#god i love gilgamesh

[florian-luster]

𝓱𝓮'𝓼 𝓶𝓪𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 '𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓲𝓪𝓵 𝓭𝓮𝓬𝓲𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼' 𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓱𝓮𝓮

[softquietsteadylove]

there can't be enough thenamesh reunion fics!

may i ask for more?

Gilgamesh yanked the Warrior back by the shoulder. She tried to regain her balance but he slammed his fist against her head, creating a gust strong enough to rattle the ship windows. She went down softly.

"Oi!" The Mind Reader was quick to respond to his fallen comrade. They all had a sense of togetherness that Gilgamesh admitted he found absent within his own team (himself, the Soaring Eternal and their Prime).

Ikaris took advantage of the team's sense of protectiveness. He grasped the Speedster's armour collar with his hand, using her as a shield against the puppeteer. He fired his eyes into the dark haired one's armour, sending him through the wall. Then, the Speedster was nothing but a burden.

Gilgamesh winced as she was thrown headfirst to the ground. Ikaris wasn't stronger than him - he knew that for a fact - but he certainly acted more brutally.

"Come on," he muttered in his accent, dragging the body of the Speedster behind him as he floated over to retrieve the Mind Reader as well.

Gilgamesh stared down at the Warrior Eternal. Her body was also limp, but he could feel the Cosmic Energy thrumming within her veins. He could practically feel the rhythm of her heart, if he let himself imagine it. He didn't know what made them so different, according to Arishem.

"You want a hand with 'er or what?" Ikaris snarled at him, piling both of his catches under his arms to bring back to Ajak at the helm of the ship. He was probably just going to sling her over his shoulder, or worse, drag her.

"Go ahead," Gilgamesh grumbled, kneeling down to her. She was his defeat, and his responsibility. Ikaris floated ahead, even banging the Mind Reader's head against the door frame in his lack of care.

Her face looked so peaceful.

Gilgamesh caught himself trying to move her hair away from her face before sighing. He slipped one hand under her arm and shoulders, and the other under her knees. She folded into his grasp so easily he wasn't sure if she weighed anything at all.

"Gil."

He stared down at her, ready for another fight if she was waking again. But as he drew his arms in, all she did was relax against him--him, the enemy. He couldn't imagine why.

But her head rolled to the side, and her tiara even met the cold, hard shell of his chest plate. And yet she had a little smile on her face, as if there were no place she would rather be. He adjusted her a little before making the trip to the head of the ship as well. He did have the courtesy not to smack her head against the door, at least.

She kept calling him Gil.

No one called him that. He didn't even think of himself like that. His name was Gilgamesh, and he was the Strongest Eternal, sent by Arishem to retrieve rogue Eternals who had been tainted by the Deviants of Earth. He had never met this woman before.

But his heart ached in his chest as he carried her.

He felt conflicted fighting her. He had felt awful knocking her out. And he had felt so protective at the thought of Ikaris laying a single hand on her.

"There he is."

Gilgamesh walked in with the Warrior Eternal in his arms. He held her gently, just briefly looking at the other two piled on the floor like litter.

"Well done," Ajak said, observing the difference in technique between him and Ikaris. She waved her glowing hands.

Gilgamesh stepped back slightly as the woman in his arms floated up out of his embrace and upright. The lines of her energy signature formed around her, creating a golden cage in a sense around her.

"These will hold them until we arrive at the World Forge," Ajak clarified as the three bodies floated to their places around the statue of Arishem.

Ikaris joined Ajak again at the front window, discussing their strategy. Those two seemed close but also at odds, in a weird way. Gilgamesh turned away from them, back to the blonde.

She was beautiful.

He wasn't a traitor just for thinking so. He walked closer, looking up at her floating just off the ground. The signature of her Cosmic Energy was weaker, but he could swear he still felt it calling out to him. It was like they were cut from the same cloth.

He reached up, tucking some hair behind her ear and out of his way. It felt familiar, in a terrifying way. Her eyes didn't even flutter. Not that he wanted her to wake up.

Gilgamesh looked back at his teammates, but they were whispering among themselves. They weren't any more concerned with him than he was about them. And that was just fine. They were a team, not some cobbled together family unit.

He looked up at her again. Thena. That name had been pulsing in his head since he saw her. He wasn't sure how; she was the Warrior Eternal, deadly and traitorous. That was all he knew about her. Except her name. And that she had a sweet sounding laugh. It echoed through memories he didn't have.

He hadn't even realised he was reaching up until his fingertips met her cheek. He didn't know what he was doing. He had no explanation for it to himself, much less to his team, let alone the woman herself. Her skin was soft.

It seemed impossible, but he could have sworn to all the stars in the sky that she leaned into his touch, however much she could. He didn't press his palm to her skin. That felt...wrong--like he had no right. Just looking at her felt like a betrayal of some kind. "Thena."

The Warrior's sandy coloured eyelashes fluttered. Maybe she was stronger than Ajak had assumed. She couldn't open her eyes, but he knew they were green (somehow). "Gil."

That name again. It made his whole body burn, like his chest was on fire. He stood back from the Warrior calling for him--someone. He didn't know who she was calling out to, but it wasn't really him.

"Gilgamesh."

He turned towards his Prime, and his fellow Eternal at the window. It seemed so cold over there. He nodded, walking over silently. Only when he was further away did he realise he had been holding the Warrior Eternal's hand.

"Are you prepared to hand them over?" Ajak asked.

He frowned, "why wouldn't I be?"

Ajak was silent, but Ikaris freely scoffed at him, "y'seem awfully soft on the traitor. There's no need for the gentleman routine with faulty scum."

Gilgamesh clenched his fists at his side, but he forced himself to remember his place. "I'm curious, but I'm not confused about the mission."

"Good," Ajak concluded, ending the conversation for both of them.

Ikaris let out one last laugh at him before floating off again. Did he have to fly everywhere just for the sake of it? He could walk just fine.

Gilgamesh tried not to seem like he was watching keenly as Ikaris walked by the prisoners again. Ikaris also looked up at the Warrior Eternal, and Gilgamesh tried not to yell at his teammate to keep his distance from her.

But Ikaris kept moving, and Gilgamesh wasn't eager to admit that his chest loosened. His eyes left the figure of Thena floating limply. He blinked, finding Ajak staring at him. "What?"

She looked back at the Warrior Eternal and then back to him. "You know her."

He shook his head. "We were briefed on all of them. She was a better fighter than I could have imagined. I think that deserves some respect."

Yes, he had respect for his fellow Fighter. She seemed very much his equal, all agility where he was sturdiness. He wanted her to be treated with respect and honour, just like any good warrior.

He wanted her to be handled so delicately a flower would weep with envy.

"I agree," Ajak sufficed to say. She gave him one last look before leaning closer, "keep your mission in mind, Gilgamesh. Whatever the traitors try to whisper in your ear...remember their deception."

"I will," he assured his team leader before she too departed. He stayed at the window, looking into the vast nothingness where eventually the World Forge would come into view. He looked over his shoulder.

It wouldn't be long until he could ask her why she called him Gil.

[expolikestoart]

@anaroceitweek

[umbrx]

For a man surrounded by LOVE, Doflamingo is someone INCAPABLE of loving, of feeling it himself. At least not conventionally and healthily. His love is TOXIC, it’s OBSESSIVE.

The world is HIS. He is a GOD, and love to a god is EXPECTED. Just like all deities, it is only normal for humans to bow before his feet, to kiss the ground he walks upon. Their LIVES are HIS and should always come after his. They should feel honoured to give their lives for God’s plans. He is owed SERVITUDE and LOYALTY, and those willing to defy his divine will are better off DEAD. HE is the only one that matters, the only one ABOVE the Heaven and that which is under it.

With a family that constantly supports his mindset and his own ability to SHUT DOWN emotions, he firmly believes he is IMMUNE to loving anyone. Even though he has experienced it. Doflamingo believes his caring for the family of misfits is simply out of his potential USE of them. They are his tools, his MARIONETTES, and while he values their WORTH, they are still DISPOSABLE. He is grateful for their service, but if he requires their DEATH, he expects it.

