salvations

[salvations]

hallowed  grounds  with  aeri  jeong  @avdaciter

it  was  a  wonder  why  mariella  subjected  herself  to  the  morning  rush  time  and  time  again.  the  idea  of  it  just  felt  so  human,  didn't  it?  that  she  could  pick  up  a  latte  before  work  like  she  used  to  back  in  california.  mariella  couldn't  say  why  she  refused  to  let  that  part  of  herself  go  and,  frankly,  she  would  rather  put  up  with  the  neverending  lines  than  give  it  any  thought.  as  she  waited  for  her  drink,  she  drifted  away  from  the  counter  before  taking  a  seat  near  the  windows.  though  she  hated  to  pry,  she  couldn't  help  but  look  over  to  the  person  next  to  her  as she tried  to  parse  the  words  on  her  screen.  "working  on  anything  interesting  or  are  you  one  of  those  weirdos  who  write  fanfiction  in  public?"

[salvations]

portum general with marisela leon @fatestln

"it's  not  as  bad  as  it  looks."  even  mariella  knew  that  was  a  lie.  sure,  the  worst  of  it  had  healed  somewhat,  but  she  could  only  go  so  long  covering  up  the  wounds  with  her  half-assed  bandages.  the  scratches  and  cuts  were  far  too  deep  for  her  liking  and  she  worried  that  people  would  start  asking  questions.  that  would  be  the  last  time  she  goes  after  the  local  retirement  home  the  next  town  over.  how  embarrassing.  "shouldn't  this  heal  on  its  own?  i  thought  that  was  one  of  the  perks  of  being  a  vampire."

[salvations]

annual  halloween  fair  with  eloise  dawkins @m4gicals

mariella  scrolled  through  her  phone  as  if  trying  to  look  busy  while  the  fair  was  alive  and  well  around  her.  it  was  strange  being  alone.  in  another  life,  the  one  from  a year  ago,  she  would  have  been  surrounded  by  a  group  of  loose  acquaintances  whose  names  she  barely  knew.  it  was  shallow,  sure,  but  still  more  familiar  than  what  small-town  life  had  to  offer  her.  how  she  missed  bumping  into  a  b-list  celebrity  and  getting  invited  to  a  shitty  afterparty.  god,  it  really  was  the  little  things.  her  eyes  were  still  glued  to  her  phone  when  she  was  knocked  into  the  person  in  front  of  her.  "shit,  are  you  alright?  i'm  fine,  thank  god,  but  some  of  us  should  really  watch  where  we're  going."

[salvations]

annual  halloween  fair  with  liam  reed  @scvntillas

the  third  shot  was  a  mistake.  the  fourth  was  simply  overkill.  tequila  might  have  been  a  bitter  taste  to  mariella  before,  but  her  newfound  senses  made  it  seem  like  she  was  downing  battery  acid  with  every  drink.  these  little  changes  made  her  undead  life  that  much  more  annoying.  gone  were  the  days  of  stepping  out  in  the  sun  unharmed  or  growing  old  with  a  bundle  of  grandchildren—for  the  record,  she  would  have  been  such  a  hot  grandma.  the  thought  was  enough  to  make  mariella  take  another  drink  from  the  small  bottle  she  had  smuggled  in  her  coat  pocket.  she  winced  before  handing  it over  to  liam.  "let's  go  play  the  ring  toss.  i  bet  we  can  win  that  giant  teddy  bear  by  the  end  of  the  night."

[salvations]

the  most  that  mariella  could  manage  in  response  was  a  scoff.  she  would  have  walked  out  if  she  thought  that  it  wasn't  worth  fighting  for.  it  was  merely  the  principle  of  it  all.  was  it  so  wrong  to  ask  for  proper  service?  apparently  so.  the  mariella  of  the  past  would  have  thrown  a  fit  over  something  so  small,  but  she  tried  to  maintain  what  little  patience  she  had.  with  a  small  town  like  portum,  she  couldn't  afford  to  get  banned  from  the  one  good  bookstore.  "is  there  someone  else  who  could  help  me?  i'm  sure  ziggy  is  around  somewhere."

rainey  liked  people  and  enjoyed  interacting  with  them  …  to  a  certain  extent  .  she  liked  her  job  too  but  getting  fired  was  not  particularly  on  her  list  of  concerns  .  what  she  was  gonna  get  for  dinner  ,  which  reality  show  she  was  gonna  binge  watch  ,  her  halloween  costume  -  all  ranked  higher  on  her  list  of  concerns  .  so  she  waited  a  beat  after  the  very  pretty  girl  in  front  of  her  spoke  and  pretended  to  read  the  next  line  before  sighing  .  “  i'm  glad  you  had  a  good  time  ,  i  hope  your  shopping  experience  today  has  been  enjoyable  altogether  .  are  you  looking  for  a  book  or  buying  ?  ” 

