#pagan sanctum

[pagan-sanctum]

Pagan Sanctum is back to business! 

Hello everyone! I’m happy to inform you that after a brief break, we are welcoming new members again. After discussing the future of the server we mods are feeling excited about everything and are ready to get things rolling more actively again. We are going to start posting discussion prompts in the server again, and we still have several fun clubs and workshops, such as Party Arties for art projects and Modern Mythologists for devotional writing. We have even talked about doing events again, possibly starting with our traditional spring event! 

Pagan Sanctum is a safe place for witches, pagans, and polytheists of all paths to share experiences and learn from one another! If you’re interested, you can join our Discord server here. See you there! 

#pagan sanctum #pagan sanctum announcements #paganism #polytheism #pagan #witchcraft #witch #hellenic polytheism #kemetic paganism #norse paganism #Cultus Deorum #wicca #celtic polytheism #druidry #slavic paganism #pop-culture paganism #spirit work

[vamp-orwave]

Hey! I've noticed you share some VTR stuff - as someone who's only really been a VTM guy, I was wondering what VTR does """different"""?

It looks really cool and I'd love to get into the lore but I'm not sure which bits to look into see a different experience from V5 narratively ^^

Thanks for the ask! In VTR, there are only five core Clans: Ventrue, Gangrel, Nosferatu, (much like the originals but with some changes), Daeva, and Mekhet (amalgamations of some of the archetypes present in Toreador, Brujah, Ministry, Lasombra, Hecata). Each clan has a myriad of potential 'bloodlines' to explore, like sub-clans with a unique discipline.

There are also five Covenants, which are like the Sects in VTM except they're all different facets of the same society and have to interact and coexist more often than, say, the Camarilla and Sabbat. Some are just as diametrically opposed, but on different axes, like the Invictus vs Carthians (status quo/traditional vs change/experimentation), and the Lancea Sanctum vs Circle of the Crone (Abrahamic religions/service to a higher power vs pagan religions/indulgence of the beast), while one, the Ordo Dracul, focuses inwards on honing and improving the vampiric condition through science and discipline.

The intricacies of the intersection between Clan and Covenant are what make VTR so unique and interesting to me. Definitely read more about the Covenants to get better summaries of the sort of purposes the Kindred of this setting can devote their unlives to beyond mere survival.

#vampire the requiem #chronicles of darkness #blabla

[eldritchboop]

The Witchcraft and Magic Collection

The Lost Book Project is charging $13 for this collection. If you've found this useful, please consider donating to the Internet Archive or Global Grey Ebooks instead.

Other roundups here

Aradia, Or The Gospel Of The Witches (1899)

Magus – A Complete System of Occult Philosophy Book 1 (1801)

The Book Of Ceremonial Magic by A.E. Waite (1913)

Key of Solomon The King (1622)

Malleus Maleficarum (1487)

The Black Pullet (1700's)

Daemonologie by King James I (1597)

Manual of Occultism (1914)

Divine Pymander (1657)

Golden Chain of Homer (1723)

Monas Hieroglyphica by John Dee (1564)

Encyclopedia of Ancient and Forbidden Secrets (1898)

The Book of Hallowe'en by Ruth Edna Kelley (1919) The Kybalion - a study of the hermetic philosophy of ancient Egypt and Greece (1908)

Book of Black Magic by Edward Arthur Waite (1910)

Alchemy - Ancient and Modern by H. Stanley Redgrove (1922) Alchemy – Rediscovered and Restored (1914) Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism (1922) Anima astrologiæ; or, A guide for astrologers (1886) Architecture, Mysticism and Myth (1892) Astral Worship (1895) Astrology – Its Technics and Ethics (1917) The Book of Aquarius: Alchemy and the Philosophers' Stone (Unknown)

Comte de Gabalis (1914)

Dogma Et Rituel De La Haute Magie Part I (1896) Dogma Et Rituel De La Haute Magie Part II (1896) Fortune Telling By Cards by PRS Foli (1915) General Book of The Tarot (1920) Gleanings of a Mystic (1922) Hermetic Arcanum (1623) Illustrated Key to The Tarot (1916) Irish Witchcraft and Demonology (1913) Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft (1830) Magical Ritual of The Sanctum Regnum (1896)

Magic and Religion by Andrew Lang (1901)

Magic – White and Black, or The Science of Finate and Infinite Life (1900) Magus – A Complete System of Occult Philosophy Book 2 (1801) (Ed note: Both books because I love you <;3)

Mythology and Rites of The British Druids by Edward Davies (1809) Numbers - Their Occult Power and Mystic Virtues (1911) Occult Principles of Health and Healing (1919) Occult Sciences - Waite (1891) The Occult World (1883) Ophiolatreia - Serpent Worship (1889) Outline of Occult Science (1922) Pagan and Christian creeds - Their Origin and Meaning (1920) Records of Salem Witchcraft Copied From The Original (1864) Stonehenge - A Temple Restord To The British Druids by W. Stukeley (1740) The Book of Talismans, Amulets, and Zodiacal Gems by William Thomas Privitt (1922) The Cloud Upon The Sanctuary (1895) The Comte De St. Germain (1912) The Druid Path (1917)

The Tarot of the Bohemians - the most ancient book in the world for the exclusive use of initiates (1896) The Veil of Isis, or, Mysteries of the Druids (1861)

#witchblr #witchcraft resources #historic books #witchcraft #witchy

[autarchi0s]

// through the wonderful implement of democracy, i'd say we've reached a consensus...

