#cunning woman

[missanthropicprinciple]

1930s style witch who lives down the block.

[hecatesdelights]

[ariannas-apothacary]

Creating some banishing spray.

[spitinsideme]

the true gay experience is being threatened by women and agreeing with whatever she says because shes pretty

(au belongs to @nyankolovesbox !!! go check it out its great)

[cheecats]

Last thing you see after hurting one of her awful little brats that 100% deserved it

[zarnzarn]

part three of the reverse odyssey au! polites' pov this time, cause I thought a constantly changing motive explanation would be fun

1/2/3/?

||

Later, they find that it is the prayer of a terrified Elepnor clinging to the mast that saved them.

He'd called out in fear in the prayer he'd heard the most, growing from a boy of ten to a youth of twenty in the Trojan War, under Odysseus and his quick, odd prayers to his patron goddess- and half-surprised, half out of reflex, Polites had thought later by the look on the goddesses' own face-

Athena had answered.

She'd guided their ship to shore through the storm, somehow, and then stood at the wheel, taller than anyone Polites had ever seen, straight-backed and proud. Staring at them all as they slowly got to their feet, bowing and muttering prayers under their breath as they prostrated, more than half of them trembling in fear.

They'd all known their captain was blessed by the Goddess of Wisdom, in a way that was more than a mere touch or grey eyes. All known the way he'd sometimes stop talking and stare into the distance, and bark out orders for a convoluted, twisted, wonderful plan after.

Polites had known it was something more the day his friend had stumbled out of the forest all those years ago, silent as an owl and grin sharper than it used to be. Eyes no longer Hermes' kaleidoscope-amber ones that hurt to look at, but a gleaming silver that struck you still where you stood to listen.

But this was still more terrifying than any battle they'd ever faced.

(He saw so much of Odysseus in her, even standing still, that it hurt.

They had been so close.)

"Owl Lady!" Telemachus cheers, and runs out from behind his mother's skirts to the Goddess of War. Penelope makes an aborted movement towards him, dredging up some mortification beyond the haunted expression on her face (if only they'd had one moment more, to grab each other's hands even a little, if she'd just grabbed at him tightly, if they hadn't forgotten to get rid of that accused windbag-) at the way Telemachus runs to Athena with even less fear than his father had, grinning wide up at her as he hugs her shins in greeting.

"Telemachus," She says, bemused and fond. Her voice is... familiar, actually. Polites can't place it for a second, until Penelope makes an odd choking sound next to him and memory assaults- of Odysseus running around shouting with joy after his son's birth, proudly showing him off to everyone around as if he looked anything more than a raisin, Penelope tiredly laughing as she lay against the pillows. Of him suddenly pausing and turning to the strange cloaked woman in the corner and dragging her out into the light to gently hand her his son.

"Odysseus," she'd hissed, sounding panicked, yet he'd just laughed and shifted her hands to support Telemachus' head. Polites and Penelope had frowned at each other, confused, but Odysseus had only teased the woman about a newborn baby being the thing to scare her and offered them no explanations, and what the fuck, that had been Athena.

Penelope's eye twitches a little bit, some of the heartbreak clearing up in her face in favour of a strong wish for strangulation. Polites empathized. What was wrong with Odysseus.

She stares at them now, expectant, and Polites realises what she's waiting for the same moment her lips curl into a sneer of rage. Shit, right, she and Odysseus had had some sort of falling out after the cyclops-

"So," She says, dangerously low. "Does the King of Ithaca think himself more powerful than the Goddess of Wisdom, that he spurns my presence in such a way? Or-"

"He's been taken by Poseidon."

Polites doesn't know the words come from him until Athena swivels her head around to face him.

Oh fuck.

He takes a shuddering breath as he pushes himself to his feet. Glances out to the side and feels his heart drop at the unfamiliar waters, so far away from-

He turns back to Athena and gathers his courage. "Poseidon appeared before us, one year ago. Demanded reparations for the hurt we dealt to the cyclops, his son."

"So then why target-" Athena cuts herself off, teeth gnashing. Her hair starts rising, even though there's no breeze, feathers appearing across her visible skin. "I had rescinded my blessings from him! For this very reason, so Poseidon wouldn't-"

She stops talking with a hiss, pinching the bridge of her nose in barely contained fury. Polites' breath catches. She'd taken her blessings back- to protect Odysseus, of course, her feud with Poseidon was well-known to everyone and anyone, so the ocean god wouldn't take it out on her favoured.

Did Odysseus know that, Polites wants to ask her, remembering the absolute mourning devastation on his friend's face for that one day before it all went to shit, but knows it won't help anyone.

