#How do I know if hematite is working?

[ectobabble]

Shiny's rock + how it fits into FNaF

I realized the research/prep I did for 'The Imposter' so now I wanna ramble about it bc i think i deserve it? [in defense of shiny] [The Imposter fic]

The first time Shiny brings up rocks it's when Sun freaks out about them leaving and possibly not coming back. Shiny pulls out their 'worry stone' and gives it to him saying that it's too important for them to not come back for it. They also mention it's to help find lost things, so Sun will find Shiny tomorrow at work.

A worry stone is something that a person keeps on them and rubs every time they are stressed, resulting in smoothing the stone over time. However, Shiny's is large and bumpy, meaning it's new and wasn't meant to be one.

It's Chalcopyrite which is a stone that can be used as a compass to find lost items/people and help increase psychic abilities and intuition. Shiny explains why they carry it around but there is a misunderstanding between them.

Shiny brings up another stone. "That's Hematite! Good for remembering things and getting rid of bad energy." Which, yeah, but it's also known as the bloodstone, used for grounding, stability, and focus(memory).

Quartz is an all-purpose stone that Shiny gives to the little girl who was hurt in Chapter 13. It enhances other crystals paired with, but it also is fantastic for memory.

Lapis Lazuli is another memory stone helping with communication and sharing information.

Blue Chalcedony is said to be used for memory enhancement, but mostly storing information.

Most of Shiny's stones are based on searching for things and remembering, which makes sense because they have DID and do not have ANY of their childhood memories, Imp does. Imp also refuses to talk with them, so it could be seen as an attempt to try and remember by themselves. A few of these double as 'clearing away evil spirits/negative energy', which hm... wonder what that would affect in the plex.

So that brings me to... what is a key part of the FNAF lore: Remanent that is used when making the animatronics to trap souls in them. Basically just 'soul energy' and something talked about in scriptures. So metaphysical energy already exists in the FNaF universe and the ImpAU is going to use that.

Also i swear to fuck they're gonna kiss, I didn't bait and switch. They gotta suffer for it. The main plot is about child abuse and psychological horrors.

Ironically Imposter pushes the relationship story but has to traverse the main plot. Shiny experiences the love story but pushes the main plot.

This doesn't get into Imposter's contributions, lemme know about that bc i talk WAY too much. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.

It's also important to know that Imposter doesn't know jack about Shiny's rocks and neither do Moon/Sun

[ambermotta]

How to not Kill your Crystals — Crystal Safety

How often have you looked up online and saw "to cleanse your crystals, use moonwater!", or "bury your crystals!"?

And how often did you hear of someone whose crystal ended up bleached, or entirely dissolved? (I'm looking at you, selenite)

Long post ahead but it's worth it, I promise

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Introduction

There are many methods of cleansing and charging crystals, but what beginner witches and pagans may not realize is that not every method is appropriate for every crystal.

While some methods are generally more harmless than others, if you don't know some of your crystal's basic properties, you might end up damaging them or even yourself!

So in this post I'll go through some general considerations and then list some cleansing & charging methods: the failproof, the ones you have to consider crystal safety, and the possibly harmful ones. Lastly, I'll list what you should NEVER do with your crystals.

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So what's wrong with Moonwater?

There is nothing wrong with moon or sun energy itself. What can be dangerous is Water and Sunlight. It's all about physics and chemistry.

Water

Some crystals dissolve or release toxic chemicals in water. Some examples are Selenite & and Desert Rose (which is a type of Selenite), and Hematite. That means you should never leave them near water, humidity, wash them, or put them inside any elixirs.

Sidenote on elixirs: if you are going to ingest any type of water that has been in contact with crystals, you MUST do a through research to make sure they don't release ANY chemicals in the water.

Plus you can infuse water with crystal energy without them touching the water.

by celestialearthminerals

The Sun

As for Sunlight, it can bleach your crystals and alter the coloration over time. The heat can also greatly damage them! An example of crystals that shouldn't be exposed to the sun is quartz. Pretty much all kinds, including amethyst and citrine.

Fun fact: burned amethyst clusters are very often sold as citrine. They have a burned yellow/brown/orange aspect to them, like in this image.

Real citrine has lighter yellow and orange tones.

burned amethyst – fake citrine

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Fail proof Cleansing & Charging

Nothing can go wrong with them when it comes to crystal safety. The worst that can happen is performing them poorly, which could affect cleansing and charging effectiveness.

Smoke

There's no way to go wrong here. You can light an incense or burn herbs of your choosing, pick up a crystal, and cleanse them with the smoke. You can use energetic herbs such as rosemary to charge them.

Tip: You can choose the herbs and incense based on your stones properties! (For example, use a fiery herb to charge a fiery crystal)

Sound

There are many ways to go about this. Singing bowls, affirmations, vocal singing, bells, prayer, chanting, galdr (rune chanting), calming and uplifting music...

Choose your sound, cleanse your space, set your intention, and let Sound do its job. If you are going to charge the crystals yourself using a method such as chanting to your stones, cleansing yourself first and having a ritualistic setup would be nice. It can help you focus and make sure you will only send positive energies to your crystals.

Reiki and Energy work

Absolutely no way to go wrong. Reiki is a wonderful cleasing/charging method.

You would have to be initiated in order to do Reiki, but if you can't afford that, any kind of energy work and energy manipulation will do. Just make sure to prepare yourself beforehand and focus on what you are doing.

You can use tools to help in energy manipulation, such as an athame or wand.

Water Glass Cleansing

You are NOT going to put your crystals INSIDE the water glass. That's why this is a safe cleansing method.

Fill a glass of water and set your intentions for the water to absorb all negativity from your crystals, then leave your stones & crystals near your glass of water for a few hours.

It is preferable to use a transparent glass. It doesn't have to be, but it is better. I also wouldn't recommend plastic of any kind.

Once you are done, dispose of the water, thanking it for its help, and wash the glass before using it again.

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Consider Crystal Safety with These

They are commonly believed to be harmless (and that's mostly true), but give them some thought anyway. I will explain why.

Immersing in Salt

Salt has strong cleansing properties. You can fill a small bowl with enough salt to bury your crystals and leave them there for a few hours to a day. You could also use salt water the same way.

Why be careful?

Salt can trigger chemical reactions in some crystals. I'm mainly talking about salt water, but just to be safe, it might be best to have caution with solid salt as well.

Burying in Earth

Burying crystals (especially if close to a plant or tree) is a popular cleansing/charging method. After all, they came from the earth! Who else could take better care of them?

You can leave your crystals buried outside for a few hours to a day and let the planet do its job.

Why be careful?

If you are going to leave crystals outside beneath the earth, you shouldn't have to worry about the Sun. It is WATER that you should worry about.

If it rains, the water will reach your crystals. If want to bury non water-safe crystals, make sure rain won't get to them.

Tip #1: Don't forget where you buried them

Tip #2: An alternative to burying outside is to bury crystals on your household plant's pot. You can even match the plant's own properties to the energy you want to work on your crystal.

Moonlight Bath

Not moon water, just moonlight. Just let your crystals bask in moonlight... It is almost failproof.

Why be careful?

I say it's almost failproof because it can only fail if you forget your crystals outside until the sun is out, or until it rains.

If you think you are prone to forgetting to collect your crystals before the sun shines, do this early in the night and set an alarm to collect your crystals in a few hours.

Tip: you can still cleanse and charge with Moon energy even if the weather is not favorable. Just be careful with rain.

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Possibly Harmful Methods

For these, you NEED to know your crystals before you do them. Especially the ones involving water and heat, you should take into consideration your own health due to possible chemical releases!

Sun charging

While it can be great to have sun energy on some of your crystals, this is one of the unsafest methods for the crystals. A lot of them will bleach, change color and even crack after prolonged sunlight exposure. If you're leaving crystals in the Sun, I suggest you leave them out for no more than an hour.

Also, watch out for weather changes if you have a crystal that is not waterproof.

Sidenote: if you have crystal necklaces, remember you might also accidentally expose them to sunlight and rain when you wear them outdoors.

Sun water

Can't have your crystals in the Sun, but it's a fire crystal so you would like it to be charged with sun energy?

If they are water safe, make some sun water, fill a bowl with it, and let your crystals sit in it for a few hours.

Moon water

As long as your crystal is waterproof, it should be fine. Just fill a bowl with moon water and let your crystals be for a few hours.

If you don't know if your crystals are water safe, it's best not to risk it.

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Never Ever...

... Expose your crystals to intense heat

No candles, no hot water, no intense sunlight. Not only you will very likely damage your crystal, intense heat and burning of crystals can release toxic fumes.

... Use chemicals to clean crystals

No soaps, alcohol, detergents, salts, etc. They might trigger chemical reactions when in contact with some crystals. So unless you know exactly what you're doing, keep these away from them.

... Touch dissolved crystal water

If you put your crystal in water and a chemical reaction happened, it's best to not touch the water. It could cause skin irritation and intoxication.

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Conclusion

Sometimes we leave crystals outside so that they can be bestowed Nature's blessings, and we forget about them. It happens, as do all accidents.

But you can avoid a lot of damage (yours and theirs) by simply studying about them before submitting them to anything that could be potentially harmful.

Remember your crystals need a lot of love and care, and that goes for their physical care, too. They are unique because of their physical and chemical properties as well, not just spiritual ones.

Thank you for reading and love your crystals!

[ladykailitha]

Oh For a Muse of Fire! Epilogue

I want to thank everyone for the lovely support. I saw a couple questions about the other characters in the comment section of the last one and wanted to clear up a couple of things. Crystal=Argyle (he picked the name because he thought it sounded cool), Onyx=Dimitri (like @n0-1-important guessed in part 11). Diamond and his family were all OCs more on them here. Michelle (the whiny chick in the art class) is the only other OC. I tried as much as possible to include characters from the show when I could.

And to answer @ goodolefashionedloverboi‘s question: Jonathan and Nancy are in couple’s therapy and are doing better.

