#a religion where one of the major gods is The Mother

[navree]

hm.

hm.

[glossamerfaerie]

One aspect of Gwynriel that really excites me is religion. The other protagonists don’t seem to take religion or rituals very seriously? Everyone respects the Mother and acknowledges her power (and the Cauldron), but we haven’t explored faith among the fae. Feyre has a terrible experience with Ianthe (a sadly accurate depiction of corruption within organized religion). But we know that not all priestesses are like power-hungry Ianthe. Nesta is understandably indifferent even though she later has an experience with the Mother during Nyx’s birth. Rhys and Cassian seem respectful but we’ve never seen them pray or attend services. It’s giving “only attending church during Christmas” level of religious commitment.

Azriel, on the other hand… we haven’t had much canon insight in his head, but I firmly believe that Azriel is more religious than his brothers. Like he’s not the type to attend temple services, but he probably thinks about faith and the Mother regularly. Clearly he has contemplated mating bonds and who creates them — maybe he’s prayed for a mating bond? Maybe his mother raised him to be more religious. In HOFAS, after Nesta takes the mask off in a close call, Az’s very first instinct is to thank the Mother. Possibly that is meaningless (like how an atheist can say “thank god”) but idk. Az seems to have more faith than his brothers.

“The Mask fell from Nesta’s face, clattering on the stone.

Nesta swayed, but Azriel was there, catching her, bringing her to his chest, scarred hands stroking her hair. “Thank the Mother,” he breathed. “Thank the Mother.”

A few chapters later, Az describes the Cauldron and what happens after death.

“Bryce nodded to the carving. “What’s the big deal about a cauldron?”

“The Cauldron,” Azriel amended. Bryce shook her head, not understanding. “You don’t have stories of it in your world? The Fae didn’t bring that tradition with them?”

Bryce surveyed the giant cauldron. “No. We have five gods, but no cauldron. What does it do?”

“All life came and comes from it,” Azriel said with something like reverence. “The Mother poured it into this world, and from it, life blossomed.”

Later in the conversation, Az explains what happens to souls after death.

“When you die, where do your souls go?” Did they even believe in the concept of a soul? Maybe she should have led with that.

But Azriel said softly, “They return to the Mother, where they rest in joy within her heart until she finds another purpose for us. Another life or world to live in.”

The way Az talks about the Mother, with reverence and confidence, makes me certain that he’s more religious than his brothers.

Then, of course, we have Gwyn — a literal priestess who was raised in a temple. She still attends daily services and sings for the choir. I’ve wondered if what happened in Sangravah shook Gwyn’s faith. Maybe she thinks the Mother exists but isn’t a benevolent deity. Maybe she’s bitter that the Mother didn’t save her servants from Hybern attacks. She definitely feels shame and unworthiness — Gwyn no longer feels like she has a right to wear the Invoking Stone. Working through those feelings will be a major aspect of Gwyn’s arc.

“You asked me once why I don’t wear the hood or the Invoking Stone. That stone is a sign of holiness. How can someone like me wear it?”

Within the temple, Gwyn also faces prejudice and discrimination from her fellow sisters. Ianthe isn’t the only asshole within the organization (cough Merrill cough). I’m sure that some people in Sangravah were cruel to Gwyn’s family because of their nymph heritage. I don’t know what SJM has planned, but I feel that religion will play a major role in the Gwynriel book. I wouldn’t be surprised that, like Nesta, Gwyn has a firsthand experience with the Mother. She will definitely use the blue invoking stone for healing (a nice parallel to Az’s blue siphons).

“It’s an Invoking Stone.” Gwyn unfurled her fingers, revealing the gem within her hand. “Similar to the Siphons of the Illyrians, except that the power of the Mother flows through it. We cannot use it for harm, only healing and protection. It was shielding us.”

I’m also curious to see Gwyn and Az discuss their religious beliefs together. Maybe Az gets permission to join the dawn and dusk services. The man barely sleeps, he might as well watch Gwyn during her religious commitments. The shadows are NOT going to pass a chance to hear their girl sing (or watch her glow). Maybe Nesta can talk Az into singing with the choir. 🥹

Nesta could only gape at the lovely melody, the voices from the front of the cavern leading it, lifting higher than the others. Gwyn sang, chin high, a faint glow seeming to radiate from her. The music was pure, ancient, by turns whispering and bold, one moment like a tendril of mist, the next like a gilded ray of light. It finished, and Merrill spoke about the Mother and the Cauldron and the land and sun and water. She spoke of blessings and dreams and hope. Of mercy and love and growth.

Idk, maybe I’m wrong about Az being religious. But it feels like such a wasted opportunity if we don’t learn more about the Mother! At the very least, I do see Az attending the dawn and dusk services if he’s not on a mission. 🎼🩵🎶

[violettaskies]

To Share A Kiss The Devil Has Known

(ch. 1)

Pairing: Eddie Munson x you // Eddie Munson x f!reader // perv!Eddie Munson x innocent!reader

Genre: romance, mild smut, Catholic trauma, religious trauma, friends to lovers, slow burn

Notes: this will have a three installments // this chapter is just the intro honestly lol so sorry if it’s boring build up // Eddie is kinda pervy lol // he’s kinda dark but also not // i tried to write him to be as much of a consent king as possible

Warnings: MINORS DNI, 18+ ONLY, NSFW // talks of religion, reader goes to confession and her priest is a little mean with his words (at the beginning), slight manipulation, pillow humping, humping, first times, dacryphilia, corruption kink, praise kink // masturbation //please let me know if there should be more added, thank you!

ao3 // chapter two // chapter three // masterlist // series masterlist

-:-:-:-:-

Every other Sunday was for confession. While other members of the family went on Wednesdays or Saturdays, you always chose Sundays since it would start the week off on a clean slate.

Not that there was much to confess about. Oftentimes, you would walk from your house to the church a few hours after mass ended, maybe feeling a bit guilty about your thoughts, rarely was it ever your actions. One day, you came in to tell the priest about how angry you got at your parents when they grounded you for accidentally falling asleep in church. You didn’t lash out at them, of course; but, you did curse them in your head — not honouring thy father and mother very well.

Then there was an instance three years ago at the homecoming dance. One girl had on the most beautiful baby blue dress you had ever seen, while you were stuck with a hand-me-down gown of the same colour. You prayed aloud that night in front of your bed, that you would one day have the opportunity to wear a dress as nice as hers. But the prayer backfired when your mother overheard, then told you to march to the church the following morning to confess how you broke the tenth commandment of coveting thy neighbour’s goods.

As a whole, you thought there were never any major moments in your life where you sinned gravely. That was until you went to your friend’s house for Bible study on Saturday night. She hosted it weekly, and invited all the kids from school. Needless to say, only a handful of people appeared. Not that it wasn’t fun, the six of you would always spend a few hours going over passages, and then eat a nice dinner afterwards. Truly, you looked forward to it since there weren’t other things you were invited to in town.

So when this past Saturday rolled around where the first epistle to the Corinthians was read, specifically the sixth chapter and eighteenth verse — your group started to analyze it as normal. But, little did you know that this was the day your heart would drop the hardest it ever has.

‘The sexually immoral person sins against their own body,’ the people in the room repeated the verse over and over, like a chant taunting you and your actions.

It was the first time you walked into the confessional on a Sunday afternoon with shaky legs and an intensely beating heart. You told the priest what you told your friend, trying to rid yourself of the sins you unknowingly committed. But he stopped you, his voice only getting louder as he gave you guidance on your next steps. ‘Stop doing that,’ he said, ‘God may not be so quick to forgive you if you give into the Devil’s temptations so often.’ Then after he assigned you a penance of five Hail Marys and going through the rosary twice, you were gone.

All you could think as you took your first steps outside, were words that should never cross your mind. Not now, not ever.

If sinning is so bad, then why does it feel so good?

-:-:-:-:-

As the day ended, and a new week of school began — your guilt never went away. Teasing you from the back of your subconscious as you walked home, ate dinner, and failed at doing some homework that was due a few days later.

It had been three days since the last time you unknowingly sinned, two days since you found out what it was, and one day since the priest’s voice scared you to the point of no return. Everything affected you gravely, that even once you walked into school Monday morning, the noises from the other students became a muffled and chaotic mess in your ears. So much so, that as you were shakily getting things out of your locker, you didn’t even notice movement from the one next to yours.

“You look stressed, sweetheart.” The voice startled you, only amplifying your inner-guilt, since you spent the past few moments focusing on shutting the voices up in your head, rather than greeting your favourite locker neighbour.

But what made you feel guiltiest of all, was that he is the one who inspired these sins of yours.

The throbbing ache between your legs felt good, and the way your pillow helped relieve that ache felt even better. If you were able to feel this level of delight every night, then why not think of someone who made you feel the same way? — the question plagued your mind nightly, during the moments you were oblivious to committing a sin.

Little did you know that it was truly sexual in meaning.

There was only one person who made you feel equally as amazing with their words and actions. Your locker neighbour to the right, Eddie Munson.

Several moments replayed in your head. Like the time he kept calling you ‘pretty girl’ because you decided to wear a skirt on the first day of Spring. Then, you remember how his calloused fingers felt when they were so close to your face after he brushed your hair from your neck; making sure to linger on your sensitive skin before mentioning how beautiful the silver crucifix looked on you. There were so many times after that too. From his deep voice whispering in your ear to ask if you needed a ride home while you both were in study hall; to his arms wrapping a sweater around your shoulders during lunch when the school’s heater broke. The Hawkins townspeople claimed him as a spawn of the Devil, but you named him as the only true friend you had. The only person to make the butterflies in your stomach tingle every time he spoke to you.

“I-I’m not, it’s just I can see now why Mondays aren’t people’s favourite,” you responded, still staring into the vastness of your locker. Thinking about how your start to the week wasn't so great as it usually is.

Eddie had opened the metal door completely, removing the barrier between the two of you. “But, Mondays are always your favourite because you get to see me after a painstakingly long forty-eight hours,” he pouted while trying to get you to giggle at his dramatics.

It worked.

“Well, I normally see you around the fourth period. This is the earliest you’ve been at school for a while.”

“Mondays are the worst because my homeroom teacher loves putting tests at the buttcrack of dawn,” Eddie groaned, while holding up the notes you loaned him at the beginning of the year since you already took the biology course before.

“Well, good luck, I’m gonna go—” no matter how much you loved talking to him, and how warm he made you feel, Eddie was part of your current predicament. So seeing him now made your heart ache in the worst way.

As you went to grab the locker door to close it, Eddie lightly grabbed your wrist. “I saw you leaving the church yesterday. You looked so,” he paused, moving his head downwards to meet you at eye-level, before continuing. “Sad, you looked so sad. I even called out your name a few times so I could give you a ride home, but you kept walking, so I assumed you didn’t hear me.”

So it was the Devil’s spawn shouting your name as you made your way home; not the Devil himself making you feel guilty for your actions. It was just your friend who wanted to look out for you.

Eddie continued: “or maybe you’re ignoring me,” he pouted with feign-sadness.

“Oh, uh-uhm it was just a really tiring day and I guess the voices in my head were too loud,” it was only partially a lie.

“If something’s bothering you—”

“Nothing’s bothering me, honestly,” this one was a lie, and it came out a bit too easily. But all you could focus on now was the feeling of Eddie’s thumb stroking small circles on the soft skin of your wrist.

