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daring-the-devil · 2 years

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large black coffee - 4

You own and operate a new specialty cafe in Hell's Kitchen. One day, a blind lawyer walks through the door, and the trajectory of your life is changed for good. (~2800 words)

author's note: welcome to part 4, where you finally meet matt's friends! this was actually supposed to be MUCH longer but i had to cut it so it wouldn't be absolutely massive. this takes place post-season 3 of daredevil, so there will be spoilers for the entire show in this series!

fic note: no use of y/n or gendered pronouns

warning: some strong language

read part 3 here | start at the beginning | series masterlist | request guidelines

~*~*~

“So,” Eliza says, the moment she steps into the cafe the next morning. “How was your date with Matt?”

“I don’t like your tone,” you say, rolling your eyes, and she scoffs.

“Oh, please.” She moves out of the way so you can get past her and head to the back room. “I’ve been waiting weeks for you two to get together. You can’t skimp out on the details now!”

You’re thankful that she’s not in the room with you right now because you’re pretty sure your cheeks are bright red. “Shut up, please.”

“Come on,” Eliza pleads as you leave the back room and head to the door to flip the sign. “What was he like?”

“Not sure it’s a good thing to hound your boss for personal information,” you say, to which she sighs dramatically. The corner of your mouth turns up. “But, yeah, it was great. He’s so—he’s so fucking perfect, I swear.” You wave your hands. “He’s better than all the other people I’ve dated in the past—literally a gentleman. I’m shocked they still make men like that these days!”

Eliza starts laughing as you join her behind the counter, but she’s cut off when the bell rings.

You turn around, watching as Matt comes in through the door. Your heart quickens at the sight of him.

“Good morning,” you say, as casually as you can, even as Eliza scoffs behind you.

“Good morning,” he returns, stopping in front of the register. He drums his fingers on the surface, almost like he’s thinking about what to order.

“What can I get started for you?” you ask.

He pauses. You hold your breath in anticipation.

“A large black coffee,” he says, and you groan. “All right, listen—”

“No, no, I hear you,” you say, grinning as he laughs. “You refuse to deviate from your routine because it gives you comfort.”

“Well, that, and you do make a damn good black coffee,” he says. You glance back at him in time to catch a flash of his eyes from behind his glasses. Your heart stops. It’s the closest you’ve gotten to seeing them—he hasn’t taken off his glasses for you yet.

In due time, you tell yourself firmly, finishing up his coffee for him. If we even get there at all.

“Here you go,” you say, sliding the coffee across the counter.

He doesn’t move to pick it up yet, just leaves his hand resting on the counter, inches away from yours. He seems…hesitant, almost, his body uncharacteristically still. He’s waiting, you think. For you.

“I had a good time last night,” he says quietly.

“I did too,” you say. “We should do it again sometime. Soon. If you’re available, of course.”

“Absolutely,” he says. You can’t resist the urge to brush your fingers over his. He flips his hand over so he can lace your fingers together. “Also, just wondering—you serve lunch here, right?”

“Er, yes. Yes we do.” You try not to blush as his hold on your hand tightens. “Can I ask why?”

Matt looks a little sheepish at that, his free hand going up to scratch the back of his neck. “I may have told my friends about you. And they want to meet you.”

Your brows shoot up. “Your friends?”

“Karen and Foggy,” he says. Right, his partners. Big, impressive legal people, coming to meet you, the cafe owner who went out on a date with their friend. “If you’re not comfortable, I’ll tell them no, but—”

“No, that’s wonderful!” you hurriedly fill in. A nervous smile splits his face. “I just—I just didn’t realize we were there yet.”

Matt’s cheeks go red. “I’m sorry.”

“No, no, you’re good.” You refrain from smacking yourself on the forehead. “Yeah, of course I want to meet them! They sound great.”

His smile shifts to one of relief. “I’ll text you before we head over.”

“I look forward to it,” you say.

The bell rings, signifying the arrival of more customers, and Matt moves his hand to your jaw and kisses you lightly. You kiss him back without thinking, even with your audience, and you can’t help but grin as he pulls away.

“I’ll see you,” you say.

He chuckles and kisses you on the cheek before picking up his coffee. “Bye.”

You watch him leave, biting your lip in an attempt to control your excitement, and only once Eliza clears her throat loudly do you move.

The morning rush of customers goes by quickly, somehow. You don’t make another black coffee the entire time. It’s funny—Matt could go anywhere else in the neighborhood and order the exact same thing he gets at your cafe, and yet he keeps going to you. It’s sweet. You hope he never stops.

“So,” Eliza says when the rush dies down. She rests her hip against the counter, pins you with her gaze. You busy yourself with wiping the counter for the fifth time in the last hour. “I’m not going to ask again. How was your date with Mr. Murdock?”

“It was nice,” you say flatly, trying and failing not to think about the long dinner you’d had and the walk to Matt’s apartment. When you’d gotten home, you texted him to thank him for dinner and that you’d had a great time, and he’d responded in the same fashion. Then, this morning, he’d kissed you, held your hand, and told you about introducing you to his friends.

All of this—it was more than nice. It was perfect. Is it official?

“You have to give me more than that,” Eliza says. “Where did you go? Did he walk you home? I’m assuming there was a kiss, because wow, that was definitely not your first kiss—”

“We went to sushi, I walked him home, and we texted each other goodnight,” you say quickly, cutting her off. “And yes, there was a kiss, and it was great. Because he’s great, and I’m excited to see him again.”

Eliza sighs. “Oh, you’re so cute together, it makes me sick. I mean, I asked out my girlfriend ten minutes after we met, and now we’ve been living together for three years, so by my standards, you two are moving a little slower than what I’m used to, but—”

“Right, yeah, I get it,” you say, rubbing your forehead. “Look, this is my first relationship in five years, okay? Matt knows. And…if we officially decide to start dating, I’ll tell him I want to take it slow.” To you, it’s pretty obvious that Matt has a lot more experience than you do when it comes to dating—hell, even down to his kissing technique. You shiver as you feel the ghost of his hand on your jaw. You wonder how he’ll take it if you tell him you want to go slow.

You hope that he’ll take it well. You actually want to see where this goes.

Does he even like me like that? He must, because he’d asked you out, and then initiated the kiss, so…probably?

You’re hopeless.

You still have a few hours until Matt is set to come in with his friends. In that time, you’ll still have a steady flow of customers, and then when the lunchtime rush starts, Jacob’s shift begins and overlaps with Eliza’s so all three of you will be working. It’s strange that the busiest time of the day is your favorite, but you love Jacob and Eliza, so getting to spend time with them is worth the stress.

Realistically, you should think about hiring more people, but you’ll worry about that when the time comes.

Jacob comes in twenty minutes before the lunch rush is due to start, so the three of you are well prepared when it does. You’re just finished with taking another set of orders when you see Matt and two others come into the cafe and join the end of the line. Matt must know you’re there because he waves in your direction, and you spot his friends looking at you. You wave back and wait until it’s their turn to come to the counter.

“Matt,” you say by way of greeting, inviting him to introduce his friends. Thankfully, he takes the cue.

“This is Foggy,” Matt says, tilting his head in the direction of the man, who waves. “And this is Karen.”

“Hi,” Karen says. Her smile is bright, her blonde hair clipped out of her face.

“Matt’s told us a lot about you,” Foggy adds.

Even though you know Matt can’t see your face, you look at him and raise your eyebrows. “A lot? Good things, I hope.”

“Oh, nothing but,” Matt says.

You laugh as you pass Matt a lunch menu. “What can I get you guys?”

“Is that a Braille menu?” Foggy asks.

“I printed them when I realized he was becoming a regular,” you explain. Foggy nods approvingly.

“Can I get a croissant sandwich?” Karen asks. “And an iced raspberry tea.”

“Sure,” you say, plugging it in. “foggy?”

“Tomato soup and grilled cheese,” he says.

“And you, Matt?” you ask. “If you say a large black coffee, I will throw you out.”

He shakes his head, folding up the menu. “You’re hilarious. I’ll have what Karen is having. No mustard.”

“You got it,” you say. “It’s on the house.”

“Absolutely not,” Foggy says.

“Go find a table and I’ll bring it out to you guys,” you say, ignoring him. You turn to get the order started only for Jacob to gently nudge you aside.

“Go sit with them,” he mutters as Eliza goes to the register.

“What?”

“Go,” he says. “I can take over for you.”

Eliza shoos you away insistently, giving you no choice but to listen to them and join Matt and his friends at their table. Foggy waves.

“Jacob made me come here,” you explain, “so blame him for me being here.”

“Thank you,” Karen calls to Jacob, who grins at her from behind the counter.

“So,” Foggy says once you’re seated between Matt and Karen. “You own this place?”

You nod, sitting back in your chair. “Saved up money throughout college and used some of my inheritance from my grandparents to buy it and fix it up.”

“I love what you’ve done with it,” Karen says, looking around. You can’t help but agree—the walls are painted white, and they’re decorated with various paintings and shelves of things you’ve picked up at thrift stores and flea markets. Plants (fake, since you’d forget to water any real ones) hang from the ceiling. The floors are a grayish-brown wood that matches the paneling on the front of the counters, the surfaces of which are white marble. You went with warm overhead lighting to make it a more inviting atmosphere, iron lamps with Edison bulbs hanging over the mix of round and square tables and mismatched chairs. The whole place smells just enough like coffee for it to be noticeable but not overpowering.

It’s your pride and joy, your baby. You’re so proud of it.

“It was a mess before I got to it,” you say. “God, the roaches.”

“Absolutely not,” Foggy says, shaking his head. “We had roaches at our old office—nasty. Never again.”

“And it smelled awful,” Matt adds, pulling a face. He’s so cute. “I don’t think we closed the windows once for the entire first week we were there.”

“I barely even had a desk for a while,” Karen says. “I had to fish one out of a dumpster.”

Jacob brings out the food and slides a BLT in front of you with an iced tea.

“Thanks,” you say, patting him on the arm.

“Enjoy your lunch,” he says with a wink before heading back.

After a few more minutes of them telling you about how they all started working together, Foggy leans closer to you, jabbing his thumb in Matt’s direction.

“So,” he says conspiratorially. “What exactly made you want to go out with this guy?”

You glance at Matt. “He ordered a plain black coffee.”

Karen snorts a laugh. “What?”

“We don’t get black coffee orders here,” you say. “It was weird. And, y’know, he’s a smooth talker when he wants to be, so…can you blame me?”

“Nah, he did that shit all the time in college,” Foggy says, leaving Matt sputtering into his water. “Worked like a charm! Left me feeling single as hell, though.”

“And now you’re married,” Karen says.

“You’re right! I am! But I wasn’t during college!” Foggy turns to you. “So. Tell me a little more about yourself. I wanna know why you’ve got this guy all flustered.”

“Foggy,” Matt says. He sounds a little desperate. You won’t lie—it’s endearing.

“Fine, fine,” Foggy says. “But you’ll have to tell me eventually.”

“Oh, I will,” you say.

You let Foggy ask you whatever he wants—what you’d studied in college, what made you want to open the cafe, how long you’ve lived in Hell’s Kitchen. Before long, someone’s watch beeps, and Karen sighs.