And then one final thing to explain (the curses of doing a WIP and posting it one at a time not every thread I put down got picked up again, oops!) is the garnet rings. I love gem stones and geology. It fascinates me so much so that I took it as an elective in high school. When I was researching a fic (don’t remember which one now) I was looking at Eddie’s rings. And a lot of people were making replicas with hard stones like hematite, onyx, or something that didn’t have cuts or facets. But Eddie’s ring sparkles. It’s clearly a gemstone. So I went looking up grey or black gemstones. I found a couple it could be but they weren’t discovered until the 90s (and while the ACTUAL stone the prop maker used could be that, I COULDN’T call it that). And then I found a grey garnet. It was a perfect match. It sparkles the way his does, the different shades it gets from the show, spot on. Hence the garnet.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6  Part 7  Part 8  Part 9 Part 10  Part 11 Part 12  Part 13 Part 14  Part 15  Part 16  Part 17

*

Two years later:

Variety Interview with Corroded Coffin

Max Mayfield: Hello, can you guys introduce yourselves for the people that have been hiding under a rock for the last two years?

They all laugh.

Jeff: I’m Jeff Lawrence, I’m rhythm guitar.

Gareth: I’m Gareth Hughes, I’m on drums.

Brian: I’m Brian Martin, I’m the bass guitarist.

Eddie: And I’m Eddie Munson, frontman, lead guitar, lead vocalist, and songwriter.

MM: That’s a lot of titles for one person.

JL: That’s because he’s the most dramatic out of all of us. He has to have allll the titles. Can’t share with the rest of us.

EM: Hey!

They all laugh again.

BM: Hey, you know it’s true.

EM: Yeah...but you’re giving away all my secrets right off the bat. Can’t you save some for later in the interview.

The other three look at each other.

JL, BM, GH: No.

Eddie throws his arms in the air.

EM: I’m telling Steve!

The other three look mock frightened for all of three seconds before they start laughing at him.

JL: You know Steve would agree with us.

Eddie pouts

MM: Can you tell us who Steve is?

Eddie fiddles with the singular ring on his right hand, looking down, bashfully. It one that I haven’t seen. Everyone is familiar with the the three chunky rings on his left hand. But this one is on his ring finger. The grey stone flashes as he plays with it.  

EM: He’s the love of my life and my muse.

JL: He’s an art teacher back home.

BM: He’s our Eddie wrangler.

GH: He’s our band mascot.

I laugh.

MM: He sounds pretty special. How did you guys meet?

JL: We all went to high school together, actually.

MM: Oh, so were you high school sweethearts, then?

Eddie laughs.

GH: Yeah, no. He laughs.

BM: Let’s just say they started off on the wrong foot.

JL: The wrong everything, let’s be honest.

EM: Not my proudest moment. I was doing a favor for a family friend being a live model for an art class about five years later and assumed the worst about him.

MM: You mean there are actual art of you naked out there?

Eddie blushes.

EM: Several pieces in fact. But my favorite is Stevie’s. It’s still hanging up in our house in my studio.

GH: I’ve seen it. It’s not gross or anything.

JL: It won best in show at the art gala it was featured in.

BM: I think he’s totally wasted as an art teacher. He could be making more than we do selling his art work. But he loves working with kids.

MM: Sounds like the perfect guy.

EM: scoffs I love Steve, but he can be the most basic bitch. And he tends to be overprotective too.

GH: But we are here to talk about the new album.

MM: Fair enough. So tell me about working on Silent Killer. This is your second album, is that correct?

JL: Yeah, our self titled debut album just went double platinum. We knew going in it was going to be a tough act to follow.

GH: When we went platinum the first time, our manager Murray Bauman sent black flowers to all the record labels that passed on us.

EM: It was very suitably bitchy. It’s why he’s our manager.

MM: Certainly sounds like it. Do you guys deviate from your first album’s style in this one?

They look at each other and Eddie shrugs

EM: I mean, not really. It’s a more somber album to be sure. There was a song that we wanted to include on Corroded Coffin but decided it didn’t fit with the overall theme of the album that made its way on this one.

MM: Which song is that?

BM: Thorns and Thistles. It’s the song that got us our agent in the first place.

JL: Yeah. Murray was mad when the record label didn’t want to use it this time round. He fought tooth and nail to get on the album.

EM: Have you heard it yet?

I nod.

MM: Yeah. It’s beautifully heartbreaking. You say your label didn’t want to use it?

BM: They thought it was too sad.

JL: So to prove them wrong we sent it out as our first single, before we even started really working on the album.

MM: It had already gone gold before you announced the new record. That must have really got stuck in their craw.

EM: We’ve been laughing all the way to the bank.

MM: You guys won a Grammy for Song of the Year for The Jester and the King and Best New Artist. How was that for you?

BM: God I don’t know which of us bawled more on that stage. But it was everything we hoped for.

JL: Winning Song of the Year was a life changer. But no one thought we were going to win Best New Artist.

MM: No?

Eddie shakes his head.

EM: It rarely goes to a rock artist, especially a metal one. Everyone thought it would go to the kid...what’s his name...? He snaps his fingers.

JL: JJ Jenner.

EM: That’s the one. Fifteen year old kid with the pipes of an angel. Everyone, including us thought it would be him.

MM: Oh, I remember now, they put the kid’s reaction to losing on the jumbotron or whatever they call their big screen.

GH: I almost felt sorry for him.

Eddie grins.

EM: Almost.

MM: When you do red carpet events, Eddie, you bring your two lesbian friends with you, while the rest of the band brings their partners. Is there a reason you don’t bring yours? Especially since I learned your partner’s name is Steve.

All the members of the band shift uncomfortably in their seats, stealing glances at each as they silently decide who is going to answer the question.

MM: Oh. I feel like I stepped on a sensitive topic. I didn’t mean to.

Gareth clears his throat.

GH: Steve’s privacy is very important to us. There are times he would like to go to these things with Eddie...

JL: But he still gets attacks and can’t. He looks down at his hands. So he goes with the girls dress shopping and helps pick out their outfits for the night.

Eddie looks like he’s going to tear up.

EM: We’re working on it. He knew going to our relationship that this might become an issue but I always do what I can to make it up to him the moment I get home.

They all look somber, so I decide to change the direction of the interview.

MM: What’s next for the Corroded Coffin boys?

They brighten up almost immediately.

BM: Touring. We’ve got an American tour this spring and then a European tour this summer.

MM: Is there a reason you decided to wait on the European tour until summer?

Eddie blushes and the rest of the band nudge him playfully.

EM: It’s so Steve can come with us. He can’t leave during the school year, but he likes touring with us when it’s out for summer break.

MM: Ah ha.

The conversation turns to non-band related things again and I watch how close they are. It’s great to see a band that are still friends after years of playing together. Even though they’ve only been big for two years, they have been playing for twelve.

Let’s hope that they stay that way for the next twenty.

-Max Mayfield

The Final Tag List: @artiststarme @allbymyselfexceptformycactus @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @itsall-taken @m-owo-n @zerokrox-blog @runyousillydetective @grimmfitzz @wonderland-girl143-blog @sapphirecobalt-1 @scheodingers-muppet @victor-thee-corvid @apricottree @bookbinderbitch @sleepyboosstuff @biatcgh @pixiefallingupthestairs @grtwdsmwhr @thepainisspicy @carlyv @eboyawstenn @bisexualdisastersworld @bidisastersworld @abstractnaturaldisaster @evix-syne666 @nerdsconquerall @lololol-1234 @goodolefashionedloverboi @chaoticlovingdreamer @a-little-unsteddie @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @elluminis @tailsfromthecrypt @danili666 @plyerice27 @alittlegreyfish  @n0-1-important @no-upper-limit-to-stupidity @maya-custodios-dionach @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @heaven428 @thedragonsaunt @ceaselessly-watching @imfinereallyy @messrs-weasley @sharingisntkaren @nohomoyesbi

[galacticnikki]

100 Witchcraft Tips in 100 Days

Day 6 - How to Choose The Right Crystals For Daily Use

Set a Daily Intention

Before you pick your crystal you first want to figure out your intention. Crystals hold energy, by choosing one that aligns with your intention you can end up with more effective results. Some good questions to ask yourself include:

What do I want to achieve today?

What challenges do I expect to face?

What mood do I want to have today?

What do I want to protect myself from?

Depending on what you'll be doing that day can affect your intention that you might not have realized otherwise. There are thousands of stones for different intentions. Let's say you need protection, black tourmaline and obsidian would be your go to. If you needed some love and compassion rose quartz and rhodonite can help with that. If you need focus and mental clarity you can use fluorite or clear quartz. Maybe you need a confidence boost or a little motivation, citrine and tigers eye works well for that.

Trust in Your Intuition

When you're picking a crystal you don't always need to know the exact correspondences or properties to know it's the right one. You might feel pulled or drawn to a specific stone and not quite know why. It could be the color, the texture, or just overall feel of it. This is a sign that your intuition is guiding you to the right choice. Even if you're unsure about the correspondences you can still take it and look up the correspondences later. You may be pleasantly surprised with how aligned it was with your intentions.

Pick a Size And Shape

When picking out your crystal you also need to keep in mind your needs when carrying it around. You might want to avoid fragile crystals like selenite or soft stones that can break easily when handled often. Here's a few types of styles you may want to consider:

Tumble Stones: Small, smooth, discreet stones that can slip into your pocket or purse.

Jewelry: Pendant, rings, or bracelets.

Pocket Stones: Crystals that are slightly more oblong but fit comfortably in your hand.

Working Your Crystal into Your Routine

When choosing your crystal it's also important to consider your routine. If you have a lot of different activities planned you can carry a combination of a few crystals that works best for your intentions. For example:

Work or study: Crystals like fluorite or clear quartz can help with focus, mental clarity, and decision making.

Self care and emotional healing: Crystals like rose quartz or lepidolite can promote feelings of love and peace.

Travel or errands: Crystals like black tourmaline or hematite can offer protection from negative energy and promotes grounding, especially in unfamiliar environments.