He looked you up and down suspiciously before saying, “you know you can tell me anything, right?”

“I do.”

“So whatever is going through your mind, let me know. Who am I to judge anyways?” He winked before letting go of your wrist.

You nodded, seriously contemplating if you wanted to have a confessional with your little Devil. Just as you stared at him with eyes full of conflict, the bell rang. Instead of responding, you softly said your farewell. “Anyways, see you later during fourth period, if you decide to come again.”

It was the only class Eddie had a perfect attendance score in, but he would never let you know that you’re the reason why.

-:-:-:-:-

By the time English class rolled along, you didn’t realize just how much your body was moving itself robotically. Going through the movements you’ve been so used to doing for the years you’ve been in high school. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, thankfully. First period was a calculus lesson, history happened afterwards with a lecture on the French Revolution, then a substitute showed up for geography during third period so that was a boring class. All throughout those hours, you kept quiet; because the wrath of the Angel on your shoulder, condemning you for your sins, was becoming far too much. To even think about answering questions the teachers asked was mentally exhausting.

It all came to a peak once you sat on your chair for fourth period English — the only class you had with Eddie this semester, and of course, the only class everyone sat at long desks that held two people. As you looked out the window to the dark blue skies of Autumn, your conscience kept telling you to be careful. You were about to sit next to the boy who amplified your senses as you sinned. Goodness knows how he’ll react to the news if you told him.

What would he think if he found out you think about his hands helping guide your hips nightly, or his voice telling you ‘you’re so beautiful’ when you finally find the climax of your relief, or his lips kissing your —

“You’re still so tense,” the voice brought you out of your haze for the second time today. But this time, Eddie’s warm hand was on the top of your left thigh; the set of thighs you unknowingly went from bouncing one second to squeezing together the next.

“Just tired, maybe I’ll nap when I get home,” you sighed. Truly, it has been three days since the bane of your guilt was committed. You could barely sleep now that you’ve stopped doing your nightly routine.

“Take a nap in my van, I have cute pillows in there,” he scrunched his nose as he teased you, then released your thigh to stretch his arms in the air.

Thinking of how your class went to the zoo for a field trip once, and Eddie found the scariest-looking bats cute, you replied sweetly: “your definition of cute is not really the same as mine.”

“But, I think you’re cute, don’t you?” Eddie loved to make you blush with his not-so-suave comments. Said it was practice for whenever he goes to the bars and flirts with girls there. But he never was able to make them flustered in the way you always were.

You saw the teacher walk into class in your peripheral vision, and prayed that would mean you didn’t need to talk to your locker and desk neighbour for the next three quarters of an hour. “I’m not,” you shyly say while looking away from The Dealer completely.

“You’re such a good girl too,” his voice was deeper than normal.

He was wrong. So wrong. The guilt in your heart only deepens as his words echo in your ear, along with the voices of your priest telling you need to repent for your sins. If this day couldn’t have gotten any worse, of course the muse of your sinful thoughts believes you’re a good girl when you aren’t.

“I-I’m—” your words are saved by the bell and your teacher’s voice which booms through the classroom. You thought you were safe, thought that until lunch you could get away with not looking at the boy who makes you unknowingly rub your legs together. But no, the day that was going downhill, just hit rock bottom.

“This class is a bit different, it will be a work period since I’m assigning you a small project due Wednesday. That’s not a lot of time, so today will be a work period then tomorrow we will have a lesson. I hope that you all can get the project finished after school over the next couple days.”

Doing a small project wouldn't be so bad, would it? The curiousity sat in your brain momentarily before your thoughts went haywire. The teacher paired you off, specifically with the people you were sitting next to, where each duo would need to analyze and present a different chapter of The Picture of Dorian Gray. So after a beat of silence once the teacher’s explanation was over, the class erupted in murmured voices and squeaky chairs. But you couldn’t get yourself to move to face your project partner.

“Don’t kill me but, we may need to finish this tonight because tomorrow—”

“You have your g-gig, I remember,” spreading out your time with Eddie would have helped your intensifying sinful thoughts subside. At least until you got over your bad habit. But now, you both had to do this for your grades — mainly his — so there was no time to lose. Maybe this could be a positive distraction.

“How about we work on it today right after school so we can get it over with?” he suggests.

“Alright, I guess skipping band practice one time wouldn’t be so bad,” you start shaking your left leg again. If you were a sinner, why not fall down the path of delinquency — your tendency to accept defeat a little too quickly, and then spiral, was catching up to you now.

Eddie notices, and touches your thigh again to calm you down like he has so many times before, even a few minutes ago. Although now, you move your leg away from his grip. “No, no, no, you go be a good girl and head to band practice, then I’ll pick you up afterwards and we'll run to the library,” he says trying not to sound disappointed that you backed away from his touch.

“I’ll finish probably a little after half-past three today since there’s only one song to practice,” you state while opening the book to the assigned chapter. “What will you do while you wait?”

“Oh, you know, maybe do some buying and selling,” The Dealer says nonchalantly.

“Shopping?” you ask innocently.

“Of sorts,” he mimes the act of smoking a joint in your direction, and you look at him curiously before understanding what he meant. You remember your father telling you it’s not a good idea to be friends with your locker neighbour because he’s a sinner who does the Devil’s drugs.

Guess he rubbed off on you, while you rubbed off on something else.

The pang of guilt hit you again. Like a stab to the heart from God himself. Tonight, you’ll do penance until you sleep, before the Devil on your shoulder tells you to commit your sinfully bad habit again. “R-right,” you say quietly. “Let’s get started then, you have to stay focused, Eddie, do you promise?”

“Pinky promise, my dear,” he grabs your fingers that are so much smaller than his, and hooks his pinky onto yours. “Only if you promise to focus too. You’ve been zoning out all day long. When you walk from class to class it looks like you’re constantly about to puke.”

“I do not,” you say in a defiant whisper.

“So do,” he teases. “Listen, if I promise to stay focused the entire time while we try and finish this project, you’re gonna tell me why you’re acting this way. It’s worrying me.”

You pause, looking at Eddie’s weirdly mischievous eyes as he starts to rub the bottom of your back. “There’s nothing really bothering me, though.”

“You’re lying, aren’t you, pretty girl?” his fingers started circling in a pattern that brought pleasurable shivers up your spine. After years of giving you featherlight touches — because that’s what friends do, he said one day — he knew exactly where to grasp your body to make you relax.

“Let me think about it,” you slightly give in. However, you can’t get yourself to admit, again, how badly you want to confess your sins to the one who inspired them.

He notices how you started to squeeze your thighs together again during this class. “That’s all I ask,” Eddie chuckles before moving his hands to your waist to move your body closer to himself. “Now, don’t kill me again, but I didn’t read the chapter. Or the book, so,” he elongated the last word while looking at you with feign-innocence with his doe eyes and pursed lips.

One thing you unknowingly did admit, was just how easily you were able to fall for his manipulative ways.

-:-:-:-:-

As Eddie waited in his van for you to come out of band practice, all he could think about was how strange you’ve been acting throughout the day. You were always one to talk to him in shy tones as he would talk your ear off in any given conversation. Today was different though, and he wasn’t able to place a finger on it. What hurt him most was when you reacted to his touch by moving your leg away — a move you haven’t done in the years you had gotten used to his touch. Then, you didn’t join him for lunch like you did every Monday and Friday, since the other days you would be asked to join the band or church group tables.

Something was off, and Eddie feels like it has something to with the downcast image of you walking through Hawkins on Sunday afternoon. Today, he was going to figure it out.

Ever since the man found out his locker was next to yours on the first day of Freshman year, The Dealer became obsessed with you. Not that you noticed him often — Eddie was notorious for skipping class so much that even though you went to your locker between every class, you would only see him once a day during that year of high school. However, he definitely noticed you: your shyness, the way you kept your head down as you roamed the hallways to the next period, and how you had a tendency of jumping a little every time you closed your locker and saw him standing there at his.

The small silver crucifix that was dangling on your neck was the icing on the cake for Eddie. Realizing then, that you were an innocent Angel who went to Bible study and mass every week. While he could only ask God why He put him in such a shitty place with even shittier parents.

Your innocence astounded him — like when people would joke around about how you didn’t know what sex was, all you would do is blush; or how one time a Senior basketball player walked up to your locker and invited you on a date. He was infamous for keeping a list of all the girls he took the virginities of, and you were his next target. The only thing you did though, was thank him and tell him that Bible study was scheduled to be a long one this week so you would rather go to that.

Something possessive leaped out of Eddie that day as he overheard the conversation from behind the metal door. He had to have you, had to know what it was like to roam your mind. He would do anything to make sure you were his.

So he did. Slowly, as the days passed, he would start talking to you more, trying to get you out of your little shell. You were so quiet that sometimes he would need to get close to your figure as you spoke — not that he minded of course. Eddie genuinely did love your innocence and how you didn’t even realize that he was being a flirtatious pervert when he complimented you. That every time he mentioned you were wearing something nice that day, he would go home and picture fucking you in only that piece of clothing or jewelry. His favourite, being the image of you wearing only that tiny silver crucifix you both loved so much.

Then there were the touches you had grown accustomed to. Eddie would invite you to sit with him during lunch — where he would lightly touch your fingers as he went to steal a fry off your tray. Afterwards, he would take his perverted compliments further, by straightening out the fabric of your skirt or shirt collar for you even if it just came from the dry cleaners. The Dealer would do anything to have an excuse to caress your skin for one moment.

You had asked him one day when you had visited his home to watch a movie: “you touch me a lot, why?”

“Do you not like it? Sorry, I just really enjoy—” if he wasn’t already worried about the fact that you were in his trailer for the first time, his heart dropped at the thought that you might hate him for his touch.

“No,” you would never want to make Eddie feel guilty for his actions. Youth group lessons taught you better than that, since it was only right to be accepting of everyone. “What I mean is, I don’t see many other friends do that with each other and I feel bad for them.”

It was his turn to be curious now. “What do you mean?”

“Your touches are nice, Eddie, so soft and sweet. I wish that all people would feel as nice as this with their friends too.” Look at you being charitable with your experiences — when these touches were only meant for you.

“That’s what friends do, they find ways to make their friends feel good.”

“Do you want me to do it for you too?” you reach out to touch his shoulder awkwardly, but you weren’t one to enjoy touching other people yourself.

“Not if you don’t want to. You make me feel good by being there for me when I need it. While I do the same for you, when you need someone to support you,” it’s true; even through all his indecent intentions, Eddie truly found an innocent and friendly warmth within himself for you, besides his love of wanting to be more than friends.

You look at him with sweet eyes to innocently ask the next question. “Then may you please rub my back like you do sometimes? It makes my heartbeat calm down and this movie is scary.”

“Of course, Angel,” it was right then, Eddie realized how much he loved it when you were needy.

“I wish I could have you do this whenever my cousins want to watch horror movies with me. Honestly, my parents don’t even know I’m here. But I just like your tou–”

“Tsk tsk, so naughty. Where do they think you are?”

“Am not,” you exclaimed and Eddie could tell your heart was beating a lot faster than before so he started to rub sweet circles on your back. “Plus, they think I’m watching a movie at a friend’s house, just don’t know who. It’s not a lie. I’m still a good girl.”

“Yes, you are,” he proclaimed deeply, realizing his rebel tendencies have inspired you. While you nearly moaned as your heartbeat stabilized, his touch and his voice made you feel so much better.

