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strawbeerossi · 1 year

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Could you write a Spencer Reid x fem reader who's a witch and she gets Spencer to join in on her rituals/gives him readings etc and at first he's sceptical (joins in anyway for her) but then ends up secretly enjoying it, something along those lines!

Stars Align

Pairing: Fem!Reader x Spencer Reid

Description: Spencer likes to give his girlfriend a hard time when it comes to her spirituality and her Wiccan beliefs. Whenever she is sick and in the hospital for The Winter Solstice, Spencer takes things into his own hands to ensure that he invites only the warmest, most positive vibes of the season.

Content Warning: Mention of being hospitalized, mentions of Spencer being a brat and giving reader a hard time sometimes, ultimately just a big, sweet, fluffy mess.

Word Count: 1.5K

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I did it just a little differently from the ask but I hope you enjoy, anon!

A witch is an ambiguous symbol of power and the unknown, identified in pop culture references for their hate of kids and love of evil as much as for their capability to create and mend.

Witches have consistently reflected the zeitgeist, whether that be humanity’s views on women or the collective tie to ritual and magic.

A witch in the modern day promotes a strong sense of feminism and power. It is deeply rooted in personal empowerment and is heavily influenced by the culture each witch has been subjected to. Currently, women who loved the wonders of spirituality, witchcraft and the connection to the universe had a relatively new title; Wiccan.

The enchantment of magic is that when it's truly personal, it's most powerful and possesses the greatest strength. That was simply why Y/N participated in the art of Wicca. Growing up with the negative connotations that her family projected onto the lifestyle, she had always been curious.

It started out small, she went out one evening and bought crystals, feeling bewitched by the healing prospect surrounding them.Amethysts were her favorite for the power to have all her stress and anxiety melt away. As she continued to exercise her spirituality, she’d turned to reading numerous books on the subject.

She felt a surge of power go through her veins, feeling connected to a higher power that was much stronger than she could’ve imagined. While religion was somewhat of the same thing, this seemed so much better than what she was raised with. It was a personal journey, one that didn’t involve people at local churches or other sacred worship places.

In addition to her adventures into reading the numerous pieces of literature and delving more into the healing aspect, she also thoroughly enjoyed the rituals that came with Wiccan culture. She was particularly fond of the Summer Solstice and the Winter Solstice. The celebrations were things she took very seriously.

For example, in preparation for Yule, she would spend days cleansing and decluttering the apartment, wanting to rid anything that didn’t let positivity and vibrance shine in the little space that she called home.

However, moving in with Spencer, her longtime boyfriend, definitely changed some things up for her. Instead of freely organizing things to be donated, regifted, or sold, she would have to stop and ask him if he was comfortable letting the item or items go. He wasn’t against her beliefs and practices by any means but she just knew that he was skeptical.

Spencer was a man of logic, she knew that. He was the type of person who thoroughly researched, dissected, and tried to understand the intricacies of the world around him. Which Y/N would lovingly tell him that he needed to take a step back and connect with the world around him, to let his mind stop working overtime and let himself breathe. He never listened but.. She tried and that was all that mattered.

She was usually met with many questions that were laced with skepticism. It wasn’t out of malice, she knew that. Most people just didn’t understand. The questions were pretty typical. “Well, how do you know there are really any higher powers out there?”

“Where is the proof that you aren’t doing all this for nothing?”

“Do you truly believe that those crystals have any healing power whatsoever?”

Despite his love for logic and research, Spencer did have a soft spot for the things that his girlfriend did. He never personally indulged before and yeah, he would sometimes act like a little brat and give her a hard time, but he admired how she never changed her belief system. Instead, she just did a little extra around their shared apartment to try and invite her scholar boyfriend into the spirit of the season.

However, this year was different.

Y/N ended up getting a bad case of the stomach flu on the days leading up to Yule. It was to the point that she needed to be hospitalized.

There was no mood for a celebration whenever she was gravely ill, barely being able to hold down any liquids or solids. It managed to crush her heart though. Instead of welcoming the new season, she was stuck in a brightly lit, cold hospital.

She would watch the snow cascade from the clouds and stick to the ground from her room’s window, looking similar to a sad puppy looking out from a shelter’s window and yearning for the opportunity to run and enjoy life.

Spencer had been busy with work, there being a case that put him out in Colorado for two weeks and she still didn’t know when he was getting home. Talking on the phone with him helped her a small bit but she was at least hoping that he’d be there in person for her.

However, she knew what she signed up for when dating Spencer in the first place. She couldn’t be angry or upset with him, she just missed her boyfriend. Thankfully, after a few more tests, she’d be free to go back home that evening since she wasn’t needing to be kept nourished by a tube any longer.

Unbeknownst to his girlfriend, Spencer had gotten back from Colorado several days ago, enlisting the team for help as they were working on her typical traditions. Penelope was probably the most excited out of the bunch, getting right to work on creating a Yule altar for the coffee table, going a little overboard as she opted for a plethora of garland, candles, oranges, some pinecones that she couldn’t help but throw a little glitter on, crystals, and golden discs to call forth the sunlight that she’d already heard Y/N tell her so much about.

While she worked on the altar, Emily and JJ were sitting with Spencer in the living room, awaiting his instruction of what he figured would be considered clutter and what needed to be boxed up. Most of it was old books that he’d had scattered throughout the apartment, which he had taped up the box full and was taking them to the trunk of his car. He wasn’t going to throw them out, no way. He just knew that this would be something to brighten Y/N’s spirits, to come home to a house that was already prepped and ready to embrace the new season.

Whenever the house was thoroughly cleaned and decorated, Spencer had a few candles ready for when she had gotten home, their notepads and pens laid out on the little part of the table that wasn’t covered by the altar that was made with love. “Alright. I think that should do it.” Spencer announced as he was letting his hands rest against his hips, his eyes looking around the living room that looked beautifully cleaned, organized, and decorated.