Of obscure fame, yet undeniable outreach potential, a pagan cult festers in the hearth of Pride. Disavowing all greater ents and their authority, who are seen as 'forsakers to those in dire need', the Matron's doctrine welcomes the ailing souls of Sinners and Hellborn alike, as they are left to stew in the bowels of Hell and wander aimlessly, seeking fulfillment, revenge, or perhaps even repentance for their actions in life and death alike.

Albeit unholy in nature, and befouled by the clutches of sin all the same, her sanctum is not without peace. It is here that gracious guests are welcomed to sit and meditate, one of the few escapes from the turbulent fields, streets and alleys of the Rings. The Matron purports these practices to be an opportunity for reflection, as improvement can only truly begin from within oneself. For those much too tainted by the woes of their misdeeds, she offers more personal counseling, details of which are left sparse to protect the privacy of her faithful.

Those who spend prolonged periods of time in the Matron's dwellings are said to slowly weaken in physical and mental acuity. The general consensus regards this as a 'side effect' of denouncing sins and admitting one's faults, distancing oneself away from the same evil that births (and rebirths) many in its hellfire and brimstone. Peace of mind does not come freely, not in this wicked, tainted semblance of the afterlife.

It is in equal parts a matter of belief as it is of sacrifice.

#;outofcharacter #// new character time baybe

[celestialwitchessanctum]

Welcome to our sanctum!

This is the official blog of our Discord server, the Celestial Witches Sanctum! A cozy little server for a wide variety of pagans, witches, etc. In our coven, learn about herbalism, history of different gods and practices, spells, rituals and more. Feel free to share your spirituality, experiences, and knowledge together, or just hang out! Pull up a cup of your favorite warm drink and relax in our tranquil sanctum among the stars. 🌟🌕🍵 Please note: - This is a 16+ and female/femme-leaning ONLY server (trans/non-binary friendly)

Invitation: https://discord.gg/CFS5sBwYUC

#discord server #discord group #pagan #witchcraft #pagan witch #witch community #paganism #witchblr #paganblr #lgbt+ #lgbtqia #lgbt friendly #hellenistic community #occulltism #wicca community #witchyvibes #cozyvibes

[maddyaddy]

Wealhtheow looked over the scattered cups, the sleeping men with a cold airy eye. Sun’s time was fading from the world of Heorot and darkness fell outside the gift-hall like a pall. This was seemingly the only place she knew now, but it was not the only one she’d known. Her husband was kind; her husband was handsome. Yet she’d been taken, taken into bondage, taken from the Britannian isles to the north and southwards to the land of the Danes. 

He’d bought her. Like you would buy a toy, a wood-horse.

She gathered the cups into her arms. Careful not to wake the sleeping warriors, the men of might, Wealhtheow crept and washed off the stink of mead. Then, she sidled up the dressed stone steps leading to twin wooden thrones. The queen of mighty Hrothgar sat and waited. 

One by one, the lights went out. A wicked and wild wind blew through the rafters. It howled despair, howled death, howled doom to all. Grendel would come soon enough; she called him to Heorot. She willed him here. The sea-brute would glut himself on the blood of men, but not touch the one in the throne. That was beyond him.

A creak of the oaken doors filled the hall of rings. Those well-crafted doors that the Danes had placed such hope in failed them. For they had been unbarred in the night, unbarred by soft and uncalloused hands. Pagan gods, wooden idols without life or soul, watched dumbly and silently as the treachery was made clear for only one to truly see. The man-eater walked the aisles of Heorot, entered into their sanctum.

“Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh.” She whispered tautly, eyes falling upon Grendel. Her child was speechless. “Child of my body.” The swamp was his cradle, the cold fens and forests of gray Denmark his play-pen. So much had been taken from him as a boy, wolf’s head that he was, such that he could not speak, such that he seemed barely human. “Soul of my soul.” Grendel howled, madly, wordlessly. Hrothgar had robbed him of everything, so he would rob Hrothgar in turn. Of the lives of his most beloved retainers, of his vaunted peace, of his sanity. Hand that were claws tore into the flesh and mail of the Danes. Teeth tore out their throats. In their hall, they died in the dozens. But he would not - could not - harm the ring-giver himself, nor Wealhtheow. For in that animal rage, something of the man he was remained. 

