#an inexhaustable source of magic

[pentanguine]

Found in a little free library near me today…possibly a sign to complete the Wimsey-Vorkosigan-Lymond trifecta

[blackknight-100]

hi hi 🌧️for the WIP asks

Thank you for the ask! <3

🌧 Share something angsty from your wip.

So, this one is from The Daughter of the Mountains, which is a fic about Durga killing Mahisha and coming into her power. This is set right after Mahadeva tells her about Sati and belief that they are destined to wed.

Gauri hears him out in silence. She is not surprised at this morbid history, nor even at the revelation of their nature - in fact, she startles herself with her lack of fear.

Hara is still talking, low and quiet as ever, the warm timbre of it raising the hairs on her arms. "It is how it is, Gauri," he says, "and what has happened is past. I tell you this so you will never hear it elsewhere and be afraid - I will not put supposed destiny over you. It is only that I mislike being kept in the dark, and this was kept from me for a long time."

"Hari knew, I suppose?"

Hara laughs. It is soft and sad, tinged with acceptance of betrayal, and Gauri knows.

"Perhaps," she says, "he does this so you will not tell me."

"Maybe," Hara shrugs. "He is quaint, like all of us. But I will not keep such things from you."

At least, Gauri thinks bitterly, someone is on my side.

But not in the way she wants. Not in the way they are destined to be.

They sit together in silence for a while. Gauri tries to turn her mind from him - what woman, indeed, would yearn so shamelessly for a man so austere and ascetic? But the more she wills away, the more they come: these distant, unreachable dreams. Her and him, in some shadowed cave upon her frosty home, warm in each other's arms, watching the falling snow. Her and him, hunting for the last of winter's stores, kneeling together to scrape the meat and cure the hide. Her and him, and him and her, together, for all of eternity.

Hara stands, and for a moment Gauri thinks he knows her mind, but then he bows and says, "I will leave you to your training. Do not be afraid, lady. Fate or no fate, there is nothing I will seek from you."

Gauri nods and watches him walk away. What a gentlemanly thing to do! - she is certain there is no dearth of men or asuras (or even devas) who would not have hesitated to take advantage of this situation to lay claim upon her. Her father and brother would not stand for it, but the devas, who upheld order, who were cornered and angry and homeless and lost, would. And then, if they could not be convinced, they would die, and Gauri would wed some stranger still draped in her father and brother's funeral clothes.

In this, Hara is exemplary, like in all other things. He has spared her great troubles and terrible misfortunes. Gauri should be grateful.

Gauri is not. As she watches him leave, all she does is long for her cheek upon his hoary skin, and his dreadlocks between her fingers. The sun sets as he disappears into the shadow of the forest, and Gauri, like some lovelorn maiden, presses her hand to her face and weeps.

[herawell]

oh, if you're still doing headcanons - jodhaa if possible? if not, minkowski?

Jodhaa

Headcanon A:  realistic

Jodhaa is an early bird, more so than her husband (canonical, since she gets up earlier than him to practice swordfighting).

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

Consequently, she is incensed by the morning after her wedding night when Jalal woke up earlier than her in order to go to Malwa.

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

Many of her relatives and friends think the same way that her mother did, that death is better than the dishonor of being touched by a Mughal, and even after her marriage becomes happier and Rajputana benefits from an alliance with the Emperor, they shun her for it.

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

Sujamal survives and lives to be one of the Empress's most trusted advisors.

[hopepunk-humanity]

Hi! just wanted to say, that i come to your blog sometimes when life is life, and things go up and down as is wont to do. its a good place, for hope. and i just wanted to let you know. Also i have a rec, 'A psalm for wild built' by Becky Chambers, not exactly hopepunk, but something like it? at least it gave me hope so here i am reccing it.

have a nice day/night ahead!

Thank you! I wish you likewise.

[discommunicator]

Smelter Witch Helkett

She runs her own foundry like Troy and while Troy's workshop features custom-made heavy tools by hot forging, Helkett's specializes in mass producing smaller sundries and machine parts by casting

The source material for the process is her body of course, since she is a magically inexhaustible living molten iron itself

Helkett's molten iron body is as hot as it's supposed to, but no worries, she can conjure the heat insulating 'witch skin' at will like her peers and has supernatural perception that catches her surroundings, so she doesn't burn everything that she bumps into

[f1-unpopularopinions]

drop those papers on the ethics of rpf bestie

Thank you this is my favorite thing! Not nearly a comprehensive list but a decent starting point. Let me know if access is a problem

References:

