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#rule number one of witchcraft
fernthewhimsical · 4 months
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Rant on fire safety
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While absolutely gorgeous, I HATE this trend of "aesthetic candles". This is from a local witch shop, that sells these candles. Look at it! It's an absolute fire hazard. A plastic flower molten into the wax. You should not have plastic anywhere near a candle flame. Look at the glitter. Guess what? ALSO PLASTIC.
At best it's gonna smell horrendous, because molten plastic stinks. But burn enough of these candles and you're likely to give yourself cancer. Yes, you read that right. Do no inhale fumes of molten plastic!
Stop making candles with materials that shouldn't be burnt! ffs
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skaldish · 4 months
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I’m not sure if you’re a TikTok user at all but I was wondering if you’ve seen any of the witchcraft accounts over there that post “if you’re seeing this video the message is for you” tarot readings or god/goddess messages and what your thoughts are on them?
Personally I really really dislike those kinds of videos but I have trouble articulating why, I just feel like the lack of consent in regards to the “reading” is screwed up and it can also be really bad for people who struggle with discernment or have mental health issues that could be triggered/worsened by receiving spiritual “messages meant for them” on their social media. But I was just wondering if you had any thoughts on it if you wouldn’t mind sharing!
Hi! It's been a few years since I've watched anything on TikTok, but I do remember getting these kinds of videos. The ones I got were far more benign though, in the flavor of "If you see this video, this card is for you!" It is quite a different thing entirely when those videos claim to be messages from deities, and you are correct in identifying that there's something very off-putting about these videos, because there is.
It's true that there is an issue of consent: Someone dumping a reading on you that you didn't ask for is rude, and it's ruder for someone to act as an unsolicited mediator while doing this.
But then there are some very, very deep ethical issues: When someone claims to have a message from a deity for you, they are positioning themself as the unquestionable authority of your current life-circumstances. Their assessment of your circumstances are couched in the authority of a deity, so to question their assessment is to question the deity. Nobody, at any point, has this right, OR this ability to enact judgements.
Conflating their spiritual authority with divine authority is also a method that spiritual leaders use to enact religious abuse: It puts people in positions where doubting their authority means potentially doubting the god they claim to speak on behalf of. So even if someone thinks the authority is lying, it feels unsafe for them to actually believe that for fear of angering the god.
This is how high-demand religions keep their followers from leaving, by associating independent thought with the risk of losing love and belonging.
I honestly think most of these TikTokers are unaware of what they're doing, as opposed to doing this on purpose. They see that this gimmick makes their follower-count go up so they keep doing it. But this doesn't make it any less unethical or any less untoward, and in some ways, the fact they're potentially unaware of it makes the situation worse.
Even if they didn't have all these ethical problems, these videos can't actually function as divine portents because TikTok is a shitty oracle.
Oracles are only reliable when they have no agenda and aren't trying to influence outcomes, which can't be said about TikTok-creators and TikTok's algorithm; they're trying to increase numbers and keep your eyeballs glued to the app. I would have better luck trying to facilitate deity-communication with a Bop-It than with TikTok.
As a rule of thumb, hearing a divinely-inspired message does not mean a deity is trying to communicate to us. It's like how we don't assume a celebrity is talking to us personally because someone is quoting them in our presence.
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buriedpentacles · 2 months
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How to Discern Sign from Coincidence
I've noticed that in both on and offline witchy and pagan communities a lot of people's first question relating to deity work and communication is "how do I tell if something is a sign" so I wanted to share my perspective and how I vet something as being a sign or message from my deity or not. This is a pretty simplified 'checklist', but it's important to note that signs are not my main form of communication with my deity which is why I'm quite 'conservative' in identification of them!
How many times? Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence but three times may be a sign. This is a general rule I use for signs like angel numbers, specific animals or imagery or something similiar. Though it doesn't always apply - for example, if I see five crows on a nearby roof I don't see it as a sign because that is a very common sight where I live. But if I see three deer near my house in one day, that IS pretty mystical.
How unusual is it? If something 'makes sense' or can be easily explained by mundane reasons it is less likely to be a sign, and this can work in "levels". E.g. if I see a spider in the corner of my room, that's pretty unlikely to be a sign because that's just what spiders do. A spider running across a specific chapter in my book or tarot guide is still explainable but I'd probably check if it was meant to be a sign. And a sparrowhawk landing on my windowsill would almost definitely be a sign because they rarely come into the area where I live.
How does it make me feel? Sometimes I get a gut feeling that something is a sign or a message, even if it isn't unusual or has only happened once. This can easily be mistaken for 'wanting' something to be a sign so still vet and double check but the differentation does with time, experience and a growing relationship with a deity. Often, signs are clear that they are signs, because you're deity wants you to see them and so your intuition often drags your attention to the, and tells you that they're special somehow.
How do I confirm? I almost always vet signs and messages, typically it's just a quick tarot reading to confirm that something was a sign and what it might mean or represent. Often I'll also meditate or consider the sign to see what feelings or knowledge it inspires in me as well. Sometimes I don't need confirmation, I just know. But that has come with time and I would always check early in my relationship to my Mother Nature.
Important notes If something is just coincidence, that's okay, and it's still cool! So what if that crow wasn't a sign from a deity, you still got to see a crow! And so what if that fortune cookie message wasn't actually a message from your spirit guides, it can still be an inspiring and needed message! There is magic in the mundane and that's wonderful.
If you're new to paganism or witchcraft and want to work with a deity I will warn you to be wary and do a lot of research. Don't just assume: "I saw crows the other day, Odin must be reaching out to me." or "I found a bunch of rose petals on the floor so it must be aphrodite." Signs can mean a great number of things and if you truly believe it is a deity, vet and research source materials for that deity and pantheon. Ask for confirmation and take things slowly, it is very easy to trick yourself into seeing something you want to see.
Signs vary between practitioners and it's important to understand and respect that. What might mean one thing to you, means something entirely different to someone else - even if you're devoted to the same deity. While I always recommend checking original religious sources (if possible) for traditional omens and meanings, they will probably be quite unique to you!!
Tell me about some signs you've recieved from your deity or spirit guides (or whoever)! Mine tend to be animals or plants, which is definitely on brand!
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drarryspecificrecs · 7 months
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2024.02  ~ Top 6 longest fics posted on AO3
1. The Stag and the Dragon: The School of Witchcraft and Wizardry by Jesse_James [T, 180k]
►On the night of October 31st 1980, in an attempt to subvert prophecy, The Dark Lord Voldemort launches a pair of attacks to rid him of the one chosen to defeat him. But when one fails, the world is changed forever. But in this universe, things are different. The rules are not always the same. And things will not always be as we remember. And with a different choice made with a young orphaned Harry's future, the consequences of this one act will echo across fate. /// Meanwhile, in a different family, another boy struggles against what he is, and what he was born to be. All while his father seems to orchestrate more than just his life.
2. Empty Spaces by nori_mari [T, 125k]
►What do you do when everything you know comes to an end? The battle is over, Voldemort's gone, everything they ever wanted has come to pass. So why is it so hard to return to a “normal” life? How does one simply pick up the pieces and move on? When your entire life and identity have revolved around this one thing for so long… what do you do you have left of yourself when that one thing is over?
3. Papa Needs Daddy's Help by @amillionregrets [E, 94k]
►Harry's life revolves entirely around work these days, and he's deeply engrossed in it, as usual, when an urgent fire-call from Ron abruptly turns his world upside down. Apparently, a four-year-old girl with emerald eyes and long black hair has shown up at Ron's shop, claiming to be Harry's daughter and seeking his help to save her papa.
4. The Boy from the Piano Shop by @soliblomst [M, 90k]  *typo
►After going blind in a reckless attempt to avenge Ginny's death, Harry battles with severe depression. One day, he stumbles upon a quaint piano restoration shop in the heart of London and meets the owner, a kindly old man, and his introverted young apprentice, whose voice sounds strangely familiar. As Harry and Draco slowly reconnect through private piano lessons, the small workshop becomes Harry's refuge, offering him a glimmer of hope in a world without eyes.
5. An Addendum For Depressed Authors by @queenie-jinny [E, 86k]
►‘The Misadventures of Harrison Portier’ six-part book series by J.E.P has been on the Daily Prophet’s best sellers list for 177 weeks straight, despite the author’s insistent anonymity and continuing avoidance of the public eye. After a long hiatus, the elusive final novel in the septology is about to hit the shelves, and Draco Malfoy, avid reader of the series and self-proclaimed number one fan (a proclamation he’d made to absolutely none save for himself), is determined to be the first person to read it. When the epilogue of the book leaves much to be desired, Draco has no choice but to take matters into his own hands. Thus begins a stormy correspondence that threatens to disrupt Harry’s hard-earned peaceful routine and maybe change his life in the process.
6. Draco's Splendid Decisions by @jocundasykes [E, 69k]
►Stuck in the doldrums of a rubbish summer holiday, an unexpected invitation beckons you back to the halls of Hogwarts for an eighth year. Should you go, and endure another round of academia? Dive into the mundane drudgery of work? Or escape it all with an international getaway? /// You're a free man. What happens next is up to you.
※ Word count: 1k ~ 10k
※ Word count: 10k ~ 40k
alive is a color you don't own by sectumsempra [E, 15k]
armstrong limit by @brosamigos [E, 11k]
Crossed Wires by @skeptiquewrites [E, 11k]
Enclosed is a Memory by Anonymous [M, 12k]
I'll Find You Again (I Always Do) by @dodgerkedavra [E, 15k]
The Month of Giving by Justlikewriting [M, 20k]
Nobody Except For You by @mistsound [T, 10k]
Oh, Overwhelming Passion and Seduction by AtelierOfStories [E, 19k]
These Old Feelings by Reloumi [E, 24k]
Time to indulge by @onehundredflamingos [E, 10k]
Until Now by crpage [T, 11k]
Warm Touch Makes No Sound by @rainjulyx [E, 13k]
Ongoing Fest/Exchange
※ Fics would be listed elsewhere.
Frottage Cottage WFAUFF Challenge
Knot Another Writing Fest: Knot Again 2023 | @hpknotfest
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aspoonofsugar · 1 year
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Neo's Hecate = The Triple Goddess
Trivia is the Roman name of Hecate, Goddess of witchcraft, crossroads and ghosts. Neopolitan is Roman's Hecate, so her birth name is Trivia. Is that really all there is?
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Obviously not. Or at least, Neo's allusion to Hecate can be read in multiple ways. Sure, it might have been an unplanned reference, but by this point (either willingly or not) Neopolitan has grown into Hecate's role. So, let's analyze ice-cream's girl allusion to better understand her story, with a focus on volume 9.
WHO IS HECATE?
Hecate is a Greek Goddes, who is later adopted by the Romans with the name of Trivia. Her origin is probably more ancient than Greek culture, though. In short, she is a foreign deity, who gets integrated into Greek religion. Similarly, Neopolitan is an unplanned character shoved into the narrative. However, she finds her place in the story and grows into herself.
Here are some of Hecate's most famous attributes.
Hecate is the Goddess of crossroads and magic. In particular, she is the master of darkness and the queen of ghosts to the point she is linked to nechromancy. She also rules over demons called Empusas, who are half woman and half beast (either a cow or a dog usually). They eat human blood and are linked to fire. Finally, Hecate is a psychopomp deity (like Hermes/Mercury), so she moves freely among Earth (human world), Olympus (world of the gods) and Hades (world of the deads).
Hecate is often depicted with three bodies and three heads:
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She holds torches and keys, which are symbolic of her ability to guide people in the underworld and to travel among dimensions. Sometimes, she can appear as a dog, which is her sacred animal.
Hecate is one of the Goddesses associated to the moon. In particular, she is the falling moon to Artemis's crescent moon and Selene's full moon. According to other traditions, she is a part of Artemis/Diana. This Goddess is the Moon in the Sky, Artemis on Earth and Hecate in the Underworld. Whatever the case, both Artemis and Hecate have a triple nature to them.
This triple nature makes Hecate an example of Triple Goddess in modern Neopagan religions. The Triple Goddess is the archetype of a female deity linked to the three phases of a woman's life. Youth (Maiden), Maturity (Mother) and Old Age (Crone). Her male counterpart is the Horned God.
As you see, Hecate is hard to define. Just like Neo. Both are ambiguous and difficult to grasp. Still, let's try to understand ice-cream girl better by using this mysterious Goddess. Let's focus on three things (obviously :P):
Hecate's link to the number 3 and how it is used in Neo's story
Hecate and Artemis's bond and how it mirrors Neo and Ruby's
Hecate's imagery and attributes and what they mean for Neo
The first is an analysis of Neo's interiority (microchosm). The second explains Neo's role in the story (macrochosm). The third offers a synthesis and a conclusion (balance).
RULE OF THREE (MICROCHOSM)
Hecate is known for her three heads and three bodies. Neo is a normal human, but the number 3 still comes up in her design:
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Pink, white and brown. Strawberry, vanilla and chocolate. The three flavours of the Neapolitan ice cream. The three sides of Neo's self:
We are ruled by thirds. In fashion we compare no more than three colors. Our personalities are defined by the id, the ego and the super-ego- always warring vying for control. But our goal is harmony. Balance. (Roman Holiday, chapter 13)
According to Freud, the human mind is made of three parts. The id is where fear and wishes lie. It is a primitive and instinctive force. The superego is society’s expectations. It is where morality and ideals are. The ego is what balances the other two parts. It mediates between wishes and duties.
As per Roman Holiday, Neo is a combination of Neopolitan (pink), Vanille (white) and Trivia (brown). So, Neo's color scheme is a metaphorical representation of id, superego and ego:
Pink represents the id - Neopolitan is Trivia's pink imaginary friend. She embodies everything the child is forced to repress, like her pink eye and her wish for freedom.
White represents the superego - Vanille is Trivia's surname and a shade of white. The Vanilles want their daughter to fit into society and despise her disability, which makes her "odd".
Brown represents the ego - Trivia has brown hair, wears brown clothes and a brown contact lens. She is conflicted between her parents' expectations and her own wishes.
In her childhood, Trivia is unbalanced because her family forces her to repress her id. She cancels her pink side and projects it on her imaginary friend Neopolitan. So, Trivia undergoes a transformation and claims this part of herself back:
As the old saying went, “You can’t put the moon back together”. At times you had to destroy something to make something even better in its place. When Mama had shattered Neopolitan in front of their burning house, Trivia finally understood that she had been broken all along. Losing her friend was Trivia’s first step toward putting herself back together and embracing her true, best self. (Roman Holiday, chapter 11)
She re-arranges herself and her three parts:
Pink becomes the color of Neo's ego (her truest self). She stops hiding her eye and dyes half of her hair pink. Similarly, she embraces her Neopolitan persona more.
Brown becomes the color of the superego. It is a color linked to Neo's female authority figures like her mother (Carmel) and her teacher (Beatrix Browning). It is still present in Neo's color scheme, but much reduced. Similarly, Trivia is still there, but feels more like a mask than Neo's real self.
White becomes the color of the id. It is the color of Neo's family name, which she sheds. However, Neo still loves her parents, so her semblance dyes a lock of her hair white as an unconscious response to their death.
Roman Holiday is the story of Trivia Vanille's death and Neopolitan's birth:
As far as she was concerned, Trivia Vanille was buried under that mess, too. Neopolitan was the sole survivor. (Roman Holiday, chapter 26)
Neo leaves behind her parents and their strict rules to become a living manifestation of the id:
She just wanted to do whatever she wanted. And for the moment, what she wanted was to help Roman set the world on fire. (Roman Holiday, chapter 26)
Neopolitan does whatever she wants, even if it hurts others. She embraces her deepest wishes and chaotic emotions. This is the character we meet at the beginning of RWBY.
Well, Neo's arc in the series is to discard this person and to become someone new once again. After all, Neopolitan's name is linked to renewal and transformation. "Neopolitan" comes from Naples, which means "new city" (neo + polis). Naples's fantastic origin itself is a story of death and rebirth. According to the legend, this Italian city is born from a Siren, who dies for love. Her body transforms into the city and gives new life.
Similarly, Neo is a character able to be reborn countless times (neo = new + poly= many). So is Hecate, whose name may refer to the Greek number 100, as the Goddess is said to have one-hundred forms.
Our Neo/Hecate is then a multifaceted force, who goes through destruction just to embrace creation.
Neo's change in the series starts with a loss:
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She loses both Roman and her inner balance:
There was one thing To help escape the misery And now it's all disarrayed You took my whole life away You sent me back to nothing Now you'll pay
So, she needs to rebuild herself once again:
We must live with balance But balance is blind (Lost her world) Vengeance is a riptide In a fairy tale, she'll find Inside A new me, I'm ready But who will I find? Inside I've gotta let go but could I lose my mind?
