#oracular divination

[devouredbyflame]

Being so afraid of being wrong that you can’t move is actually the worst thing you could do for your practice.

You aren’t imposing on anyone.

You aren’t insulting the Gods. Arguably, you don’t actually know what would be considered insulting unless you’ve actually asked Them.

You’re not going to be beaten up and told you are the worst devotee ever.

You aren’t going to be told by any Deity you are morally imbalanced or impure.

The only thing the Gods are actually concerned with is the ability to get you to listen to Them which means peeling away layers and layers of trauma, biases, and patterns that take you away from Them. They would not forcibly remove you from Their attentions just because you wanted to try something new or do something that no one else is doing.

The ultimate goal of any Divine relationship for either side should always be to draw nearer to Them, not be pushed away because your discernment is inaccurate while you are learning.

[ribbittrobbit]

wwwo oc/ wizard-sona : The Wizard Sorrow

Divination wizard, apprentice to the the Wizard Sight in the Seer's Office of Oracular visions and prophecies.

Tired phd candidate in prophecies of the third reformation of the empire + very irritated lecturer to the undergrad school of divination, they are frequently found smoking in the wizard parking lot after consultation hours.

(idk how my initial vision for a wizard who holds the sorrow of the fall of civilizations aeons in the future turned into a hassled postgrad student but here we are)

[another-era]

Twenty-sided dice with faces inscribed with Greek and Latin letters, from Egypt-Roman Period 2nd–3rd century.

It was thrown in order to choose a letter at random. One consulted the inscription to find the matching letter and read the oracle's response. There would be twenty oracular messages, each beginning with a letter of the alphabet that corresponded to one side of the dice.

Another remarkable example discovered in Dakhleh Oasis in Egypt in the 1980s records an Egyptian god’s name in Demotic (the Egyptian script of these late periods) on each face. Divination – seeking advice about the unknown from the supernatural – seems to be the most likely purpose for the Dakhleh die: the polyhedron might have been thrown in order to determine a god who might assist the practitioner.

Photos and info from metmuseum.org

[azure-cherie]

Asteroid Kaali 4227

Mythology:

Also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika (Sanskrit: कालिका), is a Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism.[1] In this tradition, she is considered as a ferocious form of goddess Mahadevi, the supreme of all powers, or the ultimate reality. She is the first of the ten Mahavidyas in the Hindu tantric tradition.She is regarded as the ultimate manifestation of Shakti, the primordial cosmic energy, and the mother of all living beings. The goddess is stated to destroy evil in order to protect the innocent. Over time, Kali has been worshipped by devotional movements and Tàntric sects variously as the Divine Mother, Mother of the Universe, Principal energy Adi Shakti .She is also seen as the divine protector and the one who bestows moksha, or liberation.

As per my interpretation the placement of asteroid kaali in someone's chart is somewhere they are blessed with divine power to put efforts and change things, the placement of ultimate power , somewhere they can start their tantra /spiritual practices with , place where they can attain moksha, where Kali protects .

Placements:

First house/Aries

You have the principle power over yourself you know yourself and your motives and you know how to use your own inner energy to cultivate change within yourself and with others, your attainment of spirituality in this lifetime would be through yourself, through working on your body , observing others etc. You are protected by Kali when it comes to wounds and physical ailments, she would be helpful for you to receive guidence in matters of self confidence and growth , in becoming your best self , she could be a guide to your dark feminine aspects.

Second house/Taurus

When it comes to your attainment of power it comes through sense of possession , buying things , mostly things which match your aesthetic value , you have the power to make a lot for yourself if you choose to step into it , your power comes from your stable subtle beauty and eye for it , your spiritual practices can begin with a fair ground to improve your allure , glamour magick or enchantment, you will be protected in your finances .

Third house / Gemini

Your voice is your awakening, your opinions your weapons , you are the trigger, your power lies in accepting your voice , using it for the good , you could also use manipulation for getting things you want , your affirmations and mantras could be your initiation to your practices, you can even receive mantras in dreams if you wish to , you could have oracular abilities as well.

Fourth house/ Cancer

Your sense of security is your foundation, you're the embodiment of the mother type in triple goddess symbolism, you're fertility in full bloom , your power lies in protection , birthing of new ideas , creativity, your power sterns from love , you could do protection magic as well as magic that involves feeling your sexual energy, as well as moon magic . Take a note of your energy on full moon.

Fifth house / Leo

This gives very much "The love witch " vibe, your transformation is through love your transcendence is through love , with young love in your heart and forever in your mind you can create the life that you want , you could be blessed with great deal of manifestation, since Kali protects this area for you , you will be ripped off from any wrong person in love , and eventually the right person will come into your life . You're esoteric, you could start with channeling your daimon however be careful.

Sixth house/ Virgo

Healing is something that you can do , not just for yourself but for everyone around you , in the physical realm as well , you know the people say so and so doctor has magic within them they cured someone no one else could , that kind of magic , you can choose to heal people and yourself, starting with reiki and small healing spells , making potions as well . Regardless of the good side you have the thing about inflicting pain and vodoo as well , but do it to the bad people who deserve the pain .

Seventh house /Libra

Your power lies in relationships that you make , you derive so much love and support from them that it helps you in your practices as well , your vivid imagination as well helps you get so many things , your partner could be source of magic , you can do spiritual things together and based on the foundation of counterpart energy you guys can grow together . Kali will protect the relationship that is right for you.