Choose Crystals That Are Easy to Cleanse and Recharge

Because you'll be working with your crystals daily it's very important to consider how easy it is to cleanse and recharge those crystals. Some crystals absorb energy quickly and need cleansed and recharged often while others are self cleansing. Some popular cleansing methods include:

Moonlight: Place your crystals under the full moon.

Running Water: Some stones are water safe and can be held under running water to cleanse the stone. Usually if it ends in -ite it's not water safe. Make sure you research which stones are water safe.

Smoke Cleansing: Pass your crystal through the smoke of burning herbs to remove stagnant energy.

For daily use it's best to stick to stones that are more durable that can handle frequent cleansing. Some good stones for this include clear quartz, black obsidian, and citrine.

Switch Crystals as Needed

Don't feel like you have to stick to only one crystal a day. You're intentions can and will shift based on what you go through during your day. Your intention is fluid and as such you're choice of crystals should as well. Having a small, varied collection of crystals can help you have one for any intention no matter what happens. You might even rotate your stones as part of a weekly ritual. Cleansing and recharging your crystals every week to make sure they stay aligned with your intentions.

If you want to find more of these entries use the hashtag #100 Witchcraft Tips in 100 Days! If you want to join a group of witches feel free to join our 18+ coven on Discord.

[blysse-and-blunder]

in lieu of a second chance

10:30pm, sunday, may 12, 2024

wow oh man i have forgotten how to do this!! but it's spring, it's the end of the term, it's the start of a new season and a new burst of creativity and, perhaps, a different routine-- so let's try again.

reading audio-books and ebooks have been my absolute constant companions all winter, but shout-out to the stack of paperbacks on my bedside table, which i am slowly but surely working through. finished italo calvino's if on a winter's night a traveler (a loan from @hematiterings), part of my now intentional quest to read calvino's whole oeuvre, and basically loved it. the whole 'first chapters of various novels you'll never get the rest of' was such a good way to showcase a bunch of cliches from, like, mid-century literary fiction. very meta, and very fun. the connective frame narrative, in second person, was a little more of a stretch (again, very mid-century literary self-referential/ironic/whatever, which unfortunately i did find amusing)-- and calvino's female characters are not great, except for in the nonexistent knight's narrator who i loved)-- but there was a section addressed to a female reader which did, in fact, feel like it read me for absolute filth. other finished reads from the last few months which i will mention here briefly: the angel of the crows, katherine addison; our wives under the sea, julia armfield; the bell in the fog, lev ac rosen; the nutmeg's curse, amitav ghosh; the ruin of kings, jenn lyons.

listening this would have been different if i'd written this last week, but have y'all heard beyonce's album cowboy carter?! i know i'm a few months late but i actually feel like i'm years late, like i haven't responded to a beyonce album this strongly maybe ever. i love the covers, i love the vocal layering and harmonies, i love the samples from old timey radio and everything familiar and texas and country about it...i keep thinking i have a favorite track, but genuinely i like listening to this one all the way through, as a cohesive album, as a work in itself. have a pitchfork review. pull quote:

"On Cowboy Carter, Club Renaissance is swapped out for KNTRY Radio Texas, an AM station hosted by an ever-hazy Willie Nelson. Here she re-contextualizes roots music—Americana, folk, country—for a contemporary moment, reminding listeners that Black artists were the genesis of these forms and never stopped playing them, despite what Hollywood or Nashville might have on offer....Despite drawing from the kitsch and fun of ’70s and ’80s country music, Cowboy Carter has an air of melancholy to it, a quality that reverberates through the scores of songs in minor keys about loneliness on the range.

^^ this is a playlist of the whole album on youtube, if you're into that. AMERIICAN REQUIEM, the opening track, is what hooked me-- i was in from the opening notes. but TEXAS HOLD EM' is also great. fuck yeah, rhiannon giddens.

watching so in addition to rewatching the entire sixth season of dropout's game changer today, last week we finished a truly wild show out of netflix italy: la legge di lidia poët / the law according to lidia poët, which is a historical mystery-romance like only netflix can make. is it bridgerton but for ninteenth century italian lawyers? is it the girlbossification of an actually interesting historical figure? yes, maybe, but everyone is very attractive and the costumes are bonkers in a satisfying way. she has insect themed jewellery, rides a bike, has a lot of sex, finds a decent relationship with her brother and, god help me, i do want a second season.

featuring, hey isn't that pasquale from my brilliant friend? and wow, they probably think this song choice is really cool but it is so on the nose in english it is almost distracting.

playing hollow knight! hollow knight. hollow knight. it's become a problem, actually, since i have quite literally turned my evening yoga time into gamer time, and would you believe, i am less flexible and have higher anxiety levels lmaoo. but i'm getting so powerful i don't care. i probably can't promise myself to beat this game any time soon, and should stop thinking i can, but look! two dreamers down?!

making patched the inner thighs of some jeans-- they will probably remain weekend pants, but they're further from dead than they were. similarly, clumsily darned a hole in my sweater. baked a caffeinated cake courtesy of a b. dylan hollis video (coffee loaf from 1959) . glued a wooden salad tong back together and i feel like the seams are actually quite subtle.

(this wood glue claims to be food safe after curing, pray for me etc etc).

working on ooof. i am done teaching but still owe two-three students emails. i survived my committee meeting but have done nothing to follow the schedule of deadlines we set me, despite being so excited to back on may 2 / so energized to do All the Things back on april 26. i have an article to prep to submit! a chapter to finish tweaking (reworking? reframing? changing from the ground up? lololololol)! not to mention a newsletter to draft and copy edits (almost done) to send back on a friend's article! but i can't stop playing hollow knight in all my free time, and really, what's more important here.

[sapphyreopal5]

What are your thoughts on Jensen and Danneel in terms of if they’ll divorce or not?

I did ask a pendulum and it actually said they will divorce next year

Hello Anon, I believe I may have seen an ask of yours show up on another blogger's page. I'm sure you probably are aware that a lot of what I blog about is divination, which does include using a pendulum like I do daily. I do encourage you to read more of my posts to get some understanding of how things like divine blueprints, divine plans, etc. work. One thing about divination is that what is true today may not always be true tomorrow or weeks or months or even years from now. Now, I am going to say this before I give you my answer. With divine blueprints, which basically deal with more the timeline of things (WHEN things are meant to happen, WHERE things are meant to happen, etc.), they are like variations of divine plans, which contain essentially the main things that are meant to happen this lifetime (think of more the WHYs and WHATs). Before I talk about Jensen and Danneel specifically below the keep reading line, please read the tips below for ensuring you speak to benevolent entities more than not.

Some tips on making your pendulum less prone to becoming corrupt:

Have 3 beads on your chain (at least 1 a real semiprecious gemstone, such as clear quartz)

Wire wrap a feather and attach it to the top of the chain right below the bead you hold the pendulum from; feathers are offerings to air elementals

For cleansing, you can either put the pendulum in some salt, rice or even soil overnight, moonlight which is generally safer than sunlight, candle or incense smoke, sound with a tool like singing bowls or bells, larger geodes clusters or slabs or multiple smaller stones with cleansing properties (ex. clear quartz, carnelian, selenite, amethyst, hematite).

Some stones don't do that well with sunlight, due to fading or losing color (ex. iron containing stones like amethyst, aquamarine, beryl, aventurine, apatite, ametrine [amethyst and citrine], amegreen [amethyst and green amethyst/prasiolite], celestite, citrine, fluorite, calcite, sapphire, smoky quartz, super seven, topaz, opal, turquoise, kunzite, unakite, etc.)

Some stones do not do well with water, so I do not really recommend the sun or moon water route (Water element) unless you know for sure your pendulum stone won't get ruined by water (ex. selenite, fluorite, opal, labradorite, fluorite, lapis lazuli [ask me how I know about this one ha ha!], moonstone, copper containing stones, black tourmaline, desert rose, etc.)

With smudging, if you insist on using sage or another neutralizer follow up with something that draws positive energy. I personally love lavender, Indian temple (as does my friend Abbadon), and palo santo

For scents, no evergreens, nag champa, any of those attract money or love kind of scents. Mixed scents that happen to have something like sandalwood or some other evergreen is okay if the other ingredients are more dominant

Pendulums really should swing side to side for yes, towards and away from you for no and counter clockwise for more info or maybe (also when changing direction should also move counter clockwise)

I've had others tell me that their pendulum also said Danneel and Jensen will divorce within the next year or so. Jensen's divine blueprints are more complicated than the average person's because his have been tampered with more than a lot of other people's (he has 200 divine blueprints or variations of his divine plans, whereas most people have 100). I advise you take caution trying to get answers about Jensen's stuff because there are a lot of dangerous malevolent beings trying to make certain things happen and others not happen.

I do believe Jensen and Danneel will eventually separate BUT I am very cautious about giving timelines of things for many reasons. It may be true that today he is on the path of divorcing by next year but tomorrow or next month, he may end up on a path that delays this by another year or more.

I do encourage you to delve more into divination if it works for you but do so responsibly. Some people I've spoken to can't seem to get a good grasp on pendulum divination but tarot cards work better for them, or divination just doesn't work for them at all. I am also curious, what is the swing orientation for your pendulum for yes, no, maybe answers? From what my guides have told me and what I've observed with others, they are actually supposed to have a certain set of orientations for, yes no, maybe or more info kind of answers (I by the way almost never get a maybe but instead get "more info); otherwise it is corrupt and may or may not be able to get reprogrammed. If you want more advisement or even just to share your notes or whatever feel free to come by and send me a PM :)

[tayloralisonswift]

hiii I'm looking at ur shop and wondering if u have any recommendations for warding off bad energy? like how we joke about taylor with her little braids and crystals and evil eye jewelry but I don't know anything about that stuff but ur shop is real cute so just was wondering if u have any thoughs thx!

Hi bestie!! I absolutely do have recommendations!!

