I Hate How The Stereotype Is That Dolphins Are Good And Sharks Are Evil, When Dolphins Are So Smart That

*seductively* doomed by the narrative all by yourself, handsome?

it’s just one of those croissant days

writing tips - pagan religion

YO! pagan religions are hella cool!

They're also tricky to write.

Lemme help.

What is a pagan religion?

Pagan religions revolve around the natural world. The deities are associated with natural occurrences, and the ritual of life and death is crucial.

Life and death practices of pagan religions are usually the centerfold. Rituals in the religion have to do with sacrifice and natural procession in the environment.

Common themes:

hunter/hunted

dawn/dusk

stars!

growth and rot

Like any religion, there are two sides to every coin (god). If there is light, there must be dark. If there is heat, there must be freeze as well.

Worship? Devotion? Fear?

Another difference between pagan religions and monotheistic or polytheistic religions is the attitude of address. In mono/poly, it's a feeling of 'I will devote myself to you because i want to better myself and I believe it will assist that'. Pagan religions have an understanding of 'this is your world, we're just living in it. you are responsible for everything, so i pray to you to ask for protection from the side effects and to allow me to stay alive.'

it's less of a power thing and more of a survival/coexistence thing. Neither is bad! they're just different, and it's a sizeable difference.

Pagans believe that the world is joyful and of creation, not of suffering. There is no sacrifice to 'devote yourself' there is sacrifice to show appreciation and exchange for inhabiting the god's space.

Pagans are very earth conscious and aware of how the effects of their lives impact the holy world. Often, they are rustic societies that give back as much as possible.

A pantheon is not the same as pagan.

Just because they are both polytheistic doesn't mean they function the same way. There are differences!! Please research!!

Like I said in my pantheon religion post, it's important to do this research to do the religion justice. People who are pagan don't want to read sloppily, under-researched presentations of their beliefs. That doesn't help with media misrepresentation.

xox love you!

Eldritch beings who view humans as mere insects, except one individual of their kind is that one bug nerd whose fascinated with bugs and goes on and on about how you shouldn't kill insects because they're "misunderstood creatures that play a part in the ecosystem"

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Genuinely I think one of the best things you can do to build characters in your story is give them a kink. You do not have to put that kink in the story. You do not have to tell anyone but yourself. But thinking about their wants and needs and what would bring them comfort or desire, about whether they crave power or crave a situation where they're blessedly free from any power, about which taboo they might kind of want to cross, is really useful for getting inside their head. Also "what situation would make my character stupid horny enough to make a terrible mistake?" is a good plotting device. "It's a plot hole that they made that dumb decision" no they were just whistling like a lustful kettle and forgot to turn their brain on.

Pets love to show up like Hello i am Mystery Wet :)

why is religious Christmas imagery all so joyful and pleasant? where is the inherent horror of the birth of Christ? A mother is handed her newborn child, wailing and innocent. Her hands come away sticky. Red. Simply by giving her son life she has already killed him. He is doomed from the beginning. Her love will not save him from suffering. Because the thing cradled in her arms is not a baby, it is a sacrifice: born amongst the other bleating animals whose blood will one day be spilled in the name of what demands it. the night is silent with anticipation. Mary, did you know? That your womb was also a grave?

Tippi Hedren having her cigarette lit by a crow on the set of The Birds (1963)

imagine if doorways grew back like scabbed over with fresh drywall and you had to keep carving them back out with a jabsaw to keep the doorway clear etc