Volume 9 is where this inner transformation takes place. This time the new found harmony among id, superego and ego is not described by Neo's three colors. Rather, allusions are used.
In the Ever After, Neo is associated to three different Wonderland / Through the Looking Glass characters:
The Hatter, who represents the id
The Cheshire Cat, who represents the superego
The Jabberwocky, who represents the ego
THE HATTER - THE ID
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“Well, I'd hardly finished the first verse," said the Hatter, "when the Queen bawled out 'He's murdering the time! Off with his head!'" "How dreadfully savage!" exclaimed Alice. "and ever since that," the Hatter went on in a mournful tone, "he wo'n't do a thing I ask! It's always six o'clock now.”
The Hatter is a Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass character. He is famous for the Mad Tea Party, where he, the March Hare and the Dormouse chat with Alice. The original book reveals that the Hatter "killed time" while singing, so Time refuses to run normally for him and his friends. As a result, they are stuck in an eternal tea-party, as it is always tea-time for them. In the 1951 Disney movie, instead, he celebrates Alice's unbirthday.
Neopolitan has been stuck in time since Roman's death. She can't move on, so she focuses all her energies on revenge:
So close to closure The one thing you need Underneath a monument with a dedicated plea
Killing Ruby becomes Neo's One Thing to the point she organizes a special tea party of her own:
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Ruby's unbirthday party, to be precise:
Cinder: And you… should have never been born…
Where she can dissolve Little Red in a cup, as if she were a sugar cube:
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Kill for kill Eye for eye Blood for blood It's time to die Retribution tastes so sweet
The Hatter is a hostage in his tea party and Neo is a prisoner of her revenge. Both are consumed by their inability to go on. Both have killed time and can't face their future.
In Neo's case, the reason why she murders time is pretty clear. It is a coping mechanism to avoid grief:
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In Wonderland, the Hatter can drink tea at every hour. In her fantasy world, Neo can stay with Roman forever:
Neo-Roman: Y’know once Neo realized where she was, everything changed. Always loved the idea of a place to run away from it all. Do whatever you want. I offered that to her back on Remnant.
This is also why the first thing Neo does after landing in the Ever After is to evolve Overactive Imagination and to kill the Jabberwalker:
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The creature is symbolic of death, as they kill Afterans permanently. So, Neo metaphorically negates her grief (the Jabberwalker) through illusions (her semblance).
At the same time, Neo enters the Ever After and gives in to her id. She has her desires and instincts control her completely. She loses all filters:
(Then suddenly) Scratched through the surface And you've found a key Unlocking what you thought was safe inside a box But it's somehow been set free (Finally)
Overactive Imagination's evolution is a physical representation of this psychological process. Neo spirals throughout Mistral and Atlas, but in volume 9 she hits rock bottom and stops acting rationally. She becomes the incarnation of her anger, which manifests through her semblance. Her illusions are typically silent. However, in the Ever After they speak, as Neo is letting her inner voices out of the box:
Say something real Do you only speak in riddles, chatterbox? I'm waiting for your ugly mouth to spit it out
This is why she becomes a chatterbox. She tries to communicate through her creations.
In particular, she makes an imaginary Roman (the Hatter), who looks and sounds like the real deal. He becomes the dominant voice in Neo's mind and speaks to and for her. His presence highlights Neo's inability to accept Roman's death. She hides in a lie. Just like Trivia used to cower behind her imaginary friend Neopolitan. As a child, Trivia can't accept Neo is a part of her. As an adult, Neo can't accept Roman isn't with her anymore. In this way, Neo's first real human connection gets reduced to an imaginary friend. This is the tragedy of Neo's adventure in the Ever After.
All happens because Neo surrenders herself to the id (her inner world). Still, it can't last forever. The id is a powerful source of energy and drive, but it is also destructive. So, Neo self-consumes until she has nothing left:
Neo-Roman: (voice in Neo’s head) You’ve finally done it! Little Red’s gone. With your Semblance stronger than ever now, we can take over this whole absurd place! Why not? Offing Little Red can’t be all you wanted… Right?
She puts so much into destroying Ruby, that she ends up empty. A vessel for others to take advantage of.
Curious Cat: You’ve lost something most important, haven’t you? And now you have nothing left. How delightful! An empty host, perfect for me to fill.
THE CHESHIRE CAT - THE SUPEREGO
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The Cheshire Cat appears twice in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The first time, he guides Alice at a crossroad and points her towards the March Hare's house. The second time, he appears at the Queen of Heart's croquet game as a giant head. The Queen and King are offended by his presence and want to behead him. Still, he is a head without a body, so the execution of this death sentence is complicated. Eventually, he simply fades away and disappears.
The character is inspired by the saying "grinning like a Cheshire Cat", whose origin is unknown. Among the many hypothesis, there is one about a grinning cat-shaped cheese. The cheese was cut from the tail, so that the last part eaten was the head of the smiling cat.
In RWBY, the character who alludes to the Cheshire Cat is not Neo, but the Curious Cat. Still, Neo and the Cat's stories are intertwined, as they destroy each other. The Cat possesses Neo and Neo kills the Cat.
Both characters eat and get eaten. They eat like the two wolves of Ruby's Little Red Riding Hood. They get eaten like the cat-shaped cheese, until only a floating head remains. A head separated from the body. A mind detached from reality:
“We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.” “How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice. “You must be,” said the Cat, or you wouldn’t have come here.”
Neo and the Cat are mad, so they meet in the Ever After. However, their madnesses are opposite:
Neo loses herself in fantasy (the Ever After) and runs away from the real world (Remnant). She lets her unconscious feelings (id) run wild.
The Curious Cat is trapped in fantasy (the Ever After) and wants to reach the real world (Remnant). They are consumed by an imposed purpose (superego):
Curious Cat: I’m not like the other Afterans here, I’m cursed with curiosity. I need to know everything!
Blacksmith: A terrible thing to have a broken heart… And there’s nobody to send them (the Cat) back to the Tree for repair.
So, Neo and the Cat are foils, which is why they share the song Chatterbox. Both blabber non-stop. However, Neo's illusions speak her truest self. The Curious Cat instead uses smart words to hide their real intentions. Neo shows her inner beast (the shadow), while the Cat wears a mask (persona). So, Neo is the embodyment of the id and the Cat is her estranged superego. They are an external force, who comes and takes control of Neo's life:
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The possession is a metaphor of Neo's state of mind. She goes from moving many characters around to becoming a controlled puppet. From shouting to radio silence. This switch is conveyed through the Curious Cat speaking through and for her.
This is Neo's nightmare, as her life is a struggle to be heard. Among other things, Neo refuses devices that make her sound robotic. She dislikes artificial voices because they sound fake to her. And yet, the Curious Cat forces Neo to speak their words. The Cat becomes Neo's new voice.
This is the result of Neo losing her inner drive:
NeoCat: She has no attachments to your world. Nothing to return to.
She is left with no wishes nor fears. She is a living id, who transforms into a walking superego. However, both extremes are wrong. A person is made of both her id and her superego. Both parts are needed to make an individual, which is why Neo is asked to face herself once more:
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The Tree has the girl confront the pain and grief she has been ignoring. And yet, these feelings are what saves her:
NeoCat: No! These cracks, these feelings! I can’t… I can’t!!!
Thanks to them Neo gets back in control of her life. Symbolically, the Jabberwalker she kills in the beginning appears to finish the Cat off:
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In this way, the cycle is complete and Neo's ego can finally surface.
JABBERWOCKY - THE EGO
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Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
The Jabberwocky is a nonsense poem Alice finds in Through The Looking Glass. She initially can't read it, but then she realizes the verses are written in mirror-writing. She holds a mirror to the text and the poem appears. Despite being able to read it, though, Alice can't understand it:
"It seems very pretty," she said when she had finished it, "but it's rather hard to understand!" (You see she didn't like to confess, even to herself, that she couldn't make it out at all.) "Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas—only I don't exactly know what they are! However, somebody killed something: that's clear, at any rate."
The poem conveys two main ideas:
It tells about a slaughter:
He took his vorpal sword in hand: Long time the manxome foe he sought— So rested he by the Tumtum tree, And stood awhile in thought. And as in uffish thought he stood, The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Came whiffling through the tulgey wood, And burbled as it came! One, two! One, two! And through and through The vorpal blade went snicker-snack! He left it dead, and with its head He went galumphing back.
It is impossible to understand, as it is full of gibberish and invented words
This is true for RWBY's Jabberwalker, as well:
They embody death, as Afterans killed by this creature are negated ascension
They jabber as they walk, which is why they fail to communicate with others
How does this relate to Neo? She kills the Jabberwalker, but assimilates them in her illusions. This happens because the creature is Neo's mirror. They reflect our Hecate in the making.
The Jabberwalker is a monster of grief who dies unheard:
Jabberwalker: Stop… It… Cease! No! NO! NOOOOOO!
Neo is a villain whose grief stays unrecognized:
Ruby: If you’re looking for an apology, you’ve wasted your time!
Not only by others, but by Neo too. She kills a part of herself in the Jabberwalker. Her most vulnerable and real part, that wants to communicate:
Say something real Do you only speak in riddles, chatterbox? I'm waiting for your ugly mouth to Say something real Do you only speak in riddles, chatterbox? I'm waiting on your ugly mouth to spit it out
She is a chatterbox that screams, but is not listened to. She can't talk, then she gains the ability to speak through her semblance. And yet, she can only be heard. Never understood. Similarly, Alice eventually learns how to read the Jabberwocky poem, but doesn't comprehend it.
This is why the Chatterbox song is so mysterious. Is it about Neo? The Cat? Both? Who sings what? Are they singing to each other? Or is it Ruby singing to them? It is impossible to say, just like it is impossible to grasp the full meaning of the Jabberwocky.
So, this song is about Neo and the Cat, but plays while RWBYJ fight the Jabberwalker. That is because the monster represents Neo's frammented self. They are the girl's ego, which is so broken and confused she herself negates it. Her journey in the Ever After, though, helps Neo find inner clarity:
(Waiting for it Sugar-coated All you need is here Come and find what Redefines you Make it crystal clear)
By the end she sees herself crystal clear:
Neo-Roman: To have what they have. What a thing, huh?
Her true wish is the same as ever. She wants a real connection. To succeed she has to let go of an imaginary one:
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As a child, Trivia lets go of Neopolitan and finds Roman. As an adult, she lets go of Roman to find someone else. Trivia dies and Neo is born. Neo dies and someone new is born:
Blacksmith: She will have the chance to return her broken heart… And becomes something new. Such is balance.
Life from death. Creation from destruction. This is what transformation is. Symbolically, Neo kills all her three parts. She murders the Jabberwalker (ego), she rips the Curious Cat to shreds (superego) and finally releases Roman's illusion (id). Now, she is ready to move on.
HECATE AND ARTEMIS = SHADOW AND LIGHT (MACROCHOSM)
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Hecate/Trivia and Artemis/Diana are two intertwined Goddesses. In particular, Hecate is sometimes described as a part of Artemis's triple identity. This Goddess is:
The Moon in the Sky (The Crescent Moon to be precise)
Artemis/Diana on Earth (Goddess of hunt)
Hecate/Trivia in the Underworld
Doesn't it remind you of anyone?
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Ruby is
Associated with the Crescent Moon (Crescent Rose)
The best Huntress of all
A Red Grim Reaper with a Scythe
She is the Artemis (Crescent Moon) to Neo's Hecate (Falling Moon). This is why Neo's role in volume 9 is to play Ruby's Jungian Shadow:
In analytical psychology, the shadow is an unconscious aspect of the personality that does not correspond with the ego ideal, leading the ego to resist and project the shadow. In short, the shadow is the self's emotional blind spot, projected as archetypes.
The shadow is everything that is repressed or hidden. In Ruby's case that is her emotions over loss and grief. So, Neo becomes what links Ruby to these feelings of death. Just like Hecate/Trivia is the part of Artemis/Diana, who appears in the Underworld. This is why Neo and Ruby fall together in the Ever After.
During their fall, Neo transforms in three people Ruby cherishes: Oscar, Yang and Penny. What do they represent?
They are linked to future, present and past. In particular, Oscar is waiting for Ruby outside (future), Yang is in the Ever After with Ruby (present) and Penny is lost (past).
They are the three people Ruby's conflict is focused on in the Atlas Arc. In volume 7, Ruby disagrees with Oscar on telling Ironwood. In volume 8, Ruby and Yang fight over what to do. In volume 9, Ruby must overcome Penny's death.
These two meanings are linked to two roles Neo fulfills towards Ruby. That of Triple Goddess and that of Goddess of crossroads.
1- The idea of past, present and future ties into Hecate being a Triple Goddess:
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The fates are a representation of this Goddess and a declination of the Three Hecate Sisters, also known as Maiden, Mother and Crone. They are archetypes linked to three different phases of life. Youth, maturity and old age. In other words, past, present and future.
As Ruby's Hecate, Neo often brings up past, present and future throughout volume 9. Here is a quick list:
Ruby and Neo's fall in the Ever After (Penny is past, Yang is present and Oscar is future)
Ruby's first meeting with the Blacksmith, which is followed by the appearance of Neo's Jabberwalkers. There Ruby sees three weapons. Penny's sword is Ruby's inner child (past). Alyx's knife is the role Ruby is currently trying to fulfill (present). Summer's axe is who Ruby wishes to become (future)
Ruby's fight with Neo's Jabberwalker, where Ruby hallucinates three people. Cinder is the foe Ruby lost to (past). Penny is her current inner demon (present). Salem is the villain Ruby must eventually face (future)
Neo's crazy tea party, where Neo destroys Ruby by using three loved ones. Penny is a dead friend (past), Oscar is a friend Ruby could kill (future) and Little is a friend that dies (present)
Past, present and future haunt Ruby, so that she can accept who she was, understand who she is and move towards who she will be:
Past Ruby: So, are you a Huntress? Like the ones you read about in books? Ruby: I… I don’t know… Past Ruby: They always saved the day, didn’t they? Always knew what to do. Always won in the end. Ruby: But… life isn’t like a fairy tale… Past Ruby: That’s right! It’s up to you to make things better, isn’t it? Everything all depends on you! Your sister needs you, your friends need you, the whole world needs you to keep fighting, forever and ever, against an invincible monster that took your mother! Past Ruby: Mom was the best… but even she failed. That doesn’t seem fair. None of this seems fair. Ruby: But… What am I supposed to do…? Past Ruby: You can do whatever you want. Be whoever you want! You don’t even have to be Ruby Rose… So, what are you gonna be?
2- Neo brings to the surface Ruby's inner conflicts. She starts with the three struggles Ruby faces in Atlas and she keeps going by using her Jabberwalkers to re-create Atlas's destruction twice:
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Finally, she has Ruby fight her inner demons all at once:
Neo-Ironwood: Who were you to think you knew what was best for Atlas? Neo-Pyrrha: I was the best and brightest Beacon had to offer. But I traded my life so my friends could live! Neo-Penny: Just like you were too late to save me at the Vytal Festival… I died in Atlas too, didn’t I? (walks towards Ruby) Can you imagine what that's like? To be completely and utterly failed… time and again… (kneels down to Ruby) by someone who meant the world to you… Neo-Pyrrha: How many more people are going to die because of you?! Ruby: I’m trying to save everyone! Neo-Ironwood: And yet with all your best intentions… Have you ever stopped to wonder if you’d done more harm than good?! Ruby: It’s not my fault…! Neo-Ozpin: How many more lives do you have to ruin before you realize you’re not cut out to save anyone?! Ruby: NO!!!
This happens because Neo is a manifestation of Ruby's id. Just like Hecate is a Goddess linked with crossroads and choice, Neo forces Ruby to transform.
Ruby's hidden self and her conflictual feelings are intertwined in Neo, who is the part of herself Ruby refuses to aknowledge until it explodes.
Let's juxtapose these two scenes:
Ruby: What is this about? The White Fang? Roman Torchwick?
Ruby: Is that seriously what this is all about? You still blame me for what happened to Torchwick?!
In volume 4, Ruby asks Tyrian why he is after her and mentions Torchwick. In volume 9, Ruby is surprised Roman's partner wants to avenge him. This happens because throughout Mistral and Atlas, Ruby starts shouldering too much responsibilities by herself. Her whole ego becomes intertwined with the duty to stop Salem. By doing so, she neglects other parts of the self:
Maria: You know, you don't give yourself enough credit. Ruby: Oh… Thanks. Maria: That wasn't a compliment.
Which leads to the shadow suffering and festering. Inside Ruby, the shadow is her grief and trauma. Outside, the shadow is Neo. A secondary villain with a revenge agenda, which is nothing compared to the threath Salem represents. And yet, Neo's personal grudge grows until she becomes dangerous for Ruby's own existence:
Neo-Roman: You don’t deserve to die, Red. You deserve to be broken down… Torn apart… wiped from existence.