Eighth house / Scorpio

You're the embodiment of transformation true form of dark feminine, you derive power from sexual practices, from changes from the things that kill you , you make them their power, sex magic could be a great option for you . Kali will protect you in areas of your transformation, whenever you are brought down remember you will definitely rise above greater

Ninth house / Saggitarius

Wisdom and education are so important for you to get the power that you deserve, you're intelligent and mindful and that will lead to you getting the most in life , you could be a guru , you could do great in philosophical fields. You can write sacred literature and esoteric books , your knowledge is sacred and will be protected

Tenth house/ Capricorn

You're methodical and know how to do things the right way that is your greatest power , you will hardly fuck up anything because you are so into working hard and making things perfect, with great connections you will lead an easy pathway to success. You will be granted ample strength in doing what you put your heart to.

Eleventh house / Aquarius

This placement very much reminds me of the origin of Kali , please read on it for greater information, the point where she goes on destroying the evil around her , you guys will be blessed by Kali to maintain yourself even in the times of extreme chaos, she will look after, you have a very great power to change things through rightful violence, violence works for you , use it wisely tho.

Twelfth house/ Pisces

Your power is your strong almost blurring intuition, visions , you know so much but do you tell them enough, if you pray to Kali and wish for her to come visit you in her dreams she will , she will guide through the spiritual part in your life , worshipping her will be life changing in subconscious ways , even i cannot explain.

Thank you so much for reading i hope this helped take care love love .

[soylent-crocodile]

Faller (Monster)

(ISOPOD by Anastasia Berseneva)

CR9 TN Medium Monstrous Humanoid HD12

(As the name may suggest, these were built from the ground up as an terrestrial whalefall specialists, with the various giant beasties of pathfinder substituting for whales. I actually used fallers as a placeholder name but got attached to it, so here they are! They're up there in CR so that a caravan of five of them puts up a genuine threat for someone who might fight an Adult Red Dragon.

Also I don't love this art for fallers, but it was the most buggy of the bipedal isopods i could find.)

Fallers are wandering nomads who specialize in feeding on the carcasses of great beasts, such as giants, dragons, and large dinosaurs. They live in family groups of up to a dozen individuals and have no leader, employing an anarchic decision making process that may see these groups splitting and reforming as different individuals take different paths. A faller caravan’s lifestyle consists of divining the location to various monster falls and then traveling, possibly hundreds of miles, to such a banquet. Upon reaching such a corpse, they will claim it, defend it, and slowly harvest and feed off it until such a time as it grows thin and they must move on to fresher falls. It’s noteworthy that, due to their powerful innate divination magic, a group of fallers may set camp for a death before it occurs. Generally, these divinations hold true, and fallers find a warm corpse at their destination, but twists of fate are not unheard of, and fallers are generally prepared for battle if need be. Fallers are frequently seen ushering giant flies, which serve as a combination of pet and mount, enabling them to engage flying enemies and scout high-up or hard to reach places. These flys are surprisingly docile and loyal in a faller’s hands. 

Fallers are known to come into conflict with adventuring parties over the spoils of the latter’s conflicts; adventurers regularly stake claim to the loot and parts of a particularly dangerous foe, but fallers consider themselves owed the rewards of such a struggle, and practically speaking, are often unable to relocate to a new corpse before the threat of starvation looms. Unfortunately for many adventurers, fallers are trained combatants, and a particularly undiplomatic group of them may spell doom for an adventuring party soon after a proud triumph. Finally, fallers have been known to come into conflict with the cultures dragons and similar great beings surround themselves with; claiming the corpse of a lone dinosaur is one thing, but disassembling and eating a corpse may be less welcome when it’s the corpse of an important leader or respected member of a community. For this reason, cultures led by dragons frequently adopt a kill-on-sight principle for fallers, and kobolds in particular are known to litter a faller’s anticipated path with the most lethal and cruel traps they can manage. 

Despite this, faller’s oracular abilities are also known to a few peoples, and some cultures seek out such beings to ask questions, sometimes deliberately luring them by killing a large animal. Fallers are a practical and isolationist type, however, and must be provided some benefit to expend their divining abilities; especially since such abilities are necessary for their way of life.

Fallers' endonym is a series of rasps and hisses unpronounceable to the average mammal or reptile.

This hunched over biped has a hard, segmented shell on its back, a number of segmented limbs, and large black eyes.

Misc- CR9 TN Medium Monstrous Humanoid HD12 Init:+4 Senses: Perception:+22 Scent, Darkvision 60ft Stats- Str:22(+6) Dex:19(+4) Con:23(+6) Int:15(+2) Wis:24(+7) Cha:16(+3) BAB:+12/+7/+2 Space:5ft Reach:5ft Defense- HP:138(12d10+54) AC:24(+4 Dex, +2 Armor, +8 Natural) Fort:+12 Ref:+12 Will:+15 CMD:38 Resist: Acid 10, Cold 10 Immunity: Disease Special Defenses: DR2/Bludgeoning Offense- mwk Glaive +19/+14/+9(1d10+9/x3) or Net +18(Entangle, 10ft) or 2 Claw +16(1d6+6 plus trip) CMB:+18 (+2 Racial bonus to trip) Speed:30ft Special Attacks: Studied Target +3 (Attack, Damage, Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, Survival; Move or Swift Action) Feats- Great Fortitude, Endurance, Point-Blank Shot, Vital Strike, Power Attack (-4/+8), Quick Draw Skills- Climb +15, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +14, Knowledge (Geography) +14, Knowledge (Nature) +14, Perception +22, Ride +13, Survival +22 Spell-like Abilities- (Caster Level 11, Concentration +14) Augury, Invisibility Purge, Sanctify Corpse 3/day Dispel Magic, Find the Path 1/day Divination 1/week Special Qualities- Ferocity Ecology- Environment- Any Languages- Faller Organization- Pair (2), Caravan (4-6 Fallers, 0-3 Giant Horseflies) Treasure- Standard Special Abilities- Studied Target (Ex)- A faller may use the Studied Target ability as a 10th level Slayer.