However, his actions sometimes contradict his own beliefs. When he asks Vergo and Monet to die for him, he experiences loss AGAIN. Just like he experienced the loss of his MOTHER, his father, his BROTHER. People he CARED about. Despite him seeing his family as tools, he goes to Punk Hazard to reassemble Baby 5 and Buffalo after Law cut them up. Despite her being weak and USELESS in the moment, he puts HIMSELF at disadvantage in a fight with Sanji to keep Giolla safe.

He believes himself to be UNTOUCHABLE and DEVOID of all positive emotions, but deep down is self-aware he isn’t. That understanding brings him to conclusion that LOVE is WEAKNESS, and a TRUE god has NO NEED of it.

He felt HURT when his brother BETRAYED him. Someone he cared for, someone he genuinely loved. Someone he would always feel a connection with, would value above others. His own GODLY BLOOD. Yet, even with that genuine love for Rocinante, Doflamingo left him behind. He put HIMSELF above his brother, and went to Mariejois alone. One reason being to keep Rocinante safe, the other Rocinante’s momentary uselessness. He had nothing to contribute to his return to Holy Land besides crying. He had planned to return for him, and did, only to find him GONE. To make up for this mistake on his part, he TRUSTED him when the younger returned. Even though he knew he shouldn’t. However, Rocinante was his brother, his blood, HIS. Just like everyone in the family he acquired, Rocinante BELONGED to Doflamingo.

With Rocinante’s betrayal, Doflamingo’s heart grows COLD and EMPTY, and no one sees that better than Viola. With her ability to read minds, she is EXACTLY aware of Doflamingo’s mindset and his actions, and while they have a sexual relationship and he enjoys talks with her, they both know it isn’t genuine. His own worldview is painted RED, and nothing will colour it back to what it once was. That worldview ultimately brings DEVASTATION of many, and his ultimate DOWNFALL. As the truth unravels itself in Dressrosa, those who once loved him as their king turned against him. The worms helped those that defeated him, and he’s still able to LAUGH at ABSURDITY of it all.

However, Doflamingo himself is the SUN. He is GOLDEN. He is a GOD. He is far beyond the WRATH and RAGE he made himself out to be. He is both the DARKNESS and the LIGHT. The stronger the light, the stronger the darkness.

On rare occasions, that LIGHT shines through in the form of gentleness. Usually in the privacy of his bedroom, when the world isn’t watching, when the role he put on himself doesn’t need to be upheld. Not completely. Even these rare moments depend on the person he is with. Only the person worthy of his respect is privy to CONTROL, to experiencing everything his mind can think of in the bedroom. He has found only one person worthy of it all.

In many lifetimes, there is inevitable DEATH for HER. The madness of the king and god wins, and her attempts are in vain. However, in some lifetimes she helps give the role of GOD a different meaning. While addressing the capability for destruction, she also addresses the capability of CREATION. Love isn’t a weakness ANYMORE, it is something he is ALLOWED to fully experience. Something a god MUST experience. His HATE isn’t buried, it is part of him, just as his LOVE becomes a part of him too.

He becomes a GOD able to love and a GOD able to hate. He is COMPLETE, ABSOLUTE. As someone ABOVE others, he gets to experience EVERYTHING, he is BASKING in everything the world has to offer. The role of a god EXPANDS beyond the BOUNDARIES that he had initially set. He is able to receive love and give love, and all because someone else was able to see him. Strip him naked of all the layers he put onto himself and kept challenging him with equal fierceness. Granted, even when he genuinely loves, his love is still toxic. He is still as obsessive, and the woman receiving his love is seen as HIS partner. Naturally, that means they’re ENDGAME and he keeps that binding ETERNAL.

In such cases, Doflamingo finds a specific PEACE that he wouldn’t know otherwise, a JOY he hadn’t known he craved. When complete, Doflamingo’s soul is GLOWING. Only when he opens his mind, though.

[darabeatha]

/ Our muses could kiss btw, ☝️

[chronomally]

"Scholars aren't sure what form Gilgamesh's oppression of his people takes. Some argue he's a giant superjock and makes them play football 24/7 and the women of Uruk are tired of tending to their exhausted male family members" Okay I am a huge fan of this theory

[catholic-character-tournament]

Round 1 - Side B

firestar art by @kudos-si-do

Propaganda below ⬇️

Kirei

He fucked up so many people's lives so badly in just one decade (not on purpose) that the universe put him in the summoning pool of all world influencing souls. He doesnt really have any special powers but he does serve as a vessel for rasputin at one point. He's the guy who says "people die when they are killed"

please please please there's literally a type moon character in the gif on the top of this form so it's typemoonphobic if none of them get in but it shouldn't be her it should be kirei bc he's 50x funnier & more iconic than jeanne. funny lil murder priest who's fucking THE gilgamesh (from the epic of) in the church basement and dies in a knife fight w a 17 year old whose dad he wanted to fuck back in '94 before realizing that he was actually kinda lame and he's been bitter abt it ever since. he has an orphan torture factory in his basement but he's also canonically good at being a priest. he's so funny you should def try his mapo tofu i swear it's totally safe for human consumption and not made with any california reapers. did i mention he's a deadbeat dad.

Priest claims to be Pro Life to make Sakura Matou the most miserable girl on the planet, but he dies anyway.

bro became a catholic because he loves suffering

He’s a priest. Kind of. Not a very good priest obviously. There is something seriously wrong and fucked up with that man. It’s so entertaining.

he's gotta be one of the most insane catholic men ever with a very in-depth and interesting relationship with his religion and his relationship with god also he's the sexiest man ever to be conceptualized in the known universe and all of time

Will never forget the 40+ minute monologue in heavens feel being a thinly veiled metaphor for abortion

he wants to torment churchgoers and make them face their failures and suffering but all he ends up doing is motivate them to improve themselves. cringefail moment for him

he's absolutely insane. the coldhearted mercenary that barely reacts to anything is terrified of kirei. he's super fucked up. his ult in stay night is literally him channeling divine power into something called kyrie eleison. he's the vessel of rasputin (on account of being a priest with a huge....no i shant say) the biblical beast in grand order among other things. he gets drunk with and tops gilgamesh from the epic of gilgamesh in the church basement after gilgamesh from the epic of gilgamesh bats his eyes a little too hard at kirei in some of the horniest shot scenes ive ever seen. he also used to be a heretical "fixer" for the church, cleaning up scenes that would expose shit to the public. uhh what else. he holds cool swords between his fingers like a kid pretending to be wolverine but in my favorite route he just squares the hell up with the protagonist and they fight to the death outside planned parenthood

Firestar

Kitty jesus, he believes in starclan which is the kitty version of heaven/god and yea. All the warrior cats characters except those outside the clans or those that are atheist believe in the kitty heaven and would irl be bri-ish and christian as hell so. The authors are all older british christian women and so the way starclan is written is like undoubtedly that.

The main religion in the series is extremely catholic coded. Most clan cats believe in Starclan and the Dark Forest(or heaven and hell). There is a set of rule they must uphold and follow, where following them leads to heaven and breaking them leads to hell. Their religious leaders are sworn to celibacy, and the punishments that "code breakers"(or cats who break the rules) face are extremely similar to situations people with religious trauma have gone through.

OP notes: apparently converted to avoid getting his balls cut?? Idk. The discord yet wild for firestar so I had to include him because it's hilarious hehehe

[cleopheanne]

Bharani : the birth of Venus.

Part 1

Let's talk about ancient godesses of love and Bharani nakshatra.

I will base my research on the legend of the dead and resurrected god present in many religious myths coming from the middle east (ps : i'm sorry in advance for the grammar, syntax or spelling mistakes that you may find in this post, english is not my first language)

Bharani, situated in the heart of the rashi of aries is governed by Shukr: Venus but also by Yami and Yama in vedic mythology who are twins and gods respectfully of life and death.