When Eddie was home alone that night, he couldn’t stop replaying the small whimpers of yours he memorized. If it was the hormones, or your innocent eagerness to be alone with him and let him touch you — he would never know which one he loved more.

Eddie was a sinner, he knew that, and was able to empower himself with the label. No matter how many times people around Hawkins would rebuke him as the Devil, or how often he would get stares from kids at school as he started to talk to you more: none of it phased him. What he loved most about you was how easily your innocence became obliviousness when it came to his sins – that you would hear about them and refuse to believe he was such a bad person because he was always so nice to you. Eddie couldn’t seem to understand why.

What he did understand though, was that his biggest sin was that every damn day of his life he was on the path of no return when it came to wanting to corrupt your virtue. To make all of his fantasies become a reality as he wanted to slowly make you addicted to him.

Did you figure it out? Is that why you were so awkward with him throughout the day? Why did you beg for his familiar touch in his memories, but pull away today?

Eddie’s mind moved at a million miles a minute, unsure of what was going on. But one thing was for sure: he was going to find out exactly what was hurting you, and he was going to do everything in his power to relieve that pain.

A small tap on the driver door window brought him out of his overstimulated thoughts. “Are you ready to go?” Your voice was muffled by the barrier, but Eddie was able to hear you before nodding.

He chuckled at your tendency to knock everywhere before you entered. Even with the van, you never approached it first unless he was already in it, or opened the door for you — that was mainly because The Dealer wanted to have some semblance of being a gentleman to you, even if he took that opportunity to touch your back to guide you into your seat.

“So the library?” Eddie asked as he watched you put your bag on the floor and straighten your skirt in the seat, not looking him in the eye as you respond.

“Y-yeah, it probably won’t be crowded since it’s a Monday.”

You were wrong, so wrong. It looks like all of the English teachers assigned similar group projects to their classes, since the library was filled to the brim with students from all grades cooped up at tables. You started to get nervous, the library was going to be your saving grace as you worked on this project.

“Should we go to my place?” He asked while tugging on the strap of your backpack lightly to get your attention.

“No,” you exclaimed a little too loudly, shocking Eddie a bit. “We can j-just go to mine instead.”

If you two finished the tasks at his trailer, then you felt as if it was walking into the Devil’s lair — a place where Eddie sinned like your parents said he did. The memories of the times your friend made you feel warm were enough to commit your treacherous acts; goodness knows how you’ll be when you’re in a room where everything is him.

While bringing the Devil reincarnate into your home wasn’t the best idea, your house had your Bible and other religious paraphernalia to protect you from giving into temptation. But, that’s also the place where you committed your unknowing sin, night after night — you thought.

These conflicting thoughts were about to be the death of you, as long as the annoying throbbing between your legs and Eddie’s teasingly sinister voice didn’t get you first.

-:-:-:-:-

[demeterdefence]

Thinking about your "Rachel bashing og greek myths" post, methinks she believed herself to be making greek culture a favor similarly to the author of The Phantom of Manhattan, the unofficial sequel to The Phantom of the Opera

In the preface, the author begins by saying that Phantom, unlike Frankenstein or Dracula, barely made a dent in world culture until Andrew Lloyd Webber came along to make the musical, which he considers the "true" version even tho like...it wouldn't exist without the novel! He bashes Gaston Leroux and basically states that his attempt at writing failed miserably and it's like DUDE, again, the musical and your problematic sequel wouldn't even exist without it, and just because it was bigger in France than in the usa it doesn't mean it had zero impact in culture

But of COURSE unless it's usa-approved then it doesn't count and isn't worth anything *sarcasm*

PHENOMENAL point, FANTASTIC point, absolutely true and correct

i can't be a total dick and say this is an issue solely created and implemented by rachel, because we've seen non-western cultures and religions absolutely whitewashed to hell and back - like, people have been drawing jesus of the bible as white for centuries when he was a middle eastern palestinian jewish man, and good god look what the west has done to the religions of india, china, and japan. but it's the way these kinds of stories drip with a sort of smugness in removing the original culture, in depicting it as backwards and broken.

rachel wants to claim she's making a feminist retelling, but the original myth was already feminist. ancient greece didn't pretend their society was not fiercely male dominated and patriarchal, and hades stealing persephone was absolutely in line with the traditional myths - the twist is that demeter wins. demeter punishes the male gods who stole her daughter, and the ferocity of her rage and grief forces hades and zeus to give in. if persephone hadn't eaten the pomegrante seeds, she wouldn't be in the underworld at all! this is a story that is so clearly a triumph for the mothers and daughters of ancient greece, of many worlds over, because it depicted explicitly that a mother's love was more powerful than even the gods. and rachel pisses all over that.

literally even going beyond that, looking at the society that is olympus and the underworld - all the technology they use, all the innovations they have. who exactly is making these??? where exactly is the material coming from??? you can handwave away most of the inventions by saying it's magic, but we've seen demeter talk about algebra, which was invented in the ninth century by a muslim scholar from persia. in speedrunning to this so called perfect modernized world, rachel actually erases the cultural offerings and developments of dozens of other ancient worlds, and kind of just gives the credit to the underworld, which is run by a slave driver.

persephone constantly bemoans the dullness of the mortal realm, and prefers to literally lounge around doing nothing, when the mortal realm is inventing the olympic games, the democratic forum, FOOTBALL. you have thousands of things to show the gods involved in - largely because the gods were the patrons!!! why do we never see zeus looking over the olympic games??? they happen in his sanctuary!!!

like the disdain rachel has for ancient greece is insane. she can't even bother to research the food typical of the time period, seeing as she writes persephone being looked down on for being vegetarian when vegetables were a key and staple diet of ancient greece. one could argue that a vast majority of ancient greece were vegetarian by general habit. she's baking cheesecake and french desserts and having fast food and carrot cake and maybe - maybe - she'll mention baklava. the ancient greeks are FAMOUS for their art, but we sure wouldn't know that from lore olympus. the only character who even references ancient greek music is apollo, with his lyre, and that's not exactly a ringing endorsement.

and this is not to say that an adaption has to follow the ancient text to a t - that's just not feasible and no one is expected to do so. but there's really something to how rachel does dismiss or ignore the canonical importance of so many of these stories to replace them with a western interpretation. even the therapy speak is grating. in episode 227, when persephone is talking about the concept of virginity, she's absolutely correct in pointing out how that's largely a social construct - but in light of the world she lives in and the world she helps control, the same idea could have been reached through means other than americanized psych talk.

so often, people will look back at the ancient world and think we are morally superior because we do not have the same views, or we have seemingly "developed." that is a view i abhor, because it removes the very act of learning and developing and understanding. rachel really talked big about how removing the incest of ancient greece made the story better, but incidentally, she managed to also take out the feminism, and literally the entire lgbt culture of ancient greece. apollo was even considered the patron of homosexuality! he was called to bless same-sex unions! zeus had DOZENS of male lovers; ares, hephestus, and hermes had known male relationships, and several of the ancient heroes and gods of greek mythology were described in terms we would refer to as transgender in modern times.

if rachel had gone "i'm writing a love story that's originally inspired by the myth of persephone and hades but it's very much modern and removed from the myths" that would be one thing, and i would not be bristling at that; myths have inspired countless stories over the centuries and will continue to do so for centuries to come. the problem is rachel wants to claim a rooting in these myths with zero understanding of how they work or why they work, and absolutely lets her contempt for the ancients shine through in every single aspect of her comic. it's gross and it's petty and she deserves none of the self-appointed "mythology expert" she's given herself.

[piinkyypriincess]

SWEET SUMMER ORANGE

Targaryen Dynasty x Fem!Teen!OC

"Green must find her way to orange, or all is lost. The dragons will dance and die, surrounded by fire and blood."

Multiple Main Pairings!

Main Focus ~ Fem!OC and Targaryen Dynasty (Yandere, Obsessive, Protective)

Warnings ~ Intense Fictional Religions and condescension.

Spoilers ~ Tons!!

Masterpost ~ Here.

Beta Read/Edited ~ No (No Beta Lmao)

Word Count ~ 2.9k Words.

Chp Summary ~ Shaeneera Qo comes across Aemond Targaryen by chance and Alicent Hightower by choice. The Seven Pointed Star of The Seven is seen every inch in the Keep. It seems less like a religion and more like a cult, but hey, it's just her opinion.

Chp 4 ~ The Seven Pointed Star.

Shaeneera Ryn didn't mind the Red Keep, unlike the rest of her family.

King's Landing had a stench to it that smelt of waste and unwashed breeches. Somehow, the Keep smelt like musky leather oil and summer fruits. 

The scent was pleasant to her nose, it reminded her of Omboru island in the Summer Isles where the warriors trained. The smell was legions kinder to her youngest sister, Vhagarhā, who had sharper senses than all her sisters. 

The girl was nearly sick for the majority of the ride in the city.

The Seven pointed star being displayed in nearly every corner had Shaeneera swallowing bile.

The House Targaryen was known to still worship Valyrian God's, despite remaining tolerant of other religions. The Faith of the Seven was opposed to everything that practically made a Valyrian.

Maesters, Septa's, and Septons practically seemed to run the Keep as they scrambled around doing their duties. One could say that the Red Keep was transformed into a Sept.

If the rumors were true of what an informant told her Mother; the King really was laying on his deathbed and it was only a matter of time before the Westerosi realm split apart.

Shaeneera assumed that was the reasoning behind why the Qo monarchy was invited to King's Landing.

The blonde could only hope that the Summer Isles were not going to be involved in such dirty Westerosi politics.

The people, both low born and high born, were not quite what she was expecting. It's not to say that the Princess of the Isle of Women was foreign to politicking; she attended every board meeting at the end of the month and had a seat on it as well.

The lords of Westeros seemed to stare at her like she was an accessory to her surrogate Father, the King Xando. Their hungry eyes intended to eat her alive and split the flesh from her bones without mercy.

The ladies looked upon the royal family with disgust, turning their noses up or tilting their faces away from the guests of the Keep.

It was only when the family's personal guards circled them was Shaeneera given relief from the fiery gazes that flamed her skin.

Just about all of her sisters had abnormal features that set them apart from the people in the Summer Islands, not that the native people minded. In Westeros however, they were especially peculiar.

As a child born in The Isle of Women, sun blonde hair is quite uncommon, regardless of skin tone. Majority of the inhabitants of The Isle of Women had an olive complexion, dark black hair, and matching dark eyes.

Shaeneera had ebony skin that would shine like bronze in the sunlight and turned starlight blue in the moonlight. 

Her hair was a light gold shade that mocked both a Lannister and a Valyrian. 

Her eyes however, were the one thing that was common within the Rhoynish heritage of the Isle of Women.

Dark brown eyes that seemed dragonglass black were apparent in some. Others had sea blue eyes that glittered, not like the clear shallow waters found on beaches, but like the deep trenches far out into the Sunset Sea.

Her eyes were that of the ocean, connecting her to the water she appreciated. 

In the country of the Summer Island's, there was no issue with her appearance.

But being a foreign, brown skinned Princess with blonde hair was a conundrum for the Westerosi folk.

“I heard that the Mother's a Targaryen bastard!” One hissed outraged, sounding older with a nasal hitch in her voice.

Another hushed her, “Do not speak loudly, they say the tall one's a siren,” she said with a high pitched whimper.

