The Garden Party and Other Stories

Mrs Rosie and the Priest by Giovanni Boccaccio - Excerpt from The Decameron Original Italian English translation

My Dearest Father by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Some of the letters Mozart wrote. Original German scans English translation

O Cruel Alexis by Virgil - Poem from the Bucolics and Eclogues of Virgil. English Translation Original Latin

Of Street Piemen by Henry Mayhew - Excerpts from London Labour and the London Poor. There are four volumes of this on Gutenberg. Vol 1

Olalla by Robert Louis Stevenson - One of Stevenson's short stories. Collection

On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts by Thomas De Quincey - Collection of essays.

On the Beach at Night Alone by Walt Whitman - Poem. Collection

Remember, Body… by C. P. Cavafy - Poem. Greek and English collection

Sindbad the Sailor - From "Arabian Nights"/"The Thousand and One Nights" Original Arabic English translations (One) (Two)

Sketchy, Doubtful, Incomplete Jottings by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - Excerpts and essays. Wolfgang von Goethe was very prolific, you may be best off just looking at his author page on Gutenberg

Socrates' Defence by Plato - excerpts from Apology. English translation Original Greek

Speaking of Siva - selection of Virasaiva vacanas (religious verses). I cannot find the original kannada or english translation collection of these outside of this book: The ones that do have one of these poems cite A. K. Ramanujan, who translated and annotated this. This is "the" source. You can borrow it from the Internet Archive's library. Please message me if you find a good alternative source for this!

The Atheist's Mass by Honoré de Balzac - Short story. Original French part of a collection English translation

The Beautiful Cassandra by Jane Austen - Excerpts from Austen's youth

The Communist Manifesto Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels - Original German English translation

The Dhammapada - English translation. Older manuscripts are in a few different versions, mostly Sanskrit/Pali, but this is a good site to read it on

The Dolphins, the Whales and the Gudgeon by Aesop - Selection of Aesop's fables. English translation Greek, Latin, French, and Spanish

The Eve of St Agnes by John Keats - Poem. Collection

The Fall of Icarus by Ovid - from the Metamorphoses. English translation Original latin

The Figure in the Carpet by Henry James

The Gate of the Hundred Sorrows by Rudyard Kipling - Short story. Collection

The Great Fire of London by Samuel Pepys - Excerpt from his diary. Gutenberg Annotated online

The Great Winglebury Duel by Charles Dickens - Short story. Collection

The Life of a Stupid Man by Ryunosuke Akutagawa - From 羅生門 (Rashomon). Original Japanese. I cannot find an English translation available free & legal online.

The Madness of Cambyses by Herodotus - Excerpt from the History of Herodotus. English translation Original Greek

The Maldive Shark by Herman Melville - Poem. Collection

The Meek One by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Also translated as "A Gentle Creature." Original Russian English translation

The Night is Darkening Round Me by Emily Brontë - Poem collection

The Nightingales are Drunk by Hafez - Poem. Original Persian English translation

The Nose by Nikolay Gogol - Short story. Original Russian English translation

The Old Man of the Moon by Shen Fu - Excerpt from "Six Records of a Floating Life". Original Chinese. I cannot find a free & legal English translation online, but you can borrow the Internet Archive's copy

The Old Nurse's Story by Elizabeth Gaskell - Short story. Collection

The Reckoning by Edith Wharton - Short story. Collection

The Robber Bridegroom - One of Grimm's collected fairy tales.

The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-tongue - Author unknown, this is one of the sagas of Icelanders. Text with modern icelandic spelling English translation

[dichromaniac]

Ok I've had a minute and some dives into the lore. And here is the MOST coherent version of what I'm calling the "Unified Tree Theory" that I've been pondering since Calamity:

So according to Encyclopedia Exandria, the Luxon created the Primordials/Titans and also devoted itself into the cycle of rebirth/reincarnation in a very Buddhist sense of repeating life to reach a state of "perfection."

How absolutely tragic that a hubristic wizard lit some candles and said some words and not only "deleted" a god of death, but took over the MOMENT when the strings of mortality are cut and deciding to be the arbiter of what happens next. What a slap in the face to the Luxon's intentions for mortal life.

Atrophy and Blight are close enough words connotatively to definitely link Laerryn's spell to the name Atrophy, especially considering we're already on board playing cultural meme narrative telephone with language.