[salvations]

"your  mom  still  does  your  laundry?"  that  much  was  to  be  expected  of  someone  spending  their  time  on  tree  branches.  mariella's  mouth  had  gotten  her  into  trouble  before  and  she  knew  better  than  to  make  enemies  out  of  werewolves  and  demons,  but  she  couldn't  help  herself.  why  was  everything  in  this  goddamn  town  so  goddamn  whimsical?  with  a  sigh,  mariella  rolled  her  eyes  as  she  bent  down  to  meet  him  on  the  ground.  "on  the  way  to  the  harbour.  i  want  to  go  before  they  run  out  of  cotton  candy.  you're  free  to  join  me  as  long  as  you  don't  try  to  climb  the  ferris  wheel."

some random park around town, ft. open

bas is hanging from a tree branch, moping about the injustice of not having wings ( angels have wings, fallen angels have wings ... don't they ? and he's sure there are some demons that have them too ... so he should as well ! ) when he spots a familiar face. unfortunately, this moment of distraction is all he needs to throw off the rhythm of his swinging, and he lands with a thud underneath the tree, staring up into the leaves.

“ 'm fine, ” he groans, pulling himself into a sitting position. “ gah, mum'll be so mad at me if i've got grass stains on my shirt again. ” as if he can't get the stains out himself — if not by magic, then certainly by hand, he's had plenty of practice. but it's never stopped her, and probably never will, much to his chagrin. “ what's new with you ? ”

[salvations]

it'd  been  an  adjustment  to  come  to  terms  with  the  supernatural  world.  she  was  laughing  along  to  ghost  stories  one  day  only  to  find  herself  fangs  deep  in  someone's  neck  the  next.  likewise,  a  part  of  her  still  believed  that  fortune-telling  and  tarot  readings  were  simply  make-believe  games  to  sell  during  halloween.  maybe  that's  why  she  still  hesitated  to  find  herself  at  potions  and  pentacles  every  time  she  went.  mariella  knew  to  mind  her  manners,  though.  she  braved  a  smile  and  brought  out  her  token,  handling  it  as  if  made  of  glass.  "i'm  here  about  this.  the  ring  is  a  bit  loose  and  i'm  always  worried  about  losing  it."  her  gaze  wandered  across  the  store  before  directing  her  attention  back  at  her  token.  "do  you  have�� anything  else?  i  need  something  i  can  throw  on  and  forget."

status : open ! location : potions & pentacle !

manicured baby pink nails tapped idly on the counter , it was a slow day. she'd already wiped down twice , rearranged the front end merchandise once , and dusted around everything as well. verena huffed a sigh , blowing black curls out of her face with the exhale. she grabbed for a random tarot deck that was sitting on the counter to her side and curled her fingers , shuffling the curls as she hummed hozier to herself. maybe she'd pull a card for herself for once , and see how she was going to get called out today. lips curled in a small pout at the thought -- just for the bell at the front door to ring! brown eyes were warm as she looked up , idly shuffling the deck in hand as she smiled at them.

" hello , and good afternoon ! let me know if you need anything or want a reading , and oh -- please know that dried herbs are 25% off today ! "

[salvations]

having  prided  herself  on  her  composure,  the  scream  she  let  out  was  embarrassing,  to  say  the  least.  worse,  she  was  being  reprimanded  as  if  a  stranger  hadn't  just  appeared  from  the  woods  past  midnight.  mariella  stared  at  him  as  if  he'd  grown  a  second  head  and,  judging  by  the  people  of  this  town,  that  was  certainly  a  possibility.  "well,  i  couldn't  sleep  so  i  took  a  walk!  is  that  so  wrong?"  she  didn't  mention  that  she  had  gotten  lost  about  an  hour  or  two  ago,  but  he  didn't  need  to  hear  that.  "what  the  hell  are  you  doing  skulking  around  so  late?"

Status: Open Location: The Forest

His usually bright, kind eyes were narrowed suspiciously as he emerged from the shadows of the trees, his mouth set in a hard line as he wondered what anyone could be doing out here well past midnight. He knew a certain tang in the air meant a storm was rolling in, and he could feel the beginnings of a chill that harkened a bad one at that. This far into the trees was no place for even the most experienced and well-prepared of hikers, if not for the dangers of the terrain and the threat of the storm, then for the creatures that preyed upon those lost in the woods.

"You shouldn't be out here alone. Ain't safe and I ain't looking to be held responsible for a missing person anytime soon."