Yama, the main deity of Bharani is said to be one of "8 celestial gatekeepers, who guards eight directional doorways or exits through which souls travel from an earthly plane to other planes of existence" making him the lord of Dharma since at one's death, he decides basing on his actions in what plane should one reincarnate.

Since Yama is responsible for directing the flow of life on Earth the association between bharani and the yoni becomes evident: the female reproducting system serves as a portal for souls to take on a physical form. So bharani as Claire Nakti perfectly described it relates to the feminine ability to receive, hold, nurture and ultimately transform through the womb.

Because Bharani aligns itself with all the feminine qualities by excellence it makes sense as to why Venus is it's ruler.

Venus is the roman name for the goddess Aphrodite: in greek mythology. She is said to be the goddess of love and beauty at large but also the goddess of war and sexuality. First because the ancient greeks saw the duality that links love to war and how they seem to come together through sex.

Also, Aphrodite is said to be born from the sperm of Ouranos when his testicules got cut by his son Saturn as he was always feconding Gaia, the Earth and causing her distress: he was acting cruel regarding their children. The sperm of Ouranus got mixed up with the foam of the Ocean creating Aphrodite which means "risen from the foam". So it was interesting to see that as Shukr also means sperm in sanskrit and it shows the origin of Venus as a fertility goddess too.

This conception of Aphrodite directly links her to ancient goddesses of love such as Ishtar or Inana in Mesopotamian/summerian mythology or Isis in egyptian mythology. Most of the time, these goddesses are the female counterpart of a god that was once mortal, got cursed, died and then came back to life for them to form an immortal couple.

In the case of Ishtar, her consort is Dumuzi or Tammuz and Osiris is the consort of Isis.

In Mesopotamian mythology :

Ishtar or Inana in sumerian is the goddess of love and sexuality, beauty, fertility as well as war because of her status as a " bloody goddess" mostly refering to her character in plenty of myths.

For example: in one story, she became infatuated with the king Gilgamesh, but the latter knowing her fierce reputation, refused her advances. As a result she got furious and unleashed the celestial Bull on Earth which resulted in 7 years of plagues. This celestial bull was later defeated by Gilgamesh and Endiku, and its corpse was throwed in front of Inana. Blinded by rage, she decided that as a punition Enkidu must die and sad at the death of his bestfriend Gilgamesh began his journey to find a cure to Death.

Bharani is a fierce or Ugra nakshatra meaning that its nature is agressive, bold and assertive in pursuing their goals. They are ruthless in the process of accompling what they desire the most and are inclined to extreme mood swings that can result in them to be "blinded" by their extreme emotions perfectly expressing the passionate character of Venus and her other equivalents in differents pantheons of antiquity.

Inana/ Ishtar's story with Dumuzi/Tammur begins as she was convinced to chose him by her brother Utu. Then she got married with the shepphard Dumuzi instead of whom she prefered the farmer: Enkinmdou. During the courtship, Inana prefered the fine textile of the farmer and his beer rather than the thick wool and milk of Dumuzi. The preference for the shepphard illustrates that at the time the Mesopotamian civilisation was known for their proliferent agriculture with the egyptians in the region, so this myth encapsulate the opposition between nomads and sendatary people at this specifific time period.

By the way, another symbol of Bharani is the cave and traditionnaly, the cave was used as a storage room for food. Also Bharani's purpose is Artha so these individuals are motivated to accumalate resources and provide safety and security, so Bharani can be linked to the exploitation of natural ressources like the soil illustrating the preference of Ishtar for the farmer. This is reinforced also by its Earth element.

So coming back to the myth, in a mesopotamian text called Inana's Descent to the Underworld, the goddess goes to Kur (hell) with the intent of conquering it, and her sister Ereshkigal who rules the Underworld, kills her. She learns that she can escape if she finds a sacrifice to replace her, in her search, she encounters servants who were mourning her death however she finds Dumuzi relaxing on a throne being entertained by enslaved girls. Enraged by his disloyalty she selects him as a sacrifice and he is dragged to the Underworld by demons.

He is eventually resurrected by Inana and they become an "immortal couple" as he may only come back to life for half of the year, being replaced by his son (?) who is also his reincarnation for the other half of the same years, so describing the cycle of regeneration of life.

Other mythologycal stories of goddesses in the near east describe a similar patterns:

The goddess Asherah is described as being the mother and the lover of her son Adonis.

The goddess Cybele in the phrygian pantheon takes the form of an old woman as she described as the mother of everything and of all. And at the same time she is the consort of Attis who his her own son (wtf ?)

Also, Yama and Yami are implicated in a incestuous entanglement where his sister Yama wanted to lay with him however he refused establishing himself as a god with an infaillible moral campus.

All of these representations illustrate the relation between the masculine and the feminine, life and regenration which are all topics related to Bharani nakshatra. Women by their capacity to give life are seen as the source of life and therefore are eternal as they are able to regenarate themselves through daughters which are identical to them whereas man who is unable to reproduce by himself, is therefore mortal feels the need to associate with her to resurrect through a son who is identical to him. Bharani exiting as the embodiment of the link between "the father and the offspring" which is the feminine vessel.

So this is certainly part 1, I think that these ancient myths are where Claire Nakti found her inspiration for her series on Bharani.

[wutheringmights]

After I finished reading The Epic of Gilgamesh today, I entered a fugue state where I sat down and read the entirety of Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce.

On the record, I have had a lifelong love and adoration for Pierce's Tortall books. I first read the Song of the Lioness quartet when I was 11, and they rewrote my brain. I love them so much. I reread them and the other Tortall books on a semi-frequent schedule.

It's been a while since I reread any of the Alanna books, if only because my sister took our shared copies when she moved out. I've been meaning to buy my own set for a long while now but haven't been able to justify the purchase. The other week, I just so happened to find the first two volumes at my local indie bookstore. I bought them immediately, as well as ordered the third and fourth book. (And discovered that the store owner knows me by name-- when I went to pick up my order, she saw me and said, Hi Frankie! I got your books over here.) (I may be spending too much money there.)

So I have been in a bit of an emotional rut these past few weeks. Work sucks. Life stinks. The temptation to run off to Tortall and curl up in the fantasy story that captivated me as a kid has never been stronger.

Ergo, I ran off to read the first book as soon as I could.

If you're looking for any critique of this book, series, or Tortall in general, I will never give it. Sure, it's problematic and dated, and in many ways imperfect, but someone else can list out all of its issues. They're all perfect to me.

Anyway, the book. I should say something about this book in particular.

One thing I appreciate about Pierce's writing is how she handles school settings in fantasy. Learning and training is so mundane. All of her heroines have to work hard and put in extra hours of study in order to improve, much less keep up with their peers. It's so normal that it circles around to being weirdly refreshing.

Also, there is still no other fantasy author who handles period talk and birth control the way Pierce does. We make fun of the trope of fantasy birth control nowadays, but I rarely see it presented as it is here: as a part of normal puberty lessons and given long before sex is in the girl's radar. And even today with the glut of YA fantasy stories out there, I still have yet to see menstruation be portrayed as frequently or as bluntly as Pierce writes it.

There was a period of time publishers really tried to push the Tortall books as straight YA, which doesn't work for that reason alone. You gotta market them to middle schoolers. They're the ones just starting puberty talks, and getting scenes like this is so good for their brains.

Moving on: I fucking love these characters. Alanna was an icon of brash, temperamental heroines that have shaped my taste to this day. I love how even in the first book, Jon is kinda shitty. I adore George Cooper. Talk about a taste maker the way this man sets a standard.

I just can't be coherent when it comes to any Tortall books. I have no thoughts. Head empty. I am going to binge the rest of this series as quickly as I can before my library book comes in. Then normal book content will resume.

Before I go, I need to talk about the book covers.

Growing up, my sister and I had these covers:

Which, god. I love them. The black is striking. The art is incredible. Alanna looks so good. They were the perfect pocket-size too. I was going to buy the same edition for my copies, but instead I got the 40th anniversary reprints:

Not bad at all! These books have had some seriously bad covers, and these look great! Very anime, which will appeal to the 11 year olds who need to have their socks rocked by this series.

