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austarus · 3 years

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Harrison Wells (Eobard Thawne) x Reader x Harry Wells: Six Crows - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Inevitable Presage

*A/N: This moodboard was created by my bestest friend and greatest Wells Trash Trio writer @darlingpetao3.

**Please don’t forget to comment, like, and reblog. It means a lot to content creators of all kinds!

***I’d like to say that this is my own fancast of Thaddeus and Jackson (Dylan O’Brien and Logan Lerman). If you have someone else in mind, then freely think of them in the fic. I do want to also say if you do not like, then do not read. I will not be changing things in my fic to appease every single person as these fics are written for me.

****I’d also like to thank @grimtamlain-writes for being my beta reader.

Harrison Wells (Eobard Thawne) x Reader x Harry Wells - Six Crows

MASTERLIST

Word Count: 9366

“Miss me?” Eobard’s trademark smirk became more visible as he stopped quaking, red eyes shuttering out as he ceased his use of the Negative Speedforce.

Barry rolled his eyes as Eobard lent him a hand, “Save it, Thawne.” The futuristic speedster heaved his rival onto his feet. “You’re back because of us, right?”

“And in exchange, I’ve agreed to help you take down a psychopath.”

Both men turned to where Godspeed had been thrown. “Flash, that was nuts! You do like to party.” Eobard adorned his cowl, once more vibrating as the Negative Speedforce circulated through his veins. Barry glanced at his old enemy, both men nodding subtly at each other before eyeing August Hart. He was a bigger threat than their growing rivalry. The speedsters sped to where Godspeed stood in all his menacing electrical glory. “Joining forces with your worst enemy just to take me down. That’s very flattering, Flash, but it won’t do you any good.” Barry side-eyed Thawne. “Don’t you two get it? You can’t kill a god!” Your eyes widened as Hart pumped an open palm towards the clouded heavens, flickers of electricity evident in the clouds. Hart harnessed the natural lightning, commanded it down to the Earth as if he were an ancient lightning deity. What Godspeed held was a literal rod of pure lightning, enough electricity to kill a person.

You could tell Barry was overwhelmed, even with his red cowl on his facial expressions were easily mirroring his thoughts. Could… Could they actually replicate that? Maybe Eobard, but I don’t even know if Barry can, which would make it 1 v 1. Though 2 v 1 are better odds. You hummed to yourself, your hand fiddling with your gloves. Standing a good distance away you hid in the shadows. You held your mask tightly, made from the finest carbons on earth such as tantalum carbide and carbyne colored black to match your aesthetic.

Barry glanced at his temporary ally as if to say, are we certain we can emulate that? Eobard said nothing, rather fully turned to Godspeed. Central city’s hero took that as a yes, both men getting into a stance to generate their own sabers of lightning from the electricity within their bodies. Lightning rods clashed with one another as sparks of energy flew with each assault and parry, the scene almost hurting your eyes. Yet you kept watch in case Eobard faltered, in case the other speedster were to strike him down. Sparks flew, but not one of the three hesitated. The allied speedsters’ attacks were off tempo, but they needed to overpower this speedster. At least destroy one of his two sabers.

The fight kept you on your toes; surprisingly your feet hadn’t hurt you up to this point. You could either thank the adrenaline and suspense rushing through your veins or the upgrades Eo had made to your suit. One of which was to improve the quality of your boots. When the speedsters moved, you did as well keeping your silhouette shrouded in the dark of night. If anything, you wanted the element of surprise should something occur. You steadied your breathing as the fight continued, Barry left to ward off Godspeed, who had parried Eobard away and kicked him square in the chest. Said yellow speedster escaped the scene. Barry struck down one of Hart’s lightning rods, dissipating it. Now it was one saber versus the other in a proximity clash. Barry’s saber grinding down against Hart’s before using a vibrational blast to throw the scarlet speedster away. In turn, Barry’s saber was reduced to miniscule and harmless electrical molecules in the air.

August Hart smirked under his own cowl as Barry tumbled away. Godspeed turned around only to be met with his end, his cowl retracting back to his suit as a pained look caressed his features. His eyes watered as they met with fierce red ones. Eobard had been taking his cowl off as he directed the final blow. You gasped quietly from your higher vantage point, freezing in place as Eobard’s red saber pierced through Godspeed. No matter how many times Eobard had done it, you always froze up. But this wasn’t an unexpected outcome; after all, this is how Eobard tends to deal with nuisances. A small smile graced the Reverse Flash’s features as he pushed his lightning rod further into the crouching speedster.

Barry came to his senses, rolling onto his back only to witness what had happened. His own cowl retracted into his newer suit. “Thawne!” But Eobard ignored him, yanking back his saber and ensuring that August would bleed out to such a degree from his injury. Godspeed crumbled and fell to the side as Eobard stood with his red saber in grandiose glory. He directed his gaze to the man he hated. Of course, he couldn’t let Godspeed kill Barry. Barry was his opposite.

Barry shuffled towards the fallen speedster before the Reverse Flash could do any more damage. Eobard simply turned away, stepping forward. With a flick of his wrist, Eobard dissipated his saber, knowing that ability would come in handy in future fights with The Flash. The forensic scientist checked over Hart, his heartbeat faint. Barry glared up at Eobard. “You could have killed him.”

“Wasn’t that the plan? Didn’t you say you needed help dealing with a threat?” Eobard had turned to Barry and emphasized his words carefully. His icy blue eyes flickered to Hart’s fallen body then to Barry’s hazel eyes. Be careful what you wish for because you’ll get exactly what you ask, Eobard grinned dastardly to himself. “Well, I dealt with it. And now…” The Reverse Flash chuckled as he took a few steps towards his rival, “and now… it’s just you and me, Flash. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long, long time.” Barry looked at Eobard with hidden hate. You watched Eobard crack his neck as he always did before facing off with Barry. A sort of habit whether it was out of nerves or excitement.

“I’m only gonna say this once.” Barry looked at his once-mentor with a stone-cold look. He took a step. “Walk away while you still can.”

“Allen. You are too weak to stop me.” You watched Eo’s eyes flicker to a solid red, his voice distorting. “And I’m just getting started.” You blinked and before you know it Barry had thrown Eobard a good distance away from over his shoulder. Barry turned to his rival who had disbelief crossed on his features. Eobard got up, resting on one knee as his eyes scanned himself then to Barry. “What did you do?” His hands shook slightly. “I created you. I taught you everything you know! Everything you are, is because of me! What did you do?”

“I got faster. Didn’t you?” The chill that hung in the air from those words stabbed right through Eobard. He recognized that demeanor.

“No.” Eobard gritted his teeth, reluctantly admitting defeat. This time. Acceptance that the scarlet speedster had indeed gotten faster than him. “But I will, Flash.”

Barry took a single step forward with a smirk, but your ‘shadows’ bound the scarlet speedster in place instantly as you had transported yourself in front of Eobard defensively. Barry’s eyes didn’t miss the icy look within your eyes or the sharp shards of ‘umbra’ floating in the air around him. The scarlet speedster had wondered where you’d been hiding.

“One more step and my shadows won’t just bind you in place,” you growled, your hands ready to manipulate your ‘darkness’. “And Iris will have to deal with a jigsaw puzzle to put back together.” The threat was prominent, Barry could tell.

“Such violent words. I always knew you’d betray us for him.”

“This isn’t personal Barry – it’s really not.” You lied. Your ‘darkness’ floated ever closer to the hero. Yes, you would hurt Barry to protect yourself and Eobard, but you wouldn’t kill him – not really your thing.

“You know what he’s capable of and you choose to stay.”

“Iris knows what you’re capable of and she chose to stay. What- is it only ok for you and her to break the rules to be happy and others can’t? To hell with everyone else and what they go through?”

“Sounds like you’ve got things to sort out then.” Barry narrowed his eyes.

“Sounds like you’ve got to keep yourself and your kids in check from fucking up the timeline as you have in the past.” You retorted as Eobard stood up. Barry threw a glare your way, as much as he wanted to, he couldn’t get around how you’ve trapped him. The genius speedster placed his gloved hand on your shoulder, but you shrugged it off. “Maybe you should be the one to re-evaluate some things.”

“What’s wrong Thawne?” Barry shifted his gaze to the speedster behind you. “Not fast enough so you hide behind her to fight your battles?” The scarlet speedster knew he touched a nerve because as he and Iris work together fluidly as a team so did you and Eobard. He just needed to trigger Eobard’s anger in order for him to misstep.

“Mark my words: I will get faster,” Eobard stated firmly before speeding you and him away. The ‘umbra’ around Barry dissipated in thin air instantaneously and he was able to move freely. The speedster glanced back at the very-much injured and partially dead Godspeed. He mulled over a few things in his head.

***

You knew where he was taking you. It was a location of temporary occupancy from previous times. Keystone. Barry wouldn’t dare to look here, fearing that Central City would fall to a meta if he was away for too long. The wind swept through your hair as you tightened your grip on Eobard. The rush of electricity licked at your being. While it was very negative, it didn’t hurt you. Not counting that one time, of course…

Arriving at what you can now call your permanent residence, Eobard placed you down before huffing off and stomping to his lab room. You trailed after him, flinching when you heard glass shatter upon your entry. Papers scattered in the air, glass littered the ground, and chairs thrown against walls. The genius speedster went on a complete rampage, destroying beakers and throwing his tools. This is oddly and ironically all too familiar to me. Your mind trailed to the dark-haired man that no longer existed, threading your hands through your locks in order to maintain the mess from Eobard’s run. Harry does the same thing as his preferred method of stress relief… A part of you felt sullen, the last image of him was when he gave his last goodbye with the rest of the Wells to you before they sacrificed themselves. You chewed on your bottom lip at the memory.

A sigh left your lips as you leaned against the wall, watching the continued destruction unfold. He wouldn’t hurt you. No, never. Not even when blinded with rage and consumed with negative emotions. You let Eobard ride out his anger and frustration until he tired himself. All these items can be easily replaced. However, what he was currently feeling could not be contained any longer. Pandora’s box has been opened. As adept as Eobard is with putting a lid on his emotions, he was human. And like all humans, people have limits. The Reverse Flash had hit his.

Eobard screamed in rage as he flipped a table, breathless. He gritted his teeth and looked at his gloved hands. The tremor did not yield. Barry’s sadistic words echoed in his mind, reeling back memories that the yellow speedster had for years practiced to suppress--tried to burn--while masquerading as Harrison Wells. But those simple words… they were like knives. Cutting through his sanity. It was hard to swallow, his mouth was dry, yet bile climbed at the back of his throat. It was difficult to think straight. Eobard’s vision blurred slightly at the resurfacing public humiliation and betrayal. The harrowing words of never being good enough to be like The Flash. Those words uttered by Barry from this current time mirrored the harsh, ruthlessness of the Barry from his time. All he saw was red. Everything is being set into motion. This Barry is becoming more and more like the Barry from my time. An instance he’d rather avoid, but it seems like fate wasn’t on his side for this. Eobard felt utterly humiliated all over again.

“Eo?”

The speedster snapped his gaze to you, who now stood in front of him with a gentle look. You gingerly took his trembling hands in his. His icy blue eyes were partially glassy, his face distraught. Chewing on the inside of your cheek, you pulled him close and wrapped your arms around him. You understood and weren’t afraid of what he had unleashed. What he had exactly repressed. Eobard licked his lips, slowly reciprocating the hug. He buried his face in your hair and breathed deeply. He needed to calm himself.

“You’re ok,” you whispered, rubbing his back. "Take all the time you need. I’ll be here.” Eobard simply nodded, shutting his eyes tightly, fighting to hold back the tears. You stood there for what was a few moments but felt like an eternity. And you’d do it all over again for him. The speedster couldn’t fathom being powerless against the man who had single-handedly destroyed his life in the future. Not again.

You knew; he had told you.

Trauma.

Pulling away from his embrace, you used your ‘umbra’ to take you to the bedroom. He’s exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally. With a flick of a wrist, you used your powers to turn on the lights in the room, setting it to dim lighting. Your hand remained in his, tugging at him to the bed. Sitting down, you patted the spot beside you. Eobard shook his head slightly, summoning his speed to work his magic. In a blink of an eye, you were in your pajamas, and he was in his black ones. Adjusting your hair, you went into the kitchen for some water. You passed by the labs, noticing that the shards of glass no longer lingered. Eobard had cleared his chaos... Grabbing a cup of water, you headed back to bed. Eobard gazed out the window, you could tell his mind was elsewhere. It started to rain outside, lightning flickering within the clouds and thunder gently rumbling soon after. Did he wonder if that was Godspeed or Mother Nature? Can he sense if it was Godspeed? You sipped your water before placing it on the bedside counter. Probably.

“Eobard,” you broke the silence that had enveloped you both, getting under the covers. He wasn’t the only one that was exhausted from today. Your nerves were wrecked from the intensity of earlier, leaving you drained and craving sleep. However, you tried to blink it away. You had no doubt about Eobard feeling the same way, yet he raised no concern of it. Rather letting you lead him regarding his health and well-being. The speedster craned his neck to look at you, his eyebrows furrowed. A calculating look was on his face, rather in a distracted way. You patted the spot next to you once more. He sighed before crawling into bed beside you. Opening your arms, you allowed him to slot himself in for cuddles. Eobard may not ask for it, but you had an inkling he needed it. The way his arms tightened around you gave it away.

“Thank you,” he muttered, his lips grazing the skin of your neck. A shiver ran down your spine.

“For what?”

“For keeping me grounded. For being by my side.” When I don’t deserve it. Eobard moved his head back to look at you. You saw the hidden meaning in his eyes, the things he didn’t want to say. “For protecting me when I wasn’t fast enough.” Because I wasn’t good enough to have the upper hand…

You cupped his face, thumbs skimming over the skin under his eyes, “Eobard.” You sensed what he was feeling.

“Hm?”

“You’re more than enough.”

“I wasn’t-”

“-To hell with what Barry thinks or anyone else for that matter,” you stated confidently, pressing a sweet kiss to his forehead. “You are fast. You’re strong. You’re smart and cunning and resourceful.” You dared not to look away, dared not to tear up at how he’s gotten because of Barry. “So what if you weren’t fast today? It was a setback; we can get past this. We always do.” You pecked his nose, continuing, “We’ll train. You and I, just as we had done before. We’ll get stronger – we can even use that method, if need be.”

“No. It’s too risky.”

“But-”

“Do you remember the last time we tried that?”

“Of course, I do-”

“Good, then you’ll remember how badly it left you. The amount of physical and mental strain we had induced on your body.”

“If it’s our only option, then we have to.”

“You passed out for a full day and a half. And for what? Maximum 4-5 minutes of use for that method.”

Totally worth it in my opinion. As bad as it sounds, passing out did help me catch up on my sleep. “You taught me to explore all possibilities before selecting an adequate one.” Eobard pressed his lips into a thin line. He had said those words a few months into Barry’s awakening. He’d been assessing the different avenues he can take to get back home. “Well, if this is a possibility, we should be ready to maximize its efficiency.”

“No, we'll find another option.”

“What if there isn’t another option and we need this one to fall back on?”

“No.”

“You can’t just tell me no.”

“You want to hear it in French? Non.”

“It’s the only trump card we have. Other than you-know-what.” Eobard pressed his lips into a thin line at your words. In a way, you were right. He knew he was being too stubborn to accept it though. You had two wild cards should something arise. But the image of blood everywhere returned to him. The amount of blood you coughed up, trickling from your mouth. He couldn’t put you in that position again. “We’ll do endurance training. Strength training. Whatever it is so we can be ready,” you coaxed, running your fingers over his cheek. “I have you after all,” you smiled sweetly at him, adorning your best puppy eyes. You knew full well of the consequences, but at steady increments you can increase the time to use that method while abating the collateral damage that happens to your body.

“Fine, but we carefully monitor everything. And I mean everything.” You nodded sleepily; a cheeky grin left on your face. Eobard kissed your lips, pressing his forehead against yours with lovestruck eyes. “I can’t afford to lose you.”

“You won’t,” you mumbled, shutting your eyes and falling asleep to his warmth.