The Intimate Fandoms of Men’s Hockey Real Person Fanfiction by Mari Elise Vist

The Affective Power of Intimacy: A Case Study of a Men’s Hockey Real Person Fan Fiction’s Literary and Social Contexts by Lina Vermeer

The Real K-pop idols of fanfiction: reclaiming "real person" fanfiction as K-pop industry practice by Sooyun Hong - a thesis

Real body, fake person: Recontextualizing celebrity bodies in fandom and film by Melanie Piper

How real are people? : sports-centric real person fiction between mainstream and fanfiction by Judith Louise Tuffentsammer

Reading real person fiction as digital fiction: An argument for new perspectives by Judith Fathallah

Finding the Path Through the Ethics of Fanfiction by Victoria Fidler

Chapter 8: ​​”In the End Its All Made Up The Ethics of Real Person Fanfiction” by Jennifer McGee in Communication Ethics, Media & Popular Culture (Vol. 9). Peter Lang

Fanfiction, not just RPF

“Write the story you want to read”: world-queering through slash fanfiction creation by Diana Floegel

The Alienation of Gaze — the Construction and Gender Practice in the Fanfiction by Xuan Yu & Yu Han

"Slight dub-con but they both wanted it hardcore": Erotic fanfiction as a form of cultural activism around sexual consent by Milena Popova

An Inexhaustible Source of Magic: How Fanfiction Turned One World Into A Thousand by Taylor Pernini

Culture and Community Online - How Fanfiction Creates a Sense of Social Identity by Reshaping Popular Media by Kellye Ann Guinan (this is a longer thesis but really interesting!)

Television and Fanfiction Online: Finding Identity, Meaning, and Community by Erin B. Waggoner

Loving Fanfiction: Exploring the Role of Emotion in Online Fandoms by Brit Kelley - this is a fascinating book, got access through the public library

The Erotics of Fanfiction: Queering Fans, Works, and Communities in Modern Internet Fandom by Alexandra Garner

Writing Oneself into Someone Else’s Story – Experiments With Identity And Speculative Life Writing in Twilight Fan Fiction by Sanna Lehtonen

[herawell]

tags via @inexhaustible-sources-of-magic

More random tropes that I fucking love: Becoming the mask you wore.

Like oh shit, this character who was sent to spy somewhere under a false identity suddenly realises they've started to genuinely become the person they claimed to be? Someone who's been telling the same lies about who they are for so long that they're actually forgetting that the story isn't true? Finding themselves genuinely doing the things they pretend to do in front of people, when they're alone and nobody's watching? Answering to a name that wasn't supposed to be theirs without thinking?

Ooohh-hoh-hoh, you lost track of yourself in pretending to be someone else? You were only supposed to impersonate somebody, a plausible background and a name you came up with on the spot, and now that the people you were supposed to infiltrate have become your true companions? You lost yourself in the game you played, and no you no longer know who you truly are, and where your true loyalties lie? And both sides would mark you a traitor if you came out with the truth. On a scale of one to ten, how bad did you fuck up.

Fuck that is a good trope. Never seen it done badly. Pour that shit on a table and I'll chop it into lines and snort it.

[pentanguine]

Worst Books of 2023

5. In Search of a Prince by Toni Shiloh

Whose fault is it: School book club

One thing I will say about this book is that it exceeded my expectations. The writing was decent! The author did actually research West African culture and history! Unfortunately, the book simply cannot escape the fact that a) it’s a plot point for plot point retelling of the Princess Diaries; and b) it’s a Christian romance. The villain is a sexually promiscuous woman born out of wedlock (whose motivations also make no sense), and every romantic scene leaves so much room for Jesus it forgets to leave room for romance. At one point the villain says: “Love is for children and pets. Just like Santa.” Spoilers, the last line of the book is “they would say I loved God, loved my country, and loved my husband,” and when I read that I think I retched.

4. Seducing the Sorcerer by Lee Welch

Whose fault is it: School book club and EBF

Honestly, the first part of this book was good. The characters were well-drawn and sympathetic, they had good chemistry and clear reasons to be interested in each other, and who wouldn’t love the worple horse. And then, somewhere in the second half, it all went to shit. The romance was underwhelming when they actually got together, and the sex was thin on the page and way less intense than what the book (and the baffling Goodreads reviews) had been implying. The political situation quickly went off the rails, before being wrapped up in an ending so neat and tidy Marie Kondo could have written it. Everything that can’t be logically resolved gets conveniently handwaved, and compelling character development goes out the window so the author can abruptly focus on high stakes international conflict. The villain is ultimately defeated by the vague threat of an army of enchanted fabric. In a lifetime first, I’m going to say this book needed less politics and more romance.