He swallows and continues. This part is going to anger her beyond anything, he knows. "Poseidon cursed him into a creature of the sea," He says cautiously, watching strange colors dance across her armour in her growing anger, looking less and less like a woman as he spoke, eyes glowing fire-hot. "His legs melted and turned into the tail of a fish, and he no longer could breathe above land, so we had to put him in the sea. And-"

His throat closes up, and the sailors around wince back, gathering Telemachus and pulling each other away from the wheel, knowing what's about to come.

"And?" Athena says, deceptively calm, as she watches them stumble away from her.

Polites gulps and feels tears run down his face as he says it. "And he ripped out his tongue."

Athena screams.

||

After they've all wiped the blood from their ears and eyes and huddled down in the belly of the ship, holding onto each other until they've stopped trembling-

They're going to write songs about that scream, Polites thinks vaguely, staring up at the wood. His hands still are shaking. The rage of Athena will be recorded for the ages, in songs and poems and books.

Still, he can't bring up any secret resentment against her for nearly killing them- he felt the same, that first day, when he'd found the bloody tongue on the deck and had vomited over the side of the ship, sobbing.

Odysseus, his silver-tongued friend, wisest of the Greeks, able to talk his way out of anything, tongueless. An unimaginable cruelty, especially to the favourite of Athena.

Although, that was probably why, wasn't it.

They all stiffen as the door creaks and Athena ducks to walk inside. Someone whimpers. Polites doesn't blame him.

She looks at them with Odysseus' eyes, staring around at them once more with a blank expression.

"The continuation of this quest will ruin your kingdom," She says simply, and Polites barely holds back five different protests that will get them all killed.

Penelope stands up, walking to the front. "I will not abandon my husband." She raises her chin, meeting the Goddesses' gaze without fear. "Not ever."

Athena rolls her eyes. Eurylochus chokes, and Polites has to hold back some hysterical mix of a laugh and bursting into tears. Gods, she acts just like him.

"I did not expect you to," She says dryly. "But it will take years, and you can't expect Ithaca to finance your search for that long without a ruler."

Penelope's expression wavers, voice cracking to a whisper. "Years?"

Athena looks remorseful at least when she nods. "Years," She says kindly. Someone puts their head into their hands, but Polites can't tell who, because his vision is blurring out with tears. "He has been blown to the far eastern shores, where the sands stretch over a land a thousand times the size of Sparta. It will take a year alone for him to make it back to the ocean, and Poseidon will fight to keep him away from you all. And by then-"

She closes her eyes and purses her lips, swaying back like someone has dealt her a physical blow. "By then," she continues, steeling herself back to untouchable Goddess. "He will have been of the wild waters for so long that he will be little more than an animal. You will have to catch him, with nets and boats and ropes- and then find a way to bring him back to normal."

They are silent for a while.

"So be it," Eurylochus says, standing up and placing a hand on Penelope's shoulder. He nods to the Goddess, even though he's close enough that Polites can feel him shaking to do it. "What would you counsel us to do for Ithaca in the meantime, Goddess?"

"Ctimene has an equal claim to the throne, as does Penelope," Athena muses. Polites starts and feels the men murmur. Still, who would argue with-

"How will Ctimene rule, though?" Someone pipes up. Nevermind, then. Clearly, Odysseus took everyone's common sense with him when he was rolled off the side of the ship.

Eurylochus snorts before Athena can answer, turning around with a wry smile. "Odysseus may have won us the Trojan War," he tells the lackwitted man. "But never has he once won a single fucking fight with his sister in all the time I've known them. She is a terrifying woman."

Polites feels a laugh slip from him before he can stop it. "She's your wife."

Eurylochus nods grimly. "And I am scared."

"She is rather... shrill." Athena agrees, mouth curling in distaste. "Still, she and you can rule when Penelope is on the waters and the kingdom will not suffer for it. But you cannot both abandon Ithaca to possible invaders."

Penelope sobs and quickly tries to muffle it with a hand, screwing her eyes closed. Polites puts his hand on hers, trying to be reassuring even though his own chest aches. Years.

They will do it, he knows. But still.

"You will find food to eat on these shores," Athena says, turning around. "Ithaca is twelve days west from here."

"Where are you going?" Telemachus pipes up.

A smile props up on Athena's face, small and lacking joy. Cunning and cruel. She still feels so much like Odysseus. "I was dealt a great insult," She tells the child. "And I must return my reply to it."

When they set out the next morning, all the fish in the waters are floating at the surface, dead.