Something aroused mercy in Grendel still. And for a few short seconds, in the twilight, he was cradled as if a babe by soft hands, uncalloused hands. Hands covered in the blood of the Danes. Babbling and mad attempts at language was met with shushing. This would not last forever, but in that moment, there was peace in Heorot. 

#original writing #beowulf #grendel #hrothgar #wealhtheow

[reaching-for-roses]

Hi folks! 

I've gathered you here today to talk about a new discord server that my friends and I have created. It's called Pagan Sanctum. 

The goal of Pagan Sanctum is to be a safe place for all pagans, polytheists, and practitioners of magic to come together; a meeting of communities. It will be a place to respectfully talk about our differences, marvel over how much we have in common, bounce ideas off one another, and plan community prayer or ritual events.

To kick off our new server, we already have an event in the works! This event will be a scheduled mass prayer and ritual. The creators of the server will create a prayer that we can all use to communicate our collective intent. There will also be an accompanying ritual with offerings for our deities, and an optional spell portion for those who practice witchcraft. 

Our intent will be to ask our gods to:

use their influence to encourage humans to be responsible and accountable with how we treat the environment. 

make it easier for the great minds of our time to come up with sustainable solutions to our many climate change problems.

help bring forward new legislation that protects the environment, and bring justice to those that would harm the earth for profit.  

help us understand that this is not a partisan issue or a religious one. It is a human issue that affects us all.��

We know that prayer is just one small step that we can take towards helping the earth heal. Which is why we hope that this event will foster awareness. That is also why we will have a permanent channel to discuss things we can all do to help the environment on a daily basis!

All are welcome to join, and give feedback or suggestions for the event. 

We hope that this will be the first of many events that we plan and we hope that you join us for all of them!

Aside from the events, anyone is welcome to come to the server simply to chat! We have the following channels available so far, and will make more as needed. 

We have the normal channels that every server needs: 

Introductions

Rules

Suggestions 

Announcements 

Roles

Promotions

General

Ranting and Raving

Music

Voice Music Chat

Polls

Under the Paths Category (branches of paganism):

Hellenism

Kemeticism 

Norse Paganism

Wicca

Celtic Polytheism

Druidry

Shintoism

Hinduism

African Traditional

Cultus Deorum

Other

Pagan Chats

Pagan Memes

*If you don't see your path please let us know and we'll be happy to add a channel for it! We know we missed quite a few!*

Under our Devotion Category:

The Temple

Written Offerings

Modern Mythology

Spoonie/ND Worship

Under The Witch's Sanctum category: 

Witchcraft

Animal Friends

Fair Folk 

Spirit Work

Shadow Work

Crystals and Stones

Herbalism

Runes

Sigils

Rituals and Spells

Astrology

Divination

Divination Readings

For our Events:

Event Announcements 

Event Discussion

Event Voice Chat

For the Earth: 

Earth Offerings 

Earth's Beauty

Political Earth News

Scientific Earth News

We are so excited to add your unique perspectives to our community! 

Here is the link to the server: https://discord.gg/mnP3uDA

If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask! You can send any questions to @serenityinthestorm @athenadevote @auroras-corner @imtryingmybardest on tumblr.

#Pagan Sanctum #Discord #new discord server #pagan discord server #polytheism #heal the earth #community prayer #community rituals #paganism #hellenic paganism #roman polytheism #heathenry #wicca #wiccan #heathen #hellenismos #hellenist #hellenism #hellenistic #gaelic polytheism #shamanism #kemetic #witchcraft #spells and rituals #celtic polytheism #kemeticism #norse Paganism #druidry #cultus deorum #hinduism

[wisdominarmor]

Pagan Sanctum - Modern Mythologists Column

Roses’ Prompt of the Week: Write a letter to one of deities your worship.

Dear Athena,

On this eve of going back to university, I find myself reflecting a lot on my goals, what is driving me to study, the career path I have chosen and all of the uncertainty and anxieties that Covid has brought with it. I am practicing mindfulness so that I can raise my head above the water for now and learning tools so that I can find and cultivate inner peace of mind. I am learning to love myself and to let go of what no longer serves me. For me, that is a form of wisdom, one that is very important to me. During this uncertain times, one thing remains: the desire to teach. Even though university courses have shifted gears and will ask of me to adapt my practices, the anxieties that this brings does not quell the fire of teaching that lies within me. I am fueled by the thoughts of better days and determined to go through the hurdles that Life will present me.

Thank you for Your guidance, patience and tough love,

Saki.

#hellenic polytheism #Hellenismos #hellenic polytheist #hellenic athena #hellenic community #hellenic witch #modern mythologists #pagan sanctum

[magus-magnus-alexander]

The Aesthetics of Black Men that are too Witches

👁 ♥️ 👁

#witch aesthetic #aesthetic #aestethic #witchlife #witch community #witchyvibes #pagan witch #black witch #male witch #witchblr #witchdoctor #black boy magic #black men #arts arcanum #arcane mage #arcane focus #sanctum #sanctum sanctorum

[pagan-sanctum]

Hello everyone! 