3. Devil's Night Dawning by Damien Black

Whose fault is it: Mine :(

I should never have picked it up knowing it was by a straight white man. “Great worldbuilding, truly epic,” said the reviews. “Dark, creepy horror vibes,” said the reviews. “It’s so original,” said the reviews. The great worldbuilding is periodic info-dumping on unimportant historical details by someone who thinks they’re writing LOTR and is actually writing a textbook. The dark, creepy horror vibes would be there if only the author could focus on his alleged main character, a demon hunting monk, for longer than one chapter out of ten. The originality is a religion in which Jesus The Redeemer dies on the cross wheel for our sins, and characters wander around saying “the power of the redeemer compels you.” Throw in a few misogynistic knights who casually murder each other while fetishizing chivalry, one (1) female character who of course has a very nice figure, and a lot of irrelevant POV characters who simply weren’t interesting, and I gave up at page 291.

2. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

Whose fault is it: Mine and everyone who’s ever raved about it

I finished this book out of sheer bloody spite, and I wish I hadn’t. Tedious, overly full of itself, impenetrable, opaque, misogynistic, and enmeshed in ideas of machismo and the nuclear family that made it impossible for me to connect with. The truly frustrating thing is that there were many genuinely good moments of skin-tingling horror, but they’re so buried under all the bloated academic hogwash that they failed to make an impact. This book is the guy in your philosophy class who thinks he’s smart but has just never been told to shut up. This book is a male author who thinks he can write women well because he gives them compelling thoughts on sex, motherhood, romance, sex, stripping, modeling, their own bodies, and sex. I would rather live on Ash Tree Lane than read this book again.

All Four Twilight books by Stephanie Meyer

Whose fault is it: EBF

These books are genuinely, appallingly, hilariously, pathetically, bad. As an adult, I try to be charitable to things that I disliked (or in this case, refused to interact with at all) when I was younger, because teenage girls get a lot of shit and the things that they like tend to automatically be labeled cringe, but…these books are actually shit. Not just mediocre, or a little juvenile, or with some notable flaws, but BAD. And they’re not even shockingly sexy! I thought Twilight was the series that parents wanted to protect their innocent children from, in which maidens were ravished by whole covens of vampires, bodices torn, innocence lost, werewolves howling in pleasure, etc. Stephanie Meyer is way too fucking Mormon for that. I’ve never read a less sexy vampire in my life, and yet these were the teen heartthrobs of my youth?? The first book was honestly fun to hate-read, but by the time I got to the fourth one I was just depressed. It opens with Bella feeling genuine dread at her upcoming marriage to “the love of her life” that she’s been manipulated into at the age of 18 against her will, and the idea of this being the thing anyone is obsessing over just makes me sad. It’s just Mormonism with bad writing and worse characterization. Allow me to present my reviews for each:

Twilight: “Such a fucking dumb book.”

New Moon: “A whole lot of nothing happens to the world’s most depressed teenager”

Eclipse: “No plot, just endless rehashes of the same vampires vs. werewolves argument with pedophilia for flavor.”

Breaking Dawn: “The bar was in hell, and she still managed to let me down.”

[blackknight-100]

Squeeeeeeeeeze!!! You've been given a hug! Send this to all the people who you think deserve a hug. Let the hugging begin! 💕

YESSSS HUGS HUGS HUGS <3<3

[herawell]

hi!

made up fic title 1: 'like a moth to flame'

made up fic title 2: little slices of death

like a moth to flame

Summary: If the bridge was without power for three and a half minutes because Hera was distracted running diff algorithms on the image of Maxwell backlit by the blue light of the star and the image of Maxwell haloed by the blue light of the monitors, nobody needs to know.

little slices of death

Summary: The Hephaestus is rotting from the inside out, one crack at a time.

[thedreamerstoryteller]

Pei Su has this sugary way to call Luo Wei Zhao that it's impossible for him to resist.

The word "Shixiong" leaves his lips like a gentle caress, a warm embrace that together with his sly, pointing and intense gaze arrives directly to the heart of the Captain who finds himself defenceless. He can try to resist, he can try to not fall, he can try to deny that it isn't his weakness, his week spot. Pei Su is jis weak spot no matter what and he knows it so he uses it at his vantage because he is a little brat.

This is wonderful because it show how powerful can be a single word, how much power a single world can give to a person and how powerful a person can be over another when using the right words.