[windvexer]

different anon but would you be willing to give an example of two herbs that have the same abilities but provide different results? idk why i just can't like imagine what that would be like 😭 no worries if you're not willing, thank you if you are!

Hi! We are in reference to this ask.

My take on this is that we gotta ask ourselves WHY an herb has a certain correspondence.

WHY is spicy red pepper so good at banishing? I mean there are lots of ways we can explore correspondences, and lots of frameworks we can use to find these answers - but a popular reasoning we can apply is that capsaicin, the chemicals that make peppers so spicy, is a defense mechanism of the plant to burn and irritate many animals that want to eat its fruit.

Capsaicin creates discomfort, burning, irritation, distress, and even outright mindboggling pain when it's interacted with.

This is one justification for why it's such a good banishing agent - it causes active distress and pain to its target until the target chooses to leave, or is literally forced out by the snapping, biting hounds made of dripping, crystalline fire, conjured by the Witch and set loose upon the target.

So spicy red pepper banishes because if you're staying, you're getting burned.

Another banishing plant is bay laurel.

Bay Laurel is very closely associated with the Sun, Apollo, divinity, wishes, and oracular power. As opposed to spicy red peppers, it doesn't have irritating properties. But I find bay laurel to be an immensely powerful banisher.

I personally find bay laurel to be a powerful banisher because of its close connection with the sun and the celestial realms. When a Witch works over bay laurel, these virtues can be evoked to drive away shadowy and chthonic powers.

I don't experience bay laurel manifesting in a manner similar to fiery hounds. I find it to be like someone turned on a very, very bright invisible light - a light so bright that all shadows disappear, a light blessed with very celestial virtues. In the face of this high power, it's very difficult for incompatible presences to stay in the same area. It's not like screaming bloody murder and chasing after the target with an axe - it's more like the most revered magistrate just stepped into the room, and everyone stops talking and cleans up their act real fast.

Practically speaking, how is there a difference in manifestation? The following is completely hypothetical and I'm not speaking about any particular personal experiences:

I'm imagining I've got an unwanted houseguest that (due to Social Reasons) I can't ask to leave, but I want them gone. Which agent has a better chance of getting them to leave - an attack dog made of fire, or a celestial, far-seeing magistrate?

I personally might suspect that bay laurel is going to have a much better chance of banishing that houseguest's unwanted behavior (as opposed to getting them out of the door that very day) and putting them on track to making new plans and leaving ASAP. This manifestation might be less explosive, and fix ongoing problems, but it might also result in the houseguest staying for a longer period of time while they make new arrangements.

Bay laurel may also assist in banishing by causing people involved to have sudden insight into the reality of the situation, providing clarity, and helping people see the inevitable unwanted results of the houseguest continuing to stay. Perhaps bay laurel will banish by providing insight into new, helpful, and better housing circumstances for the guest. Perhaps it will also function to maintain order, clarity, and order within the household while these arrangements are put in order.

On the other hand, when people are being terrorized by invisible bitey fire dogs, they can experience a sudden onset of stress that makes them want to immediately get up and leave, like now - even if they don't have any other plans for where to stay. Bitey fire dogs might make that person get out of my house real quick, but this movement could be due to sudden intense upset, a blowout with family members, their behavior getting worse resulting in them being thrown out, or a temper tantrum or meltdown where they realize they've got to leave and make their exit post-haste.

Or, perhaps they could experience a feeling that they're completely unwanted in the house and it really, really irritates them to stay. Which, if I already couldn't kick them out due to Social Reasons, might bite me in the ass - maybe they're going to complain to family members that I was a shitty, unwelcoming host, and it tends up just as badly for me on a social level as if I kicked that person out.

Both of these plants can banish. To me, at least, they do not provide the same results.

[kemetic-dreams]

Babaaláwo or Babalawo in West Africa (Babalao in Caribbean and South American Spanish and Babalaô in Brazilian Portuguese) literally means "father of secrets" in the Yoruba language. It is a spiritual title that denotes a high priest of the Ifáoracle. Ifá is a divination system that represents the teachings of the ÒrìṣàỌrunmila, the Òrìṣà of Wisdom, who in turn serves as the oracular representative of Olodumare.

Functions in society

The Babalawos are believed to ascertain the future of their clients through communication with Ifá. This is done through the interpretation of either the patterns of the divining chain known as Opele, or the sacred palm nuts called Ikin, on the traditionally wooden divination tray called Opon Ifá.

In addition to this, some of them also perform divination services on behalf of the kings and paramount chiefs of the Yoruba people. These figures, holders of chieftaincy titles like Araba and Oluwo Ifa in their own right, are members of the recognised aristocracies of the various Yoruba traditional states.

People can visit Babalawos for spiritual consultations, which is known as Dafa. The religious system as a whole has been recognized by UNESCO as a “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity."