“Lunch break is over,” she reports, and you wonder if you’re imagining that she sounds a little sad. “We need to head back.”

“If we’re the only people working there, then do we really?” Foggy asks.

“We have an appointment with a client in twenty minutes,” Karen says. “So, yeah, we do.”

“Well, then, we’ll go to Josie’s sometime,” Foggy says, turning to you. “You’re coming too, obviously. Matt can text you the details.”

“Yes, he can,” Karen says pointedly, all the while Matt’s flush grows more and more obvious. She steps in and hugs you quickly. “It was lovely to meet you.”

“You too,” you say, squeezing her back before letting her go to do the same to Foggy.

“I’ll take care of this guy until you see him next,” Foggy says, clapping Matt on the shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah, okay,” Matt says. “Go ahead. I’ll catch up.”

Karen and Foggy wave at you as they head out the door, leaving you and Matt standing together.

“Thank you for doing this,” he says softly, taking your hand.

“No problem.” You squeeze his fingers. “I’m glad you have them. And I’ll be happy to go out for drinks with all of you. If you’re okay with that.”

“Of course I’m okay with that,” Matt says, a little incredulously, like he can’t believe you’re suggesting that he wouldn’t be okay with that. “I don’t know if I’ve made it clear yet, but…I really like you. And I want to be official with you.”

You smile and kiss him, the gesture so quick that Matt seems to barely process that it’s happening. “Yes, I want to make this official. Obviously.”

He laughs, the sound pushing your heart into somersaults. “Okay. Great. So I’ll text you.”

“You better,” you shoot back.

"I'll see you later," he promises. "Figuratively speaking."

"You're so funny," you say sarcastically, and he grins and squeezes your hand once more before following his friends out the door.

You return to your spot behind the counter and lean against it, facing Jacob, who’s watching you with a smug expression on his face. “What?”

“Nothing,” Jacob says. He returns to the drink he’s making. “They seem nice.”

“They were,” you say. You’d expected as much—you were pretty sure Matt wouldn’t hang around them if they weren’t—but it still made you feel better about the whole thing. Your phone buzzes in your pocket and you fish it out.

Matt: Foggy wants to know if you can go to Josie’s on Friday night at six. He says hi.

You smile as you read the message and send back: That’s perfect! Thanks for the invite :) tell him I say hi!

“Oh, you’re in deep,” Eliza says as she passes you and Jacob.

“Get home safe,” you tell her with a roll of your eyes.

“Sarah's picking me up, so I'll be fine.” Eliza jerks her head to the window, where a young woman in a leather jacket is waiting at the curb, leaning against a motorcycle, a spare helmet in her hands. You smile as Eliza steps out the door and takes the helmet from the woman before kissing her.

“Am I the only single one left?” Jacob asks as Eliza and Sarah pull away from the curb. He slides the drink across the counter and calls out the name on it.

You weigh your phone in your hand, see a text from Matt come up on the screen, and smile. “Looks that way, doesn’t it?”

Jacob scoffs and swats your shoulder. “Get back to work.”

“Who’s the boss here?” you ask, shoving him.

He rolls his eyes. “Whatever.”

“Whatever, my ass.” You hear him laugh as you take your place at the register, the two of you falling back into your pattern, even as your heart is somewhere else.

part 5

taglist (let me know if you want to be added!):

@your-not-invisible-to-me

#fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction writer #fanfic writer #matt murdock #matthew murdock #matt murdock x reader #daredevil #daredevil fanfiction #daredevil x reader #matt murdock fanfiction #matt murdock x you #charlie cox #marvel #marvel fanfiction

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poisonappletales · 1 year

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(I have edited the screenshot of this ask to keep this person's identity anonymous as requested!)

I've already messaged Anonymous to thank them for bringing this to my attention, but I'd like to make a post addressing this here.

Don't Take This Risk was developed for the Asylum game jam back in 2016. On Game Jolt, you can see it was published in 2016 (although, I highly recommend playing the Director's Abridged Version on itch.io to get extra endings). As further evidence, there's a 2016 article talking about here and you can see Markiplier's awesome Let's Play of it posted here also back in 2016.

Don't Take This Risk was not inspired by any book. It is my original work.

While non-profit fanworks of our games are allowed and definitely appreciated, trying to claim copyright over the game's story, character and script is not. It is generally against the guidelines of any site you may try to publish it on as well.

Fortunately, the writer mentioned in this ask did not seem to have deliberately bad intentions. I emailed them and asked them to include a copyright disclaimer, along with a statement that it is a fanfic. They have done so, and everything should be well. (If, however, you see evidence that points to the contrary, then you can let me know or keep reading on to know how to fix the issue!)

I have not unblurred/revealed the screenshots in this ask, which would show the writer's name and what site they have published their fanfic on. I don't want anyone to give them hate or harass them, just in case. They haven't been hostile and it doesn't seem like they meant any harm, so I only wish them the best and appreciate that they're a fan of the game.

If, in the future, you come across someone who seems to be plagiarizing my work, I would ask that you message/email them privately, politely asking them to make it clear that it's a fanfic or to stop if they have actually crossed a line. If they are not reasonable, then reporting them on the site they have published their work on should suffice. You can also message or email me if you feel like you don't know what to do.

I pour my heart and passion into my work, so I can't say it doesn't hurt if somebody actually tries to steal my creative endeavor. However, I don't agree with bullying or responding to hate with hate. So if there's a problem and you can do it, let's solve it with words, reason and kindness. Something Ambrosia would advocate with love.

“Yes! Being kind doesn’t mean not taking action. In fact, it’s always good to stand up for what’s right. But how you do it makes a difference, too. I don’t believe in violence...all it does is breed more violence. So let’s take matters into our own hands firmly but with heart. ♥”

In other news, I plan to visit the Discord this Saturday (December 31, 2022) at around 3:30 PM (PST)! We can have a belated Christmas party and New Year's Eve celebration all at once. Since I have evening plans that day, I’ll have to be off around 5:30-5:45 PM, so let’s make the most of it while we’re there!

I also plan to post a sneak peek of the game's progress soon in honor of 2023. So keep your eye out for it!

In the meantime...I hope you had a Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!

#ask #poison apple tales #poisonappletales #dont take this risk #dttr

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carameira · 2 years

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Hello Everyone ~ ♤

I'm Carameira, and I'm opening my blog for writing requests! (Specifically, headcanons, Drabbles, short fics, or any style of fanfiction!)

However! Before requesting, please read this general guidelines of what I'm willing to write:

I AM WILLING TO WRITE...

Fluff, Angst, Heavy Angst or Fluff, Fluff to Angst / Angst to Fluff, comfort, and hurt

Self -inserts (actually that's what im aiming to write lmao)

Any kinds of LGBTQIA+ requests (don't worry guys this is a safe place!)

LIGHT NSFW (emphasis on LIGHT, horny children)

Character x Character (as long as im in the fandom of course!!)

Mental Health / Physical Health comfort (but make sure to add trigger warnings just in case!)

I AM N O T WILLING TO WRITE

Heavy NSFW (I'm not quite experienced in that field of writing yet, unfortunately LOL. Even so I'll still be uncomfortable describing sex scenes) (also, considering livers are still human beings, it's weird to just do that honestly)

Disgusting Kinks which includes but it NOT limited to: Piss and Poop kink, Vomit kink, Incest, any religious kink, etc.

Yanderes (unfortunately this makes me uncomfortable, sorry guys!)

Since we are including livers (who are real life people), I will not be writing anything that may violate the boundaries of said streamers

Moving on from that...

As I am a multi- fandom blog, please do note I am willing to write for the following fandoms:

NIJISANJI EN (for now, unfortunately I don't know the guys from the other branches well enough yet fJFKDJD, but maybe soon!)

Genshin Impact (don't get me started on all the hot characters there man djksjd IM A SIMP)

Tears of Themis

Bungou Stray Dogs

HOWEVER as you can see I am in my VTUBER phase rn (even though I just watch nijisanji livers for now BUT I PROMISE ILL EXPAND MY TASTES) so I may be answering more NijisanjiEN Requests!

Now that you know what I'm willing to write, let's move onto the Rules and Reminders I have while interacting with this blog!

Don't be scared to interact with me! I promise I don't bite~

If you wish to stay anonymous while interacting with me, please assign yourself with an emoji, or a name (for example, 🤍 anon, or if you want a name, fourth anon)

Do not be creepy, disrespectful, or in general just dont be a rude and impolite to me or to anyone who interacts with posts.

If I make a mistake that is ignorant of any issues, please contact me through private message and I'll do my best to get back to you! However, please don't be too aggressive on it as I do get easily anxious fjdkdhjd

Remember to respect everybody's boundaries

And most importantly, Have fun and enjoy your trip in my rabbit hole of a blog!

Please do note that these rules and guidelines are subject to change at any given moment~☆

Thank you for reading my introductory post! And you may now request~☆ Have Fun!

(I may be answering to requests after a few days since we are traveling and im posting this at 3 am jfjdjd, however l'll get started as soon as I can!)

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imnotgoinghome · 2 years

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This is here for you guys, don’t even ask. please just don’t ask, just be thankful I put this here and too the time to make it….

I give Pinterest full credit for all of these photos 😝

Most Recent Story:

Alive or Just Breathing?

I would like to warn y’all now; this will be a series, marking my first series ever. Hope y’all enjoy this. Also, this is a sad story with what I hope to make a somewhat happy ending but I haven’t decided yet…

I Think I Like This Story

For the people wondering, not this I’m not a part of my story ‘Alive or Just Breathing’. Chapter 3 is in the works, trust me but right now I just need a break from thinking about it. It’s not easy for me to write sometimes and I know I just came back from a HUGE writers block, but sometimes we just needs break, ya know? I also have been on vacation so that’s one reason why Chapter 3 Isn’t out yet, but I’ll get working on it soon, trust me. Anyways, hope you guys like this story. It’s just a cute short little blur but I think it’s cute and I hope you guys will too.

All Stories:

Masterlist

You know what, I’m not even gonna lie. I just wanted a place to put all this stuff, that’s like the only reason this is here… and so it’s more organized… feel free to explore. Actually, do whatever you want with this, I’m not concerned.

Request Guidelines:

I write for:

Peter Parker

If it says Tom holland under it, don’t ask which Peter it is. It’s Peter 1 ok?

Tom Holland

Ok, I don’t know why, but I don’t write for him as much, just FYI.

I will write all requests that I can, so feel free to ask me for anything!

I do not tolerate smut, so please don’t ask me to write anything that involves it. Or if your going to, don’t be surprised if I don’t respond.

Questions:

I upload every Tuesday and Thursday (It rotates every week. So this week if I post Tuesday, the next week I’ll post Thursday) I really just post when I want, so this doesn’t really happen.

I do not reveal my name. So if you know it, please do not share it.