“You’ve outdone yourself on this one, Spence.” JJ commented, a proud smile on her face while Penelope was nodding with excitement. “She is truly gonna love that you did this for her. When I went to visit her yesterday, she looked so heartbroken because she couldn’t come home and prepare.” There was a sense of pride that washed over Spencer.

Even if he didn’t necessarily subscribe to the Wiccan belief system, he did know that this would be a memorable Yule for Y/N, it also proved just how much he loved her.

Whenever the women who came by to help were making their own ways home, Spencer was just patiently waiting to surprise his girlfriend, knowing she’d be getting home at any given minute since they’d already had a previous phone call as she was getting packed up to leave the hospital after four very long days.

It was a little silly, Spencer feeling so giddy. It felt like his heart was gonna beat out of his chest each time he saw a car’s windshield reflecting through the open window.

As soon as he could hear the sound of the locks in the door clicking through, he was quickly perking up.

The look on Y/N’s face when she walked through the front door was enough to make his heart melt in his chest. “I haven’t been entirely truthful with you.. I got home a few days ago so I could clean the apartment. Even if I don’t particularly understand your beliefs, I wanted to make sure things were prepared for you.”

He offered a smile. “After all, we want to invite in the new season with positive vibes, right?” His words were enough to warm Y/N completely, the bitter cold of the Virginia winter not being able to chill her anymore.

After closing the door, she was hurrying over to hug her boyfriend, a tight embrace that was borderline suffocating. This meant the world to her. Instead of him being a brat and asking her a million questions or outright teasing her, he was embracing everything she had to offer.

That was a sign of true, pure, and raw love.

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opia-tarot · 2 years

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Hi my darlings, i thought i would post this because i love the asteroid circe and i noticed there’s barely any information on it. These are my notes about the asteroid circe in astrology.

how to calculate asteroids circe is #34

🧙‍♀️asteroid circe in difficult aspect to the ascendant can attribute to a striking appearance. These people are usually very intimidating to others, and even though they're attractive, they tend to not get approached too often. They usually have a witchy appearance. Honestly some of the most attractive people i've met have this aspect without fail. It doesn't matter what sign it's in, so striking and intimidating.

🧙‍♀️asteroid circe in the 3h is a very bewtiching placement. This placement indicates spell binding speech. What i mean is, when these people speak, people are enchanted by them. They can choose to use this in a positive or negative way.

🧙‍♀️circe in capricorn, aries, sag and scorpio are the types of people who don't believe in the overly positive aspect of the occult. These people can't stand hippy dippy throwing up unicorns occultism. These people are usually very refreshing to talk about the occult with.

🧙‍♀️circe 8h. I wouldn't mess with these people, depending on their other placements. I still wouldn’t ahaha

🧙‍♀️circe in virgo are most likely to be green witches

🧙‍♀️circe conjunct mars is such a hot placement. These people have an enchanting sex appeal, they ooze it.

🧙‍♀️asteroid circe in aspect to chiron can use the occult to heal their wounds.

🧙‍♀️circe in capricorn, aries and scorpio are usually fierce or intimidating in some way. They have a dangerous enchantment to their attractiveness. It's the playing with fire placement.

🧙‍♀️circe in difficult aspect to 🌛 may struggle with vengeful feelings towards others. Depending on their other placements it varies. But they tend to get revenge/vengeful quite easily when they consider it necessary. The type of people to curse someone and be like but they deserved it🥺ahaha

🧙‍♀️circe-mc can be known for being very bewitching, enchanting etc. But these people can also be known for their involvement in the occult.

🧙‍♀️circe 3h can be the black sheep of the family. They become a witch (or something of the sort) and go against the family beliefs or traditions

🧙‍♀️circe in aspect to the ascendant people are getting another mention here because they're always bewitching. You can't ignore these people. And you know what's so ironic? They don't do anything to get people's attention, usually they prefer to stay lowkey. People stare at these people like crazy. Btw lana del ray has circe opposite her asc, so point proven ahaha. I can't emphasise this enough. Every attractive person has circe-asc. Now speaking of attractiveness....

🧙‍♀️circe conjunct venus or circe conjunct mars are yummy placements. The maneaters, lady killers and people pullers (yes i made this up)

🧙‍♀️circe-🌛 are the types of people to go off the grid completely ahaha

🧙‍♀️circe in taurus are the witches who are obsessed with candles, incense etc

🧙‍♀️circe 2h could possibly hide their involvement in witchcraft or their interest in it, they keep it secret or they prefer to be private about it

🧙‍♀️circe 6h use witchcraft or particular aspects of the occult within their everyday routine

🧙‍♀️circe in difficult aspect to mc could be percieved as negatively 'witchy', you know the uneducated, judgemental view of witchcraft? idk if that makes sense. If not this, what i've also noticed is people who have the opposition particularly can be enchanting but also seen as unapproachable in some way. push and pull for sure.

🧙‍♀️circe-north node people have a deep resonance with witchcraft or the occult. It has significant role in them finding their purpose. For some of them it is their purpose.

🧙‍♀️most likely to curse their enemies is circe in difficult aspect to mars. I said what i said. My advice would be to not upset these people

🧙‍♀️circe 11h and circe-north node in the same chart are most likely to join a witch coven at some point

🧙‍♀️circe 9h people are most likely to leave religion for the occult or develop their beliefs at some point, something of that nature. Either this or they really like learning about the history of witchcraft and practices etc

🧙‍♀️circe in sagittarius are the chaotic witches. The witches who forget the moon cycles etc ahaha

🧙‍♀️circe in 2h/6h or taurus are most likely to be solitary witches

🧙‍♀️circe in 6h/9h/virgo are most likely to be hedge witches

🧙‍♀️circe-🌛 tend to be nocturnal in some way or their practices are done at night, it's usually when it's more effective. The nocturnal witches.