***3 Months Later***

You huffed, deflecting another attack from Eobard’s advance on you. Your ‘shadow’ saber sizzled against his lightning saber. Sparks of energy and ‘darkness’ flew. Your stance had improved, your body moving fluidly; side-stepping from where your sabers had clashed to create more distance between the two of you. Eobard knew your strategy; it followed your long-range fighting style. Assess the opponent, let them make the first move, then strike from the given distance. It was all so simple, but effective. You held your saber in a front guard position, your muscles aching but you refused to settle for a withdrawal regarding this sparring session. You waited, knowing that while Eobard’s anger fueled his speed, he needed to channel patience and a sense of calm when handling his saber. If he were to go against Barry, he’d need to paddle between calculated hits with a decent amount of force while being able to dodge effectively. He mustn’t let his anger lure him into creating an opening for Barry to strike, whether with sword or fist.

Controlled negativity

Soon after you and Eobard talked that night the following day you two discussed and analyzed the focal points of your combined training. Gideon supplied schematics and a recording of the Godspeed showdown for examination. While Eobard generally preferred a quicker solution to most things, he understood that this would take time. Patience was his friend after all these years. And in turn from the progress that you and he made, the dark-haired genius would scheme a plan of attack in an opportune time. Eobard needed to essentially master swordplay in order to maximize his adequacy of the lightning rod. He could easily throw lightning. You, on the other hand, needed to increase your strength and endurance as well as increasing what you can do with your powers. You had inquired that if the both of you were to use that method you might as well learn swordplay. It’ll at least decrease your weak point of close-range combat. Because of your powers, you were mainly a long-range fighter, dodging and weaving to find an opening to attack. Eobard from all his experiences was a close-range fighter with a certain extent of invoking an electrical surge from a few feet away. Yet, it wasn’t really a long-range ability.

At first you two had used wooden swords, at your request, suggesting that starting out with the basics and upgrading to your preferred sabers would be the best idea. The footwork was a bit tricky to learn. The basic goal of footwork was to give you a balanced center from which you can lunge, advance, retreat, attack, parry, etc… Perception went hand-in-hand with footwork. To select the right footwork, you needed to know and understand your own abilities, and have assessed your opponent, at least marginally. This allowed you to identify how close you need to be to hit an opponent, and how quickly you can retreat if they surprise you with a lunge. Both had taken time to learn as you and Eobard had nothing else better to do. Not like you had a baby to look after… It was safe to say that you both had advanced spectacularly in comparison to the sloppy style Eobard had presented when going against Godspeed. Gideon had pointed out that Barry’s movements were much more fluid than Eobard’s rigid ones.

After several days of training though, you both had agreed that a break was needed. The both of you went on a dinner date in Keystone City before Eobard had zipped you halfway across the country to New York City for a few festivals. Prior to being with you, he would be obsessed with progress and results, staying up multiple nights to not lose time. Now, with you by his side he’d been able to balance his plans and time for you. He particularly enjoyed being around you in a stress-free environment, especially when you two are trying to cook something new in the kitchen. You loved making him smile, even if it was at the extent of the kitchen’s state. Yes, sometimes a food fight would arise and chasing and then cuddling after a shower or bath… which would take some time.

Still, Eobard had contemplated quite a bit. He couldn’t use his speed on you during swordplay or else you might get too overwhelmed and hurt from one slip up. You wouldn’t be able to keep up with him, so he stayed in normal time. It would have been convenient, but there were no other willing Speedforce candidates. Making a Speed Mirage would just result in a stalemate as he would be fighting himself. No room to really improve there.

Eobard moved once more, cutting the air right as you somersaulted away and getting back onto your feet. Before you could take a step forward, a breach opened up in the corner of your makeshift training area. Your speedster genius stepped in front of you, lightning blade at the ready. You narrowed your eyes, dissipating your saber and creating serrated ‘shadow’ shards as the breacher stepped through. More like, sped through with his lightning licking up the air behind him. Red and black lightning?

A young man around his twenties had stepped through, his cowl technologically retracting to his speedster suit. His speedster suit was black with some red outlining sort of like Barry’s yellow outlining on his. His emblem was a red lightning bolt in a reverse fashion with a white center. Similar to Eobard’s emblem yet different. The young speedster’s heart hammered in his chest as he had made it to the other side of the Time Breach.

This new speedster flinched at the shards in the air, his hands raised up in his defense, “Ay, woah woah woah, no need for that. I come in peace. Definitely not in pieces.”

“Who are you?” Eobard demanded, eyes flashing red while you persisted with your ‘shadows’.

One flick of the wrist and he’s done for.

“Uh, well, uh, you see, funny story actually- you’re my parents. And… I’m Thaddeus.” The breacher spoke with a nervous smile. “Thaddeus Thawne. Your son.”

Your breath got caught in your throat. Thaddeus. My- “My son…” The shards fell to the ground, breaking softly as if like fragile glass as the remnants decayed into nothing.

Eobard lowered his rod, his voice low as he gave his supposed speedster son a hard look, “You’re not supposed to be here. The future will change.”

“Yeah, about that- the future is already changing so, really this isn’t going to do much, but- I- whatever is going on in this point of time is already changing things where I’m at.” Thaddeus was talking quickly while you were trying to wrap your mind around things. Eobard gauged his son as he stepped closer towards the two of you. “Not the welcome party I was exactly expecting- but anyway, I tracked Nora here- so many things have happened. Jackson was-” The yellow speedster simply flicked his wrist to dismiss his lightning saber.

Your eyes met Thaddeus’, “-Who’s Jackson?”

Dejection flickered on Thaddeus’ face. “He’s my twin brother. I- he’s. Gone.”

“Gone?” Twins. Goosebumps pebbled your skin.

Eobard crossed his arms, raising his eyebrow. A similar thought crossed his mind. “What do you mean ‘gone’?” You remained quiet through their exchange.

“He got erased from existence…”

“How?”

“He and Harry. In my time. They got erased. One minute, we were in the kitchen discussing Hellion, a meta from my time by the way, and then they just… started disintegrating. They’re just gone and-” You saw the scared look of a child in his eyes. Thaddeus’ voice shook slightly, but he reprimanded himself to stay put.

“-But how?”

“Harry is Jackson’s dad.” Thaddeus pulled his speedster gloves off. “When I had Gideon track things it pointed me to this time period, but because things had been rapidly changing, Gideon wasn’t able to pinpoint the exact time and date for me.”

I… I had two sons. Jackson and Thaddeus. Twin boys. From Eobard and… and Harry. A tear slipped from your face as you disappeared into the ‘darkness’. You couldn’t breathe. You needed to breathe. Tears began to stream from your eyes as you drifted through the air. It’s just not possible… Your wings made out of the night's material flapped as blades of wind ran over your skin.

“Mom,” startled, Thaddeus had made a move to try to follow you, but Eobard stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. He knew what you needed.

“Give her some time. She needs to think and breathe. Space is good.” A thought wormed its way through Eobard’s mind. “Come, we have some tests to run before continuing this talk.”

***

Rubbing your eyes, you re-entered your home with a clearer mind. There were still some holes that needed to be filled. Like how I managed Harry and Eobard without the world self-destructing because only the gods above know that those two men can be ballistic on their own, in their respective ways. Wrapping your cardigan tighter around yourself. Soft voices greeted your ears, coming from Eobard’s make-shift lab.

“Dad, you know you didn’t have to, right?”

Eobard huffed slightly, “There’s nothing wrong with being thorough.”

The air didn’t seem so tense as you entered the room. You knocked on the metal doorframe to get their attention, “What’s going on?”

You noticed Thaddeus was out of his suit and wearing a change of clothes. “Dad was worried that my first-time jump would mess up the Speedforce system,” Thaddeus explained to which the villainous speedster rolled his eyes. “So, he ran some tests and did some blood work.”

“Yes, well. Would not want a repeat of what happened to me all those years ago.” Eobard turned to you, stepping close and bringing you in his arms. You circled your arms around him. Thaddeus smiled warmly at his parents. It had been awhile since he had seen you and Eobard this close. “Are you ok?”

“I will once we get to the bottom of this,” you whispered back to him. Breaking away you nodded at him before the two of you turned to your son.

“Now that we’ve all congregated let’s start this again, shall we?” Eobard leaned against a desk; his arms crossed. “Start from the beginning.”

“If I do things will take a slight turn.” When neither you nor Eobard chose to comment, Thaddeus took that as a sign to proceed with his truth. You and Eobard would be the judge of what comes next. Thaddeus took in a breath, sitting up straighter. “My name is Thaddeus Thawne. My mother is (Y/N) (L/N) and I have two fathers. Eobard Thawne and Harry Wells.” Your mind shifted to Harry. “I got my powers from you, dad.”

That explained his red lightning, but the black lightning aspect? Could it be…?

“I have a twin brother- had- his name is Jackson Wells, and a big sister. Jesse Wells, who you both know as Jesse Quick, the Flash of Earth-2.” Thaddeus pulled out something from his pocket. A picture. He handed it to you. The six of you were smiling, two children by your side. It was an autumn picture by the lake. Your fingers traced over the image of Jackson and Harry; your heart dropping in your chest. “This was the one thing that I salvaged before entering the Negative Speedforce to get back here. At least in there the images of Jackson and dad wouldn’t get erased. We were a happy family.”

“Were?” You echoed, your eyes not leaving the picture.

“Yes, until Jackson and I were six. And dad- Eobard was executed…” Eobard’s eyes dimmed, his hands gripping at his arms. You turned slightly to look at him, the hurt he must be feeling. To be ripped away from you and his soon-to-be family. You pressed a free hand on top of his. The air in the room felt tense, suffocating. “Executed due to his crimes as the Reverse Flash against The Flash and the Speedster Association of Central City. Harry and Mom shielded me from the Speedster Association when my powers were developing as a kid. They couldn’t be suspicious. You said it was easier with Eobard around. They wouldn’t know because we’d be doubly protected and his own Negative Speedforce would throw them off my own.” You both watched as your son lowered his gaze to his hands. He clenched and unclenched his fists. “The association doesn’t take too kindly to speedsters existing out of their registry, especially with the Negative Speedforce in their veins. To them, I was a mistake that shouldn’t have existed. Jackson didn’t have powers, instead he got his intellect and marksmanship from Harry. But that didn’t sour the brotherhood we had. You three treated us like equals. Powers or no powers. Jackson and I got our intelligence from both dads and that killer charm from mom. You and Eobard and Harry loved us to bits and pieces even if all of it started rocky.” Thaddeus smiled wistfully, his fingers running over the knuckles of his opposite hand.

“But?” You quired, tilting your head. There was always a ‘but’.

“But that changed when The Flash caught wind of me. And- and you fought him, mom. Harry and Jesse tried to let Barry come to his senses, but…” Thaddeus met your eyes, a haunted look in them. “You fought him because he was coming after me. I was just 12 years old. Him and Iris were there. I wasn’t a threat, but he saw me as one. To them I was a plague. A reminder. But I don’t regret who my parents are at all. All three of them.”

“What happened next?” Eobard quietly asked, motioning with his hand for his son to continue. It didn’t help the growing cold hatred that proceeded to sprout in his being towards Barry Allen.

“Barry put mom in a coma and locked her up at STAR labs. ‘For monitoring purposes’, he had told Harry. No matter how many times dad pleaded, Barry never let her go. You’re still...” Thaddeus lowered his voice; his eyes flickered a dangerous red. “You’re still in a coma because of him and Iris.” He ran a hand through his hair, taking a breath to control himself. Eobard saw his son’s electricity flicker in his hands, the negative particles. Just like him. No question, this was his son.

“Barry broke our family. Again.” Your bottom lip quivered as you choked out those words. You turned to Eobard with anger and glassy eyes. Your own speedster was distraught and pissed off, he pulled you in. He anchored you before your emotions consumed you intensely. “Why is it that we can never be happy?”

“Again?” Thaddeus raised an eyebrow.

“When Barry and I made a deal- he would go back to save his mother while I and your mother went to the future. I- we- were pregnant. She was 10 weeks pregnant… If it was a boy his name was going to be Thaddeus. It was going to be you. Supposed to be you that...” Eobard’s voice quivered slightly as you pressed into him. “But then we fought, and Eddie shot himself, my distant ancestor at the time. I got erased from existence and…”

“And you ceased to exist in my womb.” You muttered, breaking away and glancing at your child. . “I lost you the first time. And now it’s with Harry and Jackson and I- I already saw Harry sacrifice himself for Barry. It’s always for Barry. Now I don’t get to meet my other son. I don’t get to carry that other bundle of joy and terror in my arms and nurture him with you.” Thaddeus couldn’t fathom the amount of loss in your life. First him, and now Harry and Jackson. Jackson, who you’ll never know.

“I’m sorry, mom.” Thaddeus stood and took your hand in his. He gripped it, warming your cool hand up.

“Don’t be sorry. You’re not the one in the wrong at all.” You shook your head at your speedster son and hugged him tightly. The young breacher hugged you back, his own eyes getting watery. He pushed those tears away. He never thought he’d get another chance to see you again.

“Thaddeus,” Eobard started. “Why did you come back?” You and Thaddeus broke the hug. He looked to his dad knowing this would be an inevitable question thrown his way. “What did you hope to achieve by coming back to us now?”

With a breath, Thaddeus dug into his pocket and pulled out a little device. “Jackson and I made an enhanced Negative Tachyon device for myself. I later made a duplicate just in case. I’ve brought it for you. For when you beat down Barry.” You opened your mouth to say something, but Thaddeus stopped you. “I’m not interfering with dad’s fight with Barry, I know it’s something dad has to do, but he can’t face it alone. I should be fast enough to keep XS from interjecting. Nora and her family have been screwing with the timeline. Why can’t I? Why can’t we find a way to get Harry and Jackson back? You’ve said it before dad, ‘the timeline is malleable’. So, why can’t we make things work for us?”

He’s right. If Barry and his legacies can freely mess with the timeline to secure their happiness, then why can’t we?

Eobard glanced at you, his hand gripping onto yours. Your eyes shifted to your hands then up to his eyes. A silent conversation to Thaddeus. Your son held out the device. Turning back to him, Eobard let go of your hand and plucked up the Tachyon device to examine its contents.

“If we’re meant to make this work,” you had started, crossing your arms and warning the two speedsters, “then no one is taking any speed drug of any kind.”

“Who’s stupid enough to take speed drugs anyway?”

“You’d be surprised,” you mumbled the answer to Thaddeus’ question, thinking of Zoom’s reign of terror and Trajectory’s couple weeks of… whatever it is she wanted. You couldn’t remember, really.

“I think this will come in handy, especially when we use that method.” Eobard musing, his mind already wanting to recalibrate it to his speed level. Excited to teach his son his secrets to being a speedster.

“That method?” Thaddeus was visibly confused.

“Fusion Link,” you simply responded while Eobard smirked, a little twinkle in his eyes. Intrigue and excitement were written on Thaddeus’ face. This was one of your wild cards even Barry can’t hope to achieve with Iris.

Let’s raise a little hell to the West-Allen family.

***

“So, how does Fusion Link work?”

“Basically,” you started, cutting up some chicken breast while Thaddeus sliced some vegetables, “your dad and I fuse into my body. His powers are mine and mine are his. It’s essential that our essences and minds resonate at a harmonic aptitude rather than risk serious factors and dissonance.” You added the chicken to the oiled pan to cook at a steady temperature.

“Makes sense, so that’s why my lightning is black and red. But why is it only your body?”

“I don’t know. All I know is that the tips of my hair get a bit darker, but when I use his speed, my eyes go all red like his. Other than that, it’s pretty subtle”

“Cool. So how did that happen?”

“Well, your dad got exorcised out of Nash’s body by Barry and the others.”

“Are you fucking serious?”

“Yup and that was due to the Multiverse Crisis meltdown. Harry and all the Wells in said multiverse were stuck in Nash’s body. Hence why your dad was too because he has a Wells body. So, when he got exorcised, his essence was roaming around looking for a body when apparently his respective body was in the Negative Speedforce. From what I remember, Eobard ran into the Negative Speedforce to avoid the consequences of the Multiverse Crisis. So rather, your dad’s essence found me and was in my body before we had access to a stabilized Speedforce to find his body. I guess our essences just linked and seemed to harmonize after that. You know? Compatibility and all.” You had gotten started on making the fruit smoothies.