But, man. I really miss those black covers. One day I will splurge and buy a second set of them just so that I can stare at the art.

[wolfythewitch]

I am Gilgamesh, he says. I am the killer of the forest watchman, I am the killer of the bull of heaven. I killed the lions in the mountains, I am the child of gods.

If you are who you say you are, she replies, why is your face so sunken? Why are your eyes so dull? Where is the divinity that runs through your veins?

Grief. I am grieving. My friend whom I loved is dead. He has been by my side for so long, and has taken my joy in his absence. He is dead.

Then go home, she says. He is dead. There is nothing for you here.

[mechaknight-98]

Masquerade

Author note: I am sorry, but Tifa Sejeong. I had this in my drafts and was going to delete it until today. Also this takes place in the same plotline as Rash revelries and a few other stories I have coming out.

Part II here

Well, this was certainly a new one. A cosplay Party was not on my bingo calendar for 2024 but here I am. Going to a cosplay party on short notice because a friend invited me. Surprisingly the first face I see is a familiar one. My friend Gallahad or Gally for short dressed in a Gilgamesh from Eternals Cosplay. I wave and he confidently smiles at me and walks over. He and Vlad are Probably the next closest to my height due to his basketball-playing father. He puts me in a friendly headlock. Gone is the timid boy I knew a few months ago instead of a confident man who stands tall.

“Danger so glad you could make it. Killer Django cosplay,” he says proudly. I nod and respond,

“Well I didn't have much time to come up with something, but it came out pretty good,” you compliment Gally’s costume, but before Galahad and I can catch up. Two exceptionally attentive and attractive ladies walk our way. “Gally who’s this? The shorter darker skin of the two girls asked

“Oh Jihyo this is Dangerfield Malcolm Baldwin Jr but we just call him Danger,” Galahad explained the girls nodded and the taller paler one addressed me

“덴가?” Sana asked Galls. Gally nodded not noticing. “He’s tall I wonder if she’ll like that. Anyways I’m Sana nice to meet you 덴가. Also love the cowboy cosplay by the way. You rock it.” The taller girl oozed charm and guile. Had I not known that she was in a throuple with Jihyo and Galahad I’d have thought she was flirting with me.

Jihyo approached me next she sized me up for a few minutes then tilted her head and stepped back pleased with what she saw. I turn back to Sana say thank you to her and ask Galahad about the party, but before I can get a word in his two girlfriends pull him away. Something about “needing to find her”

“Oh, sorry Danger gotta go. You know the drill,” Gally says. I don't but I wave him off regardless as his two girlfriends take him upstairs for God knows what. Before isolation could set in I was approached by another partygoer in a cowboy cosplay. Being an insane movie buff I recognized it as Park Do-won or (the good) from the movie “The Good The Bad and The Weird” he seemed friendly introducing himself as Max McDaniels. I smile at him as he says

“Killer Cowboy outfit what show or movie are you from?” he asks in English. I am not surprised by this being one of the few “black” people present at that party. It made sense everyone assumed I was American. I was, but it was still interesting to see the assumptions made.

“Django from Django unchained,” you say. Max’s eyes light up with elated recognition

“I love that movie!” he exclaims to me. I crack a smile.. as I do I notice his eyes narrow and his gaze focused more intensely, “So who invited you? I'm pretty good friends with the hosts so I'm curious how you got in because I haven't seen you before.” Max added. His tone was pleasant but his energy was defensive. I deduced that he was asking because he was wary of me. Which fair? A big burly black man at a party full of very wealthy and famous people could be a red flag. So I take out my phone and show him the video of a very drunk Vladimir and an equally drunk Galahad inviting me to the party over social media. Following that I showed Mr. McDaniels the string of text messages of them becoming progressively sober and still asking me to come through. The implication was a lady was dying to meet me. Being a sucker for that sort of thing I made a mad dash.

“Oh, you're the videographer and stuntman Vlad mentioned. He called you Dangerfield, but he called you Danger in these videos.” Max questions.

I nod and explain to Max that Danger is my nickname. Max nods in understanding. “I'm sorry that makes so much sense now that I hear it sorry for commenting on it.”

Max and I share a chuckle over some of the messages of their apologizing for their drunk antics. After that Max became noticeably more relaxed around me. At this point, I feel comfortable enough to joke with him.

“So I know you are “Mr. Tough as Nails paleontologist who protects his people” but I would like to point out that you do know me.”I teased. Max looked at me confused before asking “Oh really from where?”

“You’re last two paleontologist digs,” I reply

Max looks at me confused. So I wait 5 minutes then another 2 before he finally recognizes me.

“Oh my God you're our videographer… the rugby dad hat guy. You always wear your college rugby “dad” hat,” he says excitedly. I nod

“I mean I do other things besides that. Like I filmed 2 out of your last 3 seminars. I also did a minor recording and B-roll for the last two digs” I teased further. Max's eyes widen even further as his face goes red.

“You are so right my bad. You're always so professional and don't speak much. Thank you so much for all the impressive work you do. I didn't realize never knew or asked your name. I'm also not used to you not wearing a dad hat,” Max says to me. I chuckle and before the friendship can take root Max is taken by his girlfriend. A pretty little thing named walks by us, “Hey honey who is this?”

“Oh, this is Dangerfield our videographer,” Max answers

“I thought Vlad did that?” the lady asks

“No, he does photography and records collection. Danger specifically does video.” Max replies

“Oh okay. He's handsome. I think she’ll like him.” the lady responds she turns to me and says hi

“Hello Mrs Jimin” I respond. Her eyes go wide.

“You know me.” Mrs. Jimin asks.

“Well yeah, you're a famous pop star,” I reply trying to be witty but not standoffish. Mrs. Jimin smiles and then says

“Well then call me Karina. We're friends now aren't we?” she said pleasantly. I give her a thumbs up and she laughs before turning back to Max focused “Babe we still have the drinks in the car we need to get.” she says. Max nods and goes with her

As he walks away he promises to talk to me later. Karina needed help as it was a lot of drinks according to her.

I was alone again. As I stand there alone I consider leaving until a slightly sober Vladimir crashes into me this time he is already with his girlfriend Natty whom he has met once before under bizarre circumstances. I smile at the couple wearing matching vampire costumes. Having done this dance already I decided to tease them

“Hey, Vlad are you also going to talk to me for a short bit then leave with your girlfriend?” I ask teasingly. Vlad looks at me confused before saying

“No that would defeat the entire purpose of why we invited you here. There was someone we wanted you to meet.” He says matter of fact before leading me to where she was

“Oh okay,” I say as I follow them

“So Danger Vlad tells me you’re also (insert cool term for half-blood here) .” I stop in my tracks and resist the urge to grab one of my revolvers and shoot both of them right there and now. Throwing that term out in the open always left me to trouble me. So I kept my identity and powers hidden as best as possible from those I didn’t know. Vlad notices my dead stop and clenched fist, and readily begins to ameliorate the situation.

“Yo Danger it’s cool she’s one of us. She’s a daughter of Vasundharā” Vlad explains, I scowl but relax. I begin to follow the couple as Natty says how much you’ll (me) love “her” ( the girl they are setting me up with). She also mentions how she is also an ascendant. It was then that I realized that Natty doesn’t know how different ascendant culture is in America. I groan and turn to Vlad

“Yo, she’s very liberal with her identity.” Vlad nods then remembers how I feel about secrecy

“Oh don’t be a scaredy cat nothing bad is going to happen.” As soon as Vladimir said that a loud boom echoed throughout the building I rolled my eyes at him and ran to the area where I heard the noise. The space is the front door and an Oni has appeared, and he is angry. He eyes me out of the bunch and points his kanabo at me.

“You. Thief” The one says slanted. I shrug.

“You dare mock me, thief. You stole the Yomi flames.” The one growls

“Mocking would require me to care. I don’t. Also, I didn't steal anything they were given to me voluntarily.” I replied the one slammed his weapon on the ground.