🧙‍♀️circe in the 5h/leo people usually have some sort of occult hobby, usually tarot deck collectors, crystal collectors etc

🧙‍♀️every attractive person's chart i've analysed has circe-asc or circe mc without fail, every time! I'm getting excited ahaha because i actually get to use my research. If you would like me to make a post on the celebs who have these aspects lmk but anyway. These people attract proper admirers. These people are literally the definition of the song i put in this post. Like they ENCHANT people so effortlessly. I love it.

🧙‍♀️most of the best musicians have circe-chiron, they make genuine, healing art. These are the artists who attract emotionally attached fans, lana for example.

🧙‍♀️circe-mercury people.... your words are POWERFUL (same to circe 3h) so please be careful what you say. Remember words can be spells too. What you say is very impactful.

🧙‍♀️circe can have a similar push and pull effect as pluto. So for example, people with circe opposite ascendant enchant very easily, but people can be very overwhelmed by it, similar to pluto opposite asc. The way people react to them or the way this opposition behaves is similar to pluto, just less intense and more enchanting

🧙‍♀️i forgot to add circe-🌞. So this aspect usually means witchcraft or something within occultism will help you find your identity. Usually these people are drawn to occultism from adolescence. It usually is an essential aspect in finding themselves and their character development.

any feedback is appreciated. If you would like me to post more asteroid notes, or anything asteroid related, let me know. If you have any post requests or ideas message me. I’m back on tumblr now so expect posts more regularly!🔮🖤

©️opiatarot rights reserved 2022

#astrology asteroids #circe #opia tarot #astrology #astro notes #astro observations #Spotify

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childotkw · 1 year

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Can we get Tom's thoughts on Harry's eyes? The most emphasized aspect in the books is Harry's enchanting emerald green eyes, and whenever I read about it, I feel like I'm falling into a bottomless pit.

Hmmmmm it would depend on the dynamic in the story, me thinks...

For instance, in a non-tomarry / harrymort sense, etc. I think Voldemort would actually hate Harry's eyes. Eyes are the window to the soul and all that, after all, and Harry's eyes are so very expressive. I imagine Voldemort would despise the insolence, the defiance, the righteous anger, that shines so very brightly in Harry's eyes whenever they clash. It would be taken as a taunt, this daring boy that he fails to crush again and again. So yeah, hatred would be the main thing in that instance.

But for a more tomarry / harrymort perspective, I imagine Tom would think that Harry's eyes are his greatest weakness and his greatest asset.

Weakness because they're too expressive and anyone could easily read Harry's thought process from his eyes - could predict what he was about to do and counter him.

Asset because they are so compelling, so very green and enchanting, that people are distracted by them. Harry's eyes can be bewitching, their unique colouring lifting his attractiveness to new heights - and being attractive is as much a weapon as being charming is, as being intelligent is, as having good instincts is. When Harry actually tries and uses his eyes to his advantage, he's a damningly effective manipulator.

Because people also underestimate those they think they can read.

Either way, I don't think any version of Tom would ever be neutral on Harry's eyes. He'd either hate them or think them devastating.

#anonymous #HP #harry potter #tom riddle #tomarry #harrymort

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cammys-imagines24 · 2 years

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•Being in a Relationship with Desire•

It should come as no surprise that being with Desire is a handful.

What with their constant scheming and "up to no good" state of being.

They're the type to start filling you in on their devious, naughty plans over morning coffee and not stop until well into cocktail hour.

You knew what you signed up for though and it does please you how willingly they are to share every part of their ideas with you.

And they do fully. They will never lie to you or keep you out of the loop. You're their partner, in every way. From partner in life to partner in crime.

Can you imagine having Desire's full attention upon you? What it feels like to receive true, everlasting love from the anthropomorphic personification of desire?

They embody lust, craving, wanting and attraction so to have all those bewitching traits focused on you is like being put under a spell.

When Desire feels love and lust towards you, which is honestly all they feel besides a dash of trickery, it is an overwhelming experience.

There have been many times where a simple kiss from them brings you to your knees or a mere golden eyed glance has made you nearly faint.

Their voice makes your heart beat nearly out of your chest, their body makes you tremble and brings you the greatest form of pleasure anyone could ever know.

They are entirely devoted to you. At your beck and call. Making it their personal goal to get you anything and everything you could possibly desire.

You are spoiled rotten by them. They even created new rooms and places in the Threshold to suit your tastes, your fancies, your hobbies, etc.

They keep you close to them at all times and when you're within reach, they will be touching you in some way or another.

Softly running their manicured fingers through your hair, absently tracing any bare skin you may be showing, leaving little pecks here and there on your cheeks and neck, if only to mark you with their lipstick.

They like you on their lap, your body touching theirs so that they may see and feel the constant effect they have upon you.

So they can bear witness to the rhythm of your heart, the warmth of your skin, the color of your blush...

They are utterly faithful to you and attentive, knowing your wants and desires even before the thought occurs to you.

They are extremely protective, going as far as to not let you out of their sight unless absolutely necessary.

See, they know that because of how they interfere in their siblings lives that they are not popular amongst the Endless and should the others seek revenge, they know all too well how you are a liability.

Their eternal love for you could make you a target and they will not stand to have you be put in danger.

They will take you anywhere you want to go, in their realm, in the human world, in the universe so long as they are there beside you.

To have Desire's love feels like a never ending enchantment and the "honeymoon phase" never leaves.

Your days are filled with luxury, pleasure and allure.

It almost feels like a trance but with a life this good you hope never to awaken from this magic.