[enter-the-phantom]

What she says: “I’m okay”

What she means: “Nebulossa’s ‘Zorra’ is easily one of the most beautiful and heartbreakingly powerful songs ever to come out of Eurovision and possibly one of the greatest and most timely feminist anthems ever written. The juxtaposition between Mery’s soft and stately voice giving life to her pain and the faceless male voices screaming slurs at her throughout the song is haunting. Her voice rising over the chants on the line ‘…soy una Zorra de postal/I’m a picture-perfect bitch’ is cathartically tear-jerking, and the subtle switch from angry male voices to proud female ones near the end is pure poetry. In this essay I will—“

[sunburstsandmoonshadows]

Rashawn is such an emotional powerhouse. Viola's soft, sincere "That's not fair." and "I don't like that, Mama, I don't like that at all..." during their fight as she cried real tears nearly tore me to shreds. My god. I'm tearing up just typing this.

[eerna]

Mizu is. she is so. I. yknow

[mahi-does-some-art]

Mahiru Shirota's life is going to fall apart as soon as we get any, any new information about his mother.

With chapter 136, Lily reveals to Misono that Touma Taishi is Mahiru Shirota's biological father and it was the reason why Lily had planted Kuro in that alleyway to pick up. I am inclined to believe him because it adds up in the story as a whole; Why Kuro was there in the first place since we know he had been asleep under Alicein manor for the last 200 years.

Along with the fact that Hokaze (Misono's mom) was finally revealed to be a promiscuous woman who was a very active participant in the cheating scandal, I cannot believe that Akira was in no way involved in this plot to resurrect the Count Saint Germaine. Akira may not be on the side that wants to bring him back but she was a part of it no less, we just do not know how yet. (I am figuratively biting my nails waiting to see the ball drop for her)

She was very aware of vampires, magic and mages, this is a fact not because we know that she herself is a mage, we do not know that much, but because of Tooru. He attended the same high school/prep school that Misono does that has direct ties to C3 recruitment and we know he's been involved with Touma since his days there and they fought/killed vampires since then. Along with the Shirota family no doubt being a mage family, Akira was not at all oblivious to this.

I do not, however, think that her sleeping with Touma and creating Mahiru was any plot nudged by any Servamp or like. Why?

Because Lily had genuinely believed that Touma would come to Mahiru's aid in a life-or-death situation that would have otherwise killed him, and was rather shocked when Touma tried to kill him on his own. At least according to what he told Misono. (I believe most of what he's telling Misono except that he doesn't actually care about Misono. I think he's trying to made Misono mad at him beyond reconciliation for Reasons because he's a fucking coward who, if loved properly, won't be able to go through with his and Mikuni's plans)

Anyways, the reason I say Mahiru's entire world will fall apart instead of his views of his mother is because of one specific instance in the manga; Tooru thanking Mahiru for saving Touma. Not for saving Tsurugi like Mahiru probably thinks he was saying, Touma. Because Lily's plan included Touma dying because he was so close to figuring out how they were going to revive the Count.

If Touma HAD died, the good guys wouldn't know what would be happening. Tsubaki, Envy pair and Lily would have been completely clear to start the ritual while completely blindsiding everyone opposed ON TOP of starting the ritual a day early. They'd have been a lot less prepared than they are right now. Touma was a huge danger to the ritual's success.

Tooru knows this. He knows whats happening. Yes, he's also just relieved his childhood friend and coworker isn't dead thanks to his nephew but that isn't the only reason.

Why would Tooru leave Mahiru alone with Tsubaki in the restaurant they went to? Why would Tooru pretend Kuro was a burglar when he saw him chilling in the apartment and then so quickly drop the fact that there supposedly was a burglar in the house, all when we know he must have known who Kuro was the moment he saw him. Even if this was early manga and we did not yet know he was an elite of C3!

Mahiru's entire world is going to fall apart not only because he'll learn his mother is not the woman he thought she was, but because he'll learn he's been betrayed by his uncle in a way far greater than him leaving him alone and lonely for months at a time.

Tooru knows. And has made sure Mahiru didn't under the naive guise of protecting him.

[fiapple]

i'm getting towards the end of the skypeia arc, & i'd like to say just how much i adore the way the female strawhats have been treated.

just... every aspect of how the way their characters have been previously contextualized influences the story-line is treated with a masterful amount of consideration. we're given so many layers to both of them that enrich not only their characters specifically, but the arc, and the one piece world as a whole. without nami & robin having their specific skills, and their specific values, without those being built upon, the story would have come to a halt.

you could not have skypeia without nami & robin being who they are as individuals. not just because they never would've gotten there without nami, but also because the way these women think is itself foundational to the machinations of the arc as a whole.

to be totally upfront, if you think any other strawhats were more central to the skypeia arc than nami & robin were you are full-on fucking lying to yourself.