I don't think Evandrin ever chose to come "back" to the tree. I think a piece of him was caught in the runic net and never left, even if most of him was able to travel amongst the stars. We know Zerxus was not a paladin of a Prime Deity, but *of the people.* So assuming that Zerxus and Evandrin were both tapping into the same power source, i.e. the Luxon, it would be even more reasonable that the Luxon allowed for different aspects, versions, or pieces of Evandrin to exist in multiple places simultaneously.

(Probably useful info is that I firmly believe Evontra'vir is a language shift of Evandrin Alterra of Avalir in the vein of Gau Drashari -> Ashari -> Hishari; Avalir -> Savalir; Mt. Ygora -> Cathmoira)

(Ex. Otohan's Dunamancy backpack is the explanation for her Echo Knight abilities. Multiple versions, different place, Same time. But that's diluted, distilled, *stolen* instead of granted straight from the source. I don't currently see a reason why the Luxon itself would not grant more bespoke power directly.)

Also, I have a mighty need to rant about the fucking Trees

The Sun Tree: "Planted" by Pelor/Dawnfather, at the site of the battle between Ioun and Tharizdun, at Whitestone. Lvl 20 Oaths of Ancients Paladins can manipulate their physical form to be more "plant like." Additionally, we KNOW God's can change their champions into other forms/shapes but maintain the personality of the humanoid transformed. (Mace of the Black Crown, specifically, but it does seem all the Arms of the Betrayers used to be sentient creatures - and we have no reason to assume, other than alignment - that a Prime would not have this same power.)

Arbor Exemplar: planted by Melora/Wildmother at the "most desolate location in Exandria at the time" (according to Encyclopedia Exandria) and is *the sister tree* of...

The Seed of Rebirth: planted at the heart of the Abundant Terrace in Vasselheim. Described as the "sister" to the Arbor Exemplar...

Who can say these three trees are not champions? Whose to say the gods are not "reverse engineering" the deep, wordless magic of the Luxon and these three (if not more!!!) Trees are recreating a weaker version of the protection the Tree of Names offered.

And, to the point I set out to make originally, who is to say the Matron of Ravens did not, had not, or would not, manipulate the Tree of Names/Tree of Atrophy to bolster her own defenses, domains and sources of power? Ludinus did it with distilled dunamancy and otohan, why would the Matron, know Wizard, with all the power and perspective of a god, not do the same to this Tree?

[mattievictoria]

In Najran province of Saudi Arabia, carved in sandstone at the peak of a 200-meter hill facing east, is a petroglyph of a female figure. A petroglyph of a Mother Goddess that when lit by the rising sun, can be seen for miles on end. Over 4,000 miles north from Najran province, on Salisbury Plains in Wiltshire, England, one can find the world-famous Stonehenge— a circle of megaliths thought to be everything from an astronomical clock to a place of healing. Rocks and minerals are all around us, a part of common, everyday life and for time immemorial, our ancestors have prescribed them significant meaning. Since picking up rockhounding during the Pandemic as a way to get outside and still practice social distancing, I’ve become more and more interested in rock folklore which each excursion I take into some defunct mine or rock outcropping. As an artist and life-long folklore and mythology enthusiast, I’ve noticed that when it comes to nature lore, people are, in general, more interested in the lore surrounding things like trees and flowers. While I do love plant lore, the past year or so has seen me diving into the myths associated with rocks, mines and caves. I knew I needed a space to prattle on about my deep-dives, and thus the idea to write this little article was born!

First and foremost, I have to talk about the vittror (plural form of the singular vittra) a type of vættr, or nature spirit, found throughout Scandinavian folklore. I love the stories of the vættr, one of my favorite aspects of the stories being that the vittror can be found living in rocks and trees, and have the ability to harm humans who trespass into their domain. A vittersten is the name given to a boulder or rock formation that a vittra has claimed as their home. All vittror live along leylines called vittervägar, and it’s said that at the points where these leylines intersect, the veil is thinner. Supernatural happenings are more likely to occur in these spots, as well as accidents, illnesses and even death. A vittersten may lie at the intersection of one of these supernatural crossroads, and if you find yourself at such a dubious place, well… you’d best be careful. If you disturb a rock or a tree that a vittra calls home, you may find yourself with a newly-fabricated curse placed upon your person. If you find that you feel a sudden wave of nausea, a chill, or any kind of discomfort, it means you have disturbed a vittra. The best way to remedy this is to apologize to the vittra that you have offended, or leave offerings. There are stories of entire construction projects being re-routed or stopped altogether because the development of that area upset the particular vittra living there. So be careful, because you may find yourself on a hike with the need to relieve yourself behind a rock formation for some privacy… perhaps you are accidentally befouling the site a vittersten!