In this context, Ruby refusing to empathize with Neo is really Ruby refusing to empathize with herself:
Give me anything But this symphony of technicolor rage You call it righteous, meaningful It's anything but love Don't take me for a fool I know this all too well so Leave your tears to someone else cuz It's not just you who lost it all
Neo kills the Jabberwalker because she doesn't want to accept Roman's loss. Ruby doesn't see Neo because it would mean to look at her own pain.
The end result is bad for both girls. On the one hand Ruby is overwhelmed by trauma and chooses to disappear. On the other hand Neo realizes how empty she is after Ruby is gone. That is because shadow and light can't live without each other. They need to integrate, which is what Ruby and Neo do by the end.
Both see themselves more clearly, so they are finally able to empathize with each other:
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Their conflict almost kills them, but once they get throught it they are ready to become better versions of themselves. They die and are reborn:
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Since she had used her Semblance for the first time to create a butterfly with one pink wing, one brown, with white spots all over- then sent it out her bedroom window and watched it flutter away until she lost sight of it and let it go. (Roman Holiday, chapter 11)
Like two butterflies, who step into a brand new phase of their lives.
HECATE (BALANCE)
Neo's story is about finding balance inside and outside:
Inside- As a child, Neo is too repressed (superego), so as an adult she becomes uncontrolled (id). Her arc has her grow more balanced (ego).
Outside - In volume 9, Neo is Ruby's shadow (id) and brings out all of Ruby's negative emotions. By the end, though, Ruby is able to understand Neo and feels sympathy for her. This is because our LRRH doesn't refuse her own shadow anymore.
In other words, Neo is an id character, who has to integrate both with herself and with the world around her. This fits Hecate, who is a Goddess linked to the Underworld. The Ever After itself is a representation of this kingdom for three different reasons:
It is the world before (under) Remnant
It is the world of the deads (buried under)
It is the world of the unconscious (buried inside)
This is why Neo's semblance grows more powerful while there. Hecate is the queen of ghosts and Neo grows powerful enough to rule the Ever After with her materialized spirits (illusions). On a deeper level, our lady of the deads must face her own grief. So, like other characters, Neo goes through the stages of grief. In particular, Neo's stages are represented by her reactions to different characters:
The Jabberwalker she kills (negation)
Ruby she stalks and tortures (rage)
The Roman she materializes (bargaining)
The Curious Cat she is controlled by (depression)
All these meetings are a part of her journey to find both acceptance and herself. Maybe this is why throughout volume 9 she progressively becomes more and more Hecate-like. As a matter of fact, she aquires many attributes of the mysterious Goddess.
She gains her personal Empusas:
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The Empusas are Hecate's demons, who look like girls with some odd body parts. In this case, Neo's heterocromia.
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The Empusas are usually monsters linked to fire that appear as half-dogs. Here, Ruby sees the Jabberwalker with Cinder's head.
She finds her own Horned God:
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The Horned God is the Triple Goddess's companion in neopagan religions. The Jabberwalker is a horned creature associated with Neo.
She commands a pack of dogs (the Jabberwalkers) and she herself plays the part of Ruby's dangerous wolf. This fits with Hecate's sacred animals being dogs.
Finally, she stands beside a wicked torch:
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Torchwick-illusion is her companion in the Underworld and a symbol of her friend's lost soul. She even uses Roman's voice to lead Ruby towards death. Just like Hecate holds torches to guide mortals in the Kingdom of the Deads.
Despite all this, there is still an attribute missing: keys. They represent Hecate's ability to travel through worlds. However, Neo is stuck in the Ever After:
Jaune: So Neo can’t go through the door…
This happens because she has still to fully bloom into Hecate (herself). However, she is making progress and by the end of volume 9 she reaches acceptance. A necessary step to grow.
In particular, she dispels her illusion of Roman. She overcomes her grief by overcoming her own fantasies. This is interesting because it is the opposite of what happens in Roman Holiday:
“He caught a lock of her hair and showed it to her. It was white. “This is new. It suits you,” he said. Why would she have done that with her Semblance?” (Roman Holiday, chapter 26)
There, she represses her sadness over her parents' death, which manifests in her illusory white lock of hair. In the series, though, she lets go of an illusion to move on. Why is that so? That is because Neo herself is a combination of illusion and reality:
“Roman shook his head. “Show them who you really are.” Neo changed back into herself, but swapper her school uniform for her favourite suite. Roman handed her her parasol. (Roman Holiday, chapter 22)
Roman Holiday is the story of how she realizes illusions are a part of who she is. Volume 9 is where she learns she can't live in a world made only of illusions. So, she chooses to face herself for real:
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Once she emerges from the Tree, she will gain her allusion's ability to move freely between dimensions (psychopomp) and will go through the door. She will leave her fantastical world (the Ever After) and come back to reality (Remnant).
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ultimateissuessimp · 4 months
Note
Ohhhh can you write cat king x dog king please? like enemies to lovers so cute I think! feel free to decline obv
Oooh you guys have no idea how much I adore writing for the Cat King 🥹 If the word count doesn't express that, I don't know what could. Thank you for this amazing request, I had a field day with it 🙏
Also HAPPY PRIDE MONTH Y'ALL! 🏳️‍🌈❤️
Fleabag and a Dirty Mutt
The Cat King x Dog King!Male Reader
Word count: 2,759
Warnings: Mention of a character dying (Don't worry, he's alive 🙌), animal cruelty (does that count-?), violence, suggestive language (Nothing happens tho 😔), can this be passed off as hurt/comfort? I don't know, really
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When people talk about the stereotype of dogs and cats being mortal enemies, they're not that far away from the truth. They may bit be exactly mortal enemies, but the hate and deep rooted dislike is there. There are instances when dogs and cats live in harmony, but not these two. The monarchs. The royalty. The Dog King and the Cat King. Both too stubborn to change places where they rule, one at the docks, the other keeping closer to the woods, trying to stay as far away from the other as possible.
They had so many run ins with each other that it was a miracle they hadn't tried to kill one another yet. It surely felt like they were close to it though, especially from a point of view of an outsider. Those outsiders being two certain ghosts alongside a quite powerful medium visiting Port Townsend that started causing a little ruckus. Naturally the Cat King at first didn't care even though he was aware of them, of course until one of them used magic on one of his cats. Then he started closely observing them. While the Dog King, being the, well, being that he was, couldn't help but grow interested the moment he caught their very interesting scent, unlike any other ghost's or person in the town and the number was quite big. From the beginning he carefully observed them, before revealing himself when the, now group, clearly needed his help.
From that moment on they began something akin to a business partnership. They get rid of the damned witch that was only causing troubles for him while he protects them and helps them however he can, either his strength, wisdom or resourcefulness. They worked together, both sides diligently fulfilling their side of the agreement and everything was going really well until that new boy appeared. When he first sniffed the air while the new guy was around, his nose immediately scrunched up in displeasure. He reeked with magic, but he couldn't quite place it why or where was it coming from. Then he started talking about astrology and everything else with Edwin and Y/N's demeanor, while still cautious and distrusting, changed from an on guard one to a more relaxed stance. He thought that that was probably where the stench was coming from. The boy was either practising witchcraft or had it deeply rooted within him which was slowly waking up. He was wrong though, big time.
Then was also Thomas. That fucking fleabag that was a constant pain in his ass. He wanted to just rip his throat out with his teeth over and over again until the being was out of lives, but at the same time he felt like he would probably, ironically, miss the damn cat. That didn't change the fact that he was absolutely getting in his nerves whenever he could. This was one of those moments, the two accidentally bumping into each other at the viewing spot that the Cat King visited previously to talk with, and slightly torment, Edwin.
The large fawn and tan coated Doberman trudged up the stairs, from time to time looking up to the starry night sky to see if any star was shining much brighter than the rest and letting out a quiet, pleased sound when he found one. It was a little something to pass the time, especially when he was on a walk like this one.
When he finally got to the top and took a whiff of the air around, wanting to feel the freshness of the air coming from the water, but instead he could smell a very distinguishable scent of a certain fleabag. He immediately snarled when his eyes finally found the orange cat sitting on the stone ledge. He got an angry hiss in response and a swat of a paw, hitting the air, not even close to the dog. Y/N swiftly turned into his human form, an orange swirl forming around him before quickly disappearing when he stood on two feet instead of two pairs of paws, Thomas doing the same, the cat dissappearing in a purple flame, letting the human form take his place.
-What the fuck are you doing here, you damn mutt? - the Cat King asked, clearly annoyed as he looked at the Dog King with an disinterested look.
-I could ask you the same thing, fleabag. Don't you think you're treading a bit too close to my territory? - Y/N fired back, slightly baring his teeth before crossing his arms over his chest and walking over to the stone ledge, looking out into the view despite it being quite dark.
-Oh don't flatter yourself, I simply felt like having a bit of peace away from everyone and everything. This place seemed ideal, but now that you're here everything is ruined - Thomas answered with sass, he couldn't help the eyeroll that followed his statement as he stayed on his spot on the ledge, sitting on it with his legs crossed, one on the other, arms keeping him up behind him.
-Hm, sweet as always I see? Can your mouth do anything other than talk a load of shit? - Y/N asked another question, his eyes going to the Cat King without turning his head, a clearly unamused look on his face.
-It can also take loads, but you will never get to experience that, so why bother? - the man fired back with a smug smirk tugging at his lips, his canines showing off as the smirk grew into a satisfied grin at the Dog King's reaction that only spoke of disgust.
-As if I'd ever even let your face get anywhere near me that isn't at least six feet of distance - the Dog King said, distaste in his mouth at the simple thought of such a scenario.
That night went by in snarky comments and teasing before finally one of them decided they had enough of the company and went back to their kingdom. That was a few days ago, after that more pressing matters appeared that had the Dog King speeding to the forest in his Doberman form, picking up speed with each small sounds he was hearing in the distance. He knew those kids would get into some serious shit, but the fact they had a spy between them? A spy that worked for someone that wanted to kill them without any remorse? That was beyond trouble.
He was slightly late to the party, Monty already being exposed by the Cat King at whose sight Y/N rolled his eyes, before he reminded himself why he was there. He needed to help the kids, even though if that meant going against Esther and the agreement they made a long time ago.
He changed into his human form at the moment when Thomas was telling Edwin that the second kiss was always better before pressing his lips to Monty's for a brief moment. Y/N stared in surprise, as if frozen in his spot a few feet behind Edwin. A weird feeling started to appear in his chest, tugging as if someone smashed their hand into his chest, wrapped it around his heart and started squeezing. He winced in displeasure, before becoming mortified at the realisation that what he felt was jealousy. He was jealous of Monty.
He quickly shook his head before finally coming into the light, facial expression serious as he looked at Monty, trying not to let it slip how he felt not too long ago. There were more pressing matters to tend to than his silly feelings. He could take care of them later on when there wasn't a second death threat looming over the two ghosts and a first one for the two girls with them.
-I think it's time for you to go, Thomas. You've said what you wanted to say, if you have no intention of helping further on, just go bother someone fucking else - Y/N said, a little growl behind his words as he remained an eye contact with the Cat King while speaking, his nose scrunching slightly.
-Whatever. I'm out. Have fun, mutty - Thomas said, rolling his eyes before disappearing in purple flames, taking the source of light with himself.
Y/N looked at Edwin and then Monty carefully, assessing if there would be any action necessary like protecting the ghost from the crow or any other threat that Esther might have coming for them. When he didn't see or feel anything wrong in particular, he relaxed just a tiny bit, still on high alert for any danger while Edwin went at it, spewing out how betrayed he felt because of Monty.
When they were done there and reunited with the rest of the group, took care of the massive mushroom that tried to suck them into itself and be ultimately their demise alongside Esther, seemingly getting rid of her by sending her into a different dimension with the mushroom, only then could they let out a breath of relief while resting in Niko's apartment room. After some time Y/N decides that it's time to go back to his territory, letting the group properly rest after a night full of, well, bullshit. That was also his excuse to think about his feelings towards the Cat King. After just a minute of thinking he realized he was fucked. Utterly and royally fucked.
It was not that long after, a day or two maybe, when Y/N felt something was wrong. His mind was running a thousand thoughts per second while he felt squeamish and uneasy. Finally one thought became the beacon amidst the sea of them. The Cat King. Something was terribly wrong and it made him worried. That's why he turned into his dog form and sped towards the dogs, being careful enough with the cats he was passing, but also not letting them stop him in any way, growling at some that tried pouncing on him.
When he finally got to the docks and basically slammed through the warehouse doors, uncaring about the damage, he felt a sense of dread fill his body when he saw the last hit that a very pissed and determined Esther delivered to the Cat King's body, easily taking away his third life with her cane. He knew the man still have quite a few lives left, but it still mad him enraged with the witch, that damned fucking witch that was an ever bigger pain in his ass than the Cat King that was currently trying to get used to his new life and changing into his human form.
Before Thomas could even get a word out, Y/N let out a loud growl and a warning bark before launching full speed at Esther, leaping over the Cat King who slightly covered when he heard Y/N approach quickly. He landed right on her, making her slam down onto the ground while his full weight rested on her. He bit harshly into her upper arm before standing up and trashing his head around, tugging on it, causing some damage to her body, her head hitting concrete already making her slightly dizzy. When she got the chance to free herself, she shouted in frustration and anger, clutching her arm tightly to her chest before landing one strong blow with her cane to the Dog King's head. While she put some space between them, he changed into his human form, a clear sign of damage she made also visible on his temple that was bleeding down the side of his face. Yet he still stood there seemingly unfazed, shielding Thomas with his own body, standing in Esther's way if she happened to get another surge of violance out of herself.
And then of course when he got out of his initial shock, the Cat King had to start shouting about Esther making his lose his third life and blabber out the fact that Edwin had been through Hell, literally and metaphorically, clearly giving Esther an idea, judging by the look on her face. He simply couldn't shut the fuck up when he should.
When the witch left, Y/N turned towards the Cat King, assessing his new look, his heart skipping a beat once or twice. While he didn't like the circumstances of the change, he really didn't mind the new aesthetic. It suited him. Anything suited him right ally, but the black looked especially... Nice.
While Y/N was taking the view in front of him in, the Cat King started ranting about how stupid he was for even risking his own life like that, taking a couple steps towards the Dog King and taking his face firmly, yet carefully into his hands, turning it to the sides however he seemed fit, checking for any other damages than the most obvious one on his temple. When he didn't see other wounds, he sighed before tugging the sleeve of his coat more onto his hand, trapping the material with his fingers to his palm to keep it covered and bringing it up to Y/N's temple, gently cleaning it off of blood.
-Why the fuck would you do that? Have you gone completely insane, you dirty mutt? - Thomas huffed out in concerned annoyance, wiping away at the side of the Dog King's face, being careful not to irritate the wound further on.
-Long time ago, kitty. I felt that something was wrong and I just couldn't ignore it. You were in trouble and you expected me to just stay away? Really? For how long have we known each other that you still think such bullshit? - Y/N replied, raising one eyebrow at Thomas while his half lidded eyes slowly traveled all across the man's face, the Cat King clearly not noticing his stare since he was too engrossed in patching the Dog King up, even whipping a small cat themed bandaid out of thin air and placing it on the wound.
-Yes, clearly. If you were in trouble and I knew, I wouldn't give two shits, honestly. One annoying mutt less and did you just call me "kitty"? The fuck? She really smacked you hard, damn - the Cat King said, shaking his head and huffing out in an annoyed way, yet the concern written all over his face spoke of something else and so did the barely there blush that appeared when his brain finally processed what Y/N had called him, his heart doing a little flip.
-Mhmm... For sure - Y/N replied shortly and simply, a small cheeky smirk pulling at the left corner of his lips, his eyes still roaming all over the man's face before finally settling on his eyes, the Cat King's own dilated ones staring right back into his.
They both continued looking into each other's eyes, before Y/N finally had enough and leaned in after cupping Thomas' face in his hands gently. His chapped lips pressed sweetly, yet a bit needily into the Cat King's own soft ones. Needy to feel that everything was okay. That Thomas was okay. That he himself was okay. That they were and will be okay. The Cat King responded rapidly by wrapping his arms around the other man's neck tightly, keeping his close. They only pulled away when breathing comfortably started to be a struggle, chests heaving as they breathed deeply, forehead pressed tightly together.
-Don't... Don't ever do that again. Don't try to save my life or one of them when your own gets compromised because of it - Thomas whispered out, his eyes closing and scrunching slightly as an image of badly wounded Dog King entered his mind, but he quickly shoo'ed it away. He swallowed hard before opening his eyes once again just to be met with a big grin on Y/N's face.