“You expect me to believe that you a puny human were given the flames of our land by my queen?”

“Well not given per se but I was allowed to learn them so I could copy them later, but that explanation makes less sense so can we skip the banter and just get down to fighting? I’m already bored.” The one charged. My response was that I took out one of my revolvers quicker than a blink and shot the creature in the head. The green eldritch energy flowed through me as it created the blast for the weapon. Which in turn creates the sickened bolt that tears through the Oni’s skull. The party was dead silent. Realization hits me as I remember this wasn’t a dig site I could just talk my way out of so I decide it’s probably best to not be here anymore. I spin the revolver out of habit before holstering it. I tip my hat

“Have a good night y’all,” I say as I leave. As I was racing to the front door I bumped into another person dressed as one of my favorite video game characters. She also seemed to be on her way out. I would later find out that her friends had convinced her to meet this guy but they had left her alone to find him leaving her at the mercy of a bunch of “weirdos” (her words not mine) who made her uncomfortable so she was desperate to get out. She sees me and smiles politely before saying “Nice cosplay.” hoping I wouldn't also be a “weirdo”

I nod back then respond “You as well…wait is that Tifa?” I asked the lady as I recognized the outfit. The young lady smiles with eyes brighter than the sun

“Yeah good eye, you’re the first one to recognize it. Good job.” the girl responds with two thumbs up. She looks up at me with a smile.

“How could I not?” she's like one of my favorite characters in all of gaming”

The Tifa cosplayer smiles, “well then you have great taste then.” she says

“Me? look at you (I walk around her to get the full view) This quality is insane.” I reply hyping her up. The Tifa cosplayer smiles brightly and turns to me with a cocky smirk.

“Oh, flattery will get you everywhere. So what’s your cosplay?” The lady asks

“Oh, I’m Django. The D is silent” I say. Before taking out a revolver and spinning it around. The young lady laughs

“Like from the movie,” she asks I nod surprised. She smiles and adds “I love that movie.” I smile back dumbly admiring her taste in quality Westerns. The two of us stand awkwardly trying to figure each other out before deciding to get back to what the two of us were doing which was leaving the party. We do our awkward goodbyes and prepare to go our separate ways. as we are about to part my brain tells me if I don't ask her out now I'll never get another chance to. I take a chance. I ask if she’s hungry and knows any good food spots around here. The girl gives a hearty chuckle as she gets her car and gestures for me to get in.

We arrive at this small little fried chicken spot.

“Oh just because I’m black you assume I like fried chicken?” I say feigning offense. The lady looks at me in my face and says

“Fried Chicken is delicious I thought everyone liked it.” Her tone is flat as she stares at me confused. She then smiles and laughs making me realize she got I was joking. I joined her on laughing as well. I mean she got me fair and square after all

As I laugh I say “I can’t argue with that.” The lady smirks before saying “Good,” and we walk in.

“Oh hey Sejeong good to see you again. Your usual order I assume?” The person behind the counter says. Sejeong nods. She puts up two fingers. I'm guessing to order two of whatever her normal is (I'm assuming she never told me what the two fingers meant). I turn to the gorgeous (I forgot to mention that she is drop dead 2 gorgeous) lady and say

“Huh Sejeong like the…” and then it all clicks. I pause and get my bearings before repeating “Cool, cool, cool.” As I try not to fanboy over the megastar. Sejeong smirks and says

“Not so witty now huh?”

I pause before reflexively saying, “Hey it’s not every day you meet a K-pop megastar and go on a date with her.”

Sejeong laughs which I learned then is contagious, “Oh so this is a date?” She questions

I nod and fire back, “100% we are at a restaurant hoping to get to know each other. That’s the textbook definition of date.”

Sejeong playfully rolls her eyes laughs and says, “That's true. I’m glad I met you. My friends wanted me to meet this guy who they swore I’d love. They left me at the party to find him leaving me to deal with weirdos like you.” Sejeong says wistfully. “I should have figured their last recommendations have been okay at best” Sejeong adds

I nod and explain how I was at the party to be introduced to someone.

“Oh really what’s your name? If you say Danger or Dangerfield. I’m going to laugh.”Sejeong teases

In kind, I responded, “How did you know my name lady?” Sejeong’s eyes flickered with excitement as they widened. as she compartmented my existence in her mind. Our food arrived. After she’s done processing she asks me a simple question.

“So now that you’ve met me what do you think?” She said with a serious tone.

“Do I include Samantha and Rachel in my evaluation?” Sejeong stares at me wide-eyed. I laugh because see her trying to hide a bemused smile. Feeling a little miffed She goes to smack me but I just smile and take the hit.

“You’re lucky you’re funny.” She says. Sejeongg gestures for me to continue.

“Well, my heart tells me you’re amazing and I already have a crush on you despite knowing you personally all of (I look at my watch for added comedic value) 86 minutes. You’re witty, fun to be around, gorgeous, and overall a great time.” Seeing smiles blushes but then says

“What does your head say?” as she speaks her eyes narrow gauging my response. I decide to have fun with it.

“That’s less glowing. It's telling me that it would never work.“Dude, she’s a superstar what would she ever want from a guy like you? She just likes the attention.” is what my head says.” I respond

Sejeong nods and then asks, “So which will you listen to more?” I pause and respond

“If history is any guide then my heart, but I don’t know guess I’ll have to wait and see. I mean I’m open to anything from a one-night stand to a 100-year relationship. The only thing is it’s a two-person job.” Sejeong nods then says

“well I'm not looking for a one-night stand but I'm also not looking for a relationship right now, but you're pretty cool and I like your humorous honesty.” I smile and thank her. The food arrives. I pray before I eat which Sejeong comments on, “Oh a church boy.” Her tone is seductive and flirtatious but my brain automatically jumps to oh it’s a dealbreaker for her

“Is there something wrong with me being religious?” Momo shakes her head but then clarifies, “That depends on you. You’re not one of those weird religious people right?”

“I believe we have established I’m weird and a Christian so you are going to be a bit more specific as to what you mean by that.” Sejeonf laughs and does the sexiest eye roll I have ever seen.

“Ugh, I hate you.” She groans, “But you are correct. What I mean is the type that uses their religion as a weapon against others.” I shake my head before explaining to her the following

“The only thing I battle with are revolvers wits and the grit of a honey badger, and the occasional staff but that’s when I have to get serious. Also, I only really fight when I have to do am training which is a lot” Sejeong laughs at my statement and then says,

“Well then you should be fine, but it was kind of annoying how you asked that question about “weird Christians.” She teased with an adorable pout.

I chuckle and say, “Sorry that’s my A.U.H.D. talking. I should have figured out what you meant.”

“No you’re fine I should have figured you would be weird and very precise with your language since you are good friends with Vladimir” she relents. I smile and we begin eating. At one point I feel a hand slip in mine. I look up to see her giving me the brightest smile. I smile back “How is it?” She asks. Based on the way she’s holding my hand I can tell she’s nervous so I tell her I like it and that’s my final word. Sejeong rolls her eyes and then smiles again as we continue eating. After we finished she asked me how long I was in Korea and I explained to her a while due to working with Vlad, Max, and Gally.

“Oh okay, so another week?” Sejeong asked. I nodded but counteracted with

“However if something comes up that’s worth the time I’ll stay,” I responded Sejeong chuckled

“Oh, and I’m supposed to convince you?” She said in a challenging tone

“I mean you can if you want to this was mostly an economic choice.” I teased back. Sejeong smiled. As we were finishing up a guy approached us. He had blonde hair and storm-grey eyes.

“Aye Collector.” He said menacingly in English. I turn slowly to the young man. I gesture for Sejeong to get behind me but she stands by my side. I see her ready a knife that I hadn't seen earlier

“ People don't usually call me that with the intention of peace. So I am going to ask are you here to kill me?”