To have won Desire's heart is no mean feat and yet they have given it to you, figuratively and literally.

They are yours and you are forever and ever theirs.

#the sandman #the sandman netflix #the sandman tv #the sandman desire #desire #desire of the endless #desire of the endless x reader #desire x reader smut #desire x reader #desire imagines #desire headcanons #desire headcanon #the sandman x reader smut #the sandman x reader #the sandman imagine #the sandman headcanon #the sandman headcanons #the sandman fanfic

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flavaflavbutitznyork · 2 years

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Siren energy Placements

@flavaflavbutitznyork

🐬Libra Moons, Alexa Demie is rumored to have this & her eyes are very appealing I myself had an old bestie with this placement & as soon as we locked eyes for some reason I was like "we need to be besties" so we did🤗

🐬Scorpio Risings, This placement both I & my bestie share & we find it easy for people to draw themselves towards us tbh <3

🐬Leo placements, not all Leos are "out there" some are shy & the shy ones usually are magnetic & attract people towards them

🐬Pisces energy my bestie YES the same bestie a pisces sun & stellium she had a crush on this guy for years, after she told me all we did was write a note & she got her man. simple <3🐚

🐬Neptune conj. Venus, MK so my bestie also had this & these people are supremely alluring, people become obsessed with them it's insane like ideal dream girls/guys/etc.

🐬Lilith-Sun aspects terrifying at times but they have personalities that are dark & embraced which makes people magnets to them at times they often have no F***s to give Alexa demie has Sun conj. Lilith

🐬Lilith on/aspecting Angles, Liltih is magnetic like venus but in a darker more taboo way & these people flaunt it whether they know or not (1H/4H7H/10H)

🐬Sirene Asteroid #1009 prominence, I have it in the 1st house & people really be drawn towards us like I wouldn't be surprised if old bestie had it to 🥵❤️‍🔥<3

🐬Water Placements + Dominance, SZA, Kali Uchis, Lana Del Rey they're alluring, known to have people bewitched, enchanting, often artistically gifted cuz they're imaginative

🐬Fire Dominance also could have this, the difference is it doesn't seem as subtle but they do often have it

🐬Saturnian placements they often could step into a leader role instantly even if quietest in a room

🐬Neptune-Mars Aspects, Mars is associated with the physical body & Neptune the alluring more unreal traits so when clashed these people move so different from others same could apply for Neptune-Mc/ASC aspects

🐬12th Venus the energy is subtle but it hits a person strongly & venus exalts in pisces so it makes sense the energy is strong with this house

🐬Neptune Conj. Sun for the sun ethereal, unique, alluring & could be so hypnotic, bewitching, dreamy

🐬planets conjoined the literal black hole, this is the intergalactic void at the center of our galaxy & exists at 26 degrees of sagittarius, alexa demie could have this conjoined her venus & christina aguilera has it conjoined the sun, Nicki Minaj has both mercury & neptune conjoined the black hole (wouldn't be shocked if this where somehow a fame placement, attraction, magnetic, empowered)

🐬Aquarius Personal Placements, Uranus is the planet of shock & Aquarians are known to be subtle in drawing attention but they do

🐬Scorpio placements at times but a lot of them are sidereal libras so It could be debatable but they can be subtle with it

🐬Ofcourse theres likely more others but-🐬

@flavaflavbutitznyork

#Spotify #astrology game #astrology #asteroids #astrology observations #asteroid #siren energy #flavaflavbutitsnewyork #astroblr

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cryinglittlepeople · 8 months

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What was Rose and Izuru's first meeting like? Did they meet during the really awkward "hey we're not dead" meeting in the rubble of fake karakura? at the third like a week later? How was it? Awkward AF? Love at first sight? Both of them acting utterly deranged and feeling cringe while bewitched by the other's equally demented antics?

Ooh that's a fun question!

I don't think rose and izuru actually met in the winter war, things were probably way too hectic, with everyone all cut up, gin dead, aizen caught. Everyone tending to their nearest and dearest first.

I do like to think that for a moment rose "sensed" something, or maybe kinshara did, or maybe even his inner hollow. Something marvelous, something inspiring. You know how in early bleach people's reiatsu was depicted as a ribbon? Izuru's reiatsu dancing just out of rose's view, but he felt it. He didn't have the time or mind to go chasing after it ofc.

When he's first properly introduced to izuru he's like !!!!!! Oh my god! It was you!!

So I do think rose was completely enchanted from the first moment. But I also think he didn't know yet what kind of feelings he had towards izuru at first. I think by his very nature rose tends to become infatuated by people, and things, and moments. Is this pure inspiration? Platonic love? Sexual attraction? Gotta find out.

For izuru's part I like to think he got on with rose quickly, not bc he's handsome or bc rose swooned, I think, bc we know from the manga that izuru is kinda closed off emotionally, and he's also kinda used to people acting a bit....odd..around him, so I don't think he'd really react to rose if all he did was swoon and serenade.

I actually think what got them closer is the opposite: rose listened. Like, /really/ listened. Not just things about the betrayal, or izuru's trial , and things like that, but rose would listen when izuru talked and remembered things like izuru's favorite poet, the way he liked his tea, his favorite pen, etc. I don't think anyone had done that for izuru in a long time.

And I think another thing is that rose respected izuru, his decisions, his authority, his opinions.

Things like that made izuru really start paying attention when rose would say sweet things to him, leave him notes, tell him he'd written songs about him. And that was just the beginning.

And then ofc if I'd go further into that, like I said before I think they had sex very quickly after that. More than anything to both just find out what would happen if they got it out of their system.

Surely, any feelings after that would simmer down? .....they would, in fact, not.

#rosezuru

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ladyyatexel · 11 months

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I am pathological, so here's more of this with no context or order or explanation or anything beyond photos of my sketchbook.