-Can't promise that, kitty. Especially not when I know that now you're an unlucky black cat - the Dog King fired back teasingly with a chuckle, his nose rubbing softly against the man's in his arms that were now comfortably resting, wrapped around Thomas' waist.
-Oh fuck you - he got as a reply, a chuckle of his own leaving the Cat King moments before he was the one to initiate another kiss. That one softer, filled with gratefulness and something else entirely. Something as sweet as a cherry blossom tea with a plate filled with chocolate chip cookies.
-If you wish, sure - Y/N said into the kiss, both of them unable to contain the smile that were gracing their faces as they kept close to one another. All they had to do now was simply revel in this new feeling and let it grow like a bush of roses.
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httpsserene · 11 months
Text
𝐡𝐭𝐭𝐩𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞'𝐬 𝐟𝟏 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥
𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝟳: 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝘅 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 | 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁
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📖𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: witch!reader and potions master!pierre run a cute little shop to fulfill anyone’s magical needs. it’s nearing valentine’s day, and the shop is bombarded with desperate humans looking for love charms & potions, even though there’s no magic spell strong enough to replicate true love. oddly, news travels from a few villages over that there’s a potions master who managed to make a real love potion. pierre has to get his hands on it—for the bit, obviously. there’s no way it will work.  📖𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: 18+ only. explicit. not beta read. witchcraft. familiars. cunnilngus. aphrodisiacs. inherent dubcon. vaginal sex. unsafe sex. sudden orgasm? desperation. coming inside. vague structure and explanation of magic. 📖𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁: 5k words. 📖𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: pierre gasly x fem!black!reader 📖𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: oneshot. 📖𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸: need to know • doja cat
𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲: inspired by amortentia. what can i say at every fanfic writer's core, they’ve read an unhealthy amount of hp ff’s, i don’t make up the rules. we know pierre is a fiend, but uh, i do not even feel like i truly tapped into his true unhinged power with this. n joy, loves !!!
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cross-posted on my ao3, htppsss
to see what kinktober uploads have already been completed or to see what's coming next check my f1 kinktober masterlist ! for all of my works see my general masterlist!
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the shop has been open for fifty-five minutes and it’s already been overwhelmed by desperate humans. valentine’s day is tomorrow; and every naive soul is scrambling to get a love charm or potion. the problem with that is: there’s no magic spell or potion able to mirror true love. however, nobody coming into the shop appreciates that answer. 
after the third time a customer hysterically screamed at you for saying there’s no such thing as a ‘love spell,’ you made a slight tweak to the doorbell. now, every time the door opens a bass-boosted audio of you screaming, “LOVE POTIONS, CHARMS, OR SPELLS DO NOT EXIST” echoed through the shop. unfortunately, that message did not seem to help. you had to change the way you welcomed customers when they stepped up to the counter.
“good morning! welcome in to runes and brews; if you’re looking for a spell of true love, it doesn’t exist. nor does a potion or charm. the most i can offer is a hyperfixation charm, which makes the subject pay more attention to you for twelve hours. this charm doesn’t affect their emotions, you still have to make them attracted to you with your, hopefully, natural charm. are you interested in one, they’re buy-one-get-one free for valentine’s day?”
your customer service grimace smile is stained across your lips as you parrot the same words to each customer. you’ve become an npc. the customers try to interrupt your spiel, but you act as if it’s a piece of unskippable dialogue. if they’re going to come here and harass you over their inability to rizz somebody up—they’re sure as hell going to listen when you speak. at this point, you’ve adopted the ‘it is what it is’ mentality. you’re selling a record number of hyper-fixation charms, you think you might run out of your entire supply hours before the store closes. 
at first, you felt a little guilty about selling these charms to the desperate souls. all they want is true love and you can only offer a temporary fix. but after you’ve been screamed at countless times for telling these non-magiques that you can’t supply them with what they’re asking for, the guilt quickly transforms to ‘idgaf.’ with a twitching eye, you kindly told the customers inside the store to wait just a few seconds while you adjusted the door’s charm. 
you grab the outer doorknob with a hand covered in lapis powder, and imbue it with your aura to edit the current protection spell. thankfully, you remembered to meditate this morning, so casting comes easily. you breathe deeply, before releasing the handle and you make your way back towards the customers. and suddenly, the amount of people entering the shop decreases dramatically.
you have such a manic grin on your face that the customers inside the building stare at you in mild terror. one of the humans swallows their fear, and asks the question they’re all afraid to hear the answer to, “w-what did you do to the uh- to the d-door?”
the lights brighten around you as your grin grows larger, and you nonchalantly answer, “the door reads your intentions before you step inside. if a customer plans to come in and harass me over what is magically impossible, they get cursed.”
the humans gasp in fear, and you’re eyes widen in realization, “oh! no-no, don’t worry, it’s nothing bad! it’s just a floating rose that screams out ‘i have no rizz’ to every person they talk to for the next forty-eight hours. they’ve ruined their own valentine’s day with their terrible manners,” you state proudly.
the mass of customers inside thins out pretty quickly after that. 
thankfully, the door charm seems to do the trick with keeping out unruly folks. you’re able to start working on requests from your usual customers—the barkeep needs her rune for a bottomless keg replenished, the butcher needs his new set of utensils charmed with sharpness, the baker’s assistant needs your help working on the heating charm for the warming-tables, and so on and so forth. you get a new vampire customer today, requesting a sunshade potion—they indulge in telling you that they’re planning to spend valentine’s day outside with their human partner as a surprise. you coo at the vampire adorably as you check them out, and you see their cheeks faintly tint with pink—they must have fed recently. this is why being open for valentine’s day is worth it to you; customers like this remind you that true love still exists.
you wish him luck with his surprise, and hand over the potion, which was made by your true love, pierre. who was supposed to be helping you in the shop about thirty minutes ago. he claimed to have to run out and get a few extra supplies to be able to fulfill all of his orders, but that he’d be back before the shop opened. when he shows his face, the true love between you two may not exist anymore. because you’re going to kill him for hanging you out to dry. you sigh, and make your way into the back storage closet to get a fresh box of dried peonies for the new batch of hyperfixation charms, when you hear the doorbell scream the warning message.
you call-out, “give me one moment and i’ll be right up to help you out! feel free to look around in the meantime!” you summon the box of peonies forward, and spell it to float after you as you make your way out.
turning the corner, you automatically begin your npc introduction, “good morning! welcome in to runes and brews; if you’re looking for a spell of true love, it doesn’t exist. nor does a potion or charm. the most i can offer is a hyperfixation charm—oh, it’s just you—ohmygod—how did you pick up my door curse??”
pierre stares at you in a mixture of bewilderment and amusement, as the rose screams “I HAVE NO RIZZ,” at you. you can only laugh, and summon your phone to your hand to take a video. pierre laughs in reflex, still not sure what’s going on, and suddenly he’s being climbed over like a cat tree by your familiar.
“aha!” you exclaim. “i’ve been looking for you all day, ma’am. what pocket of the universe were you hiding in? you always disappear when the non-magiques come around instead of defending me, cat. what kind of familiar are you?”
pierre struggles to wrangle cat off of his head from where she’s fucking up the rose hanging over him. he side-eyes you heavily when he still sees you recording the whole interaction, and you put the phone down before you step over to get cat off of his head. “madame catalytic converter!” you yell with the force of your ancestors.
yes, you named your familiar catalytic converter, cat for short. it makes perfect sense, she improves your efficiency and decreases the chance for any harmful side-effects when you do magic; just like the car part. pierre says that’s why she never listens to you, for giving her a terrible name. when you asked him what he would’ve named her, he said, “probably, escargot, or something.” you said that’s probably why she hates him more. 
you remove the curse from pierre with a quick touch of your hand to his forehead, and the rose poofs away. madame catalytic converter, hops away quickly, uninterested in either of you again, and struts away to sit on top of the box of peonies you brought up. you narrow your eyes at your familiar, “oh—so you’re not even going to explain yourself? where were you?”
cat stares at you dead in the eyes, before she looks away and starts licking her calico fur clean, dismissing you. you scoff, rolling your eyes, and turn to pierre, “and where were you, monsieur?” you ask, poking a finger to his chest. 
pierre presses a kisses to your cheek in greeting, and raises the one bag he has in his hand as part of his answer, “i told you i was running errands, remember?”
you purse your lips at him, and he smiles at you, wrapping an arm around your waist to try and pull you in for a kiss. you smack your teeth disapprovingly, gripping his jaw with your hand, and holding him back, “yeah, you told me you were getting extra supplies. plural. and, that you’d be back in time to open the shop.”
pierre avoids your eyes, chuckling anxiously. 
“i’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but, you’ve only come back with one item, and it’s well past the time the shop opened,” you pause, letting pierre simmer, “explain yourself.”
“okaysoilied,” pierre rushes out, and you hum in shock sarcastically, gesturing for him to continue, “but—but! mon amour, i’ve come back with something that could potentially level up my potion making skills!”
you stare at him unamused, “oh ok—well, show me, what is this wonderful thing?”
pierre shifts on his feet, and you are suddenly afraid to know what he’s bought. if his confidence is faltering, you know whatever’s in that bag cannot be good. 
“so, you remember how people were saying the potion shop a few towns over has actual love potions,” pierre starts eagerly, you nod in resignation, already knowing where this is going, “i bought one! well, two actually. i tried to bug the potion maker into telling me what he put in it, but he was so shifty about it. which is completely understandable, if i made a new potion as great as this, i wouldn’t tell anybody my secrets either.”
“okay, pierre,” you sigh, rubbing a hand across your face, disappointed, “why did you buy two of them?”
“oh,” pierre begins, his usual ludicrous smirk returning to his expression, “one for me to study, and one for me to take! the best way to see if it works is to test it out myself.”
you tug his hand off your waist, and step away from him, pointing at him in vindication, “that’s why my curse worked on you! you’re harassing me with this goddamn love-potion shit—you snake, we both know it’s not real!”
pierre groans, following after you as you storm back to the front counter, the peony box floating over as well, cat yowling at the sudden movement. 
“oh, come on, mon amour,” pierre pleads, brandishing the love potion at you, “where is your hunger for magical breakthroughs? aren’t you curious to learn how it works?”
“pierre, babe, it doesn’t work! that’s why i don’t care! and, why would it work on you? we’re already a true love’s match. we’re soul-tied!”
“so, there’s no harm in me taking it,” pierre claims, like he’s found a loophole. 
“pierre, you shouldn’t,” you warn him. the potions master deflates at your words, and you sigh at the sight of his point. you take a few steps to press your lips to his in a sweet kiss, and your aura swells with pierre’s love passing to you.
“if you do end up taking it, which you probably will anyways, at least take the time to properly study it. you don’t know if they’re any weird side effects,” pierre perks up, his blue-green eyes losing their saddened look immediately. he happily presses a few more kisses to your lips, and pulls away before pressing a kiss to your hand.
“i will! i’m going to go to the back now and start studying it—“
“uhm, no you are not! you still have to help me run this store, sir! i have plenty of things for you to do. starting with cleaning our cauldrons!”
pierre groans in disgust and whines like a child, “mon amour! please, you know i hate doing that. you can do it with a snap of your fingers, why do i have to do it with manual labor?”
you arch a sharp brow at him, and gently remind him of his behavior, “you shouldn’t have lied to me then, hm?” pierre sulks, and moves towards the back to get started on cleaning the cauldrons.
“don’t look so sad—i could’ve had you collecting the eyes of spiders!”
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pierre cringes when he accidentally slams the drawer of his desk closed, pausing cautiously to listen for any movement in the house. it’s late, and you’ve gone to bed hours ago; he’s stayed up trying to identify what exactly this so-called love potion is made out of, and what order of processes it was created with. the frenchman is certain that there are at least seven ingredients in the brew: mature peonies, smashed pearls, crushed dates, powdered rose thorns, rose water, and a potion base of moonstone and lapis. it’s odd, because to pierre the potion smells like warmed vanilla, shea butter, a dash of espresso, and a brush of peppermint—but with every extraction he makes from the potion, there’s no sign of those ingredients. in addition to that mystery, he can tell that this potion took a few weeks to prepare and that it needed constant stirring. he can figure out when ingredients were added to the potion based on how much affect the cooking and heat had on them; the dates and pearls were first, followed by the rose thorns, and it seems like the peonies were added last—he just can’t figure out how they were integrated in the brew. were they added in batches, all at once, did they need changes in stirring motion, etc.. 
putting aside all the unknowns, there is one thing that pierre is sure of: none of the ingredient combinations in this potion would cause any harmful side effects. the powdered rose thorns and crushed pearls are a rare sight in potions but, they create the base of hyperfixation charms and he hasn’t heard of any reports of strange or harmful reactions from these two ingredients. so, the only responsible option for the potions master is to drink the concoction and see if it lives up to be the ‘true love’ potion everyone is claiming it to be.
pierre knocks the draft back quickly and hums pleasantly at the taste, a curious eyebrow raised at how it doesn’t mirror the scent at all. the flavor is sweet and tangy, with a lingering dash of saltiness—it’s delicious. he finds himself wishing he didn’t waste the first potion with experiments so he could taste it again. 
the potions master rocks back and forth on his feet impatiently, he expected the brew to take immediate effect, alas, he feels nothing. pierre shrugs, the potion may take longer to kick in if it’s replicating one of the strongest emotions. he leaves his study and makes his way to the bedroom, and right before he enters the bedroom, he stumbles over cat. your familiar looks at him reproachfully, before she pauses and comes over to sniff at pierre. in the dark, he can see the calico’s eyes shrink into pupils and suddenly she hisses up at him, before she apparates into thin air. pierre scratches at his scalp in a confused manner; cat hissing at him and then disappearing, is not out of the ordinary (it reminds him of the you first brought him home and he tried to charm her with a laser pointer—the familiar stared at pierre like he disparaged her family name), he doesn’t know if that was a reaction just because of him, or if it was a reaction to the potion. 
he continues with his usual nightly routine before he joins you in bed, dressed in a pair of old sweatpants alone. you pout in your sleep, pierre can feel your aura calling to him, unhappy that he’s not curled up against you. he tucks you into his chest when he settled comfortably on his back. he feels your magic calm, the air relaxing when the force of your influence fades. 
the potions master tries to stay up for as long as he can to see if he notices an effect from the brew, but deflates when he doesn’t feel any changes. he knows the chances of this potion working was slim to none, however, he kind of hoped it at least had some effect on him. pierre’s eyes flutter shut as he drifts to sleep, and his last conscious thought is that you were probably right, the potion may not have an effect on true love’s matches.
you squirm awake. it’s boiling hot under the sheets and it shouldn’t be, you placed a cooling charm on the bed. as the fog of sleep unfortunately fades from your mind, you notice that the heat is radiating from pierre. turning around in worry and slight annoyance, you check in on your boyfriend, and the annoyance disappears when you examine his state.
he’s still asleep, but he’s drenched in sweat. his brow is furrowed in what must be pain, and his body squirms across the bed in discomfort. you press a hand to his forehead and hiss at the burning heat from his skin. you groan, already knowing what happened to your dumb potions master—he should be stripped of his title after this. he was working on the damn potion before you went to bed, and he fucking drank it, ignoring your warning, and now, he’s suffering the consequences. you take the same hand that was on his head, and bring it to his shoulder to gently shake him awake. pierre, on the other hand, awakens dramatically, jackknifing upright like you’ve poured water all over him.
the man pants desperately, chest heaving with his stuttering breaths, tongue swiping at his upper lip to clear the sweat gathering there, his teal irises swallowed by enlarged pupils, and his hair is matted and curling against his forehead from the mixture of sweat and heat. his eyes are glazed over, you can tell he’s not quite aware of what’s going on—that’s probably thanks to the incredible fever he’s running—but there’s a hidden glint to them that you can’t puzzle out. 