“I don't have to kill you just return what you stole?” the young man said

“And what did I steal?” I asked curious

“Don't play dumb you know I'm after Death’s draw.” the man said confidently

“Yeah, I don't have that. All my stuff are cheap copies.” I replied

“You expect me to believe that especially given your reputation?” the man asked taking out an arching javelin.

“I guess a demonstration is in order then sadly,” I reply. I turn to Sejeong, “I'll handle this .” I say to her. She shakes her head and stands in front of me.

“Look I'd appreciate it if you do not attack my friend. I know he looks scary but he's a sweetheart,” she says sweetly

“A sweetheart who turned an outer being into a divine Treasure.” the young man says skeptically. Sejeong looks at me with surprise as I nod to confirm the story.

“Look dude my Ascendant Ability is called the “A Reveler’s tool kit, is often expansive.” A major part of it allows me to emulate other divine treasures and arts.” I explain, but the man only grew more aggressive. He pointed his javelin at me and in a flash, I shoulder-charged him back to Long Island. Sejeong eyed me intrigued

“How did you do that?” she asked

“I used Lugh’s Long Lunge and made it nonlethal.” Sejeong eyed me and then said, “Tell me everything”

In her car, the first thing Sejeong asked about was my Ascendant status,

“So what type of Ascendant are you; Direct, Legacy, Trance, adopted, or avatar?” she asked excitedly I squinted as before I never really considered it.

“Hybrid I guess,” I answered.

“Interesting, wait how?”

“Um, would it be a bad time to explain that I was never exposed to “proper Ascendant” procedures due to my Christian upbringing, and am only now coming to a fully developed understanding of it?” I asked. Sejeong stopped in her tracks and looked at me then began laughing. I sat in awkward silence for a moment then. She turned and smiled at me.

“That's okay,” Sejeong said with a gracious smile. “It's just I have heard stories of Ascendants reaching adulthood and then becoming claimed and I always wondered what that looked like. Now I know and honestly it's pretty funny.” Sejeong smiled as she spoke. I turned back to her

“So you're also an Ascendant?” I ask. Sejeong nods then replies

“I am a direct one and my parent is Seokga.”

“Oh that's super cool tell me more.” I say

[thrashkink-coven]

hey there, would you mind telling me a bit about Lilith and your practice with her? I’ve been trying to do some research on her modern worship, offerings, and signs, but it can be really difficult to find anything that’s serious when there are so many references to her in pop culture :/

Okay so Lilith is extremely, and I mean extremely complicated.

Contrary to popular belief, “Lucifer” isn’t actually a name, but a title. The name Lucifer means “light bringer” in reference to Venus as she appears in the morning, but any “light bringer” can be considered a Lucifer. Prometheus for example, the man who stole fire from the Gods to give light to humanity, is a Lucifer. And so, there are actually many different entities that have taken the role of a Lucifer throughout history and in various different retellings. Eosphorus is the name of the deity that was revered by the Greeks as Venus, but Lucifer is a title that many different figures have taken on depending on the context.

Why do I bring up Lucifer? Because he and Lilith are very similar in that regard. Our earliest mentions of Lilith throughout history paint her not as an individual but as a species of night demon that frequently takes the form of an owl, she was known to bring crib death and miscarriage.

In the myth, Inanna and the Huluppu tree, a huluppu tree (a type of willow) is planted by the banks of the Euphrates River. The tree is tended and nurtured by the goddess Inanna, who plans to use its wood to craft a throne and a bed for herself. However, as the tree grows, it becomes infested with three troublesome creatures:

A serpent that makes its home at the roots of the tree. (What troublesome serpents have been portrayed in another mythology having to do with magical trees? HMM!)

The Anzu bird (sometimes described as a mythical lion-headed eagle) that builds its nest in the branches.

The Lilitu (a female demon or spirit) that makes her lair in the trunk.

Inanna, distressed by these creatures occupying her tree, calls for help from her brother, the sun god Utu (or Shamash). When Utu does not assist her, she turns to the hero Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh comes to her aid and, with his great strength, drives away the serpent, the Anzu bird, and the Lilitu. He uproots the huluppu tree and uses its wood to craft a throne and a bed for Inanna, fulfilling her original intention. Consider that it is a human, not the God of the sun, who helps Inanna with this problem. Interesting.

The inclusion of these three very specific creatures occupying this important tree tended to by the Goddess of love, to her dismay, are very important. Especially when he consider how Inanna’s visual depictions have been syncretized with Lilith. The idea of a serpent (perhaps a Lucifer) , an Anzu bird (described quite similarly to some depictions of abrahamic angels, specifically those like the cherubim) and a Lilith being “driven away” from this mythical tree are notable, especially because these are all symbols associated with Inanna herself.

Inanna, one of the most complex deities in Mesopotamian mythology, embodies aspects of fertility, love, war, and the underworld. Inanna's association with snakes can be seen in her connection to the underworld and her transformative journeys. In her descent into the underworld, Inanna removes one magical garment as she continues into the deathly realm. Just as the snake sheds its skin, Inanna sheds her power and identity as she descends, only to be reborn and restored.

Inanna is frequently depicted with wings, highlighting her divine nature and authority. The Anzu bird in the Huluppu Tree myth, while initially a source of trouble, also connects to the theme of overcoming chaos, which aligns with Inanna's role as a powerful deity who brings order.

Lilith, often depicted as a demoness, represents untamed feminine power, independence, and sometimes chaos. In later Jewish mythology, she is considered a night demon, but her roots trace back to earlier Mesopotamian beliefs. Her inclusion in Jewish mythology is summed up in the verse Isaiah 34:14: "Wildcats shall meet with hyenas, goat-demons shall call to each other; there too Lilith shall repose, and find a place to rest." (Hm… I wonder WHERE she will find a place to rest? Perhaps in a… magical tree?)

In Jewish mysticism, the feminine side of the tree of life is what creates the potential for evil. Even though it is the lightest, brightest, goodest form of feminine energy, for some reason, every time, disobedience pops up no matter what we do. It is an aspect of the feminine itself.

In the Huluppu Tree myth, Lilith (or a Lilitu) makes her home in the tree that Inanna nurtures. This connection reflects Inanna's association with both nurturing and taming wild, untamed aspects of the feminine. Lilith's presence in the tree also highlights the tension between order and chaos, which Inanna must navigate and control.

So what does this all mean?

Each creature in the tree draw direct parallels to the Goddess of Love herself. These can be interpreted as perversions of her divine nature, that she herself cannot be-rid of on her own. Inanna the Goddess of WAR couldn’t get an owl, a big bird, and a snake out of a tree??? Why? Likewise, why did the divinities refuse to help her? Why did she have to seek out a human specifically, to get those unwelcome guests out of her tree? And if it is so that Inanna just doesn’t really like owls and snakes, why is she represented with them (and generally just hanging out with them) so often?

Lilith, the serpent, and the Anzu bird reflect aspects of the divine mother that she herself cannot even tame. Lilith as the night owl also reflects an aspect of knowledge and wisdom, as owls can see in the dark and hunt strategically. Even though she is portrayed as an enemy of Inanna, Inanna never once can or even tries to harm her. Inanna being the Goddess of fertility, and Lilith being the demon that causes miscarriage, show that they are natural opposites, yet still derived from the same divine source, and never combative towards each other.

Similarly, Lucifer’s first ever depiction was as his role as Venus, the same astrological planet as what is associated with Inanna. In Christianity, Lucifer played the role of the serpent who convinced Eve, another archetype of divine femininity, to eat the forbidden fruit of knowledge. Interestingly enough, Lilith is never actually portrayed eating the fruit. Does she posses a divine knowledge that is inherent to her qualities as a night owl, to the point where she didn’t need to eat the fruit to have the wisdom to disobey Adam? Does she possess a knowledge that is inherent to the divine feminine force from which she was created? Is this because she was created from the divine forces of femininity itself and not derived from man, as Eve was? If this is the case, that even though Eve ate the apple, she did not become a Lilith, that stands to imply that there is an inherent quality about being derived from a human man, that repels or deflects that inherent feminine rebellious quality. Instead, being replaced with the the ability to submit.