One laughed, “A siren? How outrageous! I heard she was a whore with that garb on!” The women all unanimously giggled at the last ladies comment whilst fretting amongst their duty of folding towels.

On the Summers Isle, they were respected and looked upon with gratitude.

It didn't matter how they looked or what they wore, most of the people of the Summers Isle loved them regardless. The royal family was appreciated for keeping the cities clean and making sure the people were healthy. 

In King's Landing, Shaeneera quickly realized that the people treated them like a plague. The ladies and lords stared as if they would turn anything they touched into ash.

A scrunch took to the middle of her brow, her lips turned downwards into a scowl. Walking past the open maids quarters, she cleared her throat and pressed her lips into a thin line.

Each one of the laughing women turned to look at the interruption of their laughter, their lips drawing into the shape of an ‘o’. One of the ladies gasped, seemingly younger than the other two women, she was almost around her older sister's age.

“Princess,” the nasal one bowed first, sounding half as witty from before.

The youngest one's eyes went wide, she dropped the towel she was folding in realization. Shaeneera propped a gold blonde brow up in amusement, a whimper of fear followed her action as the stunned one bowed.

"Westerosi maids are afraid," the blue eyed teenager realized. They squirmed at a royals presence rather than welcoming it. The foreign girl truly wondered how people felt comfortable residing in such a house filled with gossip and fear.

The staff of the Qo House that was welcomed into the Goldenheart Palace was practically family. 

Shaeneera couldn't imagine not having a close bond with the people lived with. “Are the Targaryens not afraid of a coup or assassinations happening from within?” She thought to herself, amused.

Dragon fire might be strong, but Targaryens were not invincible. They may have been closer to God's than men, but that could've been said for plenty of different races of people.

That could have been said for her who could make the waters bend at will with just her mind alone.

Shaeneera's eye caught the gaze of the oldest maid who crunched her brows in confusion as she bowed. The older woman looked well into her middle ages, skin drooping slightly and crows feet in the corners of her eyes. 

The woman's dull brown eyes were caught on the sight of her circlet, she realized.

Shaeneera wore a circlet made of silvers, diamonds, and a singular blue sapphire. The diamonds were the size of a thumb each; gaudy and sparkling as the large circle diamonds covered most of her head. There were three gems that rested against her forehead, sapphire in the middle.

The dark blue sapphire brushed against the space between her brow, more noticeable than the diamonds.

The ebony skinned girl forgot about the jewelry that adorned her head, despite its weight.

She was grateful to be the second daughter to the crown; no burden heaved on her heart or squoze her head.

The servant women kneeled before her, one rubbing a seven pointed star with fervor. The teen of ten and nine scowled in disbelief.

The Summer Islands allowed free practices of religion despite the Island's having their own Gods. Majority of the inhabitants prayed to the twenty different Somerset Deities. 

Shaeneera did not pray to the same God's and Goddesses, but she had respect for them. However, Shaeneera had never witnessed a land so dependent on their religion.

The Princess swallowed thickly, folding her hands in front of her exposed stomach properly. 

It felt as if her heart had fallen into stomach, and the acid started to tear away at the organ. 

“We give our deepest apologies, Princess!” Shaeneera's right eye twitched in annoyance at the woman's scratchy voice wobbling. The black beauty mark under her eye jumped with the movement, but all the women saw was anger.

Shaeneera rolls her eyes with annoyance, “Rise ladies, I intend not to harm you,” The women scrambled from the floor with tears glistening in their eyes.

“Thank you, Princess,” The same one sobbed out, clutching the sides of her Targaryen red gown nervously.

“Don't let the other Lord's hear you, ladies,” She warned, staring stoic at the women. The girl didn't find their treasonous words insulting particularly, she almost found them amusing as she listened to the gossip.

Stepping away from the ladies, she nodded firmly. Leaving the maid's quarters open, the teen turned away before she could even witness them curtsey.

A curtsey is given to those you respect, those women had no respect for her or her family. 

That fact was the only thing that made her anger spike. Shaeneera clenched her jaw so tight she could feel her molars dig into her gums, along with the dull ache of pain.

Taking two steps outside the door, she was so preoccupied inside her own mind that she was almost greeted with the chest of a man.

Quickly, she moved a pace backwards. She muttered an apology without even looking at her almost-victim of rage induced clumsiness.

Shaeneera didn't have a keen sense of smell like Vhagarhā, but she could pinpoint the scent of freshly washed linen and sulfur on the man's skin. 

Looking up through her cosmetics coated lashes, Shaeneera stared at the singular purple-blue eye of the man in front of her.

His other eye is covered by a brown leather eyepatch.

The man's face is angular and sharp with the classic aristocratic features of a Targaryen. High cheekbones blessed his face, they were sharp and prominent with a light dust of pink splotches around the bridge of his straight nose.

No, it wasn't due to an imperfection, Shaeneera noticed – it looked as if he'd been hit.

White hair is a unique trait to those of Valarian descent, but his was different from the silver-gold of the majority. His tresses resembled looking at the shiny coat of pearls, an ivory shade that draped around his head and down his back. 

“Princess,” The man bowed slightly forward, grasping her left hand in his right one. The girl hadn't even noticed when he slipped his fingers through her own – she was too entranced with his presence alone.

Shaeneera curtseys, bowing her head slightly, “Prince,” She replies back, not losing the firmness in her voice.

The one-eyed Prince has a smirk plastered on his face, the gentle uptick of the sides of his lips was almost sinister.

The Prince grips her hand hard with a firm grasp that has her wishing to break away. He exuded the aura of a predator, wishing to stalk wild prey that stumbled upon his den.

Shaenyra doesn't gasp, she doesn't move an inch as the Prince stares into her dark ocean eyes with a dangerous interest. His gaze has her head spinning, even as she appears unimpressed.

Aemond breaks eye contact first, his pride wounded seemingly as he heaves out a breathy chuckle. The laugh seemed to come from deep within his chest, his eye shining with amusement.

When his eye traced the gems of her circlet and pale golden hair, his expression seemed to sour. 

The man transformed his expression with a flare of his nose, he huffed an aggravated sigh. His top lip curled upward into a twisted look of disgust and his purple eye started to glitter like the sea around his pupil. 

Shaeneera couldn't tell if he was entranced, amused, or disgusted with her presence.

Either way how the man felt, he glared down at her dark blue eyes like he was wishing to pick her apart for what she was. 

Shaeneera wouldn't give the Prince the satisfaction of getting under her skin; she thinks she cares too little of arguing to actually indulge in one of unimportance.

The man goes to speak, smirk tacked on his face and arrogance seeping out of every pore in his body.

Shaeneera quickly cuts the man off before he can get a word in, a sentence rushing out of her mouth, “Apologies, i'm heading to the library and must be on my way,” The woman waits while she's speaking for Aemonds hold to go slack and she pulls away from the Prince with polite small smile.

Aemonds hands were rough against her soft ones. The palms were torn and calloused, no doubt from sparring. He seemed strong with a muscular form and weighty grip, if push came to shove he could've easily overpowered her.

His hand pulls her back by the wrist once more, warm flesh zapping her with heat.  

“You are our guest, allow me to escort you,” His smirk is all arrogance that makes her sigh harshly through her nose. 

The taller man doesn't give her an option, pulling her hand to link with his arm as he all but drags her to start walking.

The prince sports a jet black tunic and breeches with the Targaryen signal embroidered into the leather in the left corner. There are black dragon scales at the shoulder pads of the tunic that makes the attire fit for a Targaryen.

She supposes he doesn't need to wear anything green as Vhagar wears it for him.

“Do I have something on my face?” He asks smugly. 

Shaeneera could scoff. Instead, she turns her head to look outside the windows of the keep in an attempt to ignore the older man.

The girl can feel the burn of his remaining lilac eye in the back of her skull. The second Princess of the Summers Isles does not falter, her eyes trying to find something else to occupy her mind with other than thoughts of the Prince.

The pair walks in silence for a while, Aemond seemingly bothered and Shaeneera taking in the Westerosi architecture that differed from the Islands. 

The attendants bowed and curtseyed to them as they walked by, so Shaeneera pulled her lips into a gentle half smile to be polite.

A stone path leads them outside near an edge of the Godswood, and she can spot the stairwell to the Library in the front. The stairs were made of brick, just a short walk up to her destination.

Letting out a breath she starts to pick up speed with her steps. She hopes to find a fantasy book for Vhagarhā’s colorful mind to indulge in.

As she makes haste to the stairwell, a gleam of a gemstone flashes in her peripheral. Instinctively the Princess halts her step and turns to face the Godswood. 

A large Weirwood tree grows in the far corner by the wall and bushes, its pale bark and red leaves unmistakable as she searches for the cause of light.

Shaeneera knows what the back of her sister's head looks like; her ginger curls are unique with a look of spun diamond and gold highlighted in them. Her marmalade dress, that their Mother picked that morning, accented beautifully against the light brown-gold of her skin.

The pink gemstone was from Leng, a gorgeous milky pearlescent gem that specially caught light. Her youngest sister had a habit of socializing with others; the gem served as a locator for not only the royals, but her guards.

Shaeneera took a deep breath when noticing her small sister's company. The Viper Queen sat next to her sweet sister on a picnic blanket. 

The woman clad in Hightower green spoke to the youngest Princess with a soft smile as the girl chewed on a candied orange slice.

Vhagarhā’s doe eyes catch her hardened gaze. The girl tilts her head, questioning Shaeneera's expression silently. A few spirals of the child's curls fall loose from her low bun, and onto her cheek.

The Queen leans over a picnic basket and brushes a coil away from her face with a closed lip smile.

Shaeneera blinks slowly with a raised brow. 

The foreign woman notices the Queen's eyes move to stare at her, closed off with an air of mistrust around her. One of the Queen's hands goes to place itself on Vhagarhā's shoulder and the child welcomes it, leaning into the touch. 

The Summer Islanders are used to physical affection; it's how they bonded with each other whether it was sexual or platonic. The Westerosi were not as inclined to give such affections, and Shaeneera sighs again to herself in disbelief.

Vhagarhā's hands start to wave at the pair on the other side of the Godswood, her gold accessories shining in accent against her pale nut colored skin. 

Alicent rises from her place on the blanket and sends the child a smile from where she stands behind her. She moves her hands behind her back as she nods at them both, lips pressed in a thin line.

Dragons were dragons. It didnt matter if you were born into the possessive nature or adapting to it.

Shaeneera knew that and she could feel the carnage happening now.

The rest of the moon's course was bound to be eventful, to say the least, as they stayed in the Red Keep.

“That one is quite… friendly, right Princess?” Aemonds smooth posh voice takes her out of her thoughts.

The Princess scowls at the man, then she moves to pull him to walk with her as their arms are linked.

At her annoyance, the teenager noticed how his eye glittered like a purple sunset hitting the ocean waves. 

Shaeneera bit the side of her cheek, dispelling the thought.

“The Viper Queen is just as vicious looking as they say,” She thinks instead.

Alicent's eyes were squinted into a judgemental stare, and snake green was a part of every aspect of her dress instead of ruby red. 

A silver Seven pointed star is hung around the Queen Alicent's neck, and Shaeneera could roll her eyes back into her skull at the sight.

Shaeneera didn't discriminate, but that star was starting to feel like a bad omen that left the taste of ash in her mouth.