One day I will scan these nicely. One day I will make some other kind of proper painting. I have like 6 things I need to do instead of that this week.

But They.

I am bewitched charmed enchanted etc

#suzuhan #juuzou suzuya #hanbee abara #tokyo ghoul re #tokyo ghoul fanart #tokyo ghoul #lyx doodles

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wingedblooms · 1 year

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The sense chanted

This is a Maasverse post, and as such, there are spoilers for all Maas series. Proceed with caution.

Touch her, smell her, taste her—The instincts were a running river. He fisted his hands at his sides.

But even as shame washed through him, the words, the sense chanted, Mine. You are mine, and I am yours. Mate. (acowar)

Even the thoughts Lucien has about Elain are witchy. Though the word chant is not exclusive to Elain, Sarah uses it sparingly in the series and it caught my eye. Lucien’s mate instincts are compared to a running river and the words mine, mate, etc. are a chant in his mind. As @offtorivendell noted, Sarah’s use of the word chant might mean there is a spell tying Elain and Lucien together that acts a lot like a mating bond:

I can feel spells—like threads. Ones that can enchant feel like bindings around an individual. (acosf)

Both bonds and spells are described in terms of song and magical weaving (threads), which could lead them to be mistaken. Chant derives from the Latin word to sing, and so enchant—which means to charm, bewitch, or put under a spell—is also linked to singing. It is notable that chants are associated with sacred rituals and they often include repetition, like the refrain a thing of secret, lovely beauty. It is also possible that the bond is described as a chant because Lucien is the son of Helion Spell-Cleaver, and Elain is a witch. This chant pairs nicely with the way her scent is described:

Her sister’s delicate scent of jasmine and honey lingered in the red-stoned hall like a promise of spring, a sparkling river that she followed to the open doors of the chamber. [...] Her sister turned toward her, glowing with health. (acosf)

All of this language related to light, water, and chants reminds me of an another chant:

The song ended, and more prayers and words flowed from Merrill, Clotho silent beside her. Then another song started—this one merrier, faster than the other. As if the songs were a progression. This one was a lilting chant, the words tumbling over each other like water dancing down a mountainside, and Nesta’s foot tapped on the ground in time to the beat.

Sparkling wave of sound, prayers and words flowed, words tumbling over each other like water dancing down, bottomless pool of sound. The music in the dusk service is repeatedly compared to water and that makes sense; priestesses are believed to act as the voice of the Cauldron, which as a dark and ancient womb is associated with water. The priestesses use a progression of ancient songs and chants to help Nesta enter a trance state and locate the Harp through an illusion, which is very similar to how Norse magic functioned. But they have something particularly witchy assisting them…

Gwyn smiled. “Oh, yes. You want to join us? I promise it’s not all religious stuff. I mean, it is, but it’s beautiful. And the cave we have the service in is beautiful, too. It was carved by the underground river that flows beneath the mountain, so the walls are smooth as glass. And it’s acoustically perfect—the shape and size of the space amplifies and clarifies each voice within.”

“It sounds heavenly,” Nesta admitted.

“It is.” Gwyn smiled again, eyes lighting with pride. “Some of the songs you’ll hear are so ancient they predate the written word. Some of them are so old we didn’t even have them in Sangravah. Clotho found them in books shelved below Level Seven. Hana—she’ll be the one who plays the lute—figured out how to read the music.” (acosf)

The priestesses are singing ancient, spell-like songs in a cavern that is smooth as glass. The glass cavern walls amplify each voice (or incantation) of the priestesses. And guess what? There’s a sister-glass, an almost-twin cavern that allows them to wake the Harp in the Prison.

So Nesta drifted down and down, the harp and the voices pulsing and guiding, until she stopped before a rock. She laid a hand on it to find it was only an illusion, and she passed through it, down another long hall, beneath the mountain itself, and then she stood in a cavern, almost the twin to the one the priestesses sang in, as if they were linked in song and dreaming. (acosf)

The caverns function like witch glass. WITCH GLASS! And these underground, sister caverns naturally recall to mind the larger underground waterway that creatures of the bog use.

“Oorid was once a sacred place,” Amren said. […] They say the water there flows to Under the Mountain, and the creatures who live in the bog have long used its underground waterways to travel through the Middle, even into the mountains of the surrounding courts.” (acosf)

And who, again, did Cassian say lives in the bog?

“What else dwells here other than kelpies?”

“Some say witches,” he murmured, “Not the human kind,” he added when she raised a brow. “The kind that used to be something else and then their thirst for magic and power turned them into wretched creatures, banished here by various High Lords.”

[…]

Cassian went on as she scanned the bog, “There are lightsingers: lovely, ethereal beings who will lure you, appearing as friendly faces when you are lost.” (acosf)

I won’t be going in depth about this, but it is interesting that witches and lightsingers are mentioned so close together. @offtorivendell has written about her thoughts on their connections, and I suspect they are like sister-glass, near twins: misunderstood creatures with dangerous powers who have a role to play in the series. The dusk service is full of light and water imagery, and the songs the priestesses are singing are ancient and compared to a spell while the glass around them amplifies their collective power.

“Witches amass power beyond their natural reserve,” Mor answered with sudden seriousness. “They use spells and archaic tools to harness more power to them than the Cauldron allotted—and use it for whatever they desire, good or ill.” (acowar)

They connect to the sister cavern in the Prison through song and dreaming, where the Harp—which was Made by the Cauldron and can influence space and time—is awoken. Is this ritual harnessing powers from lightsingers (singing) and witches with Sight (dreaming), and if so, what is their intent? How did Clotho find those spells? Who is this mysterious Hana—a name with several meanings, including hope, joy, flower, glow, moon—and how did she figure out how to read those ancient spells songs? We may never find out, but I suspect Elain may have had something to do with it, especially since this happened after she spoke about wanting to help and reacquainting herself with her powers. Her activities in acosf have been a source of mystery and suspicion among characters and readers alike. It would make sense for her half-shadowed rose next to the Mother to be a hint for her secret maneuvers, and if she and the twins don't call themselves the Order of the Rose, then what's the point?