[salvations]

the  opinion  of  a  woman  who  called  out  and  no-showed  at  the  museum  didn't  hold  any  weight  when  it  concerned  work  ethic,  but  that  didn't  stop  mariella.  with  her  own  business  to  attend  to,  she  simply  couldn't  wait  around  for  people  to  be  good  at  their  jobs.  she  might  have  all  the  time  in  the  world,  but  mariella  would  rather  use  it  for  herself.  “no.  please,  take  your  time.  i  enjoyed  watching  the  dust  on  the  shelves  while  you  were  busy  with  that  book  of  yours.”

STATUS  :  open  ! LOCATION  :  ophelion  books  ,  any  time  of  day  .

she  was  technically  supposed  to  be  stacking  the  books  in  the  historical  fiction  section  ,  not  reading  what  appeared  to  be  the  thickest  book  in  the  store  (  it  was  just  a  fantasy  novel  with  six  sequels  and  two  novellas  ,  rainey  was  on  the  fourth  book  at  the  moment  )  .  however  ,  she  was  left  alone  at  the  front  and  with  no  one  around  to  scold  her  ,  she  had  allotted  herself  the  past  hour  to  sit  and  do  as  she  pleased  .  just  as  the  trolls  were  about  to  attack  the  main  character  ,  someone  rang  the  bell  ,  alerting  her  .  “  oh  hey  ,  sorry  ,  my  bad  .  i  promise  i'm  usually  a  better  employee  .  what's  up  ?  ”

[salvations]

“i  come  bearing  gifts.”  mariella  dropped  the  novels  on  the  counter,  the  spines  worse  for  wear.  since  arriving  in  portum,  she'd  been  eager  to  consume  every  bit  of  knowledge  about  vampires  she  could  get  her  hands  on.  did  that  include  books  about  high  schoolers  falling  in  love  with  hundred-year-old  bloodsuckers?  well,  she  had  to  be  thorough.  it  was  too  bad  that  the  hard  copies  she  had  accumulated  were  starting  to  look  like  a  fall  hazard  in  her  new  place.  the  tragedy  of  having  too  much  did  not  befit  someone  like  mariella.  that  was  a  problem  for  people  who  could  not  afford  the  room  for  it  all.  yet  another  thing  vampirism  had  taken  from  her.  “see  for  yourself,  these  are  basically  new.  i  don't  even  need  a  refund  for  them.  consider  it  a  generous  donation  from  yours  truly.”       

✧˚ · . 𝗙𝗢𝗥 ... open ! ✧˚ · . 𝗟𝗢𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 ... aphelion books !

the  orange  glow  of  twilight  filtered  through  the  windows  ,  bathing  the  bookshelves  of  aphelion  in  warm  hues.  golden  hour  had  always  been  ziggy’s  favorite  time  of  day  ;  it  reminded  him  of  gentle  birdsong  and  the  rustle  of  the  undergrowth  as  the  forest  animals  darted  back  to  the  shelter  of  their  burrows  ,  hunkering  down  to  weather  the  darkness  that  would  soon  follow.  dark  curls  bounced  with  every  movement  as  ziggy  danced  form  one  aisle  to  the  next  ,  precariously  balancing  a  stack  of  books  in  one  arm  as  his  other  hand  moved  to  tuck  them  away  into  their  designated  space  with  deft  fingers.  he  hummed  a  tune  under  his  breath  that  only  grew  still  when  the  gentle  tinkle  of  the  bell  attached  to  the  main  entrance.  the  nymph  grinned  ,  a  warm  ,  mega-watt  smile  that  could  light  up  a  room  brightening  his  expression  as  he  lifted  his  dark  gaze.  “  hey  ,  welcome  in  !  we  close  in  about  an  hour  ,  but  let  me  know  if  there’s  anything  i  can  help  you  with  !  we’ve  got  a  brand  new  display  of  mystery  novels  just  in  time  for  the  season  ,  if  you’d  like  to  take  a  look  !  “

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ABBOTT ELEMENTARY S02E21 | Mom

[salvations]

(   laura  harrier  .  cis  woman  .  she  +  her  )       —       blasting  mariella  by  leon  bridges,  khruangbin  down  main  street  we’ve  spotted  MARIELLA  PATTON  sporting  their  dark  red-wine  manicure.  the  thirty-one  year  old  VAMPIRE  who’s  been  in  town  for  a  month  often  can  be  seen  meticulously  curating  her  wardrobe,  plastering  on  a  sickly-sweet  smile  that  is  all  too  inauthentic,  skipping  out  on  her  shift  to idle around at home or  working  as  a/n  SECRETARY  at  PORTUM  ART  MUSEUM.  people  say  they  display  self-assured  and  haughty  traits,  but  we  rather  trust  their  vibes:  a  quiet,  unnerving  temper  simmering  beneath  honeyed  words  ;  arrogance  worn  as  obnoxiously  as  her expensive  designer  perfume  ;  braving  new  and  uncharted  territories  bordering  life  and  death

basics.