Other then that, feel free to ask me anything! if you don’t like my rules I’m sorry but I love you guys either way

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tenderfxck · 1 year

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h-hello i love ur writing so much and i think you're so amazing i just wanted to know if like you got any no-nos or like guidelines for requesting when it comes to writing?? bc i want to request something and i am afraid to ask but here i am LOL

love ur alhaitham stuff btw <3 stay strong and stay powerful

aw shucks, thank you very much u.u

and yeah! i’m actually working on my directory rn which should have all that on it soon.

as for now i’ll at least hit you with my hard nos:

non-con, underage, incest (including step), unclean (scat, emeto, etc.), abuse, abusive situations, fear, pregnancy (breeding is okay, i’m just not particularly into it lol), unfaithfulness!!

and just as a guideline i like to keep stuff gender neutral, but i will write for f! or m!reader if requested

that’s all i can think of for now :/ i’ll have these and my “oh god yes” stuff on a directory/rules post soon enough

you can also just hit me with what you’re thinking, worst case i’ll just not write it xx

edit: ANGST. I FORGOT ANGST. the only capacity i can write it in is if it’s immediately smothered with tooth rotting fluff afterwards

#thank you for asking <3 #tender answers

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yostresswritinggirl · 3 years

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100 Followers Special

(And how to participate) you don't need to be a follower to vote ack

~yostresswritinggirl

Hello AGAIN, with your back to back followers special! Exiled here, very tired, as I just closed the requests box for our 50 followers special. I asked for some recommendations and no one helped me so this is what I came up with!

Granted, it's nothing that special, I literally just dumped my notes into this so—

Please make sure to follow the guidelines and read this thoroughly to properly participate!

1. You will be given a long list of fic prompts specific to a character that I've come up with for weeks on end, please don't steal, as I will remove them after this event is done!

2. Voting! You now have the power to influence my writing schedule haha- what you need to do: is to pick three prompts from the list and send it to me; either through reblog tag, a reply, or in my ask box (not anon so we can count fairly, will not publish these answers tho so worry not)! Not in messages tho! It should be in this format:

1. Character - prompt or prompt title

2. Character - prompt or prompt title

3. Character - prompt or prompt title

example:

1. Albedo - Citrinitas

2. Zhongli - Braid

3. Xingqui - Author!Reader

The top three most voted prompt and character will be the next fics I'll publish after I'm done with the current reqs. Speaking of: Voting ends when I finish the current reqs. You'll know it's done once the counter in my blog desc reaches 12/12.

3. In addition to the three prompts, you also get to add your own prompt to it! My prompts list does not include ALL the characters that's why I wanted to give you this option too! Add a fourth number and specify a character, a prompt/idea, and the format of the fic! Format it this way:

4. Character - Prompt/Idea (Format)

4. Kaeya - What's under that eyepatch? (Scenario)

After I pooled the answers, I'll randomly pick between the bonus answers and write them last! So give it your best shot!

4. Tags-list! I thought this would be necessary for this kind of a whim special, so if you wanna be tagged, just put Tag Me! at the end of your vote. Please make sure that you're actually able to be tagged because I just tried and some users are not in my orbit huhu, look here

5. If a pocket watch/series prompt gets chosen, I will only post the first chapter, not the whole damn fic pls. Have mercy,,,

I will post a counter of the top three in my blog description and will be updated as frequently as possible. Any questions, please direct to this post or my dms <3

Without further ado, here is your choice list!

Xingqui - "My liege, would you care to accompany me on my reading break? I've picked up a romance novel and it reminded me of us."

-> Author!Reader: You met Xingqui at Wanwen Bookhouse when delivering a batch of your newly-published book. But as a ghost writer, no one knew it was you that authored such books. Safe to say it was cute watching the noble bookworm fanboy about you in front of you. [FLUFF] [FIC]

-> Headcanons with a reader older than Xingqui who's a close family friend of the Feiyun Commerce Guild. Fascinated after meeting you in a party, the noble boy aspires to become the best man for you despite the difference, promising to be the best suitable partner for you in the future. [FLUFF] [HEADCANON SCENARIO]

Childe - "Hey there, comrade! What a coincidence that we had a break at the same time, care to accompany me for a walk? I promise I won’t lead you to a fight haha... hey, don’t look at me like that!”

-> Antinomy - The 10th Harbinger (You) and the little shit they had to mentor (Childe), this fic enumerates the trials of the 11th before he became a Harbinger under your care. From strangers to mentor to friends to love- Childe made a grave mistake, now you’re once again strangers. [FLANGST] [ONESHOT]

Albedo - "Ah, it's you. I've heard of fleeting rumors that you've been pestering a certain someone just to see me. Next time, just come directly to me, I wouldn't mind the assertiveness."

-> Refer to these three as well: Albedo Fic Ideas [FLUFF/FLANGST/FLANGST] [ONESHOT/ONESHOT/SERIES]

-> “You’re Enough”: A year into being the new Chief Alchemist of Mond, Albedo finds himself holed up in his room in the dead of night, haunted as he continuously comes out empty on his research to bring his master back, feeling inadequate. So you reminded him of what he’s capable of. [FLUFF?] [ONESHOT INSPIRED BY You Are Enough - Sleeping At Last]

-> Under the Artificial Sky: Michaelangelo Scenario focused on Albedo’s sketching aspect. Grand Master Varka and Acting Grand Master Jean figured Albedo needed a break and a change of scenery, and sent him off under the guise of a commission in Liyue. What he didn’t expect was another artist from Fontaine accompanying him in this big project.(Albedo and Reader are tasked to paint the new Jade Chamber within 7 days) [FLUFF] [SERIES - 7 CHAPTERS]

-> Albedo SMUT: I had this idea while laying wide awake at 3 AM. The alchemist had been trying all remedies to shake off the stress and fatigue in his system and they all seemed to fail, no amount of sketching or discoveries can pull him away from it. So when you offered a solution he hasn’t heard, he’d jump at it immediately. “You know, some people say having intercourse with someone is a good stress-reliever.” “Intercourse? If it’s true, then please, I wish to have intercourse with you.” “Wha- wait Albedo, do you not know what that is? It’s only done between lovers!” “Convenient, I love you, anything else?” (Two virgin dumbasses do the thing to relieve stress) [SMUT] [ONESHOT]

Xiao - “I’ve taken care of every threat around this area, you can relax now, I made sure of that.”

-> What is it with you and Qingxin flowers? The Traveler had once heard of Xiao’s affinity for Qingxin flowers, and they’re flying companion boldly asked this lingering question to the adepti himself. His pupils dilate and sharpen before Paimon could finish her sentence. (An origin story about his favorite flower, and his favorite person) [SLIGHT FLANGST] [ONESHOT]

-> Just how harmful is adeptal energy to normal humans? You both found out in the worst way possible: silently, deadly. (Slight spoiler: you fucking die) [ANGST] [ONESHOT]

-> Nightmares Taste Horrible: He’s seen that look in your eyes and the ancient soul within it; you’ve lived long ago, and the only thing your soul carried now was the nightmares of a macabre timeline. Was it him or was it demons that brought you that fear? No matter, he’ll protect you even from yourself. (eating the nightmare of a dead soul reincarnated to you) [FLANGST?] [ONESHOT]

-> Go for the throat: The seal that marked you had made it all too late for him to remedy. Bleeding eyes, growing fangs, it’s just another demon to vanquish just like he’s done for centuries. What makes it different was it was sealed in you. (Inspired from Melanie Martinez’s song uhu) [ANGST] [ONESHOT]

Zhongli - “Mortals are capable creatures that evolve and adapt for means of survival, but they advance in ways that changes the world around them. This retirement, may be harder to me than it is to them.”

-> “In human history, there’s a certain noble and powerful connotation to rulers who braid their hair.” Convince to braid his hair using some historical braid trivia; that long hair behind his back should not be ignored for any longer. [PURE FLUFF] [DRABBLE]

-> History has its eyes on you: A traveling theatre hailing from the land of entertainment finds its way to Liyue for their last caravan. A certain Geo Vision man seems to resonate with your newest script: fighting and protecting your land, building up its nation, before being forced to let go of it. He resonates maybe a little too much. (Musical!Reader with heavy references to Hamilton hehe) [FLUFF] [ONESHOT]

Venti - "Can you hear the symphonies of the wind as it sings to you? That's me, guiding you and protecting you! Whenever you hear it, know that you're safe and sound under my protection!"

-> the one the bard once loved: like actual bard, you are the archer or smth, loved by Venti and Barbatos. Yandere!Barbatos undertones, very unhealthy relationship. This hurts the kokoro. [PURE ANGST] [ONESHOT]

-> The Caravan: (related to the Zhongli and Musical!Reader up there) Your caravan stops at Mondstadt for a whole week before it reaches its final destination. This new fanfare pulled in a peculiar bard who now wants to tag along for the fun of it. "I have no more responsibilities in this free land!" Just what kind of responsibilities does a broke bard have in the first place? [FLUFF] [ONESHOT/HEADCANON]

Diluc - "You look weary, and you still managed to pull yourself here. Here, a fresh and cold glass, on the house. A relieved smile should be enough payment."

-> Abandoned by The Altar: A timeline oriented story focused on your once perfect childhood relationship as Diluc's bride to be, soon becoming estranged after the death of his father and his neglect. You only wish now that he looks at you the same way he did when you heard you were supposed to be together forever when you were young. [FLANFF] (The ending gets better pls; Inspired by Still Into You - Paramore) [ONESHOT]

-> There are No Laws Against Homelessness in Mondstadt: My favorite title out of all of this ahahhaa- who says adventurers can't be broke? You're the living embodiment of that. (Good boi Diluc with a broke ass reader) [FLUFF] (Warning: homelessness) [ONESHOT]

Scaramouche - "Let's go already, the sun is setting and we're nowhere near our destination. If you wanted to linger just to spend more time with me, I would have indulged you behind closed doors anyways."

-> Scaramouche Finally Does the Fandango: Have you ever wondered how Scaramouche is like working with other people? His first assignment was to accompany you in your main region and he sees you in your natural habitat, entranced. [I dunno how to tag this, NORMAL?] [ONESHOT/SHORT]

-> Skincare bitch, how I headcanon Scaramouche as someone actually conscious and always tending to their skin. Look at that smooth skin, cute cheeks, let me pinch, eyeliner glory— In which case, that hat has more purpose than being a frisbee. (May or may not include reader. (based from a reblog convo with chels-void) [GOOD VIBES] [HEADCANONS]

-> Once Supreme: Before Scaramouche, there was someone else higher than him. Before Balladeer there was just a young man fighting for his beliefs and her Majesty. Before Mondstadt, his smile wasn't just for deception. "Someday, someone would take advantage of that smile, Scaramouche. It's not appropriate in this work environment." The day you break a man. (Harbinger!Reader again, and lots of HCs for Scaramouche, same format as Antinomy) [I also do not know how to call this, eventual ANGST] [ONESHOT]

Kaeya - "What are you doing out here in the dead of night? Citizens like you should be cozied up in bed and leaving the patrols to us Knights. Come, I'll accompany you back home."

-> Honey Whiskey: A mysterious band of dancers from Sumeru visits Mondstadt and its taverns to offer a night of alluring dances. What was supposed to be a night of drinking for Kaeya and his troops ended up becoming a tipsy surprise mission when the main dancer steps down from the stage— and ignores him?! How scandalous! (Slightly suggestive themes/You're a bad guy) [COOL?] [ONESHOT] [slightly inspired by song with the same name]

General:

-> A Musical!Reader but with a scenario with every other character, most probably headcanons master post.