“oh, pierre,” you lean forward, hands coming to grasp at the sides of his face, steadying him, “you fucked around and found out, didn’t you? there’s no chance you’re capable of telling me the antidote to this, it seems. maybe a spell can alleviate the effects briefly enough…”. as you ramble on, mostly to yourself, you fail to see the look in pierre’s eyes change. the hidden intentions you weren’t able to make out are as clear as day now. the haze over his stare is still present, but the confusion has disappeared. only hunger remains.
you startle when pierre’s trembling hands grasp at your waist. you quirk a brow at him in question, but don’t receive an answer, a verbal one at least. you’re suddenly knocked flat on your back and pierre bodily shoves himself between your legs, hovering over you. and the intense look in his eyes is made aware to you; you’ve seen it before, but it’s never felt this ravenous. you press your eyelids closed and whimper under your breath at your revelation: the ‘true love’ potion is a fucking aphrosodiac.
pierre is so hot. he feels his body shivering dramatically as he holds himself on his hands above you. his muscles weaken from the strain of the fever, and he collapses on top of you. his head lands in the valley of your neck, and he moans at the cooling feeling of your brown skin against his face—he needs more of it, he needs you naked. reinvigorated, pierre attempts to wrangle your clothes off, but he’s unable to do much with his shaky limbs. he begins to anger when your sleep shirt fails to disappear, and tries to rip it down the center. you force his hands away, and tug the shirt up and away before tossing it aside, leaving you in just panties. his anger dissipates, and he presses his body against yours again, and a choked groan escapes him at the relief your naked torso gives him, he goes boneless. 
the relief lasts for less than a minute, before he starts squirming desperately again—he needs to be closer to you. he suckles marks into your neck, moaning lewdly when he feels your hand tangle in his hair, pulling at it firmly. he fights your grasp, unsatisfied with his unfinished claim on your neck and chest, but he submits when he notices you’re guiding him to your lips. 
the meeting of your lips is messy, he can’t manage to find any of his usual finesse. he pants into your mouth in between sloppy, wet kisses, if you can even call them that. his tongue fights against yours, and his hips buck forward at the feeling, which reminds him of the fact that he still has sweatpants on and you have on panties. pierre jerks away, resisting the urge to continue kissing you when you whine out for him so prettily, chest arching upwards, nipples perky and egging him to bite, the bruises on your neck blossoming with reds and purples—he shakes his head erratically, and focuses enough to tug his sweatpants off; he’s never been so happy that he’s not wearing underwear. the skin contact must have done him well, because his hands aren’t shaking anymore as they grasp at your panties. he may not have torn apart your shirt, but the cotton undergarment doesn’t stand a chance, he rips through it like water.
the sound of your shriek at his actions is muted in his ears, and he barely registers the feeling of you shoving at his shoulder in irritation. pierre can only see your pussy. a broken whimper escapes him as he stares; his eyes tunnel to your throbbing hooded clit, the way your entrances tightens and relaxes, like you’re taunting him to fill you up, and you’re soaked for him, lips shining with your wetness—he should just get a brief taste, before he fucks you. he lays between your legs, hands coming around to grip at your thighs to firmly hold you against his mouth, and he’s eating you out like he’s never had a meal before.
the potions master vaguely hears a pleasure-filled scream burst from your chest as he broadly strokes of his tongue against your vulva to collect any wetness you’ve spilled. he muffles his moan into your pussy at the taste, and shifts downward to prod his tongue inside of you to coax more of your juices out. he feels your hips try to buck him off of you, and he growls into you, tightening his grip on your thighs to allow you no escape. you leak steadily into his mouth, even as you try to run from the constant barrage of his lips, tongue, and teeth. pierre’s brow furrows with the effort he puts into eating you out—your taste is addicting. it’s a mouthwatering combination of sweet and tangy, with lingering saltiness. he has a small lapse of deja-vu at your flavor, but it’s quickly dismissed at the drag of his cock against the bed. 
pierre whimpers into you at the pleasure flaring behind his eyelids, as he begins to hump against the bed. he switches from forcing his tongue inside of you and moves his attention to your clit, suckling and twirling his tongue on the button. it sounds like he’s making out with your cunt. your thighs to clamp shut around his head, your hand scrambles to tug at his hair and hold him exactly where you want him, and you start rubbing your pussy against him. fuck, how did he not realize how hard he is. pierre sobs into your pussy overwhelmed, he wants to keep eating you out, and the friction of his cock against the bed feels so good. he knows being inside of you would be better.
the frenchman breaks free from the grasp of your legs, and scrambles back upwards, not giving you time to register the change in position before he breaches your entrance. when the head of his cock pops inside of you, he throws his head back and moans erotically at the feeling of your cunt fluttering around him. he starts to burn hotter. pierre struggles to hold-off from thrusting into you in one smooth motion—he’s usually cautious when he fucks into you for the first time because he’s well aware of his size and how you struggle to take it all in one sitting. he whimpers hotly, and picks his head up to look at you—and all sense of waiting for you to adjust leaves him head. a line of drool has slid down your cheek, your eyes have rolled back in pleasure, and the sounds of your squeals of pleasure from just the tip of his cock break his restraint.
the man drives his cock deep inside of you in one smooth thrust, and he shudders on top of you, humming in satisfaction at the pulsing grasp of your cunt. pierre feels how he forced the air out of your lungs, your corresponding scream still rattling in his eardrums, but he can’t help how he grinds his cock into you, one, two, three times. he groans out, and starts making proper thrusts into you—he needs to fuck you properly. one of your hands sneaks between your joined bodies and presses at his navel in a weak attempt to halt his movements. pierre knocks it out of the way, before he brings both of his hands to tighten on your waist and starts fucking you with a purpose. it’s selfish and dirty; in a way pierre usually isn’t. he uses himself as a tool to make you cum first all of the time, but you can tell tonight, this is all about him—your orgasm is just a byproduct. he gathers you up in his arms, making sure there’s no gap of air in between you, and starts pumping his hips into you deeply, not pulling out of you any more than a few centimeters.
it’s feels so pleasurable that it could be torture. he’s applying pressure against that spongy spot on your walls so consistently, that you’re legs have already started shaking. he’s fucking you up the bed with the force of his thrust, and he’s conscious enough to place a hand on the headboard to make sure he doesn’t shove you up to hit your head. pierre’s making these sweet, whiny, whimpers, that he attempts to muffle into your neck as he feels himself start pulsating inside of you, dancing along the edge. he feels your nails claw into his back, and it’s like his senses are suddenly returned to full strength from where they were clogged with fuzz. he can hear you try and moan out for him, but his thrusts are so powerful that you keep choking on your words.
he catches the ending of your warning, “pierre-oh—m’ gonna cum! oh, fuck!”
the clenching of your orgasm pushes him into his own, and it’s the most intense crash of pleasure he’s ever felt. his vision whites out and it feels painful in a way only too much pleasure can give. his whole body shakes through each wave of pleasure, and he feels lightheaded at the feeling. pierre can’t even do anything more than jerk his hips forward to pump through the aftershocks, he falls limp on top of you, pinning you under him. his skin feels raw and blown open, and there’s a ringing noise in his ears. he whimpers against your neck, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes, and then he’s pretty sure he faints for a few minutes.
when he comes back to the present, you’re humming underneath him, hands rubbing up and down his back in a soothing motion. pierre brokenly moans against your throat, oversensitive. you shush him, and scratch at the nape of his neck, just the way he likes but won’t admit to. his breaths slowly even out against your skin, and in a croaky voice he starts talking, “the potion—it smelled like the shea butter of your lotion, the vanilla and coffee of your perfume, and the peppermint of your aura.”
you pause in your motions, and softly ask, “really?”
pierre shifts, hissing at the jostling of his cock still inside of you, and settles again, raising his head up to make lazy eye contact with you, “yeah,” he whispers quietly, before carefully pulling out of you and falling onto his stomach next to you.
you nuzzle up to his side and press kisses against his shoulder, before you offhandedly mention that his fever’s gone down. pierre’s fighting the call of sleep, and mumbles something into the pillow that you can’t make out, and he turns his head to the side so you can hear him, “i dunno how, mon amour, but it tasted like you too.”
you stare at him with wide eyes, neither of you are aware of an aphrodisiac of this caliber. pierre falls asleep, and you close your eyes in a quick prayer—this potion better have run its course, you won’t survive another round of that.
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© httpsserene 2023
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amf-studios · 2 months
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The eldest daughter of Ancient Enma, the witch of the crossroads, say hello, to Hecate!
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Hecate is known in Greek mythos as the catch all goddess of anything supernatural. A goddess of witchcraft, ghosts, Necromancy, the moon, and the night. Put simply, if you're gonna touch anything Greek in franchise, she is a MUST.
given her reputation, I decided to make her the eldest daughter of Ancient Enma.
I mostly took inspiration from Emma Daiouji from academy Y crossed with both a typical witch, and Hecate as depicted in the game "Hades 2." This combination ended up making her resembled a goth Rosalina.
Hecate is one of the most prolific yokai in the whole of the afterlife. Even outside of her being the daughter of the previous king, she has influence in a number of pantheons around the world. As a matter of fact her work in Greece was even noticed by humans, causing her to be falsely labeled a Greek God.
Her numerous list of achievements and training has led to a relatively common opinion that she should have taken the throne of the yokai world upon her father's reincarnation. Though because of the long-standing rule that only men could head the enma clan, it was instead passed to her son, Koen. The current Lord Enma.
Hecate is an S rank, fire attribute yokai. With the soultimate move "At the Crossroads" where her enemies are engulf in a spectral flame that deals damage, and leaves them inspirited.
I hope you enjoy this new addition to the enma family!
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wishful-seeker · 9 months
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How to Make Your Own Spells
(Or at least this is how i do it)
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What makes a spell?
In my opinion, a spell or ritual is the physical act of manipulating the energy around and within us to achieve a specific goal. A spell can look like anything from a few spoken words, like a prayer, to weeks long complicated rituals. You can attempt to cast a spell with nothing but your voice and some intent, or a whole pile of ingredients and tools.
How do spells work?
If we look at rituals in folklore there are a few characteristics that most spells share, but every one is unique, and spells have worked for a looong time even with no set rules for them. In folklore, witchcraft has reoccurring traits, like the number 13 "dance around X 13 times", dancing is also mentioned often, and black animals like black hens, black cats, and black goats. But times have changed, we aren't okay with harming animals for spells, and thousands of people don't use the number 13 or dancing. So why do spells still work even though they all look completely different?
I like to think we as humans have innate power within us that we can choose to utilize in our own unique way. Some spells work really well for the people who made them, but don't do squat for others trying to cast them. I think this is because the act of making a spell or ritual personal, whether you made it from stratch or altared someone elses, is similar to signing a piece of your artwork. You create a bond with those specific actions with you energy, like putting a spiritual signature on it. I think this allows us to utilize our personal magic easier.
I think spells work no matter how they look because the one thing each spell has in common is that we are making a petition to the world and ourselves that we want to make something happen, and because we all have a little bit of magic in us, we can make these things happen.
It doesn't hurt to get friendly with the land spirits of your home, or your ancestors or what-not to help you preform magic. Its very likely outside help will increase spell success.
So how do i make a spell?
You can either be simple or extra with this.
First decide your goal or intent. The more specific, the better. I believe magic follows the path of least resistance so if you aren't very specific with your ask, things might happen in unpredictable ways. Saying "I want a promotion in my current job and enough money to move to a better place." Is better than "i want a better life."
Secondly decide if you want ingredients or tools. This could be herbs that you research correspondences for or crystals you research the metaphysical properties of. This could be items like a skeleton key, a feather you found, maybe a letter someone wrote. I find spells to be more powerful and easier to enjoy and connect with if you use sentimental items you feel particularly drawn to. You don't always need ingredients that have set correspondences, its okay to use things just because you have a good feeling about it or to put your own personal correspondence on things including trinkets, herbs, and crystals. When it comes to tools, like a pendulum, wand, or scrying mirror, you can use these if they feel fun, but they are not always necessary. Some tools can be very helpful in spells, pendulums and scrying mirrors can be used to speak with spirits during your ritual.
Next figure out what you want the spell to look like. This is where your creativity shines. You could do the classics everyone knows: spell bottles, spell candles, and sachet spells. Or you can do what intuitively feels right to you. I personally arrange my ingredients in a pretty way intuitively on a plate then light a candle on the plate, but spells can look like anything. Like i said before, in folklore there is a lot of dancing. A spell could be a dance you do around a fire, or for astral travel dance until you fall and leave your body. A spell can be an art project, perhaps a collage of pictures of things related to your spell. A spell could be something you cook and eat. Let your imagination go wild.
Next thing is optional but i feel like it helps. Im sure you have heard of wiccans casting a circle before each spell to trap certain energies in for the spell. You can do this but i personally like the opposite: creating a liminal space and thinning the veil to really open up to all the energy around me. You can create a liminal space either by being in one ex: at a crossroads, in the woods, at midnight, dusk, and dawn. Or you can make one by creating a 3 or 4 crossroads shape like you would cast a circle. These are both optional though.
Next lets talk about charging your spell and how to actually put energy into it. Again, you can do anything you want. You can charge by dancing, moving clockwise, singing, playing an instrument, meditating, visualizing energy coming from your hands or wand, anything you feel drawn to. For me personally i have to speak my intent allowed and imagine what it'll look like when my spell succeeds to charge it.
If you need inspiration for spells, folklore, fairytales, and stories in general can give you a good idea on what would be fun to do.
Hope this helps, stay punk.
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sillyprettyfairy · 11 months
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MH G3 ASK GAME 🦇🖤
Rules: Reblog if you'd like your followers to send numbers/questions from this list to you! Anyone can reblog and don't forget to have fun~
How did you feel about G3 when it was first announced/rolled out vs. now?
2. Which G3 character (new or rebooted) is your favorite?
3. Which G3 doll is your favorite?
4. Are there any aspects of G3 you dislike?
5. Is there a line or idea for a line that you'd like to see in a G3 release?
6. Which G3 pet is your favorite?
7. Favorite G3 parent(s)?
8. Which episode of the G3 series is your favorite?
9. Which G3 song (from the show or character songs) is your favorite?
10. What's your favorite piece of fan content that's been made for G3 (customs, art, videos, etc.)
11. Any G3 ships you'd like to see?
12. Are there any canon relationships (platonic or otherwise) in G3 you enjoy or don't enjoy especially?
13. How do you feel about the live action movies?
14. You have been given the chance to design the G3 version of one G1-introduced character. Who do you choose?
15. Is there any G3 merchandise you own or want to own?
16. If you could steal the wardrobe of one G3 character, who would you choose?
17. Is there a G3 character you feel deserves more attention?
18. What kind of monster what you be in G3? Would you be a teacher, a student, or an alumni?
19. Which G3 power (moon claw, witchcraft, dream powers) is your favorite? Which would you want?
20. Random character headcanon!
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hiswitchcraft · 2 years
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Discernment tip for newbies!
A lot of witches talk about how important discernment is, including me, so here's an example of how to do it when it comes to your practice (discernment in research is a whole different post…) I consider it the number one discernment rule and the default for me. If you have an experience that you feel may be intuitive, a sign, or an entity, ask yourself this: Could this experience have a logical explanation, not a spiritual one?
That isn't to say that if an experience does have a logical explanation that that’s the right answer 100% of the time, but I find that most of the time that's the case.
It's important to me to default to a more common or logical explanation especially as someone who experiences paranoia. Defaulting to something being a sign is in my opinion not conducive to a solid witchcraft practice, and honestly sometimes not healthy!
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witchyafterdark · 10 months
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The Statute of Secrecy 📜
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Disclaimer: This is just my personal opinion. I'm sorry if this was answered late but... I just wanted to answer this properly. And perhaps a late birthday post! 🎉 I'd love to hear more thoughts in the comments section or give me more asks!
The anon was pertaining to a previous post of mine, which you can find here.
Once again, this is a very, very long post. ✨ Please take your time!
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Thank you so much for sending me this ask. This is my first one ever, and I couldn't be happier! You have no idea how long I've been stewing on this topic but didn't know where to start.
Let's talk about it! I originally just wanted to post my vague take about this topic but I got to thinking 🤔 If we're really going to talk about this, let's delve deep into it, and get all the proper information out. Lots of people are divided about this statute; some in agreeance, some in complete opposition.
Also, I know that I'm no expert in the areas of government that I'm going to mention here. But I think I have a decent handle on the topic at hand, and for once, I'd like to put my degree on International Relations and Politics to good use!
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What is the Statute of Secrecy?
According to the wiki, the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy (commonly shortened to Statute of Secrecy) was a law in the Wizarding World that was first signed in 1689, then established officially in 1692. The purpose of this law was to safeguard the wizarding community from Muggles, and hide its presence from the world at large. This statute was inveterated by the International Confederation of Wizards — which is the equivalent of the United Nations in the muggle world.
The ultimate reason as to why this law had to be made and laid down in the 17th century was due to the severe Wizard-Muggle relations at that time. Witch trials were at an all-time-high across European nations. It was said that, "...[witches and wizards] that offer to aid their muggle neighbors with the use of magic was tantamount to volunteering to fetch the firewood for one's own funeral pure." This was evident in the many witches and wizards that were imprisoned and sentenced to death on the charge of practicing witchcraft.
On top of that, there had also been a time of widespread persecution of wizarding children by muggles, and both witches and wizards being forced by muggles to perform and teach magic for the latter's benefit; thus, increasing the numbers of persecution that inevitably included those of muggles mistakenly tried and burned as witches. At this point in time, the Wizarding World had to establish interventional measures.