[magumsilvarum]

Spirits and their common uses and misconceptions

So today I wanted to talk about a few spirits which, not much is so far known of through literary writing, but more so through celestial knowledge. (each spirit will have its own section)

The Pythoness - many Christian and Judea religions view the pythoness spirit as a demon like spirit that is meant to steer one away from Gods path and imbue one with negative thoughts such as death and sickness through the mind, yet I've personally found and many civilizations prior and after that the story is not as such. In yogic practices there is a certain breathe and practice of the kundalini. Kundalini is the term for "a spiritual energy or life force located at the base of the spine", conceptualized as a coiled-up serpent. The practice of Kundalini yoga is supposed to arouse the sleeping Kundalini Shakti from its coiled base through the 6 chakras, and penetrate the 7th chakra, or crown. This allows for an open pathway as a connection to God, elevated spirits and the spirits of the afterlife, our ancestral spirits, within celestial planes. In buddhism giant serpents were seen as protectors of the dharma, the truth that liberates us, standing strong against any attack. Many psychics, seers, mediums, witches and tarot card readers tend to have a spirit who knows one of two things about divination, prophecy and esoteric knowledge, but the pythoness spirit is looked at more like the all seeing eye or the eye of ra and horus. In greek mythology Leto the great she-wolf was cursed to never give birth upon the land as Hera set her out to be cursed by her daughter and for Gaia to not allow her to give birth to her two children. Through Zeus' interference Leto was able to give birth to both Artemis and Apollo. Later Apollo went to go slay a Snake that had threatened Leto and therefore gained the ability to turn into a snake himself. He declared the island previously known as Pythos to be Delphi and as the God of prophecy later became a hub for those seeking answers from great oracles once a year, known as Pythias. These women were great prophets and witches alike that danced with fire and tamed snakes to dance along with them protecting the island from attacks and monsterous threats as to pay respect to Apollo. These were women and men of wild nature who allows there instincts to guide them through the understanding of the great divine. One with nature they became medicine workers, prophets, seers, musicians, dancers, pyromancers, snake charmers, witches and mages and dream weavers.

These great spirits are revered as a highly elevated court in spiritualist practices, sometimes just perceived as the spirits of tarot decks or oracular objects they are forgotten as being far too complex to be seen as just that. Through the force of light they bring great aid to those they are on spiritual journey's with, they rid of hexes, curses and spiritual illnesses. They guide through prophetic dreams, clairvoyancy, clairsentience, clairaudience and mediumship. They are capable of conjuring powerful spirits and the spirits of the dead (necromancy), as well as a straight line communication to God, gods and goddesses. They move through the celestial tides of the universe and bring forth great health, wealth, abundance, freedom and spiritual knowledge to those they favor. They are quite benevolent spirits who help bring in death or the spirit of change for the better and to rid old stubborn ways of the past. They are great teachers of dark and light magic. They aid in learning and music as well. Helping those with charisma and the ability to enchant and/or charm enemies and others alike. They have such affinity towards chocolates, gold, silver, wine, fire, candles, light, mirrors, divination tools, water, flowers and floral scents, perfumes, snakes and music. There number is 7 and their flower is the rose, particularly the white rose, but other colors are fine as well. They also enjoy sunflowers, as they venerated Apollo, and the Anise star. Their colors are Red, burgundy, gold, emerald green, white, silver, purple, and brown. Yet each is different and might prefer a royal blue for all we know each spirit is different to another so getting to know ones spiritual court is quite important. Stones like diamond, ruby, jade, emerald, citrine, labradorite and amethyst can be given to such spirit as well as Selenite and Amber each representing Artemis and Apollo. These spirits can sometimes be confused with a better known spirit Santa Martha la Dominadora. You may even have both within your spiritual court, but they two hold many similarities.

Prayer to the Pythoness

O Blessed Pythoness, I invoke your humble yet wild nature into my life, I give you thanks for the visions told and untold and for the sight to see my path clearly. May your connection to God and all living things be great and full of love and respect. May your tides of wisdom bring peace to the land and bestow upon me and my loved ones a blessed hand. Lady of the fire, imbue me with your holy flames may they burn away all evil done unto me by others or by my own hand. May your light charm those who seek no good into doing acts of kindness and greatness and may your soothing voice bring sweetness and riches to the land and seas. You the one who tamed the dragon and serpent to your gracious hand. Tame my enemies and bring good fortune to those in need. Help the world against devastation and may your great cobra bring forth the promise land. Lady of the land and sea, conjure your celestial winds to protect me and bring good news from the heavenly lands. Through the eye of the one who can see I plea to you humbly and in need. As it is. So mote it be. Amen

Say this prayer with Psalm 91 3x and Psalm 4 3x under the flame of a white(or yellow) light end with a Glory be. It will help receive divine messages through divination or prophetic dreams and help transmute negative energy and protect against evil eye.

Oracion a La Pitonisa

O Bendita Pitonisa, Yo invoco tu humilde y salvaje espiritu de naturaleza entre mi vida, te doy las gracias por los visiones contado y no contado y por la vista para ver mi camino claramente. Que tu conexión a Dios y a todas criaturas vivas sea lleno de gran amor y respeto. Que las olas de sabiduria traen paz a toda la tierra y otogar a mi y mis seres queridos tu mano bendicida. Mujer de los fuegos, envuelvame con tus llamas benditas que me liberan de cualquier maldad sea enviado por enemigos o que han nacido de mi propia mano. Que tu luz encandile a los que no buscan el bien y les transformas hacer actos de carino y grandeza y que tu voz encantadora trae dulcisimiento y riquezas a la tierra y los mares. Tu que haz vencido el serpiente y el dragon con tu mano graciosa. Ayuda al mundo contra la devastación y que tu tierra prometida sea traido por tu gran cobra. Mujer de la tierra y mar, protejame con los vientos celestiales y que traen buena noticias del cielo. A través del ojo del que puede ver te suplico humildemente y de necesidad. Como es. Asi sera. AMEN

[fostydosty]

Rachel Elizabeth Dare chose to swear an oath of celibacy to the god Apollo as a part of gaining her oracular abilities. This entails visions of the future that she expresses through paint, green smoke bellowing from her mouth at inconvenient times, and being immune to divine retribution (and possibly being injured by literally anything?)