[minecraftbookshelf]

Religion in the Empires: Fae Squad Edition

General disclaimer that, for the most part, the religions in the empires are not analogous to Christianity at all, beyond the general inevitable flavors that come from both the ccs and myself originating in culturally Christian environments.

The exception to this is a little bit the Rivendell siblings, as the way that was set up in canon and grown in the fandom does lend itself to some very Christianity-oriented looks at religion and religious trauma and, at least to an extent, that will be playing out. It will not be a major theme in anything most likely, but it’s there.

And reminder that the modern western approach to religion is historically unusual.

Katherine:

As Guardian of the Overgrown who is able to communicate with the Spring, Katherine culturally functions as a sort of priestess/conduit for Nature. Its actually a similar role to the one Pix holds in Pixandria in some ways, while being distinct because the Spring is less of a god in a pantheon (like the goddess of death that Pix is connected to) and is instead The Overgrown itself.

House Blossom is only one of the Fae Courts but all of them are more animistic than their more mortally-aligned neighbors.

Smajor:

The reform method of dealing with religious trauma. Is genuinely very religious on a personal level and so is kind of the default royal for presiding at religious events that Xornoth is technically ineligible for (elaborated on below)

On a more general level, Aeor’s church is one of Scott’s favorite places. It was the one place he could hide from his parents during the worst years and even the priests generally didn’t bother him there. When he’s mad at Xornoth it’s where he goes because he knows he won’t be followed. So aside from any religious aspects the church building is a Safe Space for him.

That being said does have some deep-running trauma from the fundamentalist practices and ideals that ruled during his parent’s reign and his childhood.

Xornoth:

“I will face god and walk backwards into hell.” Has a literal god living in their head and refuses to do what any god wants ever. Especially the one in their head.

Their relationship with Aeor is extremely complicated, mostly because they (Xornoth and Aeor) are in a weird sort of stasis where they can’t be openly hostile to each other because that would make Exor happy and Scott sad, which they’ve sort of reluctantly concluded are both things neither of them want to happen, to varying degrees. Xornoth avoids Aeor’s church, Aeor leaves Scott alone and continues to bless Rivendell with the usual level of protection and prosperity and they sort of continue through life ignoring each other.

Xornoth was officially labeled as a blasphemer by the high priest of Aeor under their parents’ rule, technically that was never rescinded but the current high priest doesn’t enforce or draw attention to it. (The main reason it hasn’t been rescinded is equal parts it is technically theologically accurate and Xornoth finds it funny/is very proud of it)

Shrub Berry:

As an inter-dimensional refugee they spent some time existing in a sort of religious limbo. The gnomes were very much about casual worship of the local patrons and she doesn’t know who protects the Undergrove for quite some time. Meeting the Mother Wolf is a huge relief for her, though the close connection that the Mother Wolf initiated was a bit of a shock.

-

Ocean Alliance

Wither Rose Alliance

[ladykinrannoch]

I’m sorry I know you have an interest in tarot yourself but I’ve realized the tarot readers may be where all the nasty rumors are starting. There’s also one astrologer blog here saying there’s an upcoming storm for the Wales fandom, and the way this blog says it, it’s like something really ominous. I tend to be a pessimistic person who always thinks things are going to go badly, which is why I find it hard to brush it off when some random person on the internet is saying stuff like that as much as I just want to ignore it or brush it off as nonsense. I have to say I am not very good with differentiating between anxiety and intuition. I tend to be a bit paranoid. Idk if this is just paranoia, but I am scared for the coming days because of this particular blog’s warnings.

So this is an interesting observation and reminds me of a discussion we had at our Church of Wiccan Culture last week about living a spiritual life in the mundane world and one in which there are lots of muggles, and one of the most common tools we discussed was employing discernment. So this answer is not about tarot, it is about living in the divine light and how to do that! But this post also led me rather nicely into a Saturday Morning Tarot by Lady Kinrannoch. (skip to the end if you don't want to read the preamble)

As I foresaw and said to my then husband back in 2007 that it seemed to me that social media had the potential to become evil, in fact I asked him whether social media was possibly an aspect of Satan. This is long before I turned from institutional religion to embrace the Old Ways and Old Gods. Satan is a construct of organised religion, it is meant to keep you in line through fear and guilt. My journey to enlightenment started then as I began to embrace the aspects of me that always meant I felt like I did not fit in, and did not get answers in the bible or from religion. I started reading the Gnostic texts, explored Kabbalah, esoterism, hermeticism etc. and more and more I was drawn to Paganism or what we call The Wiccan Way. (please note that Paganism is an umbrella term and that not all Pagans are Wiccans, there are many denominations of earth-based religions that identify as Pagans)

Now Pagan's are naturally drawn to nature and all that was created by the Divine Mother. Not man-made interventions. We believe that Mother Nature/Earth (Gaia) has provided everything we need to survive and that with the assistance of the Old Gods, we can awaken the Divine inside us and manifest love and light. It is why we are often referred to as light workers. We do not believe in Satan, but we do believe in "good and evil", in the aspects of light and dark (in Eastern religion Ying/Yang). No one is all light, everyone has some dark or shadow aspect. The Old Gods across multiple pantheons have light and dark aspects and represent the various Archetypes in the same way that the Tarot Major Arcana represent the 22 main Archetypes. So the discussion was about how to identify when you move off the path of the light and begin to become overcome by the darkness. When people are overcome by the darkness, they tend to become toxic, cultist and abusive; or depressed, anxious and stuck in victim energy, sort of fatalistic, giving up and giving in to Fate. There are many dark cults that frequently get incorrectly associated with Paganism and it is important to use discernment to avoid dark cults. True Paganism is about celebrating nature and following the light, which is why we have many fire festivals among the Sabbats in the Wheel of the Year.

Now I think we see this dark aspect of social media manifesting more and more where various groups of people are pushing their various agenda's. Back in the days with no social media platforms, there is no way you would have managed to get 70 to 80% of a population vaccinated with a trial vaccines with numerous early-on discovered side effects. I am not a denialist, I know there was risk with Covid which it now seems was indeed bio-engineered as part of a global plan to seize totalitarian control. I decided early on that I would not comply, I searched the Old Ways and naturopathy for solutions. I started a regime of supplements that made sense to me. and was also recommended by the FLCCC in the US by Dr Kory and Dr Malik. I have never had Covid despite meeting up with people with Covid to give them IvermectIn (ivm) for themselves or sick relatives. I have access to IVM because I have a breeding and show kennel and so I could order it via veterinary dispensers. Through the pandemic, my staff and I took it every week. None of us got sick. We stopped taking it weekly when Omicron started (Mother Nature, Gaia's intervention). Now we use it whenever one of us is coming down with something. Just this week I felt I was coming down with the flu that is doing the rounds, I took one dose and the next day I was 100% fine again. I take my supplements every day and spend time in the Sun, at least 15 minutes with no sunscreen and visualise filling my body with healing vitamin D.

As you can imagine, I was called a conspiracy theorist. But I like asking the big What if questions. And I use discernment, scepticism and intuition in equal measure daily. I believe that despite none of my staff or I taking the vaccine, we never got sick. I see vaccinated colleagues every day, with all sorts of maladies, ranging from messed up menstrual cycles, all the way through to late term still birth, high blood pressure, blood clots, high blood pressure, septicaemia, heart attacks, auto immune diseases and turbo cancers. I have lost many dear friends over the last four years, all of them vaccinated and it absolutely breaks my heart.

The point to this long preamble ramble is presenting an example in how discernment, scepticism and intuition can play a role in your life if you tune into it and employ it. If you are feeling anxious and depressed by all that you are consuming on social media, perhaps it is time to question yourself about who you are following, what are you consuming, why you are giving your divine manifestation over to the control of others. For we as Pagans believe that the Divine is not out there in nebulous outer space, but that we are part of the Divine and the Divine lives in each one of us. We just need to awaken the Divine inside and listen in the stillness to that spark and that voice.

Anon, I suggest that your intuition is telling to you not to trust what you are consuming, use discernment, scepticism and intuition to decide who to unfollow and what to allow into your divine consciousness. Follow only those that are clearly on a path of spiritual enlightenment with no specific personal and/or dark agenda. Be sceptical. If you feel like something is rubbish, discard it. Don't allow unnecessary darkness into your soul. It is a choice to stand in the light and defeat darkness.

Reading - For Anon and for the Wales Family - Intuition, Commanding all Resources, Healing and Hope

For your benefit, I have done a short tarot spread for you. Just three cards for you to contemplate.

This is what I got:

Situation: The High Priestess, this is confirmation to me that you need to start trusting your intuition. This is also a card typically representing secrets. Not many tarot readers explore that meaning nearly deeply enough. This card's message is Explore your Spiritual Side.

Tarot is a pagan divination tool. For me, this card is also a message of guidance to seek out the secrets of the universe in the quest To Know, which is the first step in the Witches Pyramid. (To Know, To Dare, To Will, To be Silent and To Go). The pentacle is one of the suits in Tarot for a reason. It's five points also represents the four elements associated with tarot, Earth, Air, Fire and Water, with the pinnacle of the pentacle representing Spirit/Divine. I will put a link to an article at the end for those that want to read more.

What happens next: The Emperor, this is commanding and utilising all your talents and resources to bring order from chaos. It is telling me that you have tools to take command of your life and employ discernment. This links beautiful to To Will (manifest through commitment) and To Dare (to develop skills, to make courageous choices). This card's message is Take Control You Are Protected.

The Outcome: The Star, which in RW its core meaning is healing and hope. It is also for me about achieving balance in your life, turning to nature and the elements. Listening to the Divine and links quite beautifully to To be Silent (Introspection), for in the stillness of meditation you find answers. And also links to To Go (wisdom/higher self), to go within in search of the light and the dark, which increases your Knowing, and so repeatedly following this cycle increases intuition, healing and hope as well as growing your inner peace. You cannot know the Divine, until you Know Thyself. This card's message is Be Inspired Dreams Come True.

Underlying energy: Four of Swords, retreat and rest, take yourself away from social media for a while, avoid negativity, focus on goodness and follow the light until you feel better and stronger.

Other observations:

Three major arcana cards, this is absolutely beautiful energy and I don't think it is meant only for you. Three major arcana cards, means this is for everyone who is feeling just like you, anxious, depressed and paranoid.

Royal Reading - The Wales's

High Priestess: There is a reason there is a certain amount of secrecy currently, it doesn't mean we should feed into the dark speculation, but should rather trust our intuition and the divine mother who Knows All. We are being told that there are some people who cannot be trusted right now to know everything. I think this is Catherine, giving us a message. She is in a higher energy right now and following her intuition. Only she is in the Know, as it should be. This is the also the all knowing, wise mother archetype.

Emperor: William is in Emperor energy, he is giving us a message that he is very much in charge right now. So I feel this is him saying to us all "don't worry". Remember also this is King of Kings energy (The Emperor is higher than the four court Kings), and let us remember that William is the Summer Solstice King, brought to us to show us the light, and give us hope.

Star: There is a lot of hope for the future and healing for the family and I believe it will result in good news. I genuinely feel that we have nothing to fear. There is no ominous energy here. As I said it all beautiful and powerful energy.