Words can carry emotions, can manipulate, can cause pain, can heal wounds, can kill and can save because how Dumbledore himself says in Harry Potter saga:

"Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it."

[n-i-m-u-e]

Lucemond bodyswap!AU

This plot was quite popular when I was a teenager (before the dinosaurs), but I've hardly ever seen it in this fandom. And a few days ago I literally had this dream (yes, I resumed taking antidepressants this month and usually when you start taking them, you have very vivid, detailed and interesting dreams at first) I couldn't let go of the idea.

Let's imagine that Rhaenyra and her family stay in KL until Viserys' death to prevent the usurper from taking her throne, and then just stay there because she's now queen. And so, with the help of some bizarre Valyrian magic really don't care the causes, only the effects, Luke and Aemond swap bodies and, according to the classic of the genre, cannot tell anyone about it (although Helaena knows anyway). And of coooourse, they have to work together to get everything back to the way it was.

-----------------------∞----------------------

for me, this is such an inexhaustible endless source of dramedy:

Aemond’s first thought when he looks in the mirror and sees his nephew's reflection is 'What can I do with this horribly messy hair?'

Luke wakes up in Aemond’s chambers and struggles with his new size, bumping into and tripping over everything until he finally reaches the room he’d fallen asleep in the night before, already covered in bruises. There, he sees himself—or is it his body?—turning the room upside down, searching for something. Luke timidly asks what Aemond is looking for, and with a look of wild madness in his eye, Aemond barks: “A comb!”

Luke, on the other hand, doesn't care about Aemond’s hair at all. It annoyed him how long it is, although he's mesmerized by its softness and color. Especially the color, since he’s imagined countless times what it would be like if he’d been born with Targaryen hair. But he can’t deal with the long strands and just ties them into a messy… something. Aemond nearly has a stroke when he sees this vandalism for the first time.

They agree to call a truce until they find out how it happened, but they constantly fight for various reasons. Mostly because Aemond is the one who panics dramatising overreacts about the situation. Luke, as an empathetic child without emotional constipation, even tries to calm him down. But, as expected, only encounters rudeness in return. The uncle says that he has never felt so defective before, even after he had lost an eye. He also says that he is very worried that Luke-in-his-body will now disgrace Aemond with ‘such idiotic expressions’ after Luke-in-his-body cannot hide the obvious resentment on his face.

Their attempts to behave like the other are rather clumsy. Mainly because Lucerys has never really hidden his emotions, while Aemond has never really shown his.

Aemond is shocked to find that in his sister’s family, displays of physical affection without any serious reason are perfectly normal. On the first dinner of being Luke, Aemond reflexively twists Jace’s arm when he tries to ruffle his hair unexpectedly. Later, when Rhaenyra, noticing something is off with "her sweet boy", pulls him close in a gentle hug to figure out what’s wrong, Aemond is beyond errored. And let’s not even talk about how the poor guy feels when Daemon slaps him on the back and asks for his opinion on something. Yes, used to being fairly distant from his own family, Aemond is really stunned by the intensity of the interconnectedness in his older sister's household.

After all this, he goes to complain to Luke, who is also in shock and distressed about 'Aemond's day', but it's more of a ‘Damn Bitch, You Live Like This?’. He hasn't seen any of his uncle's family all day and no one has even looked for him, except for Sir Christon (and it's a pretty enough nightmare). He tells Aemond that maybe understands why he's such a prick - because he hasn't ever been hugged enough.

Aemond, who can't come up with a plausible reason for not training with Jace, decides that he will quickly defeat his older nephew. But he is annoyed to realise that Luke's body is not as strong and trained as he is used to, and he cannot hold a sword of the weight that Aemond is used to. The fact that Jace is only gently encouraging his “brother” irritates him even more.

In the early morning, Aemond forces his nephew to train with him to learn how to use his new body—instead, Aemond cringes as watches Luke struggle to cope with his own. But after a little while, using each other's advice, they have a good sparring. Aemond is very excited about the possibility that having both eyes and the agility of a small body opens up—is triumphant at his victory. Luke look like he doesn't cares (he really doesn't, because he'd rather be in bed at this hour).

But the real hit for Aemond comes when Damon meets him later that morning and tells him that he saw the fight between him and Luke and is really proud of him because he has ‘unexpectedly good technique’. Aemond's fangirl-daddy-issues-emotions run high, and even the warning that ‘needs to be careful with this one-eyed Hightower cunt, because his extreme niceness is too alarming’ doesn't diminish them. By the end of the day, Aemond is mentally running around with the fact that ‘the Rogue Prince praised my fighting skills.’