Knowledge applied with the associations of night and mystery, create a feminine energy that cannot submit, and this is likely Inanna’s fault herself, as she very notably has a big issue with respecting any authority higher than herself, even death herself (as her big sister)

From a symbolic standpoint this tells us a couple things about Venusian energy in general.

1.) Regardless of how hard it tries to behave, it is inherently chaotic

2.) It has many faces, some of which do not jive with eachother, but even so, they continue to coexist, even if not in the same places

3.) It is a creator and a destroyer.

4.) It has a very rough time with the concept of submission.

Okay YAP fest, what’s the point?

Lilith is a great example of how the dark feminine exists within the light feminine as an inevitability. Lilith is not so much associated with war, the strategic enactment of violence., but rather the inherent unpredictability of femininity. Women both create life and snuff it, women can decide to procreate or to have an abortion. Lamashtu and Lilith respectively were invoked for abortive purposes.

And of course, Lilith’s adoption by feminist spaces as a self actualized protector of individuality and feminine rage also invoke heavy associations with Inanna as the Goddess of war. So in my interpretation, Lilith is that part of Inanna that went a little unchecked for a little too long. That combined with the themes of Lucifer’s liberation, paint a very interesting narrative about how femininity as a divine force shows up in obscure ways, perhaps even negative ways, whilst still being just as divine and inherent. To recognize Lilith as the antithesis of all of these things, is to see her as the unwavering aspect of femininity that cannot be tamed, even by femininity herself. The snake, the reborn, will always cause chaos at the root of the feminine energy. The Anzu bird, the angels, are susceptible to that same corruption. And the Lilith herself will always find a home within that feminine energy, unless of course, she is snuffed by the will of a man who doesn’t respect her. Still, she does not die, just searches for another place to rest.

Wow this was really long. SO. Lilith is the entity that embodies our biggest fears about femininity and the inherent knowledge that women posses. Women know how to create life, and women have the ultimate authority in ending it. To honour Lilith as a Goddess rather than a troublesome demon, is to recognize that even the parts of femininity that femininity herself can’t control are divine in nature. The knowledge that she possesses makes women incapable of submission. And the Gods themselves are aware of this, and do not interfere with her, because she is a Goddess herself carrying out an important function, even if it doesn’t adhere to what they might like. Basically, rebellion is an inevitability to any feminine creature that possesses knowledge. It is unavoidable.

It’s incredibly difficult to find anything about the worship of Lilith because for a long time she wasn’t given her flowers as a divinity. Even Inanna herself tried to get her to fuck off. You can honour her quite similarly to the way Artemis and Athena were worshipped, alongside Inanna or Aphrodite of course. As the dark, mysterious, yet inexplicably wise mother of demons, she is the creative force behind destruction. She’s the aspect that exists in all of these Goddesses, that most of us would rather not think about. She is a woman who cannot be held in captivity, if you tell her to procreate, she will cause miscarriage. If you tell her to obey, she will become even more rebellious. The more you repress her, the stronger she becomes. No matter how oppressed women become, no matter how subservient, so long as they have any connection to the divine feminine, they will have a Lilith inside of them.

Lilith’s representation of a succubus expands upon her associations as a woman who does what women do, (men thought women were sex objects for a long time) but not for the sake of cooperation, but for her own means. Lilith is very much a woman, capable of doing what all women and feminine goddesses can do. She simply chooses not to, similarly to how Artemis simply chooses not to procreate. The element of choice, (hello again, Lucifer) always being an option to women is, from a patriarchal standpoint, really scary for men.

So how do you worship her? Worshipping Lilith, like Lucifer, is technically paradoxical. Lucifer wants us to worship ourselves. If he accepts worship it’s because you’re using him as a metaphor for yourself. Lucifer believes in no man submitting to no God, so he won’t take on the role of the usual “authority”. Lilith is quite similar, to worship her is to worship the wise and rebellious spirit that exists in the feminine- yourself. Self honouring acts honour Lilith, just as they honour Lucifer. It’s important to remember that Lilith isn’t just rebellion for the sake of arguing, she isn’t a contrarian. She is self actualization that just happens to not go with the status quo. She does what she wants, if that pisses you off: cope. She’s not inherently against men or procreation, or even women who are submissive. She is the constant exception. The random variable that always pops up whenever we deal with feminine deities. So for me, I honour her as an extension. of every existing goddess. Within Inanna, there is a Lilith, as there is within Aphrodite, Hera, Artemis, Athena, etc etc.

Wow this was long as fuck but I hope it provided a little bit of insight as to why Lilith is so fucking confusing. Regardless of which contexts you feel are the most true, Lilith, like all deities will continue to evolve with time. Just as the narrative around Medusa has gradually changed into her being a victim instead of a monster, Lilith has shifted from being a demon that just kills babies to the ultimate personification of feminine independence. All of these interpretations are correct in the right context, you just have to figure out which context best applies to you.

OKAY if you actually read this far here’s a flower 🌹

[kyoukamybeloved]

« Chuuya-sama and Dazai-san stood side by side. Surprisingly enough, there was something similar to perfection about the two. »

« As if they are one soul in two different bodies. »

soukoku webweaves: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

rule of wolves - Leigh Bardugo// harrow the ninth - Tamsyn Muir// the sorrow festival - Erin Slaughter// the prisoner - Octavio Paz// the final empire - Brandon Sanderson// wuthering heights - Emily Brontë// 21 - Gracie Abrams// slow like honey - Fiona Apple// Sue Zhao// art by @/57and13 on twitter// the dead man - Georges Bataille// Art by @creantzy// Frankfurt song - Marina Tsevetaeva// Lazarus, L. Munir// call me what you like - lovejoy// Crush - Richard Siken// art by @/ossukii// confessions - Elle Emerson// I wish you would - Taylor Swift// motion sickness - Phoebe Bridgers// art by @/ossukii on instagram// bittersweet - Rumi// Stigmata; love of the wolf - Marina Tsevetaeva// art by @/Zrainmtast on twitter// west wind - Mary Oliver// step on me - the cardigans// good looking - Suki Waterhouse// Letters from Medea - Salma Deera// valentine - Laufey// art by @/1110yu_ku_si on twitter// Amirae Garcia// the grudge - Olivia Rodrigo// The epic of Gilgamesh - Danny P. Jackson// art by @/Yuyii_Ju on twitter// he shifts from east to west - Margaret Atwood// happiness - Taylor Swift// afterglow - Taylor Swift// These hands, if not gods - Natalie Diaz// manga panel by Sango Harukawa// 100 love sonnets - Pablo Neruda// tis the damn season - Taylor Swift// it’s all futile! It’s all pointless! - lovejoy// All about love - bell hooks// art by @/FloreSuika// Germaine de Staël// 

tagging moots and users who seemed to lose their minds at the other web weaves, since this is probably the last part, thank you so much for all the love :)))

@philzokman @amagami-hime @nnavia @dinosaur-mayonnaise @zamxii @the-gayest-sky-kid @vinylbiohazard @bunglegaydogs @lotus-reblogs @ricelover888 @pendragonstar @slug-behaviour @ghostsinacoat @miltseyx @homuncvlus

[zagreus-eats-your-bread]

Did I ever mention how I'm not in any way normal about the Epic of Gilgamesh. I don't even care that its gay, man, that's not even why.

Imagine if you will one of the oldest recorded stories in human history and it's about love and friendship but inherently also about how we are powerless against the ways of nature (gods), about senseless death and grief and about death anxiety. My friend, whom I love so deeply, who with me went through every danger, for six days and seven nights I wept over him. I did not give him up for burial, until a maggot fell from his nostril. How could I stay silent? How could I stay quiet? My friend, whom I love, has turned to clay. Shall not I be like him and also lie down, never to rise again, through all eternity?