First of all, Taylor actually inspired me to make a bracelet with the Evil Eye - here is a Hematite one! Hematite is the perfect stone to pair with the Evil Eye because it's about protection from negative energy. Hematite not only protects you from bad energy, it also empowers you to recognize and get rid of negative energy in your life. I love wearing Hematite because it's a heavier stone, so it's both spiritually and literally grounding. It keeps me mindful.

Another recommendation - and probably the one I'd recommend the most - is my Black Tourmaline + Tourmalinated Quartz bracelet. I specifically designed it with warding off bad energy in mind. I call Black Tourmaline the shield stone because it's so powerful at removing negative energy around you and also inside your head. (If you spiral easily, this one is for you!) I matched it with Tourmalinated Quartz (which is Black Tourmaline inside Clear Quartz) because Clear Quartz is the stone of purification and clarity. Together, they're all about cleansing negativity energy!

I love giving recommendations in threes but Smoky Quartz and Silver Sheen Obsidian both work against negative energy, it just depends what you're looking for. Obsidian is more grounding and very powerful (people call it transformational), while Smoky Quartz is softer - it turns negative energy into positive and calms your thoughts.

Mwah!!!

[thelostchaoswitch]

Witchcraft and OCD: Finding Balance and Calm in Your Craft

Hey, witchy community! 🌙✨

Today, I want to talk about something very close to my heart: practicing witchcraft while living with OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder). OCD can make it challenging to engage in practices that require focus and intention, but it's definitely possible to find a harmonious balance. Here are some tips and insights on how to help manage OCD and slow your mind down during your magical practices.

Understanding OCD in the Context of Witchcraft

OCD often involves intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors, which can be particularly difficult when you're trying to center yourself for rituals, spellwork, or meditation. The perfectionism associated with OCD can also make it hard to feel satisfied with your work, leading to endless tweaking and anxiety.

Tips for Practicing Witchcraft with OCD

1. Set Clear Intentions: Before you start any ritual or spell, take a moment to clearly define your intention. Write it down if it helps. Having a clear focus can reduce the anxiety of "doing it wrong."

2. Create a Ritual Space: Dedicate a small space in your home for your practice. Keeping this space sacred and clutter-free can provide a sense of calm and order, helping to soothe an overactive mind.

3. Simplify Your Rituals: Instead of complex rituals, opt for simpler ones that require fewer steps and less time. This can make it easier to stay focused and reduce the urge to repeat actions compulsively.

4. Grounding Techniques: Incorporate grounding exercises into your practice. This can include activities like walking barefoot on grass, holding grounding crystals (like hematite or black tourmaline), or visualizing roots growing from your feet into the earth.

5. Mindful Breathing: Deep, mindful breathing can slow your heart rate and calm your mind. Try a simple breathing exercise before and during your practice—inhale for a count of four, hold for four, exhale for four, and hold for four.

6. Use of Mantras: Repeating a calming mantra can help redirect your focus from intrusive thoughts. Choose a phrase that resonates with you, like “I am calm and centered” or “My magic is powerful and pure.”

7. Limit Ritual Time: Set a timer for your rituals to prevent them from stretching on endlessly due to compulsions. Knowing there's a time limit can help keep you on track.

8. Embrace Imperfection: Magic is about intention, not perfection. Allow yourself to make mistakes and remind yourself that your practice doesn’t have to be flawless to be effective.

9. Seek Support: Don’t be afraid to reach out to mental health professionals who can offer coping strategies specific to OCD. Therapists can help you develop techniques to manage your symptoms.

10. Connect with the Community: Engaging with other witches who understand OCD can provide support and shared experiences. Platforms like Tumblr are great for finding understanding communities.

Slow Down and Find Your Calm

Remember, your practice is a personal journey. It’s okay to take it slow and find what works best for you. Here are a few additional ways to slow down and cultivate peace in your practice:

- Journaling: Write about your experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Journaling can help you process intrusive thoughts and create a sense of order.

- Nature Walks: Spend time in nature to ground yourself and connect with the earth’s energy. Even a short walk can clear your mind.

- Tea Rituals: A simple tea ritual can be incredibly calming. Focus on the process of making tea, from boiling the water to steeping the leaves, and let it be a mindful, meditative act.

Finding balance between OCD and witchcraft is a journey, but with patience and self-compassion, it's entirely possible to create a practice that brings you peace and fulfillment.

Stay strong, stay well, stay safe.

[jasper-pagan-witch]

Because I’m a organization nerd, and always want a peak into other people’s organization systems:

86. How do you like to organize all your witchy items and ingredients? (Or books, I’d love to hear about you personal library system.)

Hello Stag! (Can I call you Stag? Is that cool?)

Witchcraft Asks #1-105

86: How do you like to organize all your witchy items and ingredients?

*cracks knuckles* There are a lot, so get ready. Luckily, I've already discussed my abhorrent grimoire system on October 10th (and...the post is already outdated...), so I won't repeat that here. Let me split this up.

Crystals

All of my tumbled and raw crystals are in two plastic jewelry organizers with movable walls. I've recently had to put my aventurine in with the rest of my quartz, amethyst, and citrine because I needed more room. I need another that's also strong.

My crystal beads are in a weaker plastic organizer because I've been making friendship bracelets- I MEAN ROSARIES for the deities on my altar. Just got Azura's done tonight!

The jewelry that I didn't make for deities with real crystals is in this little wooden jewelry box that looks like a small chest of drawers. I have two morganite rings, a hematite ring, a red jasper ring (of fucking course), a malachite bead bracelet, and two bracelets with many miscellaneous crystals in the top compartment. The middle compartment holds all of my bracelets with pendants/charms and my bracelets that are set in small cuffs. The bottom compartment holds necklaces.

Did I mention that I don't wear jewelry?

Additional shoutout to the Giant Fucking Rock Box which holds my bigger crystal pyramids, spheres, and raw chunks, and the carved or large crystals scattered across my desk.

Tarot and Oracle Decks

All of my 58 current decks are currently lined up in height order across the tops of the three plastic three-drawer containers that hold my clothes. There is no further categorization, I just fucking memorize their heights to find them.

Herbs and Blends

My dried basil (that's actually Cernunnos' dried basil), my Bloody Mary mix, the two different cinnamon sugar blends, and my small vial of Bree's Banishing Powder are all tucked together on the back corner of my desk.

Current Deity and Altar Locations

Since being displaced from my room, I've had to put all the deities I honor, venerate, worship, and work with on one altar. I just had to bring in a second shelf because I brought home Skull Friend from The Field. They're in places where they seem to work fine.

Books

The piece de resistance or whatever the fuck. As y'all may know, I'm a librarian now. This is NOT reflected in my book organization.

Section One: Mythology, History, Religion, and Geography. This is perhaps the second-strangest section of my book collection and is currently 24 books strong. Shoutout to the book about the Freemasons that I found in my stepdad's stuff, my copy of the Necronomicon that I lost behind the laundry basket on Monday, and Mortellus and Tomas Prower for writing my favorite books in there.

Section Two: Regional. This includes stuff about folk magic (both Ozark and Appalachian), city magic, and people getting high and musing on broadscale Celtic practices. This section has 9 books.

Section Three: Tarot. And, to a lesser extent (that being one book), divination more broadly. I actually like a lot of these books, which isn't hard because there are only 6 books here.

Section Four: Beginner. It is no secret that I am a simp for Bree's book Grovedaughter Witchery, but there are other good ones in here too. There are also 6 books in this one.

Section Five: Spell Books. I've gotten along with several blogs on here by shitting on some books in this section, but they're in here nonetheless. This section actually has 11 books, making it one of the slightly chunkier sections.

Section Six: Correspondences. I don't actually recommend most of the books I use for correspondences. There are 13 books here covering stuff like crystals, trees, elements, and symbols.

Section Seven: Gardening. Only one is specifically magical, but I suck at gardening and need help. There are 5 books here and some are specifically about Missouri gardening.

Section Eight: Literary. Not necessarily magical, but important literary collections. Edgar Allen Poe, Brothers Grimm, Dante, et cetera. This is 6 books but deserves its own category because of how absolutely CHONKY they are.

Section Nine: Miscellaneous Fuckery. Astrology, self-care, green witchcraft, hearth witchcraft, necromancy or death witchcraft, candles, and so on and so forth. This is 14 books strong and is my "fuck that" corner of my collection.

These numbers do not include the books I put in storage because I hated them. This is still 89 books. It does not look like that much.

Oh, they're also stacked on their backs, not set up in lines so you can read the spines. I either memorize where they are or I lose them behind the laundry basket.

Other Tools

I have some general "fuck that" drawers that hold other tools, like my knife collection, bandanas and scarves, a hilarious amount of shampoo/conditioner/lotion, and so forth. There's also a giant, heavy tote out in storage that has my candles. I have too many candles and not enough time to light them. This is what I can do with the single room and storage that is available to me.

Don't copy my organization system.