-> Genshin Food prompts: From that one post, I ended up making a whole storyline of oneshots related to their special dishes. Oneshots connected to a bigger picture. By impulse you've ended up leaving your normal life behind to pursue your cooking career, starting from Mondstadt, to learn all the cuisines to establish the first ever international restaurant. With the implications of magic and peculiar customers, your simple dream turns into a harder goal. [GOOD SHIT] [SERIES] [CANON-COMPLIANT]

-> God of Time!Reader that hails from Fontaine. Do you wish to know more about their origins and their purpose in this world? [CANON-COMPLIANT] [HEADCANONS] (General since it deals with all the characters/interactions)

▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱

Tagslist-for-my-thirsty-homies:

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tommybaholland · 3 years

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request rules 🐳

NOTE:

i want to preface this by saying that any of these guidelines could change at any time. check back here or the #update tag but i’ll try to let you know when changes are made! don’t be afraid to message me or send an ask if you have any questions and i will do my best to help out!

❧ current updates:

-> check back for new writing posts every few days! currently trying to rotate through fandoms with every post night

-> some tokyo revengers characters are now available to request!

❧ current request status:

tom&co. | OPEN (0/10 slots filled)

anime/manga | OPEN (6/10 slots filled)

*** updated on 13 Feb 2023***

❧ how to request:

1. read these rules entirely. any requests that do not follow these guidelines will be deleted

2. think about if you have any questions or if something in the rules needs clarification. if yes, then please send an ask or a message (asks are preferred for more general questions as others may have the same question). if not, then you’re good to move on to the next step!

3. simply send an ask (on or off anon) with the details and i’ll get to it as soon as i can! note that longer, more detailed requests may take longer to fulfill. you may send in as many requests as you like but please be mindful that the actual posting of them may be spread out over several weeks

❧ who i will write for (bolded names indicate personal favs):

tom&co:

tom holland, harrison osterfield, peter parker

bnha/mha (anime&manga):

izuku midoriya, shoto todoroki, katsuki bakugo, eijiro kirishima, denki kaminari, kyoka jiro, ochaco uraraka, mina ashido, momo yaoyorozu, hitoshi shinso, tamaki amajiki, nejire hado, camie utsushimi, fuyumi todoroki, natsuo todoroki, dabi

haikyuu!! (anime only):

kuroo, kenma, yaku, yamaguchi, nishinoya, daichi, sugawara, kageyama, akaashi, bokuto, suna, atsumu, osamu, kita, oikawa, iwaizumi, wakatoshi, tendo, semi, goshiki

jujutsu kaisen (anime&manga):

yuji itadori, megumi fushiguro, nobara kugisaki, satoru gojo, junpei yoshino, kento nanami, toge inumaki, maki zenin, yuta okkotsu, aoi todo, noritoshi kamo, toji fushiguro, choso, suguru geto

free! (anime only):

haruka nanase, makoto tachibana, rin matsuoka, nagisa hazuki, rei ryugazaki, sosuke yamazaki, aiichiro nitori, momotaro mikoshiba, seijuro mikoshiba, asahi shiina, kisumi shigino, ikuya kirishima, hiyori tono, natsuya kirishima

sk8 the infinity (anime only):

reki kyan, langa hasegawa, kojiro nanjo (joe), kaoru sakurayashiki (cherry), tadashi kikuchi

tokyo revengers (anime&manga):

takemichi, mikey, draken, naoto, akkun, mitsuya, baji, kazutora, chifuyu, hanma

❧ what i will write:

anything that’s sfw including fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, mildly spicy, etc sfw..

AUs i will write include friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, mermaid, stripper, royal, and roommate

*please do not send nsfw requests. if you are interested in nsfw content, please check out the Patreon page. i’d more than likely be happy to write it there for you!

*note: if i feel i cannot portray the request accurately, i will decline by deleting the request. i don’t anticipate this happening much at all but i never want to misrepresent anyone by writing about subjects/topics/themes that i have no place in writing if i am not experienced and/or identified within them.

❧ what you can request:

blurbs: < 500 words

drabbles: 500-1.5K words

headcanons: vary in length, no limit on number of characters per one request

here are some prompt lists you can use to request if you would like! (please specify which list)

❧ most important:

enjoy! i write for fun and i hope you have fun here too

i think thats it! thanks for reading this, i really appreciate it and will work hard to fulfill all your writing requests!

about the writer:

hi! i'm chiara but i also just go by c. i like anything that allows me to be creative, hence why i'm here. sometimes i make stupid jokes and think i'm funny. i watch way too much anime and live in a fantasy world more than reality. i won't spoil anything (without warning) if you don't! i'm here a lot right now so feel free to chat with me about anything :)

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anjael · 7 months

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DOTA SECRET SANTA 2023 - SIGNUPS OPEN

It’s that time again already!

As always, even if you aren’t participating, I’d be very grateful if you could signal boost by re-blogging! I’ll also be cross-posting to my Twitter *here* so RTs much appreciated if you’re on there ~

What’s a Secret Santa?

For those who have never done a Secret Santa before, the way it works is you submit a gift request, which goes into a pool which is then randomised. The randomised requests are then handed out to the participants.

So basically, its Mystery Gift! Everyone draws/writes a Dota-themed gift for someone. You won’t know who it’s for, and you won’t know who is doing yours! Then at the exchange, the completed gifts are handed out anonymously to whomever they belong, via email.

Sounds good, where do I sign?

Send your email applications right here! -> [email protected]

What do I write in my application email?

1. Your name / tumblr tag / most used social media - a link to your blog would also be helpful so I know who you are and can contact you if emails are not working or something. A link to examples of your work (art tag, etc) is also appreciated!

2. Preferred gift rating. NSFW requests are totally okay as long as they are not offensive/racist/sexist but if you’d like something NSFW, please also provide a SFW alternative request as not everyone is comfortable producing such content. If you don’t mind receiving NSFW but would prefer not to submit it, please tell me and vice versa.

3. Your actual request! If you prefer shipping/non shipping, please include this in your signup email. Please try to word your request so that it can be filled by either an artist or writer, if possible, as your gift-giver is randomly assigned!

Examples of requests (just for reference, there’s no required format)

- a pairing or your favourite character/s doing [something of your choice]

- an AU with [character/pairing]

Your requests don’t have to be seasonal-themed, request whatever you like!

4. Whether you would be able to pinch-hit (fill an extra gift if needed).

5. Whether you would like to remain anonymous to your gift recipient and/or on the master-post of entries (which will be posted up on Tumblr a few days after gift exchange)

———- DEADLINES ————–

Applications Close: 29th October 2023, 00:00 GMT

Prompts Sent Out to Participants: by 1st November 2023, 00:00 GMT

Gift submission: 20th December 2023, 22:00 GMT

(Please submit your completed gifts to [email protected])

Gift Exchange: 22nd - 24th December 2023 (TBC)

———- RULES/GUIDELINES —————–

- Don’t be a butt. (generally the best rule to live by)

- Complete the gift using your MAD SKILLS, whether that’s drawing or writing fanfic! If you have other cool magic abilities like animating or using SFM, you’re welcome to use those too!

- Please submit completed works only. Your gift should be fully coloured if it’s art (unless you are specifically doing a monochrome / inked piece), and properly formatted, spell-checked and at least 1,000 words if it’s a written piece.

- For written pieces, google doc links/word documents are fine for the email exchange, but if you want me to include your fic in the tumblr master-post please bear in mind you need to post it somewhere link-able such as AO3.

- if you are submitting NSFW art, AO3 hosts art too and can be a good alternative to tumblr/twitter restrictions.

- Please don’t post any completed gifts on your blog until gifts have been exchanged!

- if the deadline is approaching and you know you won’t be able to submit your piece in time, please tell me as soon as possible so I can arrange for someone else to fill your assigned prompt.

- I’ll be tracking the tumblr tag ‘dota secret santa 2023’. If you have any issues, inbox me, email me or DM me on Twitter! (link above)

There’s also a Discord group - please let me know if you’d like an invite!

- GL HF!

#dota 2 #dota secret santa 2023

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coolfire333 · 3 years

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Hi guys!! I’m so glad to be back, it’s been a while!

Basically my blog up and vanished because staff/support terminated me. I didn’t mean to go anywhere and this really pissed me off but I’m back now and I don’t intend to leave tumblr anytime soon.

I still have no email explaining why I got the boot in the first place and I never got a warning, nothing was flagged either, so I don’t know if I’ll ever know why. But I have returned :)

Getting this problem fixed took literally three weeks and probably over 50 emails, so I’m gonna tell you exactly what I did in case that this helps somebody else with the same problem.

It’s hard to find suggestions as to what to do if your blog gets terminated, and idk what was the thing I did that finally worked but here’s all that I tried in order. Again, I’m not saying that one of these things is gonna be the magic cure-all, but I’m listing everything just in case:

1. Send in a ticket using support’s form. I made sure to type in my blog name, my email address that I use for my blog, my IP address (you can google “what’s my IP” to find this”), and I also attached screenshots of the termination page.

If they sent you an email about your termination make sure to attach it if possible, if you’re unlucky like me and this came out of the blue then just try the above. Make sure to say that you think the termination was a mistake because you didn’t violate any guidelines.

Also be polite, I know this situation can panic you but make sure to be nice to support. Vent to somebody else if you need to but you’re essentially at the mercy of support so try not to piss them off, put on your politest face possible and just try to sound formal and friendly. Having to beg for mercy sucks but saying please goes a long way.

2. Check your inbox. You will likely get one of two cookie-cutter response auto emails:

“Hey there,

Thanks for taking the time to write in to Tumblr! Your request has been received and is being reviewed by our support staff. We'll respond as soon as we can. :^)

Please only reply to the email chain we started, rather than creating new emails or new requests for the same issue. That will help us keep the conversation in one place within our system, and speed up the process of resolving the issue.”

THIS IS THE GOOD EMAIL. Remember this for later. You also could get this response:

“Hey there,

We got your email. We’re on the case and will respond as quickly as we can.

What should I do now? If you didn’t already, send the permalink of the post you’re reporting. Just reply to this email so everything stays together. Don’t start a new chain or send a new report because those will be routed to the end of the queue.

And please don’t ask your friends to report the same issue. We know they love you, but they’ll clog up our system and make it harder for us to respond quickly.

What if I need help right away? If things have gotten totally out of hand—like someone is threatening physical violence—you should report your concern in detail to the appropriate law enforcement organization.

Best, Tumblr”

The first message with the :^) face is the one you want to get. Whenever I got the second response, I never received a reply at all from tumblr.

Send a ticket once a day for about a week, I was finally able to get a response when sending emails between 12 noon and 3 pm (eastern time). Reply to old ticket emails as well as sending new tickets once a day.

3. If you haven’t received a reply from someone listed under an actual name after a week of ticket sending and email replying, your email might be blocked. Especially if you are never getting the auto-reply with the :^) but are instead getting the second response.

This seemed to be the case with me, I don’t know for sure if it’s a blocked email but I literally could not get a hold of them with that email in particular even using a VPN so I assume I was blocked from sending mail with that email address.