Luke laughs for a very long time when hears about this conversation. Because ‘Daemon saw me beat you, and according to him, I fight only slightly better than Joff. Joff is six, uncle. Daemon thought "you" went easy on "me".’

They try to find some information on how to get back into their own bodies in Valyrian manuscripts, but Luke discovers just how terrible his uncle’s pronunciation is when he tries reading something aloud. The search is soon forgotten, as their impromptu speaking lesson stretches late into the evening.

The amount of time they’ve been spending together lately doesn’t go unnoticed and starts raising questions. So, the boys decide to split up for a while and conduct their searches separately.

Luke, who is unbearably bored being Aemond and lacking his discipline, decides to find some entertainment. He’d normally call Jace to fly or invite Rhaena for a walk, but obviously, that’s not an option now. So, he heads to see Helaena, who is delighted to have him visit. Luke confirms that his "quirky aunt" is really sweet, but freezes when she declares she’s 'so glad Aemond can see the underside’.

Later, Luke encounters Aegon too, who makes a comment about Aemond-Luke’s hairstyle. And boy, out of habit, reacts in much the same way as he would if something similar happened between him and Jace—he responds with some kind of small joke. Aegon stares at him as if he’s grown a second head—or at least regrown his second eye. Slowly, Lucerys realizes that his stoic, cold uncle is really just wearing a mask. After all, truly coldblooded people don’t flare up at every little remark.

Aemond, who’s genuinely trying to solve the problem, finds a reference to a book that might be in Dragonstone’s library. Without thinking twice, he decides to fly there. Based on who he looks like now, he thinks no one will find it odd if Lucerys Velaryon spends a few hours in the library at his own home. He heads to the dragonpit to ride Lucerys Velaryon dragon.

But dragons are not humans. Arrax is not at all pleased when some suspicious guy—no matter how much he looks like his rider (this no less suspicious point also needs to be clarified)—tries to approach him and decides to take a few bites out of the pretender. Aemond is rescued by Luke, who is on his way to visit his dragon. Unlike his uncle, he did not assume that Arrax could be fooled by appearances.

Luke angrily tells his uncle that he 'tried to steal someone else's dragon again and almost got hurt.' For the first time since they switched bodies, they get into a real fight, almost ending in blows. But when Aemond sweeps Luke off his feet with a well-placed strike from his “blind side” and and falls on top of him, they have some feelings that are… let's say not typical of a fight, which makes Aemond embarrassed and run away. What can you do—they still teenagers🤷‍♀️

And speaking of teenagers. If you wake up with morning wood while in someone else’s body, is jerking off in such a situation still considered masturbation or already sex? Just asking.

Aemond, isolated from his usual routine and still holding a grudge against Luke, decides to “gather some information on the enemy camp,” as he calls it. In reality, he's simply finding out how Luke is treated by his family. And this simultaneously makes him envious and angry on behalf of his nephew. Because he doesn't like the condescending attitude that thrives on Luke. Now it becomes clearer to him why he once thought the boy was weak and foolish, though in recent days, he’s realised that’s not the case at all. But this condescension causes Lucerys’ impostor syndrome to progress. It doesn't allow him to become stronger.

Also, unexpectedly for himself, Aemond finds that he actually likes his cousins, and even little Joffrey is “a decent kid.” Jacerys stops provoking a dull irritation as long as he’s either silent or far enough away that his words can’t be heard.

For a few days, Aemond and Luke avoid each other. But eventually, Luke comes to make peace and finally apologizes to his uncle, not just for the recent incident, but for everything.

They decide to fly to Dragonstone together because Luke knows how to sneak into the castle. After all, he has slipped out countless times with Jace, Rhaena, and on his own.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[talonabraxas]

Sowilo or Sowelu

The Sowelu Runa (Sol, Sigel, Sig, Saugil), the 16th glyph of the runic wheel, starts today, which will accompany us until February 26th.

Period of Manifestation

February 12 - February 26

Sowelu (Sol, Sigel, Sig, Saugil) represents the Sun, the power of the Sun, the life force of the Sun, understood as the imposing energy source of Light and Life. The Sowelu Runa is therefore synonymous with Energy, Life Force, and Honesty.

It is also called the Runa of Blooming, which urges us to fully use our talents, even if they appear inconcilable. But Sowelu is even a monito against presumption and depletion of energy reserves. In contrast to the defensive force of Algiz, the Sowelu solar force is of an aggressive matrix. Attempts to misuse this energy will culminate in darkness and despair.