~Jasper

[tragcdysewn]

pinterest aesthetics - qi rong

describe your character’s aesthetic in five words or less

dramatic and dark, with a touch of whimsy

what flower would you connect to your character? why?

venus flytrap. is that technically a flower i do not know but i am claiming it for him. they are some of the only carnivorous flowers, and they represent persistence amongst chaos and upheaval, revenge, and justice. qi rong did remain persistent through the fall of xianle, and stuck around even after his death for revenge and justice. also they are genuinely known to sulk and pout when they don't get their way, which... qi rong is known for a hissy fit

pick a crystal that you feel fits your muse best and explain the connection

hematite, it's a stone for determination, self esteem and willpower, and those are all things qi rong has... perhaps too much of. it's also connected to survival and enhancing memory, and while qi rong didn't technically survive, he's continued to exist for eight hundred years solely on his own memories of the injustices done and his desire to take revenge for them

out of water, fire, earth, and air, which element do you think represents your character best?

fire. it symbolizes the duality of providing protection and also causing destruction, which i think he is certainly capable of, even if the former is only seen when gu zi is around. it also has strong connections to anger, passion, power, and transformation, which i really love for qi rong. his signature spell is also literally a green flame so i'm claiming it

what color do you most strongly associate with your muse?

green. like a bright, acidic green

is there an animal you feel fits your muse’s personality best?

hyena. because he's loud and fucking annoying - ollie, 2023. which... true but we don't need to be mean about it. they also symbolize immortality, trickery, cunning, and survival. they live off scraps and do whatever it takes to survive. they are also, fun fact, cannibalistic animals. do not ask how many animals are cannibalistic bc i don't wanna talk about how long i spent on google before ollie decided to roast him and i decided it worked

are there any choices your character makes solely because it fits their aesthetic?

literally everything, the man exists for aesthetic vibes, all ghost kings do honestly. he is first seen literally lounging on a throne with his feet up on a statue of his cousin, surrounded by servants wearing flames

pick one quote that you think of when you think of your character and share it with us

'you'll tell anyone who'll listen but you feel ignored.’

list off the top three kinds of imagery that come to mind when you think of your muse

too sharp teeth, blood dripping from above, green flames

describe your muse using only ao3 tags

x, x, x

pick your top three favorite memes from your character’s pinboard and share them with us

x, x, x (honorable mentions here, here, here, here)

[cloudshapedpatch]

am i the only one who thinks the whole "manifesting" thing has gone a little too far?

im a spiritualist. i take time to understand the stars and the way the world works and i take my tarot, crystals, spirit, and the universe seriously. it's not a trend to me, it's my way of life. and it makes me so upset when i see people who are doing it cause it's trendy.

i saw a tiktok the other day of a pregnant woman working out. nothing special, but the caption said "i am manifesting this baby" ??? she already HAS the baby. it's growing inside her. she was over seven months along! that's not how manifesting works! it's become a super glorified buzzword and i hate it!

and i see a whole lot of "i attract but never chase" esp on twitter and tiktok. it's alright to want to attract something to you, but at this point it's all people ever do or say. they say they are manifesting (when in actuality, a lot of times they aren't actually putting in the effort or don't even know how to meditate or actively manifest beyond just wanting something). it's a really super easy way to say "im not going to put in any work to attain my goals but i should have this good thing because i deserve it"

don't get me wrong, everyone is deserving of good things, but the constant "attract not chase" mindset is harmful to yourself and others. you need a balance. you cannot aggressively want something and expect it to appear in your lap. if you are truly seeking to attract something, put in the work to properly manifest it. bring it to fruition. and then know when you need to chase. going after what you want is not a bad thing. it's not a poor thing or a pathetic thing to work towards and go after what you want.

if you really want to see results, make sure you have a balance. manifest the things you want. talk to spirit or the universe or any deity you may work with and see whether it's actually going to be a good thing for you, or whether you're ready for it yet. put yourself in a position to receive. even in attraction, it's not passive background work. you have to actively make sure you have the opportunity to receive it. open yourself up to the possibilities! you can't gain anything if you shut yourself out to world.

i know that crystals and tarot are super popular right now but using it just to play with or to fit in, and not taking it seriously, can have dangerous consequences. playing with the supernatural isn't a game, and while crystals are mostly harmless (unless handled wrong, i've heard of way too many people taking baths with their selenite! just cause some lady on tiktok said it's okay), it's still so easy to go too far if you don't know what you're doing or not taking it seriously.

if you really, actually, want to get into spirituality, please talk to someone who actually knows what they're doing. stop interacting with the tarot reads on twitter and tiktok, and get into it outside your home. go to an apothecary. go to crystal shops without the buzz antics. i know it's hard as a new spiritualist to know what's goid and what's a scam, so here's some guides i use to choosing a good shop:

don't shop anywhere that sells colored glass as crystals

don't shop from anyone or anywhere that swears by opalite. it's not real. if you want to know more about that please reach out!

hematite rings. just don't. hematite is great for soaking up negativity but it's fragile and prone to breaking when it's had enough. buying a new $30 ring when it breaks because it's soaked up too much negativity is just a way shops use to get lots of returning customers. just buy a big chunk of it and remember to cleanse it every so often.

make sure you research the way herbs interact if you're unsure. some combination don't work well together or neutralize each other and don't do anything. this is the same for crystals.

PLEASE don't attempt to open your third eye unless you are thoroughly experienced and ready for impact. closing your third eye is difficult and having it open when you're not ready is overwhelming at best. i learned that lesson the hard way. it's not fun. you don't ever have to open your third eye if you don't want to. it's not a requirement.

doing tarot reads for other people when you're still not completely sure about your deck isn't good. until you know the card meaning inside and out, reversals and uprights, and know your specific deck, it's too easy to give an incorrect reading and lead others astray. just stick to yourself.

[karzus-1999]

Lesson one!

So the first step to doing literally bloody anything in the craft is this: protect yourself for the love of fuck.

“But how do I do that?!”

Simple. There’s many ways. Casting a circle of protection before spells is a must. In fact most beginner books have a guide on how to do so. I rarely do spell work, as it’s normally not necessary in my practice, but I do know how to do it. My main ways of protection are sigils and charms.

Sigils of protection can look like the one below. I have one tattooed on my arm due to some “lovely” encounters with demons.

“Well what about charms?”

Oh that’s easy. For a baby witch, actually get a necklace that symbolizes protection. When I started, I had a necklace with an athame (ritual dagger) charm on it. Served the purpose intended for until the string weathered (don’t worry, I’m getting a new necklace for the charm). Once you get more experienced, you can imbue a necklace with protective energy to serve your needs!

Different rocks and crystals can be wire wrapped to make a necklace as well. Make sure to research what rocks do what beforehand. The Crystal Witch is actually a really good guide to different rocks and crystals, should you be in need of a new book to add to the collection. For example: amethyst is a good for spiritual healing, clarity, and intuition, among other things. Hematite rings are good for drawing out negative energy from within and grounding yourself, but will break upon having too much negativity. Once it’s broken, bury it. That goes for crystals as well. Never keep a broken crystal/rock. It can bring very bad energy upon you.

I believe that concludes this lesson as of tonight! Any questions, feel free to ask!

[goodbyegoldenboy]

About me

I go by many names (Roy, Copper, Havoc, Kain, Denny, Hunter, Epoch), I am 18, and I use He/They/It/Kit/Mew pronouns! This'll probably get updated semi-often with new Guards and any added rules

Follows come from @handnsanitiziser

Find pics of all of them on my TH!

Rules

NO NSFW! EVEN WITH MY 18+ GUARDS! You WILL be blocked!

Any slur usage will be an automatic block

Do not harass me to rp!

Please please do not come into my DMs just to vent! At least ask first, and don't get mad if I say no

ASK BEFORE WE RP IN DMS FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD FUCKING PLEASE-

Meet everyone below...

Agate🔪, 15-16, He/Him, Gay

He's on the run from Belos and thinks everyone he sees is trying to turn him in. His lovebird palisman, Toast, is trying to show him that not everyone is like that.

Apatite🪱, 17, He/They, Gay

He's a necromancer that takes pride in his work. Using a forbidden magic, he takes great care in bringing the dead back to life. He has a vulture palisman named Garfunkel, who allows him to preform his magic.

Birch🪵, 20, He/Him, Bi/Demisexual

Based on epilogue Hunter, he carves palismen for a living. He's pretty laid back and is very fatherly to those around him. He's still got an adventurous side, but is quite ready to relax, at least for a while. His palisman is an opossum named Kip.

Bismuth🌻, 16, He/Him, Pan

Twins with Tin, they do everything in their ability to piss off Belos. Bismuth is a bit more emotional than his brother, but he doesn't mind it at all. He's both meaner and nicer than Tin.

Carnelian🔨, 17, He/Him, Gay

A big softie with a big love for building, he's not the brightest but he's certainly one of the kindest. He loves the craft, even if he can't build using magic, he's taken the time to learn the ins and outs of the construction coven.

Chromium⚙️, 15, He/Him, Gay/Demiromantic

He enjoys tinkering on mechanical bits and bobs, and somehow managed to infuse a small amount of magic into his prosthetic hand, which allows him to do simple spells. He also has a mouse palisman named Ike.

Citrine🦎, 16, He/They/She, Pan

Citrine is one of the few surviving basilisks, and to continue to live, he's taken up the look of a witch and has become the golden guard. She regrets joining Belos, but doesn't see a way out…

Curium🌈, 13, He/Him, Undecided

A gullable and naïve child, he's still under the impression that Belos is a genuinely good man. He doesn't know of his uncle's actions or the harm he's caused to those around him.

Gold⭐, 16, He/Him, Gay/Ace

Emerald🪡, 18, He/They, Gay

He's an amalgamation of an unknown amount of different DNAs, made in a panic by Belos, as he just needed something that would work. He's got back problems as he slouches heavily, and his tail doesn't offer enough counter weight. He enjoys using his uncanny looks to scare others.

He's long learned how Belos' temper runs wild and has long been a victim of the man's wrath. He tries not to start fights, but will defend himself against anyone but the Emperor. He will lose a limb to keep himself or a loved one alive, and will willingly give his life to keep someone he cares for alive. He's not quick to trust, but he's fiercely loyal. His palisman is a desert cardinal named Oatmeal.

Hematite🔥, 15, He/It, Queer

He's a Grimwalker based off the kind of biped demon that Eberwolf is, with a similar yet somehow more chaotic personality. He refers to himself as an angent of chaos.

Howlite🥀, 16, He/Him, Demiromantic/Bi

Cursed after angering Belos, he's destined to always have an open wound. As one heals and scars, another soon opens. Due to this, he's extremely timid and cautious of the world, yet also nonchalant about injury that befalls him.

Jade🎵, 15, He/They, Omni

New to the responsibilities of being Golden Guard, he's a gentle soul who finds comfort in music. He plays the cello, flute, xylophone & is actively learning the piano.

Jasper🦉,17, He/Him, Gay

He's the first successful Grimwalker made by Belos and isn't in great health overall. He's got a lot of allergies and autoimmune issues, but that doesn't mean he's not a spunky kid. He's relatively left alone by Belos, the Emperor using him more as decoration when he sees fit, even if it harms Jasper. He plays the guitar in his off time, and has a greater sooty owl palisman named Crepe.