Try using another email account to send the tickets but make sure to mention the email address tied to your blog. Do this until you find an email that gets the :^) messages.

Sometimes they won’t respond to another address either even if you get the correct :^) message. So then you can do this trick: so my gmail address is essentially in the form of “john.smith”, and when you remove the “.” between the names, tumblr will treat it as a separate email but the messages will go to my “john.smith” inbox.

Idk if this will work for non-gmail addresses but removing the period in my address when sending in tickets is the only thing that ever got me a response from support. This might also work by adding a period in your address name if you don’t already have one, but I haven’t tested it.

Downside is that if your blog email address is blocked from sending tickets, you will not be able to reply and also can’t reply using the non-period alias in any tickets you get back with a reply, so make sure to say in the ticket that you cannot email tumblr from your primary email address and ask that they unblock it (just in case)

You then might get a response from a real person (still not totally sure?) from support asking you to send another ticket via the email tied to your blog. Explain to them that your email is blocked from replying and that you haven’t been able to get a response in x number of weeks. They might just keep telling you to wait, or tell you that you need to use your blog email regardless.

4. Try calling their offices. I found a phone number online. It went straight to voicemail so I only used it once, never got a reply, but again this is all that I did so try this just in case.

5. The last thing that I did was I emailed Automattic, the parent company of tumblr. They have a support form you can use. Literally list everything that you did, how long you’ve been waiting, and essentially beg them to be let back in (but also threaten not to use their services again if you are kept terminated).

They might say to email support if you’re having a tumblr related issue. Don’t lose your head on this, yes it’s annoying but just reply back and say that you haven’t been able to send tickets to support.

I sent Automattic 1 original response ticket email yesterday and one reply today, and without any further ado I was back. I don’t know if this was because of the Automattic emails or if one of my earlier tickets finally got through, but this is what happened.

#talking #text post #long post

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atiny-piratequeen · 4 years

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We need to talk

So. Good morning, good evening, whatever time of day it is. Im here to have a nice little chat about readers sending in requests and the general...entitlement that sometimes comes from readers.

So we writers who have requests open, sometimes we have funky little guidelines. What we will write, what we won't write. If you're going to come to someone who takes requests and has their guidelines right in their bio or mlist, you owe us the common courtesy to read the guidelines. Some of these writers do not sit and take time to type up these lists of dos and don'ts for 3+ people a day to pretend they can't read guidelines posts and fling around requests anyway.

If you're unsure about guidelines, or a person doesn't it have it available in the bio, ask first.

Now. That was a little extra. Im here specifically to talk about the severe entitlement some of you feel when it comes to how soon things come out around these parts. With her permission, Shea (@yeomjoo) has allowed me to use her sc of a person who requested she write something for them.

As she is a college student with college life things(tm), as well as a queue of people before this person, she told them around the timeframe it would take to write it (around the end of march-ish)

I want you all to know this behavior is fucking

Unacceptable

We writers work through a lot of shit sometimes. Grieving, physical/mental/emotional illness, balancing writing updates between work and/or school, basic life, etc.

If you have to fucking wait for something someone is giving you for free. (Bc lets be real here, even with writers with kofis, how many of you actually buy one or two? I personally have been blessed by some friends of mine helping support me with kofis along the way and it means the world but I've also seen other writers who have said their kofis are there in their bio untouched for months) You are the reader asking us for something. If we say yes to it, it may take time for us to finish it.

Especially if we're taking requests. Do you know how many people send requests when they see they're open on people's blogs? There are people in front of you! Be patient!

Especially if we're writing other works. Balancing writing story driven works between smaller requests is difficult sometimes. Honestly, many authors will prioritize the story first and do the requests later. Be paitient!

ESPECIALLY IF THEY HAVE BUSY ASS LIVES WITH SCHOOLWORK OR JOBS. NONE of yall out here are playing sugar parents, so I know damn well if someone ended up failing an important test or getting fired from their jobs because they prioritized writing this fanfic over doing what needed to be done in their lives first, none of yall who pushed them are gonna step up with nothing other than a "oh that sucks, when are you posting?" Or pretending you cant read the part where they say they're struggling.

This includes some of yall who have the audacity to attack authors (usually on anon like cowards) for not updating the specific fic you want, while they post others.

Some of yall are downright disgusting when it comes to how you treat us writers. Ive seen people insult, belittle, bully, harass writers for not writing the work they want WHEN they want it.

Go write it yourself if you need it in a deadline???? If its not a request and its on original work, sorry dog, you gonna have to fucking wait.

We are people, not machines. You do not get to crack a whip at us and tell us to type for your amusement when you want to and how fast you want to. We have lives to live, some more busy than others.

At the end of the day, 98% of these asks, these ~requests~ are not commissions. You're asking us to do this shit for you for free. Have some fucking paitience and respect. Idk who handed you life on a silver platter whenever you stomped your feet and got bitchy with them but thats not how it works in the real world. Grow the fuck up and treat people with respect. Especially if you're asking them for something.

Thats it. Its only by the grace of hindsight that I don't say who that person is (not with the intention of people attacking them, but for other writers to know to avoid this kind of person and keep them out of dms, but i know some people see a url and run with it so I'm leaving their url out of this, but if you see this, know that you're wrong as fuck and I hope someone humbles you soon.)

Dont be that person. Dont be the people insulting writers for when they get updates out. Dont be the person to insult someone's writing skill and belittle them. If you've got the time to antagonize writers, you can learn how to write your damn self.

Be better than this. Thanks.

#fie vents #fanfiction #kpop writing #idk what else to tag this with. but uhh its important #yall got me fucked up this morning

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goddessdoeswitchery · 4 years

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Hellenic Polytheism 101: Pillars of Hellenic Polytheism

What follow is a transcript of all 7 episodes of my podcast Hellenic Polytheism 101, where I discussed the pillars of Hellenic Polytheism. There are more episodes to follow, but I figured it would be nice to have a place where all 7 of the episodes discussing the pillars were together. The series started on August 23rd and ended on Nov 1st, released on a bi-weekly basis at 8 am every Sunday. In total, it’s 12 pages long, so I’m placing it under a Read More because it is very, very long. In each episode, there is a list of resources, and each one is linked for you in the original post (just click the tag transcripts under this post, and it’ll take you to the transcripts for every podcast episode) to do your own follow up research. I hope that people will find this useful.

Pillars of Hellenic Polytheism: Technically, the pillars were never actually a “thing”. Unlike then 10 commandments, the pillars were never taught as a set of rules that everyone knew by the name “Pillars of Hellenic Polytheism”, or any variation thereof. What modern day practitioners of Hellenic Polytheism call “The Pillars” were essentially religious and cultural practices that were taught by family and friends via every day practices. The pillars were an essential part of the culture of Ancient Greece, taught to them the same way customs like tipping, saying “bless you” at sneezing, and the now-common practice of wearing a mask everywhere are taught to us today. In recreating Hellenic Polytheism for the modern age, the Pillars grew out of a need for a set of guidelines to help us recreate a very old religion.

KHARIS

Welcome to today’s episode of Hellenic Polytheism 101, where we will be discussing the Pillar of Hellenic Polytheism, Kharis. Kharis is the reciprocity inherent in Hellenic Polytheism, a devotional act for the Theoi with hope a return favor in kind. It is also so much more than a transactional behavior. Its not bribery, its not a quid pro quo. At the same time, it is not the Christian act of praise worship.

One of the most common actions as a Hellenic polytheist is devotional acts. Whether it be offerings, prayers, hymns, or the increasingly common Devotional Actions (like beauty routines for Aphrodite, studying for Athena, singing for Apollo, housecleaning for Hestia, etc); we worship by engaging in acts of devotion. Oftentimes, that act of devotion is also accompanied by a request. This act of devotion is not a bribe. This is an offering, and a plea. The deity in question can respond or not, it won’t change the fact that we made the offering and it shouldn’t affect how we give in the future. We give without the expectation of getting something in return, as an act of worship and of thanks for everyday blessings. We give to just give, and a lot of the times, the deity or deities in question will respond. We then give in thanks, and then they give to us. We give in thanks, they give to us and so continues the circle of praise and of blessing. This circle of reciprocity is Kharis.

And yeah, I completely understand how confusing that would be, so let’s try using some more relatable examples. I know not everyone will be able to relate to these examples, so there will be a few of them, and hopefully one of them will resonate enough that the concept of Kharis will become less confusing.

The first example I will use is of a couple. Let’s call them Kate and Ashley. They are very much in love. Kate is out grocery shopping and next to the checkout line is a display of flower bouquets. One of them has roses and lilies, Ashley’s two favorite flowers. So Kate grabs that bouquet and places it in a vase on the table for Ashley to see when she gets home. Kate isn’t getting the flowers for a birthday, or anniversary, or holiday. These aren’t apology flowers. These aren’t get well soon flowers. They’re the best kind of flowers. These are “Just Because I Love You” flowers. That night at dinner, Kate asks Ashley to take the trash can to the curb before bed and Ashley does so. The flowers weren’t payment for the favor of taking the trash to the curb. The flowers and the request may have come at the same time, but one wasn’t required for the other. The next morning, Kate makes Ashley breakfast in bed and Ashley starts Kate’s car so it’s warmed up and defrosted before Kate goes to work. Both are acts of love that aren’t reliant on each other. Now, say this cycle continues constantly. They do each other favors, they get each other small tokens, for the rest of their relationship. No one but the most cynical would say that they have a transactional relationship. Their tokens aren’t required for favors, and their favors aren’t required for tokens. Their actions are out of devotion to each other. That’s an example of how Kharis works.

Another example, this time between family members. My sister, my mom, and I have lived together for a lot of our lives. As adults, we have lived together for the last 5 years. My mom has a tendency to not eat, and there have been times when I’ve sent her a pizza while she’s at work, because I know then that she will eat. The food is an act of love, a way to show I care. When she responds in kind by cooking dinner for the house the next day, it is not a payment for the pizza. It’s a continuation of the circle. When I was off work for 3 weeks, I cleaned the whole house, reorganized their closets to be easier to navigate, and cleaned out the cabinets and cupboards. Its another way I show I care. My sister usually watches the kids all summer long, and my mom and I will get her flowers, as a way to say thank you. Every day of our lives as a family, we show love by doing favors for each other and getting things for each other. The favors are not a payment for the things and the things are not a payment for the favors.

Hopefully that explains what Kharis is a little better, so we can go a little deeper into what it means as a worshipper, as someone who calls themselves a Hellenic Polytheist.

Now, remember how I said that the pillars weren’t exactly a thing, and instead were a modern invention to assist those who weren’t raised in Ancient Greece with learning the customs and cultural behaviors that were common knowledge in Ancient Greece? Let’s keep that in mind. On a historical note, Kharis required something real. Having faith and good thoughts was not a part of the reciprocal circle that is Kharis. It required something real, and in Ancient Greece that did not mean devotional acts like making playlists. It meant something solid, offerings, like libations, food, incense, coins, seashells, and other solid, real items. If you have an altar, think about what you leave on it. On mine, I’ve got an incense holder, coins left at the foot of the statue of Hermes, corn from the field next to us, a nature ball with acorns and leaves and flowers in it, devotional drawings, fortunes from fortune cookies also at the foot of Hermes’ statue, dried roses and lilies in an empty wine bottle, seashells, pins, a book of myths, and a plate and cup where bread, oil, seeds, fruit, wine, and other food offerings can be left. Some of these are permanent, some of them get removed as they go bad. When I light incense and pray, when I leave food, when I leave seashells or coins or fortunes, I’m engaging in my part of the reciprocal circle that is Kharis. That means, historically, offering something real that goes above and beyond simple faith.