During that period, Great Britain was ruled by King William III alongside his wife, Queen Mary II. There was a time during their reign when the newly-created Ministry of Magic attempted to convene with the muggle British Monarchy via a special Ministry Delegation. The British Wizarding World went as far as begging the muggle monarchy for the protection of wizards under muggle law. Of course, this attempt had failed, which promptly resulted in the collective decision of Wizardkind to voluntarily remove themselves from muggle societies, and went towards the direction of hiding and secrecy.
Now that the historical background of this law has been covered, let's now talk about what would happen if the Statute of Secrecy were to be abolished; which will make the Wizarding World known to all muggles. (Again, these are my personal views and hypotheses, backed by ample amount of research from both sides of the debate).
Of course, in an ideal world, we would all be accepting of each other, holding hands and singing Kumbaya. 😀🤝😀
But given the current status of wars we're facing today, we have to be honest with each other here. The power of love and acceptance is not going to be enough if the muggles themselves cannot even reach an amicable understanding between themselves. And this is without magic to begin with!
So, what will happen if the Wizarding World were to reveal themselves to the muggles?
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I. Economic Repercussions
There are so many bases to cover when it comes to the economic impact of what the abolishment of the Statute would entail. If the Wizarding World were to reveal their truth during this time, I can only imagine the economic upheaval both the muggle and wizards will face. Assuming that the Wizarding World would unveil themselves today, year 2023, these are the highly anticipated events that may occur:
1. At least half of the Muggle jobs will be obsolete
The first that comes to mind are people who work blue-collar jobs. I believe they will be hit the hardest in the event that magic will be known.
Why would you need a couple of dozen of construction workers (who work at a slower pace, and costs more) if you have magic to do if for you; which is considerably cheaper, faster, more efficient, and safer for all who are involved? Sure, wizarding engineers do exist as Hogwarts was built both by hand and magic. But for the most part? Utilizing magic to build and construct infrastructure will be far easier and faster than its muggle counterparts. This alone would affect the economy of manual labor of the muggle workforce.
How about housekeepers? Servers? Customer service? Handymans? They are surely the backbone of our society. But with the integration of magic, again, it would be cheaper to hire one witch or wizard to do the job, and it would be faster if magic was involved with stacking grocery goods into shelves, enchanted clothing stores that automatically alter your clothes to your size and shape, and a swish of the Scouring Charm (a charm used for cleaning and washing things) will inevitably cut the muggle labor-force into considerable numbers.
Didn't we see the Leaky Cauldron's tables being cleaned and chairs being put up by one wizard? A restaurant wouldn't need lots of servers if this would be the case. That alone would wreak havoc on muggle economy. (Less workers = less income tax revenue for the muggle government).
We've seen in real life how the recent pandemic messed with our economic recovery simply because the service industry was not wholly available as it used to be during pre-pandemic times. Everything else became impossibly expensive and difficult to obtain.
2. Pharmaceutical Corporations and Insurance Companies
Come on, now. We all know this is a gargantuan beast to tackle.
The first thing that came to mind are the magical creatures and plants that will be harvested to extinction if the muggles knew of their medicinal properties. Poaching will be at an its height (poor Poppy) with both muggles and crooked wizards selling and auctioning these creatures for mass breeding programs. There will be a race to find and get ahold of the rarest magical creatures, such as the Phoenix, Unicorn, and some species of Dragons and Winged Horses.
Wizarding potioneers and apothecaries will be reaping the benefits of this, of course, but they will be swamped with millions (if not, billions) of desperate muggles who are in search of cures for their ailments. Skele-Gro for immediate regrowth of bone-related accidents, Wiggenweld for the immediate treatment of open wounds and post-operative incisions, and the Forgetfulness Potion and Draught of Peace for patients who are suffering PTSD or any other trauma-related symptoms; just to name a few.
But the most dangerous part is that there will be a race for the recreation of the Philosopher's Stone. This is the key to create the Elixir of Life. And this is something both the wizarding world and the muggle world will fight to the death over.
Muggle pharmaceutical corporations will be affected considerably due to the magical competition of potions and healing spells that are far better than some of the muggle medications. However, there are still medicines that are needed and irreplaceable at this time; such as post-operative maintenance medicine, emergency care, anti-psychotic drugs, chemotherapy, anti-seizure aid, and the like.
And as much as we all loathe our respective countries' insurance companies and policies, they are still an important factor in our economic system. These companies will also be affected by the decline of both muggle medicinal and medical procedures.
3. Doctors, Nurses, and Healthcare Professionals
In that same vein, all healthcare professionals and providers will be affected. There will be a demand for more wizarding healers than doctors, and there will be an influx of muggle patients seeking treatment from the Wizarding World. Yes, there will be muggles who will still be wary and untrusting of wizarding procedures. This will be the saving grace of the muggle doctors and nurses — but only for a little while. Once the legitimacy and credibility of wizarding medicine becomes apparent (which it will over time), lots of muggle physicians will be at a loss of employment as more and more wizarding healers will be on demand worldwide.
The bright side to this dilemma is if both wizard and muggle medical professionals learn to cooperate with one another and have an exchange of training information with each other. Wizarding healers can learn how to do first aid; such as CPR, resuscitation, defibrillation, Heimlich maneuver, etc. We also have to give lots and lots of credit to the muggles. We have survived thus far with our own studies and the sheer will to live.
And so, we also have a lot of knowledge to impart to the wizard healers. Surgery would be even more revolutionary with the brainpower of muggle surgeons and wizard healer's magic and potions; perhaps to the point where mortality rates would go even lower than what we currently have. Maybe the muggles would give the wizards an idea of replicating organs instead of relying on donors! These are some of the positives that can happen for sure.
The Wizarding World will finally get to know dentistry! 😂 I honestly can't believe they don't know the existence of dentists all the way to as late as the 1990's.
4. Transportation
Commercial air and sea travel will most definitely be hit by the presence of wizarding means of transport. Imagine: Floo Stations can be built almost entirely anywhere (from major cities to remote islands), Witches and Wizards can be hired to apparate and disapparate (making traveling much faster, given the Wizarding World could figure out a way to bypass splinching), and Portkeys can be made and sold for a price! (There had been an incident where a muggle accidentally touched a Portkey, and was transported in the middle of a Celestina Warbeck concert!)
Surely, the muggle way of transporting goods will still be there simply because there is just too many parcels and packages to deliver. But human transportation will be affected, putting a dent the industry of airlines and seafaring companies. Plus, wizarding travel methods are easier on the planet! They don't use fuel and gas to begin with.
Another thing is broom flight! Yes, it's fun for the most part. But there will need to be an entirely new set of transportation systems and rules to be implemented before it can even be introduced for public consumption. I assume it's cheaper to buy than a car, and so a lot of muggles will be enticed to opt for brooms instead of cars — and they can just hire the aid of wizards to enchant their bags with Extension Charms for their personal belongings.
But ultimately, automobile manufacturers and corporations will, once again, become obsolete. It would push for smaller car companies into bankruptcy, and the larger ones would probably have to sell their now-surplus stock of cars for a drastically cheaper price just to be sold. Can you imagine what this would do to the economy?
5. Muggle-Made Products vs. Magically Modified Products
Funny enough, I added this part last-minute. But I immediately thought about this from seeing a review of Lady Gaga's beauty brand, Haus Labs, and their "Atomic Lip Lacquer." A product review said:
I'm 100% convinced Lady Gaga found some glamour witches and hired them! This product is impossibly good and effective!
This set my idea lightbulbs off because true enough, I had sampled this product before — and it works! It's smudge-proof, transfer-proof, and the color is quite universal on a lot of skin tones. (This is not an advertisement, nor is this post sponsored by Lady Gaga). 😂
But of course, the caveat is that if this truly was enhanced by glamour witches, then there will be a problem. Right now, we know that Haus Labs probably just have really good cosmetic chemists in their lab. But if the world was to know that glamour witches can be hired to amp up certain products, there will be a power and economic impact in the market competition.
Sure, all major companies can hire their own witches and wizards to magically enhance their products. But what about small, family-owned businesses? What about those actually honest companies that pay their workers fair wages? What about small companies who rely on ethically-sourced products from indigenous communities; like woven garments and furniture? What happens to them, then? They will be obliterated by these major corporations who have the money to hire people of magic to modify their products that will ultimately (and unfortunately) overpower smaller businesses.
Even if we are to ethically buy muggle-made products in support of their honest work, it will become much more expensive to procure over time. Much like cultural products made by locals are more expensive than your factory-produced goods, even the masses will have no choice but to buy products that are magically enhanced because they're cheaper and they take less time to manufacture. And most importantly, the magical products are going to be much more effective.
Just like that Atomic Lip Lacquer.
6. Currency, Trade, and Stock Markets
This one's pretty straightforward. With the use of divination, legilimency, seers, and all sorts of other methods of prediction, the odds are in the wizards' favor. Even with muggle technology that aids them in stock market predictions, it wouldn't stand a chance against magical seers and divination. Not only that but it would wreak havoc upon the value of both muggle and Wizarding currency exchange.
Since their community is considerably smaller than the rest of the world's, their economy is pretty stable. The system of currency isn't really expounded in great detail in the books, aside from what we know that there are 29 Knuts for 1 Sickle, and there are 17 Sickles for 1 Galleon.
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Interestingly, there have been systems from forums and websites that have shown the actual money exchange rates between the Wizarding and the muggle currency:
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(This one, however, is no longer the actual rates because we all know that rates change daily. There used to be a website for daily conversion rates but it's currently inaccessible or have been taken down. Do try to see if this website's working by the time I published this post).
I am not an economist, and I suck at economics, but judging from how a Galleon is worth more than the Euro, the US dollar, and British pound, Wizarding currency is more powerful than muggle currencies. If the Statute would be taken down, the Galleon would now have to enter the International Stock Exchange! But the worst part is that the British Galleon is not the only Wizarding currency there is. In France, they operate with the Bezant (which was established around 1927), and in the US, they have the Dragot and the Sprink (from at least the 18th century).
Yes, Gringotts Bank do accept muggle currency for Galleons in the case that muggleborns needed to have them exchanged. But the goblins do find the way to put muggle money back into circulation. So, in reality, muggle money is worthless in the Wizarding World. Not only that, but assuming that Galleons are made from gold, that in itself will cause a lot of confusion as to how it would be converted, and which method of conversion would yield higher returns. The bottom line is that the Wizarding currency would suffer from the process of joining the muggle market.
🔹 Now these are the things that I can think of at the moment, but I'm sure there are tons of other things to consider. We're barely scratching the surface of the economic repercussions. Sure, there are advantages in the long run. But will the muggles and wizards even get to the long run with other factors to consider?
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II. Religious Opposition
(Note: I am NOT pertaining to the derogation of any specific religion on this section of the post. Anything mentioned here is alluded to in a generic way or historical context. I am not siding nor criticizing any particular group or religious organization by refering to "real life" events; I am merely making historical references that align with the canonical events in the Harry Potter universe).
One of the other factors that I just mentioned is the religious opposition the Wizarding World will inevitably face. The contrasting beliefs and practices of the Wizarding World against the muggle religious organizations is the prime reason why the International Statute of Secrecy had to be made to begin with.
There are extensive historical references, records, and studies about the subject of the European Witch Hunts and Trials that go way back to the 1400's. There was a book — which is famous, even today — that is considered as the "handbook" of identifying, capturing, torturing, and executing a witch in captivity. This is called the Malleus Maleficarum, also known as the 'Hammer of Witches.'
It is because of this book that tens of thousands of people, 80% of them were women, have been put to death. Inevitably, this became the ultimate cause why the Wizarding World have decided to completely go into hiding. The differences in the acceptance of religious beliefs and practices were the driving force why the Statute of Secrecy had been passed and enforced.
Given that today's religious climate is arguably better than how it used to be during those days, there is a bigger and better chance that the youth will have a far greater sense of open-mindedness about the existence of witches and wizards. A lot of Millennials, Generation Z, and the oldest of Generation Alpha are scientifically considered smarter and the most educated generations in all of modern history. We are, as a collective whole, the most progressive and accepting when it comes to considering things that are unknown or are yet to be discovered. Most of us won't react with violence or have the need to gather our pitchforks against the Wizarding World.
However, the same couldn't be said for religious orders. Witchcraft and wizardry are real punishable violations under scriptures, and the history of this practice is one of dark times. If the Wizarding World is to be revealed to the masses, alongside the demonstrations of magic for everyone to witness, religious organizations will most likely take action against the Wizarding population. It would not be a surprise if religious extremists host groups of people willing to revive witch hunts and take matters into their own hands, citing holy scriptures and rights against the perceived enemy. (Keyword: Extremists; not the religious organizations as a whole).
Taking note of the political upheaval in today's warring nations (and to completely acknowledge the severity of what's going on these days without disrespecting real-life situations), muggles alone have taken part in religious crusades after another. Dominant empires of the past have conquered and colonized solitary societies who are living in peace solely in the name of their respective religions. We see this even today. It is not far-fetched to think that some (not all) factions within religious organizations will take up arms against the Wizarding World. It is easier to find a common enemy to attack and fight against. It is easier to wave white flags toward your usual enemy, and join forces to defeat the new threat.
On the other hand, we see a new wave of several revivals of pagan faiths by today's youth. More and more people participate in different forms of divination (such as tarot and astrology; here's my shameless plug: @tarotwitchy), some practice the Goetic rituals and methods of communicating with deities and spirits, others prefer to continue with their ancestors' lost pagan traditions according to their ethnic roots.
So, that is a good thing... right? Unfortunately for the youth, majority of world religious leaders are the elderly; who have grown accustomed to conservative and very traditional practices and systems. And while there's technically nothing wrong with that, I personally do not see them willing to put aside their beliefs in order to allow the Wizarding World to be acquainted and assimilated in the muggle world. Pagan and indigenous spiritual people (and those who have folk religions in their cultural heritage) have a higher chance of tolerance towards the new comers. Again, I could be wrong, and I'm very open for discussion. But the judging from the current situation of the world, muggles cannot even set aside their differences to realize that we're all human with the right to live. What more when it comes to a completely new "species" of humans that will most definitely be perceived as a threat?
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III. Cultural Nuances
There are obvious cultural nuances when it comes to the acceptance of the practice of witchcraft around the world; as a matter of fact, it wouldn't be so popular in today's new age of spiritual resurgence if these nuances haven't been a part of ethnic cultures in the first place. Some countries in Asia, Africa, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, the Carribean, and in Central and South America, witchcraft is basically a part of "folk culture," wherein the practice is deeply embedded into the traditional heritage of the people. Some cultures do not necessarily look upon witchcraft and wizardry as evil practices but something to respect (or at the very least, steer clear from out of ambivalence).
I can only speak for my own culture, but here in my country, located in Southeast Asia, we are part of a handful of countries that practice "folk Catholicism." This is when the influence of colonial religions have meshed alongside the natives' pagan traditions and practices. The assimilation of the two groups make for quite an interesting culture! Here, as much as 86% of the population are Catholic. But in spite of the clear-cut religious law that witchcraft and wizardry are not to be tolerated, the indigenous roots of folk practices can never be forgotten nor erased. For example, whenever the Church has done all they could do to help someone under spiritual attack, most people would turn to the ancient pagan practices for cures and solutions.
And I know we aren't the only country that does this. The Haitians and Romanians also have these practices deeply embedded in their culture. (I don't claim to expertly know about these countries, and I understand that not all citizens of those two nations practice witchcraft and wizardry). Mesoamerican culture entails the assimilation of the Catholic faith and its indigenous beliefs as well! (This was a really interesting and enlightening read for me to have researched, and people should read about it, too).
Therefore, I think majority of the muggle population around the world would have a lukewarm reception of the revelation of magic, in general. Of course, there will be fear. There will be wary people who might even spurn the existence entirely. But with how the younger generations have been extremely curious and eager to participate in these practices with an open mind, I wouldn't be surprised if the culture of the Wizarding World will be assimilated into the mainstream in just under a decade. That is, idealistically speaking, if the younger generation would really push for the human rights of the wizards as well. None of this would matter if wizards won't be given the same human rights and freedom as the next muggle. Only then would the wizards be granted the lawful freedom of practicing their own culture (besides other lawful implications and regulations).
Nevertheless, as good as that sounded on paper, greediness and envy does not have an age bracket. Both young and old will be tempted to take advantage of magic simply because it is power, in its natural form. You can see this phenomenon happening in high school students' social experiments; wherein one group of students are being given good school materials, better grades, more attention from teachers than the other group. The less "privileged" group of students began to complain and raise their concerns, and some even gave up entirely. But at the end, since their concerns were left unheard, they plotted against the other group to covet what those students have for themselves.
Of course, these feelings can somehow be justified on the perspective of the muggles. Why should the wizards have all the power? Now that they revealed themselves, they should also share their magic! These muggle concerns, in turn, will alarm and scare the Wizarding World even more. Given their respective histories, they didn't have a good parting to begin with. And this is why, on the grounds of Cultural Nuances, it would really depend on the heritage of the country or region; and how they received and perceived witchcraft and wizardry throughout their histories.