There are larger forces at play and god-like creatures who influence leaders on the wind, so I am concerned about a potential infiltration in just about every court, including the Night Court. The priestesses' sanctuary has been breached before and we know that the wind finds at least one of them through the stone walls. They conduct rituals in an underground cavern in the same book that we're told creatures of the bog—perhaps even witches and lightsingers—use underground waterways to travel to the Middle and the mountains of the surrounding courts. Back in acomaf, Sarah even planted this potential plot for priestesses:

“The High Priestesses have burrowed into a few of the courts—Dawn, Day, and Winter, mostly. They’ve entrenched themselves so thoroughly that their spies are everywhere, their followers near-fanatic with devotion. And yet, during those fifty years, they escaped. They remained hidden. I would not be surprised if Ianthe sought to establish a foothold in the Spring Court.” (acomaf)

In acosf, we learn that there is some trouble in Day. Could the trouble Helion spoke of involve his own libraries and priestesses? Perhaps it was only a matter of time for this to be an issue in the Night Court. Briallyn indicated that there are spies within the Night Court who know the identity of Nesta’s friends, which brought to mind this comment in the original trilogy. It’s possible we’ll never understand why, but it does make me wonder.

The priestess who had let them in … for whatever reason, Hybern had left her alive. She allowed Rhys into her mind to see what had happened: once the king had sundered the wards with that fleeting spell, his Ravens had appeared as two old scholars to get the priestess to open the door, then forced their way into her mind so that she’d welcome them in without being vetted. The violation of that alone…Rhys had spent hours with those priestesses yesterday. Mor, too. (acowar)

It is curious that Clotho discusses the urgency of Merrill's research before the omen of Aelin’s appearance or Bryce’s sudden arrival. How did she know the multiverse theory was pressing? Do the priestesses have access to a seer?

Gwyneth mentioned she had run into you earlier. She works for Merrill, my right hand, who is a fiercely demanding scholar. If Gwyneth's requests were abrupt, it was due to the pressing nature of the work she does. (acosf)

There are multiple hints that Elain is operating in the shadows, and she's the perfect person for others to overlook, especially in an environment when identities are already obscured. While the priestesses are connected to singing, she is connected to dreaming as someone with the gift of Sight.

“No. I … I was sleeping, but I heard …” She shook her head. Blinked at our formal attire, the dark crown atop my head—and Rhysand’s. “I didn’t hear you.”

Azriel stepped forward. “But you heard something else.”

Elain seemed about to nod, but only backed away. “I think I was dreaming,” she murmured. “I think I’m always dreaming these days.” (acowar)

So the connection between the near-twin caverns, a connection of song and dreaming, might be another case of like calling to like: Elain’s glass amulet travels on the wind to the library through Azriel, and it is a thing of secret, lovely beauty that links two characters in song (Gwyn) and dreaming (Elain).

Thanks to the induced vision, Nesta is able to retrieve the Harp from the Prison, and its conversation with her is eerily familiar. Is it just me, or does this mimic Elain's earlier comment?

Elain said, “Then I will find it. I might require some time to…reacquaint myself with my powers, but I could start today.” (acosf)

It has been a long while, sister, since I played. I shall need time to remember the right combinations…(acosf)

This echo between Elain and the Harp reminds me of Stryga's ancient song, which is described similarly to Elain’s scent and the priestesses’ songs: her honeyed voice is sweet and beautiful, like sunlight on a stream. It is a version of The Twa Sisters, which describes two (or three) sisters who watch their father's ships come in and the eldest pushes her younger sister into the water. She drowns and her body is transformed into a string instrument that reveals the truth of her actions. Quite a few have linked this song, in theory, to Gwyn and her twin sister. I believe it may actually capture Elain's transformation, which occurs later in that same book when she and Nesta are forced into the Cauldron. Not only are they the daughters of a seafaring merchant, but Elain (the younger) is also forced into the ocean-like water of the Cauldron first, and transformed into an instrument of truth as a seer. Her body is dumped onto the stone floor as though thrown by a wave, and her delicate bones are on display.

There are several versions of this folk song, and in at least a few, the younger sister is referred to as a flower and she is most often mistook for a pale creature, such as a swan or a fish. Her bones (as well as other parts of her body) are used to create a string instrument, including specifically a Harp. It's interesting how Elain's powers weave these concepts together, transcending space and time in her Sight with the ability to reveal the (sometimes ugly) truth.

In Erilea, Blueblood witches, and priestesses within specific witch clans, have rituals in caves and forests to help them worship the Three-Faced-Goddess and activate their Sight. Their rituals are deeply connected to the wind:

Of course, the Bluebloods were nowhere to be seen. The reclusive witches had arrived first and claimed the uppermost rooms in the Omega, saying they needed the mountain breeze to complete their rituals every day. Religious fanatics with their noses in the wind, was what Mother Blackbeak had always called them. But it had been their insane devotion to the Three-Faced Goddess and their vision of the Witch Kingdom under Ironteeth rule that had mustered the Clans five centuries ago—even if it had been the Blackbeak sentinels who'd won the battles for them. (hof)

The Blueblood witches prefer to be exposed to the wind, the epitome of unseen movement. Do they listen to its song, move with it at the top of the mountain? I wouldn’t be surprised if some of their rituals involved song and/or movement.