“That’s wild. Oh my god.”

“What are we talking about?” Eobard entered with the tachyon device in hand and a small tool in another.

“How you got exorcised.” Thaddeus smirked, adding the vegetables in with the chicken.

Eobard snorted, “I don’t see how that’s relevant to making dinner.”

“I don’t see how you’re being relevant or helpful to us right now,” you retorted with some snark.

The speedster villain rolled his eyes as you stuck your tongue out at him. Eobard set down his stuff to pull out the cups and straws, “What’s your alias anyway?”

“Hm?” Thaddeus had tasted the chicken to see if it was fully done or not. “Oh, it’s Kinetic.”

“Kinetic,” you repeated.

“Yeah, like kinetic energy. The energy at which a body possesses by virtue of being in motion.”

You smiled at your son before looking at Eobard. Thaddeus was a bit clumsy and can act like an excited puppy, but he means well.

“I like it. Did Jackson have a code name?”

“Yeah, we called him Paladin.”

I wonder what Jackson’s like… but something’s not adding up. If crisis destroyed the multiverse, then how is Jay Garrick still alive? If it’s due to the Speedforce protecting him, wouldn’t that count for Jesse as well?

***2 Months Pass***

You simply watched your two boys as they trained. Hopping onto a nearby surface, you kicked your feet every so often.

“Today’s lesson will be focusing on Speed Mirages,” Eobard started. “A Speed Mirage is an illusion created by a speedster moving back and forth between two places extremely fast, making it look like they are in two places at the same time.

“So, they’re not necessarily Time Remnants,” Thaddeus interjected. He’d seen Time Remnants before, after all Jesse and Harry mainly trained him while Jackson was the one to take up the project on making Thaddeus’ suit. Don’t worry, Jackson. We’ll make things right. We’ll bring you and dad back. His eyes met Eobard’s again. We won’t let dad die this time. We’ll be a family again.

“Precisely.” Eobard started to explain, and Thaddeus humored him. After all, this would be a first for both of them regarding Thaddeus learning his powers. “A Time Remnant, also known as timeline remnants or temporal duplicates, is a phenomenon that occurs as our time travel abilities. Due to possible time ruptures and changes brought by speedsters traveling (or staying) further back in time or even a speedster's death, the time remnants are copies of the original speedsters preserved via the Speed Force as if in their original timelines. It gives the appearance in the new timeline in order to prevent further time paradoxes.”

“I’ve made Time Remnant’s before,” Thaddeus ran a hand through his hair, “To make a Time Remnant, a speedster just travels a little bit into the past, creating a clone of themselves. But as an end result, the Time Remnant from that discarded timeline is used as a sacrifice for that given situation. They’re expandable and that your potential future dies along with it. Another potential future is created due to the knowledge of the future regarding that time frame.”

Of course, he’d catch on quickly. Eobard smirked, cracking his fingers slightly as he started running back and forth, creating a Speed Mirage. “Always remember, the Speed Force serves as a "bomb shelter" that shields the speedster from deaths of their past selves.”

“That’s what Harry and Jesse told me.”

“The moment you stop running back and forth at an even pace, an even frequency, then the Speed Mirage will disappear.” Eobard did as so, and the Speed Mirage vanished.

“So, it’s a multitasking aspect. Run back and forth to deceive the human eye while also making calculated movements or else it’ll throw the Speed Mirage off.”

“Practice makes perfect,” Eobard quirked an eyebrow at his future son.

“Schway.” You grinned at Thaddeus’ enthusiasm. “When am I going to see Fusion Link?” You and Eobard glanced at each other. “I’ve been here for, like, what? Two months and I haven’t seen it? I wanna see you and dad kick some ass in that Fusion form.”

“Why not?” A laugh left your lips as you jumped down from the surface you were on. “But you get your butt right to making that Speed Mirage happen.”

“Come on, mom, you already know I’m a fast learner,” Thaddeus laughed to himself, and you giggled at his speed pun. To which Eobard turned to you as you neared. “I already know how to phase and throw lightning, pretty easy, by the way- And Time Remnant’s aren’t that hard to make.”

“He got that from you.”

“Oh, come on, puns are fun. They’re very ‘punny’.” You wiggled your eyebrows at him.

“Puns are the lowest form of humor.”

“Yeah, but you love me.”

“That I do.” Eobard shook his head at you and held out a hand, his eyes softened at your cheeky smile. “Well, shall we?” You nodded, placing your hand in his, closing your eyes as Eobard did so. It only took a few seconds for the fusion to occur. Thaddeus gasped as he watched with rapt intrigue, you had been right, the differences were subtle. You and Eobard had made adept progress with merging at a faster interval by clearing your thoughts and only thinking of the other. Upon opening your eyes, you were in control of your body with Eobard at the back of your mind, murmuring.

“Do you guys have a name for this?”

“A name?” you echoed.

“Yeah, like… this is an advanced version of you guys. Shouldn’t there be a name?” You and Eobard thought for a moment, but Thaddeus spoke again. “It’d be hard for it to be about your powers because dad has speed, and you have carbon manipulation.”

You stood shocked, “How did you-” You felt Eobard shift for a moment at the back of your mind.

“Jackson and I did some digging,” Thaddeus simply answered, with an exuberant grin. “When… when you were in a coma we started digging in Gideon’s files. We pulled up images and reports, some from Uncle Cisco’s old database.” You crossed your arms at the fact that your sons were snooping around. You’re pretty sure you had a good enough reason that you hadn’t told them in the future of your powers. “You’re Umbress, the empress of the shadows and all that lurks in the dark. Umbra, that’s latin for shade, shadow, or darkness. But really, you manipulate carbon fibers and molecules to your will. Not gonna lie, it’s pretty bussin how you put that together, mom. Black carbon to fool the others and the endless reservoir of carbon all around us.”

The thing is, how much did Future Barry know?

He knew enough to confront you and take you down, Eobard mused to you. Meaning that your own wild card had been discovered.

“I had help and I humored Cisco for the name. Another thing to keep them off my original ability set.”

“Harry knew, didn’t he?”

You pursed your lips as the memory resurfaced, Eobard had seen it before. “We’ll talk about that for another time. The name we can figure out later.” Right as you dissociated with Eobard a breach opened. Now what? You couldn’t believe your eyes as the breacher stepped through with that familiar red-yellow suit.

Eobard narrowed his eyes; he knew who this was. He’d seen the family picture too, contemplated what a family of six was like. Wells and (L/N) and Thawne interjoined- one of the strongest family lineages to have ever graced this timeline. Eobard thought to himself.

“(Y/N)!”

“Jesse?”

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Jessed swooped you up in a hug to which you reciprocated. Pulling away she gripped your arms tightly, “(Y/N), where’s my dad? I can’t- I- I woke up and he wasn’t on Earth-2 anymore. Did he-” Jesse then noticed the other two presences in the room, her eyes disregarded Thaddeus but landing on Eobard. In swift movement, Jesse threw her arms around Eobard. The speedster froze in her grip and her smile dropped right off her face as she felt something off. As Jesse pulled away, she felt… a negative force as a spark nipped at her gloved fingers. “You’re not… you’re…”

“I’m sorry,” Eobard whispered as he watched her eyes become glassy, “but I’m not him.”

Jesse let go and stepped back, her voice quivered as she turned to you, “(Y/N). What-”

“Oh honey,” you took her hand and wrapped your arms around her. “I’m sorry. I- I think you might need to sit down for this.”

“No, stop. I don’t need to sit down. Where is my dad?” She emphasized every word to her question as she moved back to face you, fear rampant on her face. Her blood was iced in her veins. “I woke up one day and he’s gone. No sign of him on Earth-2. What happened to him? Please!”

You lowered your gaze and fidgeted with your hands. You didn’t know how to break this. You shouldn’t be the once to explain this. Barry was. He was to blame for all this. You licked your lips then you spoke up, “When Crisis had ended, we were told the multiverse no long existed. We couldn’t find any trace of Earth-2 or anything. We thought you were… I- The monitor, I believe punished Nash- He’s a Wells, or was, a Wells doppelganger- but… All we know is that when we all ‘woke up’ from the reality of Crisis and Nash had all the Wells doppelgangers in his mind. Your dad and HR. Sherloque. All of them.” You left out the part with Eobard and the Original Harrison Wells. That would be an explanation for later.

“HR’s alive?” The hair at the back of her neck stuck up.

“… He was.” You pushed back the tears; Eobard touched your shoulder, but you didn’t look at him. “They… they all sacrificed themselves for Barry’s artificial Speedforce. Because of Crisis and the deal he made with The Specter, the Speedforce was... dying in a sense. He was losing his speed. It was a wasted effort because it ended up being a temporary fix to a longer issue.” You wondered how this dynamic will impact her relationship with the others. A wave of distraught and loneliness hit her. Just when she had just gotten her dad back, had fixed his mind to be as it should rather than the state Devoe had left it in.

“No...”

“There could have been another way. If only they’d have listened to me, we would have been able to extract all the Wells from Nash. We would have been able to find the multiverse again. I knew it wasn’t dead because things weren’t adding up… But no one listened to me.”

“What about him?” Jesse directed her gaze to Eobard. You let him speak for himself.

“I knew Crisis was coming so I hid in my Speedforce until it passed,” Eobard explained, “I did however underestimate the timing. Time runs differently there. What seemed like 5 minutes could be a day here.”

Jesse nodded bitterly to herself. If only she had heeded that bad feeling in her gut. Then maybe things could have been different… Could dad even survive being in the presence of the Speedforce? “And who the hell are you?”

Thaddeus was jolted out of his thoughts and looked up. Jesse was frowning at him with an expectant look. He proceeded to explain himself to Jesse, showing her the picture he kept.

“Let me get this straight. You’re my younger brother, one of two, at that- and you’re telling me because the timeline is going to shit in the future, I won’t get to meet my other younger brother because of dad’s sacrifice with the other Harrison Wells for Barry?”

“Yeah, sounds about right.”

“This… is just a lot.” Jesse started pacing her mask held tightly in her hand. Approaching her, you pulled her into another hug and that’s when the tears started falling. Your eyes met Eobard and he understood. He tugged Thaddeus and they sped out of the room, leaving you alone with Jesse. The truth… is a heavy burden to bear. Few are ever willing to carry its weight on their shoulders. Your heart strained in your chest as she continued to cry. Tears of your own fell as you held her tightly. All she had was you left. After the two of you calmed down, letting everything out, her puffy red eyes met yours.

“I don’t know where to go,” She croaked, voice tight. “I don’t think I can…”

“Jesse, you’re more than welcome to stay here. With me and us. Until we figure things out. We’re… going to try to figure things out.” You wiped the dried tears off her face with your thumb, the tissue swollen from the tears. “But I need to know if you choose to go back to them.”

“I won’t. I… I can’t… with everything from today that… I’d be ok.”

“It’s ok not to be ok Jesse. I… I just need to know that I can trust you not to divulge this location,” you nodded. “I can’t have them keep ripping things away from me. They already took Jackson and Harry… A son I barely know I was supposed to have.”

“I- I don’t think I can face them just yet, I mean… Barry, mainly, but...” You knew what she meant.

They’re the reason Harrison Wells is dead, and her future brother had gotten erased from existence.

***

Sitting on the couch, you swirled your choice of alcohol in your pristine glass. The picture of your future family was framed on the table beside you. You glanced at it every so often. What rested in your lap was another picture, one of more recent times according to Thaddeus. You and Eobard were absent from the picture, but the boys were older now. Standing with Harry and Jesse. Various thoughts fluttered about in your mind as you stared into your glass. Blinking a few times, you looked up from where you sat to the kitchen opening. Thaddeus and Jesse seem to be getting along. Your throat dried as you watched the two speedsters converse while making dessert, an attempt for Jesse to understand her new brother. An attempt to calm herself from the revelations of today. Eobard strolled into the living room with a whistle, kissing the top of your head before seating himself next to you. His eyes darkened at the picture in your lap.

You swallowed thickly, looking ahead as the soft sounds of laughter from the kitchen leaks out, “Eo, what exactly happens when you kill Barry?”

“…”

You maneuvered your head to meet his eyes. The yellow speedster ran his fingers over his lips. “Well?”

“My powers cease to exist,” Eobard cleared his throat, shifting his gaze away for a moment, “I never become the Reverse Flash.” Your heart dropped to the pit of your stomach. Your mind screamed at you as realization hit you like a bucket of cold water. The genius speedster saw the wildness in your eyes. No no no no no! Not again. Not again. Not again.

“You never run back in time… Thaddeus and Jackson would never come to be.”

“Jackson would still exist even if I’m out of the picture.”

“No, he wouldn’t, Eobard.” Your heart rate was spiking, your mind was hurting, your blood pumping. “Because you’re the reason a singularity had formed in Central City. That singularity opened the gates to the multiverse from our Earth.” That’s how Harry was able to come to this Earth. You downed your alcohol then sat up straighter to look at him.

“…” Eobard took your free hand and gripped it tightly. “My intention isn’t to kill Barry anymore. It once was, yes. Years ago, when I first plotted, getting marooned here before the particle accelerator exploded. But then I realized it wouldn’t mean anything if I did?”

“What do you mean?”

“Hypothetically, yes, I would have won and ended things in my favor. But my memories currently to this point would cease to exist when Barry’s death would catch up to a younger version of myself in the future.”

“There would have been no Flash to drive you to this point.”

Eobard nodded, “And I would have never met you.”

“… So, what will you do?”

“I intend to beat him at every confrontation until Time decides that the last page has turned for the both of us.”

A finger circled the lining of the glass nervously. “And Harry?”

“I have a couple of theories in mind.”

“I’m not going to like them, am I?”

“Highly unlikely…”

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theunbrokenwitch · 4 years

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WITCHCRAFT 101 : CLEANSING

Hello everyone ! It is been a while since I posted something, so I decided to write an article about cleansing. However, everything I wrote is based by my own believes and my personnal practice : if you disagree with something I say or if you want to add something, feel free to leave a comment with your remarks. I am only starting to consider myself as an advanced witch and I am completely aware that I can do mistakes. My first desire is to learn from my mistakes.

What is cleansing and how it is different from cleaning ?

Cleansing is the act of purifying a space or an object from any negative, bad or unwanted energies that would interfere into your spellwork. This action aims to get rid of any residual energies, repulse unwanted guests such as entities from the other world, spirits, demons (although this won't be enough alone)... It differs from cleaning.

Why is it important to cleanse ?

It is important as you don't want any energy/entity/... to interfere during your spell or in your daily life. For example, when moving into a new house or before performing a spell. The reason is the same : to get rid off of any energies that would still be there. For the house, to repulse any energy left by the previous inhabitant of the said house, but also to prepare the space for a warding. When about to perform a spell, to let go of the previous energy I called upon during a spell I did before.

What are the different ways to cleanse ?

Each methods of cleansing has their own advantages but also their inconveniences. Here are some of the ways I learned about :

SMOKE OF HERBS AND INCENSE : One of the most well-known way to cleanse a space is to use the smoke from incense or herbs. Light the incense or burn the herbs then guide the smoke in the area.

Pros : It's a popular practice and easy to do, the possibility to match the incense or herbs to your intents either purify a space or consecrate a space for the spell that will be cast, a good offering for deities and spirits. It also smell very good.

Cos : some herbs like Palo Santo and White Sage endangered other species and ecosystems due to their overuse. Also, there is practices from closed cultures such as smudging that cannot be done by people that do not belong to the culture. I urge you to do researches about cultural appropriation for this reason. If you live with some people that do not like the smell of incense or have medical breathing issues, this won't be a good idea at all too.

CLEANING : Although there is a huge difference between cleansing a space before or after a ritual or a spell and tidying your room, cleaning -when intended to be a form of purification- can do wonders.

Pros : The perfect alternative for closet witches, discreet and not suspicious for non-witches. You can add certain oils in the water you use to mop the floor, grounded coffee to clean leather-made fourniture... You can pretend that you prefer more ecological ways to clean your house !