Another one of the more fascinating stones that have a particular folklore attached to them is the adder stone. The adder stone is a small rock with a naturally occurring hole bored completely through the center. Adder stones have a glassy quality and are usually flint, though in ancient times they were thought to be created from snake saliva, hence their name. Pliny the Elder wrote that adder stones were important to druids, and even until recent times, the adder stone has held a great importance in the British Isles. In England, they’re called Hag Stones, and in Scotland, Mare-Stanes, because it was said that whoever possessed one of these supernatural stones was immune to visits from the Mare or Hag, a vicious being that was said to sit on its victims’ chests while they sleep, causing them to have nightmares. In Scotland, Mare-Stanes were often kept near beds to prevent such night terrors, but they would also be kept on an individual’s person. They had other uses, too, such as being tied up in barns to ensure that a pregnant cow births her calf safely. One interesting story is that of a particular Mare-Stane with two human teeth affixed in the center hole of the stone, bequeathed to a villager of Marykirk, Scotland by an old woman who used the stone as a nightmare deterrent for some 70 years.

If we take a step back from the folklore surrounding individual rocks, and into the place where rocks are taken from the earth, you’ll find that mines of all varieties have a plethora of legend and lore associated with them. Being from California, I have heard many a tale of haunted mines and ghostly prospectors. I have visited the outskirts of the now decommissioned Emma Mine in Acton, California (about 50 miles north of Downtown Los Angeles) and have become intrigued by stories of old and forlorn mines. My interest especially piqued a few months ago when I read a passage from a 1959 article titled Tales of the Supernatural by J. H. Adamson for the Western Folklore journal. There was a passage about a mining site in Utah in particular that caught my eye:

“In another instance, a place was discovered to be demonic, not because of ghostly inhabitants, but rather because of a vein of ore possessed the strange property of drawing all the strength out of the bodies of those who approached it, leaving them weak, helpless and unable to stand.”

Something I discovered during my research I had no idea was a thing (for lack of a better word), was the amount of religious shrines built at mines, mostly to mother goddess and earth goddess figures. This concept of miners descending into the earth’s womb to retrieve precious materials as a highly spiritual and sacred practice makes a lot of sense in hindsight when I thought more about it. In fact, The Egyptian word bi not only translates to mineshaft, but to uterus as well. This was a practice wide-spread throughout the ancient world. At an archeological site known as Wadi el-Hudi in Southern Egypt, there is an amethyst mine that dates back all the way to the Middle Kingdom, over 5,000 years ago from today. Stelaes have been found at Wadi el-Hudi that describe a temple to Hathor that was erected at the ancient mine, where the goddess was evoked to watch over those mining, working, and traveling in the desert. The stela calls her The Lady Of Amethyst, with one inscription stating:

“Give Offerings! Give offerings to the mistress of heaven! Pacify Hathor! If you do this, it will be useful for you, if you give more it will be profitable among you.”

Even in the modern era, shrines have been erected at mining sites. One can find shrines to the Virgin Mary at mines across North America, South America, Europe and South Africa. As recently as the 1980s, a 90-foot statue of the Virgin Mary known as “Our Lady of the Rockies” was built on the Continental Divide 3,000 miles above the mining city of Butte, Montana.

I mentioned earlier in this article that as a Califonian, I’ve heard many ghostly mining stories throughout my life. While we have a plethora of stories, like that of old Joe Simpson and the ghost town of Skidoo, one of my favorite haunted mine stories actually comes from North Carolina. Gold Hill Mines, just outside of Charlotte, is associated with a slew of stories about haunted mines and ghostly prospectors. One of the more ghastly stories is that of an unfortunate miner who possessed some poor judgment— and dynamite— that blew himself up— whether on accident or on purpose, no one knows for certain. Local legend states that you can still hear the phantom explosion, and see otherworldly body parts violently disperse in the air, and then mysteriously disappear. I’m not sure if such a miner actually existed or if this is all local folklore, but it makes for a horrifying —and morbidly fantastic— ghost story.