But… what if she swore an oath to his sister too?

Rachel Elizabeth Dare, daughter of mortals, chosen of the Sun and Moon. Immortal and ageless. Eternally prophetic. Can shoot an arrow through a keyhole. Can slay any monster and piss off any god. Her predecessor was cursed by Hades to never enter the Underworld…. Damn, that sucks. Too bad she’ll be 17 forever anyway.

Imagine fighting someone that see more clearly than any other creature (even some gods can be tricked by the mist in ways clearsighted mortals cannot) *can read normally and has an attention span*, can foresee your every move, and *you can’t even touch bc they are divinely protected*.

Her two oaths are:

I accept this role. I pledge myself to Apollo, God of Oracles. I open my eyes to the future and embrace the past. I accept the spirit of Delphi, Voice of the Gods, Speaker of Riddles, Seer of Fate.

I pledge myself to the Goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt.

Also imagine the twins bickering abt which one of them Rachel gets her archery skills from (it’s both. But mostly Artemis). She’d also be able to illuminate herself w moonlight and maybe have like a Will moment and glow like the sun too.

Also also imagine the only daughter of the highest god (above the age of 2), the daughter of war itself (sister to the Amazons, child of Rome, apprentice of the greatest sorceress in history), and the chosen vessel of the Sun descending upon you with a firing squad of silver arrows and two dozen other equally talented girls.

Let my girl be a badass plz and ty

[amysky21]

Haaaaa The Wizard Sly. Damnnnn. When Suvi asked for a piece of bad news (why would you even ask that to a diviner? wizard hubris is wild) and he just replied “you’re not ready for it” I got full goosebumps. I am also not ready for it, whatever it is.

Absolute legend of a guy but also I’m scared cause I know what Brennan is capable of with oracular visions (Calamity flashbacks)

[devouredbyflame]

Entwined With the Divine - How I Became a Godspouse

“This is somewhat of a long post and mostly because it covers a lot. I would break it down but I couldn’t seem to find a place to do so.

I have seemed to have arrived at the point where talking about my experience of my life with my marriage to Loki has become inevitable. I don’t think I can write more about my life with Loki without the backup story – and this is quite the story. My marriage isn’t like many others I know of. I spent a very long time assuming that it looked one way when He wanted it to be another and it took Him about 5 years to get me away from enough people online and in the community to actually just experience Him for myself and when I finally did… well…

There really isn’t anywhere to start but at the beginning. Loki came into my life around July of 2018 and things really took off quickly from there. Where most people begin their pagan path with doing spellwork and witchcraft, I began figuring out how I can get closer to Loki. It became my special interest and hyperfixation. I would spend all night and day reading whatever books I can get my hands on. From fiction to nonfiction to reading between the lines of the Eddas and doing whatever research I can to summon this guy into my life in such a way that He would not be unwelcome in it in any given way.”

You can find the rest of this post here:

[shakesthewizard]

The Bad Kids as Knights Radiant

A while ago, I wrote this post assigning the main characters from Deltarune orders of Knights Radiant from Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive books. Now I'm gonna do the same with Fantasy High's Bad Kids!

Adaine O'Shaughnessey - "I will Seek Truth." The Order of Truthwatchers.

Do I need to elaborate on this one? The strongly opinionated youngest child of a rich and powerful family who has oracular visions thrust upon them without their asking and has to use their newfound power to save the world despite their pronounced lack of physical ability and the presence of neurological, emotional, and physical disabilities? Is anybody gonna fight me on this?

In all seriousness though - Adaine is defined by her desire to uncover lies and use the truth to set things right, no matter the cost. She so strongly values telling people what they need to hear, instead of what will make them feel better, and alongside Riz she's half of the team's mystery-solving power.

As a Truthwatcher, Adaine commands the surges of Progression and Illumination, and while powers-wise those feel a bit more geared towards Fig's spell list, Adaine is a master of handling the battlefield without drawing attention to herself, and as a Diviner she fills a much stronger support role than other Wizard subclasses.

Boggy the Froggy is Adaine's Lightspren.

Fabian Seacaster - "I will Reach my Potential." The Order of Elsecallers.

The Elsecallers are the consumate badasses of the Knights Radiant, and probably the most concerned with appearances, aside from the Lightweavers (who we'll get to, don't you worry). Fabian himself has huge potential for strength, grace, social aptitude, and academic success, that we see him fulfill over the course of the show. He's an excellent fighter who isn't afraid to utilize a nontraditional ability or tool in unique ways to give himself an upper hand. It reminds me a lot of Jasnah soulcasting on the battelfield.

As an Elsecaller, Fabian commands the surges of Transformation and Transportation. I think Transformation is the most apt thematically, as we see during his season 2 arc, learning to live as himself without abandoning his father's legacy. Although Transportation is also appropriate, given both that he's a very mobile combatant, and that he was the first among his party to gain access to a vehicle - one which he uses on the battlefield constantly.

I would say that the Hangman is his Inkspren, but I really think if he's anything he's a Dustspren.

Gorgug Thistlespring - "I will Seek Self-Mastery." The Order of Dustbringers.

While his personality doesn't match what we know of the Dustbringers in the series so far, Gorgug is otherwise an extremely good fit for this order. In season one, his arc centers on accepting his anger as a natural part of himself, and learning how to point it in useful and helpful directions, as well as reconnecting with his orcish heritage.