You may have noticed how quiet this blog has been recently. Pagan Sanctum still exists and is a safe haven for pagans and witches of all paths, but as the server is more quiet than it used to be and we are operating on a smaller mod team, we haven’t really been able to update our social media. 

To catch a breath and make sure that we have the energy to keep the server going, we are currently not allowing new people to join. We will let you know when the entrance is open again! It has been heartwarming to see how many new people have joined even though we haven’t been posting on tumblr in a good while, clearly there is a need for spaces where pagans and witches can share their thoughts and learn. We hope that Pagan Sanctum can be such a place in the future, too. 

Thank you for your interest and your understanding, and have a happy New Year! 

#pagan sanctum

[dicksmasher5000]

Getting back into doing witchy stuff. Praying for a strong heart and confidence. Inspired by the upcoming full moon. ⚡⭐🌙

#witch #witchcraft #pagan #rose quartz #lunar sanctum #moon goddess #grimoire

[thoughtsaboutshows]

You’re not alone

Thanks @sparlecorn93!!

Post Part 3

Sabrina felt like she should be celebrating, most everyone else in the coven was. The Pagans had been defeated and they had a new god to worship, magic once again flowing brightly through their veins. She’d found a loophole too for her little Hell problem, with Sabrina Morningstar on the throne and her aunties and father none the wiser. Ambrose knew, and the annoyed and terrified looks he threw her way decreased by the day, except for the occasional scowl each time a clock fell off the wall.

Summer was approaching and she did her best to dive right back into her teenage life, surrounding herself with friends and family and coven members. She saw Nick around but he either hardly looked her way or would outright shift his eyes if they fell on hers. For the brief moments they would look at each other though she’d swear she saw longing hidden in the pain. The pain was always there, and it killed her that she couldn’t do anything about it. That he wouldn’t let her do anything about it. It went against the very core of who she was not to help out someone she loved. Because she did love him. She loved him more than she was mad at him. And oh how she missed him.

Prudence wasn’t hanging off of Ambrose’s arms anymore so Sabrina figured something had gone wrong there. That coupled with the disgusted “Spellmans” that often fell off of her lips confirmed they weren’t her favorite family. So Sabrina rarely spoke a word to the girl. That is until Prudence cornered Sabrina in an empty hallway and pressed her up against the wall.

“Honestly I’m still trying to see what all the fuss is about.” Prudence crossed her arms and Sabrina rolled her eyes, not backing down. “I don’t know how in the Heaven you were the one to bring Nicky down.”

“Prudence, I’m not having this conversation with you.” Sabrina told her.

“What conversation?” Prudence quirked a brow. “The one where you admit to letting him absolutely destroy himself over you? And then you just leave him in the dust?”

“I did not leave him.” Sabrina boomed and the walls shook, but neither girl even flinched.

“No?” Prudence let out a single throaty laugh and shook her head. “So you didn’t ignore every sign that he wasn’t okay just to go to some dumb carnival and you didn’t leave him chained and suffering while you chased a crown?”

“No, I-I-”. She stammered. She couldn’t exactly refute what Prudence was saying but it couldn’t be boiled down that simply. “I thought I didn’t have a choice, I-.” Sabrina took a breath and then looked at Prudence directly in the eye. “I didn’t know what I was doing. Or how to help him.”

“Maybe not.” Prudence shrugged sadly. “But you’re not helping him at all now, are you?”

“He broke up with me, Prudence.” Sabrina shook her head, and a tear fell down her cheek as she moved.

“And now he’s alone.” Prudence raised her chin in the air. “You know that you are really, truly, all he had.”

“He chose to be alone.”

“That doesn’t mean he should be.” Prudence pressed her lips together and closed her eyes before nodding her head once, and looking at Sabrina. “Be the girl he believes you to be. I know you’re too stubborn to really let her go.”

When Prudence retreated, Sabrina leaned her head against the stone wall and steadied her breath. Surely if Nick needed her he’d ask right? She knew though that he wouldn’t, that he’d suffer in silence without her if he thought she’d be better off. She wanted him to know she was here for whatever and whenever he needed her.

She went off in the direction of the Sanctum, knowing he’d be in there somewhere drowning his mind with ancient texts. She peered around the corner and saw him laying on a couch with a book floating above his head. He was in deep thought, brow furrowed and hair a mess, and he looked so much like the Nick from before, her Nick, that she was so tempted to fling the book away and perch in his lap with a giggle like she’d done so many times before. The longing and pain pulled at her, it was almost too much.

No. It was too much. She spun on her heels and hid behind a wall, willing herself to take deep breaths. Baby steps, she told herself.

She pulled the magic marker out of her bag before she could change her mind and scribbled on her arm, immediately teleporting away in a flurry of nerves and tears just in case he went in search of her.