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IV. Sociopolitical Upheaval and Power Vacuums
[Note: I have seen and read different takes on this issue, and I must say, there are some who see this issue in an entirely new light that I haven't considered before. Alongside my own personal research and beliefs, I will try to put all of the information together in a cohesive way. Again, all of these are the amalgamation of my own opinions and of others'. This post is for entertainment purposes only, and I am in no way pertaining or pointing fingers to a specific governmental body of any nation in real life. If there are countries mentioned in this segment, it's only because of comparison, and I'm correlating the given information that coincides with the Harry Potter universe]. 🙂
A little interesting fact: It was common knowledge that the Malfoys used to be staunch and vocal protesters against the Statute. Why? Well, during the time before the Statute, they enjoyed being part of high-society muggle circles that ensured the steady rise of their wealth from collecting muggle artifacts, currency, and assets. They also used to align themselves with the muggle monarchy, providing discreet (and shady) services to King William the First. The Crown rewarded these services by giving them annexed land from local landowners in Wiltshire — that's why they have a huge manor! But when the new law was passed, the Malfoys became adamant in their denials of interactions with upperclass and royalty muggles.
Now, the discovery of the existence of the Wizarding World can most certainly go in so many different directions. I'm about 99.99% sure that at least half of the world's governments would not take kindly to this shocking revelation. Personally, these are the things I think would happen from the moment witches and wizards made themselves known to the masses, to name a few:
1. Governments would be on high alert
The first thing that I can imagine happening is that the muggle world will be in a state of frenzy. The simple fact that the Wizarding World has managed to hide under the muggles' noses this entire time could make the majority believe that they are not safe at all. If the wizards have lasted this long without the muggles knowing their existence, what else could they be hiding, right? Not only would the public masses become paranoid and fearful of their surroundings, their respective governments will issue a high-alert status all over their nations.
Remember, the wizards are considered the aliens and new outsiders in this scenario. We've seen time and time again in different movies (Transformers, The Fourth Kind, Signs, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Arrival, Edge of Tomorrow, and The 5th Wave) that humans in general will employ all strategies to contain and annihilate the foreign species. And so, this is most likely the first thing muggle governments would do. It wouldn't be far-fetched if these world leaders might also go as far as to call for martial laws to their countries for total control over all citizens. But of course, this would just be a façade for what would actually happen; which is the unlawful and literal witch hunt for the wizarding population that may have been living in muggle communities.
Looking back at when the existence of aliens have been "confirmed" by the US government, most people didn't even bat an eyelash or react with frenzied panic. Given that it's because these disclosed aliens don't pose a perceived threat, most of the youth didn't really react with hostility or fear. If anything, they treated the whole thing with a tired lightheartedness. People knew all along that aliens existed. While some muggles might have an interest for learning magic, the government would treat magic as an ultimate threat against their security, AND they would covet it at the same time. Which brings us to the next point. ⬇️
2. Political upheaval, and the struggles for positions of power in the government
Personally, I don't see fair play happening at all. The first thing that I thought of is assassinations. Dark witches and wizards for hire will do the bidding of high-ranking muggle officials "under the table." That is if the Wizarding World will even allow themselves to be henchmen for long. Can you imagine: the only reason why wizards would "work" for muggles is to truly get to know the entire system from top to bottom, then dismantling everything themselves? National security would be compromised, muggle protective and intelligence agencies will be on red alert, targeting all of the Wizarding World (even the good ones). It will all just be a disaster.
{I wanted to get into the entire Warfare and Security Issues but this post has gotten so long already. So, if anyone is interested in seeing that, I can insert that in another post. Maybe a presentation?}
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Solution?
1. Develop a whole 'International Muggle Affairs and Intelligence Agency' for all Ministries of Magic.
As far as I know, the British Ministry of Magic only has TWO offices that cater to handling muggle affairs — not even official departments! One is the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office (the same one where Arthur Weasley is working for), and the other is Muggle Liaisons Office (which is more like catastrophe-handlers office at this point. They're in charge of fixing the collateral damages wizards have caused to the muggle world than anything).
But what they need the most is a wizard equivalent of a CIA or FBI. They need to be on top of all muggle affairs in each region and continent. There is a Japanese Ministry of Magic (since they also have Mahoutokoro School). They should work with other neighboring Asian wizarding bodies to stay on top of political, social, economic, and technological developments of the muggle world. The British Ministry of Magic should also get off their high-horses and collaborate with neighboring European wizarding officials to maintain the latest knowledge of muggle happenings.
The only reason why the Wizarding World was unscathed during the World Wars of the muggles was because they were sequestered and protected with spells around their secret territories. But I don't think that would suffice any longer against muggle technology and nuclear weapons. Drones are everywhere, the countryside are getting more and more urbanized, and the wizards communities are getting smaller and smaller. If I were them, I wouldn't wait until the very last minute to get to understand the importance of muggle powers and knowledge. I'd get on top of it now.
2. Secret Muggle Integration Project
On top of that, I truly believe there needs to be a Ministry project that hire muggleborns to report back the situation of the muggle world to their respective wizarding ministries. They know it best, as they were born and most likely raised in those communities. They need to collect gadgets, latest hand-held weaponry, books, clothing, and other materials for the Muggle Artifacts Office to study very carefully.
The Wizarding World needs to adapt to the changing times. The muggles are already looking to the stars and neighboring solar systems for new life and possible habitation for the next generation of humanity, whilst the wizards are stuck with their narrow-minded ways. Quill and parchment, really? This isn't to scoff at traditional ways. But we all know that they are severely stuck in the middle ages. They have become complacent and comfortable with the tried and tested magical methods.
Muggles have bled and learned the hard ways of life. That's why they soared to new knowledgeable heights. Muggles weren't handed things the easy way. People died from illnesses and catastrophes and accidents; and that's when we learned to advance ourselves as a collective whole. Wizards need to understand this, and assimilate this kind of thinking in their lives if they hope to catch up with the muggle status quo, or they'll be sorry they didn't once the muggles discover them in due time.
I understand the historical bad-blood between the two factions. The primary reason why wizards cloistered themselves away from the muggles were because they were being persecuted in the first place. And it would be very insensitive to force their communities to accept the muggle ways.
That's why in my honest opinion, they shouldn't lift the Statute of Secrecy.
They should only study and be up to date with everything else that's going on in the world while maintaining anonymity and secrecy.
—————
I hope this truly provided a complete picture and breakdown of what would happen in this scenario, and I apologize that I do not agree with your position. I still hope you enjoyed this, anon! Thank you for being my very first ask.
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bonefall · 1 year
Note
do your cats have any sort of fun little fortune-telling methods? not proper divination, more like how humans have magic 8 balls or those folded paper fortune tellers
Generally, these are frowned upon! You have to keep these relatively harmless fortunetelling methods on the downlow, else you might get a lecture about how StarClan does not approve of "misinterpretation of their will." It's like witchcraft.
But kittens especially love silly little rituals just as much as they love blasphemy so, here's a couple popular ones. Adults sometimes do these too, but quietly!
DANDELION RUNNING
Find a big dandelion puffball, one with the seeds dry and loose. Pluck it from the ground, hold it in your teeth, and RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN! At the end, observe the seeds that still cling to the puff.
That's how many kittens you will have someday. Apprentices who are mutually crushing like to do this together to see if their number matches up.
PUFFBALL SMACKING
This one is mostly a ShadowClan tradition because they are the most morbid. You find a juuuust barely ripe puffball, gather around, and you give it a slap. Gentle! Every slap you get is a lucky moon you will have.
But if you hit it and it pops, that means BAD luck for every slap you got in.
So obviously the apprentices like to gather around and take slap-turns, and saddle the unlucky popper with all the bad luck of the session.
SEEDMATCH
This is the closest thing to a card reading or those little fold-up stars they have. It's about seeds, obviously.
First, you get a bowl of some kind. That can be a big leaf, or clay, or maybe even a turtle shell if you've caught an invasive slider or terrapin. Toss in 12 pairs of seeds (called "pods" in Clanmew) for a total of 24, the same amount of whiskers on a cat's face.
The seeds are mixed until randomized. Then the the Speaker and the Spoken both close their eyes and pluck 6 seeds. The Spoken places their seeds down, one at a time, in a row. The Speaker checks the seeds they plucked, and either declares no matches, or places down the match.
The 12 seeds are traditional. Each pair is the same species, and has a meaning;
Poppy = Rest, physical injury, sleep
Apple = Risk and reward
Plum core (the endocarp within the pit) = Death or redemption (ShadowClan INSISTS these must come from damsons specifically)
Dandelion = Freedom, change, metamorphosis
Fennel = Health, wellness, illness
Flax = Breakthroughs, ingenuity, interruptions
Gorse = Effort, perseverance, the threat of hard work being undone
Bull Thistle = Ambition, opportunity, seizing the moment (prra-ness)
Borage = Love, fertility, sacrifice
Field Rose = Protection, defense, guarding, driving loved ones away
Bluebell = Gains and losses
Coltsfoot (though some house rules require a speaker to provide their own personal species of seed) = Eccentricity, trust in yourself and others, releasing inhibition
There are of course, three possible outcomes when the Spoken places their seed:
NO MATCH: a good sign, positivity of the symbolism.
MATCH: a bad sign, negativity of the symbolism.
SPOKEN PICKED TWO OF THE SAME SEED: a warning, a call to be careful because fate is still unwritten.
From the order of how the seeds were placed down, a narrative forms, much like a book. The Speaker tells a story about it, trusting their heart to place the right words in their mouth.
This practice is kept alive by Clerics, but persists as a game in private and at Aftergatherings.
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mamirhodessxox · 7 months
Text
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Cody Rhodes Incorrect Quotes
❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️
Y/N: Cody, what does IDK, ILY, and TTYL mean?
Cody: I don’t know, I love you, talk to you later.
Y/N: Alright, I love you too, I'll ask Roman.
Cody: Wait- Y/N, no-
❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️
Rhea: *spits mouthful of blood onto floor* You’ve become far more powerful since we last crossed paths.
Cody: Please stop, there’s literally a sink right next to you.
❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️
Y/N: This is a bad idea.
Cody: Then why are you coming along?
Y/N: Someone has to get your injured ass home.
❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️
Cody: I love making parties more interesting by telling strangers “I want you to know that I personally have no problem with you being here.”
❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️
Dom: I spy with my little eye something that begins with the letter “s”.
Jey: *looks over at Cody and Y/N*
Jey: Is it “sexual tension”?
❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️
Dom: Stay foxy.
Rhea: Die lonely.
❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️
Rhea: I like your top, Y/N!
Cody: I have a name, you know.
Y/N: *sighs* Why. Why are you like this.
❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️
Y/N: Sorry I’m late, I was doing things.
Cody: Hi, I’m ‘things’.
❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️
Dom: That’s illegal, right?
Rhea: Why do you care? Are you a fucking cop?
Dom: No-
Rhea: Then shut the fuck up.
❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️
*Everyone is standing around the broken coffee maker*
Rhea: So. Who broke it? I'm not mad, I just wanna know.
Everyone:
Roman: ...I did. I broke it.
Rhea: No. No you didn't. Dom?
Dom: Don't look at me. Look at Y/N.
Y/N: What?! I didn't break it.
Dom: Huh, that's weird. How'd you even know it was broken?
Y/N: Because it's sitting right in front of us and it's broken.
Dom: Suspicious.
Y/N: No, it's not!
Cody: If it matters, probably not, but Jey was the last one to use it.
Jey: Liar! I don't even drink that crap!
Cody: Oh really? Then what were you doing by the coffee cart earlier?
Jey: I use the wooden stirrers to push back my cuticles. Everyone knows that, Cody!
Roman: Okay let's not fight. I broke it. Let me pay for it, Rhea.
Rhea: No! Who broke it!? <br <b="">Everyone:
Cody: Rhea... Dom's been awfully quiet.
Dom: rEALLY?!
*Everyone starts arguing*
Rhea, being interviewed: I broke it. I burned my hand so I punched it.
Rhea: I predict 10 minutes from now they'll be at each other's throats with warpaint on their faces and a pig head on a stick.
Rhea:
Rhea: Good. It was getting a little chummy around here.
❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️
Cody: Hey, do you know the password to Y/N’s computer?
Dom: Fuck you, Cody.
Cody: Hey!!
Dom: No, you misunderstood, the password is "fuckyouCody".
Cody: Oh, no numbers? Not very safe.
❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️
Cody: Wakey Wakey Eggs and Bakey!
Y/N: But I'm a vegan.
Cody: Wakey Wakey Vegetables and Sadness.
❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️
Rhea: My aesthetic is "would be suspected of witchcraft by small town citizens."
❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️
Cody, to Y/N: Look at you! All cute and small! I could just eat you up!
Y/N: *proceeds to kick them in the shin and run away*
Rhea, walking past: Rule number 1, don't call Y/N cute or small.
❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️
Jey, trying their first ever cup of coffee: I am ENERGY!
Cody, an avid coffee drinker, on their twelfth cup of the day: Someone slap me awake or I am literally going to fall into a coma in ten seconds.
❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️
Cody: I would let you ruin my life.
Y/N: Sorry, I’m busy ruining my own. You’ll have to wait.
❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️
Roman: Hey, Cody, do you have feelings for me?
Cody: Yeah, anger.
❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️
Cody, gently nudging Roman aside with their foot: Roman, move out of the way so I don’t trip on you.
Roman, their eyes enormous: You kick Roman? You kick their body like the football? Oh! Oh! Jail for Cody! Jail for Cody for one thousand years!
❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️‼️❤️
xtripleiiix’s masterlist
🏷️ list: @ginswife @coolpastelartshoe @greatkoalawizard @cokolin044 @kotoriarlert @alicerosejensen @bunnybot55 @agent-dessis-posts @adollonyourshelf @puppy-princ3ss @valkyrurr
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asteriastarr · 1 year
Note
HIIIYYAAA!!! its me again i bloody L O V E D the messing around b4 class one you did.
(for this one Deuce and Y/N are already together and she is a shapeshifter) if you arent busy or anything like that a cute thing I thought of was Deuce, Y/N, Heath, Clawdeen, Drac, Frankie, etc all chilling in a chill room or common room during free period or on a weekend messing around and having fun and just laughing about dumb crap. Then Komos walks past and Y/N uses her piers to turn into him and yells out something funny to him just to mess with him but he knows its her which causes everyone to laugh again.
Just another weird thought/concept I thought of!!!
Luv ya💚🖤
A/n: Thank you for the request! Idk how I did but I tried to fulfil it, hope you enjoy, love ya!
POV: Shapeshifter!Y/n and the group messing around in their free period.
Y/n rested her head on Deuces shoulder, his hand wrapped around her shoulders, happily joking around with their friends as the group threw a small rubber ball around the room.
“Okay, okay, do Headmistress Bloodgood.” Clawdeen said as Y/n playfully rolled her eyes and straightened herself up.
She closed her eyes, focusing on Headmistress Bloodgood’s basic appearance and features, turning herself into an exact replica of her.
“My goodness children, have you been breaking rules?” She says her voice almost exactly matching Headmistress Bloodgood’s.
“Draculaura!” She yelled suddenly causing Draculaura to jump “Have you been doing witchcraft? That is so horrible, how dare you be doing something so humanlike in our school. Witchcraft is an abomination!”
The group laughed as she turned to Deuce.
“Mr Gorgon!” She yelled causing Deuce to raise an eyebrow at her, flinching slightly “Are you causing trouble?”
Deuce shook his head.
“Don’t lie Mr Gorgon, I see you just sitting there with your green snake hair and glasses, very clearly breaking rules. Detention for two months due to all your rule breaking.” She says, making a mock angry face at Deuce before turning back to her normal self and moving herself closer to Deuce.
“You should get used to saying my last name, it’ll be yours someday.” He whispered in her ears making her cheeks heat up as she lightly slapped his chest.
“I dunno, I think it should be L/n-Gorgon but whatever.” She whispered to him.
“Ooh Y/n! Do the music teacher.”  Frankie requested.
This time instead of standing up she merely transformed into their music teacher and did an ungodly impression of their teachers singing (causing most of the group to cover their ears and laugh, except Deuce of whom was too busy wincing in pain).
Just then Mr Komos walked past causing Y/n to crane her head around with an evil smile on her face.
She closed her eyes and turned herself into him before yelling out.
“I’m Mr Komos, Here’s a musical number on True Monster Hearts instead of a lesson! I have a massive crush on Headmistress Bloodgood, hence why I keep sucking up to her!"
The group snickered.
“Y/n! We’ve talked about this! What did Headmistress Bloodgood say about imitating teachers?” He scolded walking over to the group causing them to laugh harder.