In seasons two and three, Gorgug dives into artificing; learning how to take things apart and put them back together, and pioneering ways to combine his skill with technology and his prodigious destructive power.

As a Dustbringer, Gorgug commands the surges of Division and Abrasion. These feel very appropriate for our curious barbarian, and I honestly don't feel like there's a lot I could say that wouldn't be plainly obvious. The kid rips stuff apart, what can I say?

Fig Faeth - "I will Speak My Truth." The Order of Lightweavers.

Performance. Art. Identity. Lies. Fig feels almost like an embodiment of this order. If you know anything about Lightweavers, I don't even know what to say that isn't already apparent. Fig disguises herself, invents new identities, lies constantly, and is the party's designated spy. She expresses these illusory powers by way of her artistic expression, and has a bad habit of running from her problems using those same powers. But of course, when the time comes, she shows an unmatched prowess for using those powers to completely dismantle the lies and schemes of ne'er do wells.

As a Lightweaver, Fig commands the surges of Illumination and Transportation. She uh. Makes illusions and turns into other people. Look, I don't know what else to say. She's a perfect fit.

Kristen Applebees - "I will Unite Instead of Divide." The Order of Bondsmiths.

Holy shit. This is why I wanted to make this post. Kristen, who with force of will and clarity of purpose brings a god back from the dead and forges a bond with her. Kristen, the most powerful Cleric of any god for the last century, who even at her most ignorant is the one to start treating the bad kids as a team before anyone else. Kristen, whose source of power is immense and strange, and who she conflicts with regularly, even as they share a purpose.

As a Bondsmith, Kristen commands the surges of Tension and Adhesion. Again, these are perfect for her. Kristen as a character feels at times to be made of tension; pulling at a deep and very serious love of ritual and spirituality that is at odds with her seeming inability to take things seriously the more dire they get. The girl who can create a new god, who can bring one back from nothingness, and who flunks out of her Cleric class the moment her teacher isn't 100% in her corner. Kristen's arcs also tend to be pretty central to the larger plots, what with the Harvestmen, The Nightmare King, and now Cassandra's spouse seeming to have a pretty pivotal role in whatever the Rat Grinders are up to. In short; Kristen Adheres the bad kids together.

Kristen's Bondsmith-spren is, obviously, Cassandra.

Riz Gukgak - "I will Protect." The Order of Windrunners.

I'm gonna be real with you, folks, I have never encountered a more Windrunner-ass motherfucker in my life. "I gotta do the right thing no matter what and be emo about it the whole time. What do you mean I have friends who love and support me?" Look me in the eyes and tell me if Riz got assigned to Bridge Four he wouldn't immediately dedicate himself to saving his whole crew and freeing them from slavery. You know I'm right.

As a Windrunner, Riz commands the surges of Adhesion and Gravitation. These aren't great fits for his real, very stealthy skillset - but if we're being honest Gravitation is the least thematically interesting surges anyway, and Adhesion is just the "cool nice guy" surge, which Riz already is.

lmk if this is the kind of content you're frothing at the mouth for and I can do more characters (I'm on my hands and knees give me characters to do this with it's so fun for me)

[littlesparklight]

Some headcanon thoughts/considerations on (some, lol) deities and their favourite cities in myth:

Hera Argos (the area, and then the city in particular, founded by Phoroneus) is, after Samos, Hera's first favourite city, stemming from Inachos judging her the goddess of the land against Poseidon.

Lakedaimon founds Sparta in honour of his new wife, but they dedicate the city to Hera. First because of Sparta's mother having been fostered by Hera*, and Sparta is her local nymph priestess in the area. Second because Lakedaimon, as a son of Zeus and now marrying a nymph that is important to Hera, wants to honour her. Hera takes surprisingly well to this, and wholeheartedly claims the city Sparta as her own, becoming one of Lakeidamon's main deities. *Sparta's mother being Kleta/Klete, one of a set of two Lakedaimonian Charites/Graces. For myself, I made her and her sister(s)' parents Helios and Aigle, but Hera and Zeus fostered them.

Perseus makes Mycenae into a proper city and fortifies it (it was mostly a village with a palace-like building on the rise for Mykene and Arestor earlier), dedicating it to Hera in the name of his marriage with Andromeda, and much like with Lakedaimon and Sparta, she takes to the dedication very well; the city becomes one of her three favourites.

Apollo We all know how/why Delos and Delphi is one of Apollo's favoured cities, so there's no need to touch on that. But I do think it's interesting how in one version of Meleager's death, Apollo is said to kill him during the war between the Kuretes/Pleuronians and the Kalydonians (sparked from the dispute over the hide of the Kalydonian boar), having come to the defense of the Kuretes. How come? Vaguely wondering if it's because of a connection of this region to Acarnania and Actium/Aktion, which was a major center of worship for Apollo. Otherwise we're left with little to make any connection, so in this case Apollo apparently just. Decided he liked them and the city of Pleuron.

Troy is an interesting case, I think. Because while Poseidon clearly takes complete and total umbrage at Laomedon and feels no further connection to or affection for Troy and its inhabitants, Apollo does. He apparently was imagined as having built more than just the wall, and we have his connections to the royal family through Hektor, Kassandra, Helenos and Hecuba, and Troilus. Hektor was among quite a few authors (Stesichorus, for example, so this was an early idea) thought of as Apollo's son, so perhaps no wonder that he would in that case be defending Hektor so intently. For my own headcanon I imagine that Leto, later being associated with especially Lycia and such, preferred to stay on the coast here when the twins were young, and so met Xanthos - and this led to especially Apollo, but all three becoming focus of worship for the population of the Troad forward.