Middle of the Deck: The Queen of Wands RX - that is who we should watch out for. The dark agenda. This truly is a fight between darkness and light. Wands is also media and PR. Discern the agenda around every piece of speculation in the media for it is all only speculation. This tells me the Wales's know more than we do about the agendas and it is a cautionary message from them, to do exactly what my preamble was about, practice discernment.

Four of Swords: Retreating to find strength and healing. We do not know all of what they are battling, just what we see in the dark media agenda and the attacks from the unenlightened. Remember that light always triumphs over darkness. This tells me that the Wales's withdrawal is for a very strategic reason. The Art of War reminds us that we "should not interrupt our enemies when they are making mistakes". Stand back and allow them to defeat themselves. Also find the light and strengthen yourself in order to overcome the darkness. So the Stand Back strategy as I am calling it is very deliberate.

https://exemplore.com/wicca-witchcraft/Witchcraft-for-Beginners-What-Is-The-Witches-Pyramid

[jedineedlove]

Monkey Man:

I watched this new movie trailer Monkey Man and with it Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god.

Usually, I talk about JTTW and Sun Wukong but this new movie trailer inspired me to take a look into this monkey god. Hanuman is the most celebrated and worshipped figure in Indian religion. And said to be the inspiration for Sun Wukong.

(What I wrote I just right what I learned from some research please don't hesitate to commoner below if I got anything wrong or missed anything Thank you. :) )

 There are several stories told to explain Hanuman's origins.:

One interpretation Shiva and Parvati decided to transform themselves into monkeys in the forest.  As a result, Parvati becomes pregnant.  Shiva directs the wind god Vayu to carry the offspring from Parvati's womb to that of Anjana - an Apsara with the form of a monkey who has prayed to be granted a boy.

According to Hindu legends, Hanuman was born to mother Anjana and father Kesari.

Hanuman is also called the son of the deity Vayu (Wind god) because of legends associated with Vayu's role in Hanuman's birth and is said to be the incarnation of Shiva (Destroyer god)

image above (Vayu)

Another tale of his birth is "when Anjana was worshiping Vayu, the King Dasharatha of Ayodhya was also performing the ritual of Putrakameshti yagna to have children. As a result, he received some sacred pudding (payasam) to be shared by his three wives, leading to the births of Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna. By divine ordinance, a kite snatched a fragment of that pudding and dropped it while flying over the forest where Anjana was engaged in worship. Vayu delivered the falling pudding to the outstretched hands of Anjana, who consumed it, leading to the birth of Hanuman".

The majority of the stories contain Vayu and Anjana.

Similar to Wukong Hanuman had a youth full of mischief (usually with the gods and sages) and some familiar powers.

"As a youth Hanuman often abused his powers to pester the saints and holy men living in a nearby forest, with tricks such as beard pulling and the dousing of sacred fires.  However, it is as an adult that the monkey god Hanuman comes into his own."

"Indra, the king of the gods, struck Hanuman with a thunderbolt on the jaw(hanu), thus inspiring the name. When Hanuman continued to misbehave, powerful sages cursed him to forget his magic powers, such as the ability to fly or to become infinitely large, until he was reminded of them."

"The god Indra grants Hanuman a wish that his body would be as strong as Indra's Vajra and that his Vajra can also not harm him. Along with Indra other gods have also granted him wishes: the God Agni granted Hanuman a wish that fire won't harm him; God Varuna granted a wish for Hanuman that water won't harm him; God Vayu granted a wish for Hanuman that he will be as fast as wind and the wind won't harm him. Brahma also granted Hanuman a wish that he could move to any place where he could not be stopped. Hence these wishes make Hanuman an immortal, who has unique powers and strength."

"He is said to have transformed into the size of mountain, and flew across the narrow channel to Lanka." "he shrinks down to the size of an ant and sneaks into the city." "Upon arriving, he discovered that there were many herbs along the mountainside, and did not want to take the wrong herb back. So instead, he grew to the size of a mountain, ripped the mountain from the Earth, and flew it back to the battle. "

How the two are not alike is Hanuman was a being who wanted nothing to do with immortality and wanted to serve the Rama. Nothing like the free spirit and immortally seeking Wukong.

"After blessing all those who aided him in the battle with gifts, Rama gave Hanuman his gift, who threw it away. Many court officials, perplexed, were angered by this act. Hanuman replied that rather than needing a gift to remember Rama, he would always be in his heart. Some court officials, still upset, asked him for proof, and Hanuman tore open his chest, which had an image of Rama and Sita on his heart.

Now proven as a true devotee, Rama cured him and blessed him with immortality, but Hanuman refused this and asked only for a place at Rama's feet to worship him. Touched, Rama blessed him with immortality anyway. Like Shesha Nag, Hanuman would live on after the kalpa (destruction of the universe)."

Fun Fact:

The namesake " One interpretation of "Hanuman" is "one having a disfigured jaw". It is due to that earlier tale of Indra striking him as a child in the jaw with a lightning bolt. Because child Hanuman mistook the sun for a fruit and tried to take a bite.

That then leads to the other gods and Indra giving him powers and wishes. There is another version the other is he was burned to ash and was brought back but had a bad jaw when he was restored.

"Though Hanuman is described to be celibate in the Ramayana and most of the Puranas, according to some regional sources, Hanuman married Suvarchala, the daughter of Surya (Sun-God). However, once Hanuman was flying above the seas to go to Lanka, a drop of his sweat fell into the mouth of a crocodile, which eventually turned into a baby. The monkey baby was delivered by the crocodile, who was soon retrieved by Ahiravana, and raised by him, named Makardhwaja, and made the guard of the gates of Patala, the former's kingdom. One day, Hanuman, when going to save Rama and Lakshmana from Ahiravana, faced Makardhwaja and defeated him in combat. Later, after knowing the reality and after saving both, he made his son, the king of Patala.o"

(Can't wait to see the movie Monkey Man when it comes out:))

[gaslightgatekeepgirlbosscombat]

Group E, Round 3, Poll 3:

Propaganda under the cut

Lady Rhea

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE GAME AHEAD This lady gaslighted, gatekept, and girlbossed for a little more than 1000 years. Her story starts in ancient Fódlan where she was a member of a magical dragon race called the Nabateans, children of Sothis. After Sothis was killed and her corpse desecrated by a bandit named Nemesis (who believed himself to be fighting for the freedom of humanity), he made a sword out of her body to arm his allies and massacred the Nabateans. Rhea gathered the last few Nabateans left and some human allies and, under the name 'Seiros', waged war on Nemesis and his army. Victorious, Saint Seiros rewrote history to cover up the existence of the Nabateans and created a religion around her mother, now calling Sothis the Progenitor God. As the years go on, Lady Rhea used her holy influence to give rise to the Adrestrian Empire. It's implied that her church, the Church of Seiros, played a part in wars that resulted in the creation of the Holy Kingdom of Faergus, a nation that broke off of Adrestria, and the Leicester Alliance, another nation which broke off of the Kindgom. FE16 makes a point to note that she continues to censor history up to the present, including limiting technological advancements for 'blasphemy'. Her advisor, Seteth, once served her as Saint Cichol and even he has shown shock and horror at how far she has gaslit, gatekept, and girlbossed. The protagonist of this game is the child of Sitri, the 12th human vessel in a project that Lady Rhea personally conducted to try and revive her mother. Rhea never admits this to the protag's face until she is either in a weakened state or an enemy of the protagonist. She even tries to restart the experiment on the protag without their knowledge. The game splits into four routes and in one of them the protagonist turns on Rhea. In this route Lady Rhea girlbosses so hard that she turns into a dragon and reclaims her Saint Seiros persona as she tries to kill the protag and reclaim her mother who, at this point, exists as a weapon the protagonist wields and as an organ Lady Rhea implanted into them as a baby. In two of the routes where the protagonist sides with Lady Rhea she'll accompany them to combat the forces that orriginally allowed Nemesis to attack her peeople (who have turned into a highly advanced underground race at this point). This girlboss moment is so cool to me because Lady Rhea had been a prisoner for 5 years but still manages to turn into a dragon and take a literal ICBM to the face to protect the protag. TL;DR: Lady Rhea has gaslit society and made a fake history. She gatekept by personally executing members of her own church she made because she disagreed with their ways. She girlbosses by being the Archbishop of her religion for 1159 years and turning into a dragon to KILL "

She created a thousand year old church to control an entire continent. She rewrote history to be able to control the continent and keep the power she gained, under a belief that she was all that could protect humans from themselves.

The ULTIMATE example of gaslight gatekeep girlboss!! (((Major FE3H spoilers))): Gaslight: constructs an entire centuries-old religion centered around her dead mom with herself as the leader, hides the identity of herself (secretly the founding saint and namesake of said religion) and her compatriots (secretly other major saints), rewrites continent’s history as well as the origin of the nobility’s hereditary crests and holy relics, hires homeschooled mercenary seemingly for nepotism/skill reasons but doesn’t tell them that she actually implanted her mother’s heart into them as an infant in hopes to revive her dead mom. Gatekeep: intentionally withholds continent’s secret history, church covers up and censors some of humanity’s technological/medical advancements in order to obscure aforementioned history as well as to prevent the development of more efficient weapons of war/destruction, instructs faculty and students not to leak dangerous side effects of powerful holy relics to the wider public, executes rebels/assassins/conspirators that seek to remove her, literally hires a Gatekeeper known only as Gatekeeper. Girlboss: Canonically bisexual pope with hips for days and de facto leader of an entire continent. Powerful warrior. Proficient in instructing hand-to-hand combat. The first cutscene of the game shows her sword-fighting in heels with a muscular man and, after being disarmed, beating the shit out of him in hand-to-hand combat and stabbing him to death with a dagger. Girlboss.

Morag Ladair

She is an inquisitor for a despotic colonizing empire, who is ruthlessly efficient, a master manipulator, and also a genuinely charming characters. She creates a rumor of the execution of a party member to successfully lure out the rest of them, and they only escape because she chooses to let them go

[beardedmrbean]

“The founding fathers wouldn’t want this”

“The founding fathers meant something different”

The founding fathers thought women were sex toys and black people should be enslaved forever

Who gives a fuck about what the founding fathers want? They’re ll racists and rapers and are burning in hell for their crimes against god

But sure let’s let those horrible founding fathers guide us through our civilization because they sure know about machine guns/tanks/Facebook/phones/cars/anything at issue in the world

They gave us a framework, one they knew wasn't perfect so they also included a way to change it but made it so changing it would be difficult so it couldn't be done a whim.

As for firearms they likely saw repeating arms becoming a thing as well as many other things, consider some of their ages when they put pen to paper.

My grandfather was born before commercial radio was a thing, when he died he'd seen us go land on the moon and have Dick Tracy's watch radio become reality in the form of smartwatches.

His father saw the birth of the automobile and airplane, electricity put to wide use, served in both world wars, saw man land on the moon, and all kinds of other innovations. Mother much the same except the world wars bit.

I've been around since before the CD, home computers, and the internet and look where we are now with all of that.

Foolish to think they wouldn't anticipate improvements in all walks of life, also several of them were abolitionists just not enough of them sadly.

That sex toy bit is untrue as well, as a blanket statement at least Franklin was a manwhore, but women were partners back then, there was tons of sexism and sexist laws and all that (not so) good stuff, really though who wasn't.

Like I said they left us a mechanism for change and if you can convince enough people that your position is the good one that change can happen.