Kunzite🪶, 16, He/Him, Pan

After pissing Belos off and getting cursed with the same owl curse that Eda & Lilith have, he's used his newfound abilities to learn the gossip around Bonesburough. He's a bit wild, but knows when to chill out, and somehow knows nearly everyone… yet he refuses to reveal how he knows so much about everyone.

Kyanite🍄, 17, He/Him, Gay/Ace

In his time, Luz had been completely manipulated by Phillip and joined his side. He sees her as an enemy, and has no recollection of ever being on the same side. He doesn't hate her as much as he does Belos, but he heavily dislikes her.

Larimar❄️, 15, He/Him, AceAro

At 11 years old, he was lost on The Knee during the mountain training session. He's been surviving there on his own since then. He's extremely skittish and rarely speaks due to a mental block in his mind that completely stops him from being able to talk in times of high stress. He communicates more through body language, pointing, and other vocalizations.

Lolite🔮, 15, He/Him, Gay

He studies oracles closely, both due to his love for the craft & Belos' demands. Although he can only do tea readings at the moment, he's become proficient in it. He purposefully leaves Belos' readings open-ended so he doesn't anger or aid the man in any way.

Malachite🌿, 17, He/Him, Gay/Ace

Still actively working for Belos, he works as an assassin type guard for him. He works well with both poisons and swordsmanship, though if magic comes into the equation, he's pretty much screwed. He finds comfort in gardening, and hangs out often with the plant coven, along with Terra Snapdragon. He has severe epilepsy that Belos continues to worsen, and therefore finds himself with Hettie often.

Moldavite💠, 17, He/They, Pan/Demisexual

Despite having been trained to hunt and hurt, the kid has a love and knack for patching others up and healing them of their ails. He may not be able to perform complex magic, but he still does all that he can to help. His ocelot palisman, Epoch, helps him with simple spells.

Obsidian🕸️, 15, He/It, Pan

There's not much to him. He's just a feral kid with *way* too much energy. He has wings, though they're too heavy for flight. He doesn't mind having them, though, as he can smack people with them.

Onyx🫐, 15, He/Him, Bi

Even with his quiet personality, this kid kicks ass, though he doesn't enjoy doing it. Belos had raised him with a sibling, and once they were older, made them fight to the death to see who should be Golden Guard. Onyx won that battle. He and his mourning dove palisman, Pikelet, get through the harsh realities of the world one step at a time.

Opal☠️, 15, He/Him, Bi/Ace

He can see and hear the dead, and the dead can interact with him, though he cannot speak back. He suffers from insomnia and paranoia due to the near constant chatter of the dead and what they tell him.

Phantom🌹, 19, He/Him, Pan

He's a run away guard who joined the CATS as sOon as he heard of its existence. He's a valiant fighter and has a love for theatrics and dramatics. He's a bit of a flirt but an all around good guy.

Pyrite🌼, 14, He/Him, AceAro

The child has had it rough, as he knows Belos wants his death, yet he cannot escape. He doesn't trust the covenheads, fearing what they may do to him. Belos sees him as a failure and a weak link, as Pyrite is skittish and doesn't have it in him to hurt others.

Quartz⛓️, 16, He/Him, Unsure

He hasn't left the castle once in his life, Belos having scared and gaslit him into believing that the outside world was unsafe. It's gotten to the point that he rarely goes to any portion of the castle grounds that isn't inside.

Rhyolite🌘, 17, He/Him, AroAce

He's a puppet from the Collector that's come back to life. He has his own thoughts and feelings, and he vaguely remembers his life before he was turned. Though he's still unsure of how to process everything, and is largely unemotional.

Seraphinite🧪, 16, He/Him, Gay

He's got a talent for potions and hangs around Vitimir often, though letting him into a kitchen would end up absolutely disastrous. He's a sweet, excitable, kindhearted boy.

Silver☣️, 18, He/Him, Gay

He worships the ground Belos walks on, doing any dirty work the Emperor sets him to do with joy. He's been possessed by Belos for years, but he sees the sludge as a gift. Despite his possession, his actions are still his own. He's unreliable and reacts to everything with anger, he's loyal to only himself and the Emperor.

Sugilite🕯️, 19, He/Him, Demiromantic/Gay/Ace

The Guard who doesn't Exist, blink and you'll miss him. Sugilite keeps to the shadows and keeps quiet, hardly interacting with the world. He doesn't get involved much with what goes on around in the Boiling Isles unless he's told to.

Tin🪨, 16, He/Him, Bi

The other half to Bismuth, he's a bit more soft spoken (though he still jokes and messes around with his twin). He enjoys harassing Belos with Bismuth, though leaves his pranks to the Emperor.

Topaz🍇, 16, He/Him, Gay

Doing everything he can to look and act like his father figure, Darius, he tries copying the Head Witch's mannerisms to a tea. He enjoys working with abominations, even if he can't bring most of them to life.

Wehrlite🩸, 17, He/Him, Gay

A false titan made by Belos in hopes of getting titan's blood for the portal. His blood is too diluted by witch's blood to work, yet Belos still takes blood from him in hopes that it'll work as he grows older.

Xanthite👑, 22, He/Him, Unlabeled

He, along with a small rebellion, managed to overwhelm and kill Belos before the events of the Day of Unity. He's taken the throne, and whether he's a better Emperor or not is up for debate. Those in immediate connection to him see him as much more watchful…

He has a jackal palisman named Abrax.

Zircon🌀, 16, He/Him, Gay/Ace

A demon/witch hybrid with too much energy to hold him, he was made to try and look friendly to the average Boiling Isles citizen. He's taken up illusions and looks up to his father figure and Head Witch, Adrian.

[vt-scribbles]

✨️🎶💖🎯 for the writing ask game!♡

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉

Okay SO. I'm really good at painting animated pictures inside a reader's head. I've got fun and likeable characters. I'm REALLY good at painting establishing shots and scenery. I think I have fun transitions sometimes, and I'd like to think I can be pretty funny when I want to be! Not like 'bust a gut' funny, but 'delighted snickering' funny.

🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?

>> Answered here! &lt;<

💖 What made you start writing?

Ohhh man... that's a pretty long answer. I guess the short version is simply: I liked painting pictures in my head. And on top of that, just like how I started drawing, I wanted to Tell Stories. I saw all the animated shows around me, the manga I read as a teen, and the mysteries I read... and I wanted to make what they had. I wanted to make stories that made me feel like I did as a kid when reading something for the first time. Unfun fact though: When I first started writing in sophomore year of highschool, I asked my english teacher for feedback, and she silently read my story's first chapter [which was admittedly, not good] and then basically told me to give up writing, and that 'you'll never get anywhere with it.' And of course after being crushed for a bit I went 'fuck you' and decided to prove her wrong. I continued writing and roleplaying and developing my story-telling skills out of spite. Nowadays I consider myself a perfectly serviceable author when I have someone to work off of.

Fullmetal Alchemist was the true starting point of my art and writing career, when I was 16. I started off my true artist/author's path with one goal. "I want to create a story that people want to binge all in one go like I just did with this anime."

And... fourteen years later, I've done that. And past-me would be so proud and in disbelief.

🎯 Have any of your readers accurately guessed major plot points? Care to share which?

OH MAN...... WHERE DO I START LMAO. There's a few beta-readers in particular who are ABSOLUTELY CRACKED at theorycrafting and catching onto me and Corrie's writing for The Harvester. It started with simple things like 'X character is gonna blow up at X character' and stuff like that. But nowadays? TH has gotten SO complex compared to its starting arcs that the theorycrafting has gotten WILD.

As far as sharing which ones have been predicted... oh man. I gotta be vague since some people haven't read TH yet. Sooo... A major plot point abt Topaz. A major plot point abt Hemmi. The Big Thing that happened to Tita. Something in the future that happens with Blue Diamond. Hell... a couple friends of mine are so cracked that they have predicted the entire plot [with at least 80% accuracy] and they have no idea.~ And if you're reading this and you know who you are...... have fun with that info.

The Harvester is STILL ongoing [and will be for years to come], so I can't share too much... but JUST last night a friend of mine was staring at the Hematites' designs and finally put something together that I've been waiting 7 YEARS for someone to notice. And now I'm going to leave this here and let anyone who knows/reads TH wonder wtf it was ;3 [Hint: it hasn't become relevant YET, but it will by the end of arc 7.]

[blysse-and-blunder]

midweek commonplace book: the rough drafts

5pm, wednesday, june 28, 2023

it's been over a month since i drafted the following ilcb post, and here i am again, in the same coffee shop i was in back then, again avoiding working on a cover letter for a course instructorship position. in the intervening time, i a) got that job b) taught that whole class, c) took a weekend trip to see a friend get married, and d) am now applying for the next one! figured it was time to open the vault (my chaotic drafts folder) and let these musings see the light of day. maybe it's the key to my success.

edits and new text below in [brackets] to preserve the original draft's ~authenticity~. XD

in lieu of a commonplace book: may day

3pm sunday, april 30 -- 6pm sunday, may 7, 2023

it's rainy and there are so many flowers starting to emerge in the neighborhood, and i've been cozily reading escapist fantasy instead of writing my syllabus or facing the future head on.

reading since i last made one of these posts, i've finished reading the following: the golden enclaves by naomi novik (audio), the jasmine throne by tasha suri, the seven husbands of evelyn hugo by taylor jenkins reid (audio), dial a for aunties by jesse sutanto (audio), and the tyrant baru cormorant by seth dickinson. this not being exclusively a book review series, unfortunately, we're just going to talk about the [left out the title but did include the picture so we know it was at the feet of the sun by victoria goddard!].