Zeus His special connection to Dodona I headcanon springs from back when he was presented to Kronos before the war, pretending to be something he wasn't. Zeus makes himself out to be a local water divinity of the place, and he keeps that connection, it being one of the few places he directly (instead of through Apollo's oracles, later) expresses his oracular knowledge.

Troy again, and of course you've got his plain statement of how he's been/being honoured in Troy and by Hektor. We also have the comment that Dardanos was one of his most loved mortal sons, so a continuing fondness for the city and the ruling family would make sense. Too, though, we have Xanthos/Skamander. This river god is the one of only three river gods who are said to be born of Zeus instead of Okeanos and Tethys (and the other two in rather later sources, Xanthos is in the Iliad). While I did decide to go with the Okeanos+Tethys parentage, what I did to lean into the Iliad stating Xanthos is a son of Zeus is to have had Zeus being Xanthos' foster father. And Xanthos is the father of the first (mortal) king of the area in myth, who's daughter is married to Dardanos and Xanthos then marrying a number of naiad daughters into the royal line.

[must4rds33d]

The little man fixed on me his spectacles. A resolute compression of the lips, and gathering of the brow, seemed to say that he meant to see through me, and that a veil would be no veil for him. 'I read it', he pronounced. 'Et qu'en dites-vous?' 'Mais - bien des choses', was the oracular answer. 'Bad or good?' 'Of each kind, without doubt', pursued the diviner. 'May one trust her word?' 'Are you negotiating a matter of importance?' 'She wishes me to engage her as bonne or gouvernante; tells a tale full of integrity, but gives no reference.' 'She is a stranger?' 'An Englishwoman, as one may see.' 'She speaks French?' 'Not a word.' 'She understands it?' 'No.' 'One may then speak plainly in her presence?' 'Doubtless.' He gazed steadily. 'Do you need her services?' 'I could do with them. You know I am disgusted with Madame Svini.' Still he scrutinised. The judgment, when it at last came, was as indefinite as what had gone before it.

Villette, Chapter VII

[my-name-is-apollo]

Two things! 1. Thanks for reporting on Apollo, he is my favorite god by far!! 😭

2. In an old post where you talked about the type of relationship that the main gods had with each other you said that there was a lot to talk about the relationship between Zeus AND Apollo!! Can you take advantage and tell it?

I can definitely talk about Apollo and Zeus!

Basically, Apollo is Zeus' favorite, his pride and joy. I know a lot of people believe Athena is the favorite, but I say Apollo is just as beloved, if not more and I'll tell you why I think so. I'll start by putting together various myths that surround both of them.

1) Zeus' protectiveness

Starting with Apollo's (and Artemis') birth, even though Zeus didn't directly help Leto, in one version, he asked Zephyrus to carry Leto away to Poseidon, so that Poseidon could protect her. He also managed to calm down Hera by the time the twins were born.

And when later Apollo killed Python, according to Pindar, Gaia wanted to send him to tartarus. But obviously that didn't happen and we can assume that it was because Zeus intervened on his son's behalf.

In Euripides' play, there's a particularly cute segment where Apollo, as a little boy, went to Zeus, wrapped his arms around him and supplicated him to deal with Gaia who has been interfering with his oracular business. And of course Zeus agrees and makes Gaia lose her prophetic influence on mortals.

There's also a version of Coronis' tale where Ischys, the guy with whom Coronis had cheated on Apollo with, got killed by Zeus.

In the satires written by Lucian, Zeus got defensive when Momos made fun of Apollo.

Lastly, this is just my interpretation, but in stories where Zeus intervenes in a couple of fights - the Apollo vs Heracles , Apollo vs Idas - makes me feel like Zeus did it because he was overly protective of Apollo (just like did with Athena - Pallas)

2) The way Zeus appreciates Apollo

In Iphigenis in Tauris, when Apollo killed Python and took over the delphic oracle for himself, Zeus is shown to have been proud that Apollo has started serious business at such a young age.

The opening of Homer's hymn to Pythian Apollo shows us Zeus welcoming Apollo and personally pouring a drink to his son. How sweet is that :3

In another scene where Apollo is entertaining the gods, Zeus and Leto together are shown proudly watching their son (Hera is absent oop-).

In the Iliad, whenever he commands Apollo to do something, he calls him "Dear Phoebus" (I've also seen it translated as "friend Phoebus) which is very sweet and shows that Zeus is quite fond of Apollo.

And in Lucian's work, he also appreciated Apollo by telling Momos how much work his son has to do everyday, and how difficult the job is for him.

3) Zeus grants a lot of Apollo's requests

even when he's personally offended. Take the story of king Periphas, whose reputation had personally offended Zeus and he wanted to destroy the king and his entire kingdom, but when Apollo asked Zeus to not do that, he ceased from killing them. In the case of Prometheus too, Zeus agreed to free the Titan when Apollo begged for it.

When Apollo appointed Hermes as the messenger god, Zeus approved that.

He also resurrected Asclepius on Apollo's request, in spite of Apollo killing the cyclops .

And here is what sealed my belief that Apollo is no less of a favorite than Athena: once Athena was using mantic dice to give out prophecies, and Apollo was unhappy with this. He complained to Zeus about it and Zeus made dice divination inferior (and Athena just threw away the dice lol)

Now this is again my opinion, but the whole thing with "Apollo tricking the Fates into postponing Admetus' death" is quite a serious offense, but surprisingly Apollo does not get punished for that. I like to think that that's because Zeus gave him the permission for that (maybe not openly, but more discreetly).