Now, not everyone can do that. Not everyone has the ability to have an altar, and not everyone can afford to burn incense everyday, and not everyone has the time to bake bread everyday. Now, that doesn’t mean that someone who lacks those abilities, or doesn’t have that time can’t engage in the reciprocal relationship that is Kharis. Remember, a huge part of practicing Hellenic Polytheism is bringing ancient worship into the modern world. Devotional acts are something real. You can offer a devotional act to the Theoi as your part of the Kharis. I’ve seen some stunning works of art created in devotion to the Theoi. I’ve heard songs wrote in devotion. I’ve read some deeply moving poetry. And I’ve seen prayers, prayers written with such devotion and love that they could bring you tears. Those actions are fully capable of being classified as part of the circle that is Kharis.

Kharis is not just actions, its a relationship. Much like how Xenia was a way of life ingrained into the culture of Ancient Greece, so too was Kharis. All the rites and rituals, sacrifices, prayers, hymns, offerings, everything that was offered to the Theoi; it came from the understanding that a relationship had to be built and maintained. You couldn’t just say your prayers and call it a day, you lived with the Theoi, and dealt with them every single day. Everyday, you had the opportunity to build the relationship, and the expectation that you would was built into society. Indeed, the concept of Kharis was so built into society that offerings and sacrifices were a part of their stories. Examples can be seen in many myths, plays, and epic poems from them. The reciprocal nature of Kharis is shown in the Illiad, the Odyssey, and the writings of Aristotle.

I’ve learned that Kharis can be hard to understand, especially when you’ve grown up in a society where the love of a deity is just…..constantly there. Kharis is the idea that the love of our deities is not unconditional, and our love for them need not be unconditional as well. We don’t have that relationship with our gods that is bondless. We build a relationship with them, and they build one back. That, to me, is one of the appeals of Hellenic Polytheism. The relationship is a reciprocal one built up over time, using something that is definable, real, an offering that you can hold and see. So, we give, they give, we give, they give, until you’ve built a solid foundation for a solid relationship. That relationship, built out of Kharis, is what makes the worship we engage in so beautiful.

Thanks for listening to today’s discussion of Kharis. For today’s episode, I relied on the Illiad, the Odyssey, Kharis: Hellenic Polytheism Explored by Sarah Kate Istra Winter, The emotions of the Ancient Greeks: Studies in Aristotle and Classical Literature by David Konstan, and the Center for Hellenic Studies. You can always find a transcript of this and other episodes on my tumblr blog at goddessdoeswitchery.tumblr.com, as well as a link to the sources I used. Feel free to ask any questions, and don’t forget to tune in on September 6th, when we will be discussing Arete.

ARETE

Welcome to today’s episode of Hellenic Polytheism 101, where I will be discussing the pillar of Hellenic polytheism, Arete. For first time listeners, I want to mention that technically, the pillars were never actually a “thing”. Unlike then 10 commandments, the pillars were never taught as a set of rules that everyone knew by the name “Pillars of Hellenic Polytheism”, or any variation thereof. What modern day practitioners of Hellenic Polytheism call “The Pillars” were essentially religious and cultural practices that were taught by family and friends via every day life. The pillars were an essential part of the culture of Ancient Greece, taught to them the same way customs like tipping, saying “bless you” at sneezing, and the now-common practice of wearing a mask everywhere are taught to us today. In recreating Hellenic Polytheism for the modern age, the Pillars grew out of a need for a set of guidelines to help us recreate a very old religion. Now, on to Arete.

Arete is excellence. It’s living up to your fullest potential. It’s being the best you. Arete means doing your best to become your best and to live your best life. Arete’s end goal is a life fulfilled, and happy. Arete in Homer’s works is usually associated with the person who uses everything at their disposal to do the best work, the person who is most effective at achieving what they set out to achieve. Homer applies arete to Penelope as she fulfills her role as wife. Odysseus has arete when he uses his intelligence. In the Illiad, Achilles has arete by being the best warrior. In the Tenets of Solon, Arete is achieved by being honorable, honest, intelligent, and humble. He advised the following: Consider your honor, as a gentleman, of more weight than an oath; never speak falsely; pay attention to matters of importance; be not hasty in making friends and do not cast off those whom you have made; rule, after you have first learnt to submit to rule; advise not what is most agreeable, but what is best; make reason your guide; do not associate with the wicked; honor the gods; and respect your parents.

Arete is simply being the best version of you. One of the hardest things about Hellenic polytheism is taking those ancient concepts and applying them to the world we have now, one that doesn’t call for heroes like Achilles, and one where we can’t always take the time to better ourselves because work and life can get in the way. It is important to understand that arete doesn’t always mean being number one and winning whatever contest is at hand. One thing that should be understood is that a person can be their best, give it everything they’ve got, and still lose. There will be people who are objectively better at doing what you do than you are. Someone will get a higher grade. Someone else will get the role or solo or part you’re trying out for sometimes. Someone else can have a better idea than you. Someone else will write better, or draw better, or be better than you in whatever you are trying to achieve.

The first step of applying the concept of arete to our everyday lives is to accept that your best and the best of someone else are very different things. You are you and you can only do your own best. Now that does mean that you have to apply yourself. Doing the barest minimum to get by is not a way to achieve arete. Arete means taking control of, and responsibility for, your own life. It means challenging yourself everyday to become better than you are.

Take a moment and think about things you’ve always wanted to do. A language you wanted to learn. A hobby you wanted to pick up. A project that you’ve put to the side. Something you’ve always wanted to learn about. Arete means taking the time to do that. If you have a goal, arete means doing the work to reach it. Then it means creating another goal. Plato said that arete is the ideal form of a thing, something that you are always trying to achieve. You achieve arete by always trying to reach for it, always trying to be better. This means that you won’t always be at the top of your game. You will stumble. You will fail. You will make mistakes. Arete doesn’t mean you will never be wrong, you will never fail, and you will always be perfect. It is not expected of us to be perfect all the time. What is expected is that we will try. When we fail, we learn from that failure and try again.

Now, if you’re anything like me, you’ve probably got a busy life. Between work and taking care of a household, I rarely get time to do anything for me. It is hard to take that time that I want to use to watch Netflix, or pop on a movie, or scroll online doing nothing of any real substance and put it towards something that is actual work. But I try. I read, every day. I do research for this podcast and my own growth. I do the laundry. I clean the house. I spend time with my kids, as a parent, teaching them and guiding them and playing with them. I write. I exercise. I plan and cook meals that are good for us and aren’t the easiest options. I pray. I always strive to be better at work. I’ve given my boss ideas that we’ve implemented nationwide that have made our division look good. I reach for arete every day, by understanding that it is something that I must always strive for. By always striving for it, I hope to achieve it.

One of the things that made this episode a little bit more difficult to write than the previous ones is that arete is subjective. Xenia is a set of rules. Kharis is a reciprocal circle. But arete isn’t something that can simply be memorized and put into practice as we come across situations that could use it, like xenia is. Arete is not something built into our everyday worship, the way Kharis is. Arete is something that has to be strived for every day. It is something that is work. It takes focus. It takes energy. It takes commitment. Only you can know if you’re doing your best and so no one else can come up to you and say “You haven’t achieved arete, you’ve broken the rules, you need to do better next time.” It is up to you and you alone to strive for arete. No one can coach you one it. No one can teach it to you. So, this episode will be a lot shorter than the others, because I can’t teach you arete. I can only explain what it is, explain how it has been seen historically, and let you do he work from there. Now it’s time for you to do the work. Good luck.

Thank you for listening to today’s episode of Hellenic Polytheism 101, where we discussed Arete, one of the pillars of Hellenic polytheism. Today, I relied on the Odyssey, the Illiad, the Center for Hellenic Studies, Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, Baring the Aegis, wikipedia’s page on Arete, and The Greek Way by Edith Hamilton. A transcript of this episode and all others can be found on my tumblr, goddessdoeswitchery.tumblr.com under the tag “transcripts”. There you will also find links to the sources used today to more research on your own. You can always ask me any questions there as well. Tune in on September 20th for the next episode, which will be about the next pillar of Hellenic polytheism, Sophia.

SOPHIA

Hello, and welcome to today’s episode of Hellenic Polytheism 101, where we will be discussing one of the pillars of Hellenic Polytheism: Sophia. Sophia is wisdom, cleverness, and skill. The concept has changed and has grown over time to be more applied to wisdom and the pursuit of wisdom, especially by Plato. It might be easier to recognize Sophia in the way it was applied to Socrates and Plato and Pythagoras, as part of the term “philosophia” or, philosophy, the love of wisdom. Now, remember how I’ve said in my other podcasts about the Pillars of Hellenic polytheism being more of a way of life than a literal set of rules? Here’s another part where that really comes through. In Greek culture, wisdom and the pursuit of it were incredibly important, so much so that it was the Ancient Greeks that were considered to be the founders of philosophy; and since Greek culture and Greek religion were so intertwined with each other, we are left asking, how can we, as modern day Hellenic polytheists, apply the concept of Sophia to our everyday lives?

One thing we can be sure of is that a person doesn’t need to be a world class philosopher like Plato to be a Hellenic polytheist. What we should be aiming for is the ever-present pursuit of wisdom. We should always be trying to learn, everyday. It doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking. Read a book. Watch a documentary. Read a scholarly article. Listen to a podcast. And if you come across something you don’t quite understand, research it. One of the best ways to pursue wisdom is to fight ignorance. There will be many times in your life when you are faced with something you don’t have any experience with, something you know nothing about. Living with the pillar Sophia means taking the time to learn and battling your own ignorance. In today’s world, I know how hard that can be. You can’t do a google search without their predictive algorithm doing some serious confirmation bias. Living with Sophia means taking the time, in pursuit of wisdom, to do it right.

Now, I love learning. I’m one of those people who, if given an unlimited supply of money and an eternity, I would be a student forever. But Sophia doesn’t necessarily mean learning in a classroom environment. Think about your last week. Did you come across new information? Did you read an online article that broadened your world view? Did you learn something new? Did you gain a deeper understanding of something you thought you already understood? Did you discover something that mostly everyone you knew was aware of, even something as simple as the fact that if you roll up the deodorant, you can take the plastic cover off without having to struggle with it? If so, outstanding! You battled ignorance in some small way this week.