[i think i failed to actually write out my thought about this one because a number of people who follow me (@spoonierbard, @hematiterings) were either reading it or were about to start reading it, and i didn't want to color their experiences. i was also not entirely sure how i felt about it? i think i went in with expectations this time, which is a recipe for disappointment-- and i also had actual literary 'critique' thoughts primed and ready, as opposed to the pure vibes and pleasure with which i approached hote. overall-- and i say this as someone who reads and loves fan fiction-- it felt like reading fan fiction, ambitious, self-indulgent, big focus on relationships and feelings, and with a definite Point to Make. a behemoth of a book, and full of things to love--but less transcendent, for me, than its precursor. happy to expand on these feelings in a pm!]

listening

[i didn't write anything here, but i did include the two videos below. both were new to me this spring-- i never had a fallout boy phase in high school, please don't laugh, so it was very exciting to fall in love with first so much for stardust and then, at the recommendation of my housemate g, this track from folie a deux. 'disloyal order of water buffaloes']

[i think both of these songs are saying something about the mood i was in this spring-- yearning? defiant? a little pissed off? "hundred days" was a sptify recommendation, and fuck if they didn't get me in one. i have since investigated the duo behind the album a little and realized i have... possible thoughts, about their oeuvre, about making art out of their relationship, but this particular song unfortunately goes extremely hard for folk so i am compelled to love it! there's just something about the main melodic hook, the plaintive/desperate tone of some of the lyrics (especially 'i want / a hundred days / of bright light' each! time!), and the way there's so much going on in the arrangement at 2:34 ish-- i wish the rest of the album was as good as this one track. i want a hundred good days! of bright light! I do regularly think about things i'm trying or striving for and think "I want ! a hundred days !" of whatever it is. At least 100 days. there's something almost reminiscent of tiffany aching to this, for me-- using your selfishness/unvarnished wants to motivate you.]

watching taking a break from prestige tv!... with more prestige tv. started severance while my fellow succession and ted lasso-viewing housemate is out of the country. i love the stylization, the aesthetic, the eeriness! this is what i was hoping don't worry darling (2022) would be, in terms of combining a mid-century aesthetic with our main characters working for some enigmatic brain-washing Company or Project. Lumon better not be a simulation-- as i discovered back in january, i like it when there's some *there* there, when the conspiracy is actually as trippy as it seems, i understand that sometimes people want to write misdirection but man i am sad anytime something was all an illusion after all. also watched a bit of the first season of the gilded age and the first truly wild episode of mrs. davis with another housemate; there is no witty comparison or fun snappy one-liner i can come up with about these two.

[the above remains true-- i just watched a bit more severance yesterday! there was a massive cliffhanger just where i stopped, but the tone of the show is so Much that i actually was glad for the break. don't get me wrong-- i love how stylized it all is, still, i love the aesthetic and all the visual and verbal details that build up to mad-men-esque 60s office culture-horror, it's fantastic. getting that little extra moment with dichen lachman's character and hearing her talk about her experience was...gutting... but my favorite character continues to be devon.]

[playing]

[triumphant return to both dnd campaigns in the past week or so! it hasn't been entirely my fault that neither group met for most of the past six weeks, but i didn't help. campaign B had our one-year anniversary on sunday! one of the players went really overboard and commissioned a bunch of beautiful cards and badges and coins for us and our characters' little secret organization!! we broke the dm's screen door briefly and saw how big her baby has gotten!! we cried over @dimir-charmer's wedding dress! we successfully escaped the wild west!]

[making]

[didn't even draft this section. i thing i had just fixed...something, but who remembers what. pro cooking tip, leftover tortilla soup can become poor grad student shakshuka so easily. two eggs + in a pan + simmer = profit]

[working on]

[aforementioned cover letter for a course instructorship for next fall is due tomorrow. technically there are two i could be going for, both of which have definite pros and cons, but i'm pouring all this time and angst into one and just kinda forgot about the other? also i'm grading for two different classes, figuring out how to have sooo many tabs open at the same time and how to juggle spreadsheets+answer key+word+ pdf reader all at the same time. oh for the days of paper submissions, you know? last but not least, i am desultorily staring at the manuscript + outline for my conference paper for next month (less than a month now! fuck!) for like an hour a day, and making very little practical progress on it. so.

[mt-musings]

Bluebell

Chapter 12

After being abruptly transferred to the BAU at what she suspects was Gideon's request, Cassie Boann struggles to find her footing. Shy and solitary by nature, the transition is made all the more difficult when Dr. Spencer Reid seems to take an almost immediate dislike to her. Unfortunately for them both, their respective areas of expertise leave them paired off more often than not. But when Cassie's past literally starts hunting her, Spencer is forced to consider that he might, in fact, not hate her at all.

Quite the opposite, actually.

Spencer Reid x OC

Warnings: Canon typical violence, kidnapping, stalking, drug use, blood, injury, death, PTSD, eventual smut, more tags to be added

Series Masterlist

Read on AO3

12. Waiting for the Night

She hadn’t had friends growing up. Not really.

How could she, when she’d left Virginia at six to be homeschooled in a cabin in the Montana wilderness? When her longest foster placement didn’t even last a full school year. 

She’d stopped bothering to try when she was eleven, barely bothering to speak in class if it wasn’t a direct question by a teacher. After all, it got hard to keep everything straight after a while, all the names, the backstories. Easier to just bury herself in books, waiting for the next school, the next town, the next house to be dumped in. She’d gotten good at being alone, perfected it.

But maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have a friend or two. It had been a long time since Seattle, after all--she wasn't a dumb little kid anymore, after all. 

It wasn’t as if she was going anywhere anytime soon—not until she’d finally put a name to the face that haunted her every waking minute. Short of joining the CIA there were very few places that had as many resources at their disposal as the FBI. 

She straightened the sparkly skull cup on her desk, adjusting the pens she’d filled it with so that they sat just so. It filled he with a warm little feeling every time she caught sight of it—when was the last time she’d been given a gift? Maybe graduation from Boston Medical? Gideon had given her a very pretty pair of earrings that now lived in a box in her apartment since she’d never gotten her ears pierced. Before that--it was probably the toy Bigfoot form Trev. 

“Did you know the first forms of glitter actually date back to prehistoric times? Humans used to ground up mica and hematite to add a sparkling element to their cave painting. In ancient Egypt they actually ground up beetles to make a glitter for cosmetics. The word glitter is from the Old Norse glitra, meaning—“

“We get it kid,” Morgan said, looking up from his desk, shaking his head. 

“The ancient Americans of the Mississippi River valley used to grind up galena in order to make adornments,” Cassie added, unable to stop the corners of her mouth from curling into a smile. 

“Galena was used in Ancient Egypt in kohl to reduce the effects of the desert sun. It’s also called lead glance and is an octahedral sulfide—“

“Why do you encourage him?” Derek asked, shaking his head. Cassie just shrugged. 

“All of my fun facts are about dead people. I’m broadening my horizons.” Derek just rolled his eyes and turned back to his case file. 

“What’s up, Spencer?” She asked, turning to meet his gaze as he hovered next to her desk.

“That’s the second time you’ve called me Spencer. You always call me Dr. Reid.”

“You always tell me to call you Spencer.”

“Yes, but we’ve worked together for one hundred and three days and you always call me Dr. Reid.”

“Do you want me to go back to it?”

“No, I just thought it worth commenting on.” 

Cassie wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so she didn’t, just staring at Spencer in the hope that he’d explain it or begin another ramble about the statistics of names or something. He didn’t.

“Did you need me for something?” she asked, running her dumb over the protrusions of her knuckles in a way that had become soothing.

“Oh! Yes, I was going to ask if you wanted to grab dinner before the opening. There’s this new Indian restaurant I’ve been meaning to try that’s only a couple of blocks from the Mall.”

“Sure, I haven’t had Indian food in ages. Do you think meeting at 5:30 will give us enough time to make it to the opening?”

“It should. I’ll write down the address for you,” he said, scrawling it out on a yellow sticky note in his careful script. Cassie took it and tucked it into the book she was planning on reading on the train, unable to stop a small smile from curving her lips. 

“Did you know that modern plastic glitter was invented in 1934?”

“Kid, I can assure you I didn’t, nor did I want to,” Derek replied in mild exasperation. Spencer just grinned, turning back to his own work. 

Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad. 

---

Spencer had never seen Cassie in a dress. 

It made sense in their line of work and she never participated in team outings. It had just never occurred to him that she had dresses, never mind one so poofy. 

It was a vintage silhouette, high-necked and fitted to her waist before it flared out to just past her knees. She’d thrown an oversized cardigan over it and pulled her hair back into a bun on top of her head. He didn’t realize that he’d been staring until she spoke, her brow furrowed.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Do I look stupid? This is what I always wear to events.”

“No, you look fine—you look nice! I just haven’t seen you out of work clothes.”

“It’s not a very good outfit for running down unsubs. Or processing remains.”

“I can see that. Good for museum openings though.”

He held the door open for her and she crossed to the hostess, nervously picking at the hem of her dress. She’d called ahead to make a reservation, a specific table in the back where she sat with her back in the corner, eyes darting between the kitchen and front doors as they made easy conversation about books. He wondered if she even noticed she did it—she never paused in her train of thought, never stuttered as her eyes traced the people coming in and out. 

He found out she was partial to the Romantics, both literary and musically. That she’d gotten kicked out of the Mutter Museum twice—once for ‘fixing’ an improperly displayed exhibit and the other for an unspecified incident with the Hyrtl Skull Collection, the thought of which still visibly irritated her. He learned that she didn’t own a TV, but that she did have every season of The X Files illegally downloaded to her computer. 

They crossed the Mall lazily, Spencer rambling on about the merits of different chess openings. She didn’t interrupt him, instead listening with her head cocked to the side as she walked on the lip of the Reflecting Pool. 

“Can’t you counter Bird’s with the Sicilian Defense?” She asked, still focusing on her faux-tightrope walk on the edge of the water.

“I thought you weren’t any good at chess?”

“I’m not—not good enough to play Gideon anyway. But he did try hard to teach me and picked some of it up.”

“If—If you don’t mind me asking, how did you and Gideon meet?”

She surprised him, answering without hesitation. “He was a friend of my parents so he was around a lot when I was little. Sometimes he’d take me birdwatching or try and teach me chess. Just normal stuff.”