[missanthropicprinciple]

Totally cool if you don't have time, but I'm an aspiring witch looking to learn more. Do you have any articles/books/posts you'd recommend? I want to make sure I don't accidentally appropriate.

My pleasure. Thank you for asking! Knowing your family history can be helpful to connect with skills you have in common from beloved relatives and ancestors. Whether or not you have a good relationship with family, it's a good idea to have an idea of the cultures of your family. For example, I'm inspired by my English, Scottish, and German heritage and the history of witchcraft and practitioners in each country. If you have access to Jstor, check out some witch-related articles to give you a sense of how perceptions of witchcraft have changed over time. Here are some great resources to start with.

Hedge Witch by Rae Beth - currently available on archive.org but also on several used book sites like Abe. It's a nice gentle read that could get you inspired. It's not intense but calming and magical.

A History of Witchcraft in England from 1558 to 1718 by Wallace Notestein - an amazing resource if you'd like to study up on a really comprehensive history of witchcraft in England. It's on archive.org.

Cunning Folk And Familiar Spirits: Shamanistic Visionary Traditions In Early Modern British Witchcraft And Magic by Emma Wilby - Really awesome resource here for free.

Lindsay Squire's book series on practical witchcraft is lovely.

The Complete Book of Herbs by LesleyBremness - available on archive.org and Abe Books.

Cunning Folk magazine is great - lots of diverse voices

Stuff to avoid:

Wicca from the perspective of the "founder" Gerald Gardner, as he was a terrible homophobe among other things. Wicca can be cool but not this guy.

People selling you anything that's not something physical like a spell or curse, or if someone is trying to sell you a magical cure without some kind of license or without full disclosure of what's in a product.

I hope this helps. Message me again if you're looking for something different. Good luck and well wishes!

[doomed-prophetess]

came back wrong but each time she dies Penelope is resurrected as the kind of person her abusers remember her

[ariannas-apothacary]

Decided since I have tomorrow off to make a vision tea for sleeping tonight. Flavor is going to be hard to manage. But I hope it helps me grow.

[aleksanderscult]

It's stupid how much power Alina would have had over him if she knew how to manipulate her touch. But alas she was busy being slut shamed left and right because of her impure thoughtsTM.

She was slut-shamed so much, anon, it's crazy. These books feel like they judge you like they are the Bible or something. Screaming: "Be pure in your thoughts and actions!!"

About the influence she could have on Aleksander, I have thought about this a lot myself. And I'm divided between:

- Yes, she could have a certain amount of influence on him. Because we've seen him lowering his guard for her in certain scenes (chapel scene where he bent to kiss her and got close to her, throne room where Alina reached to touch his cheek and he closed his eyes and, of course, the name reveal scene). If Alina allowed herself to use her charm and touch on him Aleksander would react to it like the boy he used to be. When he used to be innocent and not that much cruel. If she knew how to play her cards right, how to use her influence on him, Aleksander would concede for her in a way. And Alina would be able to to bring to the surface the not-damaged boy he used to be.

You know, that reminds me the tale of Hades and Persephone. While Hades was a terrifying figure in Greek mythology, he was absolutely faithful and respectful to his wife throughout their marriage. And they say Persephone was the only one that could calm his dark moods.

So I imagine something like that with Alina and the Darkling.

BUT!

- Another side that I think of is that Aleksander wouldn't buy it. He wouldn't buy into her efforts of seduction because he's no fool. He's a highly intelligent person that can see through people's bullshit. So when Alina would try to coax him gently, he would be like "BAHAHAHAHA YEAH that's not gonna work, honey".

Now if we have to reach to a conclusion, I would say that his reaction would be a combination of these two. Depending on when Alina tries to entice him ('cause timing is everything) and in what circumstances. For example, if he wants to do something really important for him and Alina wants to change his mind, Aleksander wouldn't buy into her efforts. But if it's something less important and with Alina's decent effort and good timing, then he would concede.

It's all about the thing they fight about, you know? And how much experience and tact Alina would have.

[allastoredeer]

Love your answer about Roo! That would be so great if some of it (or even all) would be canon because it's cool and make sense (and I looooove her design and want to see how the new one gonna look) 😁

I didn't even consider that she might get a redesign O.O but it makes sense considering almost all the other characters got one. Oooooh, I can't wait to see it if she does!

And if not, well, I think her old design is still sick as fuck. I want to see Roo so badly, please Viv. Please give me the trash lady.