In Norse mythology, song and sight are especially intertwined. Völva (Norse wise women, seers, and later demonized as witches) sometimes used chants or substances to induce trance and prophecy if other methods (spá, which involves an inner connection to the threads of fate and Norns) did not work. Could Elain’s Sight also rely on or benefit from some kind of Singing, as @offtorivendell, @silverlinedeyes, and I have wondered? Is it the song of the wind she hears and flies on, even in her mind? And what will keep her from drifting away into the cosmos, or even time? More on that in the final post in this series, Groundings.

Next: Groundings, or Elain's dawn ritual.

Series: seer. wise woman. witch.

#witch elain #witchy elain #witchy archeron sisters #acotar witches #tog witches #crescent city witches #maasverse witches #the sense chanted #prythian priestesses #witch mirrors #elain archeron

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g0ttal0ve101 · 7 months

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TWIRLS MY HAIR GAYLY :3

1, 3, 4, and 22 for Lulu, Evelyn, and Sam :33

BABYGIRLS….!!!!!!!!!!!

1. Do they sleep with a stuffed animal? If they have multiple, who's the favorite?

Lucian - yes. always have and always will. he has one or two that he keeps by his pillows and the rest are just TANGLED in the blankets. you ain’t sitting on his mattress without suffocating at least one teddy bear with your ass 😭 - his favorite stuffy is a periwinkle bunny named lala :3 (but we all know his true favorite is kai 🤫)

Evelyn - why would she need a stuffed animal when she has her girlfriend to keep her warm? 🤭

Sam - YES. don’t let him fool you. he will hide them whenever someone comes to visit but TRUST me when i say he has a whole collection of kitty plushies. only cats tho. he loves cats.

3. Ask them to describe their love interest.

If you were to ask Lucian, he’d probably say something along the lines of this: “he’s the nicest, cutest, sweetest boy in the whole wide world. you’d be jealous if you ever saw him. :3”

Evelyn would be more than happy to tell you a full synopsis on her girlfriend but she usually goes with a simple answer like this: “She’s just a doll. Cuter than a button and prettier than a dove.” (ok Shakespeare 🔥)

haha. Sam? haha. hahaha. um. heads up for the future NEVER ASK HIM THIS!! YOU WILL BE STUCK THERE FOR SIX HOURS. but something like this: “she’s stunning, gorgeous, beautiful, radiant, captivating, charming, elegant, striking, dashing, alluring, exquisite, lovely, mesmerizing, enchanting, irresistible, fabulous, charismatic, fashionable, incredible, incomparable, graceful, appealing, ravishing, sophisticated, magnetic, unforgettable, impressive, flawless, timeless, enthralling, divine, splendid, spellbinding, winsome, jaw-dropping, delightful, fetching, sensational, regal, opulent, sublime, statuesque, dreamy, mesmeric, sumptuous, admirable, dazzling, impeccable, ravishing, luminous, polished, remarkable, enigmatic, unblemished, tantalizing, unforgettable, classy, effortless, opulent, unparalleled,glamorous, immaculate, head-turning, exotic, bewitching, radiating, coveted, commanding, unrivaled, supreme, glamorous, unassailable, unmatched, enthralling, captivating, bewitching, unblemished, spectacular, resplendent, spellbinding, enigmatic, stunning, distinguished, unfading, irresistible, striking, vivacious, regal,spellbinding, impressive, majestic, ethereal, unforgettable, incomparable, breathtaking, sumptuous, resplendent, el-”

4. Do they look good in red?

Lucian - yeah but he looks the best in blue :3

Evelyn - yes she looks good in all colors!! green is definitely her color tho :3

Sam - MEOW MEOW MEOW YES!!! :3

22. Do they like being called pet names? Do they call other people pet names? What's their go-to?

Lucian - he doesn’t like it. HE LOVES IT. call him babe and he’s down for the count. if he’s fond of someone, he’ll probably refer to them as sweetheart/sweetie or honey/hun. but if we’re talking about his BOO……baby every name in the book. kai will not escape them. his go-to is definitely honey though :3

Evelyn - she likes being called pet names by women lmao. men DNI 😡😡. she only calls violet any sort of pet name and it’s usually “darling” or “dear.” her go-to is 100000%…..DARLING DEAR though bc she’s British!! (ok Edgar Allen Poe 🔥)

Sam - he’s on his KNEES for a pet name. while he doesn’t particularly refer to others with any sort of pet names in fear they won’t like it, he does abbreviate a lot of people’s names. for example: riley = rie, lucian = lu, evelyn = ev, etc. if he DOES call anyone a pet name it will be riley and only riley. he leans more toward “baby/babe” :3

#asks!!#oc: lucian williams #oc: evelyn anderson #oc: sam vega #friend’s oc: kai miller #friend’s oc: riley morgan #friend’s oc: violet jones #lukai 🖤🤍#eviolet 💚💜#riam 🩷❤️

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pikablob · 8 months

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Do you have a hot take for DnD?

I have several, if I'm really honest; I think the move away from racial stat bonuses is a good one, I think that dungeon crawls are one of the least fun ways to play the game, I think letting NPCs join the party is a good thing, I'm happy with the freedom 5e gives me as a DM, and I think that there are sections of the fandom (see: Reddit) which are too attached to what D&D used to be and have a serious gatekeeping problem. But in terms of actual things that are fun to talk about? The Schools of Magic suck; they're poorly deliniated, unintuitive, and need ripping out and reworking from the ground up because they're fundamentally based on flawed assumptions. What do I mean? Well:

Abjuration is weird - the name literally means 'rejection' (like of an argument in a debate), and the flavour describes it as the school of negating other magic. Which is fine, except that D&D has 5 (at a stretch) spells which actually do that; so it also gets banishment (which is sometimes negating summoning spells I guess) and summoning walls, plus miscellaneous buffs, all grouped under a vague theme of "protective magic". Two problems - one, Abjuration does not mean protecting, and two; no other school of magic cares about intent. Lots of magic can be used defensively, so at the end of the day much of what's in this school is arbitrary - why is prismatic wall in here but not wall of force? Why is pass without trace in here when it's bootleg invisibility?

