Long ago in another age the sleepy town of Mooth hosted an annual ritual called ‘The Passing of the Lips’. Here, all girls coming of age were to drink a potion that either bewitched them into lifelong compliance or (if they rejected it) found them rebellious and banished them to the ‘underground’. Most chose to avoid exile, swallowing it down regardless and the town functioned well with incredibly loyal and dutiful women until that is, the turn of twins Devorare and Despuo.

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Although identical, they couldn’t have been more different. Devorare was quiet and obedient like a pet dog; Despuo was mischievous and cunning like a feral cat. As expected, Devorare swallowed the potion and Despuo spat it out. But before she could be taken, Despuo looked up at a lone crow in the sky and yelled ‘Dragon!’ With the crowd distracted she swapped her sister’s blue ribbon for her red one and passed Devorare her beaded pearl necklace, whispering instructions into her newly bewitched, compliant ears.

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Despuo (disguised as Devorare) entered the crowd and dutifully agreed to everything that followed, fingers firmly crossed behind her. Devorare (also mistaken for her sister) was led underground, secretly and obediently dropping pearls from the necklace as she walked, just as her sister had whispered. She arrived at a community of exiled women who, on hearing Despuo’s plan, followed the pearl trail back to the surface where a thousand fierce women overwhelmed the town easily, declaring the twins rulers over all - Despuo accepted, Devorare did as she was told.

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Despuo changed the ritual (Devorare agreed): offering it to boys as well as girls and with choice to not participate at all. With free will and equity in play the potion’s magic changed. Those who chose to drink felt briefly warm but retained autonomy; those who spat it out simply disliked the taste and moved on, those who didn’t participate found other ways to mark the occasion and eventually, no one knew who was doing the ritual or not anymore…and no one cared.

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Glazed stoneware, slip and sgraffito decoration with 24ct gold and mother of pearl detail. (2025)

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