Cons : You must have some knowledge in the different ways to make your own cleaning products -if you want to make them yourself-, which can sometimes seem complicated depending of the recipe you chose. If you use essential oils, be careful about the one you want to use as some aren't safe for skin and/or pets.

SPRAY : Another affordable way to cleanse a space is to create a water-based solution you will spray around you and the space you want to cleanse.

Pros :Easy to make, smells great too ; you can use essential oils, herbs and crystals that will match your intent.

Cons : Be cautious on the herbs, oils and crystals you use as not all of them are safe to use (selenite dissolves in water and becomes toxic, some herbs are poisonous, certain oils aren't safe to be used around pets...). Always do some researches before making one !

MUSIC AND SOUNDS : Music and sounds are made out of the vibration of frequencies in the air. So, playing certains frequencies in a room you want to cleanse will also work of those energies. You can also use the chimes of a bell, your own voice in order to sing, or an instrument.

Pros : There is a great amount of playlists on Youtube, Spotify and Deezer compilig many songs made out of those perticular frequencies ; it helps also with meditation and... Everyone likes music, right ?

Cons : Not everyone likes music, in fact. And not everyone likes to meditate with sound too. If you live with your family or a roommate, they may not like it. Also, you may be self-conscious about your voice or your skill when playing an instrument which will make you nervous. (It is my case)

CRYSTALS : Some crystals are known to attract certains things to the owner of the stone (love and friedship for rose quartz, focus with tiger eyes...), and some others are known to help to purify and protect a space by absorbing energies such as clear quartz or obsidian.

Pros : They are elegantly pretty and various, some are affordable

Cons : Among the fact that some crystals can be pretty expensive or will need a bigger amount of cleansing -because crystals needs to be cleanse more or less often- it also require child labour and poor wages for the minners that collect them. Please, be cautious about that, inform yourself on the business behind and try to purchase from equitable suppliers as much as possible.

If I forgot to add a method or if I did a mistake somewhere, please do not hesitate to leave a comment or to send me a DM. I hope that this will help some of you. May your days be blessed and your lives safe from any harm.

#witchcraft #closet witch #witchy #witchblr #cleansing

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avengerscompound · 4 years

Text

Until the End of the World - 10

Until the End of the World: A Captain America Fanfic

Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Steve Rogers x F!Reader

Word Count: 1801

Rating: E

Warnings: pregnancy

Synopsis: Four years after Steve and Bucky got to the bottom of the HYDRA conspiracy that had led to you and your son being hunted for the first three years of his life, you, Bucky, and Steve have carved out a nice life together. Things are calm and you feel like a family unit. When Geo starts calling Bucky and Steve ‘dad’, a decision is made to try and add to your family.

Things aren’t as calm as they seem. When your pregnancy hits the papers, HYDRA rears its head once again, and Steve and Bucky need to track you down to protect the family they had created.

Chapter 10

The tabloid sites all latched on to the story of you being pregnant very quickly. Due to the fact you were often seen out with either Bucky or Steve or both, there had been speculation about who exactly you were. Theories went from dating one and cheating on them with the other. Being a ‘close family friend’. Dating one and the other being a close friend. Bouncing between them both like a ping-pong ball. Many fans speculated that they were polyamorous. Bucky had even made the mistake of going deep into the ‘Avengers fandom’ and discovered people doing what they called ‘shipping’ the three of you together. Not just the three of you but him and Steve with all kinds of people. He’d stopped looking when he saw people writing stories about him and Tony together. It turned out there were things he was better off not knowing.

None of the tabloids ever assumed polyamory though, and neither he nor Steve was going to confirm it for them. That made your pregnancy the subject of a lot of speculation. Whose baby was it? The most loved version of the story was that it was Bucky’s love child conceived while you were cheating on Steve with him.

It was a little stressful, but Bucky had heard worse. There was still a vocal majority that considered him a threat that should have been tried for his crimes years ago. Bucky had learned a long time ago not to google himself unless he was feeling particularly self-destructive. You, on the other hand, were still learning, so it took some reassuring that this matter was no one else's business.

Besides the ever-present gossip mill, things were going well. Every doctor's appointment showed that the baby was developing well. All the tests you had were coming back fine. You seemed to be full of energy and Geo was starting to get excited about the idea of having a little brother or sister. The new place was nearly finished. Bucky hadn’t been sent on a mission for a long time. He felt happy - and that was a feeling he liked to experience as fully as he could because he knew from experience how fleeting it could be.

The three of you had decided to take Geo along to the ultrasound where you’d be finding out the sex. He had only seen pictures of the baby so far and you’d thought he might like to see them moving around and find out if he was having a brother or a sister. According to you, the baby was kicking a lot at the moment, so you weren't worried about bad news being delivered.

Geo sat on Bucky’s lap while Steve sat beside you, holding your hand as the technician squeeze the gel onto your stomach. “Have they been kicking much?” Brown asked as she began to move the wand around on your stomach. Bucky looked up at the screen, waiting for the baby to come into view.

You smiled and nodded. “So much. The little nugget is going to be a fighter.”

Brown smiled. “Just like it’s dads, huh?” She said. “Has anyone else felt the kicks?”

“Not yet,” Steve answered. “I can’t wait though.”

The baby came into view on the screen. You’d been getting pretty regular ultrasounds with your checkups and Bucky liked how the little blob was getting bigger and looking more like a baby every time. “It shouldn’t be too much longer. I’d bet by the end of the week you get a little flutter against your hand.”

Steve looked at Bucky and grinned and Bucky couldn’t help but lean over and peck his lips. Geo didn’t seem that happy with the action and he wriggled in Bucky’s lap. Bucky chuckled and pulled back. “Can you see the baby, G?” He asked, pointing at the screen.

Geo nodded. “The machine is really cool how it works. It’s using sound to make the shape of the baby inside mom.”

“That’s right,” Brown said. “You’re a smart kid.”

Geo looked up at Bucky and grinned obviously very proud of himself. Bucky smiled and ruffled his hair.

“If you see here,” Brown said. “This is the baby's head, and their spine. They have hands and feet and you can even see their toes and fingers…”

Geo watched on fascinated by the digital image of his new sibling. Not just because that was his new sibling, but because he had a scientific fascination with where it was developmentally and how the machines could show what they show. He asked lots of questions about whether it could hear or see and how it absorbed food. Bucky couldn’t really remember what kids were like, and so he had no idea if this was advance thinking for a seven-year-old or not. He felt like it was advanced though, and he made a mental note to ask you later.

“Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?” Geo asked.

“I can find out,” the tech said. “Is that okay, Captain Rogers?”

Steve chuckled. “It’s not just my decision to make.”

Brown hid her face behind her hands for a moment and shook her head. “I’m so sorry, that is such a default reaction.”

“It’s fine,” Steve said. “Please just relax. We’re just patients. And yes, we already decided we wanted to find out.”

She moved the wand around to get it into position. “Well, bud,” Brown said. “Did you have a preference?”

“I dunno,” Geo said. “I don’t have either.”

“Well you don’t have a brother,” Brown said. “You’re going to have a little sister.”

“It’s a girl?” Bucky asked, looking over at you and Steve to see your reactions. Steve looked like he’d been lit up from the inside, and tears had pricked your eyes.

“That’s right. It’s a girl,” Brown confirmed.

“A little girl,” Steve said, softly.

“Now we have one of each,” Bucky said, and Geo turned around on Bucky’s lap and hugged him. Bucky closed his arms around the boy, hugging him tightly. “You’re gonna be such a good big brother,” Bucky whispered as he hugged the boy.

“Do you want any pictures this time?” Brown asked.

“Yes, please,” you said, quickly.

Brown cleaned off the paddle and pressed the button to print out the photos of the baby. You grabbed some kleenex from the counter and cleaned the gel off your stomach. “You think Morgan will be excited there’s going to be another little girl around?” Steve asked Geo.

“Probably,” Geo said. “As long as she likes robots too. Umm… you think the baby will be able to talk to the computers like I can?”

Steve furrowed his brow as he helped you up. Bucky shook his head to clear it. It was strange, despite the fact that Geo had powers that he’d clearly gotten from you, and the fact both he and Steve had the Super Serum, the thought of a super-powered baby had never really crossed their minds. It was like all that was just such a normal part of their lives now, they didn’t really think about how it impacted things. You didn’t have powers and it was possible the only reason Geo did was that both you and his father had been through experimentation so close to his conception. It could be that those drugs were now completely out of your system, but no one had thought to look into that first.

“You know what?” Steve said eventually. “I don’t know.”

“Probably should have considered that before we dived in with both feet, huh?” You said.

“You could ask your obstetrician about doing an amniocentesis,” Brown suggested. “Then they could do a genetic workup. Check for abnormalities.”

“Don’t they have risks involved?” You asked.

“Sure, but normally it’s one of those things where there are risks involved either way, and you decide which outcome is worse,” Brown explained.

You furrowed your brow and nodded and Bucky wondered what you were thinking. “Thank you, Miss Brown,” Steve said. “We’ll see you next time.”

“Of course,” she said, brightly. “See you.”

The four of you walked out into the ward and headed to the elevator. “I’m sorry if I upset you,” Geo said as the doors opened.

“You didn’t, G. Don’t worry,” you assured him, kissing the top of his head. “It’s just not something we thought about when we probably should have. Because you got your powers from me and your birth dad, but Bucky and Steve have their own powers.”

“Well, we’re enhanced,” Steve corrected them. “Not the same as what you have.”

“I think…” Bucky said slowly, aware that this was not a discussion that should be held in front of Geo, but also knowing that the boy needed to be reassured that his powers were not a negative, nor would he be losing the sister he really only just met. “I think it might be too late to worry about. I mean… what if they do find out the baby is enhanced? It’s not like we would love them any less, or not want them. They’d just be special, like Geo.”

“Of course,” you said quickly. “We would have done this either way I think.”

“So… let’s just wait and see. We don’t want to risk anything bad happening,” Bucky said. “The baby looks normal, so we know it’s not a tentacle beast.”

Geo started laughing. “That would be so cool.”

“She might not be able to talk to computers even if she does have powers though, G,” you said, stifling your own laugh. “When I had powers I could hear people’s thoughts. And your dad, he could run really fast.”

“Wow,” Geo said. “I hope she can fly.”

“Oh my goodness,” you said. “I don’t.”

“Yeah, imagine having to change a diaper on a baby and it’s zooming around over your head,” Bucky said, making Geo breakdown into fits of giggles.

“Alright, Geo,” Steve said. “You go wash up and we’ll have some lunch. Do you want to see if Morgan can come to play and you can tell her all about your sister?”

“Yeah, alright,” Geo said, running off to the bathroom.

Steve turned to you and Bucky and took your hands. “It’s going to be fine,” he said. “We can face whatever happens, I know we can.”

“Let’s just hope they can’t fly,” you joked.

“We’ll handle that too,” Steve said.

“Yeah, we’ll put a little harness on them, and weigh them down with rocks,” Bucky joked and you burst out laughing.

Steve wrapped his arms around you and pulled Bucky in close so that all three of you were holding each other. Bucky closed his eyes and breathed you both in, confident that together, you could all handle whatever powers she may or may not have.

// NEXT

#steve rogers #bucky barnes #steve rogers x reader #bucky barnes x reader #stucky #steve rogers x bucky barnes #stucky x reader #steve rogers x reader x bucky barnes #captain america fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #reader insert #pregnancy #until the end of the world

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grailfinders · 3 years

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Fate and Phantasms #147: Gorgon

Today on Fate and Phantasms we’re making the one goddess of the three goddess alliance who actually had some skin in the game, Gorgon! This misbegotten monstrosity of a Medusa is made of a Undead Warlock for some scary surprises and the ability to make all her enemies into statues as well as a Rune Knight Fighter for a bit of help winning at basketball.

Check out her build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here!

Next up: Purrsonally I purrfurred Tamamo Cat, but ny’all can pick whichefur you want!

Race and Background

Sadly there aren’t any large player races, but we can still go Yuan Ti for all the goodies you get from there! As a snerson (snake person), you come equipped with Darkvision, Innate Spellcasting for Poison Spray and Animal Friendship (to snakes) at will. Starting at third level, you’ll also be able to use Suggestion once per long rest. All these spells use Charisma to cast. Finally, you get a defensive buff thanks to Magic Resistance and Poison Immunity. The former gives you advantage on saves against magic, while the latter makes you immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition.

Since you’re the only goddess in the alliance that believes in the destruction of humanity, we’ll call you the Goddess Alliance Cultist, but we’re messing with the background a bit, so instead you’ll get proficiency with Athletics and Religion.

Ability Scores

If you want monstrous Strength, you better be ready to invest a lot in it. As a walking apocalypse, you’re pretty scary-that’s Charisma. You can’t be a video game boss without plenty of Constitution either, so make that #3. Your strongest weapons are based on your eyesight, so make Wisdom next. Surprisingly enough Guda didn’t try to defeat the giant rampaging monster with a math quiz, so we’ll just have to assume your Intelligence is average. That means we’re dumping Dexterity. You are literally a giant target, it’s not that surprising.

Class Levels

1. Fighter 1: Fighters start off with a better hit die, plus you get proficiency with Strength and Constitution saves as well as Intimidation and Survival checks. Your Unarmed Fighting Style lets you punch people for 1d6 damage, or 1d8 if both your hands are empty. You’re not big on “weapons”, so that’s fine by you. You also get a Second Wind, letting you regrow some snake heads as a bonus action. I might be getting my myths mixed up.

2. Warlock 1: Quite a bit of your power is coming on loan from Tiamat, and she literally can’t die, making you an Undead warlock. This gives you Pact Magic, spells you cast with Charisma that recharge on short rests. You also gain a Form of Dread, transforming a little bit into Tiamat for 1 minute. While transformed, you gain temporary HP, can force a wisdom save (DC 8+proficiency+charisma mod) to frighten a creature you attack once per turn, and you become immune to being frightened yourself. You can transform proficiency times per long rest.

Going back to spells, you get a lot of them thanks to your background. For cantrips, you get Fire Bolt and Vicious Mockery, and for first level spells you get Burning Hands, Dissonant Whispers, and Hellish Rebuke. There’s a lot of fire in there, but we can reflavor it in a couple of levels, don’t worry.

As far as spells we can choose, you get Blade Ward to make up for the 9 AC you’re rocking by gaining resistance on most physical attacks, Eldritch Blast to shoot snake hair at your foes, Armor of Agathys to make attacking you a losing proposition thanks to your temporary HP and counterattack, and Arms of Hadar for more snakes, turning the area within 10′ of you into a snake pit.

3. Warlock 2: Second level warlocks get Eldritch Invocations, letting you customize your eternal servitude how you see fit. We’re swapping one next level, but use the other to get Armor of Shadows, boosting your 9 AC to an amazing 12 AC! Wow!

You also learn the spell Hex, cursing someone to deal 1d6 extra necrotic damage and giving disadvantage on one kind of ability check.

4. Fighter 2: Second level fighters get an Action Surge, letting you slap an extra action onto your turn once per short rest. Raid bosses can cheat the action economy a bit, everyone knows that.

5. Warlock 3: Gorgon did give us a bit of trouble when it came to their pact boon- she doesn’t use weapons, doesn’t rely on familiars, and she’s definitely not a bookwyrm. By process of elimination, you’ve earned the Pact of the Talisman, giving you a trinket that can add 1d4 to a failed ability check proficiency times per long rest.

That alone isn’t particularly scary, but the invocation Rebuke of the Talisman lets you deal a bit of psychic damage and push an attacking creature away from you as a reaction.

You also get the prerequisite flood of second level spells- from your background, you get Crown of Madness, Enthrall, and Flaming Sphere. Honestly I think Enthrall works for you- it’s not like there’s something out there that’s more distracting than you, right?

You also learn Hold Person for baby’s first petrification.

6. Warlock 4: If your AC’s really going to be that bad, we should at least use this Ability Score Improvement to bump up your Constitution for better HP. You also learn Infestation to summon your first Demonic Beasts (they’re just small) and Earthbind to stone up flying creatures enough to force them to land.