Nick lay in the Sanctum, mind completely immersed in the text in front of him. His mind went sideways though when he felt the familiar itch on his arm. Words hadn’t appeared in weeks, but Nick knew there was only one person who he’d ever received notes this way from.

Sabrina.

Even the thought of her made his heart stop and he very nearly didn’t read what she wrote. But his curiosity go the better of him and he pulled up his sleeve, revealing her elegant script he’d recognize anywhere.

You’re not alone.

It was bold and had a period at the end. She meant it, and he could almost feel the tears from her eyes that had likely dropped onto her arm when she wrote it.

No those were his. He hadn’t full on cried over her yet, but he supposed he was now. Weeping and blubbering like when he’d lost Amalia. Sabrina had been there for him that day, and he supposed she was there now in her own way.

He wasn’t alone. Because when Sabrina Spellman loves you, alone is something you will never be.

#nabrina #sabrina spellman #nicholas scratch #Nabrina prompts #post part 3

[dailyadventureprompts]

Settlement: Moorsbey of the Evervale, the reclaimed occult refuge. 

Setup: Known far and wide as a sanctum of the old faith, the sodden little town of Moorsbey is actually only a few generations old. Built upon an ancient pagan site of worship destroyed by the old imperium in its many crusades against foreign faiths. 

In the imperium’s decline, scholars and other seekers of knowledge would venture into the Evervale fens to find the ruins of the old ritual grounds and its ominous standing stones.  Over generations, and long centuries after the imerium’s fall, these seekers began to settle in the small fishing and peat farming village that had grown up around the stones, eventually forming into a community of learning and resurrecting “ancient practices” cobbled together from actually retained lore and their own guesswork.

Now a thriving destination for sightseers and pilgrims of the reformative pre-imperial traditions, Moorsbey plays up its past as a site of persecution and pagan ritual for the sake of attracting tourists to their otherwise dismally boring and likely haunted wetland home. 

Adventure hooks: 

Something’s been ambushing travelers on the south-fen road, picking off lone pilgrims and thier beasts of burden, but leaving their packs and wagons unharmed. The party may need to set up an ambush to hide from these mist-shrouded marauders, and protect themselves from the wisps and drowners that seek to lead them off into the mire. 

However tacky and exploitative the tourist trade may be, there is a real community of scholars and practitioners that dwell in Moorsbey. A prominant member of this community has gone missing just as the hucksters and performers of the town have debuted the plans for an eyecatching, highly inaccurate, and borderline offensive festival. With true beleivers, pedantic scholars, and pragmatic merchants forming into factions, who could be behind this leader’s disappearance in the eve of such crisis? 

A powerful witch has awoken from her long slumber under the earth. Suffering from culture shock and the loss of her culture, she finds Moorsbey to be a blasphemous insult to their memory, and vows to wipe it off the map.  

#swamp #settlement #low level #ambush #mystery #rescue mission #hag #villain #druid #wizard #D&D #D&D adventure #Homebrew Adventure #Adventure #DnD

[lailyn]

Gone Before Light

(A big thank you to my beta @arabesqueangel 😘)

Sanctum Sanctorum

 

Doctor Stephen Strange cleared his throat. It was not loud but the sound carried all the same, and the quorum of Guardians in attendance quieted down. 

"Let's call this meeting to order. I'm sure we all have somewhere else to be?"

"Sorcerer Supreme." A thin, elderly Master wasted no time cutting to the chase. "Loki has been sighted in several villages in rural Bavaria."

Master Kuroda, one of the Guardians of the Hong Kong Sanctum, reared her head in alarm. "Did you not say he was in Austria? Some of my people are still there looking for him."

"That was last week. You would know had you attended every meeting without fail, Master Kuroda," Wong said dryly.

"You promised us there would be free sandwiches, Master Wong. Bagels would have been fine too, seeing how we are in the Big Apple," Kuroda said teasingly. 

With an apologetic nod, she turned to address the Sorcerer Supreme who was sitting at the head of the table. 

"I apologise for my recent absence, Master Strange. A strange phenomenon was reported in the glaciers in the Qilian Mountains, and while Master Sjogren went out to investigate, I stayed behind. I could not leave the Hong Kong Sanctum unguarded, not with Loki of Asgard still at large.”

"Fair enough." Stephen nodded. At the curious look on Wong's face, he added helpfully. "It was bleeding."

"The Sanctum?"

"The mountain. The melting glacier was bleeding blood into the Yangtze River, causing massive panic."

"Blood?" Wong's mouth parted slightly. He braved a guess, "Loki?"

Master Kuroda made a strangled noise, her face pained. "You would think so given all his gasconade, but no, it was not the God of Mischief's doing. Having said that, the real explanation behind the phenomenon was just as alarming, only a lot less threatening.”

Stephen seemed to be hiding a smile, visible only in the twinkling of his eyes. “I’m sure it was.”

Kuroda whispered to Wong. “Turned out to be an algae problem.”