Another characteristic of the Sowelu Runa is that it encompasses the greatest power that each of us has, that is the power of choice.

Divination

If the Runa del Sun emerges in the course of divination, a significant vitality or an unbridled spirit of enterprise is highlighted that pervades the consultant.

This rune has no reverse, so when it appears, you have to interpret it in the same way.

Sowilu is a very positive rune.

Associated with the Sun, inexhaustible source of light and energy, the Runa Sowelu announces that she is going through a great time in her life and that she has the strength to bring to an end all her projects, whatever they may be.

You can then take advantage of great mental clarity, and that allows you to channel your efforts well, provided you let yourself be guided by caution: a gift you should never lack! Sowelu, on top of that, has the power to eliminate the negative aspects that might be associated with another Runa that was launched.

The most important advice of this magical rune, however, is that you need to become aware of who you are, discover the source of your inner energy, the one that will always, until the end of your days, be there to light the way in the dark areas of irrational fears, helping to win them.

Also Sowelu tells us that it's an ideal time to find solutions and make decisions that have been postponed until now.

Sowelu therefore, predicts complete success in any project to undertake, ensures good health and significant vital energies to be channeled towards achieving one's objectives. Beware, however, the hidden monument of which previously mentioned: Sun, in fact, appears like a lightning that can strike suddenly, sweeping everything away in an instant, and the ideology that in the past used the power of this rune to dominate others has suffered inevitable destruction and ruin. Sol is not reversible as said before, but it can still indicate in an unfavorable context, that he has abused his own energy or misused it resulting in a loss of clarity in seeing the reality of things.

Regarding love, Sol tells us that it will be a period dominated by romantic feelings. It will be the star of romantic climaxes and it will draw the attention of many people...

Why not let go and seize the opportunity? It's possible that one of these adventures will last.

As far as work is concerned, Sol tells us that this is in general a positive period, so even at work you can take advantage of interesting meetings and interviews that can over time become extremely beneficial for your career.

While in Health, Sol tells us that we will experience a moment of great activity, both in the personal and professional sphere. It will be good, then, to alternate work with moments of relaxation, in which you can regenerate your energy and recover the strength to continue enjoying this positive period!

Correspondence

Syllabus : S Deity: Sun Tree: Ginepro Herb : Mistletoe Crystal : Ruby Color : White / Silver Animal : Eagle Tarot: XIX Major arcano - The Sun Astrology: Sun in Leo / Moon in fifth house I Ching: 64th Exagram, Wei Chi - Before Fulfillment. Fountain Thordis Elena Salatin Pagan calendar paths of light Runica the magic of the runes

Original Post by L'Antro celtico

[ramayantika]

The dance of the devi

Flowers for the goddess 

in my alta-dyed hands,

I offer them at the lotus feet

of the Mother of the Universe.

***

Gentle blues of the skies move out 

And Surya slowly rises from slumber

in its captivating regal glory,

its golden rays adorning

the Devi’s forehead.

***

I behold the golden complexioned goddess

set in stone with a benevolent smile.

My anklets lay at her feet

with turmeric and vermillion coating

some of those melodious bells.

***

A sweet summer breeze blows by.

A bell jingles and a lotus from her garland

falls to the brown earth at my dust laden feet.

A jingle of bangles and anklets,

A low hum of a mysterious yet beautiful tune,

And a voice sings,

A voice that I can recognize anywhere –

The Devi has risen!

***

Draped in silks and gold,

fragrant garlands around her limbs,

She steps outside to my courtyard,

A very humble stage for the one

who is the abode of this entire Universe.

The sun makes her ornaments gleam, 

yet her moon-like face is the brightest.

My anklets are around her feet

But what truly do I own 

in this illusionary world?

What I receive –

Beauty, intelligence, riches and power,

All comes from her.

***

And by the bright yellows of dawn

I see her dance in my courtyard.

Wherever her feet travel, little blooms arise

and where her hands softly touch,

Golden dust flies.

She twirls round and round

And I see the might cosmic Gods

Swirling around her magnificence.

Her veil, the illusionary veil,

which she playfully casts 

around this world

escapes the clutches 

of her beautiful braided hair.

And now I see. Clearly.

***

She leaps into the air,

Resembling a warrior

and a warrior she is,

for she is the Devi,

The ferocious Bhairavi,

The invincible Durga,

the slayer of Mahishasura.

She is the dark one, Kali,

The slayer of Raktabija.

***

Her dance of grace and elegance

transforms to a dance of death and destruction.

She is Shivatrinayani and Maheshwari.