7. Warlock 5: Fifth level warlocks get another invocation and third level spells! From your background you get Fear and Haste, both of which are actually in character for you! You also learn to Summon Lesser Demons for some small-fry demonic beasts. Just remember you don’t actually count as a demon yourself in D&D, so they will happily kill you as soon as anyone else.

You also get the invocation Cloak of Flies, giving you a poisonous 5′ aura that you can invoke as a bonus action once per short rest. The aura gives you advantage on intimidation checks, but disadvantage on all other checks, and deals damage to anything within it equal to your charisma modifier. Just be glad Guda didn’t summon your other sisters.

8. Warlock 6: Sixth level undeadlocks are Grave Touched, meaning you no longer need to eat, drink or breathe- the full servant experience! You can also replace the damage of any attack with necrotic damage, and while your Form of Dread is up, you add an extra die of damage to the attack as well!

You also learn how to make a Spirit Shroud, dealing extra necrotic, cold, or radiant damage on all attacks you make within 10′ of yourself. You also slow down creatures that start their turn in the shroud.

9. Fighter 3: As a Rune Knight, you become a Rune Carver, letting you stick runes on weapons, armor, jewelry, or other small objects for small bonuses-you can also invoke them once per short rest for bigger bonuses.

The Fire rune doubles your tool proficiencies, and you can also invoke the rune add extra fire (or necrotic) damage to the attack. If it fails a strength save (dc 8+proficiency+intelligence modifier) it becomes restrained, and takes extra fire damage each turn.

The Stone rune gives advantage on insight checks, and gives you extended darkvision. You can also use your reaction to charm creatures who end their turn near you, leaving them incapacitated if they fail a wisdom save.

More importantly, you also get Giant Might, using a bonus action to grow to Large size for a minute. While transformed, you have advantage on strength checks and save, and deal an extra d6 damage per weapon attack. You can transform proficiency times per long rest.

10. Warlock 7: Seventh level warlocks get fourth level spells. From your background: Confusion and Wall of Fire. Neither are great for us, but you also get Shadow of Moil, making attacking you an even worse idea thanks to a necrotic counterattack.

You also get the invocation Protection of the Talisman, letting you add a d4 to a failed save proficiency times per long rest.

11. Warlock 8: Use this ASI to bump up your Charisma for better spells, and to make it easier to control your new spell, Summon Greater Demon. For up to an hour, you can summon a demon of CR 5 or lower. If it continually fails a charisma save each turn, it will obey you. Otherwise it’ll run wild. Honestly? Both work for you.

12. Warlock 9: Fifth level spell time! You know what? Since we’re not making a Tiamat build, we might as well have some fun with the primordial sea while we still can. Dominate Person, Danse Macabre, and Minions of Chaos will help you raise a Ushiwakamaru Alter army in whatever flavor you prefer- living, undead, or elemental!

13. Warlock 10: Our last undead goody makes you a Mortal Husk, giving you resistance to necrotic damage (or immunity while using Form of Dread). On top of that, once per 1d4 long rests you can blow up your body when you hit 0 HP, dealing necrotic damage in the area and reviving yourself with 1 HP. It’s one hell of a guts skill, but it does give you some exhaustion.

We also continue our Ushiwakamarufication tour with Negative Energy Flood, a spell that deals tons of necrotic damage and turns a target into a zombie if it kills them. It can even heal your existing zombiwakamarus!

14. Warlock 11: Your Mystic Arcanum gives you the option to cast Flesh to Stone once per long rest. If a targeted creature fails a constitution save three times, they become stone. If they succeed three times, they escape. If you keep concentration on the spell for the full minute while they’re petrified, it lasts until dispelled.

15. Warlock 12: Our last warlock level is another ASI, which we’re putting into Constitution for better concentration checks and more HP. You also get the invocation Sculptor of Flesh, letting you cast Polymorph once per long rest. Have you ever wanted to actually be a giant snake? Now you can! (You can also do, like, a T. Rex, if you wanna powergame.)

16. Fighter 4: Another ASI already? Bump up your Strength for better punching. That’ll be relevant soon.

17. Fighter 5: It’s soon! This level gives you an Extra Attack each attack action, for two punches per action, or four in a turn with Action Surge.

18. Fighter 6: Use this ASI to bump up your Constitution for even more HP.

19. Fighter 7: Seventh level rune knights can use their Runic Shield to force a creature to re-roll their attack when they hit an ally. You can do this proficiency times per long rest. You also get the Hill rune, which has absolutely useless passives, but you can invoke it as a bonus action to get resistance to physical attacks for a minute.

20. Fighter 8: You thought we were gonna max out our constitution this level, right? WRONG! Grab that Tough feat for an extra 40 HP!

Pros:

Thanks to your Spirit Shroud being forcibly maxed out, you have terrifying short range damage options. With an action surge, your Form of Dread, and two eldritch blasts, you can deal 16d10+24d8 Necrotic damage in a single turn, and that’s not even including any critical hits! That gives you an average damage just shy of 200, and a possible maximum of 352. Plus rolling that many dice is probably really satisfying.

Adding to that, you have plenty of other reasons for enemies to avoid melee range- your counterattack game is wild. Armor of Agathys, Hellish Rebuke, Shadow of Moil, Cloak of Flies... getting too close to you really is dangerous.

For a mostly spellcaster build, you are incredibly thick. With over 200 hp and a couple different ways to give yourself protection from most attacks, it will take a lot of hits to topple this kaiju.

Cons:

Speaking of a lot of hits, you’ll be taking those! Your AC is only 12, 14 at best if you’re hasted. Of course this problem could be solved with some heavy armor, but I doubt they make it in your size.

You also have a heavy focus on Necrotic damage, meaning that your options will become much more limited against undead, Aasimar, and demons.

Speaking of, you summon Demons. That’s kind of a deal breaker for a lot of adventuring parties. It’s not even like you could keep a low profile for plausible deniability, people are going to notice the big snake lady hanging around the demon attacks.

#Fate Grand Order #fgo #D&D 5e #Gorgon #DND 5e #Warlock #Fighter

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thejewitchelf · 4 years

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Art by: @landisblair on Instagram

WARDS AND SPIRITUAL PROTECTION: An introduction for the beginner practitioner

As Samhain/the witch's new year approaches, we are surrounded by the wonderfully dark imagery that encapsulates the beauty of the natural cycles of the earth. The necessary period of darkness is approaches, and with it we are met with the symbolic depictions of spirits, goblins, ghouls and skeletons, which can cause many of us to be sparked with magical inspiration, and, subsequently, the desire to perform spells. Many of us know that during the transitionary period of Autumn (as well as in spring), the veil between worlds is at its thinnest. But what exactly does this mean for us during (all times, but especially right now) this time?

As a beginner practitioner, we may have been guided by the words in books telling us of the importance of protective magic, cleansing and wards. Oftentimes, however, it is difficult to fully understand the importance of these practices, and why so much importance is being placed upon them. When we cast a spell, we are drawing energy inward, in order to direct/use those energies to our advantage; however, while this aspect of spellcasting is necessary for an affective working, the energies we bring inward and collect can be both negative and positive. Spirits are made of energy, and if we do not cleanse our space as well as create wards, some of these spirits (whether they are negative or more neutral/positive energies) can become attached to us.

Now, while I imagine many people reading this may instantly be flooded by images of Poltergeist or the gratuitously dark scenes of Reagan from The Exorcist, I am not referring to the well-known Hollywood depiction of possession. When a spirit becomes attached to you, you may not even realize that it is there; it isn't necessarily a possession, but rather an energy that has seen you are willing to allow its presence in your life. Having said that, it does not make the situation any less serious, and can manifest itself physically. Some individuals may experience scratch marks (often creating patterns) with no known, physical cause. These can range anywhere from red lines across your skin, to being so deep that you bleed. Spirits can also show themselves in photos, appearing as distorted images of faces that look barely human. Psychologically, hanger-on spirits can cause us to be more inclined towards the things which perpetuate self destructive behaviors, and may try to persuade you into beliefs and patterns that will make it difficult for you to progress in self/spiritual/magical development. Having said this, if you are experiencing these mental symptoms, please seek out professional help from someone trained in mental health, as well as a priestess or elder if you do expect it is something of a more spiritual nature. Because spirits want a willing, living human vessel to attach themselves to, they may try using trickery in order to make the vessel desire their presence, or try making the person think that they are better off with them there. If the vessel becomes unwilling, however, they may use intimidation in order to keep the vessel complacent.

Once a spirit has become attached, it can be incredibly hard to separate (especially if it has been attached for quite a while). Part of this is due to an unconscious desire in the vessel to want to keep the spirit around; there is a sense of comfort in familiarity, and the feeling of never being alone. To avoid this, however, it is imperative that one learns how to properly protect oneself BEFORE beginning the practice of spellcraft. The following methods of protection and wards are great for the beginner witch, and are compiled from the things that I have learned from my elders/witchcraft mentors.

Cleansing

Before any working or ward, it is important to cleanse yourself and your space. To do this, many choose to shower beforehand (it may help to have a physical, symbolic act of being clean). Wards are used to keep things OUT; however, before creating them, it is important to make sure whatever is inside is released.

Methods of cleansing your space:

The smoke method- using an herb bundle or incense of choice, let the smoke surround you. Move the smoke up and down your body, as well as your immediate surrounding area. After having done this, cleanse the rest of the area. You can do this in your whole house, but I suggest beginning with the space that you practice in. Make sure to get the corners of the room(s) as well, as energy can become trapped here. As you cleanse, keep in mind your intent, and leave a window open so that the what you are trying to release can leave out the window, with the smoke.

The sound method- Sound, like all energy, possesses its own vibration and frequency. By using sounds, we can change the frequencies of these existing energies. Using a bell, do the same steps that you saw in the smoke cleansing method. Strike it as you move up, down, and around your body, along the walls, and in the corners of your space.

The spray method- this is the last method of cleansing I will be discussing here -- however, there are many more methods, and this is by no means a fully extensive list! If none of these feel right for you, always research for more to get inspiration and ideas. For this method, you'll need a spray bottle, bottled water (or even distilled water), something to boil it in, and salt. To add to this mixture, it is good to have water occurring from some natural source. Rainwater is very popular and has fantastic properties, but is illegal to collect in some states. Stream or ocean water would be good substitutes. This is very versatile, and some witches enjoy adding herbs and crystals to this. Boil your bottled or distilled water, and combine all your ingredients in the spray bottle. Follow the same steps from the other two methods.

Wards

Wards are a means of keeping things OUT, and protecting both you and your space. These are often created through visualization, which creates a psychic barrier from anything you do not want entering your space.

Methods of creating wards:

The mirror method- For this method, you will need at least 4 mirrors. It doesn't matter how big or small they are, so long as they are visible to you from anywhere in the room. Place them in the four corners, and visualize them getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger until they cover the walls, encompassing the entirety of your space and you. When doing this, be sure to not look directly into them. The way this works is that spirits, particularly negative ones, do not like seeing their reflection because it reflects the negativity back onto themselves. This is why, when creating these wards, it is important to not look into them; it can can the spirit to be reflected back onto you.

The copper method- pennies have a particularly magical feeling, and copper is fantastic as a conductor of energy. Place either wheat pennies (if you are able to find them) or any medium sized piece of pure copper (doesn't have to be pennies) in 4 jars, filled with the solution I previously mentioned in the spray cleansing method. Place these in the 4 corners and ask for protection.

Protection amulet- using a necklace that has a charm with a symbol of power (I use the pentagram, but this could be anything as long as it has meaning to you), cleanse it, and place in a jar of that same solution for at least 3 hours, asking for protection and meditate on your intent. Take a shower, cleanse yourself, and wear it always.

I hope that these tips will help keep you safe through your witchcraft journey! Have a fantastic Samhain, and blessed be )O(

-Winter Foxflame

Photo: Dybbuk, theatre of the arts, university of iowa

#mine #witchcraft #witchy #witchblr #nature #spiritualjourney #spiritual development #ghost and spirits #spirituality #halloween #samhain

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jadethest0ne · 4 years

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When the Moon meets the Morning, Chapter 6 - Not all Black and White

Summary: Raphael is going on missions with Captain Jupiter as he always does when he meets an orange-wearing turtle yokai who feels oddly familiar.

Word Count: 3376

Ratings/Warnings: General Audiences; some minor harrowing moments, but mostly fluff, emotional overload, emotional manipulation, self-deprecation

Notes: This is my longest chapter yet! This one has some minor emotional manipulation at the beginning of this chapter along with some harrowing moments later on. On the plus side, we get some cameos from previous TMNT incarnations that I’m happy about bringing to the table. Big thanks to @undercoverwizardninjaturtle and @fraymotiif for helping me workshop this. And a big thanks to @5weekdays who helped me with the Captain Jupiter dialogue in this chapter!

Read on AO3 For the RotTMNT Fantasy AU

———-

The trio gets up early the next morning, reaching the outskirts of Bedu in relative silence. The whole time Mikey keeps looking over to Raph as if he wants to say something. Raph knows by now to just wait until Mikey speaks – if the young boxshell has something to say, he's bound to say it eventually. Finally he opens his mouth. “How... did you do that...?” he asks.

Well, that wasn't exactly what Raph was expecting. “Do what?” he asks genuinely confused.

“I mean, how did you...” Mikey twirls his hands around each other as if trying to find the right words, “...make everything stop..? The noise? The... the feelings?” He looks to Raph in almost desperate wonder.

“Oh, that...” Raph runs his mask tails through his fingers as he thinks. “I'm... actually not so sure... I've always been good with protective wards and shields n' stuff. I guess... I just figured out a new way to use them...?” He ends his sentence in a rising questioning tone.

Mikey looks at him almost expectantly. As if there's more to what Raph has to say.

There is more. “And, uh,” Raph begins. “You're gonna probably think this is a little weird, but, um, I think I did it in a dream once...?”

Mikey's eyes widen, before softening. A warm smile spreads across his face. “That doesn't sound weird to me at all.”

“Oh really?” Raph stops tugging at his mask tails. “Um... I could maybe equip some of your gear, or even sheets of magic activation paper with some protective wards like that. Maybe they could help you out in your travels, even if I'm not around.”

Mikey's smile widens further and he bounces in his saddle. “Really!? You could do that?!”

“Of course! I'd have to grab some of the extra paper and ink from my room when we get back, but I could definitely do that for ya!”

“Well, it's good timing then, because we're just about there!” Red Fox chimes in.

The town of Bedu looked pretty much the same as when they had left. After all, it had barely been a couple weeks. The main difference now was that a thin layer of frost was covering the ground, signalling that winter was close at hand, even below the tall mountain peaks.

“I have to go sign in with the Mountain Guide Guild to notify them that I've returned, and I need Mikey to come with me,” Red Fox says. “Raph, could you drop our gear off at the base?”

“Sure! I'll take Infinity and Buddy to the stables, too,” Raph says.

“Alrighty then!” Mikey bounces off of Infinity's back and hands her reins over to Raph, then bounces over to Red Fox.

“When you're done, come meet us by the healing house. I want to check if our gecko friend has recovered. After that we can all get some brunch – my treat!”

“Red Fox, you are the best!” Mikey cheers.

Raph smiles as he watches the two of them head farther into town. It's good to see Mikey's usual energy returned. But then he frowns a bit, realizing that he'd probably have to say goodbye to the guy soon with their trek now over. His mind is stuck in that sad thought as he heads back to Captain Jupiter's base, sets up Buddy and Infinity in the stables with some food and treats, and unpacks their gear. He mulls over all the things he's learned about Mikey and how close the two of them had grown in such a short time. He's gonna miss him a whole lot.

Raph’s thoughts are interrupted by a booming voice.

"Great gorgons, my boy, where have you been all this time!?"

Raph's head snaps up to see Captain Jupiter in the door frame with his hands on his hips. Raph can't tell if it's his normal heroic pose or if he's angry for some reason. But either way Raph is cautious in his response. "I, uh, was on a mountain guiding mission with Red Fox."

"Well I needed you here! There's been a great monster attacking the town while you've been gone and we've had trouble tracking it down and stopping it! I could've used your natural instincts!”

“I'm sorry.” Raph shrinks a bit, now feeling really bad that he had been away. It had been selfish of him to leave like that when he was needed here. And at a time when the Captain wanted to use his skills for once! It was rare that Raph’s “instincts” were looked at positively.