Battling ignorance and pursuing wisdom also means battling the ignorance of others. If you’re hearing and listening to this, or reading the transcript, then it means that you’ve entered the online world in some way. That means you’ve also come across ignorant people, who seemed perfectly gleeful to remain that way. It also means you’ve come across people who were ignorant, simply because they didn’t know any better, and they needed someone to point the way. Anecdotal story break time: I’ve got a cousin who is a senior in high school. She plays a lot of different instruments and she’s very, very good. She has practiced, a lot, and has put some serious work into it. I’ve also got an uncle who is on his 4th or 5th black belt. He has put some serious effort and a couple decades worth of time into varying forms of Martial Arts. My sister’s friend is an artist, and an incredible one. She has more followers on her Instagram and tumblr and devian art pages than I care to count, and she’s graduating college as a graphic designer with job offers from some very big names. All 3 of these people are outstanding in their field. Now, to get to the why I brought them up: All 3 of them have told me, in some way, that once they reached a certain point in their skill level, the best way to get better was to start teaching. As they taught others, their own skill increased. I believe the same applies to everyone. So, one of the ways you can apply Sophia to your life is to teach those who don’t know any better. You will come across people who are resistant to fixing their ignorance but more often than not, people are willing to learn. That means you can take the time to teach them.

Sophia also means cleverness and skill. In fact Homer applies to the term with the meaning “skillful in handicraft and in arts” towards both Athena and Hephaestus. Now, I would never suggest that we, as Hellenic polytheists, can be as skillful the Theoi in any way. We should all know why that’s a bad idea. However, we can become skilled in our own handicrafts and arts. That is another way to practice Sophia. Now, I know not all of us have something we can reasonably point to and say “That’s an art”. There are artists and musicians and weavers and seamstresses and poets among us, to be sure. But we also have writers. We have readers. We have spellcrafters. We have engineers. We have software coders. We have jewelers. We have homemakers. Sophia means cleverness and skill. That means there are many, many ways you can apply it to your daily life. Everyone has something they can do with skill. Sophia means practicing that skill and utilizing it.

To me, Sophia is one of the easiest pillars of Hellenic polytheism to bring into my every day life. Pursuing wisdom, battling ignorance, practicing a skill, these are all things that we are doing every day. And Sophia is as simple as that. Thank you for listening to today’s episode of Hellenic Polytheism, where we discussed the pillar Sophia. Today, I relied on the notes from one of my college courses, Intro to Philosophy, and the Homeric Hymns. As always, you can find links to the, well, one source that is linkable this time around, on my tumblr page at goddessdoeswitchery.tumblr.com, where I am also always free for discussions and questions. Coming on October 4th, the next pillar Sophrosune. I look forward to seeing you all then.

SOPHROSUNE

Hello and welcome to today’s episode of Hellenic Polytheism 101, where we will be moving onto to the next pillar of Hellenic Polytheism: Sophrosyne, which is, essentially, moderation, prudence, self-control, self-discipline, or temperance based upon thorough self-examination. Since we are coming up on a holiday season in the US, this seems like the perfect time to focus on Sophrosyne, and to remember it’s opposite, hubris, and how to avoid it. It is also important to remember that even in Ancient Greece, it was well understood that Sophrosyne could be taken too far, something we also understand still today.

“Earth shaker, you would not consider me sophrosyne if I were to fight with you for the sake of wretched mortals” Apollo says this to Poseidon in the Illiad, as Homer brings us a look at what Sophrosyne would mean to the same deity who brings us the Delphic Maxims, such as know know thyself, know by learning, exercise prudence, praise virtue, nothing in excess, know who is the judge, keep secret what should be kept secret, take sensible risks, be well behaved, be self disciplined, be sensible. This is not the only example in Homer’s work of Sophrosyne. In fact, there are a really a lot of them. I would definitely suggest you read both of them and look closely for examples of sophrosyne. Homer was very sensitive to the need for Sophrosyne in society and in an individual. On an individual level, sophrosyne prevented people form getting into serious trouble, both with themselves and on a religious level. After all, someone exercising sophrosyne would be very unlikely to become a spider after being cursed by Athena, right? On a modern level, someone exercising sophrosyne is less likely to face personal problems as well. You won’t wind up drinking to excess and getting into a car accident. You won’t find yourself challenging someone better than you to a fight. You won’t find yourself taking on more tasks than you can manage. You won’t find yourself spending more money than you can spare on things you don’t need. By exercising sophrosyne you can avoid a lot of trouble. On a societal level, we should try to exercise that same self control and temperance. After all, there is no reason for any country to spend more than 56 countries combined on defense spending. There is no reason for a city to cut taxes and not invest in repairing roads or assisting those who need it the most. There is no reason for a group of friends to go out in the middle of a pandemic to a bar just to have a good time. We can bring the ideals of sophrosyne to our own lives and encourage others to do the same, through voting and talking to others and being an example.

When we do not practice sophrosyne, we tend to fall victim to hubris. For someone who has spent any sort of time practicing Hellenic polytheism, we should all know exactly how bad hubris is. We’ve all probably seen it or heard it online. Recently, there was a lot of talk of witches online cursing the moon, specifically aimed at making Artemis or Apollo angry. Now, in the end, it was revealed to be some big hoax, a lie they told to make other witches start saying things about how they could tell someone had hexed the moon because their own spells weren’t as effective. Then the original hexers could say “Ha! We told you witch craft and the gods weren’t real, see? These guys said they noticed a change but we didn’t do anything, so clearly they must be faking!” The whole ordeal was a perfect example of what could happen if people fell victim to hubris, and many more sensible folks online pointed out that it was hubris, believing anyone could have an affect on a deity by cursing the moon. We’ve all seen other examples of hubris. Hellenic polytheists who say that Artemis would never let a man worship her, or a straight woman, or a woman who has had sex with a man. People who gatekeep, projecting their personal bigotry onto the Theoi. We’ve all come across. Hopefully, most have us have rolled our eyes and ignored it.

Even in mythology, hubris is painted to be among the worst things a person can be. Niobe lost her sons and daughters to Artemis and Apollo after she bragged to Leto that she was better than Leto for having more children. Arachne, turned into a spider for daring to compare herself to Athena. Antigone’s father, who lost his son and his wife for believing that his life was higher than the law of the gods. Oedipus refuses to accept his own fate and wound up falling victim to it because of his hubris. Ajax, believing he was entitled to the armor of Achilles and being driven mad and eventually killing himself. Icarus, flying to close to the sun, too prideful to listen to his father’s warnings. Orestes taking it upon himself to avenge his father by killing his mother and being driven mad. Greek stories are teeming with examples of people who have fallen victim to hubris. In many of these stories, sophrosyne is pointed to as a virtue to aspire to strictly to avoid it’s opposite, hubris.

And yet, we can also take sophrosyne too far. For example, in the Bacchae, Pentheus holds himself as a champion of sophrosyne, as fails to understand that by being overly self-controlled and self-discplined and holding himself up as the model of sophrosyne, he ignores the moderation and temperance part. He tried to force everyone listen to him, to oppose the Bacchic rites, and, in the end, his obsession with only a part of sophrosyne causes his own death. The Ancient Greeks understood that there was such a thing as being too controlled. There was such a thing as a fatal exaggeration of one side of the many-sided virtue of sophrosyne. Thus one of the biggest keys to sophrosyne is moderation. Nothing in excess says one of the Delphic Maxims, not even self-control and self-discipline.

As we go through this holiday there a lot of ways you can apply sophrosyne to your life. One of the dangers of the holidays is becoming over-extended. For example, I have a large family. Like…..over 100 people kind of large. So large that we could probably fill a high school basketball stadium kind of large. It’s also got a lot of different branches. Mom’s side, which has dad and mom in separate houses. My ex-stepdad, whose family we still see. My dad and his family. My dad’s ex wife and her daughter and her kids, who I’m also close to. My girlfriend. My kids’ dad and his family. I always joke that we’ve got our own little 12 days of Christmas skit between grandpa jones, grandpa long, Uncle Cody, Uncle Andrew, my dad, his ex wife’s house, my girlfriend, the kids’ dad, his family, and we’ve still got to squeeze out time for our own holiday celebration too. Factor in the fact that, like most customer service based companies in the US, my job doesn’t allow us to take more than half of Christmas Eve and all of Christmas day off. Sure, we’ve got the Sunday before and after when I’m off as well, but that’s barely 3 days for 4 states and 10 places to visit. Factor in the budget for all those places and all those gifts, not to mention the drama that comes around when we decide where we’re having Thanksgiving at and you can understand why I bring up being overextended as a danger of the holiday season. Now, maybe that isn’t a problem for you. Maybe you become over extended by volunteering to work too many hours to help your more Christian friends have time off. Maybe you offer to do too much during Thanksgiving and wind up having to wake up at 5 am to get started on a meal that you can’t believe you promised to cook. Maybe during Halloween, you spend too much time focused on parties or trick-or-treating and realize that you would have had a much better time sitting at home, watching Halloweentown with a bowl of candy and some friends. Either way, we all tend to push ourselves too hard, especially once the holidays roll around and we start wanting to do everything so we can get every experience. We need to remember sophrosyne during this time. Exercise self-control and stay home when it’s something you want to do. Exercise self-discipline and avoid getting gifts when you can’t afford it, there is no shame in saying “Look, finances are strapped and I can’t manage more than X”. Exercise moderation and remember that you can’t actually do everything. Be prudent and accept the reality of whatever situation you are facing. Practice sophrosyne.

Thank you for listening to today’s episode of Hellenic Polytheism 101 where we discussed another one of the Pillars of Hellenic polytheism, Sophrosyne. Today, I relied on the Odyssey, The Illiad, Sophrosyne: Self Knowledge and Self-Restraint in Greek Literature by Helen North, A Period of Opposition to Sophrosyne In Greek Thought also by Helen North, Mythology of the Greeks by George Grote, and the Wikipedia entry for Sophrosyne. Remember, all links to the resources I used can be found on my tumblr at goddessdoeswitchery.tumblr.com, along with a transcript of today’s episode under the tag “Transcripts”. I look forward to speaking with you all again on October 18th, where we will be discussing Eusebia.

EUSEBIA

Hello and welcome to today’s episode of Hellenic Polytheism 101, where we will be discussing, Eusebia, or reverence and duty towards the gods. Now, keep in mind that Eusebia was so revered, so vital to the worship and religion of the ancient greeks that she became a personified spirit, who was married to Nomos, the Law, and had a child, Dike. This already sets aside this particular pillar from the others. As a being, Eusebia was the personified spirit of piety, loyalty, duty and filial respect. However, we are not yet at the point for deities or personifications, so mostly all of today will be focused on talking about what Eusebia is as a concept and how we can practice it as a modern worshipper. Now, so far we’ve talked a lot about our relationships with the many deities we worship. We’ve talked about offerings and Kharis, we’ve talked about the humility we should approach them with, and we’ve talked about the respect we should bring with us whenever we approach them. All of that goes into Eusebia.

Eusebia is about reverence towards the Theoi. That reverence is where, I’ve noticed, a lot of modern worshippers tend to falter. There is nothing wrong with making a joke about some of the Theoi. I don’t know if all of you have heard the one about Hermes being the only god to pay his worshippers for their worship. It’s fun to joke about that. I always like using Hermes as an example of a deity that a lot of worshippers are fairly causal with. He is, in my experience, one of the most easy going deities. He’s the type of god that puts a train on every track between your home and work on the only morning you’re running late for the last 6 months, just to get a message to you. He’s a prankster, a jokester….and still deserves the same degree of reverence as every other deity. Just because you can laugh with him doesn’t mean he is not revered by you. After all, he is also the shepherd of the dead, the one who guides their souls. He is the god of travel, of languages, of luck, of communication, and like 1000 other things.