She leaps and twirls with her trident

and her anklets and the temple bells ring 

harmoniously,

Just like the eternal forces of nature.

Devi is Nitya, the eternal one.

***

I, a mere mortal woman, a devotee

akin to the turmeric and vermillion on her feet

watch the goddess dance in all her glory.

I see all the worlds and this vast universe 

dance with her,

And maybe it is really true:

That everything in the world dances.

Laasya performs in every object,

in the largest to the very smallest.

***

And then I see the radiant one

stretch her palm to me.

I see my world in her hand

And clasp her hand tightly.

Which daughter lets go of her mother’s hand?

So we dance.

***

Stars and galaxies, planets and cosmic bodies,

Fire and snow, gods, demons and mortals,

I see her in everything

And this is the Dance of Realisation.

The music, the drums and the bells slowly fade 

But the dancing soul now awakened

dances in ecstasy.

I see, I hear, I dance, I understand everything now.

***

The Devi twirls, spins, sings, smiles and laughs

And finally heads to her abode, to Shiva, her life.

My life, a thread in her hands,

I now submit to her eternal play 

of this Life’s Dance.

***

I haven't written poetry in a while now. Somehow I couldn't capture this in a story format, it felt bland and very large and long. I didn't like it. The poem format perhaps gives me a little peace to form the vision I once had a few years ago while meditating on the goddess. I will obviously edit this later for the book, but for now here's the first draft poem for the book

Tagging: @swayamev @indiansapphic @jukti-torko-golpo (big thank you to you for the devi content!) @navaratna @rhysaka @krishna-priyatama @krsnaradhika @inexhaustible-sources-of-magic @alhad-si-simran @ramcharantitties @kaal-naagin

[monstersdownthepath]

Monster Spotlight: Tinder Devil

CR 4

Lawful Evil Small Outsider

Adventure Path: Council of Thieves: The Bastards of Erebus, pg. 86-87

These minuscule devils are also known as Ukobach among their diabolic kin, and are one of the few devils to be created from Hell's power directly rather than by the corruption and torture of mortal souls. Ukobach arise spontaneously from any source of torturous Hellfire, be it the canals of Dis in which mortal souls are constantly drowned and burned at the same time or the furnaces of Malebolge in which souls are cremated over and over. One could accurately call the Ukobach byproducts in the process of forging more "traditional" devils, which speaks highly of Hell's efficiency, turning even its own runoff into a useful product!

The duties of Tinder Devils are inexhaustible and often indispensable. Their birth from Hell's own fires instills within them a wicked creativity but also an innate sense for the workings of Hell's innumerable great and terrible machines, allowing them to swiftly and accurately perform maintenance on just about any device they encounter. Each of these devils is thus given a +9 to any one Craft skill, allowing the DM to slot them into whatever position they need to be in, whether it be working the forges, attending to boilers, or even tinkering with alchemy. That last one there is especially tempting, as there exists an in-universe story called Shagreen which contains a cautionary tale against greed, stating the Tinder Devils know how to create the sacred alchemical element known as berith, which can turn any substance into gold. Whether this is actually true is left up in the air, though to this day Ukobach are still called upon by diabolists hoping to make use of their creativity and knowledge of artifice.

Unfortunately, Ukobach primarily use all their creativity and knowledge of artifice to torture people. Being born of Hellfire, the Ukobach enjoy using it in everything they possibly can, their every invention making use of roaring flames to cause another creature pain. Even if their creations seem peaceful, they will ALWAYS inevitably be used to cause pain one way or another... but maybe that's what you're looking for! Who am I to judge?

Though their primary draw is their wicked creativity and knowledge of Hell's many great machines, these diminutive devils are still plenty useful to an enterprising summoner in other ways. They can, due to their immunity to Fire and their ability to easily breathe in ash and thick smog, work directly inside of forges and boilers, molding malleable metals and glass with their bare hands to assure the highest degree of craftsmanship possible. They have a decent amount of arcane knowledge and useful appraisal skills (both at +9)... but none of this is what we're really here for, is it? We're here to learn what happens when you break open the infernal forges and find horrible little men inside who leap into the initiative order!

Ukobach are simple in theory, but depending on their environment, they can be downright oppressive. They attack using either their fire poker or their two claws, the former dealing 1d6-1 damage and the latter 1d4-1, but their bodies radiate enough heat to Scorch anything they touch, tacking +1d4 Fire damage to any attacks they make, be they natural or with a weapon. They're also capable of flicking small but incredibly hot embers at targets within 20ft, dealing 1d6 Fire damage and igniting flammable material they hit. It's not their martial prowess where they shine, though, but their magical, their abilities allowing them to sow swift destruction through most environments. It may not look it from a glance at their statblock, which is bereft of any spell-like abilities, but one must glance further down!