“Where is Red Fox?" Captain Jupiter asks looking in various directions as if expecting his sidekick to appear at the mention of her name.

"She went to the healing house to check on one of the fire victims.” Raph tugs at his mask tails, his eyes darting around not sure where to look.

"Good to know she's back here, too. I'm going to patrol the edge of the town. You head to the healing hut to tell Red Fox of the situation. And if you see any large scaly monsters, you take it down!"

At the command, Raph immediately comes to attention and salutes. "Yessir, Captain Jupiter!"

“Remember what I always say? 'Act like a monster, become a monster.' Nobody likes a monster. That’s why we do what we do. You don’t want to be on the wrong side of justice, do you?” He gives Raph a pointed look.

Raph tells himself that the Captain is always saying these things to pump him up and get him ready for a challenge or to hunt a bounty. But he hates that it feels like these words are meant specifically for him, as a warning to what Raph could do and has done. Either way, Raph knows that he’s always going to fight for good in the end. So Raph nods with determination, and in affirmation of the Captain’s words.

“Good,” Captain Jupiter says with a toothy grin. “So if you see any beasts rampaging around, make sure your justice is swift!”

Raph sucks in a breath, but stands up straight, hardens his features, and repeats, “Yessir.”

“Good lad.” The Captain nods with a pleased grin, and rushes off.

---

Raph quickly makes his way down to the village square and over to the healing house, bursting through the door with a lot more speed and panic than intended when he gets there. Everyone inside gives him an inquisitive look and Raph tries to calm himself down and casually walks towards where he sees Red Fox and Mikey standing by a bed. In the bed is the gecko from before, now wide awake and bright eyed. Without the soot or bandages covering him, Raph can see that he’s a dull yellow color with dark speckles covering his features. He looks very relaxed next to the other two.

Mikey lights up at seeing the large snapping turtle enter the room. "Raph! You're just in time to meet my new friend!" Mikey gestures at the bed.

The gecko looks up with an easy smile. "Hey there," he says in a raspy voice. "The name's Mondo! You must be Raph?"

Raph smiles and gives a small wave at the yokai. "Yup that's me. You doing okay?"

Mondo nods and Red Fox explains, "He's mostly recovered from the fire, he just has a sore throat that may last for another week or so. The smoke did a number on his lungs. Right now we're just trying to figure out where his family is."

Mikey makes a small pained sound causing Raph to look at him. The younger turtle is rubbing his head as if it hurts.

"Hey, are you okay?" Raph asks, concern tingeing his tone.

Mikey lets out a small grunt and says, "There's a lot of negative emotions in the area."

"Like what?"

"Unease... Fear..." Mikey flinches as if something struck him. "Oof, a lot of fear actually, but this seems like..."

Raph doesn't get to hear what that seems like, because there's a sudden shriek from outside. Oh, right - the reason why Raph came here. He grabs the attention of the red panda yokai. "Red Fox, the Captain told me that there's been a monster attacking the town."

"That must be it. Let's go!"

The two rush outside and sure enough a large creature is running through the streets causing many people to flee from it. It looks to be a giant alligator of some sort with hard scales and giant jaws snapping every which way. Raph summons his red limb projections and charges the beast while Red Fox leaps in the air. She lands on the beast's head and transforms her tail so it is long enough to wrap around its snout, locking its snapping jaws shut. Raph rams his whole body into the alligator in an attempt to knock it down. But even with his magic enhanced limbs the monster stands its ground and pushes back.

There is a struggle; Raph puts more magic power into the red limbs and lets out a yell, growing a second pair of red glowing arms in addition to the two surrounding his actual arms. He tries to grapple the sides of the beast with the extra pair of magical limbs. However, the alligator seems to recognize the losing battle, so instead it rocks back a bit then sweeps out its large muscular tail. The lack of resistance from the gator combined with the tail flicking at Raph’s legs causes the snapper to lose balance and he falls over, landing on his snout.

As Raph lifts himself up with a pained grunt, he sees the gator whip its head around, causing Red Fox to be flung into the wall of the healing house. His eyes widen in worry and he shouts her name. But his attention is then caught by the form of Mikey stepping outside the door with a look of horror on his face as he comes upon the scene. Behind Mikey he can see Mondo. For a second Raph wonders what he is doing out of bed, but he has much bigger things to worry about at the moment.

The large monster seems to have noticed the two smaller yokai as well, and it charges in their direction. Mondo looks like he's trying to say something, but the only thing that comes out of his mouth is a squeak. Mikey just stares up at the monster charging at them with a strange expression on his face. Raph doesn't have the time to ponder whatever feelings the empath is picking up from the scene around him and launches himself at the beast. He grabs hold of the monster's tail and digs his heels into the ground bracing himself. The gator is stopped mere feet from the two younger reptile yokai and turns around angrily to look at Raph. It launches itself at him with giant jaws opened lined with sharp, jagged teeth.

Red Fox is down, Mikey and Mondo and other civilians are around, and it's up to Raph to stop him. The Captain said to take the monster down. Raph pushes down the fear fluttering in his chest, and the twisted feeling he gets at the Captain’s implication of what he must do. He ignores the similarities between an alligator snapping turtle and an actual alligator, and allows the Captain's words to echo in his mind. “Act like a monster, become a monster.” Well, this is one monster that Raph is not going to let hurt his friends. He summons from deep down as much of his power as he can muster. His sclera turns black and his iris and pupil form into that of a blood moon. He gathers as much of his energy as he can around his fist. If he can just get one good powerful punch in as the monster leaps at him, he can end this.

Raph lets out a yell as he's about to launch his attack, right as the alligator snarls and his leaping attack arcs downward, towards the turtle. Suddenly something wraps around the alligator’s jaws, causing them to snap shut and the alligator to unceremoniously fall to the ground in an ungraceful heap. The gator looks so shocked that it seems like for a moment its anger is dispelled. Raph, too, is so surprised that magic swirling around his arm dissipates.

"Wait!" A voice calls out to them. Raph and the gator follow the voice to see Mikey standing there holding onto a rope. The rope is attached to the gator’s mouth ending in what seems to be some sort of grappling hook, glowing with magical energy. Mikey walks over to the gator with raised hands and says calmly, "I'm not going to hurt you. Just hold on a sec."

The complete lack of fear or malice coming from Mikey must confuse the alligator since it makes no moves to attack him. "You're just scared, right? And sad...? Like you miss someone?" The gator looks at the turtle with mournful eyes. Mikey slowly moves his hands towards the gator. Raph is about to stop him when Mikey holds up at hand in his direction, making Raph clamp his mouth shut before he can say anything. Mikey gently pets the large reptile's snout before loosening the rope around its jaws and says, "I think maybe they miss you, too."

Mikey gestures at Mondo who is leaning against the healing house, tightly gripping the front of his shirt, staring at the scene with wide eyes. As soon as the gecko and the gator lock eyes, Mondo tearfully runs over to the large alligator and calls out, "Leatherhead!"

Mikey steps out of the way and positions himself next to Raph. Mondo throws himself onto the apparently named Leatherhead’s face resting his small head in between the larger yokai's eyes. Leatherhead closes his eyes and puts a gentle clawed hand over the gecko's back and pats him soothingly, letting out a rumbling trill.

Raph looks past the touching scene to see Red Fox pushing herself up and walking over to them. Raph rushes to her side. "Red Fox! Are you okay?"

Red Fox smirks and rubs her neck saying, "It'll take more than one raging beast flinging me into a wall to keep me down." She looks at the scene before them. "Though I guess he's not so much a raging beast anymore..."

Mikey giggles and explains, "I thought his aura and Mondo's seemed kind of similar, and you did say that Mondo was looking for his family. I thought maybe the big guy was looking for his family, too"

Mondo breaks his hug with Leatherhead, and speaks with him in hushed tones, likely due to the fact that his voice can't seem to go above a whisper at the moment. Even though Leatherhead seems to only respond in guttural growls and trills, Mondo doesn't seem to have any trouble communicating with him.

The two of them walk over to Raph, Red Fox, and Mikey. Mondo bows his head and rasps out, “I'm sorry for Leatherhead here. The big guy was just worried about me and didn't know where I was. Please don't be mad at him.” By the end of his short speech, Mondo's voice was losing power and the last part came out in a worried squeak.

A sense of injustice rings in Raph’s head. It is based on the constant lectures about right and wrong that the Captain taught him. And the fact that the Captain gave him a direct order to stop the monster that had been terrorizing the town. Raph looked in the eyes of said monster, and saw himself reflected back in its blank yellow eyes. Leatherhead is calm now and Mondo is just a kid. But Leatherhead attacked the town, apparently numerous times; scared a lot of people. Worried about his family or not, that was still a criminal act, and he acted like a monster. Captain Jupiter's words ring in his mind yet again. Despite the torment twisting in his gut, Captain Jupiter's justice should win out. Right?

Raph spoke sternly. "You could have caused a lot of people harm! And you broke the law! You need to learn--"

He stops when Mikey pats his arm and says, "I think they learned enough, Raph. This was just a misunderstanding and that's no one's fault. Yeah, and he might've done some not very good things, but Leatherhead here is not a bad guy! He was just looking for his family!" Mikey smiles happily at the two of them.

"But.. they..." Raph's resolve fades fast under the stare of Mikey's innocent eyes.

Red Fox steps next to Raph and puts a hand over his clenched fist. Raph looks over to her, and she looks wistfully at the pair. Something behind her eyes seems to tell Raph that maybe she's grappling with similar thoughts. Finally, she lets out a sigh and says, "Well, I did want to make sure you at least got to your family after all this, and it looks like that worked out. I think it might be best if you leave town quickly, though.”

Mondo grins and says, "No problem. We don't do too well with the cold. We were going to leave Bedu weeks back, but got separated in the fire. Sorry again for causing trouble.”

Leatherhead grumbles something and bows his head apologetically.

Mondo then hops up onto Leatherhead's back and the two quickly make their leave with Mikey waving happily after them.

Red Fox lets out a tired sigh and says, “I should check around to see if any real damage was done and to calm the townsfolk. You look like you could use a rest, Raph, why don't you hang back here?”

Raph nods. She is right, he is a bit tired, suddenly.

As Red Fox walks off, Raph backs up to the healing house, and slides down its wall to rest. He's looking down at his hands unsure of what to make of the situation. Should he have told Red Fox that the Captain wanted to stop the monster, maybe permanently? But it wasn't a monster, as it turned out. Yeah, it was just a misunderstanding... And looking around the square it seemed like he hadn't even damaged anything or hurt anyone. He was just scary... not evil. But what does that say for others with sharp teeth and claws... Claws that had, at one time... He scrunches his eyes shut, refusing to think about a pink scar on his friend’s face. He shakes his head to clear the images from his mind. As he opens his eyes, something orange enters his vision.

Raph looks up to see Mikey staring at him, almost looking as if he had been in as deep a thought as Raph had. "You did the right thing, you know, letting them go..." Mikey says, finally.

"I guess," says Raph. "Just one thing I don't get though... How did you know he wasn't a bad guy?"

"He seemed more scared than mean. Besides..." Mikey gives him a bright grin, one that looks like it trusts anything, especially what he says next: "Not everything is black and white like that."

Raph ponders this for a moment. For all of the things that Raph has learned about Mikey. All the confusing questions he still had. It's the meaning behind that statement, that Raph was sure he'd be confused about for a long time. It didn't ring true at all to what he'd been taught, and yet, the way Mikey had said it, it was as if it was the truest thing in the world.

Mikey sits next to Raph and pats him on the arm. “I guess today is another cool story that I'll get to tell – one with you and Red Fox again. You guys really are heroic!”

A smile tugs at the side of Raph's mouth and he rubs Mikey's head, “If anyone was the hero today, it was you, little man!”

Mikey laughs sheepishly. “Haha, aww, really?” he asks, but glows with the praise.

“Yeah, really.” Raph gives him a final head pat. “Better make sure to include that in your story.”

<–previous /// next–>

#rottmnt #when the moon meets the morning #rottmntfantasyau #rottmnt fantasy au #rottmnt mikey #rottmnt raph #michelangelo #raphael #red fox #jupiter jim #marcus moncrief #captain james jupiter #leatherhead #mondo gecko #tmnt #jadethest0ne #jadethestone #fanfic #my writing

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sorcierarchy · 4 years

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How to Fix a Spiritual F*ck-Up

We’ve all been there. Initiating contact with a spirit who shouldn’t have been contacted, firing off a poorly timed spell, letting our emotions get the best of us mid-hex… knowing how to fix a spiritual f*ck-up is an important part of witchcraft.

My journey into the occult started out with old grimoires I downloaded from online, trying to decipher the pages and do any working I could get my hands on. I had neither the knowledge nor the background to take on this type of stuff, and it led me down some scary paths. Not only was I messing with magic that was way above my capabilities, I didn’t have even the basics of warding, cleansing, or protection. So, believe me when I say whatever mistake you’ve made, I’ve probably made, too. While there were some harrowing moments, it did have its benefits in that it forced me to learn quickly.

Step #1: Don’t Panic

I vividly remember how scared I felt when I made my first big mistake. Suddenly, I was met with the realization that I had messed with something way bigger than me, on a plane that I had limited access to, and very little knowledge of. I won’t sugar coat the experience. It was terrifying. I still get goose-bumps when I think back on it, and it’s been over a decade. At the time, I thought it was something I could not go back on, something unfixable. Now I know better, and hopefully you can learn a bit from my mistakes.

Know first and foremost that everything can be fixed, and you can fix a spiritual f*ck-up. There is no mortal mistake that doesn’t have a mortal answer. This isn’t to say that all answers will be easy, or that they will all be simple. Far from it, but chances are the mistake you think you made is not as bad as it seems to be.

Take a deep breath, and steady your emotions. Remaining calm and keeping a level head will help you move through the next steps, but also prevent feeding more energy into the situation. The witchcraft catch-22 is that you want to treat the issue seriously, while also not letting it overwhelm you.

Step #2: Identifying a Spiritual F*ck-Up

Before taking any steps, you need to identify what the mistake was, if one has been made. Blindly cleansing and warding can do a limited amount of good, but a targeted fix will always be more effective. If you have a spill in the kitchen, spritzing some perfume around your house won’t help much.

Trace back your steps.

Have you done any workings lately that may have backfired? Can you trace your issues back to one specific spell? Did things start to go sour after an interaction with one specific entity, or person? How did it play out?

The key to fix a spiritual f*ck-up is to get as specific as possible. The more you can flesh out about the situation, the better. Times like these is where having a grimoire comes in handy. If you are the type of witch who fastidiously records all their workings, this step will be easy. If you aren’t, this may be a lesson to you.

Step #3: Banish and Cleanse

Based on what you identified as the root issue, take the appropriate action:

If a spell you performed backfired, perform an undoing. Every spell you do should have a counter-spell of some kind. If the counter is not explicit in the spell, this may be a difficult step. Always include a counter-spell in your workings! This is a crucial part of spellcraft, and one that is often neglected. Some spells are easier than others. Jars and sachets, for example, can be easily destroyed and disposed of.

If your troubles are related to an entity, a banishing is the way to go. This can vary in complexity depending on the type of entity, and I suggest you do your research based on the specific type of entity you are dealing with. A general banishing ritual can work if you’re not sure, and these are generally safe workings to do.

If the problems are linked to a person, they should be dealt with similarly. Stop engaging with them and perform a cord-cutting ritual to remove their influence from your life.

One of my favourite cleanses that will fix many f*ck-ups is a simple basil and olive oil cleanse. Plain old kitchen basil will work just fine for this spell, simply let it infuse in the oil over night. Rub it over your body and pour what is left into a bath and cleanse yourself. This will get rid of any lingering negative energy.

Step #4: Check If It Worked

It’s better to sort this out sooner rather than later. Most of the time when we have to fix a spiritual f*ck-up, it will target a specific area of our life. Finances, for example, or communication. Try to perform a small and simple task in the problem area and see if it is successful. It is better for us to have the issue with a small controlled test than in a serious circumstance.