Conjuration is the one I have the biggest issue with. Thematically, 'summoning' is a perfectly good 'type' of magic to group, but why in the name of the nine divines is teleportation in here? Conjuring is magically pulling something from nothing - it's an entirely thematically and mechanically different effect from portals and teleporting. Even the official flavour seems to understand this, because the Conjuration Wizard's description basically goes "you learn magic that summons things, and then as you get better you just also learn to teleport lol." It gets even worse when things like reality break and blade of disaster, which are planar magic effects (which should be grouped with teleporting but not with summons), get lumped into here. If conjuring needs to be in the school of planar magic, the school should be renamed transposition or something and thematically focused on planar movement in general, but honestly they should just be split - conjuration and teleporting/portals/planar stuff are fundamentally different.

Divination is fine if I'm honest. There's a couple weird edge cases, but those are inevitable with any categorisation systems. It's mostly thematically sound.

Enchantment is objectively the worst school, and my personal second-least favourite after Conjuration, because it's needlessly and frankly bafflingly misnamed. This is the school of mind control, and theoretically, yes, "enchanted" can mean "bewitched", but that's a poetic meaning that most people only use when talking about beauty; in a fantasy context (like, IDK, a game about being an adventurer in a magical quasi-medieval world), "enchanted" means "imbued with magic". Even official D&D media refers to magic items and lingering magic effects as enchanted, because that's what it means - to enchant literally means "to affect something with magic". Like, "spell" also has poetic meanings surrounding affecting the mind; you can be "spellbound" or "under a spell"; but we don't call this school of magic "spelling" because it's understood that a spell is any magic - so is an enchantment, except when it comes to naming the schools apparently.

Evocation suffers heavily from an identity crisis. According to the fluff, it's the school of raw elements - throwing fire, etc. But the name just means "to call up" and since all magic is technically 'called up' in D&D, it's just become the grab-bag for things that don't fit anywhere else. The worst offender for this is healing magic, which should never be in the same school as fireball (to be fair, previous editions put it in Conjuration, which is just as bad - the real answer is 1e was right and healing spells should be grouped with Necromancy). But you end up with other weird stuff too, like wall of force and sending, neither of which have anything to do with raw elemental force.

Illusion is the other one that's fine, IMO. Two out of eight isn't great but at least it's something.

Necromancy, iconic as it is, has something of an identity crisis of its own. Officially, it concerns the forces of life and death, but in reality it's just the latter plus a random assortment of whatever the designers considered 'evil'. The idea of an evil school is itself flawed IMO (a lot of magic can be used for evil, and there's no reason why raising the dead being taboo means it's suddenly the same field of study as curses), and it leads to weird cases of spells which have nothing to do with life or death getting thrown into this school because evil (but not all of them? Why is bestow curse in here when hex is in Enchantment?).

Transmutation is so close to being okay, but I feel it falls over somewhat on the name. In older editions, it was called Alteration, and I think that's a better name for the school of all physical transformation effects. It mostly causes issues with the Transmutation Wizard, TBH, because it's lead to them being designed as a classical transmuter, getting a philosopher's stone and all; except classical transmutation isn't D&D Transmutation - it's not a type of magic, it's a system of magic, and isn't even spellcasting - it's alchemy. All this is a very roundabout way of saying that the Transmutation Wizard gets to be good at things that aren't actually Transmutation, like curing diseases and resurrecting people, because that's what alchemists were trying to do.

That's not even mentioning all the weird cases of spell-families or spells which have the same effect being broken up between different schools. I've already mentioned the walls, but there's also things like message and sending, Mordenkainen's sword and blade of disaster, and simulacrum (which should be grouped with create magen and create homunculus but is instead an illusion for some reason).

I have actually put my money where my mouth is on this. I've built my own school system to replace the official one; full details can be found in Ava's Guide to the Strange & Unexplained, my homebrew compendium, but in simple terms what I've ended up with is:

Alteration: manipulating the physical world. Mold earth, heat metal, and polymorph are archetypal Alteration spells.

Conjuration: summoning something from nothing. Thorn whip, find steed, and summon greater demon are archetypal Conjuration spells.

Destruction: manipulating raw elemental energy. Firebolt, branding smite, and ice storm are archetypal Destruction spells.

Divination: manipulating arcane knowledge. Message, augury, and locate creature are archetypal Divination spells.

Equilibration: blessings and curses. Resistance, blindness/deafness, and Mordenkainen's private sanctuary are archetypal Equilibration spells.

Firmamancy: manipulating space-time and fundemantal forces. Mage hand, misty step, and gravity sinkhole are archetypal Firmamancy spells.

Restoration: manipulating life and souls. Toll the dead, prayer of healing, and create homunculus are archetypal Restoration spells.

Transcognition: manipulating the mind. Minor illusion, mind thrust, and charm monster are archetypal Transcognition spells.

Technically, Restoration probably needs a better name (it's been through a couple, including Sanguination and Innervation - when I polled, 'Animation' was the most popular option, but I'm iffy on that because while it is accurate, this school doesn't include Animate Objects, which is an Alteration effect, or things like Animated Armour - I may revert to Sanguantion). So any thoughts would be appreciated. But despite that, I think I've successfully created something more coherent and consistent than the nightmare that is the official schools.

Name a fandom or franchise in an ask, and I’ll give you a random hot take I have for it

#ask pika #dungeons & dragons #dungeons and dragons #D&D #dnd #dnd 5e #d&d 5e

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