I do, however, very much want to include a local story. This local story is about a cursed cave. I’m no geologist, but I think it’s safe to say that caves are rock-adjacent. The Cave of Munits is a popular hiking and rock climbing spot in the western San Fernando Valley here in Los Angeles county, but not many people know the legend associated with it. Located 86 miles from the stunning Chumash cave paintings near Santa Barbara, the legend surrounding the Cave of Munits is a tale that has both Chumash and Tongva origins. Munits was a sorcerer that kidnapped and killed the beloved son of a powerful chief. Munits stole the boy away to his cave, while the boy’s tribe stood below the cliff and demanded that the sorcerer return their chief’s son to him. Munits, however, cried “You want your boy back? Well, here he is!” And tossed the chief’s son out of the cave, limb by limb. The powerful chief ordered the death of the sorcerer Munits, sending a hawk to viscerally tear open Munits’ distended stomach as he lay sleeping after gorging himself full on clovers. It is said that the bile that flowed from Munits’ stomach is the origin of bitter clover.

While there are many storied tales and established legends about rocks, mines, and caves, there also exist many amazing stories that regular, everyday people have to tell— myself included. When I shared the bit of lore about the “demonic” ore vein in Utah online, many people shared their own strange rock stories, which prompted me to reconsider some of my own. I’ve had some strange experiences rockhounding, including a strange, deeply emotional experience while rockhounding out in the desert at a site called Gem Hill that is very difficult to put into words. I’ve also found a Mylar balloon at my aforementioned trip to Emma Mine. The Mylar balloon thing is… another story all of its own, but the tl;dr version is that Mylar balloons are frequently associated with the paranormal, especially cryptids, and the area surrounding Emma Mine has reports of everything from Bigfoot to Dogmen.

This article may be coming to an end, but my personal research is far from over. I feel like the folklore and mythology of rocks is often overlooked and forgotten— which is a shame, in so many ways. From prehistoric megaliths, to ancient mining shrines, to the modern day resurgence of adder stones, rock lore has been with us from the very beginning. I hope that in the very least, I’ve piqued your interest… and hopefully cause you to have more than just a passing thought about the next rock you pick up off the ground!

Sources

Adamson, J. H. “Tales of the supernatural.” Western Folklore, vol. 18, no. 2, Apr. 1959, pp. 81–82, https://doi.org/10.2307/1496463.

The Ancient Southwest | Angeline Duran. “The Cave of Munits.” THE ANCIENT SOUTHWEST, 5 Aug. 2020, theancientsouthwest.com/2020/08/03/the-cave-of-munits/.

Earl of Ducie. “Exhibition of three ‘Mare-stanes,’ or ‘hag-stones.’” The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. 17, 1888, p. 134, https://doi.org/10.2307/2841595.

Espinel, Andrés D. “A newly identified stela from Wadi el-Hudi (Cairo JE 86119).” The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, vol. 91, no. 1, Dec. 2005, pp. 55–70, https://doi.org/10.1177/030751330509100104.

Goad, Mattie, and Eli Smith. “Conversations With Eli .” 6 Mar. 2019.

Jarvis, Robin. “The Old Mining Town in Gold Hill, North Carolina, Is Allegedly Haunted with Greedy Ghosts.” OnlyInYourState®, 13 Jan. 2018, www.onlyinyourstate.com/north-carolina/historic-gold-hill-nc/.

Johnson, John R. “The Indians of Mission San Fernando.” Southern California Quarterly, vol. 79, no. 3, Oct. 1997, pp. 249–290, https://doi.org/10.2307/41172612.

Judah, Hettie. Lapidarium: The Secret Lives of Stones. Penguin Books, an Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2023.

Khan, Majeed. “The Rock Art of Saudi Arabia.” Bradshaw Foundation, Bradshaw Foundation, bradshawfoundation.com/middle_east/saudi_arabia_rock_art/index.php. Accessed 19 Aug. 2022.

Roud, Steve. The Penguin Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Ireland. Penguin Books, 2006.