Good luck given that there's only been 17 after the initial 10 needed to get the states signed on post revolution and one of those was there to cancel out the other (prohibition was a dumb idea)

I see that crimes against God thing there too, got bad news for you about a lot of the people involved in the major world faiths from when they were formed.

Whew lads.

But hey, most of them have abandoned the majorly bad bits, don't stone children for cursing their parents anymore and such, slavery is strongly frowned upon by most of the 10 global religions with the most adherents.

Buck up buttercup, things get better, takes time is all.

[templeofoccultpractices]

Bastet

Other names:Bast

Major cult center:Bubastis

Symbol:cat, lioness, ointment jar, sistrum, solar disk

Parents:Ra and Isis

Siblings:Horus and Anhur (half-brothers)

Consort:Ptah

Offspring:Maahes

Connection to other gods:Sekhmet, Hathor, Rāt, Tem, Artemis

Celebrations

Bubastis celebrations of Bastet 'Feast of drunkenness'

Bubasteia was celebrated by intoxication,music, debauchery, children would be born without fathers on this day.

Bastet was a goddess of ancient Egyptian religion, worshipped as early as the Second Dynasty (2890 BCE). Her name also is rendered as B'sst, Baast, Ubaste, and Baset. In ancient Greek religion, she was known as Ailuros (Koinē Greek: αἴλουρος "cat").

Bastet was worshipped in Bubastis in Lower Egypt, originally as a lioness goddess, a role shared by other deities such as Sekhmet. Eventually Bastet and Sekhmet were characterized as two aspects of the same goddess, with Sekhmet representing the powerful warrior and protector aspect and Bastet, who increasingly was depicted as a cat, representing a gentler aspect

Role In Ancient Egypt

Bastet was originally a fierce lioness warrior goddess of the sun worshipped throughout most of ancient Egyptian history, but later she became the cat goddess that is familiar today. She then was depicted as the daughter of Ra and Isis, and the consort of Ptah, with whom she had a son Maahes.

As protector of Lower Egypt, she was seen as defender of the king, and consequently of the sun god, Ra. Along with other deities such as Hathor, Sekhmet, and Isis, Bastet was associated with the Eye of Ra.She has been depicted as fighting the serpent named Apep, an enemy of Ra. In addition to her solar connections, sometimes she was called "eye of the moon".

Bastet was also a goddess of pregnancy and childbirth, possibly because of the fertility of the domestic cat.

Images of Bastet were often created from alabaster. The goddess was sometimes depicted holding a ceremonial sistrum in one hand and an aegis in the other—the aegis usually resembling a collar or gorget, embellished with a lioness head.

Bastet was also depicted as the goddess of protection against contagious diseases and malicious spirits.

History

Bastet first appears in the third millennium BCE, where she is depicted as either a fierce lioness or a woman with the head of a lioness.Two thousand years later, during the Third Intermediate Period of Egypt (c. 1070–712 BC), Bastet began to be depicted as a domestic cat or a cat-headed woman.

Scribes of the New Kingdom and later eras began referring to her with an additional feminine suffix, as Bastet. The name change is thought to have been added to emphasize pronunciation of the ending t sound, often left silent.

Cats in ancient Egypt were highly revered, partly due to their ability to combat vermin such as mice, rats (which threatened key food supplies), and snakes—especially cobras. Cats of royalty were, in some instances, known to be dressed in golden jewelry and were allowed to eat from the plates of their owners. Dennis C. Turner and Patrick Bateson estimate that during the Twenty-second Dynasty (c. 945–715 BC), Bastet worship changed from being a lioness deity into being predominantly a major cat deity.Because domestic cats tend to be tender and protective of their offspring, Bastet was also regarded as a good mother and sometimes was depicted with numerous kittens.

The native Egyptian rulers were replaced by Greeks during an occupation of Ancient Egypt in the Ptolemaic Dynasty that lasted almost 300 years. The Greeks sometimes equated Bastet with one of their goddesses, Artemis

Festival

Herodotus also relates that of the many solemn festivals held in Egypt, the most important and most popular one was that celebrated in Bubastis in honor of this goddess.Each year on the day of her festival, the town was said to have attracted some 700,000 visitors, both men and women (but not children), who arrived in numerous crowded ships. The women engaged in music, song, and dance on their way to the place. Great sacrifices were made and prodigious amounts of wine were drunk—more than was the case throughout the year.This accords well with Egyptian sources that prescribe that lioness goddesses are to be appeased with the "feasts of drunkenness".A festival of Bastet was known to be celebrated during the New Kingdom at Bubastis. The block statue from the eighteenth dynasty (c. 1380 BC) of Nefer-ka, the wab-priest of Sekhmet,provides written evidence for this. The inscription suggests that the king, Amenhotep III, was present at the event and had great offerings made to the deity.

──────⊰In Workings⊱──────

*Please know basic protections and energy work before attempting any deity work.*

*It is important to note that everyone's experiences are different and will work with spirits for different reasons. Some people may like a spirit while others will not and that's okay. Ask these spirits what they will work with you on as well as ask them if they can help you with whatever it is you need.*

Ideas for honoring or working with/worshipping Bastet

Altar

Create an altar/sacred space for your rituals and giving offerings for Bastet. Items may include

⬩An altar cloth

⬩Black or yellow candles (you can use any color)

⬩Cup or chalice

⬩Incense and an incense burner

⬩Offering bowl

⬩Statue of Bastet, cat or lion

For more information on basic deity work and altar setups check out the deity work post.

Offering items:Bread, Catnip, Fish, Frankincense, Meats, Myrrh, Perfume bottle, Sistrum, Water

Rituals

⬩Fertility rites and rituals

⬩Protection

⬩Motherhood

⬩You can ask her what she can help you with⬩

𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠

For more content relating to other practices/religions or pantheons follow my main blog for updates or ask me anything

If you have any more questions or wish to join a community feel free to join my 18+ discord server

Ask me anything on my blog

[makethosenarratorsfight]

UNRELIABLE NARRATORS; SIDE A

The Biologist Propaganda:

She tells the reader that her first hand account of events is scientific and impartial before revealing wayyyy after the fact that she has omitted her huge personal bias from her retelling of the events because she is fully aware that she's an unreliable narrator and is using that awareness to retroactively edit the story in her favour. Truly she's unlike any other protagonist I've ever encountered, its insane. Here's a tumblr text post that sums up everything: https://www.tumblr.com/12thbiologist/713885306846347264/annihilation-is-soooo-good-because-the-biologist?source=share

Yukio Okumura Propaganda (note; this is one submission, tumblr just has a word limit for blocks of text):

content warning for self destructive topics, murder, guns, body possession, suicide, mental illness, religion (?) (never directly mentions christianity), self hatred, dysfunctional family(??), self hatred. just a heads up, if you want to skip this you can. nothing in here is described seriously, its generally needed to understand basic plot points for this manga, so i didnt just include it for no reason!!! dont read this if it could harm you mentally!! its also just really long and kind of devolves into a plot summary near the end. his character explores moral greyness and utilizes his subsequent depressive states in a way thats really interesting to me. its pretty relevant that hes an unreliable narrator even in the early chapters of the manga. something interesting to me is that he's *not* the main character of the manga, so its set up in a way where the reader knows he's an unreliable narrator, but because he sets up a lot of the major exposition, the reader doesnt have a reason to believe him. i know it sounds kind of stupid, but its executed a lot better in the manga!!! its less about him actually *being* an unreliable narrator, and more about what it means for such a major character who introduces part of the plot, to be an unreliable narrator! he's the biological son of satan, but isnt a demon— (this is gonna be hard to explain but the demons in ao no exorcist are only called demons, they're easily equated to demons from abrahamic religions, but they mainly exist as a concept, they first have to develop an ego, and choose a body to possess. higher level demons arent able to possess a body because their power corrupts it and it rots away. satan only called himself satan because his college gf was in a christian cult, which is kind of funny to me because his son, lucifer, already did the whole satan motif. in the ao no exorcist universe, there is no 'god', satan is the ultimate being.)— unlike his maternal twin, rin, who has a demonic heart and ego. yukio is visibly similar to his mother, and is generally puts up a front as being more mature than rin. rin is essentially the direct opposite; he's almost identical to satan in looks and personality.

this definitely hurts yukio alot during the early chapters, because satan brutally murdered their adoptive father, but yukio is partially jealous of rin. he wishes he was as 'strong' as him, as rin had never shown any self hatred or suicidal ideation to yukio earlier on in the series. this eventually drives yukio to seek out lucifer. he convinces himself that lucifer isnt working for satan. he's an unreliable narrator even to *himself*. there's generally a pretty obvious parallel to lucifer with yukio: in the series, lucifer is depicted as wanting to be as 'strong' as his brother, mephisto. lucifer corrupts all of his vessels almost instantly. he's essentially stuck in a miserable cycle, not unlike yukio. we, as the reader, gradually see yukio spiral more and more. we see him lie to the reader and the other characters, until there's a surprising moment of clarity. we see yukio talk about how he mainly hates himself. we see him say this in front of *rin*! he essentially asks rin to kill him, beliving its the only way to escape assiah (earth, also has real world religious meaning). yukio cannot, presumably, be killed. he is essentially immortal during the storyline, which is why none of his suicide attempts have ever worked. this directly parallels lucifer not being able to escape gehenna (hell. this is also just hell in judaism). rin doesnt comply for pretty obvious reasons (not wanting to murder yukio), so yukio shoots him (dont worry rin's body heals almost immediately. no demons were harmed during this story) and rin goes on the journey of self discovery and comes back less mentslly ill (he also dyes his hair black) and talks to yukio. and uhhhh rin defeats satan and everyone clapped . then rin smashed in hatsune miku's face with his sword. i fhink thats blasphemy ? im really tired right now goodnight. tldr: yukio has mental illness and lies i lobe jim. i spent over an hour on this 😭

[vergess]

Religion on post-game Vertumna has got to be so fucking weird.

Like, here's what we know about how religion evolves when humanity survives:

High friendship with Cal, Peace with Gardeners: Cal becomes a Jesus-like figure, preaching a sort of kindergartener's animal welfare morality only in a world where everything other than humanity is technically part of a loving hivemind that's pretty accurate honestly

Dating Dys, Peace with Gardeners: Dys actively seeks to avoid the Cal's fate by sneaking off to be uploaded instead of telling anyone. The colony's wild animals get an enhanced reputation of friendliness above and beyond that of Vertumnan wildlife in general, which again, has a confirmed religious as well as physical presence and actively loves humanity.

High confidence and friendship with Tammy, Peace or Long Term Human Survival: Tammy becomes a saint-like cultural figure for children, perhaps akin to the way we think of Mary Poppins or Mother Goose, but you know, for a cult.

Prolific Parent, not dating Tammy, Peace: Sol becomes a fertility god (culturally, that is).

Prolific Parent, dating Tammy, Peace: Sol and Tammy become fertility gods but also cause the imposition of a strict population limit of no more than twenty surviving children per human adult which to be fair is absurd no one should ever reach that limit. Forty children. You have 40 children in this ending. That's as many as 4 tens!!! Anyway Tammy joins you on the god altar or whatever in this case.

So anyway on Vertumna in the year 10,750 PCD (post-convergent domain) (700 years post-game) you might pray to:

Recalcitrance for serenity

Aspartame and Nightshade for the health of your children

Major Depressive Disorder for a good hunt and harvest

[discar]

HZD Terraforming Base-001 Text Communications Network

Chapter 15 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

ForgeLordAleMaster: SO ALOY, HOW'S SAN FRANCISCO?