“So you’ve known him your whole life then?”

“Pretty much. I didn’t see him much when I was a teenager, but he checked in when he could. I called him as soon as I found out I’d gotten into the Academy. I’d forgotten about the time difference and I woke him up at 3am.”

“Time difference?”

“I was in Scotland. My second Master’s is in Anatomical Studies from University of Edinburgh.”

“Your second? What about your first?”

“Forensic anthropology from University of Boston Medical. I did my undergrad at Harvard in human evolutionary biology and archaeology and social anthropology.”

“Wow—I didn’t realize you’d gone through so much school. Did you like Boston? I spent a year and a half at MIT and I never really felt settled there.”

“It was fine. I was pretty young so I didn’t really venture past the library or the Red Line.”

“How old were you when you started?”

“Thirteen. Late start, right Doc?” She asked, giving him a crooked smile.”

“Oh definitely ancient. Practically a disgrace.”

Cassie laughed, nearly losing her balance as she threw her head back. She leapt from the ledge back to the pavement, landing lightly. 

“Did you like California?” She asked, her expression almost wistful.

“Pasadena was nice enough but I didn’t see much outside of the University—I had to get everywhere on a bike because the government refused to give me a license, even though I could drive.”

“Of course they wouldn’t, I bet you couldn’t even reach the pedals,” Cassie snorted. Spencer gave her a dirty look that he ruined by smiling.  

“I could so reach the pedals.”

“I’m not even convinced you know how to drive now. I’ve never seen you do it.”

“You’re one to talk!”

Cassie just shrugged. “I’m not very good, but I had to learn for the Academy. Haven’t bothered with it since.”

“Not at all?”

“Why would I? DC has passable public transit. Hotch or Morgan always drive when we’re on cases.”

“Huh, I never really thought about that.”

Cassie glanced at her watch, eyes widening. “Shit, how’d it get so late? Come on Spencer, or there’ll be no white wine left!”

She grabbed hold of his wrist, careful not to touch his skin and pulled him forward at an uncomfortably fast clip, though he was the only one out of breath when they reached the entrance to the museum. 

---

The museum was packed, far more so than Spencer had expected. Cassie pulled him into a side hall before swiping them into a service elevator.

“It’s a shortcut,” she said at his bemused expression, “The FBI partners with the Smithsonian so I got them to make me a badge.”

“Let me see,” he said reaching out for the badge in her hand. She pulled it out of his reach.

“No! Get your own Mr. Genius.”

“It’s Dr. Genius, thank you,” he retorted in faux outrage. She just laughed.

“Alright Dr. McDoesn’t-have-a-badge, whatever you say,” she said, dramatically ushering him from the elevator. She lead him towards the droning of several hundred voices gathered into the east wing of the museum. She made a beeline for the refreshments, grabbing two glasses of white wine before coming to a stop before Spencer, brows furrowed.

“I forgot to ask if you preferred red or white.”

“I’m not really a wine fan, in all honesty,” he said, slightly confused at the way her face lit up at his answer. He watched as she tipped one glass into the other, depositing the empty glass on a passing tray. 

“Cassandra!”

Spencer watched in bemusement as a tiny old man with wispy silver hair pushed his way through the crowd towards the pair of them, waving frantically. Cassie froze next to him, eyes widening as he approached, wine glass halfway to her lips. The man stopped in front of them, straightening his tweed jacket as he beamed up at her, the gold wire of his glasses glinting in the low light. Spencer noted a gold watch chain running from the buttonhole of his vest to the pocket, a delicate filigree butterfly hung off the end. 

“Cassandra! Oooh, lovely that you made it! Ayesh said he wasn’t sure if you’d be able to.” 

“Just got lucky. No case for a change,” she replied, fidgeting with her wine glass as she smiled back.

“Him and the rest of your cohort should be around here somewhere. Last I saw they were having a rather lively debate about particulate dating.” He turned, seeming to spot Spencer by her side for the first time. 

“Ah, and you brought a friend as well! Excellent, excellent! I’m Dr. Francis Garvey and I teach bioanthropology over at GW as well as manage the unclaimed Collection here at the Smithsonian,” he said, beaming as he reached out a hand for Spencer to shake.

“He doesn’t—germs, you know,” Cassie said, looking supremely uncomfortable, “Dr. Garvey, this is Dr. Spencer Reid, one of my colleagues from the Bureau.”

“A fellow Doctor, how marvelous! What’s your speciality?”

“Um, well my doctorates are in engineering, chemistry, and mathematics, but I do also have degrees in sociology and psychology and I’m working on a BA in philosophy.”

“Remarkable! And how old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Twenty-five, twenty-six in October.”

“Good for you, young man! Now if you could only convince Miss Cassandra here to finally submit her dissertation you would truly be a force of nature!”

“Dissertation?”

“Where did you say Georgie and the rest of them were?” Cassie asked, too loud. Dr. Garvey ignored her, eyes alight with sparkling mischief.”

“Miss Cassandra is one of our foremost doctoral candidates. Her research is very specific, and we’re very lucky to have her at the Collection for the time she can spare. However, for whatever reason she refuses to submit her dissertation for review.”

“It’s just—“ she stammered, eyes darting over to Spencer, color rising in her cheeks, “It’s not quite right yet.”

“Perfection does not exist in nature, nor will it be achieved in your dissertation. I will once again urge you, with my new friend Dr. Reid here as witness, to simply submit, graduate, and continue this line of inquiry post-doc.”

Cassie stared at the carpet, looking as though she wished to disappear into it. She waited a beat before throwing back the rest of her drink and disappearing off into the crowd without another word. Dr. Garvey shook his head, fondness mixing with his exasperation. 

“That girl makes a mule look meek.”

“I never knew she was working on her doctorate.”

“For nearly three years now. She should be a year and a half post-doc, if I’m being quite honest with you. She’s incredibly bright, driven—I do hope you appreciate her over there. What I wouldn’t give to have her in the lab full time—if I had it my way she’d be running the Collection by the time she’s thirty.”

“The collection?”

“The Unidentified Collection here at the museum. We actually partner with the Bureau to help them identify remains, mostly fully skeletonized as well as with various other powers looking to identify homicide victims, natural disaster victims, and war crimes.”

“Is it a very large collection?”

Dr. Garvey laughed. “Unfortunately very much so. Why don’t you stop by sometime and I can give you a tour.? I’d show you right now, but I don’t want to steal you away from Cassandra for the rest of the night. After all, it’s not everyday she brings a friend to one of our openings. Now let me just—ah, yes, of course. They’re all over by the dirt—pardon, the soil. Don’t call it dirt in front of Georgie, the redhead. Off you go! Absolutely lovely meeting you!”

Spencer paused for a moment, observing the group Dr. Garvey had pointed out. They were indeed a lively bunch, arguing and laughing over what Spencer assumed was far from their first round of drinks. Cassie hovered slightly back from the group, following the discussion with a stoic sort of intensity. She caught Spencer’s gaze, giving him a little wave. The rest of group turned, as is on cues, and gaped at him as he strode to join her.

“You didn’t tell us you had friends,” said the man next to her in a mock-accusatory voice.  He was an inch shorter than her, with deeply tanned skin and inky back hair, which he wore overlong. Cassie made a face at him, returning his mocking tone without restraint.

“Ooh, good one. Comedy Central’s drawing up your contract right now.” She turned toward Spencer, looking almost apologetic. 

“Spencer, this is Ayesh Rajapakse, bioanthropology, Georgie Allen, geology, Owen Williams, physical anthropology, Tran Hoang is also in physical anthropology, and Peggy Ndong is our outlier with cultural and linguistic anthropology. Everybody, this is Dr. Spencer Reid, one of my colleagues from the FBI.”

“Are you one of those profilers? Can you profile me?” the blonde man—Owen—asked. He looked rather excited by the prospect. Cassie rolled her eyes.

“Leave him alone, he’s here to see the exhibit, not to tell you that you have mommy issues—“

“I do not—“

“You do,” Georgie retorted, snorting into her wine, “It’s why your last girlfriend was forty-three.”

“Oh, leave Maureen out of it,” he said, flushing scarlet.

“She did make really good cookies though,” Ayesh said, a dreamy expression crossing his face. “Honestly, let Owen date as many milfs as he wants as long as they bring cookies when the visit the lab.”

“What’s a milf?” Spencer asked, brows furrowed. Cassie elbowed Ayesh, disgusted. 

“This is why I don’t go out with you guys, you absolute monsters. It hasn’t even been five minutes.”

“You’re the one who started it!”

“No, it was definitely Norman Bates over here,” Tran snickered, dodging the smack Owen aimed their way. 

“I’d like to say they’re usually more professional than this, but I make it a point not to lie,” Peggy said to Spencer from his other side. 

“Oh give us a break, we handle dead people all day, we need a laugh. Except Georgie, she just plays with dirt,” Ayesh said, grinning at the way Georgie’s face shifted to anger.

“It’s not dirt, dirt doesn’t mean anything from a geological stance!

Cassie looked down as her phone rang, muffled in her purse. She fished it out, backing away from the group as she listened to the caller. Spencer watched her as her demeanor shifted, the Cassie he was used to materializing in a matter of seconds. Tran craned their neck to get a better look at her before turning back to the group.

“That’s it for Cassie then. Gotta be a new record.”

Owen checked his watch. “Eleven minutes. What was the last one?”

“Twenty-four, but that one held for six months.”

Cassie returned to the group, expression dark. “We gotta go, Spence.”

“Did we catch a case?”

“Something like that. Just—I told Hotch we’d be there in 40.” 

Spencer nodded, waving goodbye to the group of scientists even as Cassie merely gave them a nod before turning on her heel. He glanced back as he pushed his way through the crowd—with markedly less success than Cassie—to see the group huddled together, whispering as they watched her go. 

“What is it?” he asked as soon as they were once again disappearing down one of the service hallways. She whipped around, eyes wide.

“Morgan’s been arrested. For murder.”

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