[wyrmmaster]

Discussing Blue Archive Lore and going progressively insane has been an experience. The Mystics, for example:

Each academy has its thing, right. Abydos is ancient Egyptian pantheon, Trinity is Christianity (+English/Irish/Scottish myth), Gehenna are the 72 demons, Valkyrie and SRT are Norse, Hyakkiyako is Japanese myth, and so on. So it's easy to establish a framework: "They're representative of cultural figures from x place".

So:

You have the ones that are Obvious: Shiroko is Anubis, Hoshino is Horus, Mika is the Archangel Michael, Seia is Gabriel, Hina is Baal, Wakamo is Tamamo no Mae, Niya is Ootakemaru, Kazusa is Cath Palug, Ako is Astaroth, among others

Then you have the ones that are "Obvious" as in "probably": Serika as Bastet, Saori as Lucifer, Nonomi as Nephtys, Nagisa as Uriel, Suzumi as Sariel, Koharu as Metatron, Hasumi as Sandalphon, Hinata as Jegudiel, Kanna as Odin, Miyako as Mimir, and so on.

Now you start getting a little out there, as you have to expand your the concept of "figure from x place" to "the concept from x place".

Shit like "well, Rin's family name is Nanagami, "Seven Gods", she's currently the highest authority at least on paper, so what if she's The Seven Holy Names of God per Jewish faith? If we assume the GSC President was capital G monotheistic God it'd make even more sense" "What if she's the seven heavenly virtues instead?" "Also possible but I think it's the former".

Then you get to fucking Millenium.

"Yuuka's halo is a simple perfect circle that looks artificial. Her birthday is 3/14. She is insanely good at math. She's pi. Stop laughing. Look at her twintails. π. Come on, keep up."

"Rio is either the Theory of Relativity both as a relation to Himari's potential Quantum Theory of Light and as an important foundation of our concept of physics, which would fit with her being MIllenium's president OR as she's the President of Millenium and created the city of Eridu, she's supposed to be the Sumerian Deity Enki, God of creation, knowledge, and water and patron deity of the ancient city Eridu." "Maybe she's both." "SHE'S PROBABLY BOTH, THANKS."

"Himari could be the Quantum Theory of Light in relation to Rio - being a more modern and complete concept, or she could be Isaac Newton, who had a mild obsession in the paranormal, like her." "What if she's also got a Mesopotamian-" "It'd be Ishtar, both because of her antagonism towards Enki in some myth her interest in the stars and as a riff on her whole conceit about her beauty. Further backed up by Eimi being her assistant that handles all the physical work, making her the Bull of Heaven. Eimi even had horns in her concept art." "Someone just put forth Euler's Identity, because it's considered a representation of mathematical beauty, like a sonnet is for poetry."

"The Game Development Department are Eroge Company references. Yuzu is Yuzusoft, Aris is Alicesoft, and the Saiba twins are Cyberworks's Wendybell and Tinkerbell. We can maybe assume that's just what they are." "Oh, thank god something stupid to end this post on-" "Aris's whole universally loved hero thing with an almighty weapon integral in saving the world might make her Gilgamesh-" "FINE OUR DAUGHTER IS GILGAMESH."

[bigasswritingmagnet]

Helpful, in a Heterodyne Kind of Way

inspired by this post, Saturnus Heterodyne, doting grandfather, attempting to find Agatha a PROPER boyfriend

AO3 Link

“No.”

Saturnus blinked.

“Did you say something, dear?”

Teodora approached like a tidal wave and hit about as hard. Saturnus went stumbling back, clutching at his jaw, but Teodora kept coming, punctuating her words with hard jabs to his chest.

“You will not kill my sons. You will abdicate to Bill. You will let him rule Mechanicsburg, his way, and you will like it, or so help me, Saturnus Heterodyne, I will break you.”

Saturnus stared at his wife, who seemed to tower over him like the god queens of old.

“…yes, dear.”

“I don’t like him.”

Agatha rolled her eyes, but did it fondly.

“You never like any of them.”

“And I definitely don’t like this one. Sturmvoraus, pah! And a Valois! Weaselly little devils, with their poisons and their smoke knights and their secret assassinations…”

“I’m sorry, you don’t like them because they kill people?” Agatha asked, raising her eyebrows.

“They don’t kill people properly!” Saturnus bellowed, thumping his fist down on the arm of his chair. “The only reason a man needs to poison a knife is because he’s not good enough to kill you without it!”

“Well, I thought he was very charming.”

“That sister of his had promise,” Saturnus said, perking up a little. “There’s a girl who understands leadership.”  

“She wanted to flense the servants because they didn’t hem her dress correctly.”

“So she’s a bit of a project,” Saturnus said, dismissively. “You always liked a challenge.”

“I think I’ll give this particular one a miss, thanks,” Agatha said, with deep amusement.

Saturnus’ expression grew serious, and he gripped her hand tightly.

“I know you’re all grown up, and you don’t need looking after anymore—especially not by some miserable old codger,” he said, earnestly, “but when I’m gone—”

“Grandfather, please,” Agatha said, rolling her eyes. “You’re not that old—”

“When I’m gone,” Saturnus continued, insistent, “I want to go knowing you’ve got a partner in life who will make you happy. Someone who can keep up with you, support you, love you properly. Someone who deserves you.”  

“Someone who would be willing to help me burn Europa to the ground if I suddenly decide to take up the family traditions?” Agatha asked, with a quirk of a smile.

“Well, that goes without saying.”

Agatha’s smile spread, becoming soft and genuine. She leaned down and kissed the top of her grandfather’s head.  

“You are a terrible old man,” she said, “and I love you very much.”

She slipped out of the room. When her footsteps faded into the distance, Saturnus sighed and maneuvered his chair—a fantastic device Agatha had built him, with dozens of little legs that could navigate the castle's many stairs and even the steep road down to Mechanicsburg—over to the window.

After a few minutes, he saw his granddaughter emerge from the castle, followed at a respectable distance by two Jӓger guards.

“She’s the Lady of Mechanicsburg,�� he said aloud. “She deserves an equal. She deserves the best. Certainly deserves better than her father got.”

Oh yes, Lucrezia Mongfish. Saturnus had approved, quite profusely, even encouraged Bill to see her. And how had that ended?

With a war that nearly leveled Europa, Bill and Barry vanished, a grave smaller than its headstone, and a little girl named Lady of Mechanicsburg before she was twelve.  

Perhaps he should know better than to meddle, after all that.

‘I did overhear a very interesting conversation between Master Tarvek and his sister.’

“Hmm?” Saturnus said, only half-listening.

‘Do you recall Master Bill and Barry’s friend, Klaus Wulfenbach?’

Saturnus screwed up his face.

“Oh don’t be ridiculous, he’s far too old for her!”

‘I was actually thinking of his son. Gilgamesh Wulfenbach, heir to the Wulfenbach Empire?’

Saturnus rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. The Wulfenbach Empire was impressive, and Klaus was ruling with a proper, iron fist—while remaining respectful of Mechanicsburg’s continued autonomy, which Saturnus could only assume was Klaus being smart enough not to start a war he couldn’t win.

“Mmm,” he said, reluctantly. “But Klaus did have his hero phase, running around Europa with the boys, fixing all kinds of problems. That sort of thing can be heritable, you know.”

Just look at Agatha! Nature over nurture his left foot.

‘Not a concern,’ the castle said, smoothly. ‘The boy is adopted.’

“Really?” Saturnus said, now more interested. “Do we know his background, then?”

‘Do you remember Petrus Teuful?’

Saturnus froze. Slowly he raised his head to look at the ceiling.

“Petrus Teuful?”

‘Oh yes.’

“The Black Mist Raiders, that Petrus Teuful?”

‘The very same.’ The castle was very smug.

Saturnus’s astonished expression slowly spread into a wide, devious grin.

“Well…perhaps we shall have Master Gilgamesh over…for dinner. Heh. Aheheh. Hahaha. Ha. Hahaha! Haahahaha!”

Thunder crashed overhead as Saturnus’ laughter echoed over Mechanicsburg. Agatha put her hands on her hips and tutted, glaring up at the castle.

“Oh, now he knows he’s not supposed to do that. It agitates his sciatica.”