“That’s a bit of an oversimplification, but if it puts people’s minds to rest, I am happy to move on to our next agenda,” Stephen said, his countenance sombre once more. He turned his attention to the Guardian who had spoken first. “Could you elaborate on the situation in the Bavarian Alps, Master Forsyth?”

"Yet another child has succumbed to grievous injuries. Whoever did this, they have claimed seven lives. And there are five more nights to go till the Twelfth Night.”

"We do not know for certain that Loki is responsible for the murders," Stephen said.

"He has eluded capture time after time. If that is not an admission of guilt, I don't know what is," Master Forsyth argued.

"A confession," Stephen said simply. "Which we do not have."

"We could wring one out of him," Forsyth insisted stubbornly.

"Clearly you have not met the man, Master Forsyth," Stephen remarked dryly. "I will be sure to introduce you to him the next time he pops up on our radar."

"Speaking of which, you need to be careful, Sorcerer Supreme," Master Kuroda said gravely. "I sense him close."

Wong frowned. "How close?"

"Very. In fact - "

"A residual signature," Stephen interrupted. "There is no need to panic."

"Wait. Loki of Asgard was here?" Master Forsyth demanded. "Why was the London Sanctum not notified? We could have helped."

"We had it under control," Stephen answered coolly.

Wong gave his friend a sharp side-glance. We did? It silently asked.

"I...engaged him in conversation."

"Some conversation," Wong grumbled under his breath. "I have never seen you in such a state."

A collective clamor of alarm erupted from around the table.

"A mediatory conversation," Stephen amended. “Almost all conflict could be avoided with diplomacy and good old common sense. We cannot afford an all-out war with both the God of Mischief and the God of Thunder, who will definitely take his brother’s side.”

“Not unless we are in the right,” Kuroda argued heatedly. 

“It is a false accusation,” Stephen said through clenched teeth. “It will not hold.”

"Was he attempting to steal the Time Stone then?” Another Master gasped. “Master Strange, we must act quickly and subdue him. Loki of Asgard is a threat, no matter what the treaty says."

"Be that as it may, we will not turn this into a diplomatic incident," Stephen said calmly. "King Thor truly believes his brother has fully reformed. If Loki has indeed strayed, he has Thor to answer to." 

“Do you know something we don’t?” Never let it be said that Kuroda was not the sharpest tool in the shed. 

Stephen’s only answer was a benevolent smile, but Wong, being the closest person to him, knew just how close his friend was to losing his composure. 

Looking at the unhappy faces all around, Wong could only guess at what the others were thinking, but his loyalty, as always, lay with Stephen. “What do you suggest we do, Sorcerer Supreme?” 

“Resume active surveillance but do not engage,” Stephen ordered. “Retaliate only if necessary to protect yourself and civilians but do not provoke him. Loki must not be - “ he hesitated, “I do not wish to see any of you harmed.” 

Before anyone could speak further, Stephen swept to his feet.

“We are adjourned.”

God, he hated meetings. 

**********************

“You do know it’s just rusty water, don’t you? The bleeding glacier?”

“I saw a feature on National Geographics once, so yes, I suspected it was something similar.”

“And you did not care to share the knowledge with your servants?”

Stephen rolled his eyes. “They are not my servants, Odinson. God, you sound so medieval sometimes.”

“I was on that expedition,” Loki reminisced. “Caused a bloody uproar when they saw it.”

“What expedition?” Stephen asked, not particularly interested but wanting to make conversation all the same, much too nervous to start anything else. The night was still young and he did not want it to end too quickly, not that he would admit it out loud.

“The geologist who discovered the Blood Falls in Antarctica was a friend,” Loki said. “They named it after him, the Taylor Glacier. From the plateau of Victoria Land, it flows south of the Asgard Range and into the western end of Taylor Valley. It was truly a marvelous sight.”

Stephen glanced at his companion out the corner of one eye. He could usually tell if Loki was pulling his leg, but the smile on Loki’s face looked so wistful and sad that he could very well be second-guessing himself. 

“That’s...an eerie coincidence, to have named it after your home.”

“They named it wrong,” Loki muttered. “But you’re right. It felt like home. Just the wrong one.”

“What do you mean?”

Loki ignored his question, heaving a pensive sigh instead. “It has been more than a hundred years, can you believe it? How time flies.”

“Must have been a special friend,” Stephen said. 

Loki shrugged. “I have a special friend for every century.”

Stephen swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. "Good for you."

If Loki was discomfited by Stephen's obvious discomfort, he did not show it. "Have your underlings finally left us alone?"

"They are not my underlings."

Loki's mouth curled into a cruel twist. "You give orders. They do as you bid." 

Stephen stared at Loki's lips. By the time the night was over, they would not be as rosy. 

"You tell me to kiss you all the time and I oblige. Does that make me yours?"

Loki's coquettish little smirk deepened into a mysterious smile. "Not all the time."