4) Apollo has some favorite child privileges.

He is said to be sitting on the immediate right of Zeus (according to Callimachus), he gets to use Zeus' lightning bolts and the aegis too (like Athena does), and he is the only one allowed to read the will/mind of Zeus.

5) Apollo acts as Zeus' right hand man

Now this could be said of Hermes and Athena also too, but I'm pointing this out because people tend to easily forget it. In the Iliad, Zeus sent Apollo to help the Trojans, since he was secretly rooting for Troy ,in spite of taking a neutral stance, and Athena was fighting against them. He also entrusted his son Sarpedon's body to Apollo and asked him to clean it up and hand it over to Thanatos and Hypnos.

In Orphic theogony, a similar responsibility is given to Apollo - he is asked by Zeus to bury the remains of Zagreus.

In the account given by Plato on soulmates, after Zeus tore apart the humans, he tasked Apollo with stitching them and bringing them back to life.

And of course the whole deal with Apollo's oracles is to pass on the will of Zeus to the mortals. Apollo is basically serving as an extension of Zeus. Arguably, that is one of the most important responsibilities and Apollo was the one Zeus trusted it with. He also actively prevents other gods from taking away this role from Apollo.

6) Apollo's rebellious nature and how Zeus deals with it.

In Alcaeus' hymn, when Apollo is born, Zeus adorns him with a golden headband, gives him a golden chariot driven by swans and asks him to go to Delphi to establish his laws. But Apollo instead just takes the chariot and flies away to Hyperborea and stays there for a whole year (rebellious from the get go XD) Of course, Zeus doesn't punish Apollo for this.

(I'm not bringing up Apollo and Poseidon's servitude under Laomedon because even though it is believed to have been a result of Apollo and Poseidon rebelling against Zeus, we don't really have evidence to say that that was the case. I only vaguely remember there being evidence of it in some scholia but I'm not able to find it at the moment so. Also in the Iliad especially, the coup - whose participants are Hera, Athena and Poseidon- and the servitude under Laomedon are clearly two separate, unrelated events)

But when Apollo killed Cyclopes in retaliation for Zeus killing Asclepius, Zeus intended to throw him into tartarus. This was an instance where he was clearly very upset with his son, and probably felt betrayed too. Even so, he changed his mind thanks to Leto, which makes me feel like he did not fully intend to carry out that punishment, and it was more a decision made in the spur of the moment. And as the alternate punishment, he made Apollo serve a slave and spend time on the Earth. This is in contrast with say, Hera - who was tied and dangled above tartarus. Zeus could have done something similar with Apollo because while one could argue that exiling and making Apollo a slave is pretty humiliating, it's still not as bad as being hung over tartarus. Besides, Zeus made Apollo serve under a very kind hearted king (and by the looks of it, Apollo actually enjoyed his time there, being in love with Admetus and all). So I think even after all that had happened, Zeus still forgave Apollo and went easy on him and even agreed to grant godhood to Asclepius on Apollo's request.

7) Apollo as Zeus' eldest son

Apollo is Zeus' first son in Hesoid's Theogony (born after 19 daughters). Putting it in the context of ancient Greek society, that would make Apollo quite important for Zeus in a way that no other child can be. And while Homer doesn't explicitly say that Apollo is the first son, it is quite evident in his works (Homeric hymn to Apollo, the Iliad) that Apollo's image is that of a first born son, - he is the only one who has access to Zeus' will, all the gods except Zeus trembled when he entered Olympus, Zeus often turned to him for help during the trojan war.

("Apollo" by Fritz Graf)

Of course, Zeus is never going to give away his throne to anyone and Apollo has no serious intent of overthrowing his father, but some scholars share the view that Homer paints Apollo as a potential usurper of Zeus, but also emphasizes how Apollo is very much on Zeus' side, using his powers for Zeus and not against him.

(^Source for this bit: "The Homeric Hymns: Interpretative Essays" by Andrew Faulkner & "Nursemaid to a Monster: Typhon and Pytho in the Homeric Hymn to Apollo" by Kelly E. Shannon)

Moreover, Apollo being Zeus' first son and sort of an unofficial crown prince would neatly explain all the ways in which Zeus favors Apollo over his other children.

Lastly, this is my take on them: They both obviously have a strong bond founded on love and respect for each other. The road wasn't and isn't always smooth for them. I like to think that Apollo held some bitterness towards Zeus for not helping Leto (before eventually letting it go), but he still wants his father's attention and approval. In return, Zeus has complete trust in Apollo, which is why he entrusts a lot of important duties to him. After all, he knows very well of Apollo's struggles and his efforts to rise to power. Zeus might sometimes be more stern on Apollo than he is on the others, but that's because he doesn't want anyone saying anything unpleasant about his son. I also think he doesn't entirely understand or approve of Apollo's extreme attachment to some humans, but he is ready to turn a blind eye as long as nothing drastic is happening (not without his permission at least lol). It's easy for some people to call Zeus a bad father, but we should also remember that despite being knowledgeable and wise, Apollo can be a difficult child to deal with - he is haughty, reckless. Messes with primordial deities and cosmic order, wears his heart on his sleeve, forgets his duties when he falls in love. It's like he is a perpetual teenager not only in appearance, but also at his heart lol and Zeus does try his best to deal with it in the best way possible :') But they do get along well most of the times and no matter how bad their once in a while conflicts can get, I think nothing is irreconcilable :)

(Here's a post where I've linked sources for a lot of the myths I've mentioned. If there's anything you want to know the source for, let me know)