full name: victoria mariella patton

nickname: em, mari

age & date of birth: thirty-one & june 23rd, 1993

species: vampire (turned in the summer of 2024)

gender & pronouns: cis woman & she + her

orientation: biromantic, bisexual

occupation: secretary @ portum art museum

hometown: fort worth, texas

background.

tw: alcohol abuse, blood, murder

mariella’s life didn’t begin until she moved out of texas. what’s eighteen years compared to the next hundred she’s to spend walking the earth as an immortal bloodsucker? regardless of what everyone says, she’s more than the spoiled brat with the best silver spoons that grandpa’s shipping empire could buy. mariella patton would be a name worth remembering–she hungered for greatness. 

she struggled on her way into an ivy league (with a generous donation to her father’s alma mater), built a life for herself in los angeles (through her mother’s weekly allowances), and clawed her way up the corporate ladder at a prestigious investment firm (nepotism goes a long way).

but, she still got there, didn’t she? no matter how many times they’d tried to trip her up and despite how many looks she got solely by being in the room, mariella had made a name for herself that was entirely her own doing. it could have come easy, money and charm seemed the natural default, but she finally had something she built for the first time in her life.

maybe that’s why that made their betrayal that much worse. mariella had worked alongside them since the pair were nothing more than slop at the bottom of the food chain. every paycheque, every late-night project, every presentation–they had survived the storm together and then some. 

a bit of friendly competition was healthy, but there were unspoken lines that mariella knew better than to cross. not to them, apparently. they’d stolen an important contract, ripping the rug from mariella, and costing her a promotion she was promised. 

that particular night was blurry, one too many shots working through her system as she tried to drink the day away. the man from across the bar had appeared out of thin air, sharply dressed and alluring as ever. she complained about what they’d done until the last call and when he offered an opportunity to make her little problem disappear, she was just desperate enough to consider it. mariella had made a living on brokering shady deals–what was one more? 

she woke up in a daze. that much was expected after the night she had. the strange cravings, on the other hand? it was unlike anything she had felt before. nothing would satisfy mariella until she found herself at their door. 

the events that followed had been difficult to remember. all she wanted was to quiet the hunger. it hadn’t been nearly enough.

she returned to work, disheveled and disoriented, but feigning normalcy. their roommate came home to their body. “a horrific crime scene akin to an animal attack,” the reports said. 

all she had to do was lay low, but her appetite was insatiable. mariella had cornered her boss at the parking garage. authorities found the body pale and lifeless in the car, drained of every drop.

a week followed and she could sense them closing in on her. investigators were scouring the security tapes for a suspect and the figure that trailed her boss fit mariella's description far too well. she considered finding the man that did this to her, but what good would that monster do? she should have stayed away in the first place.

eventually, she packed up what she could and left los angeles. she drove for miles, stopping at seedy motels and pit stops, towards texas. the hunger was deafening now.

as she neared her hometown, a part of her hesitated. what did she have there after all those years? no, they could do nothing to sate her hunger even now. mariella found a taste for greatness and it would not be found in fort worth with her tail tucked between her legs. 

she drove on and stumbled upon portum in the process. though she hasn’t been there long, she hopes to find some answers about her new nature. it’s been quite the adjustment, a far cry from skyscrapers and stalled traffic lanes, but not an entirely terrible place to spend walking the earth as an immortal bloodsucker.

fun facts.

while some vampires have lost their appetite for human food, mariella still maintains a lingering craving for it–particularly caffeine. it changes as the days go on, but she likes to keep it close as a means to hold on to her old life and humanity. still, she ignores that the taste grows bitter with each passing day—that her appetite hungers for something else. 

doesn’t have a noticeable southern accent. she might be from texas, but she’s shed that part of her life a long time ago.

mariella is pristine and hates to see a thing out of place, but covering up her tracks is not a strong suit. where she goes, a body count will follow. too bad she still hasn’t learned to clean up after herself.

hates her job (who doesn’t?) and will not show up to work lol she is not built for menial labour.

[salvations]

they hate me for being a slut tbh and maybe also the killings too but that's unlikely

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VAMPIRE IN BROOKLYN (1995) Dir. Wes Craven

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Postcolonial Love Poem, ‘Wolf OR-7′ by Natalie Diaz

[ID: I confuse instinct for desire - isn’t bite also touch?]

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♡ LAURA HARRIER via instagram ( lauraharrier )

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LAURA HARRIER for Reformation