Example:

I did a working to help improve my communication with others, and it backfired. Now every time I try to talk to someone, we have a misunderstanding. Once I have identified my working as the issue, I perform an undoing. To test it out, I initiate a communication with someone that I’m not particularly invested in. No misunderstandings: we’re good! My undoing worked.

You will find that most of the time, your resolution works. You can move on with your life and do a new working, if you so choose. If your resolution did not work, wait a few days and then give it another try. Sometimes we just need some rest, some time to recoup. If you feel that you’re really dealing with something way out of your abilities, don’t be afraid to reach out to your fellow witches and ask for help.

Step #5: Prevent!

The best solution to fix a spiritual f*ck-up will always be to never let it happen in the first place. Every mistake we make is a learning opportunity, so hopefully this experience helped you gain some insight into the type of forces you are working with, and helps you to exercise more caution in the future. If you’re anything like me, it might take you a few hard lessons to make it sink in. If that’s the case, this guide will be here waiting for when you need it 😛

Images by:

Tonik on Unsplash

Lubomyr Myronyuk on Unsplash

Ricky Turner on Unsplash

Gabe Hobbs on Unsplash

Elijah O’Donnell on Unsplash

#witchblr #witchcraft 101 #baby witch #hearth witch #boon magic

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skvaderarts · 3 years

Text

Hitaeth Chapter 45: Pastimes

Masterlist can be found Here!

Chapter Forty-Five: Pastimes

Note: I rediscovered the Ghost in a Shell theme song Inner Universe last night at 4 am. Words are not enough to describe how it makes me feel. I just needed someone to know that. Enjoy the chapter.

(-~-)

They had long since passed the point of concern and fallen into the territory of worry.

Even equipped with the knowledge that time flowed differently in the underworld than it did in the human realm, and the reality that that was probably where he’d gone, the fact that the eldest Son of Sparda had been gone this long without a word was enough to make them worry. The young summoner has taken an impromptu trip furniture shopping just under a week ago, and today the furniture had been delivered for hell's sake. Where on earth had Vergil disappeared to?

V sat in the living room with Griffon, Shadow, and Flora, the latter of which was indulging in an interesting hobby for someone as young as she was: cross stitching. He’d been surprised to learn that she could do something like that in the first place, to be honest. V had never seen anyone aside from stereotypical older ladies indulge in such a practice, so it was a pleasant change of pace. She had also crocheted a few times as well, and her interests seemed to be split between them. But either way, he was intrigued by her skills.

Much to his fascination, she seemed to be able to do this while reading, using her abilities to turn the pages of the book and even move it a small distance. She’d even used her abilities to help move a few smaller pieces of furniture around the room when V had changed his mind on their placement and the movers had been long gone. It was the sort of ability that he would kill to have. He could only imagine how useful it would be to be able to read while he did random tasks around the house. He would get so much done!

From what he’d been told by her, it was extremely difficult to actually do what she did, and it had taken her years of practice to learn the fundamentals. She was only now going into more advanced studies, the very things she’d been reading up on while indulging in her hobbies. She’d also told him that his family's natural inclination towards things like air stepping, rappid dashing, and teleportation was genuinely fascinating to her since basically no one in her family knew how to do that without set doors to move them from place to place. From what he could tell, she lamented this somewhat, but was still clearly impressed by it. Perhaps it would be best to refrain from telling her that he could teleport. No need to get himself punched.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while now what that scroll did.”

“You consented to have a spell placed over your home without understanding its effects first? Poor form.” She said with a mischievous smile, turning the page in the book and glancing over towards it as she continued her project. “No matter, I should have double-checked with you first. That’s my bad. It’s a general protection ward. Darkness cannot touch anything within the confines of this building. Think of it the way that movies always depict churches functioning. How demons cannot enter them because they are sacrosanct and such.”

He had to admit that was an interesting prospect. He hoped that it would actually work towards keeping demons at bay in the way that she had described. He was perfectly capable at holding his own in a fight with a few average demons, and didn’t have much trouble against some of the bigger ones, but that didn’t mean he wanted to have to fend them off every time that he left the house. They seemed to be attracted to him, and it probably wouldn’t be too difficult for them to just follow him home.

“So what in particular does it protect against? Just demons and the like? Or something else?”

“No, all manner of things. Fires, floods, pestilence. Anything unsightly. You name something run of the mill and it probably guards against it. And only those who you will to enter shall be able to step foot on the premises.” She sat the cross stitch project down and walked around the couch, en route to the kitchen. It was noon, and she would be remiss if she didn’t have a cup of tea.” It should significantly halt the progress of any negative effects placed on you as well. Can I get you anything?”

“One can only hope that the last thing you mentioned applies in this case.” He sighed softly, quietly acknowledging the fact that slowly but surely he did feel a change of some sort. It was hard to place exactly what it was going if anything, but he made a point of not dwelling on it. Anything that could slow the spread was welcome. “Nothing in particular. I’m open to recommendations.”

With a polite shrug and a nod, she headed towards the kitchen, leaving V alone with his thoughts and his familiars for a moment. He glanced over at Griffon, noting that the mouthy bird seemed to be snoozing on top of a pile of books that they had been sorting a short while ago. The pair had needed a break from that task, having spent the better part of the last week working on it. But at least they had reached the last box and he would soon be able to enjoy full shelves and rest his eyes before inevitably ruining them again with more reading. Perhaps another trip to Redgrave city could be in the cards at some point? Better yet, what had become of that flower that he’d brought Magnolia a while back? He had to remind himself to ask her about it. He couldn’t place why, but its omission from consciousness bothered him.

Peering over at the other end of the couch, he noticed that Shadow was awake now, the large panther seemingly just relaxing and enjoying the small amount of light that decorated the room they were in. It was a blissful sort of silence, the large panther clearly content with her current surroundings. He sometimes wondered what went on in her head. She was clearly an intelligent creature, equally as much as Griffon if not more so. She just couldn’t speak to him. And then there was the matter of his third familiar. What had become of Nightmare? It was something he thought about from time to time. Could he get him back? And would he have to endure the same treatment that he had the last time that he’d attempted to gain control over the demon?

He shuddered at the thought. He’d nearly died the first time…

After several minutes of blissful silence, she returned with a tray that held a tea set. She had borrowed it from Magnolia when she’d informed her that she might be staying for a little while and simply couldn’t live without access to the tea. V had welcomed the surprise edition to his basically nonexistent dish collection, even if it was only temporary. He enjoyed most hot drinks given the fact that he was basically always cold. He had no reason to turn down a good cup of tea.

“Do you feel weaker at all? Is there anything noticeably different?” She asked as she put down the tray and sat down on the other end of the couch. She seemed to pick up on the fact that something was off suddenly. A sudden shift in the atmosphere that she couldn’t place but knew originated from him. It wouldn’t hurt to ask. After all, how else was she going to figure that out?

V looked at her quietly for what felt like forever but was actually just a few quiet seconds as he tried to figure out how to put what he felt into words. There was no pain, strangely enough, and there was no notable shift in his energy levels. He couldn’t say that he felt noticeably stronger or weaker. He just felt… different as though something had changed about him and he was searching every atom his body contained to try and figure it out. But regardless of the effort he put into doing that, he wasn’t getting anywhere.

“There is and there isn’t. I can’t say definitively. What I can say is that I hope this situation is taken care of before I am required to find out.” A pause then and then another sigh, as he took a sip of the tea that she had brought him. Whatever this was, it was delicious. “Perhaps it is simply knowing what may be over the horizon that’s the problem. Or it could be the not knowing. After all, how can I hope to know what Belial truly wants from me? I know it isn’t anything I want to have any part in, but aside from that, his mind is truly an enigma to me.”

She leaned over and rested her elbow on her shoulder, peering at him in a studied silence before recoiling slightly and leaning back against the couch. She too took a sip of her drink before placing it back on the shelf. It seemed that she was correct in her assumption that something might not be right, but not in the way that she had originally thought.

“You're having a hard time putting it into words, aren’t you?”

A nod then. Yes, he was having a problem doing that. It was strange to him how something as basic and nebulous as thinking about what the future might hold had such a profound negative effect on him that it genuinely unnerved him. Initially, he had assumed that it might be an effect of the curse, the negative influence of the devil prince weighing on him like a dark storm cloud looming in the distance, but the more he thought about it, the more he wondered if that was truly the case. Was it something more that he just couldn’t put his finger on?

“... Have you ever walked into a vast room filled with familiar objects, perhaps ones you placed their yourself and cross paths with often only to immediately know that something was out of place, but despite searching and searching in every conceivable spot that it could be, you found nothing and were forced to leave but unable to shake the fact that you know something isn’t right? And then you have to continue onward and the feeling starts to grow and grow until you just start to consider that maybe nothing was ever wrong in the first place and it was just you?”

She stared at him, not answering the question, but taking the time to think about what her answer might actually mean in the grand scheme of things. Was “loaded question” the correct term to use for something like that? No, this was much too personal and borderline philosophical for that to be the case. This had more to do with him than it did the effects of the curse. Perhaps the curse was causing him to dwell on things that he shouldn’t but she wondered if that was the actual cause of whatever thoughts had led him to saying something like that.

“When you say that, are you talking about the effect that the devil prince has over you that you can’t identify, or are you talking about yourself?”

For a moment, V just sat there. He was genuinely unsure as to how he could answer that question. He’d just considered that same thing in his own way, but hadn’t realized that it was the question he’d asked himself. Seconds turned into minutes as he just sat there, trying to place the part of his brain that might contain that answer. When nothing came to him, he simply sighed and decided to try his very best to actually put what he thought into words. He doubted that it would make any sense, but it was the only thing he could do at this point.

“Both, I suppose. I have my own personal issues to attend to. There is no denying that… but this situation certainly isn’t helping.”

“Understandable.” She said, taking a final sip of her tea. She then poured another, and began fixing it the way that she liked. “Then let’s do everything we can to get it sorted out. I have a feeling that things are going to work themselves out.”

V wasn’t entirely sure why her words affected him the way that they did, but he believed her. Perhaps it was because that was all that he could do right now. He had to continue to hold it together until his father returned, and then they could pitch the idea they had to him. All he had to do now was wait and keep calm in spite of his situation. From what he understood, it took about six weeks for his father and uncle to return from the underworld the first time, and they thought that they had only been gone for a few days. It was highly possible that Vergil simply hadn’t noticed the passage of time like they had. He would just continue to wait and see what happened.

The young summoner knew that he probably wouldn’t say as much, but he was glad that Flora was here to keep him company. He’d probably go crazy if he was forced to sit inside for his safety all day with just his familiars to keep him company. He adored them, but there was some merit to having a companion around, at least once in a while. In moderation, well, it was fine. But frequently? He’d literally move house before he’d accept the presence of constant, uninvited company.

But just as that thought entered his mind, a cold chill crawled up his spine. He had a strange feeling that something was wrong, and this time, it wasn’t anything having to do with him. Something was coming. He could just feel it.

(-~-)

“Honestly Dante, I’m never going to understand why you even try to play poker with me. You already know what’s going to happen.”

Cards hit the worn surface of the fold-out card table as Patty reached across the space between them and slid the black and red pieces towards her, shaking her head as she did so. Dante had never once succeeded in beating her, and it was mind-boggling to her that he still tried. At first, she had assumed that he had been allowing her to beat him as a young child, but as the years passed, she realized that he genuinely just sucked at any form of gambling.”

“You know, Patty, I was just thinking the same thing,” Trish said with a nonchalant shrug as she took another bite of the pizza that sat on the owner of the devil hunting establishment’s desk in the middle of the room. They had brought over a few after finishing up a job for Morrison. It was probably best to come over and pay their longtime friend a visit and distract Dante for a few minutes, at least from what Nero had told them when they had called to see how he was doing.

According to the youngest of the Sparda descendant quartet, Dante was only barely hiding the fact that he was actually starting to wonder where Vergil had gone off to and what he had managed to get himself mixed up with this time. How was he supposed to rest easy knowing that he could literally be anywhere doing anything? Vergil was capable and had certainly been through worse, but his previous track record with his brother proved that he wasn’t as indestructible as either of them would like to believe. And the fact that he had left angry hadn’t helped, either.

“Look Vergil… just come back already. You’ve gotta stop doing this to me. I’m getting too old to be worrying about you like this. And you’ve got kids. And grandkids. They all need you back here. Just… ”

Dante thought to himself quietly, wondering if anyone noticed his intermittent silence. He smirked, shaking his head playfully as Patty stole all the chips yet again, only half paying attention to the game in the first place. He saw what his friends were trying to do, and he certainly did appreciate it, but he couldn’t help but worry over his twin. They had made quite a bit of progress in the short time that they had been back. Well, it was a short time in comparison to the lifetime that they had spent apart, but either way, not very long. It seemed unlike him these days to just leave and not say anything at all.

… Now he knew how Nero must have felt when he did that very same thing to him and left for six weeks to take a scenic tour of the underworld with Vergil. In retrospect, that had been a massive dick move, leaving him at the top of the Qliphoth to clean up the mess and wonder for the rest of his life if they would ever return. He hadn’t meant to do that to him, but it didn’t change the fact that that was actually what he’d done. Once Vergil returned and they all met up again, he would have to say as much. And he would return. Somewhere deep down, he just knew it. In one form or another, he always did. But for now, he would allow him to enjoy his peace and quiet with his family. He probably needed them now more than ever.

“I wonder how that brother of yours would do in a game against me? Do you think he’d win?” Patty said, making a funny face at Dante, clearly trying to snap him out of the slump he was in. He could only hide it so well, and in that moment that he had allowed his mind to wander, he had returned to a dark place that he didn’t like to visit. One that reminded him of when he had first met the lovely young blond girl.

“Absolutely not.” He said, noticing for a moment that his older twin would have probably said the very same should he have been there. He absolutely hated to lose, and despite the fact that he was certain that he had no idea how to play, he knew that he was pretty enough to learn just for this occasion. Or would that be driven? A mixture of both, then.

“Now that is something I would pay to see,” Lady announced from the other side of the room, laughing to herself as she stopped leaning on the desk and headed over towards the couch. Lucia shook her head and retracted her legs to provide her with room to sit. Dante had a comfortable couch, and she had made herself comfortable on it. Watching Dante play games with his young blond friend brought a happy smile to her face. She could tell that there was quite a bit of history between him and everyone in this room. It was good to know that he had so many friends that cared about him.

Even though I am not one for bets, especially coin tosses'' She shot Dante a fake grumpy glare, barely hiding the blush that formed on her face as he scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. “I wouldn’t mind taking that one.”

Both Lady and Trish shared a slightly wide-eyed glance between one another before looking at Lucia and then Dante. The three women then locked eyes and held their gazes for a moment before Lady shook her head and Trish just closed her eyes and laughed a bit to herself. Dante stared at all three of them in confusion, not noticing the mouth agape stare that was plastered across Patty’s face. But to be fair, that wasn’t the only thing he didn’t notice.

Across the office, the distant sound of a low, barely audible sound became noticeable, stopping every few moments before continuing, barely louder each consecutive time. The door was locked due to the fact that they were closed for the time being, so it could literally have been anything from a stray cat to a random member of the public who had wandered in off of the street. But after a moment, each set of eyes in the building started to drift towards the door. They all seemed to feel the strange pull that drew their collective attention towards it.

It was a sort of nebulous empty feeling that lined the bottom of their stomachs and made them strangely uneasy. It grew with every passing second until Dante stood up and the rest of them slowly inched towards their weapons, silently preparing for… something. Lucia grabbed Patty and gently pulled her to the side, tucking her between the couch and the stairs as far as she could from the door, and both of the other girls retrieved their larger weapons.

Lady checked the chamber on her newly upgraded rocket launcher that she had finally retrieved from Dante, and Trish opted to fish a random blade out of the storage closet across the hallway through the back door that faced Vergil’s room. For a moment she thought it was Alastor, but she couldn’t be sure. Her mind was elsewhere. Whatever Devil Arm it was, it would work for now. And if it didn’t, then her lightning and guns would have to do the trick.

Moment’s later, there was a feeble knock at the door. It was louder this time than it had been, or that could have just been the lack of sound in the room now. Even the Jukebox had switched off, hitting its last track. An uncomfortable hushed silence fell over the room. Then, a loud slam and a thump followed by silence. And before any of them could move, something caught their eye. A thick, red substance pooled under the door.