It is not reverent to attempt to speak for the Theoi. It is not reverent to make up bullshit facts about a specific goddess to say that she would be on your side of an online discourse. It is not reverent to leave a deity out of your worship because you don’t like how one interpretation of one of the myths portray the deity. It is not reverent to drag the Theoi down to the level of an online personality. They are gods and goddesses and they deserve to revered as such. By virtue of what they are, they deserve the worship, offerings, and the rituals that we engage in. Impiety was frowned upon by the ancient greeks and should continue to be frowned upon today. It has never been acceptable to treat the Theoi like accessories, to be tried on and discarded whenever you don’t have enough time to engage with them. You find time, you make time, in whatever you can. And it doesn’t have to be a big thing. A prayer. A lit candle. Some incense. A quick offering. The Theoi deserve worship.

But, just like with some of the other pillars, the people of ancient Greece knew that there was such a thing as being too pious. There were people who spent too much time praying, too much time fearing the Theoi, and were constantly sure they had something to offend the Theoi and so spent even more time praying and offering and attending to the temples. This excessive fear, or deisidaimonia, was a sign of taking Eusebia too far. It was understood that a person should be mindful of the Theoi, and take an appropriate amount of time and give the appropriate offerings. This also included attending and participating in the appropriate rituals and festivals.

Eusebia also means understanding why we do the things we do. Why do we give these particular offerings? Why are offerings for Chthonic and Ouranic deities different? What are the reasons behind certain rituals? What are the reasons behind traditional offerings? Eusebia means understanding these things, having the answers to these questions and not just blindly following a traditional path. It’s important to understand the reason why. And so, Eusebia means taking the time to research your beliefs. If you have questions, put in the work to answer them. This can also definitely include asking others. We are a community. So, if you have questions, reach out. Ask people, “Why are coins such a common offering to Hermes?” Find a book in the library about the life of people of ancient Greece. Put in the effort to research and create your own calendar with your own rituals and holidays. Take the time to understand why, to research your deities and understand what they might ask of you, and why they would ask it. All too often, I’ve seen popular bloggers and popular authors in the community asked the same question a 100 times because the idea of taking the time to do your own research is apparently distasteful to some people.

It is important to remember, as a part of Eusebia, that the Theoi are not room mates or friends or accessories. They are deities. They are gods and goddesses and titans and by virtue of what they are, they deserve our devotion. I’ve always seen Hellenic polytheism as a simpler path than Christianity. We do not have a single, omniscient, all powerful god that offers a set of rules that must be followed or else we will suffer for all eternity. That’s not how Hellenic polytheism works. We worship our gods in our own way, at our own pace. Hellenic polytheism is a very personable religion. Everything about it, from hymns to holidays to rituals to altars to offerings, everything is unique to each individual practitioner. But, on the flip side, that means that we don’t have a holy book to draw from. That means that we don’t have a set of authority figures we have to listen to. We are responsible for our own piety. We are responsible for our own worship. We are responsible for our own research. We are responsible for our own devoutness. We are responsible for ourselves.

And that’s what Eusebia is, that’s why it is gets set up as a pillar of Hellenic polytheism. It is a vital component of our religious practice, to take the time to not only worship, but to know how and why we worship the way we do. It is necessary to show the Theoi the respect they are due, by virtue of their very being. It is necessary to speak about them with reverence, to be loyal, to not use them as talking points or spell ingredients. It is necessary to take the time, to do the research, to understand the whys, to understand the rituals we take part in when we light incense and offer up a prayer and use an epithet and recite a Homeric hymn. This isn’t a religion where we can just go through the motions. We have to put the proper amount of reverence into our actions. We have to be devout, and loyal, and have a healthy amount of respect and fear towards these beings who we worship and who take the time to guide us on our way. It is necessary to be humble, to understand that what we are doing is worshipping the Theoi. I don’t know about anyone else, but when I pray, when I let incense or a candle or wrap my hands around a set of prayer beads, when I take that time…..I’ve never felt so at peace. That feeling, that love and devotion and serenity…..that’s the feeling of Eusebia. Next time you get to that point, when you feel that, take the time to focus on that feeling and harness it. Meditate on it. That’s what you should draw on when you think of Eusebia and how to interact with the Theoi, those beings that we worship as Hellenic polytheists.

Thank you for listening to today’s episode of Hellenic Polytheism 101, where we discussed Eusebia. For my sources today, I used the book Greek Religion by Walter Burkett, found on the Internet Archive. I also used The Greek Way by Edith Hamilton. I used Baring the Aegis’ and Elanion’s posting on Eusebia as well. Remember, you can find links to the sources, as well as a transcript of today’s episode, on my tumblr at goddessdoeswitchery.tumblr.com. You can also always reach me there as well with any questions. Don’t forget to tune in to the next episode, on November 1st, which will be the last one discussing the pillars the Hellenic polytheism. I will be discussing the final pillar, hagneia. I look forward to seeing you all then!

HAGNEIA

Hello and welcome to today’s episode of Hellenic polytheism 101 where we will be discussing the final pillar, Hangeia. Now, anyone who is able to look at this word might note it bears a striking similarity to the word “hygienic” and then, you would be on to something. Hagneia is more of a ritual purity, an avoidance of miasma and cleansing oneself before you go before the Theoi, before you engage in rituals. Now, does this mean you can’t shoot off a quick prayer before you wash your hands while gardening? No, of course not, thus the “ritual” part of the “ritual purity”. Now, there is actually a lot of disagreement regarding miasma and cleansing in the Hellenic polytheism community. There are those that claim that for the most part, the average person won’t be contaminated with miasma throughout the course of an average life. There are those that believe that we collect miasma throughout the course of our everyday life. There are those that believe that we must fully cleanse ourselves before an offering. There are those that believe that a simple washing of the hands will suffice. There are those that believe the cleansing must be done with khernips, or lustral water. There are those that believe the cleansing can be done with any clean water. And there are those believe any variation of those beliefs combined. Remember one of the best part of Hellenic polytheism is that it is so personable. Therefore, most of this is going to be looking at it from how I work. As always, I urge you to do your own research on the matter.

Now, the first thing to keep in mind is that Hagneia was used to mostly mean ritually pure, spiritually pure, and was understood to mean whether or not someone was fit to approach the gods. There were things you could come into contact with that would create a buildup of miasma and it was best to avoid those things when you could. However, you can’t always do so. Some of those things are death in the family, giving birth, illness (not chronic illness, but like the flu), are all examples of something that can be considered miasmic. The real question we face today is how to cleanse that miasma? Most of the time, the biggest cure for miasma was time. There was a period of time you had to wait to no longer be considered miasmic after having given birth, or after losing a loved one. You were supposed to wait until after an illness has passed. And, you were supposed to cleanse yourself. Mostly that meant washing up, getting physically clean. For today, that means wash your hands, wash your face, take a shower or a bath (especially if you’d been sick, take a shower and change into clean clothes). So that part is really simple.

Now, historically, there was also another thing that rendered you miasmic. It very likely won’t apply to anyone hearing this or reading the transcript, but it is an issue that is covered in pretty much every source I read regarding miasma and Hagneia so I am going to mention it as well. Murdering someone was very much a cause of miasma. There were very special midnight rituals one was supposed to engage in in order to cleanse oneself of the miasma caused by murder. I would say that in today’s society that if you commit murder, you’re likely to get caught and so won’t have much use of said ritual, but that’s statistically unlikely so I’m just gonna say, don’t commit murder and you won’t have to worry about what that midnight ritual is. Mostly I just figured the fact that it’s mentioned so often is an interesting historical side note.

Time to move on the things that are more likely to affect you, such as how to practice Hagneia as a modern worshipper. While I would love it if the average Hellenic polytheist could go to a temple and worship with others on a regular basis, the fact is that most of us worship and prayer and do rituals on our own, or with a very tight knit group in a personal, private space. I myself am mostly a solitary practitioner. Sure, I have my mom and my sister and my kids, and I have a community of people online; but in my daily practice, it’s me, by myself doing the offering and praying and general worshipping. That’s probably true of most of you all as well. So how does a mostly solitary practitioner who isn’t going attending a ritual hosted by or attended by a large amount of people deal with the community based concepts like miasma and Hagneia? Well, in my case it means that I tend to put holiday rituals and offerings on hold when I would be considered miasmic. It means that when a close family member died, I prayed at the funeral for her safe passage and otherwise avoided rituals for a month. It means that when I gave birth to my kids, rituals and offerings were on hold for 10 days, which was about how long it took for me to even be in the mindset to get back to daily worship and prayers. It means that when I am sick, I wait until I am recovered to engage in practice and worship. When I got the flu a few years back, (three times that year, which is what I get for not getting the flu shot, I’m telling you, I’ll never miss it again and if you haven’t yet gotten your flu shot this year, please do) I stayed in bed and rested until I was better. I may have said a few informal prayers, like something along the lines of “please let this stop, I feel like I’m dying here”, but I waited until I was well. I then cleaned my bed and my room and myself and my clothes and changed my toothbrush and brushed my teeth with the clean toothbrush and got clean again before I went back to a regular worship schedule. So, for about 5 weeks that winter, I didn’t do very much in the way or practicing. And that’s okay. That’s what practicing Hagneia and avoiding bringing miasma to the Theoi is.

So, as a modern worshipper, the best way to practice Hagneia is to stay clean. Cleanse yourself of miasma as you come across it, make sure that you are fit to approach the Theoi before you do so. It’s a very simple pillar to follow because for the most, most of us already do. The next time you feel guilty about not being able to worship because you’re sick, or have a death in the family, or a newborn at home, remember that the break you’re taking is required, and important. It’ll be okay. The Theoi will understand.

Thank you for listening to today’s episode of Hellenic Polytheism 101. This is the last one that will be spent discussing the Pillars of Hellenic Polytheism. Remember, you can always find a transcript of the podcast on my blog at goddessdoeswitchery.tumblr.com, as well as a link to the sources I used today, which were: Inner Purity and Pollution by Andrej Petrov; Shame and Purity in Euripides' Hippolytus by Charles Segal; Shame in Ancient Greece by David Konstan, The Pillars of Hellenismos and What is and Is Not Miasmic by BaringTheAegis; and finally, A Beginner’s Guide to Hellenismos by Timothy Jay Alexander. You can also always ask me any questions at any time there as well. Finally, I will also have on there a complete transcript of all 7 episodes about the Pillars in a single post as well. Right now, we’re looking at 12 pages, and 8637 words, so it’ll be a very long post, set under a read more. The post will contain links to all the sources used for these last 7 episodes as well, so please fell free to check it out and continue your own research. For the next episode, I’m going to be discussing the Delphic maxims. There are 147 of them, so don’t worry, I’m not about to go fully in depth with each one the way I did the pillars. It’ll be just a simple discussion on the maxims themselves. I look forward to seeing you all then on Nov 15th!

#transcripts #transcript #hellenic polytheism 101 #pillars of hellenic polytheism #sophia #hagneia #kharis #arete #sophrosyne #eusebia #xenia

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