Stephen did not press him further; asking Loki to specify which question he was replying to would be pushing him into a corner, metaphorically speaking.

And the only corner Stephen was interested in trapping Loki in…

He bodily pressed Loki against the wall. "Are you timing this?"

"Why? Have you got somewhere else to be?" Loki whispered teasingly.

Stephen shook his head. "Not tonight, no. I have you to thank for it, I suppose."

"Yes, we Pagan Gods do as we please. When the mood strikes there is no telling what we can do."

Stephen studied Loki surreptitiously, sensing the darkness lurking beneath a facade of false joviality. 

"Why won't you let me tell them?" He asked quietly.

"Tell what to whom?"

"We have been tracking the Spinnstubenfrau for months," Stephen said. "The Order thinks you are responsible for the spate of mysterious child deaths across Europe."

"I would never hurt a child," Loki snarled. 

Stephen's growl was equally indignant, "I know."

Loki shoved Stephen away from him and began to pace. "Is it so important to you? That I should clear my name?"

"Why isn't it important to you?" Stephen demanded.

"It does not matter, Strange. What matters is that Frau Perchta has once again been banished to the depth of Hell." Loki cocked his head. "Your Hell, I hope. I have a feeling she's Hela's type, what with her affinity for slitting children's bellies and stuffing their corpses with hay."

Stephen went quiet when a new question popped inside his head. "How did you catch her by the way?" 

"Same as how you would catch any other being of superior powers. You don't go chasing them, you make them come to you."

"You plied her with magic? Blood?" Stephen raised an eyebrow. "Candy?"

Loki returned the sardonic smile with a haughty one of his own. "I shifted form into that of a child, of course."

A chill suddenly down the back of Stephen's spine.

The Sorcerer Supreme marched across the room with such speed that Loki found himself taking a step back for every one Stephen took, and soon they were right back where they started with Loki's back pressed against the wall; only this time, Stephen was roughly tugging Loki's tunic free off the waistband and pulling it up.

"My, my, Doctor…" Loki made a half-hearted attempt at coyness, but Stephen nipped it in the bud. 

"Shut up." Stephen ran his hand down the length of the clean, snow-white torso, just to be sure. Loki was the Master of Deception after all.

Loki pried Stephen's roaming fingers off his belly gently. "I am unharmed."

Stephen looked set to shower Loki's face with kisses but then restricted himself to a surly mutter. "Just checking. Thought I smelled blood."

"Well, whatever you're smelling, it isn't mine," Loki reassured him. "Here."

Stephen studied the vial Loki slipped into his palm. It contained a shrivelled husk of something he could not identify straight away. 

"The old crone's heart. Feel free to do with it as you wish." Loki pinched Stephen's cheek. "You are adorable when you fret."

Stephen turned his face away and rubbed at his wounded cheek. "I don't fret."

"Aww. Here I thought you were worried about me."

"And what if I were?" Stephen challenged.

"You should not be," Loki said swiftly. After a careful pause, "You will only ruin my reputation."

Stephen snorted. "Right. Coz it’s been so stellar lately."

"Exactly," Loki chirped. 

A wave of melancholy descended over them, and Stephen was not entirely sure whom it belonged to. 

"Strange, is something the matter?" 

Stephen looked away, refusing to meet Loki's probing gaze. 

"Precious?" Out of all the juvenile things Loki could have picked, he had chosen for Stephen the one nickname so ridiculous it stuck. 

What was one more deviation from normal, one more reality-defying anomaly after everything Stephen had allowed to happen?

"Can't say," Stephen muttered.

Loki was nothing if not tenacious. "Show me, then."

"Kiss me," Stephen mumbled numbly. "Kiss me and you'll know."

Loki's head dipped low and caught Stephen's lower lip with a nip of his teeth. 

Loki's kisses tonight were raucous, hungrier than usual, the pulse of his heartbeat a kaleidoscope of butterflies under Stephen's fingertips as his hands roamed the expanse of Loki's chest and belly once more, travelling southward with every kiss...and Loki tasted fantastic.

After a kill, Loki had never looked more glorious, from the flush of his cheeks to the iridescent fire in his eyes…

He was the most beautiful thing Stephen had ever seen. 

As much as Stephen coveted this ideal of having something so perfect be his alone, he wished he could share Loki with the world, so the world could see the notorious Trickster God through his eyes, all the good Loki could do and already had done, all the good he could be.  

Against his will, Stephen's arms tightened around Loki's waist, but as always, holding Loki was like holding water; he could never hold Loki tight enough. 

"I appreciate the gesture, Doctor…" Loki murmured against his lips, now swollen and bruised and raw, "but your concern is misplaced."

Feeling his knees go weak all of a sudden, Stephen conjured an armchair and dropped down heavily, only realising that he was pulling Loki's hand with him when Loki would not budge.

"Can't you stay?"

"Say it like you mean it," Loki said softly, "then maybe I will reconsider." 