She transformed herself into Headmistress Bloodgood again before mimicking her.
“Never under any circumstances should you ever imitate a teacher! If you are caught doing it again I will give you a detention. Blah blah blah, this is a very serious offence- oh hello Dracula, are you here to donate some money to the school? You are looking wonderful by the way, very dead. Now where was I? Ah yes! No more transforming into teachers or else, blah blah blah blah blah.” Y/n mimicked.
“You just did it again.” Komos scolded.
“Headmistress Bloodgood isn’t technically a teacher though, she’s a Headmistress, she didn’t say anything about that.” Y/n said matter-of-factly, the group laughing even harder.
Unfortunately for Y/n, the look on Mr Komos’s face indicated no matter her excuse she’d be getting detention.
“Uh- You can’t give detention to what you can’t catch!” Y/n yelled turning herself into a rabbit and running off.
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Text
Note: direct follow up to Halloween part 7! Previous chapters can be found in my modern masterlist.
Warnings: angst. mention of blood, violence, death, very lightly suggestive.
pairing: Modern!Sihtric x you (f)
summary: Skade wasn't quite done with you and Sihtric...
wordcount: 3,3k
Masterlist
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'Why aren't you dead yet?'
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Day 2. 11:20pm.
While Sihtric gathered everything you had asked for you noticed how large bruises had formed on his body during the day, and it broke your heart. Your body didn't look any better after the spiritual assault earlier that morning, but you had covered it up by wearing one of Sihtric's shirts, whereas Sihtric had been sitting in his underwear and his untied satin robe all day, for your viewing pleasure.
Sihtric brought you three white candles, some dried rosemary, a few incense sticks, a big mirror and, since he hadn't been in his basement since the horrible night with Skade, he knew the piece of paper on which she had written her number was still there collecting layers of dust.
'Will that work?' he asked as he showed you the paper.
'Did she write it herself?'
Sihtric nodded.
'Then it will work,' you took the paper, 'thank you, my darling. Can you place the mirror against the wall?'
Sihtric did what you asked and you followed him with all your requested tools. You lit the incense and held all the items in the smoke for a few seconds, cleansing them to rid everything of unwanted energies, except for Skade's number, as you would need her awful energy for your spell to work.
After you had cleansed everything Sihtric had brought you, you twirled the incense stick around yourself and stepped through the smoke, and then you walked up to Sihtric to smoke cleanse him all the same. He watched you with a smile and stole a kiss before you told him to sit down. And as you held the burning incense, you drew a large circle with the smoke in which you, Sihtric and everything you needed were gathered.
'What are you doing?' Sihtric asked, curiously.
'I'm creating a smoke circle,' you said, 'to protect us. It keeps unwanted energies out of the circle and, if anything would go wrong, it also keeps unwanted energies from escaping into our world.'
Sihtric stared at you with his big eyes.
'What?' you frowned.
'Gods,' he smiled and whispered as he took your hand, 'you arouse me so much, sweet thing.'
'Now's not the time,' you chuckled.
You felt yourself blush at his words and you quickly sat down in front of the mirror.
'So, what happens now?' Sihtric pulled you close to sit in between his thighs.
'Now,' you said as you enjoyed his embrace for a moment, 'I will do a return to sender spell. I don't usually do dark magick… but it has to be done.'
'My love, are you sure-'
'Sihtric, please. I know what I'm doing. I ask you to trust me, we don't have time to discuss this.'
'And I trust you, little bat, but I need to know this will not come back to harm you. I don't fuck around with witches because of all your karma laws…'
'I'm not a witch,' you said sternly as you looked at him in the mirror, 'I am an occultist, and I do not believe in The Rule of Three. I rarely do spells, but I can perform them. I know more about magick and witchcraft than you think, and I need you to let me do what I do best. I didn't question or interfere with your craft this morning, or whatever the hell you did to open that door in the Willow house. Don't think I forgot about that, Sihtric, but I do not question you in the moment itself. I trust you will explain it eventually.'
Sihtric nodded and snuck his arms around your waist, 'You're right, I'm sorry, my angel,' he whispered, 'I'm just afraid to lose you. I don't know anything about this curse and I feel useless, because I have no way of helping here.'
'Well, you actually can help me by giving a few drops of your blood. Blood makes magick more powerful.'
'Okay. Just tell me when you need it.'
You gave Sihtric a nod and closed your eyes, taking a few deep breaths before you started the ritual. Sihtric watched you carefully, his arms tightly wrapped around your waist and his chin propped up on your shoulder as you lit the first candle.
'As I light this candle, let cruelty, pain and wicked ways,
return to Skade for all her remaining days.
Reverse the curse she has create,
turn on her a more cruel fate.'
You sprinkled some rosemary into the flame and lit the second candle.
'Through this mirror I will break her every spell, hex, ritual and phrase,
let those fall apart and return her gaze.'
You took the piece of paper with her number and burned it, then you lit the third candle.
'Nothing Skade has ever read, said or done,
shall have a further effect on anyone.'
You sprinkled the last rosemary into the flame and looked in the mirror.
'Your blood,' you told Sihtric. 
He quickly took the dagger he had always strapped around his ankle, unless he was in bed, and made a cut on the palm of his hand. He clenched his fist and let his blood drip down into each flame.
You murmured something inaudible to Sihtric before he pulled his hand back from the candles, and he saw you had your eyes closed again, focusing on the spell. After a minute or so you opened your eyes again and said it was done.
'That's it?' Sihtric frowned.
'What do you mean that's it?'
'Well… I don't know,' he shrugged, 'nothing seemed to happen?'
You rolled your eyes.
'Sihtric, witchcraft in real life is not like what you see on tv. It will work, trust me, but it doesn't come with a full show that is amusing to watch.'
'No, I know,' he chuckled, 'I just expected… I don't know, at least a little something,' he looked disappointed.
You laughed and shook your head, 'I'm sorry that no flames erupted. I'm not talking to any demons unlike you…'
'Oh, shush,' Sihtric smiled and pecked your cheek, but then became serious again, 'I just hope it works.'
'It will work,' you reassured him, 'at least we should be able to sleep safely now.'
And you did sleep safely, in Sihtric's arms, leaving the mess downstairs for tomorrow, if you would still be alive.
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Day 3.
The next morning you immediately felt there had been a huge energy shift. You both felt lighter, more clear headed and even more in love with each other than before, not knowing that was even possible. 
After you had made slow, sweet love while whispering filthy words and sweet nothings in each other's ears all morning, you finally dragged yourself out of bed, telling Sihtric that the mess downstairs really needed to be taken care of. He reluctantly agreed and followed you.
'At least my record player didn't get broken,' Sihtric said, relieved as he looked at the chaotic living room, and he put on a record.
You both cleaned up the mess from the day before while the music played. It took you almost the whole day before you helped Sihtric place the salon table back on the carpet again, which was the last thing to do. You actually could've been done at least an hour ealier, if it wasn't for the poor self control you both had, which seemed even poorer today than it had been before, resulting in various make out sessions on the floor, on the couch, in the kitchen, and eventually on the salon table too.
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'Done,' you sighed, after getting up from the table, and you raked your fingers through his hair while Sihtric had his hands on your hips.
'All done,' he smiled and kissed your lips, 'gods, what is in the air today,' he chuckled and squeezed your ass, 'you seem to arouse me even more than ever. You didn't put a spell on me, did you?'
'No,' you laughed, 'you were already nearly too much for me to handle, I have no reason to put a spell on you,' you cupped his cheeks, 'and I believe in free will, so I would never do such a thing.'
'Good,' Sihtric kissed your forehead, 'help me take out the trash?'
'Mhm,' you smiled and followed him outside, carrying a few bags with broken stuff.
Sihtric kissed your cheek once all the bags were outside on his porch, 'Thank you,' he smiled, 'I hope everything will go back to normal now.'
'Me too,' you said and slapped his ass, 'then you can finally show me that basement.'
'Trust me, you're not ready yet,' he chuckled and picked you up, spinning you around before he kissed you again, 'but soon, my queen, I'll let you live your fantasy of being locked-,'
'Sihtric!' a shrill voice suddenly shouted, causing you to both snap your heads towards the noise.
'What the fuck,' you huffed upon seeing Skade walking up Sihtric's driveway.
Sihtric immediately shoved you behind him and towards his front door, 'My love,' he said, 'go inside and lock the door.'
'What? No! I'm not leaving you!'
'You thought you could curse me, bitch?' Skade yelled at you.
'Hey!' Sihtric shouted in a poor attempt to defend you.
'Shut the fuck up, you ugly witch,' you snarled.
'Why aren't you dead yet?' Skade asked.
'Clearly because I am God's favourite,' you taunted.
'Baby,' Sihtric said for only you to hear, 'don't provoke her. Go inside.'
But as stubborn as you were, you stayed outside, still shoved behind Sihtric while Skade came closer. She stopped a few paces away and gave you a threatening look.
'What is it, Sihtric?' she asked, 'what does she have that I don't?'
'A heart,' Sihtric scoffed and then shrugged, 'my heart.'
Skade looked hurt and even slightly embarrassed for a moment, but she composed herself again soon enough.
'You thought you could send my curse back? That I didn't protect myself against that?' she laughed at you.
'Protected or not, it still broke your curse,' you said.
'Perhaps,' Skade admitted, 'but it didn't break Sihtric's curse.'
'What?' you and Sihtric asked at the same time.
'I cursed you, Sihtric, the night I spat in your face. You just didn't know it,' she grinned, 'you never noticed how every woman you had after me got hurt... or scared? And then left you?'
'There haven't been any other women after you,' Sihtric said, agitated, 'you were so off putting that I didn't date or hook up with anyone else until last week.'
Skade grimaced, she didn't expect that answer. She scratched her forehead while her confidence slowly disappeared, and you loved seeing it.
'Well,' she cleared her throat, 'I'm sure the past few nights have been eventful.'
'They were,' Sihtric agreed, and suddenly made a connection, 'so you cursed me? For what? Wanting to chase any potential love interest away from me?'
'Yeah, that's basically it,' Skade shrugged, 'but I cursed that bitch of yours after we met at the party. You had such beautiful hair,' she smiled at you, 'very useful!'
You stuck your middle finger up to her, to which she made a face.
'Haven't you had some fun with my demonic friends?' Skade sneered at you, 'I could've had you killed, you know.'
'You stupid fucking bitch!' you snarled and suddenly ran to her. 
And before anyone could even react, you punched her in the mouth.
'It was you, wasn't it!' you yelled at her, then looked back at Sihtric as you suddenly made the same connection, 'the attack at the Willow house!'
Sihtric nodded and tensed up, he already figured that out a minute before you had. Because Skade hadn't cursed you directly yet at that time, Sihtric had been able to get you out of there rather unharmed, unlike the last attack in his house. Skade had been set on doing serious damage to anyone who Sihtric would be interested in.
Skade laughed while blood ran down her nose, and as you turned to walk away, she grabbed your arm and pulled you back, suddenly holding a knife up to your throat.
'No!' Sihtric shouted and attempted to run over.
'Stay back!' Skade hissed, pressing the blade to your skin and drawing blood, to which you winced.
Sihtric threw his hands up, 'Okay, just don't harm her, please. Take me. You can take me instead, I don't care. Just let her go.'
'Oh, I will take you,' she laughed, and her eyes suddenly darkened, 'my blood is yours, your life is mine. My lover, my heart, together a brand new life we'll start,' she chanted.
You wanted to laugh at her ridiculous spell, but then you saw Sihtric suddenly fall to his knees.
'Sihtric?' you gasped, 'Sihtric! Hey! W-what is wrong?' you yelled.
Skade gave you a hard shove. You fell to the ground and she walked over to Sihtric, who looked possessed and under her spell. You watched how she crouched down in front of him and took his face in her hands.
'Stay away from him!' you yelled as a sharp pain shot through your leg. 
You tried to get up but your knee got hurt badly when you were shoved onto the hard ground. And then you saw how Sihtric looked at Skade, the same way he's been looking at you ever since you met him, and you felt violently ill inside.
'I want you to kill her,' Skade whispered, and Sihtric looked at you, with eyes that didn't even seem to recognize you while he listened to Skade.
'Kill her for me,' the witch smiled.
'For you,' Sihtric whispered, and slowly got back up on his feet. 
He walked back into his house and came out moments later, holding an axe in his hand, and he returned to Skade who wrapped her arms around his neck while Sihtric looked at you; his target.
'We have to kill her,' Skade purred.
'We have to,' Sihtric smiled and looked at her, 'my witch,' he sighed as if smitten.
And you couldn't hold back your tears when you saw how he let her kiss his neck, to which he closed his eyes and let his head fall back with a smile, the same way he had done for you many times before.
'I want to watch,' Sihtric breathed hard with her hands in his hair, 'I want to watch you kill her,' he said, to which she smiled.
'I will kill her for you, and you'll be mine, forever.'
'I will be,' Sihtric smiled and kissed her hand like she was his queen, 'forever.'
Skade took her knife again and walked over to you, proud and confident as she had finally captured Sihtric, and you did not fit anywhere in their twisted love story.
'N-no,' you sobbed as Skade closed in, 'please…' but then you stopped begging.
You figured if you couldn't have Sihtric, your life would become dull and gloomy again. Empty. And you didn't want to go back to that life. It was better to just die than to live a life without him. So you tried to compose yourself, trying to find honour in your last seconds while you watched Death approach, disguised as a blonde witch with a knife in her hand.
'You've had your fun with him,' Skade snarled, 'now it's my t-,' she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, frozen, and let out a sharp gasp as her eyes almost popped out of her skull.
You looked up at her, confused, heartbroken and terrified. Then out of nowhere you saw how blood started to spill out of her mouth while her body weakened slowly. She then suddenly collapsed and fell down right in front of you, revealing Sihtric's axe stuck in her spine. And you screamed in horror while immediately crawling backwards, away from her with your eyes fixated on her twitching body. You felt yourself become sick once again and you didn't even hear Sihtric approach.
'My love!' Sihtric shouted as he ran over.
He pulled the axe out of Skade's spine, causing her blood to gush out and splatter all over his face and arms, then he turned to you and reached out, but you flinched as he came closer.
'No, please!' you cried, moving away, 'don't!'
'No, my love,' Sihtric said quickly, 'I'm- I'm myself. I'm yours, my love-'
'What?' you sobbed as he took you in his arms, too startled to move away from him.
'I'm sorry, my love,' Sihtric whispered as he held you tight, 'I had to… I had to pretend her spell worked. I'm so sorry,' he pulled back to look at you, 'are you okay? Are you hurt?' his hands moved over your hands, arms and torso quickly, searching for any wounds.
'I… I don't k-know,' you said, trying to understand what had happened, 'I… guess my knee hurts a little,' you then said, looking back and forth between Sihtric and Skade's dead body.
'Little bat,' Sihtric whispered, taking your face in his hands, keeping your eyes off the lifeless witch, 'look at me, I'm here, you're safe.'
'You… you faked being under her spell?' you stammered.
'Of course,' he pecked your lips, 'no spell is strong enough to keep me away from you,' he kissed you all over your face, 'I only love you. And I'm pretty sure you broke my curse when you broke yours, she couldn't hex me even if she wanted to.'
'Your blood,' you said, remembering you had asked for his blood during the spell.
At the time you simply hoped that his blood would indeed work to empower the spell, and it had worked, but it also broke Sihtric's curse which you both didn't know about yet. And Skade didn't know that his blood was used in your spell, or else she would have known that coming here today was a big mistake, as she had no power over either of you anymore. Sihtric had figured out he was no longer cursed shortly after Skade had revealed she had cursed him. He figured it out when he remembered how much more he seemed to be in love with you when he woke up that morning, and understood that Skade's curse was also meant to restrain his heart beating for someone else. But his love for you was already stronger than her curse, so he still fell in love with you, but after the curse was broken he felt such strong emotions for you, like he never experienced before. And he couldn't tell you about the plan he came up with on the spot to play along with Skade, he could only hope he had been right about it. And luckily, he had been.
'My blood,' Sihtric said, holding your face in his hands, 'is yours. Only yours, just like my heart,' he kissed your lips softly, 'as is my life and my soul. All yours, my love, forever, even in death.'
You wrapped your arms around him and buried your face in his neck, and you cried some more. Sihtric picked you up in his arms, carrying you inside the house, while he let Skade's body lay a little longer near the trash bags, where she belonged, he thought.
And after you had thrown up, while Sihtric held your hair back, you took a shower together, washing away the horrors of the past few days. And once you got comfortable in his arms, on the couch, you finally dared asking him what you were to do with Skade's body.
'Burn it,' Sihtric said, without a care in the world, thanks to his former black ops career, 'we'll burn her body later, so she can't come back to haunt us.'
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