(-~-)

Gah! Sorry, this chapter is SEVERAL hours late. I overslept again. Until like 9 pm. And hadn't finished it. What even is my life lol. This is what running a Minecraft server has done to me lol. Anyone looking to join lol?! Either way, see you in the comment section! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and see you next Wednesday!

#Hiraeth #V #My Post Devil May Cry 5 AU #Dante #Lady #Patty #Lucia #Trish #MY OCs #Devil May Cry 5 #Devil May Cry V #Devil May Cry #DMC

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eos-teric · 4 years

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Farewell, Malocchio!

or An easy guide on how to break the most common hexes and curses

Of course there’s already at least one post like this on tumblr, but I decided to write mine anyway. Today I’ll teach you how to find out if someone put an evil eye (Malocchio in Italian) on you and how to ward it off as granma did: I was born in Sicily, the island of superstitions.

👁️‍🗨️ Where does Malocchio comes from?

First of all, let's understand what we’re talking about.

In the southern Italian and Mediterranean tradition, eyes have great value, meaning and power. Through the mirror of the soul, one's emotions and desires – even those hidden from ourselves – are directed. A single glance is capable of transmitting as much love as bad luck. When someone feels strong negative emotions towards you, they tend to ‘put their malevolent eye' on you. They’ll look at you ‘sideways’, mulling over what you make them feel – be it envy, resentment, jealousy, anger. The main ingredient of any hex/curse is a feeling. Briefly, Malocchio is considered by many as an evil spirit that haunts you by someone's will.

There’s the old belief that it is mainly women who put the evil eye on people. Those aware of this ability, but also those skilled in removing curses, are generally referred to as mavàre (mavara is singular, a synonym for hag, jinx), a word that nevertheless always has a negative meaning. Due to religious and cultural factors mostly related to the Middle Ages that you can well imagine, these practices are often linked to witchcraft, which is as rooted in southern Italy as it is frowned upon. People avoid but respect mavare, so as not to become their target. Over time, the practice of removing Malocchio has been justified precisely with religion: removing the evil eye means invoking god and angels to protect you from evil, and the sign of the cross was introduced into the procedure.

Honestly, I consider myself a mavaro (masculine singular). I think it’s a very significant and powerful word that binds me in a particular way to the land that gave me life but also rejected me. We could say that magic[k] associated with curses runs in my blood as a curse itself. This is why I always wear a black tourmaline: it’s excellent for shielding external energies as well as internal ones.

👁️ How do I find out if I currently have Malocchio?

It’s easy and you can do it yourself with few things you surely have in your kitchen: • a white bowl – I recommend a dish, because it doesn't have to contain much water and you need to observe the shadows on the bottom which should be flat • water • oil • salt – of any tipe except the black one; I prepare some solar salt by combining fine salt with cinnamon and chopped rosemary, letting it charge under the Sun for at least an hour • a pair of scissors

As always, before working with energies, open a circle and do whatever normally precedes a ritual or spell in your practice. If it includes a prayer, say it and call upon the deities/entities you are devoted to.

Now pour some water into the bowl – it doesn't have to be a lot, but it doesn't have to be too little – and stay focused on your personal energy field. If you’re able to direct your energy with your projective hand, transmit it to the water without touching it.

The next step is to pour three small amounts of oil into the bowl in different spots, as if marking the vertices of a triangle, and listen carefully in the meantime: if it drips loudly, it means someone is saying bad things about you behind your back, which gives you confirmation that bad energies revolves around you. Most of the time it’s because of gossip: bad rumors are known as Male-lingue (literally meaning bad tongues).

Wait at least a minute and observe how the oil behaves on the surface: it’s time to scry! Do they move or stand still? More spots come together? Wait ‘till it stabilizes. Ignore the lonely little drops and focus on larger aggregates. Watch the shadows on the bottom of the bowl. Do you see any ring? Rings represent eyes, the bigger the more wicked! If you notice oil stains surrounded by smaller bubbles that don't join, that Malocchio was unintentional, even if ‘caused by Malelingue.

🧿 How do I remove Malocchio?

Take the scissors. If you’re a Christian or if you believe in the fact that the cross, as a symbol, has the power of purification, open the scissor and use one of its blades to trace a cross three times on the surface of water, taking the opportunity to cut the oil stains. Meanwhile, you can recite a prayer or a purifying chant, even something as simple as «Evil slips on me, I am purified». You know that what matters is intent! This part is optional.

Instead, it’s important that you use scissors to cut the oil formations, reducing them into many small bubbles. What is small dissolves easily.

Now take a pinch of salt and sprinkle it over the oil. Do this three times.

Finished! It’s really that simple. Make sure you get rid of the contents of the bowl as soon as possible. An advice? Throw it down the toilet, flush the water and you're done! Don't forget to cleanse the bowl and the spaces where the negativity that haunted you could have settled.

You may proceed by invoking protection or performing a protective ritual.

#my post #Eos #my spells etc #cleansing #rituals #divination #scrying #hexes #curses #witchblr #personal #black tourmaline #malocchio #my lessons

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hadit93 · 4 years

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The Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram In Theory.

I recommend you read my previous commentary on the Qabalistic Cross prior to reading this post. I will not really be covering the Qabalistic Cross in this post as I have done it previously. Instead I will be focusing on the symbol of the pentagram, the formulation of pentagrams, the God-names, and Archangels.

This post is very long, get comfy and get a cup of tea. Any questions, ask away. This is by no means comprehensive, but it is comprehensive enough to get into practice.

This post can also be viewed in a better format over on my other blog here.

The Pentagram as a Symbol.

The Pentagram is one of the oldest symbols which humans have been using in a spiritual context. It’s form has been applied to countless symbol sets throughout history. What many people may not know is that the pentagram was first seen in nature as it is the shape which the orbital path of the planet Venus forms. Another interesting piece of information is that a perfectly formed pentagram contains the golden ratio within it. The Golden ratio of course is found in many natural features of creation and expresses a blueprint for divine creation.

The Pentagram in the LRP.

The Pentagram as used in the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram is not elemental. There is no invocation or evocation of any specific element. Instead, it is a generic pentagram. It is used to ward sacred space as well as repel/reintegrate force and invoke general force. It is a ritual which elevates the space to a more macro cosmic level. It is essentially an invocation of Tiphareth when used on a daily basis.

For our purposes you can think of the Pentagram as symbolic of the microcosm- the world of elements. It symbolises spirit ruling the elements which comprise matter as well as the forces within ourselves and our magical environments. It is also a good symbol for protection generally due to the five pointed star being a symbol of the 5th sephirah, Geburah, it can thus be thought of in one sense as a martial symbol. Every time you trace the pentagram you are asserting your authority over the microcosm and all sub-lunar forces.

The pentagram used within the LRP is drawn in the same manner as the elemental pentagram of Earth, but there are key features missing from it. The colours of the element, the symbol, the invocation of spirit first, and the pertinent God-names. Even though you are using the pentagram of Earth’s form, it is not an Earth pentagram. This has caused some confusion amongst modern writers on the subject.

The ritual effects the lower astral and plane of Assiah. It is thus a good ritual for clearing out negative energy of a lower level. It clears out the debris and infuses the light of Tiphareth into the sphere of the magician and their working area. Think of it as taking a daily bath, in its most simple sense it is a hygienic ritual.

When you trace each pentagram in the quarters you are affirming to the elementals in those corners, as well as all lower beings, that you are the authority in this space. You have invoked divine energy with the qabalistic cross, you trace the pentagram establishing a symbol of spiritual authority in each quarter which negative beings fear due to the psychic force behind the symbol.

You charge each pentagram with a God-name. These God names lend you the authority of the Abrahamic God and they are also formulae which lead to changes within yourself as well. More on these later. You then trace a circle around your space- ideally with the altar in the centre, however, at the Eastern side will do- and then you have a sealed space. You then invoke the Archangels of the Elements as guardians. As you can see, there is more invocation involved in this ritual than banishing.

The God Names.

The God names we use are the following: YHVH, Adonai, Ehieh, AGLA. You will note there are various different traditions in pronouncing these names. Some are as complex as involving musical notes which resonate with individual Hebrew letters. I am not going to go into that, I think it is too much for a beginner to need concern themselves with.

I will mention I prefer to pronounce YHVH as each individual letter- Yod, Heh, Vav, Heh. My reasoning for this is that YHVH is a formula which expresses the four elements as well as the entire universe, which is God. It is also the ineffable name- nobody knows how it was pronounced and there was fear in pronouncing it. Intoning each letter allows the magical essence of the name to be tapped into without worrying about proper enunciation.

The next two are fairly straightforward, however, a word has to be said about AGLA. AGLA is a notariqon for the phrase “Attah Gibor, Le-Olahm, Amen.” This phrase translates roughly to Thou art mighty forever Lord, Amen.” Now there are two traditions, some simply vibrate AGLA, others vibrate the full phrase. I have used both, both work. AGLA as a historical use as a word of power. I prefer to use the full phrase personally, this is due to the sources I used to learn the ritual as well as because I have found it finishes of the sequence nicely with a seemingly harmonic resonance.

These God-names are not in their correct elemental associations because as I keep stating: The Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram is not Elemental- in the sense of banishing and invoking individual elements. I believe the God names are potent invocations of force, but also their sequence is a form of invocation and prayer of certain states of consciousness within the magician.

YHVH can be thought of as an expression of the perfected universe in its complete form. It can be thought of as an expression of the magician’s goal. Adonai means Lord. AHIH means “I am that I am”, and AGLA is explained above.

You are thus proclaiming “Perfected being, Lord, I am that I am, Thou art Forever mighty, Lord.” It is thus an invocation of the ultimate God-head and when properly directed by the magician it can turn the ritual into much more than a mere banishing ritual. It is an invocation of the God, the personal deity- the Holy Guardian Angel.

You will notice in my rendition of the ritual I do not use the sign of the Enterer and the sign of silence. This is because the original Golden Dawn instructions do not mention these signs. I don’t like the effect of the signs, I think it is a more aggressive form of the ritual. Whilst it would have use in a proper banishing, for the daily general use of the ritual it is in my opinion overkill. You would also have to have a good amount of space to perform the sign of the Enterer properly. The original instructions state to vibrate the name whilst pointing the implement in the centre of the pentagram, this is what I also recommend.

The pentagram should be seen to be inflamed by the God-name and as expanding forever Eastwards (or whatever direction you are facing). It is not simply at the edge of your area necessarily, but forever in front of you in infinity. The conception is that you are drawing this figure on the astral and expanding and sending it off forever into the distance, however, it remains in front of you at the same time. It is a hard thing to explain and will likely show itself in practice. I personally see the pentagrams move out and expand to the edge of my space physically whilst also visualising them travelling forever forwards.

The Archangels.

The Archangels within this ritual are elemental, but they are also directional. They are the traditional four archangels which are closely associated with Earth and humanity. There is one that is seemingly out of place, Uriel. When you look at the Angels of the sephirah you find Raphael in Tiphareth (East), Michael in Netzach (South), Gabriel in Yesod (West) and Haniel in Hod (North). Uriel is more traditionally associated with the other three and he is thus inserted.

This elemental order of the angels reflects Levi’s work, however, it does not reflect earlier classifications of the Angels such as those posited by Agrippa. The truth is it doesn’t matter. These archangels are not fixed, they are far bigger than these elemental associations, they are called as a unit of four- they are called to provide elemental balance and control. You will find systems differ throughout history, ultimately you have to decide which system you wish to work with. They are called as guardians- the spirits behave when the Archangels are around, or they are obliterated.

I offered my descriptions of the angels, these differ depending on the group and the tradition. Again, this doesn’t matter. When you are visualising you are creating an astral form for the force (Archangel) to inhabit. So long as that visualisation is consistent with the force which you wish to invoke you should not run into any problems. However, if you belong to a tradition and their descriptions differ to mine, you should use theirs. Mine are simplified, relate directly to the elements and the elemental tools as described in my tradition (and most of the Western Mystery Traditions, though not all).

I have found their role is to create a harmonious environment, they ensure everything within the circle, including the magician, are in perfect harmony. I have found that in banishing rituals they take stagnant energy and reintegrate it into the circle and the magician in a balanced and useful way. In invocation I have found they offer balanced force which nicely complements the influence of Tiphareth from above.

The four archangels create balance in the microcosmic plane. This balance is the nature of Tiphareth. Therefore this is an invocation or perhaps an elevation to the level of Tiphareth and an invocation of the Holy Guardian Angel. This is why this simple ritual is suggested to be used daily. It is not because you need to banish daily, it is because you are invoking the Angel daily. As you practice this ritual you will unlock its many uses. It is a versatile ritual and it has many mysteries.

At the end I mentioned you should visualise a hexagram in the chest and golden hexagram above and below. This comes from a few notes Crowley wrote on the ritual. I do this because this ritual is an invocation of Tiphareth and eventually these hexagrams will not need to be visualised, you will find the light of the Angel is already suitably invoked.

You are thus encapsulated in a circle which extends into infinity with you always in the centre with the elements perfectly balanced, you in an authoritative position, and the light of angel invoked into the space as well as into your sphere of sensation.

You have invoked energy, grounded, created sacred space, and invoked the angel. This ritual is massive, yet it is compacted into a small set of instructions.

A Note on Intention.

Within this ritual intention is key. How you practice the ritual in a daily manner versus how you practice it to open a sacred space will differ in intention and thus effects. These should be noted in your magical journal. I want to state from the beginning the intent is not to banish all entities from existence. It is not to shut yourself off from the spiritual world. Have this intention and use this ritual and you may somewhat accomplish this. The intention is to clear out negativity- it is to banish lower astral forms which are not truly beings at all. This ritual works on the lower astral levels, it clears the etheric body as well as lower beings which have no life of their own and absorb the vitality of the magician.

This ritual can certainly be adapted and used as a more specific banishing ritual which can banish many different beings. But this is not the goal for the budding magician. You want to make spirit allies, not automatically assume every spirit is an enemy. The Archangels offer enough protection, as do the God names. You don’t need to worry about what beings may be lingering after the ritual. If they don’t help, they won’t have chance to hinder you.

Your visualisations are controlled by intention, you can project the pentagrams as far as you need, you can visualise the circle at any point you wish- you can see it emit and travel forwards. The astral is receptive to the creative powers of the imagination. So if you are in a small space and your altar is on the edge of the wall and you can’t circumambulate around the centre, you can visualise the pentagram and circle travelling beyond the altar so that the altar is contained within the visualised circle. It is not confined by your physical movements.

As daily practice I recommend intending the ritual to have a hygienic effect, a balancing effect, and as an invocation of the HGA. This will allow for many benefits from daily practice.

I only covered the Banishing form, I believe beginners should solely practice this form for at least three months. The invoking ritual is exactly the same except you draw the pentagram differently- you visualise the same colour but you draw it in the same form as the invoking pentagram of Earth. I recommend this because the LBRP allows for many years of psychic baggage to be cleared from your etheric body. It means you are cleansing your channels and you are also clearing your space of any lower astral entities. It also means that you can get rid of such things.

The invoking form also has a cleansing effect, however, it also opens you up to higher realms. It opens the psychic senses and makes you receptive. It also makes you noticeable on the astral. You can run into trouble if you don’t know how to close these channels (Which the LBRP can do) and get rid of such entities.

If I was to choose one to practice daily for maximum benefit I would pick the invoking form. It will allow you to progress the most, it will open you up to spiritual impressions, you will evolve spiritually. This being said banishing is sometimes needed. If you feel stressed out, you have emotions, anger. Anything intense within you- too much energy essentially-invoking can make things worse. It would be wiser to do a banishing to cleanse your etheric body.

Banishing is important, cleanliness is important. However, you can do too much of either. In an ideal world you would invoke in the morning and banish at night. Sometimes that may be impossible, but I would simply recommend once you are comfortable with the LBRP, you move on to the LIRP and experiment and see what works best for you.

I think I have covered enough for now, any questions please ask. I will cover how to use these rituals in a larger working in due course, however, for now establishing a daily practice is our goal.