Stephen chose to call Loki's bluff. "Stay." 

Loki sighed. "As much as I enjoy our little tryst, Strange...you enjoy the power more."

"What power?"

"Your title. The Sorcerer Supreme." Loki's eyes strayed to the Cloak of Levitation hovering over the mantelpiece, ever at Stephen's every beck and call. "You can't be with me without giving it up."

Stephen's chest constricted. "I can't." 

"And that…" Loki sat in Stephen's lap and wrapped his arms around the back of his human lover's neck, "is the only reason why I am still here."

Stephen basked in the radiance of Loki's aura, the intoxicating scent of old magic and power, the crushing weight of Loki's body pressed against his -

"It's about the only thing you have going for you. Aside from your hair." 

Loki may sound teasing but his eyes hid a sadness Stephen would not have gleaned had he not spent hours studying those mesmerising green eyes, in sleep and in wake.

"You like my hair?" Stephen asked. 

Loki teased the strands of white at his temple. Against the light of the roaring fire, they glistened like silver.

"It's pretty," Loki said simply.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could give you what you want."

Stephen's forlorn apology only stoked the fire in the pit of Loki's stomach.

"You can't know the true extent of my heart's desires, Sorcerer," Loki scoffed. "You don't even know yours."

"One night," Stephen whispered before could stop himself. "That is all I want."

Loki's hard stare softened. "We can't afford it."

Stephen did not draw attention to Loki's display of vulnerability, and Loki did not fixate on the irony behind Stephen's singular plea. 

You ask for the same thing every time I see you, Loki had teased him once. 

Stephen had only smiled that infuriating all-knowing smile of his and said, Only because I know you will never say yes.

"Another time then." Stephen imagined running a thumb up the sleek slope of Loki's cheekbone. "Another place."

Loki opened his eyes slowly. He saw the longing in Stephen's gaze, and his heart throbbed at the sight of it. 

It was the most cruel thing he had ever seen in his life. His heart twinged again with a deep, pulsating ache that almost had him reaching up to soothe it. 

He reached out to touch Stephen's face instead. 

"In another life," Loki murmured. 

Another life where they were free to be whoever, and with whoever they wanted to be. 

"Do you promise?" Stephen asked quietly.

"I promise," Loki acquiesced. "If you can find me."

I am yours. 

"Live a long, long life…" Loki brushed his lips against Stephen's softly, tenderly, "Even without me." 

"Loki - "

"Goodbye."

"Loki, wait!"

But the weight had lifted off, leaving Stephen's thighs empty and tingling with want, his hands grabbing at empty air.

The taste of Loki's lips lingered long after he left. Such was the fate of the chosen, and as Stephen sat in the dark of the night, cold and alone and cursed, he wept.

#strangefrost #angst #enemies to lovers

[nicodemustibbittsart]

I was playing around with a sharpie and highlighter this week.  After doing some sketches I thought the best approach should be simple and chibi.  The sketch page has me, Odin, Dionysus, and an idea that became a bigger drawing.  The other two are that bigger drawing and a illustration of Dionysus.

This was for a prompt for an art club that I co-lead on a discord called Pagan Sanctum.  So to all the pagans seeing this, it’s cool place to hang out at, I totally recommend joining us.  There is a lot to do on there and different ways to get involved with the community that we have going.  The people are amazing!

Here is a link to the tumblr that can direct you to the discord: x

The prompt btw was to use one highlighter and one sharpie. :)

#Dionysus #hightlighter art #sharpie art #Odin #trans artist #pagan artist #trans man artist #artists of tumblr #sketchbook #illustration #sketches #Greek Mythology #Norse Mythology #Deities #wolfman

[reaching-for-roses]

In Pagan Sanctum (a discord server I admin) I run a club called Modern Mythologists where we do weekly writing prompts. This week's prompt was:

Write a letter to a deity you worship, with a topic of your choosing.

Here was mine:

Dearest Hestia, 

I hope you got the cookies I made you! Did you like them? I've been trying to get better at baking. Baking is quite difficult compared to cooking, in my opinion. It is rewarding seeing myself get better at it over time, though. I think of you everytime I'm covered in flour! It comforts me to imagine you there with me as I'm kneading dough and baking your offerings.

I like to picture you in your cottage, baking things for the Olympians to enjoy. I imagine you taking care of your family as I like to think I take care of mine. But it is hard sometimes, taking care of others. Sometimes I feel taken advantage of, unappreciated. I wonder if you've ever felt that way? If you clean up after the gods like I do with my family, if you offer them advice and guidance? 

Do they ever offer their gratitude, or a helping hand? I hope they do. If you have ever felt unappreciated, how do you respond to these feelings? Do you have any advice for me? I want you to know that I appreciate you. There is not a day that goes by where I don't think of you. 

Much love and respect, 

Rose🌹

#letter to Hestia #Hestia Devotional act #Pagan Sanctum #Modern Mythologists Club prompt