While not exactly built for stealth, Ukobach can nonetheless infiltrate just about any locale thanks to their ability to Fire Leap, teleporting themselves between any two fires (or powerful heat sources, such as lava or boilers) within 100ft of each other, often letting them pop right into people's living rooms or main halls. Fires erupt constantly around Tinder Devils, who can start them with a literal flick of their fingers and any amount of accelerant, so they're never at a loss for an entrance. Again, not subtle, but if you wanted subtle you wouldn't have summoned one! No, if you're sending in a Tinder Devil, it's because you want something to go down in a blaze, and that's exactly what they specialize in.

To this end, Ukobach can unleash a startling amount of damage with their Firebreathing, taking a moment to swish some alcohol, oil, or other flammable liquid in their mouth before spraying it out in a 10ft cone or a 20ft line. Anything in this line must make a DC 13 Reflex save or take 3d6 Fire damage (half on a successful save), and since the Ukobach can do this as many times as it has drinks available, it can quickly set a whole town square on fire, or easily down clustered-up low-level adventurers... but this isn't their most reliable trick for bringing down structures, no. That would be Animate Flames, an ability that allows them to animate any Small or smaller fire--a campfire, a fireplace blaze, a torchlight, etc--as a Fire Elemental of the same size and command it for up to 3 rounds.

Animate Flames is a standard action the Ukobach may take as often as it wishes, though mercifully it requires a DC 15 Wisdom save to successfully bring the fire to life, so the devil must roll a 12 or higher. In addition, the DC raises by 5 for each size category above Small the target fire is... but up to five Tinder Devils working in unison can lend their aid to the first, granting a +2 bonus to the check, potentially allowing them to animate campfires automatically and have a good chance to raise bonfires or even wildfires. Though the resulting Elemental lasts only 3 rounds, that's still plenty enough time for it to cause incredible chaos, as Fire Elementals set everything they touch ablaze and run at 50ft/round... and the fire doesn't just go away when the 3 rounds expires, but rather collapses directly onto the space it's in, potentially causing even more problems if it comes to rest on something flammable.

Which it will.

Because Ukobach don't go into anything without a plan! Like kobolds, the Tinder Devils will spend patient days planning their attacks and setting up careful traps in a locale, stocking up on all the materials they need to cause a truly terrific display of arson. Some of their fires even serve as distractions for other, more destructive ones, and their +16 to Stealth means they're usually safe from being caught until the dominoes have stared falling. Their high Stealth also means their animated Fire Elementals can appear to be spontaneous phenomena, further confounding the party's attempts to root out the true culprit.

While everyone is off confronting the big fires, they're not paying attention to the demented little pyromaniacs in the background setting up piles of wood and puddles of oil, all placed in a careful trail leading to the booze storage of the local inn that everyone has evacuated to. Because there's no limit to the number of fires an Ukobach can have animated at once--just a limit to its patience--it has endless sacks of HP to put between itself and the party, because fire is self-perpetuating. A teeny-tiny animated matchstick fire ignites a pool of oil to form a Huge Fire Elemental the next round, and the resulting fire spreading to more structures giving the devil more mobility with its Fire Leap and more potential minions to work with.

There IS good news, thankfully, in that stopping a Tinder Devil's fire from spreading--such as by soaking its piles of flammable material before they ignore--means it can neither leap to safety or create a minion, leaving it with its meager martial prowess to defend itself, as it has no magical means to escape an unfavorable and only a 30ft move speed. Its diabolic heritage gives it DR 5/Silver or Good, something that can be challenging for low-level players to overcome, and their 15 Spell Resistance is likely to cause frustration in the level 2 or 3 casters it's confronting, but if you're going to risk spells not working, you're going to want to at least make sure the spell is targeting the thing's absolutely atrocious +2 to Fortitude saves.

If you're in a higher-level campaign where whole teams of these things can be encountered at once, you've got even more options, chief among them Quench. It's Druid-only, but it shuts down ALL nonmagical fires in a gigantic 20ft cube per level, which may as well be a death sentence for these guys. That being said, in a higher-level campaign, it's likely that the Ukobach themselves aren't the real threat, but whatever they've been building, and whatever structures they've been rigging to detonate...

You can read more about them here.

[maryflorlovyblog]

"Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of hurting and healing."

-Harry Potter