FlameHairSavior: Uh, fine, so far. Haven't found the Quen yet.

FlameHairSavior: Where did this come from?

Marshall Kotallo: Zo and Varl are having an argument. I, too, would welcome a distraction.

FlameHairSavior: It's a beautiful area, but there's not really much to talk about. The local Tallneck got stranded in the water.

Marshall Kotallo: Surprising. Those machines are very difficult to so much as inconvenience.

β: probably have major error correction and pathing protocols since theyre central to every other machine in the region

β: and wouldnt one made near the water know to avoid falling in the water

FlameHairSavior: There were some strange currents around it. I think it might have fallen from somewhere else and drifted to where I found it. It's hard to tell what happened?

ForgeLordAleMaster: KOTALLO, ARE THERE ANY TENAKTH IN THE AREA? MAYBE THEY HUNTED IT FOR SOME REASON.

Marshall Kotallo: Not that I know of. As I'm sure you know, no one hunts Tallnecks. And if they did manage to bring such a beast down, they would have spread the story far and wide.

ForgeLordAleMaster: YEAH, THAT MAKES SENSE.

FlameHairSavior: One second, found the Quen.

ForgeLordAleMaster: PUNCH OUT THE BIGGEST ONE, THAT WILL MAKE THE REST RESPECT YOU.

FlameHairSavior: Hush.

----

FlameHairSavior: Well, the Quen found Thebes, and they're willing to help me get inside.

ForgeLordAleMaster: YOU THEIR HERO YET?

FlameHairSavior: No.

FlameHairSavior: Yes. A little.

β: of course

FlameHairSavior: They've elevated a bunch of the Old Ones as gods. I'm not sure to what extent, but EVERYONE in this camp recognizes me as Elisabet Sobeck. It's weird.

Marshall Kotallo: I wonder how they would react to you and Beta at the same time.

ADMIN [GAIA]: I believe you should know that Beta just locked the doors to her quarters.

Marshall Kotallo: Ah. I apologize. I did not mean to offend.

β: its fine im just going to stay here in the dark forever

FlameHairSavior: Can you please not break her further while I'm busy?

FlameHairSavior: I'll be right back, I have to kill a daemonic thunderjaw.

ForgeLordAleMaster: WAIT, WHAT?

----

FlameHairSavior: Thunderjaw dealt with, got more detail.

FlameHairSavior: Good news: Bypassed the door into Thebes. It won't open for anyone but Ted Faro, but I found a tunnel and opened it from the other side.

FlameHairSavior: Bad news: The leader of the expedition thinks he's Ted Faro reborn.

FlameHairSavior: And yes, he thinks that's a good thing.

Zo: Wait, what? How does any of that make sense?

β: oh good shes back

FlameHairSavior: I'm pretty sure it doesn't, in the context of their religion. Every time he opens his mouth, Alva winces.

FlameHairSavior: He made me wear clothes modeled after Elisabet's, so I kind of want to kill him for that alone.

ForgeLordAleMaster: SHOULDN'T YOU OUTRANK HIM OR SOMETHING?

FlameHairSavior: Out of date Focuses mean

FlameHairSavior: Dammit dammit corruptors

Zo: Did you say corruptors? As in the Faro machines?

ADMIN [GAIA]: Visual telemetry indicates that Ted Faro left behind two active FAS-ACA3 Scarab units to guard Thebes. These units were shut down and not connected to any network, and therefore did not receive the shutdown signal.

HIMBO: Everybody just stop texting and let her FIGHT

----

FlameHairSavior: Ted Faro was working on immortality.

HIMBO: Oh, All-Mother's eyes.

Zo: I would prefer literally anyone be immortal besides that man.

ForgeLordAleMaster: IF YOU DO HAVE TO KILL HIM, BE SURE TO RECORD IT.

β: but how even far zenith had a lot of trouble and they had a lot more people working on it

FlameHairSavior: He had some genius scientist in his base. Along with his... harem.

β: science requires peer review one man will inevitably find himself making mistakes and assumptions that lead him down incorrect or at least unproductive paths

β: also what is a harem

FlameHairSavior: Zo, why don't you handle that one?

Zo: I'm busy making dinner.

HIMBO: What? No you're not.

Zo: Yes. I am.

FlameHairSavior: Also Faro put off switches in people's head and was killing them one by one.

Marshall Kotallo: ...I have a feeling I don't want more detail.

----

FlameHairSavior: Faro's alive, kind of, one second things are weird.

ForgeLordAleMaster: KICK HIM IN THE BALLS.

FlameHairSavior: The Ceo's here. Need to make sure he doesn't make everything worse.

Marshall Kotallo: Dare I ask how he would do that?

FlameHairSavior: Dammit he made everything worse.

Zo: What happened?

FlameHairSavior: Deadman switch.

FlameHairSavior: Everything is on fire.

HIMBO: Just get out of there!

FlameHairSavior: WHY ARE THEY STILL SHOOTING AT ME.

----

FlameHairSavior: Okay, Alva and I are out.

HIMBO: Thank the All-Mother.

FlameHairSavior: Uh-oh, Bohai.

Marshall Kotallo: You have not mentioned anyone of that name before.

FlameHairSavior: Priest guy, one minute, might have to kill people.

Zo: I am disturbed that I find that statement perfectly reasonable.

----

FlameHairSavior: Huh, managed to get out of there without killing anyone else.

HIMBO: Did you get the Omega Override?

ForgeLordAleMaster: DID YOU KICK FARO IN THE BALLS?

FlameHairSavior: Yes to the first one, no to the second. Faro was... not really human by this point.

Zo: But he was still alive?

FlameHairSavior: Horribly alive. The Ceo killed him, and that triggered a reactor meltdown because Faro had it built that way on purpose.

FlameHairSavior: Anyway, Alva will be staying at the base with us. Varl, help her get settled in.

HIMBO: Will do.

ForgeLordAleMaster: SO FARO'S DEAD NOW, RIGHT?

FlameHairSavior: Absolutely dead. Buried in his own survival bunker.

ForgeLordAleMaster: WHICH IS HIS GRAVE, BASICALLY.

FlameHairSavior: Yeah, I guess.

ForgeLordAleMaster: ARE YOU GONNA PISS ON IT?

FlameHairSavior: …

ForgeLordAleMaster: PLEASE?

FlameHairSavior: I'm thinking about it.

Zo: Please don't urinate anywhere.

Marshall Kotallo: If nothing else, I would assume he is buried too deeply for the symbolic gesture to be truly meaningful.

β: also if i have the reactor identified correctly there shouldnt be much left but a smear of carbon ash of ted faro

β: or his harem

β: which still no one has explained

FlameHairSavior: Sorry, busy with this boat!

Zo: Still busy with dinner!

HIMBO: Busy helping Zo with dinner!

ForgeLordAleMaster: MAKING NEW STRIKE PIECES.

Marshall Kotallo: I will not lie; I simply don't want to have this talk.

β: i have unresrected

β: i have unristricted access to a dictionary now i can just look it up

β: unrestricted

FlameHairSavior: [WhenItsTheEndOfALongDayAndTheCustomer.png]

FlameHairSavior: We'll talk when I get back.

Chapter 15 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

[deathlessathanasia]

Hey, I saw your Ares post!! I think what's noteworthy is that Zeus, Apollo, and Heracles all raped people. (Also, technically Zeus is supposed to uphold justics and whatnot.) I don't know Greek mythology as well as you, though, that's just what I think! <3

That's true. I didn't make this point in that post (though I did mention it previously), but the fact that the others do commit that kind of thing only makes it clear that someone not wanting one of their female relatives to be raped doesn't have to mean that they are opposed to rape in principle.

As for Ares, people often point out that he is the only Greek god with no rape myths, but, to be fair, with two or three exceptions his sexual adventures are about as detailed as the genealogies in the book of Genesis. So it might be technically accurate, but only because we know nothing about the vast majority of unions he engages in beyond the name of the mother and the identity of the resulting offspring. There are also instances where he behaves like other gods, fighting with others over a specific woman (Tanagra) or making use of disguise in order to impregnate someone (Phylonome), so Imma say that his reputation as someone who is particularly concerned with consent does seem to come pretty much out of nowhere.

There is this very interesting post discussing the connections between war, the sacking of cities and sexual violence. To quote a part of it: „this epithet ['Sacker of Cities'] cannot be interpreted as distinct from sexual violence. Sacking, as Gaca explains, is systematically killing all warriors and violating all women and girls to ensure they are subdued, owned, and forcibly bear your own children, which doubles the ownership. This is not frowned upon or the work of foot soldiers; rather, these are their orders from their commanders. Ares is continually used as a metaphor, a personification of this practice, and so is anything but unproblematic in both our modern eyes and the Greeks' own religion; he is a revered god as much as one to keep far, far away”

[butwhatifidothis]

It just dawned on me...I didn't realize it before probably cause I'm atheist but dont people tend to seek comfort in higherpowers/gods when they experience desperation and suffering?

So wouldn't edelgards war , which causes mass unrest, death, suffering, famine, etc. Actually cause more people to wish for salvation/intervention from a the Goddess?

No doubt about it, which is a huge part of what makes her zeal to destroy it so horrible. And what makes the CF endings where it does stay but only when directly under her supervision so insidious. She takes away the means in which people find comfort, only to "remake" it so that she has say in how the belief is practiced.

The Church was always its own entity, mostly leaving the surrounding countries alone - it'll intervene when asked to or when attacked, but otherwise they tend to stay out of everyone's business. When Byleth takes over, they either do so alongside the ruler of Fodlan (AM) or they are the only available person left to rule (SS/VW) since they are the one the people want to lead them. There's either a distinct separation between the Church and the ruling party, or there's no other choice but to have the two parties merge. Plus, Seteth and Flayn are there to help Byleth lead the Church in all cases of them leading it (with SS even allowing for the chance for Rhea herself to help).

That's, um, not quite the case with Edelgard. She actively kills/disposes of every other possible ruler with the explicit purpose of ruling over their lands and for Adrestia to be the only one there to control Fodlan. So her killing Rhea, Seteth, and Flayn (or forcing Seteth and Flayn to leave Fodlan) before going on to take control of the religion that was about their mother, well, could only ever really be for one reason; further control.

She already spies on the populace, as seen from Hubert's ending with Dorothea. She enforces a secret police as seen with Hubert's ending with Shamir. She indulges in censorship in her ending with Dorothea. And, again, she's purposefully killed off anyone that could stop her or challenge her control. Not exactly the longest stretch in the world that she also does what she does with the Church to get more control, considering everything else she does. Now the people who were so devastated about losing their religion totally no longer have to worry - now that it's been fixed and is being led by a good human, they are allowed to practice it with no fear of consequences! ...yeah that's gonna get a yikes from me lol.

And the thing is, even if I'm way off base and that's not meant to be taken like that... what you said is still very much true lol. Like, I'm far from religious, but somethin' tells me that for many religious folks extreme hardships would, like... just make them more ardent believers? And/Or that it would, uh, not exactly soothe them to see their religion mercilessly attacked and destroyed, only to be taken over by its destroyer? There'll be some who drink the Kool-Aid like Manuela, but I don't think the majority of believers would exactly be happy with Edelgard once her war is finished